"..."
At a glance, Saori's hands were trembling. I was genuinely surprised that Hoshino's words had made her angry enough to speak up for me like this.
She was the kind of person who would protect those within her circle, even at her own expense. That was Saori.
But in this case, I couldn't picture Saori's words getting through to Hoshino. If the deep wounds etched into Hoshino's heart could be soothed by something like this, she would have overcome them on her own long before ever meeting Sensei.
"So you're the ones. The kids Mika mentioned she wanted to help. Right, Saori?"
"...I'm not certain, but she was likely referring to us. We, who were raised as tools, destined only to be used by adults until we met our futile deaths. Everyone at the Arius Branch School was saved because Mika was the one who first extended her hand."
"...Adults, huh."
Hoshino scowled for a moment, then clicked her tongue and pressed Saori further.
"If that's the case, then you should already understand what I'm saying. As long as your savior, Mika, is chasing the impossible ideal of 'everyone's happiness,' she's bound to stumble. Some will laugh at her for being a fool, and others will go out of their way to trip her up."
"Any such obstacles, we of Arius Squad will simply remove."
"...Wishing for everyone's happiness means placing your trust in people who don't deserve it. To believe that Mika won't get hurt in the process is the thinking of a naive child. The person who helped me get back on my feet is living like a fool, and I don't want to see her get hurt. That's why I'm trying to talk her out of walking down such a thorny path…!"
"That, too, is a contradiction. The only reason you received her help was because Mika chose to live like a fool. Do you think that gives you the right to deny her that path while citing your concern for her?"
Hoshino, uncharacteristically fired up, continued her impassioned speech, only to be rebutted by an equally heated Saori.
"Hey, Mika. Don't you think you should stop them…?"
"Hmm…"
Nonomi, who was sitting next to me, whispered as she watched Hoshino with a worried expression.
Come to think of it, has Nonomi ever seen Hoshino like this? Even if she had heard about the loss and pain Hoshino had endured, it's unlikely that Hoshino, who remembers Yume, would have shown this side of herself to her junior.
In any case, would it really be a good thing for me to stop them, as Nonomi suggested? Wishing for everyone to get along and hold hands is an ideal similar to wishing for everyone to be happy, but they are fundamentally different. The former, if you dig deep enough, is tantamount to stripping people of their individuality. It is because we are all different that we need to understand each other, and it is in that process that conflict arises.
In that sense, it would be wrong for me to try and control the conflict that has arisen from the difference in their views. In fact, it might be more beneficial for both of them if Saori, who is in a similar position, leads the conversation, rather than me trying to argue with Hoshino.
"I think it's fine to just watch for a little longer, Nonomi."
"I-Is that so…"
So, as long as they don't point their guns at each other, I think it's fine. If the situation shows signs of escalating to that point, I can always step in then.
"Think rationally. How far, just how lenient are you planning to be?"
"Lenient? That's rich. Why do you speak about Mika as if you know everything about her, when you know nothing? As if you know how hard she has worked, and continues to work, to achieve her ideals—"
"Don't be ridiculous. Effort? Do you think effort solves everything in this world? Such a convenient thing doesn't exist!"
"Hoh. Are you referring to the restoration of Abydos? If so, that would certainly fall under the category of 'convenient things that cannot exist.' Without a miracle, it would be difficult to achieve."
"...If something like that were to happen, it would be a miracle. But things are called miracles precisely because they don't normally happen. I'm telling you, there are no such things as miracles. To live your life hoping for one is to be the worst kind of fool."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"...What?"
"After doing everything you possibly can, what is wrong with hoping for a miracle at the very end? Even I, who was forced to give up on happiness, who was taught to hate others I cared nothing for, who was trained to be a tool for killing… even I, who was trampled until I stopped resisting, was secretly hoping for a miracle in the deepest corners of my heart. If you want to call that being the worst kind of fool, then fine. I won't deny it."
Hoshino stared at Saori in silence. I could see the venom in her eyes begin to subside. When she finally spoke, her voice was much gentler than before.
"...Are you trying to say that the fact that Mika extended her hand to you was, in itself, a miracle?"
"That wasn't my point, but it was a miracle, not just for me, but for all of Arius. And the way Mika acted during that process was, indeed, worthy of being called a fool."
Hey. Excuse me, Saori? Why are you taking a shot at me all of a sudden?
I shot her a sullen glare, and she, sensing my gaze with uncanny precision, smirked.
"For me, who owes my life and the lives of my precious friends to that fool, to deny her foolishness is impossible. In fact, I am prepared to lay down my own life to protect that foolishness… to stand at the forefront and destroy any obstacle that blocks the path that fool walks."
