Chapter 81: How To Get Back To Everyday Life (2)

[…]

It’s been two days since Aris’s unexplained rampage.

In a dire situation, we rushed the fallen Momoi to the Chalet infirmary…

Momoi is still unconscious.

The machines that started moving at the same time as Aris’s rampage, the situation was quickly calmed down by the intervention of C&C’s children and Sora.

But…we still have many questions left.

It is certain that it has something to do with Aris’s birth, as Hare said that Aris’s condition became strange immediately after contact with the machine, and immediately before that,

Momoi’s game console reacted…the game console that was connected in the ruins of Millennium reacted…

Right after that, Momoi’s game console…it didn’t even turn on anymore…so it was even more so.

“Sensei…Aris-chan…”

Unfortunately, it seems that I am not given time to worry about such things.

[Aris…?]

“Aris-chan is….that….still….”

“She’s alone in the club room, not coming out.”

Midori’s call, she was depressed for a while because of such an incident…but more than that…I’ve never seen Midori so gloomy.

I’ve never seen Midori who can’t even continue to speak properly with a voice mixed with so much sobbing.

Always, even when she’s happy, this child maintains a minimal composure, so it was even more painful for me.

“I’ve tried talking to her through the door many times….but it seems….”

“I…I don’t know what to do at times like this…sob…”

[It’s okay…I’ll try to do something…]

Yeah, no matter what happens, these children are students I’m responsible for.

I don’t know what Aris is feeling right now.

But…considering the children’s relationship so far…and if she heard about Momoi…surely Aris is confused right now.

Passing Midori and Yuzu, I head to the game development club’s room.

“…”

“…”

[Sora and Yumeka…]

“You’re here…”

Sora was standing with her back against the wall in front of the game development club’s room door.

Next to her, Yumeka was also…sitting down with her face buried in her knees.

Sora…yeah, she said she stayed in Millennium because of Trinity’s official duties and Yumeka’s case…

It was a short time, but it seems that the child named Yumeka has built a deep relationship with the children of the game development club.

Aris is that kind of child.

A child who gathers everyone’s attention in one place, stands in the center, and makes everyone laugh and have fun…

It wouldn’t be strange to be hanging out with anyone, anytime, anywhere.

It’s a waste for such a child to be so depressed…

“Please, Sensei…”

I hope that this moment doesn’t remain as a trauma…something this young child doesn’t want to experience.

A heart that doesn’t want to see a pair of sisters who just had an accident and blame themselves for being careless, even though they are only victims of the accident.

A heart that hopes that a child who once suffered a major wound and locked herself in a cocoon, who is now finally trying to take courage and go back to the world, will not lose her way even after losing that cocoon.

Just a heart that hopes that a small hero doesn’t collapse.

Such various hearts and thoughts as a teacher are intertwined and create the courage to knock on the door in front of me.

[Aris? Are you inside? Can I come in for a moment?]

Courage, courage was always needed for me to act as a teacher here.

I commanded the children in the field where bullets were raining down, sometimes I was caught in explosions, and I almost got crushed by collapsing buildings.

But I always endured with courage, thinking of the children.

And in order for me to continue that courage and to be able to be a teacher, I knock on this door now.

[I’ll take it as permission and come in.]

Opening the door and entering the game development club’s room, a small hero sits in front of me.

[Aris.]

[Aris. Are you okay…?]

“Te, teacher….”

[Everyone is waiting. Come on, don’t just stay here, but also outside…]

Overlap, as soon as I see the hero in front of me, her usual energetic and cheerful voice calling me overlaps with the small, crawling voice that calls me with a small, subdued voice that can’t be confident in herself.

“Aris, can’t do that. Aris is….because of Aris….because of Aris, Momoi got hurt…I almost hurt Yumeka.”

Reflection and atonement, this hero is on the seat of reflection and atonement.

But the hero will not be freed from that reflection and atonement.

Perhaps because it was not a mistake made by her own will, she will not be able to escape from that abyss unless she herself stops reflecting and atoning.

“It’s all…Aris’s…fault. I’ve troubled everyone…I’ve hurt someone….”

So, the choice of others joining forces to pull her out of the abyss…it will probably be difficult.

That’s why I hope that she can escape from the abyss on her own.

I listen to the hero’s story.

“What, what happened….Aris doesn’t know either. At that time…something….as if Aris had a save data that she didn’t know….”

I remember.

When I took Aris to the ruins…perhaps Aris felt something.

