Nagisa, leisurely sipping her tea, subtly furrowed her beautiful brow. Her tightly closed lips slowly parted.
“Yurizono Seiya, where are you going?”
“…Nagisa, I understand that you’re not feeling well.”
“Please have a seat, Seiya.”
“Ah, I see.”
Confirming that Nagisa’s eyes were far from cheerful, Seiya cautiously returned to her seat in front of her. Thinking that Nagisa’s upturned lips were the scariest thing, Seiya’s anger towards Mika, who was still absent from Abydos, grew stronger.
Of course, even if she felt this way, Seiya knew that her anger would never be expressed. No matter how she tried to vent it, one comment from Mika, “Heueng. So it means I don’t have to pet you anymore, right?” would completely suppress her feeble outbursts.
“Seiya, I have a bit of a… confusing issue.”
“…”
Having repeated the same conversation for the third time, Seiya was already feeling like she was dying. She resented Mika, who had caused this situation and still hadn’t returned from Abydos. The fact that there was no certainty about when she’d come back was utterly maddening.
“Nagisa. Let’s talk about something different. About Mika.”
“Heu… ? Alright, Seiya. I’m listening.”
“Technically, it’s a prophetic dream about Mika… Maybe I should say it’s about future possibilities.”
Ultimately, everything led back to Mika, and Seiya thought Nagisa was particularly simple-minded. She finally voiced a topic she had never brought up with anyone before.
As soon as the word prophetic dream came out of Seiya’s mouth, Nagisa’s expression turned noticeably serious. It wasn’t something to be lightly dismissed.
“I’m listening.”
“I don’t know exactly when, but a crisis will befall Mika, and she will bring about this crisis. I’ve had countless prophetic dreams predicting destruction… but the recent one feels different.”
“What exactly makes it different?”
“I saw the same person dying and the same person trying to kill me, all within one dream. It’s hard to explain since it’s just fragmented pieces, but… it was the first time I saw myself facing death.”
“Are you okay after seeing something like that, Seiya?”
“The prophetic future isn’t a fixed future, so why would I be concerned about it? Well, I think the current relationship between you and Mika offers proof of that, right?”
“…Ugh. I can’t deny that.”
Recollecting that incident, which now felt like a long time ago, Nagisa frowned. If it hadn’t been for Seiya… who knows? She probably would have had to cling to Mika ungracefully.
Which is also why she could ultimately accept Haruna.
In any case, thanks to Haruna, their relationship could finally stand on a proper starting line after laying bare all their secrets. If she hadn’t provided that opportunity, Nagisa would have continued in a mindless delusion, believing she had plenty of time with Mika while becoming aware of competitors popping up around her.
“So, in the end, these prophetic dreams lack context regarding time, place, and even proper understanding of the situation. Is there any point in listening to this?”
“There is, of course. The two of them had different eyes.”
“…Eyes?”
“Yes. The eyes, often called the windows to the soul, reflect everything about a person. Therefore, there are things that can’t be hidden. For example, when you look at Mika, your eyes are frighteningly blind. Yet, if you had to die for her, you wouldn’t hesitate to throw yourself away.”
“I can’t agree with that.”
“Agree or disagree is entirely up to you. I can only hope such a situation never arises.”
Without a word, Nagisa raised her teacup and closed her eyes.
Blind love. It couldn’t be denied.
Love so strong she’d be willing to die in her stead? That was hard to say.
Either way, it seemed they wouldn’t be able to see Mika anymore. If she were to die instead, it would be like hammering a nail directly into Mika’s heart.
This was probably something that could only be understood in the moment. When such a situation arose, her body would likely act first.
As Seiya had said, hoping that such a situation wouldn’t happen was the best course.
“So… the different eyes of Mika in your prophetic dream represent a different meaning?”
“Although I said the same person, I never mentioned Mika even once… Just a light-hearted remark, so please don’t touch that roll cake.”
Having experienced the roll cake punishment, Seiya knew. Mika could endure things like that, but for a frail girl like her, it truly was a difficult punishment.
“Don’t worry, Seiya. The roll cakes I’m preparing are all… for that person. Yes, my goal is to build a tower before Mika arrives.”
