Time passed and passed until the day before the Eden Treaty signing ceremony.
“...Haa... Teacher.”
“Hm? What is it, Haruta?”
“Honestly, I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“If I can’t stop it with the weapons I have right now...”
“Haruta.”
“Yes...”
“If you think like that, even what’s possible becomes impossible. So what should you do?”
“...Think positively?”
“That’s right.”
“Still, I can’t help worrying about it...”
“Mm... I can’t exactly make a grand promise either, but... aren’t you strong enough, Haruta?”
“No... I can run away whenever I want.”
“I knew it... you’re worried about the other girls.”
“Yeah... especially Hina...”
“No... Hina is the strongest in Kivotos too... isn’t she?”
“But she can’t take down a raid boss alone.”
“...That’s true.”
As he talked with the Teacher, time kept slipping by.
“By the way, who’s on duty today?”
“Hm... just a moment...”
The Teacher went to get the calendar, and Haruta had to do his best to keep the Eden Treaty on its original track.
“...Wait a second...”
If, just if, Gematria brought in more than one raid boss...
“...”
Once that thought reached him, he started thinking about countermeasures.
“...Can we even win this...?”
“Haruta! Today’s duty is Yuuka!”
“Oh, nice. So I can handle work too.”
“Hey, what kind of way is that to talk about handling work in front of the Teacher!”
“Haha... I’m joking. It’s a Korean thing only Koreans can say.”
“Yeah... even my memories of being Korean are getting hazy now.”
“Mine are just... too clear.”
“That’s because the Teacher is old.”
“With a face like mine, I feel like I could make over a thousand a month doing anything in Korea...”
“Heh heh. I am a little handsome, aren’t I?”
Honestly, before meeting the Teacher, he hadn’t known. It was hard to believe someone that good-looking was a Teacher.
Exaggerating a little, he was handsome enough to stand next to idols or models in Korea without shame.
“Wow... Teacher, you’re really shameless.”
“Haruta... that’s not something you should be saying.”
“I’ve got reincarnation buffs.”
“Ah.”
They kept talking, half joking and half serious, until duty time came.
“...Oh, looks like Yuuka’s here?”
“Then should I go down?”
“Mm... sure. Who knows? Maybe a heart-fluttering event will happen between the two of you.”
“Wow... Teacher, I really am going to put cuffs on you.”
“Haha, I’m kidding.”
When he went down to the first floor, Yuuka was there.
“Haruta!”
“Hey, Yuuka. Welcome.”
“Where do you even learn to talk like that?”
“No idea? I’ve always talked like this.”
“Haa... the more I look at you, the stranger you get.”
“Well... take it as cute, at least.”
“...Fine... heh.”
“What’s with that meaningless laugh?”
“Ah... nothing.”
And so they went back up to the office.
“Haruta! How far have you and Yuuka gotten—”
Swish
“Teacher? I already have enough crimes on my record... are you trying to put me back in the Correction Bureau?”
“Uh... okay, let’s put that down first?”
“Haha, I’m joking.”
“Phew... you really scared me...”
“Why?”
“Honestly, when I see how you swing a knife, I start wondering if you’re even human.”
“...Just... please think of it as talent for swordsmanship I’ve had for a long time.”
“Haruta... but really, you’re definitely terror itself from an enemy’s point of view...”
“The title of Kivotos’s strongest criminal doesn’t come for free. And I want to go to Gehenna.”
“...Isn’t that place just way too much?”
“...Well... everyone there just seems to accept it, don’t they? Honestly, if you ask me, the only normal ones in Gehenna are Hina and... Iroha... maybe Ibuki?”
“...Yeah... now that you mention it, that does seem true.”
He said it half as a joke, but that part was real.
“Anyway, let’s get back to work.”
“Haa... you two are talking about things I don’t know at all...”
“Ah... sorry.”
“Hehe, I’m kidding.”
The work itself didn’t take long once they actually started, and finished.
Yuuka returned to Millennium.
“Teacher... how much time do we have?”
“Right now... one day.”
“Haa... if I have to maintain my weapons now...”
“Got it... then let’s prepare for tomorrow first.”
It was 10:30 p.m.
