As expected of a Kaslana, Sin Mal thought. She couldn't for the life of her understand how Kiana had suddenly arrived at such a decision.
Mei was silent for a moment, then glanced at Sin Mal, who was standing behind Kiana. "Why do you want to do that?"
Sin Mal nodded frantically. Right, why would you suddenly want to do that?
But why is your gaze already sizing me up as you ask that question? Are you actually trying to figure out the best way to tie me up?!
"Didn't that nasty Cocolia say Bronya isn't allowed to leave? If we take the entire orphanage with us, she won't have anything to say about it!
"Once we're back at the ARC City base and everyone's safe, she won't have any reason to restrict Bronya's freedom anymore. We'll still be teammates then!"
Mei nodded seriously. "You're right..."
RIGHT, MY FOOT!
A silent roar was building up inside Sin Mal.
Never mind that Kiana's reasoning was as full of holes as if she'd made it up on the spot. Cocolia wanted to keep Bronya off the front lines, right? How did that turn into not letting her be your teammate?!
"Most importantly..." Kiana suddenly lowered her voice, whispering conspiratorially, but not quietly enough that anyone couldn't hear. "Once we have Bronya and everyone else, that villain Cocolia will definitely behave!"
Wait! Who are you? You're not a Kaslana! The righteousness of a Kaslana would never allow for such a thing!
Sin Mal watched in horror as the two plotted loudly right in front of her. The volume of their conversation grew quieter and quieter, until they both turned their heads in unison to look at her.
"Plan, step one—" Kiana revealed a dangerous smile. Mei maintained her own smile, but her body moved in step with Kiana's as they slowly closed in on Sin Mal.
"What are you doing?!" Sin Mal's eyes went wide with anger as she tried to scare them off, but it was no use. "If you come any closer, I won't be so polite!"
The flimsy threat had no effect. Watching the two smiling figures get closer and closer, Sin Mal glanced around frantically, only to realize her only escape route was to climb over the railing and jump off the cliff.
That was obviously impossible. Even if it was the sea below, it was filled with countless reefs and coastal currents. Only in some cheesy drama would someone survive that jump. Not to mention the sailboat-warship currently docked down there.
If she didn't have some special means, Sin Mal had no doubt she could punch a hole right through the wooden deck from this height.
"You... you..." Sin Mal, who had been strong her whole life, finally showed a moment of weakness.
"Don't come over here—aaaaaaaaah!!"
---||---
In the game room, Bronya, who had been silently fiddling with the controller's joystick, suddenly looked up toward the outside, a hint of confusion in her dull eyes.
She thought she'd... heard Sin Mal's voice?
"Ngh—" Just then, Seele, beside her, let out a frustrated sound. "Bronya-oneechan is too strong! Seele can't win at all!"
She threw down her controller and buried her face in Bronya's side. "Bronya-oneechan won't even go easy on Seele..."
Bronya didn't say anything. Could she admit that she hadn't even been watching the screen, playing almost entirely on instinct?
Besides, Seele shouldn't be playing at this level... Having played games with Bronya for so long, she was actually quite skilled herself. And Bronya's performance just now was so lackluster that even Kiana could have easily beaten her...
Seele nuzzled into Bronya's side a couple of times, then looked up. "Bronya-oneechan, are you still unhappy?"
Usually, Bronya-oneechan would smile whenever she won a game. Could it be because Seele hadn't given her enough of a challenge? Should she... get serious?
Bronya shook her head, forcing a smile. "The Bronya is fine. Seele doesn't need to worry."
"But Seele is worried!" Seele sat up straight. "When Bronya-oneechan was in a bad mood before, she couldn't even eat. Bronya-oneechan already rarely talks to the other children, and when she's upset, she won't say a single word!
"You have to talk about it when you're feeling down! Seele doesn't want Bronya-oneechan to keep all her troubles to herself! Seele can help Bronya-oneechan feel better too!"
Seele puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Bronya like a pouting bunny. Bronya was taken aback, and the smile on her face relaxed a little.
"Seele, the Bronya is really fine..." She raised a hand to stroke Seele's head, then turned to grab a game disc. "You must be tired of this game. The Bronya also brought 'Detroit: Become Homu'..."
"Bronya-oneechan, please stop avoiding Seele's question!" But for the first time, Seele dodged Bronya's hand. She cried out in a small, anxious voice.
Bronya, holding the disc, turned back to see a pair of determined, sea-blue eyes.
Bronya's mouth opened, but she set the disc down.
"Are you tired then... let's watch a movie. This is 'The Homu World,' it's a..."
"Bronya-oneechan!"
Bronya fell silent. She looked down, her gaze fixed on the movie cover printed on the disc.
Countless tiny photos formed a brilliant smile on Homu's face. The smile was healthy, sunny, and positive, as if it were greeting you at every moment.
But when you looked closer, you discovered that the "pixels" making up this "life" were also beautiful photos, ripples from childhood to adulthood, all pieced together to form the beautiful surface.
At first glance, it was beautiful. Upon closer inspection, it was also beautiful. But...
Somehow, everyone only saw its blurry "pixels."
"The Bronya..." Bronya began in a small voice, her words filled with hesitation and self-doubt.
Seele watched the about-to-speak Bronya nervously, waiting for her to voice her doubts and the problems that troubled her.
As the person who understood Bronya-oneechan best, Seele could see the intense internal struggle raging beneath Bronya's quiet exterior.
And Seele also knew what problem was confusing Bronya.
A drowning person who can be saved by others... is only the one who struggles on their own.
"The Bronya doesn't want to..."
BOOM—!!!
A deafening explosion suddenly rang out, interrupting their conversation and shattering the rest of Bronya's sentence.
