"...To be honest, I thought I'd never get a second chance... But if this is fate..."
After I told her that I would convince Seia to forgive her and accompany her to the hearing, the girl sitting beside me lowered her head. Her long pink hair concealed her tear-filled eyes as she murmured softly,
"Maybe I really am a princess imprisoned in a tower... And Sensei, who's never given up on me, is... Ah, n-never mind...!"
Thinking back to how Mika had become so happy that she started babbling complete nonsense before hurriedly trying to cover it up, then comparing it to how sincerely Seia was now lamenting everything Mika had gone through, I couldn't help but be moved by the genuine bond between them.
Unfortunately, it would probably end up changing because of me, becoming tainted with a touch of intrigue and rivalry.
"...She probably thinks the greatest victim of her crimes is me."
Seia sighed.
"What a fool... Spoiled, impulsive, greedy, and always ending up hurting herself from time to time. She's perfectly suited to play the role of an arrogant, overbearing villainess in a fairy tale."
"Unfortunately..."
I said with a sigh,
"Reality isn't a fairy tale. If you act according to that kind of logic, sooner or later you'll be deceived and forced to pay the price."
The moment I finished speaking, I frowned.
A faint phantom pain suddenly spread through my side. (Invisible [1]song plays softly)
...Wait.
Didn't I just accidentally include myself in that statement?
["Heh. Exalting himself above all, believing himself superior to... everyone called a god or worshipped by others, even... within the sanctuary..."]
The madman's ramblings echoed once more.
It was the same cold female voice, though this time carrying a trace of mockery. For some reason, halfway through, a sound like soft laughter interrupted it, obscuring part of the sentence.
...Yep.
The credit card was definitely bugged.
If it had worked properly and revealed all of Arius Squad's Authorities from the start, things never would have turned out like this.
"And so, just like the subject of a fable, Mika became someone foolish."
Seia paused.
"But... if there's even a sliver of salvation for her... it's probably that I survived. At least because of that, she didn't become a murderer."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What about the fact that I kept going to visit and look after her?"
"...Huh?"
Seia blinked before instinctively objecting.
"Sensei... Setting aside how important you are to her now... did you actually visit Mika that many times?"
What was that supposed to mean!?
Even if I hadn't gone in person, and she'd figured it out long ago, didn't my feelings still get through to her!?
As I complained inwardly, Seia suddenly knitted her brows.
"...Wait."
"Could it be..."
"Since almost everyone around Mika had simply been flattering her all along, maybe she didn't actually care whether you visited or not. What mattered was that, even after everyone else abandoned her, you still treated her the same as before..."
"...Considering how strangely she behaves around you... that's actually possible..."
Huh?
That was... another way of looking at it?
After a brief moment of confusion, I immediately straightened up and nodded.
"That's right. It has to be that. Sigh... That pink-haired girl really is something."
"Hmm..."
Seia nodded thoughtfully.
"And Nagisa has also been caring for Mika in her own way all this time. The reason Mika has been able to endure what's practically become a living hell... is probably because those things still exist."
She concluded,
"In other words, my safety can indeed be considered one of Mika's emotional pillars."
As she said that, she let out another sigh.
"Even though I've never treated her gently... and she suffered because of my mistakes..."
"...Ah... That's right."
"We're not children anymore."
"And yet Mika and I have never once said 'I'm sorry' to each other."
"How shameful..."
After thinking for a moment, I tried to comfort her.
"Don't worry about it. Maybe that just means the two of you are still children... No, what I mean is, it's not too late yet."
Under Seia's icy stare, cold enough to send chills down my spine, I hurriedly corrected myself.
"You're right."
Her expression softened.
"In that case, I'll have Mika brought here right away."
"I'll talk with her... And tomorrow, I'll attend the hearing as well."
"The gravest charge against her is harming me. If I'm there as the victim myself, it should lessen her punishment, at least a little."
As she finished speaking, she rang the small bell beside her.
A Tea Party administrator immediately pushed open the door and entered cautiously.
"Y-You called for me, Seia-sama?"
"Sorry to trouble you."
The fox-eared girl smiled politely.
"I'd like to see Mika. Could you bring her here immediately?"
"Eh? Mika-sama?"
"I understand. I'll go confirm it with Nagisa-sama first."
"Thank you."
Seia hesitated before adding,
"And... please let them know I'd prefer to speak with Mika alone if possible."
"It would be rather embarrassing if other people were present..."
"Ah, of course, if Sensei happens to have time later..."
"Actually, that might be even better?"
As she spoke, she looked at me expectantly.
Although I was rather curious what she meant by "even better," considering Trinity's famously unique administrative efficiency, I regretfully replied,
"I'll pass."
"Mm. Then that's settled."
For some reason, the administrator's face had turned slightly red.
Seia smiled at her.
"I'll leave the rest to you."
"I-I understand! I'll confirm everything together!"
After giving a respectful bow, the administrator hurried out, leaving me no chance to stop her, even though I'd wanted to say something.
No.
More accurately, she'd lost the precious opportunity to walk part of the way with me.
Since everything I had come to accomplish was now finished, I said my farewell to Seia.
"Then I'll head over to Nagisa's place and give her the good news."
"Mhm..."
"Thank you, Sensei."
As she spoke, the exhaustion on Seia's face became even more apparent.
"Perfect timing..."
"I'm a little..."
"Sorry..."
"Just let me lie down for a while..."
Seeing that, I immediately stood up.
"I've already kept you talking for too long."
"Seia, get some proper rest."
"For tomorrow's hearing, don't have any more lucid dreams today."
"Good night. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Mhm... Alright..."
"Then, Sensei..."
"I'll excuse myself first..."
Seia closed her eyes.
Her voice grew faint.
"...Good night."
"Please take care of yourself..."
After leaving the infirmary, I went to the Tea Party once more and informed Nagisa, who was listening to a report from the same administrator I'd met earlier, of the good news that both Mika and Seia would be attending tomorrow's hearing.
Nagisa was delighted and wanted to thank me personally.
However, with official duties still waiting for her and her injuries limiting what she could do, I regretfully declined to accept more than her gratitude.
After that, I finished everything I had to do at Trinity for the day and returned to Schale.
[1] https://youtu.be/RoYXgdHafBA?si=pXvPCfn9rRTKL1Zx