Chapter 81 - Eden Treaty Arc Part I - Epilogue
...
"Mika." I say, with narrowed eyes, staring down the angelic pinkette.
"It's good to see you again, Sensei." She chirps. "As I was saying, the Justice Task Force won't be moving from their post. My orders. You noticed, didn't you? Just how empty campus was this morning? I've removed every obstacle in my way and given stand down orders to anyone and everyone under the Tea Party's command. I wouldn't want anyone to interfere with our assault on Nagi."
"Misono Mika of the Tea Party..." Hanako says, lowly.
"That's me~" Mika chirps. "And here I am, making my grand appearance as the mastermind behind everything. You can consider me to be Trinity's true traitor."
The girls remain silent, Koharu jolting in shock.
"Won't you tell me where you've hid Nagi? I don't have much time." Mika asks.
"Why? So your pals over there can kill her? No chance." I say, upset.
"What do you mean? They're not here to kill Nagi, just to help me kidnap her. So just tell me where she is." Mika says, like it's obvious. Azusa and I share a look as she says that, both of us confused, but quickly coming to an understanding.
Arius wants to kill Nagisa and likely Mika right after, Mika just doesn't know it.
Looking over, it seems Hanako's figured it out too.
"Hmm? Ah, I bet you want to know why I'm doing this, huh, Sensei?" The traitor asks, innocently. "Because I hate Gehenna." She says it so simply, I can't help but raise an eyebrow. "I sincerely loathe Gehenna Academy from the depths of my heart."
"Why?" I ask.
"Why? I dunno, I just hate Gehenna." Mika says, shrugging.
"Hatred can only be acquired one of two ways: learning it from one's experiences, or being taught it." I point out. "Don't expect me to believe you hate something so badly- that you would go this far to disrupt the Treaty- just because."
"That's you real objective." Hanako realizes. "To stop the Eden Treaty from being signed? That's why you're targeting Nagisa?"
"Uh... who are you again?" Mika asks. "Sorry, I've always been awful at remembering faces. Wait, I remember now!" She says, on the verge of laughter. "You're Urawa Hanako, right? The one who was kicked out of chapel class for attending in a swimsuit!" She says, laughing.
Hanako just flashes her a deadpan stare.
"Well, to answer your question: That's correct. I mean, Nagi's Eden Treaty idea was completely ridiculous. Ludicrous. A peace treaty with those wretches? Just the thought of coexisting with them makes my skin crawl. And how long would that last, hm? How many years- weeks- no, DAYS until we end up with a knife in our back? I simply can't allow something like that to happen. For being such a paranoid girl, Nagi really is too naive. This isn't a fairy tale." She scoffs. "There's no happily ever after waiting beyond her treaty. It's about time she came to grips with the reality around us. So hand her over. I promise not to kill her. She may have to spend the rest of her school life in confinement, but it won't be so bad."
"So it was a peace treaty after all." I realize. "You were just trying to trick me, huh?"
"Oh, that." Mika realizes, looking a tad apologetic. "Yes, I'm sorry for deceiving you, Sensei. That little conversation we had by the pool wasn't entirely truthful. Someone as ignorant and naive as Nagi would never think to use the Eden Treaty to create a military alliance under her control. But... not everything was a lie, Sensei."
"Oh?" I ask.
"I was telling the truth about reconciling with Arius." She says, looking at her troops behind her. "See? They make rather loyal comrades for someone wanting to wage war against Gehenna. As I told you, Arius was once one of us- an academy that would have otherwise joined the Trinity union. Of course they hate Gehenna- they always have. Theirs is an academy held together by animosity. That's why I extended an olive branch to them. I offered them the opportunity to stop a villain aiming to welcome Gehenna with open arms."
"And you trust them?" I ask. "You just said their academy runs on hatred. How much of it is for Gehenna and how much is for Trinity?"
"Hopefully, it will be none soon." Mika says.
Oh my god, Mika was calling Nagisa naive?
"I said that if the current host, Kirifuji Nagisa, has the Justice Task Force by her side now, then the next host, Misono Mika, will have Arius beside hers. What an offer, don'tcha think? Talk about making peace." Mika chirps. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they saying goes. That's why I have been secretly supporting Arius."
"You've been using Arius to stage a coup d'etat from the very beginning..." Azusa says, clenching her fist.
"I suppose you could refer to it as that." Mika shrugs. "Nagi will be overthrown and I will become the host of the Tea Party, yes. You have my gratitude, Azusa. We may as well be strangers, yet you're oh-so special to me. I owe you such a great debt for taking the fall as the assailant who attacked Nagi."
Koharu jolts in outrage, fists clenched.
"You'll be the scapegoat." The traitor says. "We need someone to take responsibility, because otherwise, how will the public rest until the perpetrator is brought to justice? I know it's a little unimaginative, but that really can't be helped. This is just the way the world works sometimes."
Azusa looks at Mika with hate-filled eyes.
"Fuck the world, then." I growl. "I am sick and tired of people using that shit as an excuse to cause pain. 'Sorry, it's just the way the world is'." I scoff. "Bullshit."
Mika eyes me curiously for a moment, before turning back to Azusa, unfazed by her rage-filled purple eyes. "You really did surprise me though. I thought all of my planning was going to be thwarted when I first heard Nagi had been attacked. You forced my hand, and I had to come handle this personally. I wasn't expecting such a bold move from the Make Up Work Club, though. Well done."
"So you did all of this... to become the host of the Tea Party...?" I ask, just to make sure.
"That's right." Mika admits. "Oh, but don't be mistaken, Sensei. This isn't about seizing power for the sake of being powerful. I simply want to erase Gehenna from Kivotos. That's all. I'm going to purge Trinity of all the moderates and idealists that agreed with Nagi and fill their seats with leaders from Arius. This may very well be the start of a new alliance. We could even hold a new council to commemorate it. That wouldn't be such a bad idea, would it? And then! The newly remade Trinity will declare all-out war on Gehenna! That's the plan!"
"SHUT UP!" I shout.
