Tsukatsuki Rion. If one were to put it nicely, she would be a saint with a heart that cares for everyone.
Realistically speaking, though, she’s a capable individual who firmly believes that her judgment is infallible, acting like a lone wolf.
Although she claims to care for everyone, she possesses a cold genius capable of enacting the concept of ‘sacrificing the cow for the sake of the herd.’
Unlike the hypocrites who exclude their own sacrifice while preaching for the greater good, Rion is the real deal, willing to sacrifice even herself if necessary.
In contrast to the original story, Rion and Aris successfully built a certain camaraderie, and surely Rion’s perception of Aris must have changed.
…It must have, right?
But why does our Rion keep exuding this suspicious vibe as if she’s plotting something? Honestly…
Upon arriving at the Millennium airport, I immediately left a message for Rion and Neru that I had arrived.
Neru quickly replied that she had roughly grasped my location, and Rion informed me that someone she sent was waiting at the airport entrance, so I could head that way.
Taking a bit of a leisurely detour, I bought two cans of zero sugar drink called “Cutting Belly” from the convenience store, and headed to the airport entrance.
And upon arriving there, I was about to meet someone I had half-expected.
“Nice to meet you, Ma’am. I am Asuma Toki, the President’s bodyguard and secretary.”
“…Ma’am?”
“Currently the leader of the T-party, Misono Mika, a third-year student of Trinity General Academy. In case the President isn’t able to give me orders, she said to follow your directives. Thus, I used the same title as the President… Should I correct that?”
The girl in a maid outfit tilted her head and asked me. As the fifth member of C&C and Rion’s right-hand woman, she had successfully thrown me off by addressing me like Rion.
“Personally, I’d prefer if you called me casually…”
“I’m comfortable with this, so it’s fine, Ma’am.”
…That’s not comfortable for me! ‘Ma’am’ makes me sound ancient!
For someone who is a forever 17-year-old high school girl, it’s an excessively burdensome title—
Wait a minute. If I’m eternally 17, does that mean I have to host the T-party for life?
But if I correct my age up to 18, then I’m an adult and no longer a high school girl…
For a brief moment, I found myself trapped in this dilemma, but I quickly shoved those thoughts aside. That’s not what’s important right now. Yup.
“Here, take this.”
“Eating during operations is not advisable.”
Heueng…
Toki glanced at the drink can I presented and politely refused, but her gaze was honest.
It was clear what that glance toward the can in my hand meant.
“Well then, what if I ordered you to drink this?”
“I am still in the position of receiving the President’s orders, so your command would not be valid, Ma’am.”
My plan to subtly get her to take it by mentioning orders backfired.
“Aha, is that so? Well then…”
If slipping it to her isn’t working, I’ll just force it on her.
With that thought, I stepped closer to Toki and forcibly placed the drink can into her hands.
“Drink it after the operation is over☆”
As I smiled while saying this, Toki wore a confused expression, but eventually nodded slowly.
“I shall guide you to where the President is waiting. Please, this way.”
Following after Toki, who started walking ahead, I discreetly observed the surroundings. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical if Neru could follow without being detected.
But strangely enough, I couldn’t even spot the end of Neru’s sukajan. After discreetly inquiring through Momotalk, I received a reply confirming that she was following me. My doubts vanished in an instant.
No matter how you look at it, C&C is indeed C&C.
Where Toki led me, a black sedan with a rather unremarkable avant-garde design was parked. I wondered if Neru could keep up.
When I subtly asked through Momotalk, I received a reply saying there was no problem. I wasn’t sure how she’d catch up, but it was a relief she seemed confident.
“Please, get in.”
Toki very naturally, with an air of familiarity, opened the door for me to the back seat.
And I accepted it, as if it was something I was used to, and got into the back seat.
Being treated like a princess… Well, I’m used to it…
Once Toki took the driver’s seat, the engine started immediately. I honestly thought the car would be self-driving until we set off, but it turned out that Toki was driving it herself. How unusual.
“…”
I spent a moment pondering what to say to Toki.
Firstly, I decided not to stir up any suspicion by unnecessarily bringing up the current situation.
“Toki-chan, does Rion treat you well usually?”
