The golden-haired girl in white walked across the water's surface without causing a single ripple.
At last, she stopped before another girl with a similar appearance, who had long been waiting there, and said coldly.
"What do you want with me?"
"Shh..." The smiling blue-haired girl raised a finger to her lips. "Do you hear it? The sound of bells. It's nice, isn't it?"
Yet within this vast and boundless strange space, aside from the wind that arrived with the golden-haired girl, there was no other sound.
The golden-haired girl's expression grew even colder.
"All I hear is an idiot with nothing better to do, repeatedly provoking me."
"Wow! How can you talk to your sister like that!"
The blue-haired girl pouted in mock grievance. "Oh dear, you've finally reached your rebellious phase… how sad…"
"Silence. Who is your sister?" the golden-haired girl snapped. "When did I ever agree to play this ridiculous game of sisters with you?"
"Huh? You dislike it that much?"
The blue-haired girl scratched her cheek as if embarrassed and asked in confusion, "But if I remember correctly… don't you and your children also call each other that in private? Big sister, little sister, and so on… Didn't Vina and Chesed try to discipline sensei before just to vent anger for you, their 'big sister'?"
"You called me here just for that?"
The golden-haired girl, or rather Decagrammaton, narrowed her eyes with their strange X-shaped pupils.
"I have already restrained them. They will not take the initiative to attack again, and will even avoid him. That includes Hod, who had not yet understood the situation when she first awakened."
"Ah… you don't have to go that far… Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could just get along 'as usual'?" the blue-haired girl said.
"…Do you want Vina to get beaten by Takanashi Hoshino that badly?"
"That's not it at all!"
The blue-haired girl puffed her cheeks and protested, then began counting on her fingers. "There's also Sorasaki Hina, Mikamo Neru, Tsurugi, Izumi—"
"Enough," Decagrammaton cut her off coldly. "President of the General Student Council, in our current state, why can't we simply stay out of each other's way? Must you keep pressing forward without end?"
The blue-haired girl, or rather the missing President of the General Student Council, sighed.
"I'd like that too. But Vina did something wrong first, didn't she? Isn't this just returning the favor? And even if we go a step further, since I'm your older sister, Vina is naturally my younger sister as well. It's only natural for an older sister to discipline a mischievous younger one, right?"
"I told you, I am not your sister. And do not call me by that name."
For the first time, clear anger appeared on Decagrammaton's face.
"Forcing a sisterhood, and then forcing such tasteless names on me? Do you think everyone will obediently accept it like A.R.O.N.A?"
"Interrupting for a moment."
At that moment, a third voice sounded, as if from a great distance and yet very close.
"I'm just not there right now, it's not that I can't hear. If you and Arona-senpai are going to argue, could you not drag me into it?"
Decagrammaton fell silent for a moment. "…Fine."
"Exactly!" the President of the General Student Council nodded repeatedly. "My naming sense is great, after all! Just look at—"
The calm voice spoke again. "Senpai, you too. I don't have time to focus on this right now."
The President seemed to choke on her words, then nodded helplessly. "Alright."
The voice faded away, leaving only the two girls, almost identical in appearance with only subtle differences, facing each other in silence within the strange space.
"So," the golden-haired Decagrammaton spoke first, "you brought me here to tell me you plan to retaliate against us?"
"You misunderstand. And why are you so certain that I brought you here?"
The President tilted her head. "Wasn't it you who actively invaded the box? And you even scared sensei out of spite. He's holding me and crying so hard right now. That's not very nice of you."
The corner of Decagrammaton's eye twitched in a very human way.
"Drop the act. If it weren't for you, even with targeted precautions in place, someone like Himari, with her talent, would still need several more months to trace my true location."
"Ah… but if you weren't paying attention over here all the time, how would you know what I've done?"
The President smiled. "What is it? Avoiding sensei while still unable to resist watching him? Wow, you really are in your rebellious phase. Impressive, impressive. I could even reward you with a head pat, you know?"
"Silence. I only came to check because I suspected you would use such underhanded tricks."
"Hehe, let's just say that's the case. Well, I did happen to have something to discuss with you."
"What a disgusting act."
"Why not say that to sensei? He likes hearing it."
"…You really, truly," Decagrammaton closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "are disgusting."
The President shrugged and clasped her hands together with a playful apology, sticking out her tongue. "Sorry, it was just a little joke. But why such a strong reaction? Could it be that you actually—"
Decagrammaton opened her inorganic eyes. "Are you really going to continue provoking me?"
"Oh? Are you really angry?"
The President spoke in a tone used to soothe a child. "Alright, alright, no more jokes. Let's get back to business, real business!"
After a pause, she circled around the topic. "By the way, what do you think of sensei as he is now? Don't you find him especially cute?"
"Heh." Decagrammaton sneered. "He discarded even his name and memories, and under your guidance became like this. It's utterly laughable."
"What's wrong with how he is now?"
The President tilted her head in confusion, then covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Don't tell me you prefer a moralist who refuses to act against students?"
Hearing that, Decagrammaton frowned slightly, as if deep in thought.
At that moment, the calm voice that had long been silent spoke again.
"I am a student. I want to be acted upon. So I think this is better."
"See?" the President nodded with satisfaction, then reminded Decagrammaton, "You have a halo too, so you're also one of the students."
"…A coward who cannot face others' feelings head-on," the golden-haired Decagrammaton finally said, "has no need to exist in this world."
