"...Sensei... this looks pretty badly screwed up..."
"Mika!! Stop!!"
Sensei shouted frantically, but if that alone were enough to make Mika listen, she would have already gone back to Trinity by now.
"...Sorry, Sensei... I can’t do that."
"Now then, you understand, right, Saori? Neither of us has any time to spare. No need to rush, though, right?"
"...Until sunrise... about one hour left, I guess."
"Yes. If Sensei gets here and blocks your path... then there’ll be nothing more I can do."
"I don’t know how long it’ll take Sensei to reach here, but... if you hold out until then, I’ll call it your victory."
"If you can manage that, anyway."
A voice rang out from beyond the collapsed pillar, eerie and bright at the same time, carrying both killing intent and cheerfulness in equal measure.
"..."
"Hm? What’s with that look? Did something good happen? Or have you given up on everything?"
"It just reminded me of the past."
"...S-Sensei!! Don’t come here!!"
A voice full of resolve. I’d heard that voice before. It was the kind of voice Sensei always had when solving something, when making a miracle happen—certain, unwavering, and laced with determination.
"...That’s..."
"Please, just go save Atsuko as you are!!"
"Go save the princess! We don’t have time!"
"Le... leader..."
"...Should I just smash my way in right now?"
"No, Haruta... Sensei believes Mika will make the right choice."
"...And if she still doesn’t..."
"...For now, let’s wait. If that doesn’t work..."
"Then I’ll stop Mika myself."
For now, this was the only option available. If I stepped in here—more precisely, if I protected Saori—Mika might decide I was her enemy.
"We don’t even know whether there’s a route around to that side, so we can’t just wander around looking for one. And even if we did get there, it would probably already be too late."
Misaki was right. I couldn’t stop Mika here and now, and there was no guarantee Sensei would find a path immediately either.
"The leader can’t take Mika on right now. She won’t even be able to hold out until we get there."
"B-but..."
"Going to save the princess is the right move. If that’s the goal, then we have to abandon the leader here."
"Sensei, should I go look for a path right now...?"
"Yes. I am a teacher. I’m someone who embraces, supports, and guides all students... so I can’t just watch a student go astray."
"Haha... well, if it’s Sensei, of course you would. Don’t worry, I’ll help you... though all I can really do is look for a path."
"Yes. Thank you. That’s enough."
Tap-tap-tap.
Saori and Mika, third-person perspective.
"Looks like Sensei really did go to save Atsuko."
"Good. It worked out just the way you wanted, Saori."
"...Was that what you wanted, Mika?"
"What I... wanted?"
"What did I want, again...? Ah... yes, that’s right. I did try to separate you from Sensei... but..."
"Still... I wasn’t really aiming for you in particular."
"Honestly, I think it could have been anyone here."
"..."
"Haa... if only Haruta had been here instead... how nice would that have been..."
"No... asking for that too would be too much, wouldn’t it...? No... if it were Haruta..."
"Haa... well, anyway... this is what I wanted."
"Because the most hateful one of all is standing right in front of me like this."
"....."
"Yes. Sensei should go save the student. Toward the happy ending where everyone overcomes every hardship at last and lives happily together."
"And the villains who’ve committed nothing but wicked deeds all this time will meet their end here."
"....."
"Now then, Saori? Let’s bring our ending to a close. Why have you been silent this whole time?"
"This is the scene where the witch hunts the hound, isn’t it? Nobody cares about an ugly little scene like this, but do you have anything to say?"
"You don’t need to say things like, ‘I can’t accept this,’ or ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ or ‘Your misfortune is your own doing.’ That sort of excuse is fine, too. Is that okay?"
"...No. I understand perfectly well."
Click.
"?"
Rrrrr.
Pssshhh.
Click.
"A grenade...? No, smoke...?"
Boom!
"Ah... it hurts..."
"It’s a weapon whose production is now banned. There were still plenty of them dumped around the Arius training grounds."
"Yeah☆ What are you even saying? I’m not interested."
Click.
"?"
Pew!
"Ghk...?"
"I’ve figured out how to deal with you now."
Tatatat.
"I don’t deny your hatred, Mika."
"That you no longer have a happy future, that you became all alone, that everything you had was taken from you—all of it... I’m the reason."
"So I have no choice but to face that hatred with everything I have."
"My... everything...? Alone...?"
Mika’s bright, cheerful voice slowly sank lower and lower.
"...Wait... no way."
"Haruta... yes... I still have Haruta."
"...I see."
"How interesting... you’re going for guerrilla warfare? Well... with this terrain, that’s the best choice."
"And that’s a thermobaric grenade, right? You thought that would be enough to deal with me?"
Click.
"Heh... you attack while talking?"
Thud!
Krrrak—BOOM!
"...What... strength!"
Tap-tap-tap—BOOM!
Was this monster really a human being? She wasn’t even using a gun, wasn’t using any equipment at all—just raw physical force, crushing the grenade to soften the blast.
"...Well... I’ll give you credit for the guts to try and take me on with a toy like that... but..."
Boom!
"If the terrain is the problem... I’ll just change it myself."
"...Is that... Trinity’s strongest student...?"
"What are you saying☆!"
With strength and monstrous power that seemed impossible to come from an ordinary girl, Mika altered the terrain itself and blew away every bomb and weapon that had been set up.
"Then... now it’s the back!"
"Trying to get behind me now? Not happening☆!"
Grab!
"?!"
Bang!
How could a punch carry wind pressure so strong it was visible to the eye? Mika’s absurd power had surpassed the human realm and ascended beyond it entirely, and now it was threatening Saori’s life.
"Ahaha☆ Checkmate!"
The moment Mika grabbed Saori by the collar and raised her fist to drive it into her head—
KWAANG!
"Mika!"
"Eh? S-Sensei...? B-but... there..."
At that instant, a familiar silhouette flashed into Mika’s vision. She couldn’t mistake it. In Kivotos, there were only three people that tall. But one of them could not possibly be here right now.
And the other one was Sensei.
Then that meant...
"...Ha... Haruta...?"
It was Haruta.
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