Edelgard's father is one of her last remaining ties to this life, and he passes away not long before school ends. She does not share many details on it; she is called and told that he does not have much time left and chooses to go to visit him alone, and when she finally returns, she tells them that he has died.

Edelgard handles her grief privately, not speaking much about the loss of her father. After spending some time by herself, while Byleth, Hubert, and Ferdinand give her space, she soon returns to normal, hiding any lingering pain as she says that it is time they talk about their plans again.

"Now that...that's out of the way, there really isn't anything to stop me from dropping out of school and disappearing," she says, and Ferdinand winces as soon as she has. He looks willing to leave the topic alone entirely, but she notices and says, "Please, share your feelings."

He seems reluctant, remembering the argument that occurred the last time, but he finally speaks up. "I still don't like it. I know that Byleth and Hubert are both graduating, and I guess it's a little too late for them to think about college for next year now , but...trying to imagine you not here next year, I just…"

Ferdinand trails off, as if expecting them to scold him for his worries already, but even Hubert remains silent, wanting to hear him out. "I don't like any of it. We all have a lot of potential, and we were all sent to a very prestigious school. We all got first-rate educations." Now, he almost sounds like an information pamphlet for their school, but this does not seem to bother him. "If we wanted to, any one of us...any one of us could go on to become anything we wanted. It seems a waste for Edelgard to drop out, just as much as it seems a waste for Hubert and Byleth to both ignore college. I understand that this is important, but…"

"It is important." Now, Hubert speaks up, but he keeps his voice level, making it clear that he is not trying to turn this into an argument. "Our futures were decided for us the moment we stepped into this. And until all of this is sorted out- and it may never be- we can't just walk away from it or ignore it. You should understand that by now. Perhaps you still have a way out, but we don't."

"I don't," Edelgard says. "Byleth and Hubert have both chosen this path and cut off any other paths, but I never had a choice to begin with. My dreams were shattered as soon as this happened to me, and just trying to keep my head low at school this year was hard enough. Next year will be even more difficult, especially now that we know school isn't a safe place for me, and college will be impossible. And, all the while, I have these monsters searching for me, and they know where to find me. They know about Byleth from her father, and they probably knew about Hubert before they even turned me.

You're safe right now, Ferdinand, and I understand not wanting to come into the fold now, when you can still get away. I want you to get away, and I don't want you to get hurt because of us- because of me. But that means that you need to accept that life is going to go on for you, just the same as it always has, while we are going to go our own way."

There is a long silence after Edelgard finishes her speech, and Byleth watches the other three, searching for reactions in their faces before staring down at the ground, because that somehow feels easier. It is a while before Ferdinand speaks up again, in a much smaller voice this time.

"I know that," he says. "I know all of that. That's why I've given up trying to stop you, even though I still wish I could, I just...I wanted to say what I was feeling. But I know what it's important, and I know that nothing I say is going to change anything. I just wish..."

"I wish that you could come with us too," Byleth says, and Edelgard and Hubert look to her in surprise. All this time, Ferdinand has been saying that he wishes they wouldn't go, but as she has watched his face, Byleth has slowly been able to piece together what it is that he is really worried about.

"I want to go with the three of you. I want to do that more than anything, but…I understand that I'm lucky to still have my family." As he says this, he gives a look to both Byleth and Edelgard, orphaned while in high school, before turning to Hubert. "But I know that my situation still isn't the best. However, things are different for me. Hubert, you've never...you've never thought twice about going your own way, and I'll always envy that, but no matter how complicated my family is, I can't leave. Not right now. They wouldn't let me, and I can't do it without their blessing, so I…"

"I understand." Hubert is the one to say this, with a small nod, and Ferdinand gives him a grateful smile that has soon faded again.

"I feel useless. All of you have something you can do, and I can't do anything, and even if I could come with you, I would just be dead weight," Ferdinand confesses. "It feels bad, knowing that I will never be able to actually help. So often, I feel like I don't really belong at all. Like I just intruded on something that you all had without me, and like I'm not actually a part of things."

Ultimately, that is what it all comes down to. The four of them are going off on their own paths now, but three of those paths still link up, while his veers off in another direction. Ferdinand certainly does seem like the odd one out when it comes to their relationship, and he was an addition that none of them expected, but Byleth has always felt that he added something necessary, like they needed an odd one out.

They needed Ferdinand, and they still need him, and even when they are gone, he will still be a part of their lives, and a necessary part of their relationship. Even if he can't fight like they will, even if he can't just disappear like they can, he is important and he is needed, and he is most definitely not useless. They spend the rest of the day reassuring him of this, and the last day of school inches ever closer.