Aris was having her usual fun-filled day. Attending classes and gathering in the Game Development Club’s room after school to prepare for the new game development – just your standard, run-of-the-mill day.
Of course, the fact that they spent more time just playing games together rather than actually developing them was classified information. Yuuka seemed to have already caught on to that fact, albeit hazily, but hadn’t pushed the issue any further.
Amidst those peaceful days, an unexpected event was quietly stretching its limbs.
“…Ah, Rion-senpai asked if she could spare some time today.”
“Hmm? The president?! Why?”
“Sis, it’s not exactly a new thing for the president to be looking for Aris-chan. Why are you so surprised?”
“Well, that’s true, but of all times, right now!”
“…Right now? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot, Midori? We had a preliminary investigation for the new game development scheduled for today!”
Midori, listening to her older sister Momo’s words, made a pouty face. Then, turning her gaze back to the illustration she was working on, she spoke up.
“That’s just an excuse to play the new game, though. The genre is totally different from what we plan to develop.”
“That minor detail doesn’t matter! Even if the genres are different, there are definitely lessons to learn there. So…!”
“I just think we could push it back by a day… In any case, Aris-chan, be careful!”
Brushing off Momo’s passionate speech, Midori waved goodbye to Aris.
“Ah, yes! Good luck with your work, Midori!”
“…Ugh, the grand ambition of challenging the shortest clear time for this new game with Aris-chan, during a class when everyone else is listening…”
As Aris received Midori’s farewell, Momo fell into despair, realizing her plans had been dashed. With a pose reminiscent of a tragic heroine, Momo lay on the floor, glancing up at Aris with a teary face.
“If you happen to come back early, then…?”
“Of course, Momo! If that happens, we’ll definitely set a new record together!”
“Yeah!”
Meeting the hopeful gaze from Momo, Aris smiled brightly in response. That instant made Midori smile too.
“…Aris-chan.”
“Ah, Yuuka!”
“Be careful… and take care.”
“Sure! Aris wouldn’t follow strangers who say they’ll buy her the new game, so it’ll be fine!”
“…But wouldn’t it be okay to follow someone who offers to buy you the new game? Nobody who offers to buy a new game could be a bad person!”
“Not at all!”
With that final farewell to Yuuka, Aris set off on her journey toward the Millennium Tower.
An unexpected quest triggered by Rion’s call—it was something not completely unfamiliar but still quite common for her.
Students at the academy often questioned why their student council president was so oddly interested in a mere student, but thanks to Aris’s proactive approach, that curiosity had noticeably waned.
“Rion-senpai is a good person! Sure, she tends to nag a bit…”
And sometimes, when she looked at me, her eyes seemed a bit sad. Still, Aris was convinced that Rion was truly a good person.
During this short journey toward the Millennium Tower, Aris exchanged greetings with various people while strolling around the academy grounds. By the time she reached her destination, she encountered a girl.
“Hello, Aris-chan♪ You got here faster than I expected?”
“Ah, Noa-senpai! It’s been a while!”
“Hmm… Didn’t we see each other just last week?”
Noa tilted her head as she asked, as if it didn’t matter. Telling Aris to follow her, she began to walk.
As they walked side by side towards the elevator, Noa’s gaze briefly flickered to the pocket containing her cellphone.
Since this morning, the group chat that Noa belonged to had started exchanging somewhat serious messages, and even now, while she had come out to greet Aris at Rion’s request, messages were piling up rapidly on her Momotalk.
Noticing the troubled expression on Noa’s face, a hesitant Aris decided to ask her a question.
“Noa-senpai, is something wrong? If there’s anything I can help with, feel free to ask!”
“…Ah. No, it’s nothing really, so you don’t have to worry about it. But thanks for caring, Aris-chan.”
Feeling guilty for revealing her problems to her kind junior, Noa forced a bright smile.
The elevator quickly reached the top floor.
Aris, who was considering whether to ask Noa why Rion was looking for her, ultimately decided she would rather hear the story directly from Rion herself.
“Aris-chan, um…”
“…?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Though she wasn’t sure, Noa felt that if anyone knew the whereabouts of the missing Mika, it would be Rion, and without realizing it, she had almost asked for help.
If Mika, whose last destination was Millennium, had intended to spend the night here from the beginning, she would surely have contacted Noa.
