The Student Council President, along with the Student Council President of Odyssey—essentially a person who holds the position referred to as Admiral over there—was joined in a three-way meeting.
Ah, so it’s a meeting of four including Wakamo.
Of course, they agreed to conduct this via video call considering everyone’s circumstances. Honestly, it was a welcome suggestion for me as well—it’s better than coming all the way to D.U. then returning to the festival.
[I’ve heard you had a tough night, T-party Host.]
“Hmm, well, running around on-site suits me fine. If there’s any hardship, it mostly stems from different factors altogether. And, Admiral Mitsurugi…? I sincerely apologize for the tragedy that occurred aboard the Nereus.”
[Ah, no?! It’s not your fault! The confusion arose from our fleet’s responsibility for responding sluggishly despite warnings, so please, do not bow your head. It’s us who should be apologizing to you, T-party Host.]
“Honestly, even if I say you responded actively, the outcome wouldn’t have changed… Uh, I’m sorry! Because of my foolish actions, I almost caused substantial losses to your academy, resulting in unforgivable consequences! I have no words, even if I had a hundred mouths!”
As my hand moved toward Wakamo, who was babbling freely, she instinctively bowed her head and began to apologize courteously to Odyssey’s Admiral.
Really, it’s a scene I can’t adapt to at all. This is so far from the Wakamo I know.
This seemed shocking to both the Student Council President and Odyssey’s Admiral; both were momentarily at a loss for words.
[Wait… Are you saying that young lady is the infamous Reikubyō no Yū, Kosaka Wakamo?]
Ah, now that I think about it. They’re just flustered because they don’t recognize Wakamo’s plain face.
“I’m sorry to say, but… yes, that’s right.”
[Somehow, you seem quite different from what I imagined… First, I trust you understand that this situation is not something that can be resolved with mere apologies, Ms. Kosaka.]
“In terms of reflection… I can’t put it into words succinctly, but I’ve certainly realized through last night’s experience how risky my impulsive behavior can lead to terrible consequences.”
With her hand over her heart, Wakamo sincerely shares what she feels and has learned. Her droopy fox ears and unshaken gaze seem to convey authenticity in her words.
“I cannot assure you that I can erase the image of being scorned by people overnight, but I can confidently say in front of you that I will try to live with a slightly different attitude from now on. This change should, of course, start with receiving forgiveness from those I’ve troubled.”
[…This is interesting. From the Hakgwiyaeng Union Academy, first-year student Ms. Kosaka Wakamo. Are you aware that before you seek forgiveness from them, there’s a price to be paid for your actions?]
The Student Council President seems amused by the situation, smiling as they slowly put pressure on Wakamo. By the way, calling Wakamo a first-year seems like a deliberate provocation, doesn’t it?
“I’m not unaware of that, Student Council President. However, I have no desire to appear when their wounds have begun to heal, just to stir the embers of repressed anger or to seek half-hearted forgiveness while they are still simmering.”
Wakamo’s response to the Student Council President’s pressure feels somewhat surprising. It usually takes guts to try to insert yourself during the hottest times of anger.
It’s not by chance that you typically hear “cool your head” when mediating conflicts. With irrational opponents, communication itself becomes impossible. It’s like sticking your hand in a boiling pot.
Wakamo is saying she intends to confront such people directly. It’s a choice with no finesse at all. Yet through this, I can understand how seriously Wakamo is taking this matter.
[Now, if I were to ask the T-party Host to assist in incarcerating you in the correctional facility right away, your say in this matter would vanish completely, wouldn’t it?]
“Oh my, if that situation arises, it would indeed be very troublesome… Unfortunately, the person next to me seems quite interested in my ‘rehabilitation.’ Perhaps they might respond less cooperatively to such a request?”
[Hmm… That’s true. The T-party Host has no concessions when it comes to what they believe is right. Let’s end this useless chatter here. I’m not sure how Ms. Kosaka intends to seek forgiveness from the students of the sunken Nereus, but… Ms. Kosaka, can I take your statement that after seeking forgiveness, you’ll be willing to pay the price for your past actions?]
“…Hehe. I’ll have to deny that part. Once I’ve received forgiveness, I’ll have other tasks to attend to.”
