Signing Ceremony · Venue · Rainy Weather
The Arius Squad returned, flanked by Justina's Apostles and the nondescript Arius students.
"Positions, everyone. Stay alert—they could strike anytime," Saori commanded.
"Understood," the troops responded, moving with refined—forced—precision.
"It's finally beginning," Hifumi murmured.
"Win or lose, it's hell either way. Might as well choose the better one," Saori replied.
"…"
"Don't worry, Princess. When this is over, we'll get Azusa. Then we'll all—"
"No need for that!" Azusa's voice cut through.
Saori frowned, suppressing her emotions, and turned to Azusa. "You came… Azusa!?"
"What…?" Hifumi gasped.
"What's with that weird mask?" Saori asked.
"Ow, Princess, that hurts! Wait, Shu-Shu-chan? What's that?" Atsuko chimed in.
Before them stood Azusa, wearing a mask of Shu-Shu-chan, the friend of Shu-chan, the mascot of a cream puff shop. The Arius Squad was baffled; Atsuko alone seemed thrilled.
"What's the deal, Azusa? Bringing that to a battlefield? Why?" Saori demanded.
"It's complicated," Azusa replied.
"You think that's convincing?"
"Forget about me—listen, everyone."
Azusa explained Mash's plan for Arius, but the squad scoffed or sighed.
"You're still dreaming, huh? Ridiculous," Saori sneered.
"Azusa-chan, that's… impossible," Atsuko said softly.
"Stop spouting nonsense, Azusa. Sensei's dead—poisoned, body discolored, cells destroyed," Misaki added.
"…" Azusa paused. "(I can't say… cream puffs and grit cured the poison.) It's true."
"What's with that pause?" Saori pressed.
Despite her mask, Azusa's serious expression shone through. Tired of arguing, Saori spoke coldly. "Taking others' light while keeping your own? That's impossible."
"I know," Azusa replied. "But Sensei defies that."
"Why do you keep fighting? What's the point? What are you proving?" Saori asked.
"This world's worth saving. I want to prove that."
"It's trash—full of suffering. Why endure this meaningless pain every day?" Misaki said, tracing scars on her neck and arms, resigned to despair.
"Then all the more reason," Azusa countered. "This world has something to overcome that suffering, thirst, and hunger."
"Show me this pretty concept, then," Misaki challenged.
"Alright," Azusa said.
"What…?" Saori blinked.
"Lend me a hand, you two."
Saori noticed two figures lurking nearby, both masked like Azusa. One was a girl her height; the other, a muscular man in a black tracksuit. Arius recognized him.
"You… why are you alive!? It's impossible without a miracle!" Saori shouted.
"Miracles happen if you believe," Mash replied, removing his mask.
His presence stirred fear among Arius and tension in Justina's Apostles. Hifumi gripped Azusa's hand, standing close to Mash.
"My muscles don't lose to poison," Mash declared.
"The mysteries of Kivotos… beaten by a human's muscles?" Misaki stammered.
"He smashed Arepana Keia with tennis and crushed Justina's Apostles… He's insane!" Hifumi wailed.
"Don't call me insane. Call me strong," Mash flexed.
Atsuko sighed in relief.
"I'm the embodiment of ideals… well, close enough. Also, I'm a bit mad," Mash said.
The group froze, too stunned by Mash's absurdity to act. Saori snorted mockingly. "Then hit us with your anger, your hatred… your killing intent."
"I'm not mad at you," Mash clarified.
"What?"
"I'm mad at the mastermind who drove you to this."
"!?"
"It's infuriating—like the cream puff I ate wants to come back up."
Mash's calm focus drew everyone's attention, devoid of hostility. "The mastermind… Hazukirupe?"
"Beatrice," Mash corrected. "She nearly ruined Eden and Trinity, made people suffer, almost stole everyone's smiles. I can't forgive that."
"Why not turn that anger on us?" Saori asked.
"You're victims too. But what you've done can't be erased. So, I'm inviting you to Schale."
"Still spouting that nonsense!?"
"I'm serious. Don't worry about pay—it's covered. Plus, free cream puffs."
"Don't mock us! You think Gehenna and Trinity would allow that!?"
Footsteps interrupted—military, not Mash's group. Gehenna's red-black and Trinity's white-yellow uniforms appeared, blended into a dark-light formal attire. Leading them were Nagisa, adorned in divine elegance, and Makoto, in a devilish governor's garb.
"Too late, Sensei," Makoto teased.
"You're early, but this isn't the plan," Nagisa scolded.
"Sorry, I got caught up chasing them," Mash replied.
"What's with that Trinity-Gehenna uniform… and that flag!?" Saori gasped.
"We're the Paradise Agency, a Trinity-Gehenna alliance," Nagisa explained. "A treaty to counter threats, unlike Eden."
Saori clenched her teeth. The Paradise Agency—Gehenna and Trinity's united front, a symbol of peace, activated only in dire need. Mash's request had united Gehenna's Disciplinary Committee, Pandemonium Society, Tea Party, Sisterhood, and Justice Task Force.
"I hate Trinity. I won't reconcile," Saori declared.
"We despise Gehenna too. No cozy alliances here," Makoto retorted.
"Then why!?"
"We realized we don't need to get along," Nagisa said. "But continuing conflict is foolish."
"So we compete, acknowledging each other's strength," Makoto grinned. "It's more fun."
"Why…?" Saori faltered.
"It's less outdated than hating and hurting each other," Nagisa said.
Arius was stunned. Two rival academies, long at odds, choosing competition over hatred? Unthinkable.
"So what!? We still have—" Saori began, but a voice cut through.
"Who said those are all our allies!?"
