Chapter 16: Request

“Oh? Is that so…”

Ephnel opened the drink for Saori, but she didn’t have any herself.

In truth, Ephnel was past the age of being enthusiastic about soft drinks, so she couldn’t quite grasp the tastes of young people.

These drinks were only here because her sister liked them—thinking, ‘My sister might not like the mineral water at the venue,’ she had asked Yonomikenami to replace all the drinks at the event with this type.

Or perhaps, this kind of drink was popular at Yuzumi Girls’ Academy?

Ephnel glanced at the orange-colored drink in her hand and placed it on the table.

“Doesn’t your club have any weekend activities today, Saori?”

Ephnel inquired.

If one spent every day in high-intensity combat and training, the mind would collapse before the body.

Therefore, a balance with daily life was essential—this was advice from their responsible physician, Nishizaki Yuki.

As a result, each Agent had their own life.

Ephnel chose to continue living as “Yanase Naoto,” while for Uzuki Saori and Shiina Rin, school life was their shared choice.

“We can experience the lives of other people our age”—that’s what they had said.

“That kind of thing doesn’t happen all the time. Although… I did have to rush over a bit…”

Uzuki Saori tilted her head, a warm smile gracing her lips.

“But… being able to see you, Ephnel-senpai, there’s nothing I look forward to more than this.”

“Is that so? I’m glad.”

Ephnel averted her gaze.

In short, she wasn’t very good at handling compliments.

“By the way, how is Rin now?”

“Ah, right! Speaking of which…”

Saori came over to Ephnel’s side, clutching the paper bag in her hands.

“This is a gift Rin asked me to give to you, Senpai!”

Ephnel was a little taken aback.

“Eh? Rin… she…”

“Rin is doing well now.”

Saori covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

“I went to the hospital to visit her this morning. She’s doing very well now. So you don’t have to worry too much, Senpai. It’s just that she can’t come to see your performance because she’s still in isolation. She seemed… very upset about it.”

Although Rin wasn’t a fan of Ephnel’s in the conventional sense, she greatly admired her.

Rin had a carefree yet very serious and determined personality.

In a way, Rin and Ephnel had once had a superior-subordinate relationship.

When it came to some combat techniques, Ephnel could also be considered Rin’s master.

Of course, the meaning of this “master” was different from the “Master” that Fuurin Shion spoke of.

What Ephnel taught Rin was the mastery and utilization of her weapon and the Power of Order.

As for Fuurin Shion, whose fighting style was completely different, what Ephnel taught her was the selection and adaptation of strategies for dealing with different types of Erosion organisms.

“Is that so… If her spirits are recovering… I hope she gets well soon…”

Ephnel paused, then smiled again.

“Next time, when Rin is discharged from the hospital, please be sure to invite her to my performance.”

“I definitely will! Rin and I will definitely come to your next performance, Senpai!”

Saori beamed, placing the gift bag down.

There was still some time before the performance began.

After a brief silence between them, Saori suddenly said: “Um… actually, Senpai, I have one more… very important thing I’d like to ask for your help with…”

Saori lowered her gaze deeply, her black hair falling over her forehead, obscuring her expression from Ephnel.

“It’s… about Rin…”

Ephnel turned her gaze to look at her.

Saori appeared to have a very quiet and serene personality, but in reality, she was very strong-willed and independent.

Perhaps it was because she had grown up in an orphanage… but in any case, this was the first time Ephnel had heard words like “please” or “request” from her.

“It’s alright. As long as it’s within my power, please don’t hesitate to speak your mind.”

“Mhm…”

Saori’s voice was as faint as a firefly’s glow.

As if she had made up her mind, she took a deep breath.

“Could I ask you, Senpai… to re… revoke Rin’s… ‘Agent’ status…”

“Hm?”

Saori’s request was completely unexpected.

Ephnel froze for a moment.

The existence of an “Agent” was tied to too many confidential matters, and therefore, it was particularly strict in certain aspects.

Moreover, resigning one’s status as an “Agent” was not a simple matter.

Once a person had resonated with “Order,” their body was no longer entirely their own.

Her power, her body, her soul—all existed within “Order.”

To stop “resonating” meant a permanent “severance,” the consequence of which was a gradual “loss.”

Like disconnecting from a storage drive, one would lose access to “Order,” and the ability to resonate with it would gradually fade.

At the same time, memories from one’s time as an “Agent” would also quickly disappear.

In other words, both physical abilities and memories would regress to the point before one became an “Agent.”

It would also have a significant negative impact on the body.

And…

“Revoke… her status? You mean, you want me to… remove her from the list of ‘Agents’?”

“Yes…”

Saori’s reply was quiet but firm.

Ephnel looked at Saori, but Saori averted her gaze.

Ephnel was silent for a long moment, sighing inwardly.

“Hmm… If that’s what Shiina Rin wants, I will help with the application.”

With the death and disappearance of Seiran and the others, the combat strength of the Agents was now strained.

Several of the remaining members were juniors with less than a year of experience.

Rationally speaking, now was not the time to allow Shiina Rin to withdraw.