"H-Hey, don't scare me like that..." Mika whines.
"Too bad, I've had enough of this goddamn farce." I growl.
"I've never heard you raise your voice like that." Mika says, unfazed. "I guess you weren't a fan of my explanation, huh?"
"No. The war part especially pissed me off." I say. "I will not allow you to spread anymore hatred and pain, Mika." I've never even been in war, but I've seen enough to know that I DON'T WANT TO.
"That's fine." Mika shrugs. "Honestly, with Seia and Nagi out of the way, I can finally start running things how I want. I would really appreciate you all not interfering further."
Hanako jolts, realizing something.
"This isn't even about Gehenna, is it?" I ask.
"Of course it is-"
"No." I cut Mika off. "Because it sounds like you were upset about not getting your way, despite being a part of the Tea Party, so you got Arius to attack Nagisa AND Seia to take over. Did you just forget it's a triumvirate?"
"Mika! Was it you? Were you the one behind Seia's attack?!" Hanako shouts, pissed off.
"Huh?" Mika asks, caught off-guard. "You don't have to look at me with such disdain, you know. Buuuut... you're right." Hanako stills. "I was the one who orchestrated Seia's attack. What other choice did I have? Seia would prattle on every day about nonsense like paradise and whatnot. Destroying her halo wasn't part of the plan though. Give me a little credit- I'm not a murderer. I was just going to keep her under lock and key until she graduated, but the raid team, rascals they were, let things get out of hand and went a little too far."
"...Is that what you think?" Azusa asks.
"Oh? What do you mean Azusa? It's because of you that Seia's attack went the way it did." Mika reveals. "You were a part of the raid team. It's all because of that little mishap that things have gotten out of hand like this. Get it? I can't turn back now because of that- because of you."
Azusa violently stills for a moment, before shaking her head.
"Azusa...?" Hifumi asks, quietly.
"Yes, I was a part of the raid team." The silverette says. "But you're wrong, it wasn't a mishap. The raid team's objective was to to kill Yurizono Seia."
Mika jolts, staring at Azusa with wide eyes.
"And the reason I was enrolled into Trinity wasto kill Kirifuji Nagisa." Azusa continues.
"B... But that's..." Mika says, stricken with shock, confusion and denial.
"Arius hates Gehenna, yes, but they hate Trinity just as much." Azusa continues, not relenting. "They've hated Trinity for so long, why do you think that you could just erase something as long-lived as that so easily? No, everyone at Arius has been taught to hate those two schools for as long as anyone can remember. And I'd wager once Nagisa was dead, you'd be next Mika."
Mika stares at Azusa with wide-eyed, stricken with fear this time.
"If they used me, one of their own students, as a tool, what's stopping them from using you- a member of the Tea Party- to crush Trinity and Gehenna?"
BOOOOM
Another explosion goes off in the building, interrupting the conversation.
"Huh...?" Mika asks, snapping out of her trance.
"A group of students are breaching from the outside!" An Arius girl relays.
"That's impossible." Mika scoffs. "There shouldn't be any students left on campus who would dare oppose the Tea Party's orders."
"I can think of one." Hanako says, bringing a smile to my face as I get it. "An independent organization that doesn't bow to the Tea Party or anyone else for that matter."
"Status report! They're coming from the cathedral!" Another soldier says. "It's the Sisterhood!"
"The... Sisterhood...?" Mika blinks, before realizing. "Urawa Hanako!"
"That's right." The busty pinkette chirps. "I did eventually decide to take someone up on their offer and made a pact of my own."
"A pact?" The traitor asks.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Besides..."
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
Hanako's words are stopped by the wall to the gym exploding, taking out a few Arius students in the process.
"May peace and comfort find you today." Mari says, coughing a bit.
"Apologies for barging in like this." Hinata says, as they enter through the hole in the wall.
"We've decided to break our customs and involve ourselves with the Tea Party's internal struggle." Sakurako says, followed by many gun-toting sisters. "Misono Mika of the Tea Party. You are under arrest for attempting and instigating harm against your fellow Tea Party members."
The Arius students train their weapons on the Sisterhood, and vice versa. However, we can all see it: There are more black-clad Sisters than there are white-clad Arius students.
"You must be Utazumi Sakurako of the Sisterhood." Mika says, mouth agape, before laughing. "This is my first time fighting the Sisterhood! So is this the trump card you've had up your sleeve? Just HOW did you manage to get them involved, Hanako? I knew you were acquainted with them at one point, just as you were with everyone. What did you offer in return, I wonder. Those interlopers wouldn't lift a finger unless they stood to gain something from it."
"Funny you're accusing an order of Sisters of being selfish." I jest, pointing out the irony in that.
"How intriguing, though I do find it annoying to have more pests to exterminate." Mika says, nonchalant.
"Sounds to me like you're becoming restless, Mika." Hanako snaps.
"I planned to clean out the cathedral when I became host anyway. This just saves me some time." The traitor shrugs. "The Sisterhood didn't flinch after Seia's death, yet they decide to get involved now?" She scoffs. "What a cruel joke. Did I miss something? Overlook an important detail? Or... was it because I underestimated you, Hanako? No. Urawa Hanako is exceptional, but ultimately harmless. There was no need to account for her more than I did. Could it have been because of Azusa's betrayal? ...No. She was only a puppet. Whether she stayed loyal or not wouldn't have affected the outcome. Perhaps Hifumi? No, she's just a normal girl. And Koharu is a fool, so there was no need to account for her."
"Hey!" Koharu shouts, indignant.
"Then why...?" Mika continues.
"Ahem." I clear my throat.
"Oh, I see. I overlooked the biggest variable of all." Mika says, calmly. "Involving Schale and Sensei was the cause of my downfall."
"Nope. It was trying to use me like a pawn that caused it." I correct. "Others have tried, and they all failed."
Mika hums. "It was only meant to be a precautionary measure. Nagi was making such a fuss about there being a traitor, and I thought it was a good solution... That's when my fate was sealed." She scoffs. "What a foolish mistake." She pauses, looking around at the vastly outnumbered Arius students, who- despite being ready and willing to fight- know they're going to lose.