[Can that be termed rehabilitation? It sounds like you want to receive forgiveness this time only, and then continue living freely as you have before.]
Certainly, given what Wakamo has done in Kivotos, incarceration at the correctional facility is a given. Beyond the mere concept of seeking forgiveness, it’s hard to argue against the fact that she’s committed crimes that warrant immediate detention.
In that sense, if Wakamo talks about living freely as before, I might be rather disappointed in her.
“It’s misleading to say I want to live however I want as before. I just want to convey a little of my fiery passion to my beloved collaborators who have done their utmost to achieve their desires using me during this unfortunate incident. However, the only way I know is the way of the wicked person you all refer to as Reikubyō no Yū.”
No, what’s this? Drawing a line between who you were yesterday and who you are today like that sounds a bit uncool, doesn’t it? That phrase about being wicked too.
In fact, saying she’ll only terrorize Kaiser makes it quite tempting. Regardless of how much influence the three in this room can impose on Kaiser, the notion of Wakamo’s private revenge is quite appealing.
Thinking of limiting the targets of her wrath to those despicable tin cans makes Wakamo seem like a righteous terrorist reminiscent of Hong Gildong or Robin Hood, doesn’t it?
Of course, this is intricately linked to how it’s hard to deny she won’t let go of her destructive tendencies. It’s hard to refute that she’s far from rehabilitation.
[I am in favor.]
“Wah—Oh?”
[…Oh my, Admiral Mitsurugi?]
Unexpectedly, it was Odyssey’s Admiral who expressed support for Wakamo’s wishes. Wakamo seemed a bit surprised, her ears pricking up.
[Simply expressing your will to explicitly seek forgiveness from the crew of the Nereus is sufficient reason for us to support Ms. Kosaka’s private revenge. Given that you have been used by the Kaiser Corporation, you now have a common enemy, don’t you?]
[Admiral, you are discussing dangerous ideologies. It’s not particularly good for a Student Council President to support private vengeance and terrorism contrary to the Student Council’s intentions.]
[Student Council President, had the worst-case scenario from last night occurred, our Odyssey faction would have faced an unprecedented casualty count of up to 684. Please understand how much patience I am demonstrating by not declaring war on Kaiser right now.]
“Hmm. On this matter, I can’t help but agree with Admiral Mitsurugi. If this incident gains traction, it’s a sure thing that anti-Kaiser sentiment will form at least within Trinity. If I don’t take proactive steps on my end, I might face political backlash. It wouldn’t be acceptable to just sit idly when the source of a terrorist attack on our autonomous district has been revealed. Gehenna would likely feel the same, and with their cooperation factored in, there’s a good chance we could achieve our goals without going to war.”
Also, getting Gehenna’s support should be easier than expected. It would be unreasonable for Hina to refuse cooperation in this matter, and I’ve figured out how to nudge Makoto into action the way I want. Just playing the sycophant while touching their pride is sure to yield a quick response.
“Oh right. Still, I’m firmly against private revenge. I want Wakamo to pay for every crime she’s committed and to live life as an ordinary student again. Yup. I don’t know what Wakamo thinks about it, but that’s what I hope for.”
[…I understand the intentions of all three of you. Now shall we take a short break of about five minutes before continuing this discussion?]
[Though, we still haven’t gotten a clear statement of your intentions, Student Council President.]
[I’ll address that shortly. You must understand this matter isn’t as simple as it seems, so I kindly ask for your patience.]
A brief intermission was declared, and the Student Council President vanished from the screen. Is there some reason behind this?
On Odyssey’s Admiral’s end, they seemed to be giving instructions to the people while muting the microphone. They are likely doing their utmost to explore ways to apply pressure to Kaiser.
The problem is that the Student Council President’s active cooperation will be an absolute necessity in that. However, the negative reaction towards supporting private terror comes from the position of being in the Student Council; they shouldn’t condone much less endorse criminal acts.
This situation itself is likely a rather welcome opportunity for the Student Council President, allowing them to press down hard on Kaiser. In Kivotos, the Kaiser group has become an absolutely essential but overly bloated necessary evil.
The justification is solid. Moreover, the full cooperation of the three academies is something to consider as well. If they appear passive in such a context… then I might just need to revise my assessment of the Student Council President a bit.
