"…I've got a bad feeling. A really bad feeling. I can't stop shivering," Mash muttered, lying on his hospital bed. It was past 8 p.m. the night after thwarting the treaty signing attack, and an unshakable unease gripped him.
"This feels familiar… Better lock the door," he said, dragging his IV tube as he shuffled toward it. Just as he reached for the lock, voices echoed from outside.
"Okay, on three! One, two, three!"
"Got it."
"Here we go~!"
His bad feeling was spot-on. A fist's whoosh sounded through the wall. Mash braced the door, but—
BOOM!
"Yo, Sensei! ⭐ Your VIPs are here!" Mika chirped, her hand piercing a hole through the door, her smile chilling. Behind her, Azusa emerged, gas mask in place.
"M-Mika-san… Azusa-chan?" Mash stammered, stepping back.
"We need to talk, Sensei," Azusa said coolly.
"Gonna borrow some of your time, 'kay?" Mika added with a grin.
"…Explanation, please?" Mash asked.
"Of course! ⭐ We're here to give you a lecture," Mika said.
"A lecture?" Mash blinked.
"Yup. A lecture. The moonlight's setting the mood nicely, don't you think?" Mika said, as soft light spilled through the window, illuminating them.
Mika and Azusa grabbed Mash's arms, dragging him to the bed. The three sat, a tense silence hanging in the air.
"Those injuries… from Arius, right?" Azusa asked.
"I messed up a bit," Mash admitted.
"Does it hurt?" Mika pressed.
"Not at all. Like a mosquito bite," Mash said with a weak smile.
"…Right," Mika said, unconvinced.
"They don't look okay," Azusa said sharply.
"I'm fine, really. Thanks for worrying, Azusa-chan," Mash said, his tone gentle but strained.
Mash's usual kindness was there, but Azusa caught it—a flicker of unease. She'd studied his face countless times during training camp. She knew when something was off.
"…Sensei, I trust you. I respect you. I believe you don't lie," Azusa said, her voice steady. "So, if you're fine, show us."
"I, uh, need to use the bathroom—'Nope! ⭐'" Mash tried to dodge, but Mika yanked up his shirt, revealing purpled skin beneath bandages. Azusa, unable to hold back, tore at the wrappings.
"How is this fine!?" Azusa demanded, her voice breaking.
"Well…" Mash faltered.
"You said you're okay, but this isn't okay! It's not!" Azusa shouted. "Everyone said you're pushing too hard, that you're badly hurt, forcing yourself… I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe you'd let yourself get like this!"
Mash fell silent.
"Why hide it? Why not tell us? Why say you're fine!?" Azusa's voice trembled, her face a storm of worry, anger, and sadness—unlike her usual calm.
"Okay, Azusa-chan, breathe," Mika said gently. "I feel the same, but let's cool down, yeah?"
"…Fine," Azusa muttered.
"Good girl♪ Now, Sensei, why'd you keep quiet?" Mika asked, her tone sharp.
"…I didn't want to worry anyone or be a burden," Mash admitted, looking away.
Mika's eyes flashed. "What's that? You joking?"
(Yikes, scary, Mash thought.)
"'Don't want to worry us'? Keeping quiet worries us more! Thinking you're a burden? That's nonsense!" Mika said, gripping his arm like a scolding mother.
"But you all seemed busy, and I didn't want to take your time—"
"You're struggling too, Sensei. Notice how I'm barely squeezing your arm, yet you can't pull away?" Mika said softly. "Your body's weak right now. How is that 'fine'?"
Mash had no answer. He knew he was in bad shape—his wounds weren't fully healed, his strength wasn't back. But…
"Even if I'm weak, I can't stop. I won't stop," Mash said, his voice firm. "Arius is after me. If they know I'm down, they'll attack Trinity again. I have to be there when they move, or everyone gets hurt. I need to save them—fast."
"Sensei…" Azusa whispered.
"I'm stronger than most. I can't just rest because of a few scratches. That's weakness. There's no time for that. I have to work harder, push myself, sacrifice if I must—otherwise, everyone suffers. If someone has to pay, it should be me—"
SLAP!
A sharp strike hit Mash's cheek. Stunned, he clutched his face, staring at Mika.
"Don't be stupid!!" Mika yelled, grabbing his collar, her tear-filled eyes blazing. "Who told you to sacrifice yourself!? Did anyone you know say you should!?"
"But if I don't—"
"If you don't, what? Everyone suffers? Even if that happens, it's wrong to make you carry that alone! Destroying yourself to keep going is insane!"
"But I don't want anyone to get hurt," Mash said quietly.
"You idiot!" Mika shouted, shoving him onto the bed, her voice raw with emotion. Azusa watched, frozen.
