Even though I told myself I had already made up my mind, when the moment came to actually make the decision, hesitation still crept in.
I really am still far from becoming the kind of adult every student can place their trust in.
We passed beneath the triumphal arch, followed a maze of dizzying forks in the road, hurried onward while staying alert to our surroundings, then climbed up and down steep rocky cliffs.
After such a long and arduous journey, one that made me seriously question what Arius meant by "it's just ahead," we climbed a ladder tucked into the corner of a narrow passage. Azusa, who was in the best condition and leading the way, pushed open the hidden hatch above us.
A moment later, a dim light from somewhere beyond spilled down through the opening, quickly widening.
"It's clear. You can come up."
Azusa, who had gone ahead to scout, called down.
I took her hand, climbed out through the hatch, and stepped onto a floor blanketed in dust.
We were inside a crude, dilapidated building. Looking out through a window where the brick wall had been built with an opening but never fitted with glass, all I could see was a desolate landscape.
"So... this is the Arius Satellite School?"
I couldn't help asking.
Azusa, who seemed to have put aside past grievances and had just offered her former teammates the same help she'd given me, exchanged a few more words with Saori, who had been covering the rear. Then, hearing my murmur, she replied,
"This is the old site."
"The old site?"
Misaki nodded.
"Yeah. The real school is farther ahead. But now that they've realized we're on our way, there's no way they'll let us get close so easily."
Hiyori looked around at the surroundings, her expression tinged with nostalgia.
"This used to be the training grounds."
"The training grounds?"
I asked.
Misaki answered,
"It was originally a ruin, but after the civil war ended, it was repurposed as a training ground."
I knew almost nothing about the history of Arius after it was cast out.
I was reminded of that fact once again.
"By civil war, you mean...?"
"About ten years ago, the Arius Satellite School split into two factions, and a war broke out. Every Arius student around our age knows about it."
So Beatrice had seized control of Arius as a result of that war?
As I continued asking questions, the girls' expressions all turned uneasy.
Judging by their ages, they had all been very young back then.
The experience had probably left scars that would never fade.
And afterward, they had been raised as tools of war.
The thought left me unable to suppress a sigh.
"I..."
At that moment, Hiyori suddenly spoke.
"I still remember... the first time I met Azusa-chan was here..."
The white-haired girl who had been mentioned instinctively glanced at me before nodding.
"...Yeah. Back then, I refused to obey orders. Saori protected me from that woman's lackeys, so my halo wasn't destroyed. She also taught me how to fight. I..."
Perhaps having learned the importance of honestly expressing her feelings from everything that had happened over the past few days, Azusa hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"The truth is... I've always treasured the time we spent together. Saori, everyone... I've always thought of you... as wonderful companions. I wanted to say... thank you."
Awkwardly but sincerely, she extended an olive branch to the rest of the squad.
Yet even at the very end, she stubbornly lifted her chin and added,
"Of course, if the same thing happened again, I would make the same choice. I would still do everything in my power to stop you. Until Sensei and everyone else who suffered because of the Eden Treaty Incident have formally forgiven you, I will never apologize for using the halo-destroying bomb on Saori and Atsuko. Back then... I truly went into it prepared to kill you."
The warmth that had just begun to fill the air immediately became tinged with something more complicated.
Misaki and Hiyori exchanged glances.
Misaki let out a helpless sigh, while Hiyori laughed.
"Ehehe... Azusa, Azusa-chan... you're still just as stubborn... But yeah, that's exactly the Azusa-chan I remember. Even after being beaten black and blue, you'd never give in..."
"...Rather than talking about sentimental things like this, let's save it until after the mission."
Misaki calmly turned to Saori.
"Even with Sensei helping us, there's no way the few of us can fight the entire school and that woman. How are we supposed to rescue the Princess?"
However, several seconds passed without any reply.
Only then did I notice that Saori's tightly drawn face had somehow become bright red.
Looking more closely, her eyes had lost focus, and she looked to be in terrible shape. Thinking back, she hadn't spoken a single word for quite some time.
"...Leader?"
The questioning call seemed to become the final straw.
Saori tried to answer, but her legs suddenly gave way. She collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
Everyone hurried over to check on her.
Only then did we realize that her forehead was burning hot.
She had a severe fever.
"...Ever since the failure of the Eden Treaty operation, the leader hasn't had any proper rest."
Misaki said,
"She's been carrying injuries on top of sleep deprivation and exhaustion... Even if she forced herself through it with sheer willpower, she's about reached her limit."
At a time like this, should I be amazed by the absurd physical resilience of Kivotos students?
Somehow, I wasn't even surprised anymore.
"Ah, r-right!"
Hiyori, her face full of concern, suddenly remembered something. She set down the huge bag she had been carrying on her back and frantically rummaged through it before pulling out several crumpled medicine boxes from the very bottom.
Smiling brightly, the green-haired girl proudly announced,
"Th-this was what Sensei gave me the very first time we met! I already used all the fever medicine on Misaki..."
The black-haired girl instinctively looked over. Our eyes met, and she immediately looked away as if nothing had happened, absentmindedly scratching at the bandage wrapped around her neck.
"B-but!"
Hiyori said happily,
"There's still cold medicine left...! Once the leader takes it, she'll definitely get better!"
"Hm? Sensei gave it to you?"
Azusa gave me that strange, unreadable look again.
"...Forget it. We can talk about that later. We should give Saori the medicine first."
"...Cold medicine doesn't work on a fever. It might even have the opposite effect."
I replied helplessly, seriously questioning Arius's education in this regard.
Besides, even if it were the right medicine, a fever wouldn't disappear the moment someone took it.
And right now, every second mattered.
"Normally... how long would it take to recover again...?"
After thinking for a moment, I clicked my tongue and stopped worrying about it.
"Forget it. Three days should do."
Then I took out a syringe needle I had prepared beforehand and pricked the tip of my index finger.
A bead of crimson blood welled up.
Ignoring the startled cries from those around me, I slipped my finger into Saori's mouth and endured the oddly uncomfortable sensation as I let her instinctively suck on it.
This was simply to make sure our fighting strength didn't diminish before the final battle against Beatrice.
After all, at least for now, we were fighting on the same side.