The Arius Squad was completely and utterly defeated. The problems of cleaning up the mess upstairs and persuading the squad still remained, but…
"..."
Honestly, the key here was winning over their princess and Saori. And if I could convince the princess first, I had a feeling Saori would follow suit.
Wait, why do I keep thinking of her as 'the princess'? The only princess for me is Mika… but I am Mika. Does that make it okay?
"I have a question."
...Huh? Who's talking to me? Could Atsuko have spoken?
No way…
Seriously?
"Whoa...? Atsuko-chan, weren't you forbidden from speaking?"
"Yes, I'm not supposed to speak without Madame's permission. But right now, I'm a captive of a merciless Trinity student, and my life is in danger. I have to speak to survive. Madame doesn't want me to die, so it'll be fine even if she finds out."
Well, well, aren't you a clever one? Besides, how would Beatrice know what happens outside the Arius district anyway?
"...Have you considered that if you get caught, Saori-chan might be punished in your place?"
"Ah."
Her wavering gaze told me she was flustered. The way her eyes darted to Saori was enough to show me how much these kids cared for each other.
"Ahaha, it's fine. As long as you don't get caught, it doesn't matter. And like I said, I'm on your side, so you can trust me. ☆ Well, I know it's a lot to ask you to trust someone you just met and fought, but…"
"I trust you."
"Huh?"
"I trust you."
"Whoa, you didn't need to say it twice. Still, I have to admit, that's surprising. What is it about me that makes you so sure…?"
To be honest, I was a bit taken aback. Atsuko, who was the first to wake up, had looked back and forth between me and her fallen squad mates, then simply nodded and held out her hands, wrists up, as if waiting to be cuffed.
I didn't even have any cuffs, so I was just left wondering what she was doing. The whole thing was so absurd that I decided not to tie her up. That single action made me want to talk to her.
"Your eyes. I can tell by looking at your eyes."
"Really? What did you see in them, Atsuko-chan?"
"Well, when you were taking me down, your eyes looked like they were crying. They've been like that ever since you hesitated to hit Hiyori-chan. And… they're warm and pretty."
"Hmm... I'm not sure that's a good reason to trust someone, but okay. By the way, Atsuko-chan, you're fourteen, right?"
Atsuko nodded at my question. Since their school wasn't really a proper school, it seemed the Arius Squad stuck together regardless of age.
"So, what were you so curious about that you broke your silence? I bet it's about how I know all of you. To be honest, I was surprised to hear your voice today, you know."
"You said you'd help me speak freely, that I wouldn't have to hide my face anymore. I want to know what that meant. Do you know about Madame? Her true identity?"
"...I do. Yes, I know what that woman has done to you, and what she's still doing. In fact, I know too much for my own good. And since you're so smart, Atsuko-chan, you probably already know why I said that. Right?"
"You're going to kill Madame."
"Well, I don't know if I can kill her just because I want to. But I am going to make sure she can never lay a hand on you again. And once she's gone, the student council president's seat that was stolen from you will be returned, just as it should be."
"...I don't know. I've always just thought I'd live out my predetermined fate. That if being a sacrifice was my destiny, I would accept it. Madame told us there was no hope for us. She taught us that everything is vain and meaningless."
"But you already know that's not true, don't you, Atsuko-chan? Not just you; your whole squad knows it in their hearts. It's just that a fake adult who isn't even worthy of the title… a monster, has crushed you with violence and oppression, forcing you to look away from the truth."
"We hate Trinity. We were taught that everything we suffer is because of Trinity, so we must hate them. So why can't I bring myself to hate you, the student council president of the very Trinity we're supposed to despise?"
"Ahaha, maybe that just means you're too smart, Atsuko-chan! Hatred isn't something that can be taught. That woman knew that, which is why she tried to brand it onto you through such cruel methods. You're just too smart and strong-willed to be fooled by her lies. You had a pretty good shield, too."
"...Are you talking about Saori-chan?"
Atsuko glanced over at Saori, who was still tied to the pillar, her halo extinguished. Having fought to the very end alongside Azusa, both of them were in a state that made Misaki and Hiyori's injuries look trivial.
"Yep. The only reason you're all still together is thanks to Saori-chan, isn't it? Even knowing she couldn't win, she never let go of her gun, driven by the sole desire to save you. Don't you think she's amazing?"
"Yes. Saori-chan is strong."
"Right? Given the chance, Saori-chan is the kind of person who could shine brighter than anyone. But that's true for all of you."
I gently pulled Atsuko, who was about the same height as me, into a light hug. I wouldn't pretend to understand the hardship, pain, and suffering these girls had endured… but I could at least comfort them by telling them things would be different from now on.
"I'll help you, Atsuko-chan. I'll help all of you, all of Arius, find the freedom you deserve. I'll help you reclaim the student lives and the happiness you should have had. This isn't about seeking reconciliation or asking for forgiveness. I'm just promising to do what someone should have done a long time ago."
On Earth, I was what you would call an adult. Even if my body was now that of a student, and my mind had been influenced by it, the fact that I had been an adult would not change.
But could I really be called an adult by Kivotos's standards? A being that had reached the end of its growth? That was a difficult question.
