Chapter 44: Rapunzel in the Cage

After Mine and Sakurako left, Nagisa let out a small sigh.

"Lady Nagisa, are you all right?"

"Yes, though my stomach hurts… This whole situation was originally caused by Mika and me, so all I can do now is accept it…"

If I ever end up leading at the top in the future, I’ll have to be more careful so something like this doesn’t happen… While she was thinking that, Sensei was the first to offer words of comfort.

"Good work."

"…Thank you, Sensei. I keep showing you nothing but disgraceful sides of myself…"

"About earlier—did something happen with Mika? You’ve seemed… concerned."

When he asked, Nagisa began explaining the hearing scheduled for tomorrow. The crimes Mika had committed up until now—especially the incident involving the Eden Treaty—would be the main focus, and Mika would most likely be expelled.

"Ever since the Eden Treaty incident, public opinion toward Mika has only grown worse. She has already been expelled from the Pater faction she belonged to, and during tomorrow’s hearing, she will be stripped of her qualifications as a member of the Tea Party…"

Whatever the circumstances or hidden truths might be, the fact remained that Mika had colluded with the Arius Branch School and become the central culprit of the Eden Treaty incident. With a severe expression, Nagisa continued.

"Even before the hearing, there have been repeated protests demanding her condemnation. Some students have thrown stones into the cage where Mika is being held. The Trinity message boards are flooded with posts attacking her, and the Pater faction is being treated coldly simply because she used to be one of them…"

Right, those people who tried to burn Mika’s belongings the other day said something like that. Not that it justifies anything.

"Mika’s books and personal items were confiscated, and even the clothes and accessories she treasured and collected were nearly burned… We owe thanks to Aika and the other officer candidates for preventing that."

"No, I wasn’t the one who took the initiative—it was Masa. Mika-sama’s sins may indeed be heavy… but that does not give anyone a free pass to treat her however they please."

It had been Masa who said that, but I agreed completely.

"Aika… I see. I didn’t know it had gotten that severe."

"…The Justice Task Force is doing its best to keep things under control, but it’s impossible to dispel the hostile atmosphere that’s spread throughout the academy."

"…"

Sensei—the one who always tries to stand on the students’ side, Mika included—fell silent, clearly thinking about how he could help.

"Mika has become a public enemy within Trinity. We could simply dismiss everything as part of the punishment she must bear, but…"

"Nagisa, you want to help her somehow, don’t you?"

"…Yes. Mika has already paid more than enough for the sins she committed."

"Understood. I’ll help too."

Nagisa’s expression brightened for a brief moment at Sensei’s words, but it quickly dimmed again.

"…Thank you, Sensei. However, it seems Mika herself has no intention of defending her actions…"

"Mika…?"

Apparently, Mika was planning to skip the hearing entirely. If she did, given the severity of what had happened, expulsion would be unavoidable. Even Nagisa’s attempts to persuade her had done little to change her mind.

"Perhaps Seia could have managed to convince her… but she’s unwell and in no condition for that."

After a brief pause, Nagisa looked straight into Sensei’s eyes.

"…Sensei, may I ask this of you?"

"Yeah… I’ll go speak with Mika and try to persuade her."

"Thank you. If it’s you, Sensei, I’m sure… Besides, Mika seems to be waiting for you."

After saying that, Nagisa sighed. She hadn’t had any real rest lately; she must have been worn down both physically and mentally.

"I feel a little relieved. Even though nothing has been solved yet…"

"Nagisa, are you all right…?"

Hearing Sensei’s concern, Nagisa blinked in surprise for a moment, then replied:

"Me…? Yes, I’m fine. The same as always."

Given how constant crises had become, maybe that really was “the same as always.”

"…Heh. The only ones who worry about me are you, Sensei… and Aika and the others. Thank you. Well then… I leave the rest in your hands."

After seeing Sensei off toward Mika’s location, Nagisa called out to me.

"…Aika, weren’t you scheduled to perform a hymn today?"

"Ah…"

Because of everything related to the Eden Treaty incident, I’d had more contact with the Sisterhood, and they sometimes invited me to the chapel to perform because of my piano skills. And today was the day I was supposed to play. I’d planned to head there once this meeting ended, but when I checked the time, it was already cutting close.

