“So, according to you, Mika, you found out that the Ruin Exploration Club from ancient Abydos caused some sort of rage when they touched certain ruins.”
“I don’t know what that ‘something’ is, but yeah.”
“And as a result, an ancient artifact made by an unnamed priesthood that was in that ruin activated, triggering desertification?”
“Yeah, according to the Student Council President back then, it was noted that a cruel and chaotic storm covered the desert… And it doesn’t stop there. It seems there are ‘guardians’ of the ruins that protect them… The biggest issue is that the giant serpent-like monster that the Teacher fought is likely one of those guardians!”
“…Ah.”
“By the way, the monster’s name seems to be ‘Vina.’ This info was obtained from the Kaiser side, and it seems the large Decagramaton unit over there is in charge of Vina. I don’t really know what that precisely means.”
“I can see why you said it would be fine to be happy for now.”
“Haha.”
After hearing my lifeless laugh, the teacher rubbed his head. Listening to the guy who confidently said, “I found a way to resolve the situation!” only to realize we had a long way to go must be a headache.
“…Mika, you really did a big thing. Thank you. Just knowing the solution changes things. At least, a direction on where we need to go has been shown, so the chances of wandering aimlessly should decrease significantly.”
“Oh, Teacher. It’s a bit early to thank me, don’t you think?”
I took out the map I had saved and an unidentified cube and placed them on the table.
“I’m not really sure what this cube is, but it might be something important, so I’ll leave it with you for now. And looking at this map, there are several marked locations, right? Personally, I suspect one of them might be the ruin. Yeah, it’s not exact, but if we overlap it with the desert crossing train tracks and check around there, we might find the answer.”
“…”
“Uhm, why is everyone looking at me like that…? It’s just a guess, so if I’m wrong, it can’t be helped…”
“I’m just surprised that you’re capable of rational thinking, Senior. How could you leave behind such a famous quote?”
“Uhehe~ Listening to you makes me remember Mika-chan calling herself a fool earlier. Isn’t it something I should apologize to actual fools for?”
“Thanks to Mika, the daunting situation seems to be unraveling unrealistically.”
I’m confused about whether this is praise or a roast. And can’t Hina cool it with that fiery gaze…? Once she gets a taste, she acts like a greedy little monster. That said, if I don’t set things up, all she’ll be able to say is, “Um, Mika… give me a kiss…”
“Hey, Miyako-chan. Last time you swore you’d call me Mika-sama, but today suddenly it’s Senior?”
It wasn’t the first time meeting the RABBIT Squad. Given that ETO is closely linked with SRT, it makes sense we’d have met at least once.
Especially since the RABBIT Squad, due to their entrance exam scores and performance during the black market controls, was the beloved junior of the FOX Squad. With me and the foxes being intertwined, it was inevitable we’d meet.
“Well, because you are a Senior. Not just able to conquer the Reikubyō no Yū, but also successfully reform it, Code Name FOX 5. You’re pretty famous inside SRT.”
“…?”
No, Yukino. Why are you spreading that kind of stuff…?
No, our Yukino wouldn’t do something like that. The only one who would blab about that is one person from the FOX Squad.
“…Did Autogi say that?”
“Mika-senpai, you left out my title.”
“Yeah, I did it on purpose. Why are you changing the subject, Miyako-chan? Did Autogi give you something? Does she want you to say she was the one who told you? Huh?”
“Ah… just some inari sushi from Niko-senpai.”
“…Ah, I’ll give you that.”
You can’t deny Niko’s inari sushi. Sometimes, Nagisa and I make it according to the recipe Niko shared and enjoy it.
Anyway, our cute sharpshooter should be ready the next time we meet.
“But, what’s this famous quote? That’s seriously the first I’m hearing of it.”
“Oh, that. Wasn’t it just a joke from the seniors? I mean, logically. How can a body bunker be used as a thrown weapon? You should say something that makes sense!”
“Huh? Saki-chan, you might need to get a refresher on education… If a body bunker isn’t a thrown weapon, then what exactly is it?”
“…Um, Mika-senpai?”
No, I’m not your senpai. And a body bunker is definitely a thrown weapon!
*
So, if step one ended with me finding and conveying a way to resolve the current situation to the teacher, there are still about four more steps we have to go through.
First up is figuring out the location of the ruins. I believe this part can be accomplished with enough time invested. Since we have decent clues, it won’t be like finding a needle in a haystack in the desert.