"I don't want you to get hurt! Azusa-chan, Nagisa-chan, the Remedial Class—none of us do! That's why we work together to avoid tragedy!" Mika cried.
"Work… together…" Mash echoed.
"Why are you trying to do this alone?" Mika asked, her voice breaking.
"I'm not… I…" Mash stammered.
"You are! Taking it all on yourself, solving everything alone, blaming yourself for everything—thinking it's all on you!" Mika said, her words cutting deep.
Mash had no response. He had kept it all inside, believing it was his burden alone. His role as Sensei, his extraordinary strength, had chained him to solitude. The students had their own struggles, and he couldn't bear adding to them. So he chose this path, believing it was best.
"You said you wouldn't let me be alone… Was that a lie?" Mika asked, her voice soft.
"…No," Mash whispered.
"If you died, if you disappeared… how could I smile?" Mika said, tears falling. "We can't smile without you!"
"I feel the same," Azusa added. "If you died, I… Hifumi, Koharu, Hanako… we'd never smile again."
"Azusa-chan…" Mash murmured.
"You're not yourself right now," Azusa said. "This self-sacrificing version of you… I don't like it. Are you seriously thinking, 'I'm worthless if I can't help others'?"
Mash froze.
"You said it yourself, Sensei: 'Who decided you're worthless? Has anyone ever told you that?' I'm throwing those words back at you," Azusa said.
Mash clutched his face, torn. Should I just tell them? It'd be easier. But another voice screamed, No, that's weakness. You're Sensei. You can't burden your students.
Then he saw it—Mika and Azusa's tears, shed for him. He was causing their pain. He couldn't keep going like this.
"…I had a dream," Mash said quietly.
"A dream?" Mika asked.
"Everyone I knew… died in front of me," Mash said, his voice hollow. "Abydos, Gehenna, Trinity, the Federal Student Council, Hyakkiyako, Millennium… even the ramen shop owner, the cream puff guy, my grandpa… all bleeding, collapsing before my eyes."
Mika's grip softened. Mash sat up, staring at his hands.
"I touched them, and they were cold. They didn't answer. Their bodies stiffened, their eyes empty. I didn't know how to save them," Mash said. "It's just a dream, but… it could become real."
"It might," Mika said. "And you think it's because you failed to protect them? Because you let them fight?"
"…Yeah. If I'd fought instead, maybe it wouldn't have happened. I was… scared," Mash admitted.
"Scared of what?" Azusa asked.
"Of everyone disappearing. Of being alone again," Mash said, covering his face. "I finally made friends, comrades… but the thought of losing them because of me… I couldn't stop shaking. So I decided to be a reliable Sensei. To be strong."
Mika's arms and wings enveloped him, gentle and warm.
"Mika-san…?" Mash whispered.
"It's okay now," Mika said softly.
"You're Sensei, Mash… but not just Sensei," Azusa said.
"Huh?" Mash blinked.
"You're a kid, like us, Mash-kun," Mika said with a smile.
"…!" Mash's eyes widened.
"You've been trying too hard," Mika said. Azusa joined, hugging him tightly—a warmth Mash hadn't felt since Regro held him long ago.
"Sorry for yelling," Mika whispered. "That dream… it's your fears and burdens spilling out. You were thrown into this world, tasked with guiding us, helpingwashed-up image saving everyone… always for others. You've been carrying so much."
"It's exhausting, isn't it?" Azusa said.
"…I'm… tired," Mash admitted, the realization hitting him.
His strength, his spirit—worn to the edge by Kivotos' weight. Mika and Azusa had caught him just before he broke.
"Let's take a break, Mash-kun," Mika said.
"A break…" Mash echoed.
"Rest is vital. You taught me that," Azusa said. "Don't say you haven't been trying. You're Kivotos' hardest worker."
Mash realized it—he was trying. Not just Hina, Nagisa, or Rin. He was fighting, too.
"I love you, Mash-kun," Mika said. "You reached out when I strayed, encouraged me to keep going. You saved me."
"You showed me hope, made life fun again," Azusa said. "You saved me, too. So now…"
"Let us save you!" they cried, holding him tightly.
Mash, who rarely asked for help as Sensei, felt the weight of it. "I'm sorry… I need help."
"Of course," they said, embracing him without hesitation.
In their arms, Mash felt warmth. A single tear fell. "…It's warm."
A student hung up a call, her face tense. Rin, the Federal Student Council's acting president, had been dealing with the treaty incident and Arius issues. But now, one person mattered more.
"I have to… talk to Sensei," Rin said, moving to save him.
Next Time: The Salvation Continues
Arius, you're next!
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