"…My apologies. Our conversation ran long. I’ll handle the cleanup—please head to the chapel."

"Then I’ll take you up on your offer. Excuse me."

With little time left before the appointed hour, I hurried toward the Sisterhood.

On the way there, Sensei caught sight of a condemnation protest. Seeing its intensity renewed his determination—he had to persuade Mika. And somehow, he managed to get her to agree to attend the hearing.

Next, he headed to Seia, intending to ask her to speak with Mika as well. But Seia claimed she had seen the end of Kivotos in a prophetic dream…

"…But Seia. Right now, you’re doing something very dangerous. This isn’t something you should try to shoulder alone—it’s something everyone should cooperate on."

"…"

"So leave things like that to the adults. And Seia… I want you to look properly at the person right in front of you."

The person in front of her—those words made Seia picture someone specific, and she fell into thought.

"…Perhaps I let that dream overwhelm me. Maybe I really did lose sight of myself. You’re right, Sensei… I first need to deal with what’s right in front of me."

She fell silent again, then continued.

"Right now, saving Mika from the mire she’s sinking into is our top priority. Why didn’t I realize that sooner…? Thank you, Sensei. We have to take this one step at a time—starting with resolving Mika’s situation."

"Thank you, Seia. Mika wanted to apologize to you."

Seia had already forgiven her—but only inside the dream. Mika still believed that Seia hadn’t forgiven her at all.

"For grown women, the fact that we still haven’t even managed to say ‘I’m sorry’ to each other… truly shameful. I should have Mika brought to me at once."

If she attended tomorrow’s hearing—and if she, likely Mika’s greatest victim, forgave her and defended her—then… With that thought, Seia rang the bell.

"Yes, Lady Seia~ What do you need~?"

The one who answered was Maiha, a Sanctus-affiliated officer candidate. Since Seia had recovered from being bedridden, Maiha had been acting as her escort and helper whenever she went out.

"I’m sorry, but I’d like to see Mika. Could you bring her here right away?"

"Mika-sama~? Hehe, understood~ I’ll go confirm with Lady Nagisa~"

As Maiha turned to leave the room, Seia called out, cheeks faintly red.

"Thank you. And… please tell them that I’d like to speak with Mika alone. Having others in the room would be… rather embarrassing."

"Of course~ I’ll hurry then~"

After seeing Maiha leave, Sensei also stepped out to share the news with Nagisa. Once he finished, he returned early to Schale.

Maiha returned with Mika. Respecting Seia’s wish to speak privately, Maiha waited outside the recovery room with a member of the Justice Task Force assigned to monitor Mika for any escape attempts.

"Hehe… I hope Lady Seia and Mika-sama can reconcile properly~ What do you think?"

"Ah—yes… um… I hope they can make up."

She was here strictly on duty, so it seemed she had no intention of speaking more than necessary. Maiha decided that was fine, and the two chatted idly for a while.

"Ohh, there’s a hidden sweets shop like that~?"

"Yes, though the vice-chair said she’s dieting for a while, so she won’t be going there soon… Hmm?"

(You’re the one who brought Sensei here…!)

They heard Seia raise her voice—something unusual for her—and Maiha and the Task Force member immediately sensed something was wrong.

"…What should we do?"

"Until they call for us—"

They tried to respect Seia’s request for privacy, but then Mika shouted from inside the room:

"Someone!! Please, someone call for help!! Seia-chan—Seia-chan is acting strange!!"

Maiha turned to signal the Justice Task Force member, but realizing that a situation this urgent could easily lead to misunderstandings later, she spoke clearly instead.

"…Sorry—can I ask you to go call for help?"

"Y-yes! I—I understand!!"

Seeing the girl sprint off, Maiha opened the door and entered. Inside was Seia, collapsed and coughing up blood—and Mika holding her in a panic.

"Mika-sama…! What happened to Lady Seia!?"

"Maiha-chan… I came to see her and apologize, but then she asked me about Arius, and I told her Sensei is being targeted by Arius, and then—!"

That was concerning information, but right now, Seia took priority.

"What about Lady Seia…?"

"Then all of a sudden she collapsed, started coughing, and… she spat up blood…! What do I do…!? Why is Seia-chan… why did this happen…?"