Mika sighs a long, tired sigh. "I suppose this is where it ends for me."
The Arius students look at her, outraged, until they remember who they're up against- not just the Sisterhood, but the Make Up Work Club and I as well.
They also likely aren't sure they can trust Mika, seeing as how their plans to kill- not capture- Seia and Nagisa have outed by Azusa.
"Mika, about Seia..." Hanako begins.
"As I told you, the intent was never to kill Seia. I may seem like a villain, but I'm not that evil." The traitor says. "It was an accident. Seia was weak to start off with and-"
"Seia is alive, Mika!" Hanako interrupts, surprising most people.
Mika jolts, eyes wide at Hanako's declaration.
But the busty pinkette continues, "It was just made to look like she died."
"It's true." Sakurako says. "She was secretly taken from Trinity and put into holding as a precaution, seeing as how no one could find her assailant.."
"Seia... isn't dead...?" Mika asks, slowly, in disbelief.
"Her wounds haven't completely healed and she remains unconscious... but the head of the Remedial Knights continues to look after her." Hanako adds.
"Captain Mine?" Mika asks, eyes narrowing. "So that's why she..."
"Yes. And the person who saved Seia was probably-"
"You are correct." Azusa interrupts her busty friend. "Seia knew I was coming and suggested I trick Arius into believing she was dead."
"So you've been against Arius for longer than any of us thought, huh...?" Mika asks, blankly. "So... Seia's still alive..." She sighs, before a smile breaks out on her face- a genuine one. "That's wonderful news."
With a clattering sound, Mika's gun falls from her hands and onto the floor.
The traitorous pinkette raises her hands. "I surrender. You win. Congratulations, Make Up Work Club... Sensei..." She says, shooting me a sad smile. "You've earned it. Now, do whatever you want with me." She pauses, looking over to the silverette. "You understand what the consequences of these actions will be for you, don't you, Azusa?"
"Of course." Azusa nods.
"I hope you don't think Trinity will protect you." Mika points out. "You'll be hunted down no matter where you run. Forever. There will never be another peaceful night's sleep. There's no escaping Saori. You already know it all too well as someone from Arius: et omnia vanitas-"
"I know." Azusa cuts her off. "Still, I'll struggle until the bitter end- until I no longer can."
"That's great, but they'll have to get through me first." I say, causing Mika and Azusa to jump slightly. "I won't let anyone hurt my precious students.
Mika and the Make Up Work girls stare at me in awe for a moment, before the former cracks a smile. "Very well, then."
Everything after that happened pretty quickly.
The Arius students were round up and arrested. Some tried to fight back, but were quickly suppressed by the Sisterhood and cuffed. Those who tried to run were caught by the Justice Task Force, having realized Mika's orders were no longer applicable to them.
Mika, too, was arrested- but not cuffed- by the JTF.
As the night ended, and the sun began to rise, Mika and I spoke by a fountain in the center of campus.
"Mika..." I say, sadly to the girl currently being escorted by two JTF girls.
"Stop right there, Sensei. Don't say another word." Mika cuts me off. "As I said, getting Schale involved was my greatest mistake. And yet... hearing you say those things to me by the pool, it made me truly happy. It really did. If I had made different choices, then maybe we-"
As Mika begins to trail off in thought, I walk up to her, and-
pomf
-embrace her in a hug, causing her to stiffen in my hold.
"S-Sensei?!" Mika shrieks. Behind her, the two girls blush at my action.
"Enough of that. You made some mistakes and are gonna hafta owe up to them, but stop thinking I won't be here for you." I say, sternly. "People have done a lot worse to me than this, Mika..." I smile. "I will never betray anyone I care about, that includes my precious students- such as yourself."
The pinkette once again jolts in my grasp.
"Everyone makes mistakes. I already forgave ya, Mika." I say, softly, rubbing the girl's pastel pink hair. "Arius tricked you, that's no fault of yours."
"B-But... aren't you... disappointed in me...?" Mika asks, slowly.
"Not at all. You caused lots of havoc, but when this all started, you were acting with good intentions- to end an age-long hatred-, if anything I'm proud you'd do something like that." I say, causing the girl to stiffen once more. "It's a bit naive of you, yes, but... There's too much hate in the world already."
Mika slowly, wraps her arms around me. After a long moment, we part.
"I... don't believe I should get such kind words from you after all of this, but... thank you, Sensei." Mika says, a bright smile on her face.
"I told ya, people have done a lot worse to me, Mika." I say. "I won't give up on a troubled student, that ain't the kinda teacher I am."
Mika blinks in surprise, before giggling. "You certainly are something else, Sensei."
We both stare at each other, smiling as the world slowly becomes brighter an brighter.
"I'll come visit ya, Mika." I say.
"You don't have to do that." She says.
"I want to." I retort.
"...Fine, fine." Mika shrugs, waving her hand lazily in the air. "Anyways... Goodbye for now, Sensei."
"Later, Mika." I smile.
As Mika and her escorts walk away, the Make Up Work Club walks up to me.
"U-Um..." Hifumi says, awkward.
"Is it finally over?" Hanako asks.
"I think so." Koharu says, wobbling a bit.
"Koharu?!" The blonde cries, worried for her friend.
"I-I nearly passed out there..." The tiny pinkette says.
"It's been a long night." I smile.
"Not to mention how late we've been staying up for the past week to study." Hifumi adds.
I chuckle. "Though y'all are wrong about one thing."
"What's that?" Hifumi asks.
"It ain't over yet. You four still have an exam in a few hours." I remind.
"Oh." Hanako says.
"I forgot about that..." Koharu admits.
"It's seven-fifty right now." Azusa relays. "Which means we have just over an hour to make it to the testing site. Let's run!"
As the girls frantically try to run to the exam building, I can only laugh as I follow along.
Sure enough, we make it there a few minutes before nine, Azusa barely winded, Hifumi and Hanako panting, and Koharu on my back- completely exhausted.