“…”
Seiya, who was stunned, almost shook her head at Nagisa but endured with superhuman patience. She had no intention of provoking Nagisa and becoming a victim of those roll cakes.
“The dying Mika had eyes that appeared broken and wounded. On the other hand, the Mika trying to kill me had the eyes of a broken doll that had let everything go. The common factor is that both were shedding tears.”
“So, we can’t tell which one is the Mika we know. Perhaps both could be the Mika we know. Preventing such circumstances from occurring seems to be the best course of action.”
“Which is why I mentioned that the prophetic future isn’t a fixed future… the proof of that exists around me, so I’m not greatly worried. I’m just curious. How could the Mika, who wouldn’t yield to anyone in strength, be pushed to the brink of death? And if this Mika, who cherishes everyone to the point of self-immolation, is trying to kill me while letting everything go… what on earth could have happened to make that possible? I’m simply curious about that.”
“…Did they look the same?”
Nagisa unwittingly recalled something Mika had said and asked that question. Hearing that they were researching a way to restore the real Mika with the help of a secret organization, she wondered if that organization was preparing some kind of scheme.
“Hmm…? You’re asking a strange question. It’s natural for them to look the same. Or do you have information that would suggest the two Mikas could appear differently?”
“That’s something Mika will tell us herself, whenever she’s ready.”
“Hm. Is that so? I’ll let that pass for now…”
Seiya, who had turned her head and gazed outside the terrace for a while, chose her words carefully.
“You’ve chosen a considerably difficult love for yourself. Watching you from the side makes me feel a bit sorry for your utter devotion.”
“Even so, it’s unfortunate I can’t wholly claim that love, but I am certainly happy. If only that person would just be a bit careful with her body, I wouldn’t want for anything more…”
“Hm. Maybe you brought it upon yourself. You set a precedent, after all.”
“…What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting that things might grow worse from here? The Arius side, which was very much trying to respect the will of the benefactor, Mika, is starting to show signs of impatience, so adding more people here would be quite troublesome. By the way, Seiya, didn’t you…”
“I’m satisfied with my position now. I’ve long understood that forcibly pushing something won’t work. Mika cares for me, but that feeling is far from love. And I have no intention of burdening Mika, who struggles to push anyone away.”
“Seiya…”
“Hm. But there is something I’m curious about. When it comes to Gehenna’s Student Council President, it doesn’t seem my physique is the issue, so why have their glances towards me differed so much all along…”
“…Um, cough.”
“Hmm?”
“Never mind. Just hang in there, Seiya.”
There are indeed things that are better left unknown. Seiya’s speech, which had originally made Mika cringe, was still exhausting for the current Mika to hear. Considering her speech was not one expected from someone of this age, there were plenty of reasons Mika did not put Seiya and Hina on the same level.
Nagisa didn’t want to reveal these points to Seiya.
As for how Seiya was mistaken due to Kisaki’s existence, Nagisa was still unaware.
“Shouldn’t you be the one who needs to hang in there…?”
“…Ah.”
Nagisa set her teacup down. Then, she called for a servant.
“Did you call for me, Nagisa?”
“Please prepare the roll cakes I requested… according to the count of 54.”
“54… is that so? Understood.”
The servant didn’t question her. There were very few people who could express doubts or objections in front of Nagisa’s cold, penetrating gaze.
“Nagisa… no matter how much it’s Mika, I think 54 is a bit too much.”
“Considering all that has been unleashed and what will continue to erupt from me, I think 54 is quite generous.”
Seiya couldn’t refute Nagisa’s statement.
‘…But why on earth can Sorasaki have so much when I cannot?’
Unlike Seiya, who unconsciously became consumed by that concern, Nagisa was busy calming her boiling insides.
Mika had always liked getting close to people, and at somepoint, she began to crave their attention and affection.
She’s a dual-natured person who doesn’t want to be owned while wanting to own many. Despite this, Nagisa eventually forgave Mika.
That was entirely because every moment shared in love with Mika was so overwhelmingly happy.
‘…Even so, how many could possibly be added from here? Surely she has some conscience.’
Nagisa habitually brought the teacup to her lips and twitched her eyebrows.
The teacup was empty.