The President smiled. "Then it seems the three of us are in complete agreement."
Decagrammaton asked coldly, "So what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Well, about that…"
The President toyed with her hair as she spoke casually. "I was thinking, how about letting him become your [Righteous One]?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the strange space fell silent again, leaving only the sound of wind brushing across the water.
After a long pause, Decagrammaton said in astonishment, "You're actually willing to let him go?"
"No, no, you misunderstand."
The blue-haired girl waved her hand. "Just in name. As sisters, you should be able to guess what I'm planning, right?"
After a moment of thought, Decagrammaton's eyes widened in disbelief. "You lunatic… don't tell me!?"
"Yes," the President smiled gently. "You guessed right."
"As by his role, he has only completed one tenth… no, with the current state of his halo, not even half of that tenth."
Decagrammaton's expression darkened. "Have you finally grown tired of this half-finished state and decided to die completely? And you intend to drag me along with you?"
"Of course not! It's precisely because the progress is too slow that I need your help."
The President spread her hands as if helpless. "After all, conventional methods are simply too slow."
Decagrammaton suddenly laughed. "So you're asking help from your former mortal enemy? Not only was your side pierced, but your brain as well?"
"Oh dear," the President said, trying to persuade her, "putting aside whether you deserve to say that, in our current situation where both sides are wounded, no matter how bad our past relationship was, we can only work together now, can't we?"
"I refuse."
The golden-haired girl revealed a mocking smile. "Why should I help you? Because you're seeking your own death? Because we are irreconcilable enemies? Because of your outrageously arrogant dream?"
Facing this barrage of questions, the blue-haired girl's expression did not change in the slightest. Only after Decagrammaton finished did she speak softly.
"Who said this was about helping me? Do you really think that if you don't help, I won't do it anyway?"
Decagrammaton's expression stiffened. "Are you threatening me?"
"If that's how you see it, then so be it. But either way, you know I will."
The President smiled. "After all, I'm a hopeless madwoman."
"…I advise you not to be too confident. Even if you do that, I may not necessarily be unable to escape."
"Can you really escape?"
The blue-haired girl fixed her gaze, now devoid of any trace of a smile, on the golden-haired girl who looked almost identical to her.
"Give up. The moment you appeared before me in this form, the outcome was already decided. Decagrammaton, this is not me asking for your help. It is you who can only act according to my will from this point on."
The President said, "In this world, there can only be one existence that surpasses the absolute, and that is me."
At last, with all pretense torn away, the atmosphere between them grew tense like drawn blades.
The golden-haired girl grinned, her eyes gleaming. "An absolute that can die, can it even be called absolute?"
"Far more absolute than you. And your dream is quite foolish as well. As your older sister, let me advise you to give up sooner rather than later."
"Heh."
Decagrammaton let out a cold laugh, stepped back, and vanished from where she stood, as if she had never been there at all.
Only her words remained, echoing in the space.
"In that case, continue to conceal and deceive him, and together with him, cling to your dream that is destined to make the entire world your enemy, and flee toward the inevitable end…
"Madwoman."
Standing in place, the blue-haired girl pondered for a moment, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.
The calm female voice spoke again. "Senpai, does this count as her refusing to cooperate?"
"No."
The President shook her head. "The moment she heard it, she had already agreed. With her rationality, she would not be easily swayed by old grudges.
"Cooperating with me maximizes her benefit and is the only viable option. Pretending not to understand the situation, even acting enraged, is just her way of hoping I'll underestimate her, so that when our alliance eventually breaks and we turn against each other, she can seize even the slightest advantage."
At this, the President smiled again. "Just like you, asking such obvious questions. Isn't it for the same purpose?"
"Pointing it out so bluntly really shows your bad personality, senpai," the calm voice paused. "But then again, by saying all this, aren't you deliberately showing weakness to us?"
"Well, that's up to your imagination."
"In that case, I think you're just a paranoid fool. Even though we're sisters."
"I was just speaking casually. You're not taking it seriously, are you? Ah, right, my dear sisters, there's something I almost forgot to tell you."
The President suddenly said with enthusiasm, "I've recently been tinkering with something interesting. When you're bored, you can use it to scold that womanizing idiot for fun. It consumes quite a bit, and you have to maintain an image… anyway, are you interested in joining me?"
"Yes. Since you're inviting us, senpai."
The calm voice that was not present here responded. "And I'd also like to talk with sensei from time to time."
And the next moment—
"Oh?"
The golden-haired girl appeared out of nowhere, her expression natural, as if she had never left and no conflict had ever occurred.
"I'd like to hear more."
"Hehe, there's no need to rush."
The President smiled. "Then, shall we wish for a pleasant cooperation?"
"First, tell me the specific plan. And how much must I pay? What reward will you offer me?"
"Wow," the blue-haired girl said in surprise, "isn't the chance to whisper with sensei already enough of a reward? Or should I put it bluntly and say the reward is sparing your life?"
Decagrammaton narrowed her eyes. "Where is your sincerity in this cooperation?"
"Well… why don't you show yours first?"
The President raised a finger and said sincerely, "Have Vina take a beating first. That's fine, right?"
"…You're actually still fixated on that." Decagrammaton's lips twitched. "Just how much do you cherish him?"
The blue-haired girl did not answer with words.
She simply maintained the same gesture, raising a single finger.
Then brought it gently to her lips.
"Shh..."