"Okay, please begin," Aoko, sitting cross-legged and floating in midair, said to Misaya Ougi. "Tell us everything you've done and know."
"Nngh... okay..." Like a bullied bride, the usually dignified student council president felt immense pressure facing Aoko—a pressure arising from the difference in their very levels of existence.
"Tachibana Kaori is my friend... She's been with me since we were little, like a beloved little sister..." Realizing she had no chance for revenge, Misaya began to tell her story with Kaori, her tone tinged with sadness. The content didn't surprise Aoko.
After the incident, everyone except Kaori acted as if nothing had happened, which infuriated the grieving Misaya.
"So, under those circumstances, you happened to learn that Satsuki Kurogiri was a magus and sought his help?" Aoko asked calmly. "And he granted you 'power?' Is that correct?"
"Yes..." Misaya replied sadly. "Sensei taught me what he knew... so I could control pseudo-fairies."
"Did you participate in any memory collection during this process?" Aoko looked at the tightly bound Satsuki Kurogiri.
He shook his head, denying it. Aoko judged this to be the truth; he wasn't lying.
"You're quite talented to control so many fairies," Touko commented from the side. "Parallel thinking isn't a skill everyone has."
"Satsuki Kurogiri -sensei said the same. He taught me how to divide my thoughts and control multiple familiars simultaneously."
"The Atlas Institute," Aoko looked at Satsuki Kurogiri. "You studied at the Atlas Institute?"
He nodded in confirmation.
"You wouldn't understand," Misaya bowed her head, voice trembling. "I killed Hayama Hideo, but his death changed nothing... Someone still has to pay for Kaori's death!"
"How do you know I wouldn't understand?" Aoko raised an eyebrow. "Given Kaori's beliefs, her choice isn't surprising. Her values were different from ours; she was atoning for the sins of those 1-D people." Aoko quietly spoke the answer, and the room filled with Misaya's sobs.
"What a pitiful child. Human selfishness reveals itself so thoroughly in this closed environment," Touko sighed, even she, with her typical magus personality, could discern the good and evil in this story, and Kaori's misfortune.
"Now the whole story is clear," Aoko continued. "Hayama Hideo, that scum, started his business after coming to Reien. And for any business, you need capital."
"Some of it was voluntary," Aoko explained. "But as it grew, a mutual secret-interest group formed within the community. The last to join was Kaori Tachibana."
"As for Hayama's arson—it was probably to destroy evidence." Aoko looked at Misaya. "Did I miss anything?"
Misaya was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"Alright, Touko, write your report based on this," Aoko said easily. "This is enough to close down the whole school."
"...This is troublesome," Touko said helplessly. "Asuka will be furious. She was hot-tempered even as a student, and now she'll probably get the principal replaced."
"That's it for you, Misaya Ougi," Aoko waved her off. "You can go."
"You...!" Misaya was shocked. "I killed Hayama Hideo and wanted revenge on everyone who oppressed Kaori. Aren't you going to punish me?!"
"Are you confused about something?" Even the usually silent Aozaki Touko looked at her oddly. "We're not the police. What does it matter to us if you killed Hayama Hideo?"
"I'm just the expert your aunt hired to investigate the truth," Touko smiled, snapped her fingers, and used magic to tidy Misaya's disheveled clothes. "My advice: whether it's Hayama Hideo's murder or your revenge for Kaori, you'd best discuss it with your aunt. She might even agree with your plan."
"But..." Misaya was still confused, but she understood these people weren't righteous "heroes of justice," nor were they here to stop her. She was only defeated and exposed because she got in their way.
"No buts, Miss Ougi," Aoko said. "We still have business with Mr. Satsuki Kurogiri here. You can go—I promise I won't kill Satsuki Kurogiri."
Thus, Misaya Ougi wandered out of the English prep room, her mind a mess, not fully understanding what had happened, but the emotional rollercoaster left her feeling as if she were in a dream.
"Satsuki Kurogiri," Aoko turned to the bespectacled man, "Next, I'll provide a self-binding contract. If you sign it and answer our questions, we'll release you, and depending on your answers, consider fixing your fairy problem."
Satsuki Kurogiri nodded eagerly—this was the chance he'd waited for years. So once Touko released his hands, this eminent Sealing Designation magus signed his true name on the self-binding contract Aoko provided.