“…Anyway, I just can’t stand those Gematria guys.”
Misono Mika glared coldly at the spot where the Black Suit had just been. In that brief moment, they had used some strange trick to escape.
If they were serious about catching her, they could have done it somehow. The invasion of Color had begun the moment her existence was revealed, so there were no issues in terms of capability.
However, what mattered to her right now was not some Black Suit.
Gematria. She hated them even more than the Gehenna scum, but that was still not enough to make them rise to the top of her priority list.
“…Where are you going?”
Saori asked Mika, who had made a mess of the Black Suit. She had just helped another, still dazed Mika when she spoke casually.
“None of your business, Jomae Saori.”
At that moment, both Saori and Atsuko realized the truth. The woman in front of them was someone who had firmly locked her heart away.
“Take care of that fool. The time given to you won’t last long.”
Atsuko sensed the tinge of sympathy in Mika’s casually thrown words and firmly pressed her lips together. Just as they had all stepped in to prevent what had happened in Millennium from crossing an irreversible line, this time would be no different. She couldn’t understand why the Black Suit and the other Mika were making such a fuss.
‘As long as big sis Mika is around, there’s nothing to worry about.’
Mika was their savior and a beacon that had illuminated the path that had never once seen the light. It felt like she could accomplish anything, and she really did achieve everything.
Whether she knew Atsuko was thinking that or not, Mika stepped back into the distorted space before her. Then, she spoke one last time.
“Instead of dawdling here, head back to Trinity. Trust me, facing your end in a place like this is not going to be a joyful experience.”
With those words, Mika threw herself into the distorted space.
Atsuko and Saori watched as Mika vanished from their sight, only for her to reappear the next moment in a place that wasn’t so familiar to her.
“What, what’s happening? That person just appeared from nowhere!”
“What are you talking about? You must be seeing things.”
“No, it’s real… But that girl looks a lot like the Student Council President from Trinity, doesn’t she?”
“What? That Mika…? Seriously?! Are we sure it’s not Mika in disguise? Should we go get an autograph—”
Feeling the curious glances of the surrounding students, Mika resolved to change her location first. What on earth had this fake Mika done to receive this much attention not from Trinity but D.U.?
At this point, she was just as known as the war maniac witch of Trinity herself.
“Hmph.”
Mika lightly brushed off their stares and looked up at the towering building before her.
The Federal Investigation Club, Shalle.
Before a teacher from Kivotos came to serve as an advisor, the entire building had been designated as the clubroom for Shalle.
“…Teacher.”
Collecting her scattered thoughts, Mika took a small breath. She then headed toward the inside of the building.
In fact, she could have moved into Shalle from the very beginning. It was possible for her now. From the moment Color recognized this world, she had been granted the power to go wherever she wished.
However, even she needed to prepare herself mentally.
So, she decided to at least take a moment to pause.
Tap-tap. Tap-tap.
This was her first time personally examining the interior of Shalle. However, the internal structure was simple, and she quickly made her way to the front of the elevator.
‘…Is it the top floor?’
In the blink of an eye, the elevator reached the first floor. Mika pressed a button and soon the elevator began to move swiftly toward the top floor.
Ding.
The moment the elevator doors opened, Mika immediately walked into the brightly opened office.
And she locked eyes with the person inside.
“…Mika?”
The teacher, who had briefly been enjoying coffee at his desk, blinked in surprise. The student standing before him looked like Mika but wasn’t quite her.
The girl bore a striking resemblance to Mika in every way, down to the color inversion.
Her expression was a bit blunt compared to the lively Mika, and her white hair replaced the pink.
Mika’s normally all-white uniform was now painted completely black, and even her wings were black as well.
Seeing such a girl, the teacher first thought that Mika was playing a prank by disguising herself.
But he quickly dismissed that idea. The halo hovering above the girl’s head was completely different in form from Mika’s. The next hypothesis was that maybe Mika had a twin sister.
This possibility seemed to hold a shred of truth, albeit not a high one.
“You’re a new student, huh? Can I ask what your name is?”
With a warm smile, the teacher asked Mika. However, Mika simply stood there blankly, gazing at the teacher without answering.
Silence stretched on for a while longer. In the meantime, Arona, from within the Sittim box, quickly accessed Kivotos’ network to search for any student that matched the girl who had appeared in Shalle.