Naturally, being concerned about Mika after having lost contact was only reasonable, and Noa had identified Rion as the person most likely to hold the answers.
Since Rion displayed strange behavior, it was quite possible that she could be involved in all this. Even if that wasn’t the case, being the student council president meant Rion had coverage over Millennium, making it the easiest spot for her to catch news about Mika.
But Noa knew that it was better to meet Rion directly rather than pry that information out of Aris, so while Aris faced Rion, she thought about finding someone else who could help look for Mika.
Surely that gal, the self-proclaimed best beauty of Millennium, would be a great help. After giving her goodbye to Aris, Noa headed off to meet her narcissistic senior.
*
After Noa left, Aris stood in front of Rion’s office, tilting her head. To her surprise, the office door automatically opened before she could even do anything.
Assuming Rion had opened it, Aris entered the office, blinking in confusion.
No one was there. Not a trace of Rion or even her AMAS could be found.
“…Rion-senpai? Where are you?”
As Aris stood in the center of the silence-filled office, a beep echoed from Rion’s desk.
Then, a hologram of Rion began to play.
[Hello, Aris.]
“Ah, Rion-senpai!”
[Sorry. The circumstances make it difficult for me to speak to you face to face. I have to greet you like this through a recorded video.]
“…A recording?”
Aris nodded and muttered. In other words, it was like an event cutscene. That’s how she understood it.
[Let’s cut to the chase. I’m currently at the boundary between Millennium and the ruins. I’m in the middle of an important task here, but one thing— I need your help with something.]
Help, huh? Aris found it a bit strange that Rion would need her assistance with something.
But on the flip side, she felt happy. After all, Rion was nearly a good friend to her. If she could help her, Aris was more than willing.
[I want to discuss the details face to face, but to put it simply… This is something that only you, the hero, can do.]
“…!”
Aris’s eyes sparkled. Rion often expressed her intentions using familiar terms when they spoke together, and that aspect truly delighted Aris.
And that was why she couldn’t understand why other students found Rion a bit scary or unsettling.
She was such a considerate person—what could make them feel that way?
[If you look on my desk, you’ll find a piece of paper with coordinates and a code written on it. If you go to those coordinates, there will be a drone helicopter waiting, and when you input the code, it will transport you to where I am.]
[Oh, Aris, please keep this matter under wraps from anyone else. Once you arrive here… that’s when we can have a proper discussion.]
It was as though Rion was convinced that Aris wouldn’t refuse this request, but in reality, Aris indeed had no intention of declining it.
And rightly so…
“Because it’s something only the hero can do!”
Aris was, after all, the unique hero.
*
“Is Himari-senpai here?”
“…Hmm? I didn’t expect a visitor at this early hour. Nice to see you, Noa. What brings you to visit the greatest genius beauty who’s ever distorted the concept of a god?”
“…?”
Noa stared blankly at the welcome bestowed upon her from the Supernatural Special Forces room. Himari’s greeting was more than enough to take her brain for a tumble.
“That’s not something you should say when Mika-chan could hear it!”
“Mika-chan isn’t here right now. When the president isn’t present, it’s fine to badmouth her, don’t you think?”
“But, Himari-senpai, you do the same even when Rion-senpai is around…”
“Fufu. That’s an interesting argument, Noa. But that’s a misunderstanding. This super weak yet genius beauty would never talk trash like that.”
Taking a moment to gather herself, Noa decided to get to the point.
For some reason, conversations with Himari often seemed to stray off course, so it was important to steer it back on topic at a suitable moment.
“Himari-senpai, Mika-chan hasn’t been responding. Her phone is turned off, and it feels like something might have happened…”
“M-Mika-chan?! I completely understand now. This is an urgent matter that requires my immediate attention. Noa, this way.”
Following Himari deeper into the Supernatural Special Forces room, Noa was somewhat surprised by the quality of equipment this room had. It was evident that Rion had made quite an investment here.
“Hmm, a visitor, huh?”
“Hello, Amy.”
“Noa, Amy. This isn’t really the time to be chatting comfortably. I’m going to initiate the tracking of my dear friend Mika-chan right now—cough, excuse me.”
The curtain was slowly, but surely, being lifted on the case.