“…Aris’s body, reacted. It moved.”

“At that time, what Aris did….I don’t remember anything for some reason….”

“But what’s certain is….Aris….Aris….”

“Aris, hurt Momoi…hurt everyone…Teacher…Aris…Aris, what should I do…”

The hero cannot be confident in herself.

She begins to doubt herself.

And…the wedge is driven into it.

“That’s right. You hurt her. That’s an undeniable truth.”

“…She’ll be okay…it’s Sensei, right? Maybe she’ll come out soon with the usual Aris and say let’s go to the arcade or something.”

“…Yes…”

How long has it been since Sensei entered the game development club’s room.

I was spending time next to Yumeka, who was very depressed, comforting her and hoping that Sensei would somehow solve it well.

Midori and Yuzu…yeah, of course, after something like that happened…they were depressed, showing 100% of their gloomy expressions on their faces…

Naturally, the atmosphere around us kept falling endlessly and there was no sign of brightening up.

It’s a story that once it starts falling, it keeps falling, a cold reality was pushed to us.

“…Tch…were you here too…”

“…Are you the Tea Party member who came because of the Millennium Festival? I don’t know why you’re here…but if it’s related to the game development club, please cooperate. It’s important.”

Neru and…a person I’ve never seen before walked along the hallway.

“Eek…President…”

“…Pr-president…why…why…he, he, here…”

President…the student council president of Millennium Science School…Tsukatsuki Rio…the woman with a mature appearance, a full-body outfit in front of me and hair dyed black, red eyes…or so I thought?

And she herself said that she was the student council president…and that she had business with the game development club.

The game development club is a small…honestly, from the student council’s point of view, it’s just a club with no notable achievements other than poor performance.

The fact that the student council president visited such a club…means that there is absolutely an unusual reason, and unfortunately, we already had such a reason engraved in our minds.

“…It’s because of Aris.”

“Yeah, you know well. That child is dangerous.”

“What are you talking about! Aris-chan is!…Aris-chan is…”

And now, the student council president in front of me is additionally explaining that it is correct that that is the reason she came.

Sadly…sadly…Midori and Yuzu are…terrified…or maybe it’s because they were at the scene…they couldn’t refute those words.

At least Yuzu seemed to be terrified.

“Since you already know about that child, I don’t think I need to explain further.”

“…Yes, that’s right. In the first place, I don’t have the authority to do that.”

“…!”

“…Ugh…”

Unfortunately…in the first place, this isn’t even my school, and if I interfere with President Rio here…it will cause a big problem in many ways.

Before, it was a problem because I was a minion of the Tea Party, but now it’s a problem because I’m not a minion of the Tea Party.

If the head of a department within the Tea Party directly interferes with the official duties of another school’s student council president…Millennium will have a lot to say to Trinity.

And I still don’t know exactly what happened, and I don’t know what truth is hidden in Aris.

And…we still don’t know President Rio’s intentions, so we step aside first.

Then, as if saying that shouldn’t happen, Yumeka looks up at me with a desperate face.

Midori and Yuzu look up at me with tearful expressions.

As if saying please don’t, Yumeka pulls on my sleeve.

I can see Midori and Yuzu, who want me to stop them, but can’t because they understand in their heads that they can’t.

Ha, it’s absurd…I’ve experienced the situation suddenly deteriorating like this.

Anxiety comes.

In such anxiety, President Rio opens the door of the game development club and steps into the room.

“…Aris’s body, reacted. It moved.”

“At that time, what Aris did….I don’t remember anything for some reason….”

“But what’s certain is….Aris….Aris….”

“Aris, hurt Momoi…hurt everyone…Teacher…Aris…Aris, what should I do…”

“That’s right. You hurt her. That’s an undeniable truth.”

I can hear Aris’s voice as the door opens.

I can hear her blaming herself.

And cruelly, President Rio drives a wedge into that self-blame.

[Who…?!]

“Sensei!”

“P-president…!”

Late, Yuzu and Midori enter the room and shout Sensei’s name.

Maybe there’s a thought that Sensei can stop President Rio…but the fact that the president is visiting a small club room, and that too for just one reason, is never a small matter.

“In the end, things turned out as I was worried.”

[You are?]

“Are you the rumored Chalet’s teacher? It’s extremely unfortunate that our monumental first meeting has become like this…but I’ll introduce myself.

My name is Tsukatsuki Rio. The reason I came here like this is to tell you and the children there the truth.”