[Teacher, that girl isn’t attending or hasn’t ever attended any academy in Kivotos!]
“…”
The teacher’s eyes widened at Arona’s words. His curiosity was piqued. He was dying to know who this girl was, who looked so much like Mika.
The staring contest ended with Mika breaking the silence. The moment her lips moved, the teacher could only doubt his own ears.
“Misono Mika.”
It could only be expected since the girl declared herself to be Mika right before him.
If so, perhaps this was Mika herself, who had changed her appearance for some reason?
Or perhaps—
“Hey, you know, I actually have something I want to ask you.”
The teacher’s thoughts finally landed on one hypothesis.
“Are you the real Mika?”
“…Hmm. That fool must have told you that too? How strange. Yeah, it doesn’t seem like her to say something like that to anyone.”
With a tilted head, Mika extended her fingertips toward the teacher. A dark sphere formed at the tip of her finger. And in that moment,
“Anyway, I’m going to ask you, who exactly are you? Why are you sitting in that chair? Huh? As far as I know, no one is allowed to sit there—”
“Teacher! Here’s the data you asked for… Uh, wait! You are… Hold on! I don’t know why, but if you’re trying to harm the teacher, I’ll do my best to stop you!”
Yuuka, who had come as the volunteer student for Shalle, burst in. Though Mika looked a little different from what she knew, she still concluded it was Mika, her expression hardened as she aimed her weapon.
“What…? Te-teacher? That person? You must be joking! No way, that’s impossible…”
Mika didn’t even glance at Yuuka. Her trembling pupils tried desperately to reflect the bewildered teacher staring right at her.
“Ahaha…”
A weak laugh escaped Mika’s lips.
“Ahh! Hahaha!!!”
Soon, that laughter was laced with madness and despair.
“I see… Now I understand. You’re not my teacher.”
“…My teacher?”
“You can forget it. Yeah, you don’t need to know.”
Mika tilted her head down. The dark sphere that had appeared at her fingertips dissolved.
‘I thought I had returned to the past… but that wasn’t it. This isn’t my Kivotos.’
Having witnessed the world being destroyed by Color, Mika had some understanding of that.
A different world. A different time. Such things were meaningless to Color.
When everything around her crumbled without leaving a trace, Mika sincerely prayed. If only she could be granted another chance, she wouldn’t make the same foolish mistakes again.
No matter how much she hated those damn Gehenna horned bastards, coexisting under the same sky was impossible, so she would choose to ignore them rather than fight them.
But all that lost its meaning the moment she encountered an imperfect miracle.
Someone who wore her body resolved all the problems as if it were only natural. The Arius Autonomous District, the conflict between Gehenna and Trinity…
And unlike her, who bore the resentment and fear of everyone, she became a being loved by all.
She had no confidence that she could manage such a feat even if given another chance.
“…”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
This place was not her Kivotos.
And her teacher did not exist here.
In a world on the verge of destruction, she desperately wanted to meet the teacher she loved more than anything else.
Even if the teacher may not remember her, she just wanted to be comforted by that person who would surely embrace her warmly.
But…
“Haha… That’s enough. Yeah, it was foolish to think a miracle like that could happen to a witch like me.”
Mika raised her head. Right in front of her was the teacher.
Not her teacher, but the teacher of this world.
“…If there’s anything I can help with…”
“Nothing.”
“Huh?”
Mika silently looked up at the teacher before her.
A face that would easily grab attention, often became the talk of the young girls. This was something her actual teacher also possessed in abundance.
Yet to the girl who had already given her heart to one teacher, this teacher was just a tiresome person to deal with. It was clear she wouldn’t want to face someone who would inevitably bring memories of her beloved dreamer back to mind.
So, Mika turned her back. Yuuka, who thought Mika was going to do something, flinched and tightened her grip on her weapon.
Mika didn’t even spare her a glance as she stepped through the cracks that suddenly appeared in the space.
Then, for some reason, she turned back to the teacher.
“I don’t really think you and that fool would manage, but… do try your best to struggle.”
With that parting shot, Mika vanished. In the aftermath of a storm that had just passed through the Shalle office, the teacher took a moment to digest what had just occurred.
[Teacher, we have a contact from the Student Council!]
One thing was certain: another incident had arisen because of Mika.
