Nieza and Kira arrived on the third floor of Nieza's house.
"Wait for me on the veranda," Nieza said briskly as she headed toward a room beside it.
"…Where are you going?" Kira asked.
"To my room. Why?" Nieza replied.
"Oh… nothing. Why don't we just discuss it right away?"
"With sweat like this? Don't be kidding, Kira."
"Uh… I don't see any sweat on you, and I don't really mind how you look right now."
"Y-You've been paying attention to me like that…?! N-No, this isn't good. Wait for me on the veranda! Just ten minutes!" Nieza said, turning away in embarrassment before quickly slipping into her room.
"Wait, I meant—"
The sharp slam of Nieza's door cut Kira off. With no other choice, he waited on the veranda.
The third-floor veranda was spacious. It had one long bench, four short chairs, and a beautiful round glass table. Kira sat on one of the short chairs and stared out at the vast, immaculate grounds of Nieza's elite estate.
Twenty minutes later…
"'Ten minutes,' she said…" Kira muttered, irritated, glancing at his wristwatch.
"You look tired, Sir Kira. Is something wrong?" Aigis asked. Her voice echoed inside Kira's head.
"Didn't you notice? I've been dragged into Nieza's house against my will and forced to listen to snide remarks from everyone here. Somehow, I feel cornered," Kira complained.
"I believe Nieza's family is in the process of accepting you," Aigis replied.
"…That process is painful, if I'm being honest," Kira said quietly.
"You're talking to Aigis, aren't you?" Nieza said as she entered the veranda and immediately sat in the short chair beside Kira.
She looked sweet in her casual outfit. Her face and red hair seemed brighter than usual. Kira found himself staring.
"W-What?! Why are you looking at me like that?!" Nieza snapped.
"It's nothing… you just look fresher than before."
"F-Fresher?! What am I, a vegetable?!" Nieza said loudly, her face turning red.
"That's not what I meant…"
"F-Fine! Just forget it. A few minutes ago, I got a report from a specialist I hired to gather information about the Konets Sveta incident at Neopjevan," Nieza said, forcibly changing the topic. She pulled out a tablet and began opening a file.
"Oh? So what did you find?" Kira asked.
"Total victims at Neopjevan are thirty-five. Five were afflicted with Apathy Syndrome. The rest lost their memories of what they were doing beforehand," Nieza said as she read.
"…Memory loss?" Kira repeated.
"Thirty of the memory-loss cases were found along the third-floor lobby corridor of Neopjevan. They were most likely the zombies you purified on your way to Class 3-D during Konets Sveta."
"O-Oh… I see. I guess that's a good thing."
"You lunatic. What possessed you to slaughter thirty zombies that fast?" Nieza said with a sharp, cynical tone.
"…Maybe because I was worried you were alone in Class 3-D," Kira answered vaguely.
"W-What kind of nonsense is that?! I killed a whole group of zombies myself too! There were fifteen!" Nieza protested, flustered and refusing to lose.
"Hm… then shouldn't the total number of memory-loss victims be forty-five?" Kira said.
"…You're right. But based on police findings, only thirty people were confirmed to have memory loss related to the incident. Maybe the fifteen zombies I killed were carried away by the other zombie group from the first floor," Nieza reasoned.
"That makes sense. But why would they go that far?" Kira asked.
"Maybe to hide evidence. If Konets Sveta ends and the police investigate those fifteen people, they might reveal clues."
"That's strange. What about the thirty people I 'purified'? Wouldn't they be clues too?" Kira pressed.
"Ah, I forgot to tell you. The thirty you purified were ordinary civilians."
"What…?!" Kira blurted.
"They were just people living around Neopjevan. But according to my investigator, they all had one thing in common…"
"What is it?" Kira asked.
"They were new followers of the Lumina faith. What's strange is that not a single one of them was wearing the charms Lumina claims can 'ward off Konets Sveta.'"
"Lumina really is suspicious…" Kira murmured, thinking.
"I also got reports about the other Konets Sveta incidents. The first targeted Keigo and Hongo. According to their friends, they seemed 'cursed.' That morning, on their way to school, they rudely rejected a Lumina charm seller. Then that afternoon, they were found suffering from Apathy Syndrome.
The same pattern appeared in the second incident involving Luna. The Neopjevan student was found in the girls' restroom in an Apathy state by one of her friends."
"What about the fourth victim?" Kira asked.
"The person I hired hasn't given me details on that one yet. It's probably still under investigation."
"…Aigis, are you listening?" Kira asked.
"Yes, Sir Kira. How may I help?" Aigis's voice sounded inside both Kira and Nieza's heads.
"…I can hear Aigis too," Nieza said, startled.
"An Engill's voice can be heard by any Engill's representative within a five-meter radius, Lady Nieza," Aigis explained.
"Oh…"
"Aigis, does a Monster's form depend on which clan they choose?" Kira asked.
"Yes, Sir Kira. Each clan has its own specialties. Knight-type Monsters have strong coordination and teamwork, while Zombie-type Monsters have high offensive power and usually move in groups," Aigis replied.
"…Thinking back, that really fits," Nieza admitted.
"Alright. Based on Aigis's explanation, I can conclude that the Monsters we fought during Konets Sveta at Neopjevan belonged to the same clan—which means they shared the same objective," Kira said.
"…But which clan? What clan would attack Neopjevan School?" Nieza asked.
"It's simple. Think about which organization benefits the most after Konets Sveta incidents," Kira said.
"…Lumina," Nieza answered quietly.
"Exactly. I think Lumina created the zombie force and attacked Neopjevan's students as a form of Konets Sveta terror…"
"…And that terror creates demand for the charms they sell. That's true! The charms!" Nieza realized, her eyes widening.
"What about the charms, Nieza?" Kira asked.
"Before that, I want to ask something. Aigis—Is it possible for a Monster to create an object that looks ordinary in the real world, but functions during Konets Sveta?" Nieza asked.
"Yes, Lady Nieza. Monsters, like Knights, possess three types of abilities: offense, defense, and support—or curses. Creating such a device falls under curse-type abilities," Aigis explained.
"I see… thank you, Aigis. Kira, when I entered Class 3-D during Konets Sveta earlier, I saw all the Lumina charms the students bought… lighting up."
"Lighting up…?" Kira repeated, making sure he heard correctly.