A colorful masked group appeared—some in cream puff masks, others in fox masks.
"Muscles!" Mash shouted.
"Friendship!" Hifumi added.
"Sugar!"
"Love!"
"Miracles!"
"Dreams!"
"Hope!"
"People's hearts!"
"Everyone's smiles never betray!"
"We are—"
"The Cream Puff Couple Corps!" they posed dramatically.
The Cream Puff Club, a righteous gang (including Mash), appeared to protect their beloved cream puffs. Arius and the Paradise Agency were dumbfounded, but the chaos wasn't over.
"Evil Bank Knockdown!"
"Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, mercilessly walking the path of solitude!"
"For myself and everyone!"
"Charging toward justice!"
"An absolute oath!"
"And sometimes idols… We are—"
"The Masked Swimsuit Gang!"
BOOM! An explosion erupted behind them. The Masked Swimsuit Gang joined the Cream Puff Corps, dangerously close to involving others. Then—
"For our master, the loyal twin foxes!"
"For you… we dedicate our lives to love! We are—"
"The Double Fox Duo!"
Izuna-named, the fox-masked pair joined the Swimsuit Gang with perfect timing.
"We are the Schale Alliance!"
Applause broke out, shattering Arius's tension. They were utterly perplexed.
"Misaki, who are they?" Saori asked.
"No data. Trinity uniforms, but… the cream puff ones? No clue," Misaki replied.
"The Masked Swimsuit Gang was just a rumor… they're real!?" Atsuko gasped.
"We're here too!" Hanako called.
"We made it~❤️" Koharu added.
"Mash Burnedead… what is this!?" Saori demanded.
"My allies. The team to take down the mastermind," Mash said.
"Students from different academies, this united!? Impossible!" Saori protested.
"It's very possible!" Hifumi stepped forward, pointing skyward. "I have things I love! Plain as I am, I won't compromise on them!"
Her finger pierced the heavens, parting clouds. Sunlight broke through, illuminating the dim world.
"Overcoming hardship with friendship, effort rewarded, comforting pain, encouraging friends—any difficulty, any suffering, we'll surpass! For a happy ending where everyone smiles!"
Hifumi loved Momo Friends, Peroro-sama, her friends, seniors, and cream puffs. But one thing she wouldn't yield:
"I love happy endings!"
Raising her face, she roared from her heart. Her cry resonated, captivating everyone.
"Happy endings are a farce," Saori scoffed.
"Farce or not, I'll keep shouting it!" Hifumi retorted.
"You lack the power to make it real. Face reality—your dreams will vanish!" Saori shot back.
"No! No matter the obstacle, our dreams and hopes can't be crushed! We'll seize them by force! We write our own story!"
"She's something else," Makoto muttered.
"She's Trinity's true light," Nagisa added.
Pure, untainted words.
"I'll shout my dreams, my ideals, my tomorrow! No matter how many say it's impossible, a happy ending is my truth!"
"Reality is blood, smoke, pain, and emptiness! That's the world's truth!" Saori countered.
"That doesn't matter!" Hifumi shouted. "No matter how hard it is, a massive happy ending awaits us!"
"You—"
"We won't let our story end here! Our bonds won't break!"
Saori fired a bullet at Hifumi, who stood unflinching, trusting Mash.
Smack!
Mash caught it. Hifumi continued, light at her back, fire in her eyes.
"We'll keep going! Weaving our story, over and over, for days filled with smiles and happiness—our Blue Archive, our youth!"
The sky cleared to a boundless blue. Arius, Paradise, and Schale were stunned. A miracle had occurred.
"The rain…" Atsuko whispered.
"Weather manipulation?" Misaki wondered.
"A miracle?" Hifumi smiled.
"No such thing!" Misaki spat, glaring at the sky.
"With everyone together, we can make anything happen!" Hifumi declared. "No despair, no darkness—right, Sensei?"
"Exactly," Mash said, pointing skyward with a commanding voice. "We, gathered here, are the new Eden Treaty."
"What!? Twisting the covenant!?" Saori gasped.
The treaty was meant for the Federal Student Council President. Mash, Schale's leader, acted in her stead, birthing the Paradise Agency. Justina's Apostles began to dissolve, their forms fading into light.
"Leader, Justina's control is breaking!" an Apostle reported.
"Command's in chaos—two ETOs, no priority!" another added.
"Who cares!?" Saori roared. "You think 'happy ending' changes the world!? This hatred, this distrust!?"
"Dreams don't start unless you dream. Happiness doesn't come unless you wish," Mash said, approaching Saori with warm eyes. "Chasing dreams isn't bad. Wanting happiness isn't wrong. But not wishing, not being allowed to wish—that's unacceptable."
Saori gritted her teeth, seething at his unwavering ideals.
"Your sweet words deny everything we are!" she spat.
"Sweet words? Bring it on," Mash grinned.
"A world without pain, where everyone laughs, where students live happily—how far-fetched, how impossible!"
"I know it's not easy. But sorry—I'm the guy who makes it happen."
Saori's fury peaked, her eyes brimming with dark intent as she aimed her gun. "You, born blessed, can't understand! Raised in filth, no parents, no food, no light—living below rock bottom! You can't know our pain!"
"I do, actually," Mash said softly. "And nobody decides you shouldn't have been born. There's no sin in existing. Even if some god decreed it—"
Raising his arm, voice booming, he challenged the heavens. "I won't allow it! Not great people, not adults, not gods—I'll never forgive anyone who denies your birth!"
Saori froze.
"Everyone deserves to live, laugh, feel, and taste small joys. I'll change the world for that—with this!"
"One fist!"
Mash's fist loomed large, his form the epitome of beauty.
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