It’s practically the first face-to-face meeting between Sensei and President Rio.

From President Rio’s words, I could tell that she didn’t come to deliver good news.

But I didn’t imagine that the news she would deliver would be such a big bomb.

“Sensei, that person…is the president of Millennium Academy…”

“Yes, I am the leader of the core of Millennium Science School, the Seminar. I am the one who seeks the solution to the Millennium Prize Problems and chases the stars.

Originally, it would have been better to have a formal meeting with you, Chalet’s teacher, first. But. I didn’t come here for that reason today.”

The self-introduction, which had an incomprehensible meaning, is finally over and the main topic begins.

Various stories continue.

In the long story, a story mixed with eeriness and cruel reality flows out.

And when we reached the main point at the end, the story we heard was…

“I’ll cut to the chase. That girl you’re protecting behind your back…no, it, with the appearance of a girl, is not an ordinary student as you think.”

It was a shocking story.

“The commander of an incomprehensible army invading from an unknown realm, the opafut(artifact?) appointed by the anonymous priests who worship nameless gods, the legacy left by the ancient inhabitants of Kivotos.

The one they call, her true name is”

-Nameless Gods’ Princess : AL-1S-

[Nameless…what?]

“Sigh…?”

“Aris….doesn’t understand what you’re talking about….”

“That’s right! What are you talking about?! You can’t just unilaterally talk to others about your own unique settings and expect them to understand the story?!

Because my sister often did that, I know it well! Don’t arbitrarily attach strange settings to Aris!”

“Mi, Midori….”

I can’t understand.

An incomprehensible story continues.

Suddenly, a story of a concept that I don’t know and have never heard of continues.

Midori urgently and in an excited voice started to protest what she was talking about, and President Rio showed an unexpected reaction to this.

“That’s right. I’m sorry. I may have been inconsiderate since there are outsiders. Let me explain it in an easier way to understand, using the game you often play as an analogy.”

“In short, Aris, your existence…was born from the beginning to destroy this world, ‘the Demon King’.”

The main point, and the conclusion, came out of her mouth, everyone froze for a few seconds…and Midori started to push President Rio with an excited voice unilaterally.

Even so, President Rio didn’t shrink at all…rather, she unilaterally forces the cold reality on us, feeling like she’s accepting a child’s tantrum.

President Rio says the cold reality, when, how, and how much more this will happen, we don’t know.

She says it won’t end like this next time.

She says she will lead this Kivotos to destruction someday.

“There is only one way to solve this threat as soon as possible., Aris.”

“A way…to solve it…?”

“Yes, Aris. You have to disappear. For the sake of this world, you shouldn’t exist.”

“
Fck, I can’t listen to this.”

“?!”

[Sora?!]

I can’t listen to this.

Since I was given a new life due to a reason I don’t know whether it’s reincarnation or rebirth in Kivotos, it’s the first time I’ve used profanity.

The traces left by the memory of my previous life are few and far between.

However, this time, that trace may have called me from my previous life.

In my previous life, there was something people called a trigger, and that woman just pressed it.

“Listen, I don’t know what kind of basis and thoughts led you to that conclusion in your head, but there are things you can say and things you can’t say.”

“So? It’s irrational and unreasonable, you should be careful about who you say it to, it’s limited to people. Do you still see that as a person? I’ll tell you from my side too, listen, that’s not a person or a cute junior.

I don’t know what you’re thinking or why you’re involved in this even though it’s not your school. I don’t think it’s your business.

If it’s now, I won’t protest to Trinity about the abusive language you just used. Will you step aside quietly?”

“I refuse. Conversely, your way of thinking that doesn’t consider that entity as an entity is disgusting. It’s lonely…and it even seems pitiful…”

“…I think I’ve endured enough, I don’t expect to be pitied, and in the first place, I was going to proceed even if I didn’t cooperate, so…Mikamo Neru, it’s your turn.”

I was driven by emotion and spilled out the words I wanted to say.

I almost lost my reason, and in fact, if I had held the thread of reason a little looser, my body might have moved first.

But unfortunately, it was the opponent who decided to take physical means first.

If so, I’m just responding.

“Sensei, the aftermath is…please…”

[Wait? Sora?!]

To the Momo Talk group chat where my sisters and I are…perhaps I’ll have to kneel for a long time and make excuses…

after leaving a writing that I may have to give up this and that, I hand it over to Sensei with my smartphone…and shoot my body forward.

