As summer ripened, the weather only grew more humid and oppressive. Even the evenings, which should have been a cool respite, were no longer entirely refreshing. Still, I suppose it was a small mercy that the unpleasantness faded away after midnight.
By the way, I wonder if they're going to be a no-show again today.
I stared blankly up at the night sky, swinging my legs from my seat on the swing set.
In an era where air pollution has become as serious as it can be, seeing the stars in the night sky has become quite difficult in the city. That is why anyone who has stepped out alone at night in a place with clean air, like the countryside, and looked up at the sky will know.
When you look at that night sky, glittering with countless stars, the animal known as a human tends to become sentimental for no reason. And so, the me of today was, in many ways, in a sentimental mood.
It's been… hmm, how many months since I was suddenly dropped into Kivotos? A little over two months now? I think that's about right.
I can say with confidence that I have lived a truly busy life during that time. I never lived this diligently even when I was on Earth. Maybe that's why, when things don't go as planned, I feel even more dejected.
Right now, that was how I felt about the task of creating a link with Arius.
When things don't work out, you naturally start to doubt. Am I doing something wrong? Am I just wasting my time on a fool's errand when the obvious answer is staring me in the face?
I set aside my doubts for a moment and tried to put the brakes on my growing impatience by slowly retracing the original Mika's steps as I remembered them.
Mika was the first one to suggest reconciling with the Arius Branch School. Unlike the current me, she was, in many ways, a lot of trouble, so I remember she hadn't earned the trust of Nagisa and Seia. To them, it must have sounded like the most far-fetched story imaginable, which is understandable, but there's also a part of me that wishes they could have trusted their friend a little more.
Next, after somehow succeeding in contacting Arius, she had requested that they lightly 'take care of' Seia. Up to this point, she had never met the Arius Squad… or more precisely, the squad's leader, Joumae Saori. When the Arius mob student said she would leave the Seia matter to the Squad, Mika had no idea who the Squad was.
Afterward, Shirasu Azusa, who went to assassinate Seia, chose not to use the halo-destroying bomb. Seia then faked her death, but from Mika's perspective, it was a situation where she might as well have killed Seia herself. After this, Mika began to go off the rails like a runaway train with broken brakes.
What was next… I think it was the scene where Mika met Saori in person. The scene where she told Saori she wanted to reconcile with Arius and proposed they secretly enroll an Arius student in Trinity as a symbol of that reconciliation. Yes, I think that was it. It was a surprisingly moving scene, so it remains vivid in my memory.
Mika periodically provided support to Arius, and in the process, she learned their coded language for using the Catacombs by overhearing them. She used that to pursue the Squad and Sensei, and eventually reached the Arius Autonomous District.
However, I was not given the Arius coded language, nor do I have the experience to decipher it. My best options are to either wander the Catacombs aimlessly or to attempt contact through a passive method like this one.
The original Mika would have probably entered the Catacombs herself. I, too, had reached the conclusion that it was my only choice. If I hadn't opened up about everything to Seia and Nagisa and proceeded with the matter through the Justice Task Force, I surely would have entered the Catacombs to try and make contact myself.
Therefore, there was no other way for me to handle this. Having done all I could within the realm of possibility, all that was left for me was to wait. But when that wait bears no fruit, I grow impatient.
Whoooosh—
Crunch— Crunch—
Just as I was thinking, Struck out again today, and trying to soothe my disappointed heart with the star-dusted, galaxy-filled night sky, a chilling wind brushed past me. It was soon followed by the sound of multiple footsteps, finally announcing that the guests I had been waiting for had arrived at this deserted playground near an abandoned cathedral.
It seemed it was still too early to be disappointed.
"Contact successful. Commencing dialogue with the target."
"…Ahaha, a 'target.' That's a bit of a grim word choice. Hmm, I'm sure there's at least one other, more friendly-feeling word you could have used."
"We did not come here to chat. How did you think to use the Catacombs to contact the Branch School? There should have been no traces left for Trinity to track us."
The voice that echoed from beyond the gas mask was dry and emotionless. Then again, considering the hatred that has been instilled in them, perhaps even a reaction like this could be considered a welcome one.
Children educated to blindly hate Trinity, to hate Gehenna.
Students, but children who are being raised as tools, unable to live the lives they should be enjoying as students.
They are children with backgrounds so unfortunate you could count them on one hand in all of Kivotos.
"If you really thought that, it's deeply regrettable, you know. If you know of the Arius Branch School's existence and have the authority to access all of Trinity's ancient texts, finding your whereabouts is more than possible, you know? It's just that until now, no one felt the need to."
"…"
"Well, aren't you going to ask? What you want to know isn't 'how,' but 'why,' right? I know I would."
