“Hey, I don’t really get what Rion senpai is talking about right now…”
After a while of hesitating, Aris spoke up. At that moment, Rion’s embrace tightened even more. It wasn’t painful, but it felt confining nonetheless.
“……”
A long silence stretched on. Aris silently waited for Rion’s response, while Rion quietly shed tears, unable to give a proper answer.
“Rion senpai, I’m not sure, but… everything will be alright. I’m sure—”
“…No. That’s not it, Aris. Everything will be fine… Is there really any chance of that?”
With great effort, Rion managed to spit those words out, sniffling her nose. It may have been mumbled, but Aris understood it without a hitch.
“I’m trying to push you, Aris, into an unreasonable tragedy. Sacrificing a minority for the majority… There’s no way to dress that up as a reasonable choice for everyone. The essence of it is just a flower blooming with blood, born from one person’s unfairness.”
“Rion senpai…”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Aris. All I can do is urge you to sacrifice… I can’t make the irrational decision to shoulder all the risks…”
Once the dam broke, nothing could stop the flood. Seeing Rion pour out all her emotions so rawly, Aris couldn’t find her words.
“Can’t we at least hear the details first…? This explanation feels so lacking. I’ve learned that when characters in a story just ramble about things only they know, it breaks the player’s immersion…”
“…Ah.”
It felt brief, but still.
Rion finally realized she had been speaking without providing any real explanation. Simply saying you need to sacrifice yourself so everyone can survive… it wouldn’t make sense if you didn’t know why you were required to sacrifice.
So Rion began to whisper slowly, as if Aris were her lifeline.
About Aris herself, the nameless princess of the nameless priests commanding the army…
Then about their purpose.
Finally…
“I… understand. So, Aris is like… a ticking time bomb, right?”
“…Yeah. Maybe it’s okay right now. Perhaps for a while longer as well. But…”
Rion pulled out a tablet from her arms. Then, she played a video to show Aris.
“This is…”
“That’s what’s forming the army of nameless priests. Mika said they were called nameless guardians…”
The video showed nameless guardians pouring in from outside Eridu’s walls, fighting against the AMAS. The footage, already shown to Mika once, held greater significance for Aris.
“It feels strangely familiar…”
“I can’t say why that is, but one thing I can clearly explain is this: Aris, all those movements are directed at you. They’re crawling out from the depths of ruin all the way here with just one goal in mind—to reach you.”
“Ah…”
Aris hung her head low. She knew Rion wouldn’t deceive her about such matters. When they first met, Rion’s somewhat overbearing demeanor had made Aris feel nervous…
But as she interacted with Rion more, Aris began to understand her better.
A solitary person who enjoys solitude, not accustomed to dealing with people.
A genius who could easily stand alongside Himari, who calls herself one.
And someone whose cold exterior seems to be all that there is, but deeply buried within lies warmth.
Because of Rion’s nature, Aris believed her. Rion’s devastated appearance wasn’t something that could be fabricated.
The hardened shell that seemed so strong had completely shattered, exposing her vulnerable self.
“The fact that those nameless guardians are moving with Aris as their target means…”
“That they aim to influence you in some way. I don’t think mere contact would trigger an awakening, but it’s far too risky to dismiss the worst possibilities.”
“Is it impossible to prepare together with everyone…?”
“Mika said the same. You two may have more in common than you think.”
“…Does Mika know about this?”
“Unfortunately… yes. For now, let’s move past that; it’s not that important.”
Though Rion claimed it wasn’t important, she swallowed her tears and let Aris go. Then, with a face that was a complete mess, she faced Aris and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“A single failure could lead to the world’s destruction, but just one decision could completely eliminate that possibility. If there’s a chance to succeed without paying too high a toll…”
“As a gamer, I’d want to choose the former, but… I understand that reality and games are different. High risk, high return and low risk, high return. There’s no reason to choose the one with higher risk…”
“…Yeah, there’s no reason for that.”
But there was a reason. A life like Aris’s needed saving.