"We made it..." The pinkette on my back says, relieved.
"W-We did..." The blonde says between panting breaths.
A JTF member approaches us. "We've been expecting you, Make Up Work Club. I have a message from Vice President Hasumi. She says, 'Good luck'." The girl says, smiling.
"Well, then." Hanako smiles.
"H-Hasumi wished me luck...?" Koharu says, starstruck, as I let her down.
The JTF girl nods. "She also asked me to pass along how sorry she is for not being able to help this morning and promises to make it up to you. Even Sensei."
"That's interesting." Azusa blinks, before smiling.
I smile. "Enough talk, y'all ready?"
The four girls nod, ready as ever.
Inside the classroom, the four girls are the definition of determination.
"All right, this is it. The third and final exam." I say, standing over my desk.
Azusa nods. "Everything is riding on this."
"You're right." Hanako nods.
"I'm pretty nervous." Hifumi says, Koharu nodding.
"We've been through so much together." The busty girl says, nostalgic.
"That we have, but there will be more than enough time to get sentimental after we pass the exam." The silverette reminds.
"It's time to show how far we've come." The blonde says.
"Of course. I'm not aiming for anything below a perfect score." Azusa smiles.
"Neither am I." Hanako seconds. "Anything less would be wasting everything I've learned from Azusa."
"I'm gonna score a one-hundred! Just you watch!" Koharu declares.
"Good luck, everyone!" Arona chirps, her body appearing next to me in a flash of light.
"All righty, then..." I pause, for effect. "Begin!"
And so, they get to work.
The girls stare at me in anticipation, waiting for me to announce their score.
"Y'know what? This time, I'll let you see them instead of telling you 'em." I say, sitting their papers at the front of my desk.
The girls walk over and examine their papers.
"I-I got a ninety-one...?" Koharu asks.
"A perfect score!" Hanako says.
"So close..." Azusa growls. "Ninety-seven."
"And I got a ninety-four." Hifumi says. "Then that means...!"
"Yup. You all pass." I say, proud of them.
Cheers can be heard from the next building over.
I didn't return to Schale quite yet, opting to stay behind and help out with somethings.
A few days later, I spoke with Sakurako and Hanako, who both explained some things. Mari tagged along, although she had nothing to add.
First, Mine reported Seia's attack and, as the Tea Party began to panic, they hid the news of her 'death'. Captain Mine then escaped with the frail girl's body, even the Remedial Knights didn't know where she was. Mine had only made it seem like Seia's halo was shattered, but it wasn't. It was the best way to protect the girl.
It was a good decision, seeing as how the one who did it was Mika.
Unfortunately, the frail girl still hasn't woken up, likely hanging around in dreams- like where I met her before I came to Trinity. Thankfully, she's been healed, but still...
Regardless, Seia and Mine are still hidden, but had passed this information along to Sakurako, so she she and her Sisters would be wary. This was then told to Hanako when she came to enlist aid.
And about that pact she made? I found out about it when I came looking for Hanako in the cathedral. Sakurako tried to say it didn't concern me, seeing as how it was Sisterhood business, but...
"I still advise the Make Up Work Club, disbanded it may be, so Hanako is still MY student."
The looks on Sakurako and Hanako's faces when I said that were priceless. I even got a blush from Mari, who apologized. Apparently, Hanako had asked Mari for her aid in persuading Sakurako to assist against the traitor and Arius, in exchange for Hanako to not drop out of school.
Mari's such a kind girl.
What was the price for persuading Sakurako? That Hanako owes her a favor?
The Sisterhood was also made to be less neutral, doing away with their non-interventionism policy and becoming more involved in Trinity's politics than before. Sakurako needed Hanako's help so that the Sisterhood could adapt to such a role.
I made sure Hanako can opt out if the pressure starts to weigh down on her again.
Hanako then explained that Azusa and the Arius raid team arrived at Seia's room at around Two AM, but the explosion didn't go off until around Three.
Azusa, being interrogated, complied instantly, explaining what happened that night...
The silver haired girl walks ahead of her fellows, her job clear. She enters a darkened hallway, pausing for a moment so that her eyes can adjust to the hallway, only illuminated by the moonlight seeping in through the windows.
She takes a deep breath, calming her nerves, and her walks to the farthest door with in the hallway.
A petite girl wearing a white dress, possessing blonde hair along with a matching pair of fox ears and a tail, sits quietly in a darkened room in a small apartment. The girls' features are delicate and her body is lithe, making her resemble a doll. A halo floats above her head, colored gold, a slightly darker hue than her hair.
This apartment is hidden, as is the small room within, the petite girl's exact location not supposed to be known to anyone, yet...
The silver haired girl enters the hidden room quietly, a bomb tucked away in her jacket. It is a special bomb, one designed to destroy a student's halo. That, along with the fact that the time is two a.m., is more than enough evidence to prove that she has ill intent.
But her nerves are still getting the better of her, even in this moment. She does not wish to use the bomb to break this girl's halo.
She does not wish to be a murderer.
And yet...
She has her orders. Orders she must obey, no matter how much she wishes to go against them.
The silver haired girl takes yet another deep breath, steeling her nerves.
"Yurizono Seia?" The silver haired girl asks.
"Ah, I've been waiting for you..." The petite girl says with a soft voice like wind chimes, as she opens her golden eyes. "Arius Satellite School's Shirasu Azusa."
The silver haired girl, Azusa, stills, her body suddenly going ramrod stiff, her purple eyes lock dead onto the lithe girl sitting in the corner of the dark room.
"You... were...?" Azusa asks, slowly, unease creeping all around her. Seia was seen as a threat to Arius due to her supposed ability to see the future. This should have been expected, yet...
It did nothing to stop Azusa's heart, feeling as though it may burst from her chest.
It takes all of her willpower to stop herself from placing a hand over her chest just to calm down.
"Yes." Seia continues, unaware of the other girl's racing thoughts. "Because all of this already came to me in a dream."
