Isn’t one day too short to celebrate the princess’s birthday?!

*

“Of course it is!”

“…You?!”

“Because from now on, these guys will be the official armed group of Trinity.”

“Mika…?”

The girl and the woman faced each other for the third time.

In their first meeting, the girl had established an external cooperative relationship, but in their next encounter, she had engaged in much bolder reconnaissance.

While she was greatly shaken by facing the true essence of the teacher during that process, it did not affect their third meeting.

She couldn’t give in, and also, she thought she shouldn’t let it influence her.

If she were to falter here, everything she had carefully prepared behind the scenes would turn into meaningless nonsense.

Thus, Mika faced the teacher with unwavering eyes. A brief glance was enough for the members of the supplementary class surrounding the teacher to be recognized.

Mika slowly reported that everything that happened last night unfolded according to her plan.

The current power holder of T-party, Kirihouji Nagisa.

The reason why there was less hindrance to the activities of the Arius Branch, aiming to secure her safety, was that she had completely cleared away all obstacles in advance.

Everyone present had to confront the reality that she had declared the abuse of all powers granted to her by the current number two of T-party.

“T-party’s Misono Mika… why are you here…?”

“Here, it feels like a shadowy figure is making an appearance☆! Yup. I am the embodiment of all the plans so far. I am the true traitor of Trinity.”

Not Azusa, the scapegoat she had presented in their previous meeting, but she herself, the true traitor. Mika declared this, locking eyes with the teacher directly.

Her playful tone was discordant with the surrounding atmosphere and circumstances.

In this third meeting, the girl and the woman finally faced each other as enemies.

“So, could you tell me where you hid Nagichan? I’m short on time. Well, I can search this place as if I’m exterminating rats, but still.”

How arrogant. So arrogant that it seemed it could pierce the heavens. Everyone in the supplementary class shared this thought.

Even the students of the Arius Branch following Mika’s orders were left astounded by her confidence.

However, there was a reason for this shared thought of arrogance and confidence.

“Mika, why…?”

“Huh? Are you asking why I did this? Teacher? Is that what you’re asking?”

Mika blinked at the teacher’s question, then fell into a moment of contemplation.

‘I’ve already got everything in place. So just for a moment, wouldn’t it be okay to play along? Yup.’

Chalking it up to an internal explanation, Mika then took her answer out regarding the teacher’s question. She hated Gehenna. Hated it way too much.

Just thinking about striking a peace treaty with those horned creepy creatures gave her goosebumps.

She honestly confessed the reason she became a traitor of Trinity by betraying her childhood friend to nullify the Eden Treaty.

The most primal emotion was her hatred towards Gehenna, and that hate became her driving force.

Following this, Mika demanded Nagisa’s whereabouts, stating that she planned to keep her isolated in exchange for ensuring her safety, which made the teacher bite her lips.

“Indeed, the Eden Treaty was a peace treaty after all.”

“Yup. Teacher, I’m sorry for deceiving you back then. What I said was a lie. Nagichan is such a naïve fool that she could never use the Eden Treaty as a military alliance. So it really is a peace treaty.”

The teacher couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. She had been perfectly deceived by the girl before her. Not just her, but everyone in Trinity.

“But I wasn’t lying about everything, Teacher. My desire to reconcile with Arius was real.”

From then on, Mika kept chattering away. She was already so certain of her victory that the more she spoke, the less she held back.

After pushing for a reconciliation with Arius, who had a common enemy in Gehenna, the plan was to nullify the Eden Treaty. She’d operate them as her direct armed division to bring down the current host, Nagisa, and take her place as the new host.

Among the powerful in Trinity, she would eliminate those with weak anti-Gehenna sentiments and start a war centered around the hatred-filled Pater and Arius…

And in this process, ‘the traitor of Trinity’ would be Shirase Azusa. The culprit who harmed the former host, Nagisa, and became the scapegoat.

Mika pointed Azusa as the right candidate.

Just as Trinity was restructured into a union in a far-off past while designating Arius as a common enemy…

This time, Mika declared that she’d burn Azusa’s body as fuel for the internal cohesion of Trinity and the war against Gehenna.

“Mika, why do you hate Gehenna that much… No, why do you loathe it?”

“…That’s a weird question, Teacher. I expected you to be more angry or maybe try to console me or something. You know, that kind of reaction? The reason… the reason for hating Gehenna…”

After a moment of pondering, Mika put on a bright smile that wouldn’t fade even in the bustling spring garden.

“Well, it’s true that normally you need a reason to hate and despise someone, right? But, Teacher.”

Mika lifted her gun.

“This hatred has no reason? And that’s the clearest proof that we… cannot coexist with Gehenna and Trinity. Yup. Kind of feels that way.”

In response, the members of the supplementary class also raised their weapons, and the students of Arius aimed their firearms as well.

“How about we organize the situation and continue our conversation?”

“…Be careful, Teacher. That person… is strong.”