"...I see. So that was the difference between you and me, Saori."
"As I thought, you were projecting someone else onto Mika. That's disrespectful. If you wish to deny the path she has chosen, at least have the decency to see her for who she truly is and understand everything before you do so."
Wow… hearing Saori talk like that is seriously making me cringe. I wonder if it's just Saori, but then I think about the other squad members and the mob-chans from the Arius Branch, and a shiver runs down my spine.
Isn't this basically a religious cult that worships me? The one you should be serving is the Primeval Divinity, not me.
As I was thinking this, Hoshino suddenly sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. She rubbed them with her hand, and when she opened them again, all the venom was gone.
"...This year, Abydos has a total of two students. Me, and Nonomi here. Just the two of us are keeping Abydos alive. To be honest, I wasn't expecting any new students to enroll this year. Man~ I didn't show it back then, but I was actually a little moved."
Hoshino's face looked so weary as she spoke. No matter how mentally strong she is, one of the strongest in Kivotos, overcoming such a difficult time couldn't have been easy for her.
"Last year, too, there were only two students in Abydos. The biggest fool in Abydos, the student council president, and a fool who was just as bad, me."
As Hoshino began to speak of Yume, I finally understood. Her words, "Fools hurt the people around them, and are always the ones who lose," were actually about herself.
I realized that the story Hoshino was about to tell was of two people… a fool who never lost her smile even in the most difficult of situations and dreamed of a hopeful future, who seemed optimistic to the very end. And another fool, who dismissed her as a fool blinded by an impossible dream and hurt her deeply.
"Can you imagine it? The situation when the dumbest idiot in the school was pushed into the role of student council president. In a situation where the weight of having to support a school on the brink of collapse was crushing her shoulders, that foolish senpai endured. And even then, she was a kind and warm person, enough to take care of a single new student."
A bitter smile formed on Hoshino's lips. Looking back after everything was over, she must have been forced to realize just how much she had lost. And she must have come to believe that a large part of the blame lay with her, for saying all sorts of unspeakable things to Yume, who had always tried to be a kind senpai to her.
"But that new student was an even bigger fool. She trampled all over the consideration of her foolish senpai, who had to endure such pressure, without a second thought. Haha… if that senpai was the biggest fool, then I was literally the worst fool."
"Hoshino-senpai…"
"...You're right. I should apologize to Nonomi, too. I knew full well why you chose Abydos when you could have easily gotten into a place like Trinity, but I barely acted like a proper senpai to you. I'm sorry, Nonomi."
"No, senpai… you don't have to apologize to me! I know how hard it's been for you."
"Still, that's no excuse for neglecting you. I'm so pathetic."
Hoshino shook her head, her ponytail swaying. The fact that she had even grown her hair out as part of her desire to be like Yume showed just how strong a person she was.
"I sincerely apologize, Mika. I was looking at you without seeing who you really were, projecting someone else onto you. Losing that senpai was all my fault for being a fool… the responsibility lies with me, for not being able to protect that weak, foolish senpai."
"No, it's okay. In a way, that means you wanted to protect me, right? If that's all it is, then I don't mind. In fact, it makes me feel sorry that I couldn't have been of more help to you when you were going through so much."
"...You really are alike. I have a feeling you and that senpai would have gotten along horribly well."
…Should I be happy about that or not?
I know Yume was a good person, but it's also true that she was a fool. Hearing that I would have gotten along well with her leaves me with mixed feelings.
Just then, Saori, who had been silent for a while, hesitated before speaking.
"...There's something I want to ask. When you say you lost that senpai—"
Wait. No, Saori, don't! If you ask that, you'll be torn apart too…!
Of all the landmines to step on. Why did you have to do that, my reliable but sometimes hopelessly dense Saori?
"...She died. She's someone I can never see again."
Oh? Surprisingly, Hoshino's reaction was quite calm. Did their conversation help her come to terms with it?
In fact, it was Saori who was startled by the calm response. She couldn't have been unaware that her words had just reopened Hoshino's old wounds.
But then.
"I AM SO SORRY!!!"
Saori suddenly shot up from her seat, slammed her head into the sand, and then pushed her body up into a headstand. Her toes, sticking out of her sandals, wiggled in the air.
"Uh… hey, what's this now? Even this old lady is a little confused~."
"This is, ugh. It's called a Gránd Seiza… It's usually a bow of extreme… respect…! But it is also… sometimes used to convey a sincere… apology…! Hngh, that's what Azusa… told me…!"
Watching Saori somehow manage to speak clearly while doing a headstand, I silently rubbed my temples and closed my eyes.
Azusa, I told you to stop browsing that damn anonymous message board… It's a den of madness…!