Outside, flames shot up from the sea surface, and the violent explosion sent waves churning.
The huge commotion made Kiana, who was carrying a trussed-up Sin Mal toward the dormitories, whip her head around and stare at the sea in shock.
"That's..." Kiana had just turned her head when another massive explosion erupted, this one larger and closer.
"The bridge!!"
Sin Mal, slung over Kiana's shoulder, suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream, her face pale.
It was the bombs on the bridge. Cocolia had planted them long ago as a contingency on the bridge connecting Cocolia Island to the Mediterranean coast.
Months had passed, and apart from a select few, most people had forgotten about the bombs on the bridge.
But now, they had all been suddenly activated, instantly destroying the cross-sea bridge.
The ever-closer explosions sent tremors reaching the orphanage. The ground shook, and terrified screams erupted from within the trembling buildings.
The next moment, flames, seemingly from nowhere, surged from behind, spreading to all the buildings with terrifying speed.
Kiana's expression tightened, and in the next instant, she shot forward, moving so fast that Sin Mal didn't even have time to react.
"Wai—first you put me... ughaa—!!"
The moment Sin Mal opened her mouth, a blast of hot wind rushed in. Gritting her teeth, she forced the words out, one by one.
"Put this great me down!" she roared. Kiana snapped back to her senses, turned her head, and from Kiana's azure eyes, Sin Mal saw pure, unadulterated surprise.
It was a silent, "What are you doing on my shoulder?"
Sin Mal almost fainted from rage. Was it her fault she was on Kiana's shoulder?!
Kiana grabbed the rope binding Sin Mal and tore it apart. Sin Mal flipped and landed on the ground, her expression grim as she looked at the orphanage buildings.
"Kiana, you go evacuate the people over there! I'll be responsible for getting everyone out of here! Tell everyone to gather on the soccer field!"
"Got it!"
Kiana nodded firmly, then turned and left in a gust of wind. Sin Mal watched Kiana's retreating figure, marveling at her speed.
Are all Kaslanas this amazing?
Sin Mal didn't linger. She quickly rushed to the main entrance but was blocked by a line of fire.
She looked around but couldn't find a way in. Frustrated, she had no choice but to shout at the top of her lungs.
"Don't panic!! Get downstairs quickly, just like you were taught! Go to the soccer field, and from there, to the underground shelter!!"
The sound of explosions mixed with the blaring alarms, making Sin Mal's shouts difficult to hear. It only added to the panic, along with the screams.
In truth, destroying order was that simple. Everyone was looking for a goal, but everyone was also watching what others were doing. Without someone to take the lead, how could these young children stay calm?
Just as Sin Mal was gritting her teeth and trying to think of a plan, a voice suddenly appeared in everyone's mind.
Or rather, it wasn't like it was in their minds, but that everyone had the same thought, the same words, at the same time.
Beside Schrodinger, Sirin gripped a cheap, plastic-looking magic wand, her face pale as she softly chanted.
"Calm... leave... to the soccer field..."
A faint light emanated from her chest. She had only repeated the three short words twice before her whole body began to tremble, the color draining from her face.
This was a form of shallow dream entry, a method born out of a lack of power. Everyone was affected, but because Sirin's ability was insufficient, no one fell asleep.
But Sirin had used the words she wanted to convey as the index for the dream entry, and it had indeed reached everyone's mind.
Although the panic in their hearts had not subsided much, someone had finally stepped up, clarified the situation for them, and told them what they needed to do.
"Sirin, are you okay?" The moment the light on Sirin's chest faded, she went limp and fell forward. Schrodinger caught her, asking with concern.
Although Sirin's pale face clearly showed she was in a bad state, Schrodinger didn't know the specifics of her condition.
"I'm fine... I'm just..." Sirin tried to force herself to stand, but completely drained, she had lost all strength to do so.
"A little sleepy..."
She finally just mumbled softly before closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep in Schrodinger's arms.
Schrodinger's heart sank. She scooped Sirin up in a princess carry. Little Black paced restlessly at her feet, the crackling of the surrounding fire making it extremely anxious and terrified.
It was a cat, after all. Lots of fur, weak against fire!
Schrodinger frowned in thought, her gaze fixed on one direction. Two seconds later, holding the sleeping Sirin, she kicked over the automatic water dispenser in the room.
Water from the dispenser gushed out onto the floor. Schrodinger quickly rolled in the puddle, then, picking a direction, held her breath and charged into the fire.
Little Black, who had followed Schrodinger's lead and soaked its own fur, let out a shriek and ran in right after her.
The fire was out of control. This was an island, and the explosions were clearly coming from the bridge. The only firefighting equipment available here seemed to be a few fire extinguishers...
A jet of water suddenly shot in from a window. Schrodinger looked back in surprise and recognized the window of the cafeteria.
The way downstairs was blocked by flames, but Schrodinger couldn't see anything for it to burn. Several children had already gathered here, crouching and covering their mouths and noses with their clothes.
The scorching heat and the advancing flames were shrinking their living space.
Joyce hadn't left her with many nanobots, and the fire in front of them was too fierce and too strange. Schrodinger wasn't sure if her nanobots could hold out long enough for everyone to escape.
"Follow me," she said to everyone, ignoring the thick smoke. Schrodinger led the children to the window.
The stream of water wasn't large, but it was deliberately aimed at the flames near the window. Schrodinger stood by the window and looked down. The height made her immediately abandon the idea of jumping.
Below, there was only Sin Mal, holding a hose connected to a faucet. She was using her finger to block the nozzle, creating a high-pressure spray that could reach this height.
Since the window was safe... then...
Schrodinger raised her hand toward the window. Countless tiny blue lights poured out from her bracer, quickly coalescing by the window into a smooth pole.