“…Phew…really…what?! Wait?! Listen to me!!!”

“Hup!”

-Bang!!!!-

If the opponent decided to use physical means…it would be better to take the initiative.

Physical means committed without thinking about the aftermath, my state, which was driven to the point of almost letting go of the thread of reason, and the situation, which can’t be said to be absolutely good, made me move.

“Really! The day is so unlucky!!!!”

“There’s a reason I can’t back down!!”

I grab the collar of Neru, who is showing a little hesitation in front of me, and smash her into the side wall, breaking through the wall and dragging the battlefield out of the building.

I leave the aftermath to Sensei and focus on the strong enemy in front of me.

Really…the day is unlucky…

[…Sora..ya…]

“Ah…aah…”

In front of my eyes, Sora…dragged Neru and broke through the wall and ran out of the building.

…Yumeka…froze in place and was stiff in the posture of reaching out as if something was wrong.

Maybe Sora moved her body to overturn this situation…but unfortunately, there was no sign that the situation would be overturned.

“…I told Mikamo Neru, just in case, to investigate that Yumetsubasa Sora, a suddenly appearing Trinity power, once. In the end, it turned out like this before the investigation was finished.”

Rio’s soliloquy, unlike her, who is relaxed, the situation above was not relaxed.

At the same time as the soliloquy, a large number of combat robots called AMAS naturally appeared around her and blocked me and the game development club.

Here…except for Aris, who has become that state, there are only people who are difficult to use as power, so it was difficult to deal with the AMAS that Rio brought.

On the spur of the moment, I opened the door and used it as a cover, and I was thinking of somehow holding out until Sora or Neru returned…

“…Certainly, the teacher’s commanding ability is amazing. Honestly, the game development club was a force outside of my power. It’s really amazing that you’ve held out so well against my AMAS with only such a force outside of power. It’s astonishing.”

[Haha, thank you, but I’d like to stop for a moment and talk a little?]

“The talk is over, teacher, honestly, I still don’t understand you or that woman who ran out of the building. No, that woman is still a student, so I can understand,

but you, an adult who can judge the situation more coldly and calmly than a child…shouldn’t you, such an adult, be the one to move?”

Yeah, I don’t completely disagree with what that child named Rio said.

I just think that that child named Rio is just burdened by a huge responsibility.

She pushes herself, repeats the weighing between numerous rationalities and irrationalities, and always chooses a rational plan, and she must have tried to win such a lonely fight continuously.

In that process, she seems to have been given the talent of a genius, which is a blessing and a curse at the same time, to that child who eventually becomes alone by pursuing only rationality and using everything.

Geniuses don’t understand ordinary people.

That’s why genius is a blessing and at the same time a curse.

But that’s why they get their ankles caught.

A genius who has been caught by the ankle and blocked in front understands ordinary people only then.

[Huh, I’m sorry, but it’s clear that you and I don’t understand each other now. I can’t hurt a student…]

“When will you stop saying such nonsense?! That’s not a living creature. It’s not a student you have to take responsibility for. If you feel that way, it’s just an Eliza effect. That’s just going to destroy the world…”

[Stop it, Rio, I won’t allow it anymore.]

That’s why that child who doesn’t understand others isolates herself and taxidermies herself.

The preservation of the world and the weighing of one student, perhaps many people will choose the former, and in addition, she doesn’t see Aris as a student.

She sees it as a machine.

She thinks of it as a keyword for the destruction of the world.

That’s why she can’t tolerate the existence of Aris.

She can’t choose the best to save both sides.

She chooses the lesser of two evils, the second best, to save one side even if she can’t save the other.

Because it’s much more rational.

Unfortunately, I’m not a person dotted with rationality.

That’s why I also can’t tolerate and understand ‘now’ her.

I desperately grab her ankle.

“What are you not going to allow? Teacher, you seem to be mistaken, I have the initiative in this situation. Neru is out of the battlefield?

I was considering that she might betray me from the beginning, so teacher? The situation hasn’t changed in the first place. Toki, it’s your turn.”

“Yes, ma’am. Nice to meet you. Teacher. I’m Zero Four, a member of C&C, and I greet you.”

But unfortunately, I can’t be a genius.

The second blade she prepared, the blade she prepared because she couldn’t trust the first blade, is held to our necks.

“Uh…the fifth…?”

[Another member of C&C…]

Sadly, the blade sharpened by a genius is so sharp that it’s too much for ordinary people to block.

