“Alright, show me! Teacher. Show me the price you’ve paid until now, the power! Respond with all your strength to my work…!”
*
An Adult’s Card. A weapon unique to the teacher that unleashes unfathomable power, known only through paying with one’s life and time.
The moment the teacher used it, Sorasaki Hina felt something within her unravel.
What should it be called?
A sense of liberation as if the restrictions binding her essence had vanished? A feeling of fulfillment as if she had regained something lost?
Or perhaps, a sense of omnipotence as if she had transformed into a being close to perfection, capable of achieving anything she desired?
In truth, which it was didn’t matter that much. Such trivialities didn’t even register in Hina’s interests.
At this moment, what compelled her was solely the will to remove that unpleasant creation blocking her way to Mika.
Thus, Hina pulled the trigger.
It was a movement no different from usual,
Ping—! Toodoodoodoo!!!
It produced a sound of gunfire indistinguishable from the norm, and traced a trajectory that reached Jeronimus just like any other day.
And while this process seemed ordinary at first glance, the results were anything but mundane.
Jeronimus’ celestial robe, perhaps thought to be resilient to the students’ attacks, was ripped apart in an instant and began to be stained with red.
Goooh—!
Jeronimus let out a ghastly scream, dropping the staff he held and writhing in pain. Nonetheless, coolly reloading, Hina resumed her firing without a word.
A monster born from the doctrine guiding all saints was collapsing helplessly before someone once revered as an object of faith but now degraded to a devil.
Ooooh—!
Just when it seemed everything might end like this, Jeronimus raised both arms. With that, the wings that spread wide began to disperse the same nebula again.
Seeing Jeronimus about to unleash his final struggle with the shards of divinity granted to him, Hina frowned. Suddenly, Jeronimus’ massive form staggered.
The cause was none other than the support of other students.
Under the teacher’s orders, believing there was a solution in the only purple lantern that seemed destructible, Wakamo, Arius Squad, and the newly joined members of the Justice Realization Department all opened fire in unison. As a result, they managed to destroy the lantern by a hair’s breadth.
No one in the venue knew what consequences destroying that lantern would bring. However, merely seeing Jeronimus appear to be taking hits greater than Hina’s shots confirmed that it had been the right judgment.
Thus, as Jeronimus finally knelt down, Hina felt the omnipotence enveloping her fade away.
“…This is the Adult’s Card.”
With a somewhat wistful expression, Hina turned her gaze from her hands to the teacher. She then bowed her head towards the teacher, who returned her gaze.
And then she stepped forward.
“Hina…?”
“…Now I must go retrieve the kidnapped princess.”
As Hina said this, she suddenly stopped while passing by Maestro, who had appeared out of nowhere. And without saying a word, she shot him a sidelong glare.
“Where is Mika?”
“…”
“Answer me.”
“How rude. I thought you might be tolerable among the students of Kivotos.”
At Hina’s urging, Maestro tilted his head, apparently displeased.
“Do you think I care about others’ evaluations? Answer me, Maestro. Where is Mika right now—”
“Heh heh. How about you both stop right there?”
“…Who are you?”
“The important thing for you right now shouldn’t be that. Cheonsang-ui Mikael, she is beyond there.”
After hearing the response from the black suit who appeared out of nowhere, Hina passed by the two without any hesitation and moved forward.
One by one, students who had been disengaged from the battle combined with those who fought until the end began to gather. The teacher and Nagisa approached the black suit.
“…What did you promise in exchange for helping Misa?”
“Hmm. I understand your doubts, but it seems a bit… necessary to correct some misunderstandings. Her divinity was obtained as payment for a transaction made quite some time ago by Maestro, not me. And that is not infinite.”
“This mystic, one of the few of its kind in Kivotos, has seen significant progress in interpretation, yet my Mimesis could not perfectly reproduce it. Quite regrettable.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“It’s not like I received anything truly grand. I merely gained an opportunity to study the ancient teachings of the Trinity, sleeping beneath this High Cathedral. She granted that to Gematria.”
For a brief moment, Nagisa lowered her gaze, surveying the quickly dissipating remains of Jeronimus before returning.
