On the broad avenue leading to the Millennium Tower.
I strode forward with my head held high, while behind me, Neru, carrying AL-1S on her back, seemed unusually low on energy.
As for Asuna, I had sent her to the Game Development Department to help me retrieve the phone I had left behind, the briefcase containing the Shittim Chest, and my shoes.
Also, if she happened to run into Momoi, Midori, or Yuzu, I asked her to pass along our safety to "Arisu." If she did not meet them, that was fine too. Once I got my phone back, I could do it myself.
"…Um."
At last.
I slowed my pace and turned my head slightly, looking at Neru beside me. Her face showed a rare trace of guilt.
"What is it?"
"I am really, sorry…"
Neru lowered her head and pressed her lips together. "If I had been more careful and cautious, this might not have happened."
For hot-tempered Neru to reflect on her own actions so seriously, it was obvious that I had already taken up a place in her heart.
"You said it yourself, it is only 'might,'" I shook my head and sighed. "You already made the wisest choice."
From a rational standpoint, that was an undeniable fact.
Kei detected the approaching enemy far too quickly, and made the decision to take me hostage far too decisively. Given the distance between us at the time, even Neru could not have stopped it in time.
And even with Neru's experience in carrying out missions, she had probably never encountered a hostage who required as much consideration as I did.
At least up to that point, the judgment of this Millennium ace had not contained a single mistake.
After a moment of silence, Neru gave a light nod, yet she still looked downcast.
"However,"
I shifted the topic. "If you run into a similar situation next time, when I tell you to act, do not hesitate."
This was Neru's one and only, and greatest, mistake tonight.
She cared about me.
But perhaps precisely because of that care, she was even more unable, at such a critical moment, to maintain trust in me.
Just like now, her face was filled with conflict, unable to give any proper response.
This was not unexpected. Even if I said this, even if she agreed against her true feelings, she would still be bound by her emotions.
In the end, it was because I was too weak. That was why I was someone who needed protection, rather than someone worthy of being entrusted with trust.
…Could this be the reason I had not cleared Neru's route, as well as that of many other students?
I felt a stir in my heart.
"…I'm sorry."
Neru's reply, exactly as I had expected, finally arrived, belatedly.
I glanced at her and said flatly, "It's fine."
After that, we traveled the rest of the way in silence.
Until Asuna brought over the personal belongings I had left behind in the Game Development Department club room, and told me that she had run into the Game Development Department midway and faithfully relayed my message.
As a reward, I patted my cute maid on the head.
"Hey! Why are you suddenly touching my head!?"
It seemed Neru had regained quite a bit of spirit. And although she complained verbally, her body offered no resistance at all.
As for Asuna, she simply went "Ehehehe" and laughed foolishly, even lowering her head on her own to make it easier for me, looking exactly like a loyal golden retriever.
I withdrew my hands from the heads of the two maids, took the shoes from Asuna and put them on, then took back my phone and the Shittim Chest.
With the briefcase in hand, and Arona's concerned voice, meant only for me, already close at hand, I finally felt completely at ease.
From now on, I absolutely could not let the Shittim Chest leave my reach again.
Next, I glanced at the messages I had received on MomoTalk, quickly replied, then put my phone away.
Looking up at the blonde, blue-eyed girl, I gave a slight nod.
"Asuna, thank you. You should go back and rest for today."
"Okay∼ Then, Master, see you next time∼ If you need any help, make sure you call me, alright? Make sure you call me, okay?"
"Mm, I know."
Having received my answer, she smiled in satisfaction and then skipped lightly away.
Neru, AL-1S, and I continued forward, soon entering the towering Millennium Tower that reached into the clouds.
We took the elevator straight to the top floor, pushed open the conference room door, and found Rio and Himari already waiting.
After clearly seeing the state of the conference room, my brow lifted slightly.
The two great leaders of Millennium, who usually advised others with calm composure, were now both wearing tense expressions, standing with their backs to each other, not speaking a word.