In the first place, I was barely able to continue a defense that seemed physically impossible by repeating the best command I could, even though I was forcing AMAS, and the appearance of a C&C agent,

a child who would obviously have excellent skills, brought a limit to the defense line that was forcibly created, unfortunately for the children of the game development club.

“…I didn’t want to hurt unrelated children, but since it’s come to this, I can’t help it. Toki, if possible, do it at once so that there are no scars.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Uaaak?!”

“Eek…”

[…]

In an instant, Yuzu and Midori are thrown to the ground.

“Teacher, you’ll understand me someday.”

[…Do you have to go this far?]

“I didn’t want to do this either, teacher, but if you ask me to weigh that and all the students of Kivotos, the answer is clear. And if you interfere with that, I can’t help it, so…if you don’t move.

I’ll destroy Aris’s halo with my own hands. I’ve finished all the preparations for that.”

Toki and Rio, the two of them slowly walk towards Aris, who is sitting down.

Unfortunately, there is no one here to stop them anymore.

There are no students in this Kivotos to stop them anymore.

“…Even this little child…that’s right, certainly that is…”

“Stop it! You…big sister!”

“…!”

Absurdly, it was a small child who blocked her.

It’s a child’s struggle that Toki doesn’t even need to step in, that she can just pass by if she wants to.

However, the moment that little child opened her mouth, for a short few seconds, Rio, her expression, which had been maintaining a poker face until now, collapsed for a moment.

“No…”

A short hesitation, that hesitation may not bring about a big change, but it was able to create time for supplication.

“No! Aris-chan is not something strange, like a weapon! Aris-chan is….a hero! Because…Aris-chan, the sword of…light…the proof of a hero…has…”

A short supplication, Midori, who had already fallen to the ground, crawls on the ground and grabs Rio’s ankle and continues to deny and supplicate.

But the unreasonable violence that blocked AMAS with a body that was not used to fighting and was hit by a C&C child named Toki made it difficult for her to continue talking.

“Teacher…”

[Aris…]

“Momoi….Midori….Yuzu….Yumeka…Teacher….all this…because Aris is here…because Aris is the Demon King….did it happen…? If Aris is here…over and over again….”

The hero in front of me, the hero who no longer has confidence in herself, collapses.

I hear the voice of a child who seemed like she would never collapse, who seemed like she would always be pure.

No, this child is still pure.

That’s why she could make this choice.

Perhaps for the first time, Aris’s voice is filled with moisture.

“That’s…right…”

[Aris…?]

“Yes, Aris. I understand everything. Aris will leave…it’s a so-called…sad ending…no…maybe…it could be a happy ending…”

[Aris, you don’t have to. What kind of happy ending is that? A happy ending is when everyone is happy…]

“No. It’s okay. Aris….doesn’t want to hurt Sensei.”

She’s pure.

That’s why it’s heartbreaking.

“Aris is…”

The hero speaks to herself.

“Midori too, Yuzu too, Neru-senpai too, Yumeka who I just met…everyone else…Sensei too…”

The hero was confident.

“I don’t want to hurt you. When Momoi got hurt because of Aris, Aris’s heart hurt so much.”

The hero can no longer be confident in herself.

“Why….why did this happen, Aris doesn’t know.”

The hero began to doubt herself.

“I heard from Yumeka. I can just be me, I can be what I want to be.”

The hero is no longer saved by her companions.

“I don’t know why Yumeka said that. But…that word was so nice to hear…it remained deep in my heart.”

The hero recalls.

“But….but…listening to President Rio’s words….listening to the story….and….seeing Momoi….now…now…I…I can’t be me anymore…”

The hero can’t affirm herself.

“Teacher…! I’m sorry…I…can’t do it anymore…I’m sorry…Yumeka…I’m sorry…I don’t think I can keep my promise…”

The girl no longer knows herself.

“Why!…Why…why…I don’t know why this happened to me. But…now I understand.”

The girl doesn’t know herself anymore, but she understands.

“If I…keep staying here…eventually everyone will get hurt.”

The girl understood herself, so she was able to make a cruel judgment on herself.

“Aris is…not a living thing. Aris is not a student of Millennium. It’s okay if I disappear like this. Aris is….okay…”

The girl understood what kind of existence she was.

“The Demon King disappears…and everyone lives happily…it’s a happy ending…”

So the girl passed judgment on herself.

“During that time…I was really…happy….Teacher….Thank you….”