As I opened my eyes, the first thing that greeted me wasn’t the ceiling I always looked up at from my bed every morning.

A space completely enclosed by iron walls, all around. In the center stood a round table with a design reminiscent of a halo.

I focused on a man standing across the table, looking at me with a curious gaze.

“Have you been doing well, oh greatest archangel?”

“…Black Suit.”

His appearance was completely different from ordinary people, leading me to think of him not merely as a name, but more like a nickname. I ponder about why he sought me out in such a manner.

“Oh dear, it seems I’m not received with much warmth. Don’t you think my overtures have been rather generous for such a reaction?”

“That’s what you meant when you said you’d visit me in my dreams back then. Really, I can’t seem to understand how there could be so many who love intruding into other people’s dreams.”

“To be precise, I can say I didn’t visit you but merely called your consciousness here for a moment.”

Now that I think about it, the background seems oddly familiar. Is this the meeting room of Gematria…?

Those Gematria folks really have strange abilities. They don’t just pop into others’ dreams, but they also sacrifice students’ secrets to elevate their own sublime, replicating and twisting mysteries, or even cobbling together new things out of old texts without a shred of conscience.

I thought Black Suit was one of the more normal ones among them, given his researcher and scientist role. But seeing him pull me into this place from my dream, it seems he’s not so ordinary after all.

“Well, I don’t think that’s particularly important. What I’m curious about right now is the reason you wanted to meet me, whether you sought me out or called me here.”

“There are several reasons. To start with the surface-level one, I’ve come to know that you have been secretly supporting the Dawn Horus.”

“Dawn Horus…”

“I’m referring to Takamachi Hoshino, the vice president of Abydos High School here. She is… a key material in the research I’m personally conducting. I assume you already know this, as you’ve mentioned it in passing.”

“No, not particularly. I just don’t quite understand why they call her Dawn Horus while referring to me as the greatest archangel.”

To be honest, calling me the greatest archangel feels a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps because it makes me feel a bit inflated?

If they’re going to call Hoshino anything, isn’t it more fitting to call her something goofy like the Avatar of the Sun, which would feel 500 times more pressuring?

“Hmm. It seems addressing you like that might feel burdensome. Surely, as it’s more religious in nature, it can be seen as us placing importance on humility unconsciously.”

“Hahaha… If we’re talking about burdensome, then Maestro is the most burdensome of all.”

In any case, that they call me something burdensome isn’t any different. But being called Ms. Mika by these guys is equally unbearable. There’s an appropriate distance that suits me and Gematria. I’d rather there never be any chance of that distance closing.

“If you feel uncomfortable, how about ‘Heavens’ Mikael’?”

“…That’s actually better.”

“Hmm, is that so? Then let’s get back to the main point. The things you’ve done for Abydos are causing significant complications in my plans. I need her to voluntarily cooperate with me to conduct experiments that instill fear into the sublime of Dawn Horus, which isn’t easy, but due to your interference, the process of putting pressure on Abydos is becoming sluggish.”

After a brief familiar exchange, Black Suit outright reveals his intentions without hiding anything.

“You don’t seem very surprised. You must know quite a bit.”

“So, what’s the intent behind bringing this up? Are you telling me to back off from Abydos? Or perhaps you’re asking me not to obstruct your plans any further? If it’s that kind of talk, it’s clear Hoshino-chan would refuse my hand from the start. So, I’d call it a bit of a misstep this time☆”

“Hmm, that’s slightly different. I’m not so shameless as to make such a demand outright. Heavens Mikael. You may not know if you’re just an ordinary student, but knowing that you are a being like ‘us’, we’ll afford you the proper respect accordingly. I would have continued to respect Madame, who has acted contrary to Gematria’s ideals, particularly since her approach was rather fascinating, had it not been for your assurance that she’d bring color here.”

“…I’d prefer if you refrained from mentioning Arius. Separate from coming from outside Kivotos, I regard myself as part of this world. I won’t criticize you for treating students like lab rats… but claiming you just stood by while Beatrice acted, that’s a bit, extremely unpleasant.”

While Black Suit tried his tricks to secure Hoshino’s safety, it fails. Even if the butterfly effects of my actions worsen the situation, as a teacher, I should be able to resolve it just fine. And if things turn awry, I will do my best to rectify it.

However, to say they just turned a blind eye to Arius is a reality I know yet have chosen to ignore.

Students are reduced to tools, and through gaslighting with the absurd claim of ‘You bear the will to kill, hence you are murderers’, they’re taught to kill one another. According to Saori, there have indeed been cases where Arius’ students lost their lives, and the indifferent stance of Gematria, much like Beatrice, is equally vile.