From the atmosphere in the room, heavy and frozen to the extreme, and the lingering anger on their beautiful faces, the two of them had clearly just had a fierce argument.
To clash at a time like this, it could only be about failing to protect my safety, blaming and taking it out on each other.
From this, it seemed that real students truly would be conquered by my charm.
Even someone as outstanding as Rio and Himari could not escape this predetermined fate.
"Sensei, you are here."
Rio spoke while looking into my eyes, then paused, her gaze dropping to the left side of my chest.
The place where I had just been directly struck by Kei.
She saw it.
"Please, have a seat."
Rio gestured for me to sit in the only empty chair, then looked at Neru behind me carrying AL-1S and frowned.
"Neru, take that thing outside and wait for a moment."
"No."
I spoke up, sat down, and met Rio's sharp gaze. "Let Neru stay."
And AL-1S as well.
Rio hesitated, but Himari suddenly spoke up.
"What is it? Is that not fine? You are not so gloomy and petty that you would even guard yourself against Neru, are you?"
As if ignoring Himari's provocation, Rio finally made her decision.
"…Neru, then you may stay and listen."
"Oh."
Answering simply, Neru, who had no objections at all, obediently carried the still-unconscious AL-1S and moved to stand by the wall.
"Sensei," Himari said softly, "may we ask you, as the person involved, to tell us from beginning to end what happened?"
The incident had happened far too suddenly, and ended far too quickly.
Because the surveillance cameras had been hacked by Kei, the most critical part of what occurred inside the Game Development Department club room was known only to me and Kei… and perhaps AL-1S as well.
So I told Rio and Himari everything in full detail, excluding only the Shittim Chest and the card, although the matter of AL-1S asking me for a goodnight kiss was added.
After hearing it, both Rio and Himari fell into deep thought.
Only Neru, after hearing the very beginning, stared at AL-1S in shock, her face flushed bright red.
It could only be said that Neru was indeed like this, her focus somewhat different from ours.
"'Princess,' huh…"
Rio closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only cold sharpness remained.
"After reviewing a large amount of related material, my conjecture has finally been confirmed."
She looked at the unconscious AL-1S. "AL-1S, whom the Game Development Department named 'Arisu,' is precisely the commander of the 'Incomprehensible Army,' an ancient relic enshrined by the [Nameless Priest] who worships the [Nameless God], a legacy left behind by the ancient people. Its name is…
"The Princess of the Nameless Gods, AL-1S."
After saying this, Rio turned to Himari. "You reached the same conclusion as well, did you not?"
"…Hehe."
Himari shook her head regretfully and gave a wry smile, tacitly acknowledging Rio's statement.
Legacy, the Nameless God, the Nameless Priest.
I silently repeated these words, engraving them deep in my heart along with Kei's mocking, icy gaze.
"Sensei, having been harmed, you should also understand by now what kind of existence this thing with the appearance of a young girl truly is."
The chairwoman of the Seminar took a deep breath. "With what we have observed so far, it is already completely sufficient. There is no need to continue. Next, just as originally planned, let us deal with it thoroughly as soon as possible."
"Wait a moment, by deal with it, you mean…?"
Neru could not help but interject.
"Exactly what it sounds like," Himari said quietly. "Disassemble, erase, eliminate… or rather, to use the term your C&C are most familiar with."
The white-haired girl let out a soft sigh. "Cleanup."
After a brief silence.
"Huh!?"
Neru let out a loud cry that made Rio frown.
"Hold on, why? Even though I still cannot fully understand the situation… this little thing was clearly being controlled by something, right? Does it really need to go this far?"
"…This is exactly why I did not want you to sit in on this, Neru."
Rio spoke as if she had expected this. "You are far too emotional. Perhaps you are right, but have you ever considered that the so-called 'Kei' might have been an image performed by 'AL-1S' from the very beginning?"
