Sigh... pink-haired girls.
Every time I see a pink-haired girl start losing it, I can practically feel a headache coming on.
"I'm sorry, Sensei. I was always a disobedient bad girl, wasn't I?"
Mika smiled at me apologetically.
"Even though I more or less understand what kind of situation you're in right now, I won't listen to you. After all, I've already betrayed your expectations so many times... At this point, one or two more times won't make much of a difference, right?"
As she said that, she even nodded to herself, as though she genuinely agreed with her own reasoning. She looked completely resigned.
"Mika..."
My throat was painfully dry, and my voice came out hoarse.
"Do you really understand what you're doing right now?"
Mika thought for a moment.
"Umm... should I say I do, or I don't...? Well, I spent a long time thinking about how I could beat Arius Squad under Sensei's command, and I just couldn't come up with a good way. Then I happened to follow you here, to this perfect place. So I figured I'd give it a try!"
She added,
"Of course, I wasn't trying to target anyone in particular. Honestly, I didn't care who ended up isolated. I just didn't expect it to be you and Saori together... That actually makes things a little troublesome."
Even though she never said it outright, I could already feel just how unwavering her resolve was.
Even so, all I could do was keep trying to persuade her.
"Stop this, Mika."
I said,
"I already know about Seia. Please don't do anything foolish. After we rescue Atsuko, let's go back to Trinity together, alright?"
The instant she heard Seia's name, Mika's body trembled, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
"Sensei... thank you. Even now, the only person who's still willing to care about me like always is... Actually, I've always..."
Her words came to an abrupt halt.
Several seconds of silence passed. Just as the awkward atmosphere was beginning to spread, Mika sniffled and awkwardly changed the subject.
"Ah... sorry. This isn't really the time to talk about something like that... Sigh. Sometimes I wonder if things would've turned out differently if I'd been honest about my feelings sooner instead of acting spoiled the way I always did... But now... I guess it's already too late."
...That feeling just now...
Could it be that she had almost confessed to me?
Even I thought the idea was absurd.
But the person in question was Mika.
That alone made the possibility strangely difficult to dismiss.
Forcing that untimely thought aside, I continued trying to soothe her.
"It's not too late."
"Mika, trust me. I'm sure this is just another misunderstanding. Don't do anything reckless. Once everything here is over, I'll face whatever comes next together with you. Alright?"
But because I didn't actually know the whole story, it seemed...
I'd said the wrong thing.
By the time I realized it, it was already too late.
"...I'm sorry."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, tears began falling like pearls from a broken string.
Sobbing, Mika said,
"But... it really is too late... I hurt Seia-chan again. She said it was all because of me that Sensei ended up being targeted by Arius Squad..."
Seia had actually said something like that?
I was overcome with indescribable shock.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't understand why Seia, who should have been apologizing to Mika just as Mika should have been apologizing to her, would say something like that.
For now, I could only assume there had been some kind of misunderstanding.
"She'll never forgive me again... I... I don't have anywhere left to belong. I'll definitely be expelled... Because I'm Trinity's traitor. Because I'm everyone's enemy. Because I'm the witch who kept hurting Seia-chan..."
Mika wiped at her tears with the back of her hand, her voice trembling with grief as her words became increasingly incoherent.
"I know it... There'll never be a happier future again... B-because I'm... a bad person... a murderer... So... this is the only thing I have left..."
That's not true.
I wanted to shout at her.
That's not true.
But...
Could I really promise Mika a happy future?
For a moment, my thoughts became a tangled mess. I couldn't figure out what I should say to comfort her.
Then, all at once, Mika raised her voice, nearly breaking into a scream as she demanded an answer from Saori.
"But what about you...!?
"Why!?
"I lost everything that mattered to me... Everything was taken away!
"What about you?
"Arius Squad, why!?"
Whether it was Saori standing before her, or Misaki and Hiyori waiting on the other side of the collapsed pillars, none of them said a word.
Mika was nearly crying so hard she could barely speak.
"You haven't paid any price. Nothing was taken from you... If that's allowed... then I... I..."
"There will be a price."
"Mika, listen to me."
I spoke earnestly.
"There will be a price."
When this was all over, I would make sure Arius Squad received the punishment they deserved, just as Mika had.
But...
Everything had to wait until it was over.
That was what I wanted to say.
Before I could, Mika cut me off roughly.
"Then stop getting in my way!"
Her eyes were red from crying.
"I know! You're going to rescue Atsuko!
"Fine. Sensei, go meet up with the rest of Squad and Azusa-chan. I won't stop you.
"But Saori...
"You alone, the person I hate more than anyone else...
"You're staying here!"
After suffering blow after blow to her heart, her mind had reached the brink of collapse.
I realized that heartbreaking truth.
Yet I couldn't accept it.
I desperately searched for the right words, anything that might calm her down.
"Sensei... go do what you need to do. Go save that student."
"...Go toward the happy ending where everyone can be happy together."
The pink-haired girl paused before continuing in a pleading voice.
"And then... let me, who has committed so many sins, and her...
"Meet the ending we deserve here.
"...Please?"
Without waiting for my answer, Mika turned to Saori. The warmth she had shown me vanished completely.
"Saori!
"Don't tell me you don't have anything to say?
"Are you going to make excuses like, 'I can't accept this,' or, 'Your unhappiness is your own fault,' and stubbornly refuse to admit defeat?
"Or are you going to put on the face of a victim and take advantage of Sensei's kindness by begging for his sympathy!?"
Saori answered in a low voice.
"...I accept."