In the underground prison beneath Trinity.
When I arrived, Mika was sitting on the sofa with her hands clasped together in prayer.
Soft music drifted from the radio, yet it could not drown out the uproar outside, a noise so loud that even the thick prison walls failed to block it.
On my way here, I had already seen the Trinity students gathered outside the prison, staging a protest.
As for what they wanted...
"Severely punish Misono Mika! Make the criminal who harmed Seia-sama, colluded with Arius, sabotaged the Eden Treaty, and even attacked Sensei pay for her crimes!"
The words, shouted through what sounded like a loudspeaker, stood out among the muffled commotion with almost perfect clarity.
Yet the person at the center of it all seemed not to hear the accusations against her, nor my approaching footsteps. She remained focused on her prayers, her expression calm and peaceful.
I silently watched the beautiful girl for a while without interrupting. Then I walked over, sat down on the sofa opposite her, and took out my phone to check the new messages I'd received.
A slight frown crept onto my face.
Arius Squad had escaped again...
Were there too few troops deployed?
No. It could just as easily be the opposite. With too many personnel involved, the Arius pursuers had probably noticed the search effort, giving Arius Squad the perfect chance to slip away amid the confusion.
The answer was obvious.
Increase the manpower until Beatrice's hounds could no longer interfere so easily.
After thinking it over for a while, I contacted a few more students and asked for their assistance. Only after arranging everything did I realize that the music had stopped at some point.
Sensing something, I looked up sharply.
Mika had stopped praying without my noticing. She was now resting her cheek against one hand, quietly staring at my face with such focus that she seemed completely absorbed.
...Isn't she supposed to be immune to mortal charm?
The moment our eyes met, the pink-haired girl jolted back as if startled awake. A flash of panic crossed her face before her usual radiant smile returned.
"Hahaha. Isn't this Sensei? What's the matter? You're so busy, yet you still came all the way here... Don't tell me you're here to hold me accountable? Hahaha."
I wasn't in the mood to guess what she was thinking.
"Mika. I heard you've been having a rough time these past few days."
Her smile stiffened.
She sighed in annoyance.
"Haa... Now who went around telling you something like that? Let me guess. Nagisa-chan? Seia-chan? Or that girl from last time... Ah, Koharu-chan, right? Hmm... Looks like it was Nagisa-chan. Anyway, I appreciate the concern. But nothing like that is happening."
Even as the angry shouts from outside the prison continued without pause, the pink-haired girl smiled and spoke a lie that could be exposed with a single poke.
"I've been doing just fine these past few days."
"So that's how it is?"
I answered immediately.
"Because what I've heard is nothing like that."
After Arius had been driven back, word somehow leaked that Mika had been the one working with Arius and was the true culprit behind this disaster. Fueled by the lingering panic, the news spread across all of Trinity at a speed the Tea Party had no hope of stopping.
It was almost certain that someone who already hated Mika had been fanning the flames behind the scenes.
Perhaps it was the hardliners who had wanted to manipulate Mika into launching an all-out war against Gehenna, only to be rejected and threatened in return.
In any case, before the external enemy had even been dealt with, Trinity had already descended into internal turmoil, and it had reached a point where it could no longer be ignored.
As the situation rapidly deteriorated, some of the enraged students attempted to take justice into their own hands against Mika. Others condemned her on the public message boards. Some even broke into her home, found the clothes and jewelry she had treasured, and burned them all.
But even that wasn't the worst part.
"Hahaha. Rumors are bound to get some things wrong."
Mika smiled.
"Something like that doesn't affect me in the slightest. I can't even be bothered paying attention to them."
"So you're not even planning to attend your hearing tomorrow?"
I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Do you know what will happen if you don't?"
Without question.
Given how tense public opinion within Trinity had become, if Mika skipped the hearing, she would absolutely be expelled.
That was exactly why I had forced myself to carve out precious time from my packed schedule to come here.
"...Even if I attended, would it really change anything?"
Her smile gradually faded.
"You think everything will end happily just because I show up at the hearing?"
She shook her head.
"That's too naive. Trinity isn't such a kind place. By the way, Nagisa-chan has members of the Sisterhood and the leader of the Remedial Knights with her quite often these days, doesn't she?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Where did you hear that?"
"I was just guessing. Hehe, looks like I was right. My intuition is actually pretty good."
She sighed softly.
"After everything that happened, the Tea Party's authority has fallen to rock bottom. The worse things become, the bolder the other factions get. Still, I didn't expect them to pressure the Tea Party in such a direct way. Anyway, Nagisa-chan has been under a lot of stress lately, hasn't she?"
Remembering how, after Sakurako and Mine had left, the Tea Party president had complained about her stomach hurting, only relaxing after I rubbed it for her, I nodded slightly.
"That's true."
"Even under these circumstances, Nagisa still wants to protect me..."
She smiled bitterly.
"I really do feel sorry for her."
"If that's the case..."
My tone grew even harsher.
"Then why are you still refusing to attend the hearing?"
"Hmm... Maybe it's because I do feel sorry for Nagisa-chan. I don't want to cause any more trouble for her or for the Tea Party."
Mika smiled.
"It's already gotten this far. If Nagisa-chan or even Seia-chan starts speaking up for the 'witch who betrayed the academy,' their own positions will be put at risk too. I don't want my mistakes to drag things down that path again."
She closed her eyes, her expression peaceful, and murmured quietly,
"This is the price I have to pay."
I see.
Looking at the girl before me, I finally understood everything.
So I said,
"Misono Mika, how long are you plan on lying?"
Mika's head snapped up.
Confusion filled her eyes. Beneath it lay a trace of panic, and behind that, restrained anger sharpened her gaze.