However, Rion completely dismissed that choice. An irrational decision made in the heat of emotion—one that she could never allow herself to take.
“To protect everyone you love… a hero can tread unflinchingly along the thorny path. Even if there’s a happy ending predicated on their own sacrifice at the end, a hero wouldn’t step back. That’s what a hero is.”
“…Aris, you are a hero…”
Rion swallowed hard. Her throat tightened. What would happen if she denied that Aris was a hero?
Yet, if she brought it up to Aris, who took the idea of being a hero so seriously and seemed to reflect Rion’s own wishes, what significance would all she’s done until now hold?
“Aris is a hero.”
The quiet assertion from Aris was enough to render all those assumptions meaningless.
“If I have to sacrifice one of my comrades to see the conclusion of this game, I wouldn’t want to make that choice.”
“That’s… Mika’s…”
“But if it’s for the happiness of Momo, Midori, Yuzu, Teacher, Mika, Yuuka, the other seniors… and even you, Rion senpai. For all of their happy endings… I might be able to prepare myself for sacrifice…”
Aris smiled, a smile laced with sadness, unlike her usual bright ones.
Seeing Aris like this, Rion felt her heart crumble again.
Remembering the time she brought up the Eliza effect, claiming the other party wasn’t a sentient being, but a robot…
“Rion senpai, meeting other people must be hard for you…?”
“That seems to be the case. But, well, a video message might…”
“…It feels a bit regrettable. But on the other hand, I think that’s enough. Aris thinks that way.”
Aris reached out and wiped away Rion’s tears, then clasped her hand once more.
“Rion senpai.”
“Yes.”
“I just hope you won’t blame yourself too much. The confident side of you suits you much better. I think Mika feels the same way! Probably.”
“…Wait. Why is Mika being brought up here?”
Rion questioned, casting a glance towards Aris. At that moment, Aris’s clear eyes met hers.
“Because, Rion senpai, you have feelings for Mika…?”
“…What? How—No, I have no clue what you’re talking about. I can’t understand.”
“When you talk about Mika, the corners of your mouth lift slightly. Your gaze warms up a bit, and your way of speaking becomes…”
“…All wrong.”
Seeing Rion’s cheeks flush, an uncharacteristic sight, Aris teased further.
“Your reactions remind me of a heroine in a dating sim who’s maxed out on affection points! That made it especially easy to infer.”
In that moment, as Rion’s inner thoughts had been completely exposed by her junior, she thought maybe she should just die together with Aris now.
To leave behind a tragic protagonist like Aris while indulging in happiness borne from her sacrifice—what kind of despicable act could be worse than that?
If it could all be solved with her own death instead of Aris’s… things wouldn’t have spiraled into such complexity.
Rion felt a deep resentment toward the world that presented such a horrifying option, and toward herself for having to choose the rational path among them.
*
At the same time, the teacher, who had received a help request from Yuuka, was preparing to go out. After packing the box of Shidim and relaying a request for support to the RABBIT Squad just in case something happened…
Just as the teacher was about to leave Shalle, an ominous voice reached her ears.
“Long time no see, Teacher of Shalle.”
“…Black Suit.”
“Oh, there’s no need to be so wary of me. I hold no ill will toward you, Teacher.”
“What do you want?”
With a somewhat hostile tone, the teacher responded, and the Black Suit fidgeted with the cuff of their clothing before speaking.
“I came to tell you something good… if that’s what I should say?”
“…What?”
“Haha. Just kidding. But my actual purpose isn’t much different from what I just said, Teacher. I’ve come to bring you some helpful information.”
As always, the suspicious Black Suit walked briskly to a nearby table and claimed a seat. Then, they pointed to the empty chair opposite.
“So, Teacher, would you care to have a chat with me for a moment? It shouldn’t take too long. Plus, you won’t regret talking with me.”
After some deliberation, the teacher turned her steps toward the Black Suit.
If the Black Suit was going this low in demeanor, there had to be a substantial reason for it.