Mika had been deeply reflecting on everything she’d done and had been seeking the chance to apologize to Seia. Seia was the one who had requested to speak in private. Maiha judged, with a serious expression, that Mika hadn’t tried to harm her.

"I understand. So Mika-sama didn’t do anything to Lady Seia, correct?"

"Yeah… but…"

It might be her fault—Seia had said the same. That everything had happened because she was stupid. Mika spiraled into that thought, sinking deeper and deeper into despair.

Seia was now receiving first aid from the Justice Task Force member who had returned, but the bleeding and convulsions wouldn’t stop. They had no choice but to call the Remedial Knights. Nagisa was currently rushing to the infirmary, and they still couldn’t get in contact with Sensei at Schale.

"Is the culprit Mizono Mika!? That witch!!"

"Mika-sama didn’t do anything!!"

Mika had been returned to the cell for questioning, but now a crowd of furious students, Masa—who’d come to check after hearing rumors—and Maiha were in a heated clash in front of the cell.

"This happened because she went to see Lady Seia, isn’t that right!? Of course that woman must have done something—!"

"Stop that! Do not speak based on wild speculation!"

Thud! Thud!
The cell wall was being kicked—hard. The vibrations reached all the way inside.

"Murderer!! Witch!! Come out, you vile criminal!! This is all your fault!!"

Then came a heavy wham, like someone striking the bars with a rifle stock. The shouting and pounding paused for a moment.

"Aha… yeah… it’s my fault… everything… This all happened because… I was stupid… She never forgave me after all…"

Tears spilled over.

"I… I thought maybe I still had a chance to make things right. That tomorrow at the hearing… Seia-chan, Nagisa-chan, and Sensei… maybe we could all…"

Something dark began rising inside her.

"But there’s no such thing as a second chance… I believed in some stupid fairy tale… Because I’m stupid, Arius used me, and because of that… I hurt the people I care about… At this rate, I’m just like…"

"Witch!!"

Next came the muted pop of a .303 round being fired—small, sharp. Mika didn’t even hear it.

"…Yeah. If I think about it, the answer’s obvious. Saori, the Lock of the Arius Squad… That woman is the root of all of this."

Her expression as she said that was no longer that of a carefree princess—it was the very image of a witch consumed by vengeance.

"She used me—tried to kill Seia-chan, launched a missile at Nagi-chan, hurt Sensei… every single thing, every last thing, every—last—thing! was planned by that woman."

Her fist tightened. She’d had everything ripped away from her, yet Saori, the true culprit, was still out there living freely…

"—I can’t forgive her."

If I lost everything important… then she should lose something equally precious—someone equally precious. Otherwise, how is that fair?

"Let go of me! Homura Masa!! Come out, Seizon Mika!!"

"I told you to shut up. Do you want the next bullet shoved right down your throat?"

When Maika rushed over after hearing something had happened, she found Masa reprimanding a student who had been yelling in front of Mika’s cell. First, as a warning, Masa had knocked the girl out by smacking her with the stock of her beloved rifle. But the girl woke right up and started screeching again, so Masa resorted to the second warning: firing a live round. While the girl was unconscious, she had restrained her—but even that wasn’t enough to stop the ranting once she recovered.

Masa was considering whether to just hand her over to the Justice Task Force when the cell wall suddenly shook—and then shattered.

"Gah!?"

"!?"

Emerging from the hole—naturally—was Mika herself.

"Sorryyy☆ Um, my gun is… over there, right?"

Before either the officer cadets or the student who had been shouting accusations could react, Mika dashed off without giving anyone a chance to speak.

"Wait—did she just punch through the wall!? With her bare hands!?"

"That idiot princess…! …Maika!"

Masa clicked her tongue and called out to Maika, who was still frozen.

"We need to report this immediately. And go get Aika—Mika-sama must be stopped. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but… we can’t leave her like this."

"R-right!"

Masa glanced at the student sprawled unconscious on the floor from the wall’s collapse.

"And while we’re at it, let’s toss that idiot into the Justice Task Force holding room."

"Y-yeah…"

Maika phoned Aika, specified a meeting point, and then the two of them rushed toward the Justice Task Force headquarters.