I know that their perspective on Kivotos is different from mine, but it still feels unpleasant. Therefore, they are the kind of people I want to avoid getting close to.

“Oh, by the way, there’s something I’m curious about. Beatrice…”

“Hehe… Rest assured, we handled Madame decisively. If the ritual she conducted hadn’t perfectly succeeded, it would have been inevitable that color discovered this place, so we had no reservations about it. I thank you once again for stopping that ritual.”

“Yeah, that’s a relief. So, your claim of not being so shameless as to demand I back off from Hoshino implies you’re suggesting some sort of deal. Would I be right in thinking that?”

“Exactly. My first proposal is for you to take over for Dawn Horus. In that case, I can completely halt all plans to capture her.”

“Yeah, by instilling fear into me, right? I’m all set.”

“Chuckles I expected as much. Then let’s move to the second proposal. Instead of taking over Dawn Horus’ role, how about you incur a debt to me? With a small favor promised by you, you could protect her.”

On the surface, it sounds like a good deal. My one promise could perhaps significantly alleviate Abydos’ future troubles.

However, this is an obvious trap.

“Sure, for a matter that hasn’t even been defined as a small favor, it’d surely be enough to protect Hoshino-chan. Wouldn’t it?”

“Oh dear, given your nature, I thought you’d at least consider this.”

“Black Suit… what’s the real deal you want to propose? You wouldn’t simply let go of Abydos this easily… Therefore, it seems you must have some other purpose.”

“Hmm. Was it that easy to read? You are correct. The earlier proposals were merely what you might call, preferable if possible, but not essential. The true purpose of my visit today is this.”

With a brief pause, Black Suit taps the table with his fingers.

“Lately, you’ve been experiencing strange phenomena, haven’t you?”

“…!”

He speaks of something I can’t possibly ignore.

“It may still just be a prelude, but change has undoubtedly begun. This is crucial information regarding your current state, which has been simultaneously observed by me, Golkont, and Dekalcomani. The changes your soul undergoes that misalign with your body could serve as an intriguing research subject, wouldn’t it?”

“…Spill it out.”

“No, dear Heavens Mikael. That’s not the case. What I wish to offer you in this deal is information regarding the anomalies and changes that have arisen within you. For that, I would simply ask for a small favor from you. And of course, I won’t be requesting you to replace Dawn Horus.”

“…”

Yes, I was undoubtedly experiencing some abnormalities.

Recently, emotions that seemed entirely foreign to me had suddenly started influencing my actions.

Yet, this confusion may not have been a brand-new phenomenon. I was well aware that my mannerisms and overall personality were being affected by my current body.

However, until now, this had only occurred in relation to students from Gehenna like Makoto or Hina, so I thought it was merely due to the influence of my mysteries.

But with Black Suit directly bringing this up, it’s clear that the obsessive feelings I felt were definitely not normal changes.

Especially at the moment Golkont was mentioned, my confidence grows infinitely. That guy already had a suspicious ability to see right through my condition since our first meeting, so there’s no room for doubt.

Moreover, just yesterday, I had witnessed that hallucination…

The image that appeared beyond the mirror, a Mika who was not me.

Maybe this change has something to do with the question of ‘Where did the original Misono Mika go?’

“The price for the deal… is to allow us to conduct research on ancient doctrines in the basement of the High Cathedral of the Union. That should be reasonable, no?”

The moment I heard the terms Black Suit proposed, my mind, which was leaning towards accepting this deal, snapped back to the reality like getting splashed with cold water.

…This is dangerous.

By merely permitting research in that location, it opens the possibility for figures like Ambrosius and Jeronimus, who had hoped I’d never make an appearance again, as well as the works of Maestro named after the other two of the four Western Fathers, Gregory and Augustine, which served as the motifs for the artificial angel series [Communio Sanctorum].

If that was all, it wouldn’t be much different from the original, so it wouldn’t matter much, but currently, Maestro holds a fragment of my mysteries as a variable.

In other words, if I accept this proposal, the ultimate bosses created based on ancient doctrines might end up pulling on the ultimate and greatest archangel’s mysteries to emerge.

However, the price Black Suit placed makes it hard to refuse. It’s a matter I’ve long found discomforting but have ignored, as I couldn’t find an answer to it—this very body’s original owner’s whereabouts.

Thus, allowing the opportunity to gain a clue to this while potentially permitting something that could pose a huge obstacle for both the teacher and the students of Kivotos.

“It’s not an easy decision to give an immediate answer, I can understand that. So, I will wait until our next meeting to hear your acceptance of this deal. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your little festival.”

With his words bringing the chance to postpone my decision, I awaken from the dream, torn between two choices.

“Wah—oh…”

After throwing such a bombshell at me, how on earth am I supposed to enjoy a festival?