Chapter 30: Glass Wings, Shattered Names
“Not long from now, Nagisa, you’ll be kneeling before me to apologize, hehe.”
I clearly remembered saying those words to Nagisa not long ago.
But they were merely a spur-of-the-moment warning, thrown out in frustration at her suspicions toward me and her rudeness to Sensei.
I hadn’t meant them seriously.
Of course, I’d anticipated that once Mika was exposed as the true traitor, Nagisa might come to apologize.
But I’d imagined a slight bow at most—not this.
I never dreamed she’d actually kneel.
“…On behalf of the Tea Party, and as Kirifuji Nagisa personally, I formally apologize to you all,” Nagisa said, her voice steady despite her kneeling position on the classroom floor, head bowed.
“Considering the pain I’ve caused you… even if you trampled me here and now, I wouldn’t have a word to say.”
Her white wings drooped behind her as the angelic girl continued her apology.
“You don’t have to forgive me. No, I don’t expect to be forgiven. So…”
Her voice trailed off, and a heavy silence fell over the classroom.
“…?!”
“U-Ugh…”
The low-ranking Tea Party student who’d accompanied Nagisa gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
For a moment, Hifumi’s soft whimpers were the only sound, as everyone stood frozen, unsure how to react.
But then—
“…”
Led by Sensei, whose face was a complex mix of emotions, the Supplementary Lessons Department members slowly turned their gazes toward one person.
“…?”
Me.
I flinched under the unexpected attention but quickly realized why.
They all thought I was Nagisa’s primary victim, given how much I’d endured her scrutiny and attacks as Itokonoue Kaoru, even though the truth turned out to be the opposite.
“…”
Swish.
“Kaoru, I hope you’ll respond as you see fit.”
Sensei stepped aside slightly, giving me space, her eyes conveying that message.
In the original story, she’d never tolerate a student kneeling to her, but her restraint now suggested she saw this as my moment, not hers.
…Alright.
Accepting her silent request, I stepped forward, approaching Nagisa.
Step.
“Nagisa,” I said softly, kneeling on one knee to meet her at eye level.
“Look up. I have something to say.”
“…Yes,” she replied quietly, slowly raising her head.
Her guilt kept her from meeting my eyes, but I spoke gently, sharing my honest thoughts.
“I told you last time, didn’t I? I don’t resent you, hehe.”
Sure, there’d been fleeting moments of frustration, but I’d settled that score with my little “revenge” last time.
“Huh…?” Nagisa lifted her head fully, staring at me with dazed eyes.
“But… Kaoru-san, I did something awful to you…”
“Oh my, you did. To the others, too, and to Master. That was wrong, no doubt.”
“…”
“But…” I continued with a gentle smile as she lowered her head again.
“You were a victim too, weren’t you? Deceived by Mika, your closest friend, and manipulated by those scheming behind her. hehe, if anything, you’re the one who deserves an apology from them.”
“…”
Nagisa, likely thinking of her childhood friend now confined and who’d tried to isolate her, remained silent, her gaze fixed on the floor, emotions swirling.
I gently tucked a strand of her disheveled light brown hair behind her ear and added one final thought.
“So don’t apologize to me. You haven’t committed any sin against me that requires forgiveness.”
“…”
After a moment, a small reply came.
“Thank you…” Her voice trembled slightly but carried the resolve of a school leader.
Though, amusingly, a sob came from an unexpected source.
“…Hic.”
That Tea Party mob girl is quite emotional, isn’t she?
I thought, glancing at Nagisa’s attendant, who was wiping tears with a touched expression.
I kept that observation to myself.
Well… this should mean Nagisa and I are fully reconciled.
“Well done, Kaoru.”
Glancing at Sensei, I saw her nod approvingly, as if proud of me.
“Now, let’s move on,” I said, gently pulling Nagisa to her feet.
“Uh, u-uh…?” Nagisa stammered, her face slightly flushed as she shyly faced Sensei and the others.
Hifumi, as if on cue, rushed over with a worried expression.
“N-Nagisa-sama…! Are your knees okay…?”
“Hifumi-san…?” Nagisa blinked.
“hehe, Hifumi, don’t you have something to say to Nagisa too?” I prompted.
“O-Of course! I mean… Kaoru-san’s right! It was tough at times, but I’m okay… the misunderstandings are cleared, and I’ve never hated you, Nagisa-sama…!” Hifumi said, awkwardly but earnestly trying to comfort her.
“Nagisa-sama, to me, Kirifuji Nagisa has always been a good fri—uh, huh? Nagisa-sama…? Eek?!”
But before Hifumi could finish her heartfelt words, another unexpected event left her screaming in shock.
Thud.
The moment Hifumi said “Kirifuji,” Nagisa collapsed to the floor like a marionette with cut strings.
Oh…
“Oh my,” I murmured, quickly catching her to prevent her pretty face from hitting the ground.
Her body was stiff as a board, unmoving in my arms.
“Nagisa-sama! Are you okay? Please wake up!” Hifumi cried.
“Oh my… she’s fainted?” Hanako said.
“Everyone, stay alert. This could be another trap. I’ll get my gas mask…” Azusa warned.
“N-No way! But what just happened…?” Koharu stammered.
The Tea Party attendant and the others rushed over, panicking.
Seriously… this bad?
I was dumbfounded.
A perfectly healthy person fainting over a single word?
It was like something out of a comedy manga.
Sensei, equally stunned, gaped at me, mouthing silently, “What happened to Nagisa…?”
…I didn’t know she’d break down this much.
In a dimly lit, eerie space somewhere in a hidden Arius Branch School, where the air felt thick and oppressive, a woman—or rather, a monstrous figure in a pristine white dress—was receiving a report.
“Judging from Shirasu Azusa’s early reports… when did a traitor’s information become so valuable? How tiresome,” the woman sneered in a monotonous voice, dripping with disdain, to the person on the other end of the communication.
[——. ———…]
“You’re saying a single student near the summit could disrupt our plans? That’s the worthless excuse you’re giving me?” she continued, her tone mocking.
Rising slowly from her reclined position, the dozens of grotesque eyes embedded in her head glared menacingly.
“Even if that traitor’s intel is true, it’s just one student. You’re asking for more forces because of one? Doesn’t that make your ‘Royal Blood’ the only thing of value?” she taunted.
[—–……–!!]
The voice on the other end grew frantic, but the woman, uninterested in their excuses, cut them off with a command.
“Hmph, fine. I’ll make other arrangements, so you lot keep that ‘trash’ occupied. Prove your worth, if you even can.”
[…Understood, Madam.]
As the communication ended, the woman tsked to the empty room.
“Useless fools. Without an adult to guide them, they’re hopelessly inferior. But soon, my grand ritual will be complete, and I’ll show Kivotos’s foolish children what an adult truly is. Heh.”
Her sharp, saw-like teeth gleamed in a wide grin as she savored her impending triumph.
“Now, Sensei, let’s test your luck first,” Beatrice, a member of Gematria and another “adult” in Kivotos, murmured, fanning herself to conceal her grotesque smile.
“And let’s see what entertainment that remnant of a ruined world by your side can offer. Hehehe.”