Azusa swallowed hard. The situation was getting worse and worse.
"It's difficult to explain- precognition. You can think of it as a sort of 'prophetic dream'." The fox girl continues. "I have them often, dreams that become reality. As well as ones that are indistinguishable from reality."
Azusa's mind and heart continued to race.
"Does that mean... you know what I'm going to do now?" The silver haired girl asks, slowly.
"Yes. You're here to destroy my halo." Seia says simply, as though she were describing the weather or telling the time. "Others joined you on this mission, yet they gave you the job to kill me. You must be quite talented, Azusa."
The Arius student remains silent, unable to respond. But of the many questions rampaging through her turbulent mind, one manages to slip out from her mouth.
"If you knew I was coming... why didn't you run away? Are you that satisfied with allowing yourself to end like this?" Azusa asks. "Are you seriously just willing to... give up?"
"If you must know... it's because it would have been meaningless." The fox girl says. "Everything is in vain, just as the wise saying Arius is so fond of goes."
Azusa stills for a moment, surprised she knows of that line. But then again, she shouldn't be.
"Struggling in meaningless to someone like me who can see the future." Seia says, resigned to her fate, or rather the future she's seen. "Death isn't common in Kivotos, but it's not entirely devoid of it either. Invisible, yet clearly always with us. There's no doubt that each of us are living things..." She pauses to sigh. "To destroy someone's halo is to kill them. Meaning someone out there wants me dead. Are here you are."
Seia meets Azusa's gaze with hers, causing the Arius student to freeze. "You made it all the way here and infiltrated a hidden room still undetected. You, Shirasu Azusa, a student from the Arius Satellite School." She pauses. "Have you ever destroyed a halo before?"
Azusa's mouth runs dry. "No, but I know how to... I've been taught."
"Taught?" Seia asks, tilting her head a bit, clearly intrigued.
"A halo will shatter if they're gravely wounded enough, over and over." Azusa explains, her fists clenching as a memory returns to her.
Yes, the day she met her teammates. If Saori hadn't stepped in then, she likely wouldn't have...
"A student in Kivotos could be shot with a dozen five-point-fifty six millimeter rounds and still, it wouldn't cause a fatal wound." The Arius student continues. "But, with enough time, ammunition and tactical superiority, destroying a halo with just a firearm isn't an impossibility. If someone is made to go without food or water for long enough, is suffocated for an extended period of time, loses enough blood, suffers from hypothermia, or other types of illness... All are sufficient ways to destroy one's halo."
Azusa returns the petite girl's gaze, her resolve returning somewhat. "As I understand it, you're particularly frail as well, Yurizono Seia."
"Do you think your firearm will be enough?" Seia asks with genuine curiosity, not challenging the other girl in any way.
"Under most circumstances, but I'm short on time and don't have the tactical advantage fight now." Azusa replies stoically, her emotions calming, yet her body is still tensed, ready to fight if necessary. "That's why I brought this." She says, pulling the bomb from her jacket. "I can destroy your halo immediately with this."
"A bomb that can shatter a halo?" Seia asks, raining a dainty eyebrow. "I've never heard of such a weapon. This must be the kind of thing Arius spends its time teaching. How to destroy halos- how to kill."
"Naturally." Azusa said calmly, hiding the rage in her voice- held towards that accursed school. "A school is a place to be taught. That's what I'm there for: to learn. Isn't that right?"
Seia eyes the intruder curiously, before letting out a soft sigh, perhaps one of pity. "I see. So this is what Arius has become..." The fox girl stands up and takes a few steps towards Azusa, both appearing calm even though the latter is perplexed by the former's fearlessness.
"Are you truly prepared to become a murderer, Azusa?"
Such a simple question, and yet it's one that Azusa cannot form a response to.
"I've seen it before. How afraid you are." The blonde continues, unaware of the silverette's rampaging thoughts. "Murder is murder. Whether it was something you wished for or not, whether or not you had any choice, none of it matters. It's something you can never come back from. It's something you will carry with you as long as you remain in this world. The despair, agony, rage, regret, frustration, and helplessness you'll feel... No one will ever be able to empathize with it, and eventually, those feelings will fade into nothingness, just as you will."
Those words from the small fox girl make the intruder feel even smaller than her.
But Seia continues. "You've been told your whole life: vanitas vanitatum- that it's the truth of the world. Yet, from what I've seen, you're a living contradiction. You simultaneously place faith in those words but don't believe them. It's what you were thinking to yourself as you gazed upon that flower, growing through the concrete."
Azusa stills. How could she have known that? Wait, of course she could have. Even so, it's so very unsettling to find that someone who was never there at that time knows of that.
"'Even if everything is in vain, I must continue struggling'." Seia quotes. "This is what's at the core of your being- the image you see when you close your eyes. I couldn't understand it at first, but now it makes perfect sense to me...
You didn't come here to kill me. You came here to seek advice. Advice about your struggle."
Azusa blinks, feeling all sorts of strange, foreign emotions swirling around inside of her. Seia was able to see clear through her- read her like an open book.
Azusa opened her mouth to respond.
"I see." Seia said, in response to the Arius student's words. "What I can say for certain is that we don't see eye to eye, Shirasu Azusa. I'm familiar with the fifth koan. I know better than anyone the fallacy of trying to prove the existence of paradise. B-But something this..." Seia pauses, trying to form more words, before sighing. "...If you wish to continue struggling in the face of catastrophe, then I will help. I'll lend you my wisdom. Though I can make no promises about where it will lead you."
During the interrogation, she also explained a few more things Seia said to her afterwards.
"If the long-standing dispute between Trinity and Gehenna can be resolved through the Eden Treaty, then perhaps Arius' troubles can be addressed next. She also said that the treaty was the only way to solve Trinity's deep-rooted issues." Azusa had said. "...and if Arius succeeded in destroying the Tea Party's halos, then war would break out in Kivotos.
Seia asked if that was what I truly wanted."