“Yup. I told you, I’m pretty strong.”

The battle ensued.

It wasn’t just the disadvantage in numbers; Misono Mika was excessively powerful.

Even Shirase, who was under the teacher’s command, couldn’t avoid the struggle. Throughout the fight, there was a significant gap in power, and they never managed to gain the upper hand, continuing to be pushed back.

However, the situation on the side of the Arius branch looked a bit different. The power of the supplementary class, bolstered by the teacher’s assistance, was sufficient to confront them.

Thanks to that, a precarious balance was maintained on the battlefield, and one undeniable truth began to surface.

That the death of Yurizono Seiya was orchestrated by none other than Mika herself. And that the core of the attack on Seiya was none other than Azusa… an excruciatingly uncomfortable truth.

Everyone could hardly contain their astonishment as the tide turned. Azusa’s agitation shattered the balance that had been maintained.

In a different world, the teacher should have been fuming at Mika, but drawn by a shred of sentiment, she couldn’t bring herself to. This left Mika with no hesitations in her hands.

Yet for that teacher, there remained one last opportunity. The card of adulthood. Utilizing that could indeed flip the tides.

Nevertheless, the teacher hesitated.

An inexplicable ache in a corner of her heart triggered a critical mistake. That brief moment of indecision ultimately decided the outcome, and the supplementary class was forced to kneel before Mika.

“Don’t worry, you can go back to being ordinary students at the academy just like before. Yup. The news will be reporting about Trinity’s victory. Well, I consider that a minor change… Oh, but Azusa-chan will be the exception. Sorry.”

Just as the students of Arius subdued them,

BAM—!!

“…It’s the Sisters! Sisterhood is coming!”

A third party stepped in a beat late.

“The Sisterhood… I see. Hanako, you… well, don’t worry about the details. This situation is pretty much over.”

“No, the tide has turned. Mika, do you really think you can stop the Sisterhood all by yourself?”

“Haha! All by myself? What a joke. Here, I have my limbs ready… the direct force of the T-party: the Arius Faction! Plus, if the Sisterhood inherits Justina Temple Association… they are just as hated by Arius as they are by Gehenna.”

Understanding Mika’s intent, Hanako sighed. Humans can harness strength beyond their usual power if their target is someone they completely despise.

While the Sisterhood bears the ire of Arius, the opposite does not hold true.

‘And if you add Mika’s extraordinary power to the mix…’

Hanako sensed her defeat. From this day forward, Trinity would be irrevocably changed.

“And even if I was alone… honestly, I can’t say I’d lose. Because I plan to dash as far as I can without looking back. Yup. You can’t jump off a moving train, can you?”

Finally, the Sisterhood revealed themselves. The leader, Sakurako, stood at the forefront, facing Mika.

The moment her gaze fell on the now-subjugated members of the supplementary class and the teacher, Misono Mika’s coup was finally complete.

*

Click.

As the door to the solitary cell opened, the teacher’s gaze, previously resting on her diary, looked up.

Mika walked in, kneading her tingling shoulders with her other hand.

“Oh, it’s Hina again.”

“Yup, that’s about right. Seriously, it’s too resilient, don’t you think? Yup. Though technically an enemy, and someone from Gehenna, whom I hate more than death… it’s precisely because of that I have to acknowledge you.”

Mika slipped into the chair opposite the teacher and leaned over the table. She often came here whenever she was away from the front lines.

At first, she visited Nagisa first and then the teacher, but over time, that order began to reverse. The teacher’s presence had grown in significance within her.

The teacher didn’t blame Mika for imprisoning her. Instead, she tried to steer Mika’s thoughts in the right direction, adding remarks here and there to minimize the devastation of war.

Was it a reward for that effort? Maybe luck was on their side, but during the war between the two major academies, no students had suffered the misfortune of being harmed by the Halo.

The teacher became Mika’s chains more violently than anyone else in Trinity. While Hina acted as the shield absorbing Trinity’s assault, she ensured that Gehenna’s spear would not pierce their throats.

Hina’s existence, knowing that once the line was broken, both sides would cross an irreversible river, prevented total destruction.

And unbeknownst to all, Arius slowly began to pull back from the front lines.

“Mika, you…”

“Yup?”

“…”

The teacher, for a moment choosing her words carefully, eventually shook her head.

Mika, often referred to as the witch of Trinity, could never be forgiven. Regardless of how the situation may have settled, her actions were never justified.

Having succumbed to such a witch, she herself didn’t need anyone’s forgiveness. To others, she would only appear as one person’s victim.

But the teacher knew. More than anyone, she understood that the outcome could have been entirely different based on her choices.

That’s why she couldn’t forgive herself. She didn’t have the right to be forgiven.

Mika gently extended her arm and took the teacher’s hand, placing that warm hand on her head as she closed her eyes comfortably.

The sins committed by the two wrongdoers would never be absolved.

The impending end erased all other possibilities.