“…That’s a somewhat difficult question to interpret, but if I were to answer, I would say yes.”
“Hehe…”
Since I had been Rion’s dedicated secretary and bodyguard, I felt a bit sorry for Toki, who had had little interaction with others. Still, it was somewhat a relief to hear that Rion treated her well.
“Ma’am, I have one question.”
Suddenly, Toki spoke up, and I had no idea what she might want to ask me.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Recently, I overheard the President mumbling in her sleep, saying ‘Mika, don’t go there…’”
“…Huh?”
“I wanted to ask if you have any idea what that might mean.”
“Uhm…? Not at all. Nope, I have no clue.”
What was that about? Did I somehow tell her to avoid going somewhere in a dream?
Could it be that it was the sort of thing I just thought for an instant? It wouldn’t be like Rion of all people…
It can’t be, right…?
*
As Toki began driving, some time passed, and soon it was nearing early evening, well past late afternoon.
No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t looking like we were heading to the Millennium campus.
It seemed my uneasy premonition was about to come true.
Accordingly, I called Nagisa-chan. After some sudden circumstances arose, it was better to convey that I wouldn’t make it home on time through a phone call rather than Momotalk.
It seemed somewhat unfair to merely send a few lines of text back to Nagisa, who was always expecting my warmth. So I should at least let her hear my voice.
…By the way, I wonder if Neru is following me well. I sent a message through Momotalk, but she hasn’t read it. Is she too busy tailing me to check it?
“We’re almost there, Ma’am.”
“Ugh, it took longer than I thought.”
Having heard Toki’s words, I stretched and turned my gaze out the window.
An hour had already passed.
“Didn’t you say we were here?”
“Very soon, truly.”
Another hour passed.
“…”
“We’ve arrived.”
What is this, does Toki have Korean blood in her? She seems to be well-acquainted with Korean time.
Fortunately, it seemed we had genuinely reached our destination this time. After passing through a tunnel whose starting point I couldn’t discern, a somewhat predictable urban landscape greeted us.
Buildings with somewhat avant-garde designs crowded together, surrounded by a massive wall.
This was undoubtedly the fortress city of Eridu.
“Right here.”
After much more travel, Toki, who opened the car door first, naturally opened the door for me to get out of the back seat as well.
The air of Eridu felt unbelievably clear, to the point of absurdity.
“The President is waiting here at the Central Tower. Please follow me.”
Nodding, I silently followed Toki as she walked ahead.
In the end, Rion, you did succeed in completing Eridu.
Eridu was one of the preparations Rion made to prepare for destruction. She had even built safe houses throughout the Millennium, deeply loving it, though she didn’t show it overtly.
Rion, who wasn’t just carving out a path for herself but for everyone, seemed impressive in some way, yet… embezzlement is quite a lot.
With her level of intelligence, no matter how astronomical the amount of money is, couldn’t she have found a way to raise the necessary funds without resorting to embezzlement?
But then I thought again, that path probably wouldn’t be rational from Rion’s perspective.
Wouldn’t she be too busy preparing for annihilation to waste time personally raising funds for it? That’s an absolutely irrational choice, and Rion would hardly make such a decision.
Once inside the Central Tower with Toki, as we boarded the elevator, it started moving upward at an astonishing speed and reached the top floor in the blink of an eye.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
Toki, bowing slightly to me, seemed to hurry off somewhere, but my gaze had already shifted away from her.
Beyond the massive glass window, I absorbed the view of the city she had built.
Clack clack.
The sound of my footsteps, which I usually didn’t notice at all, echoed loudly in this quiet space.
Rion, who surely heard them, didn’t even bother to turn her head, seemingly ignoring me as she continued gazing out the window.
By the time I reached right behind her,
“…Hah.”
Rion suddenly let out a deep sigh.
Then, slowly, she opened her mouth.
“Mika… come here and stand beside me.”
The words came out commanding, yet it suited Rion perfectly.
Even if the emotions underlying it were somewhat different, her assertive demeanor suited her better than anything else.
As I approached her side, I looked down at Eridu from Rion’s eye level.
“…It’s avant-garde.”
I couldn’t help but blurt it out, and though Rion didn’t respond, the slight twitch of her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth was enough of an answer.