It seems Seia took Mika's suggestion about reconciling with Arius to heart, and was likely planning to do something about it after the Eden Treaty was signed. Except Mika went behind their backs and tried to help reconcile with Arius by using their shared hatred for Gehenna as a common ground.
After their discussion, Azusa destroyed the room using a regular bomb, stashing the halo-shattering one. This allowed Seia's death to be believed as fact by both the Tea Party and Arius. Seia also personally chose Mine for the job of leading the cover-up.
Azusa escaped and Squad believed that she had succeeded. Azusa had no knowledge of Seia being unconscious, having been in the dark the entire after after Seia told Azusa to leave the rest to her.
Azusa also explained about how her orders came from Saori, not Mika- this reinforced the fact that Mika didn't want to hurt Seia. Azusa was then transferred to Trinity to save Nagisa. Arius sent her there to kill Nagisa, but the silverette went against that plan.
Sakurako surprised us all when she finished explaining the interrogation of Azusa, by saying that she would authenticate Azusa's documents, making her a true Trinity student. No one would object the Sisterhood vouching for her, after all.
Sakurako and Mari left right after, leaving me and Hanako behind to talk.
She explaining that- to my surprise- Hifumi and Nagisa spoke and managed to reconcile. Hifumi, the sweet girl that she is, had already forgiven her. Hanako had said a little thing to Nagisa during Arius' attack, which Nagisa didn't seem to get over, unfortunately.
Nagisa also met with and apologized to pretty much everyone she messed with over the past month or so.
Hanako then went on to explain about how she went to talk to Mika, only to find Nagisa there already.
"Wow! It's Nagi! Welcome!" Mika chirps from within her 'cell'. Its definitely a nice room, albeit one with barred doors and windows. Additionally, the front door is open with bars in front, allowing Mika to converse with Nagisa and others without anyone having to enter or leave the cell, yet still providing some privacy.
"Hello, Mika. How have you been? Staying comfortable?" Nagisa asks, ever courteous.
"Hardly, but it could have been worse." The pinkette says casually. "At least I was thrown into a tiny cell underground. They even let me have a TV. I have pretty much everything I could ever need. I really didn't think I'd end up here- well, not right now at least. The timing is really poor."
"Agreed. I never saw it coming." The brunette says.
"Isn't life beautifully unpredictable? At least that's how I feel!" Mika chirps.
Both girls fall into an awkward silence, before Mika breaks it, sincerity in her tone, "I really didn't think you'd come, Nagi. I thought I'd never see you again."
"Please. You know that we're inseparable, whether we like it or not." Nagisa says.
"You're right. It's been that way ever since we were little girls." Mika says, wistfully smiling, Nagisa doing the same. "So why did you come? It couldn't have been to interrogate me. They've been putting me through the wringer enough as it is already. Whatever it is, it must be important if you came all the way here in person."
Nagisa furrows her brow. "It's about Arius' Squad."
"The covert special operations unit organized by Arius' student council president." Mika says. "What more do you want to know? I've already said everything I know during my interrogation. From how I got into contact with Arius, to the roles of each Squad member..."
"Yes, I'm aware." Nagisa says.
"Do you think I'm still hiding something?" Mika chirps. "Wanna torture it out of me? I've heard the head of the Sisterhood is a big fan of that kind of stuff."
Nagisa groans at her friend's antics. "Those were the former Council's methods, not the Sisterhood's. Something so inhumane would never be tolerated in today's day and age."
"I know, I know. You hate things like that- I was only messing with you." Mika says, flashing an apologetic smile.
Nagisa groans again.
"I know this must sound weird coming from me, but is Arius really a big deal anymore?" The pinkette naively asks. "They don't have access to more troops, weapons, or supplies without me backing them. Even if Squad still has it out for Trinity, isn't the Justice Task Force more than capable of handling them or any remaining soldiers from the Arius Satellite School?"
"Yes, that's been taken into consideration already." Nagisa nods. "Arius shouldn't be a threat as far as the Eden Treaty is concerned."
"I thought so... Oh, and for the record, I did try to find the location of their district, but it wasn't easy." Mika adds. "The only person who knows how to enter it is Saori, the leader of Squad. If you really want to know, you could always ask Azusa. She may have betrayed them, but she was still an Arius student."
"Normally, I could, but..." Nagisa trails off.
"Oh, I get it. She's under Schale's protection now, isn't she?" Mika guesses. "You really did get on Sensei's bad side, huh, Nagi? Now you're too uncomfortable to ask for a favor. Sensei's allegiances are with the students, so he's not going to do anything that would put Azusa in jeopardy."
Nagisa averts her eyes, partly in shame for her previous actions.
"The two of you haven't seen each other since everything that happened, have you? It's written all over your face." The pinkette says. "You can't bring yourself to face Sensei after being so harsh. Aw, even you can be a bashful, young lady, Nagi." She says, tittering. "Er, not that I don't know what it feels like... Sensei said he was going to come and visit me, but... I don't think I'll be able to turn him down, even if I wanted to. Well... I'm stuck here either way." She shrugs. "I guess Sensei could use Schale's sway to force a meeting, but he would never do that... which somehow makes it even more annoying.
He never quite does what you want him to do." She muses. "I tried leaking all that misinformation, and it still didn't faze Sensei. Things would have been so much simpler if Sensei had just believed one of us and did as he was told. Or, had he simply leaked everything I said, I wouldn't be in this predicament."
Nagisa remains silent, looking more and more annoyed at her friend's nonchalant attitude.
"Well, either way. Don't you think everything turned out for the best?" Mika innocently asks. "The real traitor is imprisoned, Arius is hardly a threat, and now the Eden Treaty can finally be signed as planned. You can finally find the peace you've been longing for, Nagi!" She chirps. "Such a happy ending. Isn't that nice?"
"No. It's not." Nagisa's words cause Mika to flinch, hard. "What do you have to be happy about, Mika? You're the traitor. You tried to destroy my halo." She growls out. "And for what? Because you hate Gehenna? You were willing to kill a friend you've known for most of your life over something as petty as that? And Seia too? Why? I was terrified when word of Seia's supposed death reached me... I couldn't help but think I was next, or worse, that it was you."
