Chapter 28: Light Rings and Lingering Shadows

“Fufu, I’m glad you’re looking a bit more spirited, Seia,” I said.

“Thank you… Kaoru,” Seia replied softly.

A few days after the coup had been roughly resolved, I was visiting Seia in a Tea Party-exclusive ward, under the strict guard of Justice Task Force members, at the secret hideout of the Relief Knights.

Her previous location wasn’t bad, but the large windows here allowed warm sunlight to stream in, and the fox-eared girl, sitting on her bed in a patient gown, seemed to have a slightly brighter complexion.

“Have you seen Mika again?” I asked.

“No… we both need a bit more time,” Seia answered quietly.

That day, when Mika had seen Seia and looked as if her soul had left her body, she was immediately arrested by the Justice Task Force and sent to a detention classroom.

She was so dazed, staring at Seia even as Hasumi disarmed her, that it felt less like an arrest and more like transporting a statue.

“…”

I was reflecting on the surprisingly anticlimactic end to the coup when someone approached and called my name curtly.

“Kaoru-san,” Mine said, her tone sharp.

“You have the nerve to show up here again.”

“Oh my, Mine. Thanks for the tea,” I replied, accepting the teacup she offered despite her harsh words, flashing her a gentle smile.

“You know Seia-sama’s condition, and yet…!” Mine snapped.

When I’d visited Seia’s hideout that day and asked her to confront Mika directly, Mine, ever protective, had reacted with intense indignation.

If Seia hadn’t been right there, she might’ve lunged at me for a second round.

Is Mine always this harsh with me?

I even knocked properly this time instead of forcing that sealed door open.

Are first impressions really this hard to shake?

“Kaoru-san, this is the path you’ve chosen… so I must do what I can,” Seia had said that day.

“But Seia-sama…!” Mine protested.

“No, Mine. This might be… a small step toward a future for Kivotos I couldn’t see,” Seia insisted.

Thanks to Seia’s resolve to rise despite her condition, we’d easily neutralized Mika, as I’d planned.

After some back-and-forth with Mine, who opposed it to the end citing Seia’s safety, we’d compromised: Seia used her Tea Party authority to lift the martial law, allowing the Justice Task Force to escort her.

Mine, still displeased that I’d dragged a patient into this, asked stiffly, “Do you even have time to be here? I heard your final makeup exam is soon.”

“Fufu, it’s fine. Our Nagisa eased the exam conditions,” I replied.

While the coup unfolded, Nagisa, whom Azusa had hidden, was now frantically handling the aftermath, reportedly barely sleeping.

Naturally, all her previous sanctions on the Supplementary Lessons Department had been lifted.

The passing score was lowered to 60, the scope reverted to normal, the time was set to a standard 3 PM, and the venue was changed to the annex where our training camp was ongoing.

We could even choose the proctor and other conditions within reason.

Since abolishing the exam entirely was procedurally impossible, this was Nagisa’s way of offering maximum leniency.

However, likely due to complex political reasons, Nagisa hadn’t yet shown her face to the Supplementary Lessons Department.

Sensei, understanding this, had asked us to focus on preparing for the final exam without mentioning Nagisa further.

Seia, hearing my words, looked at me with a hint of regret and made a request.

“It’s shameless of me to ask… but please don’t resent my friend too much. I’m sure she’ll come to apologize in person soon.”

“Fufufu, don’t worry. I’ve already settled my personal grievances, so I hold no grudges,” I said.

After all, I’d already delivered that little ‘punishment’ with those words, right?

Seia, likely aware of my remark through her abilities, nodded and agreed softly.

“Yes, that was a reprimand Nagisa deserved. She’s not one to shirk responsibility… but…”

“But…?” I tilted my head, puzzled by her hesitation.

Seia averted her gaze, her expression complex, and added quietly, “It seems the ‘Kirifuji-san’ comment… hit her harder than expected.”

“Oh my.”

…Was that a bit too much?

At the same time Kaoru was visiting Seia, in a meeting room attached to a cathedral under Trinity’s Sisterhood:

“Thank you for coming all this way again, Sensei,” Sakurako said.

“Haha, no, Sakurako. I’m the one asking for help again, so this is only fair,” Sensei replied.

Today, Sensei had visited the Sisterhood with Hanako for a personal matter, meeting Utazumi Sakurako, the Sisterhood’s leader, who had aided in quelling the recent coup.

To the public, she’s known as a strict, devout abbess… Sensei thought, looking at the girl who epitomized a pious nun.