So, the creature they had just fought was indeed the result of a deal Mika made to restore the true Mika. Moreover, it was a chance that might not end here.
Nagisa’s insides boiled with anger. She didn’t expect Mika to open up everything to her, but still, this kind of thing should have been hinted at.
‘…What does it mean to be her sole understanding?’
Taking a small breath, Nagisa suppressed her anger.
Yeah, Mika must have her own reasons. It wasn’t like she would deliberately hide such important matters from them.
In fact, Mika just wanted to avoid getting entangled in anything with the black suit, so she had some valid arguments to make.
“Once today’s ruckus dies down, we’ll have to clear this place, but since I’ve already wrapped up the interpretation of the teachings, it seems there’s more gain than loss here. Heh heh. Jeronimus, with sufficient preparation, could easily be recreated again.”
“…”
“Oh, Teacher. There’s no need to wear such a worried expression. Even if Jeronimus were to be recreated, the completed work from just now would not be reborn. This means you won’t need to bear any unnecessary burdens.”
The black suit, trying to reassure the teacher that he wouldn’t have to excessively misuse the Adult’s Card, disregarded the gazes of the students. Essentially, he found no value beyond mystic research from the students.
Thus, whether they hated him or pointed their guns at him was trivial. A scientist caring about the thoughts of test subjects is not something anywhere to be found.
“Oh, I see. I almost forgot to mention, I witnessed something good. I express my gratitude. There’s no doubt a question of whether it was worth that much, but… what of it. Heh heh.”
“The same goes for you, Teacher. My gratitude for responding with all your strength to my work and my reverence. You are fundamentally different from that imbecile who presumptuously called himself an adult.”
The sight of those who had just gritted their teeth fighting the monster pouring praises on the teacher invoked a sense of incredulity among the students. An outsider would assume they shared a deep bond, one of friendship.
And at that moment, Noah, who had approached Hina and supported each other with Haruna, casually threw a question.
“So, what exactly was the nature of that transaction with Misa? It seems Nagisa already has a clue.”
“…Hmm.”
The teacher felt he couldn’t ignore that part after hearing Noah’s words. After all, it was Mika who had drawn everyone to this place.
“That is…”
But Nagisa hesitated. She didn’t want to speak of significant secrets without Mika’s permission.
“That transaction likely originates from the fact that everyone here knows Mika… the real Mika is not who she appears to be.”
“…Hina?!”
Cutting through Nagisa’s hesitation was Hina, who returned cradling the still unconscious Mika.
Despite their size difference creating an awkward yet cute image, Hina’s expression was icy. Stimulating the curiosity of everyone with her ambiguous answer, she directed her gaze demanding a response towards the black suit.
“What exactly did you do to Mika?”
“Oh, considering you know the truth, you must have already guessed. It’s simple, Sorasaki Hina. It’s a preparation for what she desires.”
“…So it was as I thought. Then what I saw was—”
“Sometimes it’s quite common for a rolling stone to clear away one that’s stuck. Heh heh.”
“Mika is not the kind of person to do something like that out of selfishness.”
“That is true, but in reality, it isn’t very important. It seems pointless for me to tell you the answer anyway. After all, once she awakens, she will naturally know everything.”
“Enough, black suit.”
“Ah, yes. We should probably move soon. Although I need to ensure I collect everything first.”
“And… Teacher. I will come to find you again in a different place, with different works.”
“Wait. Who gave you the right—”
As the two from Gematria started to leave, multiple guns were aimed at them. Arius Squad, Wakamo, and even Ichika and two members from the Justice Realization Department all raised their weapons.
“Right now, the important thing is to move Mika to a safe location. We can discuss the details… after that.”
Upon hearing the teacher’s words, the students lowered their weapons one by one after much hesitation. Particularly, Saori and Atsuko, recalling unpleasant memories, were forced to hover their fingers over the triggers till the end.
Observing the students, who lowered their arms after an internal conflict, the teacher gave a small nod.
Something close to instinct was telling him that he should not antagonize Gematria’s two right now.