After a long silence, her eyes softened slightly, as though trying to hide something. Even so, her voice remained cold.
"Lying? What are you talking about now?"
I let out a cold laugh and continued mercilessly.
"In the end, aren't you just giving up on yourself? You're running away from reality to ease your own guilt, while trampling on everyone else's kindness."
"...What exactly do you think you understand? You're just making up stories about what I'm thinking. Did Hanako Urawa teach you that?"
The pink-haired girl's expression had turned noticeably colder.
I had clearly hit the mark.
Ignoring her question, I asked instead,
"You don't seriously think you're the only one who realizes defending you could make things even worse for Nagisa and Seia, do you? They know that too. And even knowing the risks, they're still willing to take them because they want you to stay at Trinity. Yet you keep saying you don't want them to pay the price, then decide to give up on your own and throw away the feelings of the people who are still fighting for you..."
I paused before asking again.
"Is the price you have to pay really expulsion? Are you trying to become some noble sacrifice, satisfying your own desire for atonement while leaving the friends who failed to protect you to live with guilt for the rest of their lives?"
I sneered at the girl glaring back at me.
"Misono Mika, you're just as childish as ever."
Yet after staring at me for a while, Mika calmed down on her own.
"So that's why you came here? Just to mock me?"
"If I can't convince you to attend tomorrow's hearing, then yes, you can call it mocking."
"...I see. Reverse psychology."
"No."
I answered frankly.
"Whether it works or not, every single word I said was sincere."
I had tolerated her for long enough.
It was true that Mika was simple and complicated at the same time, someone I could never completely understand. She had her lovable side, and she had done things for me that I genuinely appreciated.
But that didn't mean I had to keep enduring it forever.
I didn't have to be so magnanimous that I forgave every mistake she made, or so meek that I couldn't even scold her once.
That would be far too unfair.
To Nagisa, who had also made mistakes, and...
Suddenly, the corners of Mika's lips curled upward.
"If I remember correctly, this is the first time you've ever been this angry with me."
Those words made me frown.
She continued speaking to herself.
"No matter how terribly I treated you before, you'd always just smile bitterly, pretend nothing had happened, and shamelessly come right back to me. So you can actually get angry? Hehe. How rare."
For some reason...
I had the strange feeling that after getting thoroughly scolded by me, she had actually become happier.
...Does she have some kind of strange fetish?
"Tell me."
Mika stood up, walked over with obvious curiosity, squeezed onto the same sofa beside me, then turned to look at me from close range.
"Is it because Nagisa-chan and Seia-chan would be sad? Or have you just been in a bad mood because of everything that's happened lately? Hehe."
As I debated whether to answer honestly that it was both, or simply tell her, "None of your business."
She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she stared at me.
"Or is it because, just like Nagisa-chan, you're worried I'll be expelled?"
Was this pink-haired girl a little too arrogant?
I couldn't help reflecting on it.
Sure enough, I never should have spoiled her so much before.
Without hesitating any longer, I shot back,
"Why I'm angry has nothing to do with you, does it?"
That made Mika burst into laughter.
"Hahaha. You got flustered so easily. You're really interesting, Sensei. What a shame I only realized it now."
Just what was wrong with her?
No matter how I thought about it, I could only conclude she had completely given up on herself.
Her cheerful laughter continued for quite some time.
Finally, after wiping the tears from laughing so hard, she stared at me for another moment before suddenly asking,
"Do you really care about me that much?"
"Hm?"
I let out a puzzled sound.
How had she arrived at that conclusion?
"I've done plenty of terrible things to you, and I've never treated you well. Why is it that, even after my true face as the villain was exposed, you're still trying to cheer me up and thinking so seriously about me?"
After a moment's thought, she asked,
"Could it be that you have some kind of special fetish after all?"
"...You've misunderstood something."
I looked away awkwardly.
"This is just part of our deal. I promised I'd protect you."
Instead, Mika's grin became even more infuriating.
"Mhm, mhm. So it's because of the deal. Hehe."
Misono Mika was definitely misunderstanding something.
"That's wonderful. You're the only one who still treats me the same as before, Sensei. How should I thank you?"
After saying that almost wistfully, Mika raised a finger to her lips, stuck out her small pink tongue, and gave me a slightly mischievous smile.
"Of course, another kiss is definitely off the table. But as a thank-you, I guess going on a few dates with you wouldn't be impossible."
Who would miss something that was sweet, warm, soft, and moist when I could easily experience something similar with other students anyway!?
"Even if I really do get expelled, and I never get to see Nagisa-chan or Seia-chan again, I could always come visit you at Schale once in a while, Sensei. It'd actually be even more convenient. So you don't have to be angry. It's okay."
Hearing such nonsense only made the anger in my chest flare up even more.
I was about to scold her again, but the words caught in my throat.
Because of the sadness that had appeared on her face.
"Only Sensei still treats me the same. Nagisa-chan... maybe counts as half."
Mika lowered her eyes and murmured,
"But once some things are lost, they never come back. Like the treasures Nagisa-chan and I collected together, all those memories... And Seia-chan too..."
Seia?
I realized I might finally be touching the true source of the knot in Mika's heart.
"Seia-chan... she still hates me, doesn't she..."
A mist formed in her golden eyes.
"I've tried several times to apologize to her, but I could never bring myself to say the words... Her health getting worse was all my fault too... If Seia-chan has to force herself again because of me... I think... I'd never be able to forgive myself..."
She forced a smile at me.
"So you were right after all, Sensei. I really was just trying to lessen my own regret this way. After all... nothing can be undone anymore."
"Who said that?"
"...Huh?"
"Who said Seia still hates you?"
I asked.