“Shit!”
“......Code name <AL-1S> activation complete. Entity name <KEY> operating as instructed.
“As of this moment, Protocol ATRAHASIS will be executed.”
By the time Haruta realized what was happening, it was already too late. <KEY> had already taken control of Aris’s body and was bringing ruin to Kivotos.
“...Sensei!!! We don’t have time! That thing—”
“Right, Haruta! Now’s the time to help me and the Game Development Department girls!”
“Haa... then I’m counting on you!!!”
The moment he finished speaking, Haruta poured every ounce of strength he had into restraining KEY, who had stolen Aris’s body, and tried to knock her out.
“Aaahh!!!”
Then Sensei and the Game Development Department girls entered the depths of consciousness.
“Haa... haa... Hey! Rio!!!”
“The entire system of Eridu... has been hacked... no, this isn’t just hacking... the whole city has been transformed into [something]?”
Smack
Haruta brought his hand down on Rio’s head.
“...”
“Hey! Now is not the time for that!”
“Listen, President! From the start, I never wanted to hear your damn orders!”
Everyone was already tearing into Rio, and Haruta was furious that one of the few people who had reached out to him without prejudice was now nearly killed.
“...S-sorry.”
“Haa... I feel like smashing something right now. But I can’t, so I’m holding back.”
Haruta shot Rio a warning that was barely a warning at all.
Rio caught on and quickly lowered her head.
“B-but—”
“Yeah? You stopped the disaster that was supposed to bring ruin to Kivotos?”
“Who knows? The moment Aris, the limiter, disappeared, that insane ancient weapon woke up again.”
“...”
Rio fell silent, unable to offer even a single rebuttal.
“Haa... I wasn’t trying to hurt you or anything. Anyway, for now we just have to wait for Aris to come back.”
“Resource acquisition 99%...”
“Wait a second.”
“Ark completion imminent... final download...”
“Stop it!”
The instant Haruta shouted, the lights in Eridu went out.
“...What the hell is this now?”
“Haa... Seriously, I almost died and ended everything!”
“Hey! That division or whatever is coming in from the city right now!!!”
“Don’t worry, Neru. Let’s leave it to Veritas for now.”
At that, the Veritas members who had been listening watched in disbelief as the Avant-Garde Corps mk.2, modified by the Engineering Department, swept in and wiped out the division in a scene so absurd it bordered on madness.
“Then all that’s left is to pray that Aris wakes up.”
Haruta stepped toward Aris and drew out the power within him.
“Aaaah!!!”
A bright light burst from his hand and enveloped Aris.
“What... is that...”
Haruta wasn’t healing Aris. He was speaking to her.
[You’re not a demon king, Aris!]
Just one sentence. In Aris’s depths of consciousness, they exchanged a brief look and began speaking the same words.
[You can decide for yourself what kind of being you want to become, Aris.]
“You can decide for yourself what kind of being you want to become, Aris.”
“...Aris is... a demon king... one who... will destroy the world... a demon king... but... even so... is that... okay? Can I... continue the adventure... with everyone... keep doing the quests...? Even someone like me... really...?”
“Of course!”
[Of course!]
Sensei said it at the same time, and Aris began to cry before finally drawing her weapon, the hero’s weapon [Sword of Light: Supernova].
“Aris is a hero! A hero of light who creates a happy ending with everyone!!!”
The one watching from close by, KEY, briefly went expressionless, then said,
“...Princess... that power of yours... was meant to destroy the world...”
“No! This is Aris’s hero’s weapon! Because... Aris decided it was! Right now Aris is... an attribute of light... a hero of light!”
“Princess... you...”
“Aris’s class is not princess! Aris is... a hero!!!”
“...I see...”
And so Aris pulled up the sword embedded in the ground and proved that she was a hero.
“...? Tin can?”
Aris stood up, tears still streaming down her face.
“Kyaa...!”
Neru hugged Aris and greeted her.
“Are you Rio?”
“...I... you...”
“I forgive Rio! Even if the process wasn’t good, it was a choice made to help others!”
“...Why... are you forgiving me?”
“Aris is a hero! Heroes don’t get hung up on things like that!”
“...”
Rio painfully realized exactly what she had tried to destroy.
After that, things proceeded just like the Pavane story everyone already knew.
“...So, is that it now?”
Then there was still the Eden Treaty, which was about to explode into something much bigger, and the final chapter after that.
“Well... we still have time before then.”
Haruta was back at Schale, bickering with Akashi while handling his work as usual.
“...Sensei?”
“Hm? What is it, Haruta?”
“Haa... is this really okay?”
Haruta turned on his phone and showed it to Sensei.
“...Hahaha! Haruta! Go have fun! Make lots of progress while you’re at it.”
“No, I mean, Sensei...”
“You need to change the mood once in a while! That’s important!”
“Haa... well, you’re not drinking today, right?”
“Ah... well, maybe a little...”
“Sensei, who’s your favorite character?”
“Hmm... I never really had a favorite character to begin with.”
“...? Huh?”
“I just... at my age, I don’t really like talking about who’s better or who’s worse...”
“You say that while looking in the mirror?”
“Hahaha! Am I not a little handsome?”
“Well... I’ll admit it.”
“Anyway... I just woke up one day and ended up in Kivotos as a teacher...”
“But are you really going?”
“It’s youth, isn’t it? So you should enjoy it while you can!”
“...But earlier, with Hina...”
“? What, did you get confessed to or something?”
“!?”
“What? Was that real?”
Sensei sipped his coffee and looked at Haruta.
“You like Hina too, don’t you?”
“Haa... that’s the problem.”
“Hm? What’s the problem?”
“No... it’s just that I...”
“What, did you make some kind of promise?”
For a moment, Haruta seriously wondered if Sensei could read minds.
“...Yes...”
“Well... with who?”
“Mika.”
“Oh... you...”
Sensei looked at Haruta with a wordless expression.
The two of them were thinking the same thing.
“...But the bigger problem is that it might not just be Mika...”
“??? What on earth have you been doing when I’m not around?”
“Well... you know the Tea Party, right?”
“Yeah. I remember burning through the pity timer trying to get Seia.”
“...Nagisa and Seia are included too...”
“Wow... Haruta... good luck...”
“I like all the girls too! But I can’t pour my attention into just one person, and if I were to date one of them...”
“Would that count as the start of a war?”
“At the very least... Trinity and Gehenna would definitely go to war...”
“But don’t we basically have nothing left to do now?”
“No... but what’s even more important right now is that it’s already been two years since I last parted with the Tea Party girls.”
“...? You’ve been in the Correction Bureau for two years... wait... then?”
“Yes... I don’t know what kind of person Sensei is, but...”
“You... don’t tell me you were trying to preserve the story?”
“Yes...”
“Haa... if you’d stayed there, the story of Eden Treaty Chapters 1 and 2 would have completely collapsed... and in Chapter 3, in the worst case, everyone would have died...”
“Yes... so I had no choice but to wait until Mika’s rebellion ended, rescue Atsuko, and meet them.”
“...I see. You’ve had it rough too.”
“Haa... I didn’t want to talk about something so heavy...”
“No... I’m actually glad you told me, Haruta.”
“Yes...”
“Then... go enjoy your date!”
And so Haruta went off on a date with Hina.
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