"…Fine. What is the reason you attempted to contact us."
By the way, the Squad isn't here. It seems Beatrice sent these ordinary students, who can be used as disposable pawns, here first. Not that I have any intention of sacrificing them.
"Well, the reason is actually simple. Yes, I wish for us to be able to reconcile with each other. Though we may have ended up like this, we are clearly fellow countrymen, are we not?"
"That is the most absurd nonsense I have ever heard. Reconciliation? It was you, Trinity, who cast Arius out first. You, who do not know a tenth… no, not even a hundredth of the pain we had to endure, dare to speak of reconciliation?!"
"Hmm? No, that's not it. Let's get our facts straight, shall we? The ones who cast you out were the Trinity of the past, and I am not them."
I was about to say that they, too, were not the people of the past, but I managed to swallow the words back down in time. Saying something like that to them, who have lived such painful lives, would be nothing but a mockery.
"The reason I attempted to contact Arius was to right the wrongs committed by the Tea Party of the past… to ask for your forgiveness, and to sue for peace."
"I cannot believe you. Vanitas Vanitatum et omnia Vanitas. Do you think we would be deceived by such righteous-sounding words?"
"'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.' Yes, how could I not know it? The scriptures we read ultimately contain the same essence. Unfortunately for you, the direction in which you have interpreted this passage seems to have changed greatly compared to the original."
Originally, that passage from Ecclesiastes was meant to teach humility, but it was twisted and distorted by Beatrice, who became the ruler of Arius, and used to instill a nihilistic ideology in the students to use them as she pleased.
If I were to preach to these brainwashed children right now that their interpretation is wrong, would it be anything more than reading scriptures to a deaf ear? I've at least planted a seed, so I'm satisfied with that. So stop talking to me and bring me your leader!
"That's enough, let's end the conversation here."
I rose from the swing, turned around, and spoke. What came into view were eight Arius students in total. I guessed the one I had been conversing with was the squad leader.
"…What?"
"Well, it doesn't seem like there's a real decision-maker among you. Yes, so to me, this conversation is meaningless. To put it in your terms, no matter how much I talk here, it is all just vanity☆"
Click-clack—
The sound of gun safeties being switched off and chambers being loaded followed one after another. Hmm… I'm not sure which part of what I said offended them.
"Waaah-oh… I'd appreciate it if you would lower your guns… I mean, we are countrymen with the same roots, and I've treated you with nothing but goodwill from beginning to end today, haven't I? If my words were offensive, I'll even apologize. I was just saying that I hope someone of a higher rank will come next time, so please don't take it so badly."
"…Tsk. Let me ask you this instead. Are you a decision-maker who can actually carry out this far-fetched talk of reconciliation with us?"
"Ahaha! I can guarantee you, if it's not me, it's impossible for anyone else in the current Trinity to do it! So please, return for today, Arius. It was a short, but enjoyable conversation."
For a while, the Arius squad leader and I faced each other, as if in a staring contest. Though, since she was wearing a gas mask, I couldn't actually meet her eyes.
Shk—
The squad leader gave a hand signal, and the Arius students began to withdraw. The squad leader, who had been standing there watching me until the very end, also turned without a word and vanished into the darkness.
I hope the Arius Squad, those girls, will come next time. I wonder if Beatrice will even let them out.
By the way, it would have been a problem if they had pulled the trigger.
The matter of reconciling with the Arius Branch School has only been discussed among the Trinity elites. A battle here would have been an obvious victory for me, but there's a possibility that Arius's existence would have been brought to the surface.
If that were to happen at this point, with nothing yet discussed, I can't predict how the Arius side would react. To be precise, I wouldn't know how Beatrice would act from then on.
What I need right now is a chance to meet the Squad and win them over to my way of thinking. Due to the existence of Hakari Atsuko, whom Beatrice has marked as a sacrifice, the key ultimately comes down to the Squad.
After pushing Beatrice out and merging Arius with Trinity, the position of head of the Arius faction will naturally go to Atsuko. Given the history and scale of Arius, she might even be granted the right to attend the Tea Party in the future.
The future I'm painting is based on the premise that I succeed in bringing the Squad to my side. Atsuko must become the focal point of the Arius faction, Saori must blind Beatrice until everything is ready, and Azusa must act as the bridge between Arius and Trinity.
The other two girls, well. I think they'll need care rather than important roles, won't they…? One is a complete child, and the other is the one who is most deeply wounded on the inside.
"Atchoo."
…Huh?
Hmm, they say not even dogs catch a cold in the summer… Well, I've succeeded in making first contact, so I'll be satisfied with that for today and head back.
A stalled part of my plan has finally sprouted, so thankfully, I think I'll be able to sleep with a peaceful mind tonight.