“Teacher... if, really if...”
“Haruta.”
“Yes?”
“Mm... no matter how I say it now, you probably won’t be able to listen very well.”
“Yes...”
“Someday... no, even if something happens tomorrow, whatever it is, the Teacher and all the girls who follow you are on your side.”
“...”
“And there are girls who like you too, like Yuuka or Hina. They’ll become an incredible source of strength for you.”
“...”
“For now, there are still many who dislike you... but I believe that will change someday.”
“Yes... thank you so much.”
“Haha... so don’t go around beating people up.”
“You allowed it before, Teacher.”
“Mm... that was because I genuinely wanted those kids to be rehabilitated...”
“Well... it’s fine. If that’s what you want, Teacher, I’ll follow it.”
“Thanks, Haruta.”
“Yes... then please get some rest now.”
“Oof!... Right, I’m heading in too.”
And with that, even the Teacher went home for the day.
“Hoo... today...”
When Haruta looked up at the sky, there wasn’t a single star—only moonlight shining over the world. He could see the lights from the scattered buildings and the streetlamps brightening DU at night.
“...Should I call this a nice view?”
He slowly made his way up to Schale’s rooftop. The view from there was breathtaking.
“Akashi, if I die, how many people will cry for me?”
“...Probably... the Student Council will try to erase even your corpse... though Tea Party would probably try to stop them...”
“...Then... what are my odds of winning if I fight while protecting the kids against two Decagrammatons?”
“...Probably... if you don’t get treatment afterward... under 30%...”
“If I do get treatment?”
“...10...”
“Ten?”
“Under 10%... at most 10%.”
“Well... then I’d at least have to give up one arm... I guess.”
“Haruta... the power you possess... not only brings wounds...”
“Akashi? If that were all it did, I wouldn’t even use this power.”
“I’ve never seen anyone who can manifest Mystery like this... not even once.”
“Yeah. Everyone keeps saying my Mystery is omnipotent this and omnipotent that, so it really does feel omnipotent.”
“Haa... Haruta... if you had to face the Sanctus Pater Filius tomorrow...”
“What are my odds of winning?”
“If we exclude variables, then...”
“80%... It gets lower in a prolonged battle.”
“And if it drags on?”
“Estimated to be under 50%.”
“...Well, that’s basically fifty-fifty, isn’t it? Then it’s manageable.”
The scenery from Schale’s rooftop was truly beautiful.
“...Akashi, if I die...”
“Yes...”
“Don’t tell anyone I died. Just say I went on a trip alone.”
“Did you... acquire some new technique or something?”
“...Yeah, let’s just call it mutual destruction.”
“...Haruta... if you were to go back... Hina would...”
“Right, Hina, Mika, Yuuka, Nagisa, Seia... like that... was it?”
“Yes... and the C&C girls are pretty fond of you too.”
“Would C&C really cry if I died?”
“They might... they’re that kindhearted...”
“Right... is that what you wanted to ask? Whether I should really be using that power?”
“Yes... I was wondering if there was some reason...”
“...Mm... Akashi? What do you usually eat when you have a meal?”
“Mm... bread, or... snacks, I guess?”
“Then what if bread and snacks disappeared?”
“Mm... I’d probably eat something else?”
“Exactly. History is full of foods that were perfectly replaceable, yet still disappeared.”
“Don’t tell me...”
“Yeah. How many people in Kivotos could replace me?”
“...One...”
“Right. The Teacher will probably take care of those kids. And in the process, those kids will realize how kind the Teacher is and switch over...”
“B-but love is—”
“Akashi? Once someone has seen the light, they look for it again...”
“...”
“Besides, even if I die, the Teacher will hold those kids up.”
“...The Teacher isn’t a god...”
“Yeah... he’s an incredible person worthy of such a grand name, though...”
“The Teacher is... just an adult, and...”
“A Teacher.”
“...Haruta... do you think you’re no longer needed now?”
“Yeah... honestly, I’ve already committed too many sins...”
“I understand....”
“Yeah. Then I’m going to head in now.”
“...Haruta?”
“Hm?”
“The file I recorded has been sent to the Teacher.”
“...? What?”
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