Ugh… philosophical debates aren't my thing. If I still have room to grow as a person, then I guess I'm not an adult yet. I decided to leave it at that.
"Um."
"Yes, Atsuko-chan? Was I making you uncomfortable by touching you so suddenly? If so, I can let go..."
"Can I call you 'onee-chan'?"
"...Huh?"
"Your name... it was Mika Misono, right? Um, Mika-oneechan, everything you said... I'll believe it. I won't ask how you knew about us. I'll just trust you. I feel like it's the right thing to do. So, please take care of me from now on, Mika-oneechan."
Well, I didn't exactly say 'yes'… but I guess it doesn't matter. It's too late for me to feel weird about being called 'onee-chan,' having accepted the fact that I'm a girl a long time ago.
Still, I'm pretty sure Saori and I are the same age. Why does she call Saori "Saori-chan" or "Sat-chan," but wants to call me "onee-chan"? Honestly, Saori looks more mature than me, so if anyone should be called 'onee-chan,' it's her… If I were just a year younger, I would've called her Saori-oneechan too.
"Ah, she's awake."
Huh? Who's awake? I was facing away from the rest of the squad, and was about to turn my head, but I quickly realized I didn't need to.
"Atsuko... A-Atsuko?! Get away from that woman!!! And you! I swear, I'll kill you no matter what it takes, Misono Mika!!!"
Saori, having seen me hugging Atsuko, was now having a complete meltdown that was impossible to ignore.
Oh boy, this is bad. It looks like cleaning this up is going to take a while.
"I'll help you, Mika-oneechan."
"...Wait, Atsuko! You're not supposed to speak... Mmphh...!"
Watching Saori struggle like a madwoman, I felt a deep sense of relief that the rope I'd found on Azusa was so damn strong.
Warm and pretty. But she looks sad, too.
Mika-oneechan's eyes… they look like they're crying for us.And for some reason, seeing that makes my own heart ache.
"I'll say it a third time. I'm on your side."
"I can't believe you. You want me to trust someone who won't even tell me where she got her information? I don't know how you tricked Atsuko, but I will never, ever trust you."
"Ahaha, but Saori-chan, you have to trust me, don't you? If only to save Atsuko-chan, who you value more than your own life. That was the deal you made with Madame, wasn't it?"
"...You, how could you possibly know that."
"I'll say it again. I'm on your side, Saori-chan."
"No... I can't believe it. I mustn't. There's no way something so convenient would happen to us. Trinity and Gehenna are our enemies, the ones I must tear down with my own hands. How could I ever trust you, the leader of Trinity…?"
"The enemies you have to tear down? No, that's wrong. Don't look away from the truth. That's just a lie you repeated to yourself over and over because that monster, Beatrice, held Atsuko-chan's life—your whole squad's lives—as collateral."
"Ah, ahh… No, I have to protect them…"
I see… So that's why Saori-chan, Sat-chan, made that promise. To save me back then. To save us, she pushed herself this far. She was always thinking of nothing but protecting us.
I don't know how Mika-oneechan knew all of that... but it doesn't really matter. I just have a feeling that if we let this chance slip away, we'll never get another chance to be happy.
"Sat-chan."
"...Atsuko."
"I'm sorry for making you carry everything by yourself."
"…!"
"You've been through so much, Sat-chan. But… I don't want you to sacrifice yourself anymore. So, let's take her hand. Let's just trust her this one time."
"No, Atsuko… We can't disobey an adult. We can't resist. We can't hope, we can't pray for happiness. All is vain, and all is vain. Even if we take that hand, nothing will—"
"If everything is in vain, then why did you try to save Atsuko-chan's life? Why did you try to protect everyone in the squad? Why did you keep getting up and coming at me, no matter how many times I knocked you down? Answer me, Saori Joumae. Yes, tell me if you truly, sincerely believe that everything is in vain."
"..."
"Saori-chan, don't you want to reclaim the hope that was stolen from you? Don't you want to find happiness for these children you've tried so desperately to protect? Whether or not everything is truly in vain... you should see the world with your own eyes and decide for yourself, not through the twisted ideology beaten into you by someone else."
...Beautiful. So dazzlingly beautiful... that Mika-oneechan feels more like an adult than Madame, who called herself one. I can't help but admire her.
If the adult who came to Arius had been someone like Mika-oneechan, and not someone like Madame, could we have found happiness?
"...The truth is, I never wanted to give up hope. I wanted to pray for a happiness that might come someday. I didn't want to stop resisting, but I didn't have the strength..."
Step, step—
"It's okay, Sat-chan. We can just start over from now. On top of the love you've shown us all this time, let's build our hope… our own happiness. Together with Mika-oneechan."
So let today be the first and last time you cry, Sat-chan.From now on, only smiles and a bright future await us. And a warm star will light our way.
So, from now on, let's be happy. Sat-chan.
◇─◇───◆─◈─◆───◇─◇
So I was thinking of setting up Power Stone targets for bonus chapters
Which will be 50 power stones per bonus chapter, no matter how many
So if we get 1000 power stones, I will release 20 bonus chapters.
And would you guys be willing to support me if I create a Patreon account?
I thought I could create one and translate suggestions from you guys
Thank you, and make sure to give me some stones