Yet, contrary to Trinity’s general perception, Sakurako’s demeanor with Sensei was far from rigid.

“Fufufu, so this time I should join the service in the nude?” Hanako teased.

“W-What nonsense are you spouting, Hanako-san?!” Sakurako exclaimed, her face flushing.

Sensei had already witnessed Sakurako blush multiple times today at Hanako’s playful provocations.

“Uh… Hanako, we’re in a cathedral, so maybe tone down those comments. Sakurako, calm down, haha…” Sensei mediated.

“Ahem… my apologies, Sensei,” Sakurako said, regaining her composure with a refined posture.

“I invited you here today, apart from Hanako-san’s conditions, to share the results of the investigation you requested.”

“Did you find something?” Sensei asked, nodding with a serious expression.

“Yes, we thoroughly investigated, but…” Sakurako began, cautiously addressing Sensei’s hopeful gaze after mobilizing significant resources.

“The Sisterhood’s archives contain no records of a ‘Capilla Scholastic City’ or a ‘world like Kivotos but using swords instead of guns.’”

“…As expected,” Sensei said, a hint of disappointment crossing her face.

Given the Sisterhood’s vast collection of mystical texts within Trinity’s long history, Sensei had recently made a personal request regarding a certain student she’d taken under her wing.

Sigh… even if we can’t find a way for Kaoru to return to her world, I hoped there’d be clues to recover her lost memories.

“Fufufufu, Sakurako-san,” Hanako interjected with a meaningful smile.

“Hiding things like this is why people openly call you a mastermind. The story’s not over, is it?”

“A-A mastermind…? I wasn’t hiding anything, just organizing my words!” Sakurako protested.

“Oh my, but you paused so long I almost missed it~ fufu,” Hanako teased.

“Ugh…” Sakurako groaned.

Puzzled, Sensei asked, “So… there’s more?”

“My apologies, Sensei. I was about to continue…” Sakurako sighed.

“While we found nothing within the Sisterhood, we had a small breakthrough through an external collaborator.”

“External collaborator?” Sensei echoed.

“Yes. Even if our archives had nothing, I thought a ‘specialist’ who handles undeciphered ancient texts daily might find a clue,” Sakurako explained.

At the mention of this “specialist,” Hanako feigned shock with exaggerated flair.

“Oh my, the ‘specialist’ is that person…? But doesn’t she rarely leave the library? Oh, did you kidnap her?! Using such violent means to extract information…!”

“I didn’t! I sent Sister Hinata to politely request her help! Why do you keep saying strange things?!” Sakurako retorted.

“Fufu, I see~” Hanako said, clearly enjoying Sakurako’s flustered reaction.

Sighing heavily, Sakurako gestured to a waiting Sister, who opened the meeting room door. “Since she’s here, please meet her, Sensei.”

“Ugh… too many people…” came a voice.

A girl with long black hair and dark circles under her eyes appeared, looking distinctly gloomy.

Her skirt reached below her knees, and her cozy indoor slippers screamed “introvert.”

She shrank back, startled by the room’s occupants.

“E-Eek…? You’re… the rumored Sensei?” she stammered.

“Yup, that’s me. Nice to meet you,” Sensei replied warmly.

“Uh… I’m… Kozeki Ui… technically the Library Club president,” she introduced herself, barely audible.

“Oh, the famed wizard of the ancient library! I heard it’s nearly impossible to meet you, fufufu,” Hanako said, her eyes sparkling with interest.

“Ugh, who’s spreading such embarrassing titles…?” Ui muttered, shrinking further.

“Ui-san, please take a seat and share what you told me with Sensei,” Sakurako said, her usual composed demeanor returning with a bright smile.

“Y-Yes… ugh, why did I agree to this…?” Ui mumbled, nervously sitting and glancing at Sensei before speaking.

“Among the ancient texts I’ve been restoring, there was one with a faint reference to something like what you described… no mention of swords, but a city in a forest where students, like in Kivotos, have halos. I thought it might be fiction, though…”

“…That sounds like it has a lot in common with the world Kaoru mentioned. Can you tell me more?” Sensei asked, leaning forward excitedly.

“W-Well… it’s so old and damaged that I haven’t deciphered much beyond the theme. I only figured out a peculiar term that kept appearing…” Ui said, her voice trailing off nervously.

“It’s okay, Ui. What you’ve shared is already a big help. What’s this term?” Sensei encouraged gently.

Emboldened slightly by Sensei’s warmth, Ui mustered her courage to share the one clear clue.

“In that world described in the text… they seem to call halos… light rings.”