Mika jolts.
But Nagisa continues, unabated. "She's the wisest of us and even has prophetic dreams that she's used to her advantage. No one at Trinity is more dangerous than her. That's why she was targeted first. And given your... political prowess, I assumed I was next."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Mika asks.
"I knew everything would fall on your shoulders if something were to happen to me, and I couldn't let that happen." The brunette continues. "I was desperate to find the culprit before it came to that. I didn't want you to be left all alone. I didn't want you to be hurt either."
Mika stills, surprised by her friend's sincerity.
Nagisa continues. "But who could be behind it? Gehenna? The General Student Council? Or that delicate flower from Millennium? Perhaps the tyrant from Red Winter? Or maybe the dark monarch of Shanhaijing? Or worse, was there a traitor in our midst? It seemed unthinkable, but then again... And then I... I..." She says, clenching her fists.
"Slow down, Nagi." Mika says, concerned. "It isn't that complicated. I hate Gehenna- so much that I was willing to kill a dear old friend. All right?"
"Is that really all there is to it?" Nagisa asks, unconvinced. "There wasn't some kind of mistake or misunderstanding or subconscious belief that you couldn't control or...?"
The pinkette just laughs. "What other reason could there be? This is why I always liked you, Nagi. You're just so pure. Pure and naive. There's nothing you're missing. I tried to kill Seia and then you. That's all there is to it. You know how extreme I can be when it comes to my likes and dislikes. I just can't get along with those scum from Gehenna. I don't want to link arms with them and pretend to be friends. Doesn't it just make your skin crawl just having to coexist in the same city with them?"
"And that's why your formed an alliance with Arius?" Nagisa asks.
"Obviously. What else was a murderer like me supposed to do?" Mika asks, shrugging. "Even if Seia is still alive, I was still the one who tried to kill her. That isn't going to change. And you never even realized it, Nagi."
"But then, how...?" The brunette begins.
"How did you know me for so long without realizing the truth?" Mika guesses. "You should know the answer to that better than I do. Because we're strangers at the end of the day." Nagisa stills. "We've put up so many walls between us that there's no way we could ever truly know one another."
Nagisa sighs. "I'll be leaving now, Mika."
"Take care, Nagi. Sorry I can't walk you home." Mika says.
Nagisa nods and makes to leave, before stopping. "Oh, and Mika?"
"Hm?" The pinkette hums.
"It isn't naive to have concern for your friend." Nagisa says, before walking out of the room.
As she says this, Hanako enters.
"Why lie to her like that?" The busty girl asks.
"I sure do have a lot of visitors today. So you're next, huh, Hanako?" Mika asks, a bit surprised by the other pinkette's sudden appearance.
"Yes, but this isn't a personal visit. I'm here on business." Hanako says.
"That makes sense. Since you didn't enter with Nagi, then are you here on the Sisterhood's behalf? Following their orders now? Not that it matters either way." The prisoner asks, shrugging. "Anyway, what were you talking about just now? I wasn't lying."
Hanako sighs. "I've been performing a postmortem investigation on your actions based on all the information I've received from the Sisterhood. In other words, I've been analyzing what Misono Mika's motive was."
"Wow, how daring to admit that right in front of the person in question. A little tasteless too." Mika says, dryly.
"You tried to destroy the Eden Treaty because of your hatred of Gehenna, that much is clear." Hanako continues, ignoring Mika's jab. "What I don't know is who goaded you into that decision or why you ultimately teamed up with Arius to become the new host. Your initial plan was probably the same as the one recently: to abduct Seia and hold her captive. Really, that's all that needs to happen for the title of host to change hands. But Arius' Squad had different plans. They were out to destroy Seia's halo from the very beginning. That isn't where the story ends, though. You were initially told Seia was dead.
And I'm guessing that's when you began to have a mental breakdown."
Mika flinches hard at Hanako's accusation.
"You likely fell into a panic." Hanako continues. "You became a 'murderer' in your own mind, and nothing was going to convince you otherwise. There was no turning back. You weren't going to stop until you achieved what you set out to do. What other choice was there? You must have been wallowing in despair and driven by destructive impulse."
Mika begins to look more and more nervous as each of Hanako's words hit home. "Hooooold on just a second." She interrupts quickly. "Don't you know it's rude to psychologically analyze someone straight to their face? I was the one who gave the order to kill Seia, and I was the one who stabbed my childhood friend, Nagi, in the back. Despair? Impulsive? What are you talking about? Are you an idiot?"
"No, but I do have a very good memory." Hanako retorts, smiling.
'Destroying her halo wasn't part of the plan though. Give me a little credit- I'm not a murderer. It's all because of that little mishap that things have gotten out of hand like this. Get it? I can't turn back now because of that- because of you.'
"There are a few other things that don't add up." Hanako continues. "I was under the impression there really was a traitor out there, but I didn't think she would reveal herself then and there. After all, that would throw away her biggest advantage: anonymity. No strategist would choose to do that. It doesn't make any sense..."
"That is one regret I had. I really goofed that one up." The prisoner awkwardly chuckles.
"You didn't let me finish." Hanako interrupts, causing Mika to blink. "It doesn't make any sense... unless you were afraid that Arius was going to kill Nagisa too. Isn't that right? You were afraid they would kill her like they killed Seia."
'So hand her over. I promise not to kill her. She may have to spend the rest of her school life in confinement, but it won't be so bad.'
Mika remains silent.
"You're stronger that you're often given credit for, Mika." The genius girl continues. "Sure, there are records proving that you're just as strong in combat as someone like the Justice Task Force's president, but it's more than that. I did my best to keep my composure during our confrontation, but in reality, I knew how precarious the situation was. I had to be prepared for the worst case scenario- that even the Sisterhood would be forced to retreat. Even though you hadn't fought yet, I was still worried. But then... you surrendered. You were resigned after hearing that Seia was still alive."