But for Ephnel, she didn’t want to see the lives of these juniors extinguished in such a way.

Besides, Shiina Rin was severely infected.

It was unlikely she could return to the roster as a combatant within a month.

If Shiina Rin wanted to quit, Ephnel would absolutely not force her to stay.

“I’ll have Nami send you the necessary documents for the application later. If possible, within four days…”

“I’m sorry, Senpai…”

Saori interrupted Ephnel.

“What’s wrong?”

“Actually… Rin never said she wanted to quit. This is just my personal request…”

Saori hung her head.

It took Ephnel a second to process the meaning of Saori’s words.

Ephnel’s brows furrowed slightly.

“You mean…”

“You know Rin’s personality, Senpai. She would never say something like ‘I want to quit’… Even if I begged her, she wouldn’t be willing to resign her ‘Agent’ status.”

A bitter expression appeared on Saori’s face.

Under her bangs, her lips were bitten white.

“But… as you’ve seen, Senpai, Shiina Rin’s current condition makes it impossible for her to continue fighting. She’s exhausted. She needs to rest… Senpai, Rin is more important to me than my own life. I absolutely do not want to see her fall in front of me again…”

Saori’s voice trembled slightly.

Ephnel pressed her lips together, listening quietly.

In the great battle a few days ago, Rin had taken on the interception mission for almost an entire district’s worth of Erosion organisms.

But during the fight, Rin had lost her sync due to exhaustion and was severely infected when besieged by the Erosion organisms.

For Saori, who had been moved to the rear line due to her own injuries, this felt like a condemnation.

Watching Rin, covered in blood, being carried into the operating room, Saori had cried until her voice was hoarse.

These past few days, she had been by Rin’s side at the hospital every day.

“So… Ephnel-senpai, I’m begging you to do this for me… As long as you let Rin retire from being an ‘Agent,’ I’ll do anything you ask… I will also work twice as hard to fill the gap Rin leaves behind with my own two hands!”

“That kind of thing…”

After hearing Saori’s words, Ephnel gently shook her head.

Once, Ephnel had thought the same way.

She knew how difficult it was.

And that wasn’t the issue here.

“Saori, you know what it means to leave the ‘Order,’ right? This matter requires her own consent as well as the approval of the command center.”

“Of course I know!”

Saori stubbornly kept her head down.

“If you know that, then…”

Ephnel looked at Saori’s dark eyes and sighed softly.

“I’m sorry, but this matter absolutely requires Shiina Rin’s confirmation. I cannot bypass her will and strip her of her Agent status. So… I can’t help you.”

“Se… Senpai… only you can help me…”

“That’s not the problem… I can try to persuade her for you, but this cannot be done against her own wishes.”

“I’ve already tried to persuade her many times!”

Ephnel pressed her lips together, sat down beside Saori, and gently took her hands.

Saori’s shoulders trembled slightly.

“Saori, can you tell me why? Tell me your truest thoughts.”

“I’m scared… I’m scared Rin will never come back…”

“Rin will be fine.”

Ephnel held Saori’s cold, trembling hands tightly, leaned in slightly, and soothed her in a gentle voice:

“She’s an ‘Agent.’ As long as ‘alienation’ doesn’t occur, she won’t be assimilated into a ‘Remnant.’ She will come back.”

“I know she’ll come back… but, Senpai… it’s because she’ll come back that I’m so scared…”

Ephnel pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Saori clenched her fingers tightly, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

“Senpai… you must understand better than I do… the path that ‘we’ ‘Agents’ walk, and what awaits us at the end of it… Whether it’s revenge, protection, or just naivety and impulse, the sky will clear after the rain, the sun will rise in the morning, and the moonlight will fall at night. All Rin wants is to live each day as a matter of course… Surely you can understand that, Senpai… But… if… if she keeps fighting like that… Rin… Rin will definitely…”

She will definitely die.

The words were understood without needing to be said.

“I… I just don’t want Rin… to end up like Shion… like Seiran-senpai…”

“For her to leave me…”

“I absolutely can’t do it…”

“I can’t bear to think about it…”

“I can’t lose her… Even if I have to take her place, even if she forgets about me, it doesn’t matter. Her battles, her life, her everything, I’ll take it all upon myself… Senpai… I’m begging you, if you can just help me…”

The air grew cold and quiet.

“Even so, that’s still…”

Ephnel looked at Saori without a word, holding back the rest of her sentence for a long time.

Saori waited silently, then slowly spoke.

“Senpai… even if it’s just my own wishful thinking, it’s sincere. Please, you have to help me…”

Saori’s every word struck Ephnel’s heart.

But…

“I’m sorry…”

Ephnel let go of Saori’s hands.

“Senpai…”

Saori looked up, staring at her blankly.

Ephnel raised her hand and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.

“I can’t help you with this.”

Ephnel sighed and said.

Saori’s eyes flickered.

She looked up at Ephnel for a long time before finally lowering her gaze.

“I… understand… I’m sorry for saying such strange things to you, Senpai. Please forget about it…”

“Saori…”

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Yonomikenami appeared outside.

“Ephnel, the performance… is about to start~”