Next is waiting for the RABBIT Squad to receive additional supplies of SRT weaponry, planning an operation, and hunting down Vina. Simply chasing it away wouldn’t be enough, as Vina’s presence would continue to thwart the reconstruction of Abydos, even if the desertification is resolved, so it needs to be dealt with decisively.
If we successfully take down Vina, we can properly enter the ruins, deal with whatever guardians are protecting it, and destroy the ancient artifact that caused all this trouble.
Lastly, we need to assist the Kaiser President, who is diligently excavating the ancient superweapon, so that they can come to terms with reality, thus finally wrapping up everything in Abydos… maybe?
There are a few additional tasks to uncover the purpose of the Saint Nephthys, but those don’t seem to play a significant role in the grand scheme of things.
Of course, this could change based on what happens in the process, so focusing on the big picture does seem to be the right approach.
…Oh, speaking of which, the Black Suit is still after Hoshino, and I’m curious how they plan to make that happen. Kaiser might hesitate since they seem wary of using debt to pressure Abydos.
Well, that’ll be a problem for later. I have one immediate task to take care of. After temporarily stepping out of the busy club room devising the strategy for the Vina hunt, including Hina and me, I opened Momotalk.
I scrolled through my friend list and found our genius weak hacker, selecting a series of pictures of the Obelisk to send.
It took exactly three seconds for the reply to come back.
[Terminal princess syndrome in full effect]
[?]
[What is it?]
[I wanted to borrow the brain of Kivotos’ number one weak genius… Can you help interpret this?]
[…At first glance, this seems to be traces of an ancient civilization. Don’t you think it’s too far from my area of expertise, Mika-chan?]
[Of course, if we discuss whether it’s possible or impossible, I’ll give you the answer that it is certainly possible. For someone like me, the embodiment of unmatched intellect, it’s simpler than breathing. Ahem.]
[Then, please take care of it!]
[Oh, by the way, I’m going to ask Rion-chan too. There won’t be any rewards if you’re slower than Rion-chan.]
After opening Rion’s Momotalk and sending the series of photos again, I received a prompt response.
[Wait, wait a second, Mika-chan? Let’s just talk on the phone.]
[Mika-chan?]
[Hey, aren’t we supposed to be friends of the ‘Two Best Girls in the World Alliance’? Ignoring me like this is quite troublesome.]
[Didn’t you call me the genius of the Millennium…? Why are you asking Rion, that sludge-like girl, for help… and why?]
Sending the flurry of messages back and forth, I ignored Himari’s Momotalk that came in at lightning speed and sent a message to Rion asking if she was available to talk. Rion checked and replied in just 30 seconds.
“Hello, Rion-chan?”
[…What’s the reason for your call today? The idol matter has been pushed to the end of next month, so you’re not bringing that up, right…?]
“Eh? Didn’t you see the photo I sent?”
[I didn’t see it. Hold on. I’ll check it right now.]
While Rion paused to look, I checked the flurry of messages from Himari.
[You’re really on a call, huh.]
[How could this happen? This is a betrayal of our Best Girl Alliance.]
[At a time like this? Yeah, that sounds about right. [Death is the only end for a traitor] or something along those lines?]
…No, I don’t remember our Himari being this annoying. Why is she saying such scary things all of a sudden?
[Just wait. I’ll… investigate Mika-chan’s device and unveil the most embarrassing secrets…!]
[In exchange, I’ll make sure to leave my honest impressions on Rion’s artistic sense.]
[…Um, isn’t that a crime?]
[Of course, it’s a joke. The sickly delicate genius girl humor. I’ll probably interpret it before Rion, so wait a bit.]
[But since you contacted me first, we can still consider the Best Girl Alliance intact.]
[…Right?]
At that moment, Rion, who had been silent for a while while looking at the photo, spoke up. I quickly sent her a wavering cat emoticon and focused back on the call.
[This is… judging by the background, it seems like an architecture from the Abydos Autonomous District? One thing is certain, the patterns engraved on this obelisk are all predictions of the future. Or rather, it might be a mix of prophecies and predictions.]
“Oh, I had a similar suspicion, but I didn’t expect to hear you say that, Rion-chan. Yeah, that’s a bit unexpected.”
[Mika, I assume what you first thought of was prophecy, right?]
“Ah, yeah.”
[Prediction and prophecy are different, Mika. Prediction is conjecturing what will happen in the future based on numerous reliable data. Prophecy is conveying knowledge of future events beforehand.]
As Rion explained the distinctions between predictions and prophecies, she suddenly posed a question.
[Mika, what’s your intention in sending this to me?]
…For some reason, I feel like the answer to this question might significantly influence my future relationship with Rion.