"Th-that is… how could…"
Neru's expression turned ugly as she muttered, "Th-that is not likely… I've fought both of them…"
"You cannot guarantee that it was not the case."
Neru hesitated, seemingly trying to refute it, but in the end, she fell silent.
Rio let out a light sigh. "Even if 'Kei' and 'AL-1S' truly are two different AIs, it does not change the fact that, as the Princess of the Nameless Gods, it will bring about the end of Kivotos."
The end? AL-1S?
"Huh?" Neru was dumbfounded. "Is it really that exaggerated?"
I could not help but feel the same way.
"Well, that is how it is recorded in the texts, but there are probably inaccuracies or exaggerations mixed in, right?"
Himari hesitated for a moment and tried to persuade her. "Rio, actually, I think we could still…"
However, before she could finish, her words were drowned out by a furious shout.
"Shut up!"
Rio slammed the table and glared at Himari. "It has already shown that it is dangerous. This time, if not for the Sensei having a trump card, without a halo, unlike us, he would already be dead!"
She raised her hand and pointed at AL-1S in the corner, her voice thunderous. "Do you even understand! It is not a student, just a machine, and a murderer that nearly killed Sensei!"
Bang! Rio slammed the table again. Around her already bloodshot pupils, even the whites of her eyes took on a faint red from excessive agitation.
"Observe it for a while longer? Do not joke with me! Have you ever thought about how Sensei, who was almost killed, feels! Usually it would be one thing, but at this point, how can you still say something so irresponsible!?"
This time, Himari, who usually had the upper hand in their verbal sparring, was completely suppressed, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.
Himari pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze, looking especially pitiful.
But that posture only made Rio's anger burn even hotter.
"You really…"
Perhaps for the first time in her life being this enraged, Rio seemed ready to press the attack further.
"Rio. Stop for a moment." I interrupted.
"…Sorry."
Rio took some time to calm her heaving chest, her voice slightly hoarse. "That is all I have to say. Next, Sensei, as the direct victim, please state your thoughts."
"Mm."
I nodded, scanning the room and meeting the girls' gazes, each filled with different emotions.
I knew they were all waiting for me to make the final decision.
Whether Himari or Neru, both carried a considerable amount of emotion in how to handle AL-1S.
Believing AL-1S was merely being controlled, believing there were gentler methods, believing it would not truly destroy the world as described in the texts…
But compared to their personal thoughts, in this matter, they would respect me more.
They respected my position, my character, and my judgment.
And so, the authority to decide AL-1S's fate had already fallen into my hands.
I silently stood up, walked to the machine, reached out and lifted its chin, examining its sleeping face, no different from a human's, delicate, sweet, and utterly defenseless.
As long as I made the decision, both Arisu and Kei, which had killed me once, would completely disappear from this world.
"Sensei," Rio stated behind me, "just as I said before, it is merely a machine, and does not possess human emotions."
I knew that. The ELIZA effect. I had specifically looked it up after returning.
In interactions with computer programs, people always subconsciously interpret their behavior as expressions of humanity, thus creating unnecessary misunderstandings.
Even if AL-1S called me Sensei, could something that could not be cleared by me truly be called my student?
Setting aside emotion and thinking purely from a rational standpoint, there was only one answer—
"For now, it's not urgent."
"…What?"
I turned around and repeated to the Seminar President, who wore a shocked expression. "I said, for now, it is not urgent. We can continue observing it for a while."
Rio's expression quickly returned to her usual composure, but within her low tone, it was like a volcano gathering force.
"Sensei, are you serious?"
"Of course I am serious."
"…Is that so? Forgiving the culprit who nearly killed you, betting your own safety and that of all Kivotos on a possibility… Sensei."
Rio's tone was icy to the extreme. "Where exactly do you intend to place your responsibility? Naive and foolish to such a hopeless degree, heh, how laughable. I truly did not expect that you would be this kind of person…"
"Tsukatsuki Rio," I called the girl by her full name, my tone perfectly calm. "That is enough."