"Enough." Mika snaps. "What are you trying to say? Are you taking pity on me? Will you claim I never meant a single word I said or that I didn't intend for any of those terrible things to happen? That I was just a confused, stupid little girl who made a bad choice or two?"
Mika then throws her head back and laughs loudly, as though she just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"You're so funny, Hanako! Absolutely hilarious~!" The prisoner laughs as the interrogator just looks at her, more concerned than ever. "It really isn't that complicated. I'm just a traitor- a murderer who sold out her friends and allies to hold onto a grudge in her twisted, treacherous heart. I'm not trying to hide that fact anymore. I deserve to be hated after everything I did. Even if I did have some other underlying motives, how would you ever know for sure? The truth as you know it can only be what you see. So denying what's right in front of you makes you blind. Isn't that right, Hanako? Why desperately cling to something you can't possibly prove? Huh?"
Hanako is taken aback by this sudden argument from Mika. "I just wanted... to..."
"Say, how is Seia doing right now?" Mika changes to subject. "You two were close, weren't you? Are you sure she's safe? Was the real lie that she was dead all along? If that's not the case, then why can't I see her? You wouldn't just torment me with lies like that, would you? That's so malicious. Maybe you're the one we need to be suspicious of."
Hanako merely sighs in response. "I'll be going now, Mika. I won't share my speculations with anyone else. Not even Nagisa."
"Do whatever fancies you." Mika shrugs. "It doesn't really concern me."
"I will." Hanako smiles. "And I'll keep all of this from Joshua Sensei too."
"Heh...?" Mika blinks, her face showing just how caught off-guard she was, seeing as how agape her mouth is and how wide her eyes are.
"That's what you deserve for betraying Sensei, isn't it?" Hanako asks. "Though, knowing him, he's probably come to the same conclusion I have... Take care, Mika." She says, leaving the room.
"..."
"..."
"...I may be despicable, but you're downright cruel, Hanako."
Hanako awkwardly smiled after telling me the story. So much for a secret, huh? Not that she was wrong, I came to the same conclusion she had: that Mika was tricked by Arius and her guilt pushed her to continue on. She couldn't turn back. I know how that feels.
After everything about this mess was laid out... I had a strange thought. Knowing Mika and Seia's personalities and some of their relationship... Could this have started from Mika teasing Seia?
Hanako decided to humor me and took my question as a thought experiment.
Mika and politics don't mix, this is especially true after this mess. She's impulsive, doesn't weigh the pros or cons. Seia often treated her like a child, so Mika could have been getting back at her. Hanako admitted that Seia kinda is the type to push people's buttons.
But, if Mika was going for friendly revenge, why involve Arius? Had she used that excuse, Hanako said she would've thought it was too convenient.
But I posed the question, "What if Mika really DID want to reconcile with Arius?" It was a theory I had, one that seemed plausible.
Hanako went with it, pondering if Arius used Mika's hatred of Gehenna to their favor. But Hanako realized something that Mika had told her, and that Nagisa had told me.
"...it's impossible to know Mika's intentions from the outside looking in." Hanako realized that's what I was really asking.
"Can we prove anyone has ever reached paradise..." I realized, quoting the koan softly. "How can you prove another's sincerity?" I reworded the question.
If you could truly understand another's perspective- beyond simple empathy-, it wouldn't be theirs anymore. You can't prove their sincerity- that they've reached paradise.
Even Hanako was a bit surprised by this, it seemed she hadn't taken this into consideration at all.
"So it's impossible to know anyone's true intentions?" Hanako asked.
"Ugh, I think I'm starting to get the meaning of this dumb koan." I groaned. "You can't prove their sincerity, it's impossible, so... you just hafta have faith in them. Much like religious people- those who believe in an afterlife-, you hafta have faith in paradise... and faith in others."
Hanako smiled. "I guess you're right."
Shit like this always loops back to faith, huh...?
"That's how you've always been, Sensei." Hanako said, smiling softly. "Even from the very beginning when there was so much doubt and so many lies. You were even fair to Mika and Nagisa, hard-handed as you may have been with the latter. You're the kind of person who will always trust their students... even if it leads to betrayal. Right?"
I sighed. "My whole life has been filled with selfish people, not hesitating to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want. After a life of living amongst liars... I suppose I wanted Kivotos to be a new start- not just by having better people around me, but also by trusting and sympathizing with others a bit more. I'm so very tired of betrayal and lies, but... I can deal with them if it comes to that. I'm tired of always looking over my shoulder and never getting close to others for fear of being betrayed again..." I paused, smiling. "Plus, ain't it a teacher's job to trust their students? Gotta lead by example and all that... I just hafta have faith that Mika, Nagisa and Seia can all be friends again one day, and that they can all open up to one another. One day." I let out a huff, smiling. "Maybe after the Treaty's signed and all that, they can talk this out. Hopefully we all can move on."
"..That's a wonderful idea." Hanako had said, smiling brightly. "I'd like for all of us to get together once all of this is over. There's no reason we shouldn't keep struggling to reach one another, right?"
"It's just about the only thing we can do." I shrugged.
"You're absolutely right." Hanako said.
Not long after, Hanako and I had went our separate ways. Fortunately, I was done with that I needed to do to help out, so- for the first time in a month or so- I went home.
Back to Schale.
EDEN TREATY ARC PART I: END
AN
Yeah, I cut out the fighting with Mika. Why? Because either I was gonna have Sensei fight Arius and the MUWC fight Mika, or vice versa. In the end, I decided to have them stick with talk-no-jutsu. Are you guys disappointed?
I felt like it simplified things. Sorry if any of you were looking forward to some big climactic battle. Same with the first bit of V3C3 I added here. I felt it was better to summarize it instead of constantly having flashbacks like it does in the game. We'll get back to the rest of V3C3 after a well-deserved break.
Don't worry, Sensei will have a climactic one-on-one fight with someone as strong as Mika before long. Not gonna spoil who it'll be, though.
BTW, this chapter was ten thousand words even. Mostly thanks to this bit here. That's pretty damn funny, don't you think?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!