A Plausible Plan (1)

A moment later.

"I refuse."

Hestia shook her head, firm as iron.

Well. Fair enough.

The black mist still flickering around her was proof enough that she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hadn't dropped her suspicions. What parent in the world would just hand over their daughter to a villain who'd walked in and asked for her out of nowhere?

And yet—

"Rania's ideal type is someone like a hero. The kind of protagonist you'd find in a fairy tale."

"Ah, well—"

"You look reasonably presentable, I'll grant you that, but that face of yours is closer to a villain's than a hero's."

"Wait, hold on—"

"More importantly, to become one of our family, one must first be recognized by the head of the house. Rania is a leading candidate to succeed as family head, so her partner would need to have both character and ability acknowledged as well."

"That's why—"

"Yes. That's why I refuse."

Four rejections without even confessing once. That was a bit much, wasn't it?

"Um, Acting Family Head?"

I tried to explain after that. I really did.

"I refuse."

"Could you please just let me—"

"Go on, then."

"So what I mean is—"

"It's quite all right."

"Aargh."

"Aargh...?"

She cut me off like a woman possessed.

I'm going to lose my mind.

Eight hours until the expected attack.

I have to meet Vulkan before then. No matter what.

Only then would the odds of protecting the Vulcanus family intact actually go up. And only if the Vulcanus family remained whole would Rania's chances of reaching a happy ending rise with them.

So think.

What if Hestia never dropped her guard against me, all the way to the end?

Then I'd have no choice but to go with the original plan.

The original plan, in this case, meant acting as Number Two rather than Eugene. If I couldn't move in the open, I'd at least move in secret and try to save them that way. Except—

You dare mock me to the very end.

Slash.

"...Become an Academy Dullahan."

"Hm?"

"It's nothing."

If I moved as Number Two instead of Eugene, I'd be treated as one of the Six Apostles of the Evil God, and the odds of getting my head cut off would shoot through the roof.

Moving as Eugene is the best option.

So I had no choice. Sincerity always finds a way through. Here, the only thing left was to show her my true feelings.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?"

I let out a long breath, leaned in toward Hestia, and whispered.

"I have no interest in that girl."

The truth was, I did want to date someone. Someday I even wanted to get married. But right now I needed to focus on the happy ending.

In other words: too soon.

Maybe after I'd actually reached the end of that happy ending. Now was not the time to be falling for anyone.

I put that feeling into the next sentence.

"When I asked for your daughter just now, I meant I wanted your permission to become her friend."

"Ah...?"

When I finished and looked at her, the wariness on Hestia's face had thinned.

"Well..."

She hunted for words for a while. Then, having apparently finished thinking, she spoke with care.

"I-I see. My temper has always been rather fiery... I'm sorry. I misunderstood."

"Huh? Uh, well..."

What's with the sudden one-eighty?

Either way, this was my opening. I jumped on it.

"In any case, please allow me to help Rania. That's why I came here."

"Of course! Eugene, you— no. If it's you, Eugene, I can trust you with this."

"Huh? Uh... sure."

Sincerity really did find a way through, after all.

"Thank you for becoming Rania's friend. Eugene, you— no. Eugene."

"...Yes. The pleasure's mine."

Something about it still felt off, but at least I'd managed to settle Hestia down.

Now for the real business.

I lined up my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠words so I wouldn't repeat the same disaster, then opened my mouth.

"Tonight, at midnight."

The Six Apostles of the Evil God will come.

Rania thought.

"Last one."

"Yes...!!!"

That everything she'd trained until now might as well have been child's play.

CRACK!

She barely managed to plant her feet on the ground.

Six hours. She had been swinging her sword for a full six hours now, enduring Vivian's Aura Emission the entire time.

My body's already in tatters.

The exhaustion born in her skull and her heart spilled outward, flooding every corner of her body. Even a light brush of breeze landed like a hero's full-powered strike.

There was only one reason Rania was still on her feet.

Willpower.

"...!!"

Rania clamped her mouth shut. She even saved the strength it would take to scream. She was so far gone she no longer knew how to move her own body—and yet.

The strike she unleashed was close to perfect.

If her old Red Heat Sword had merely kindled flames, the Red Heat Sword of now was a blade of keen fire. That crimson edge—

Slash.

—cleanly cleaved through Scarecrow Unit 2, the one Vivian had forged before training began.

"Oh."

And drew a sound of genuine admiration from the woman who was her master.

Vivian looked the scarecrow over. It fell far short of Scarecrow Unit 1 — Mount Tai, but this, too, was one of her masterpieces. And Rania had still—

"Can I... do it... again...?"

—cut it cleanly in two.

A faint huff of a laugh. Vivian let a slight smile touch her mouth and gave Rania's shoulder an encouraging pat.

"Rest."

"Thank you for your hard wor—"

Thud.

Rania collapsed on the spot and, still crumpled, passed out as if she'd simply switched off.

Vivian looked down at her.

...If she does well, she might become as strong as Evan.

That had been a clear misjudgment.

Rania Vulcanus. This child hadn't been born a powerhouse the way Vivian herself had. But—

"She'll reach it in the end."

Perhaps even a place higher than her own.

Vivian was glad. Lately there had been so many interesting things happening that she hadn't felt lonely at all.

"...If I can just get Ariel back like this."

She could be happy again. The way she used ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be.

In the middle of that thought, she realized.

"...Eugene."

That that eccentric bastard was mixed up in this, too.

Just what kind of guy is he, anyway?

Vivian found herself thinking of Eugene without meaning to.

I broke it by cussing at it.

He'd smashed the very first scarecrow she'd ever made—one that was, for all intents and purposes, Indestructible.

Vivian!! I came to make a deal!!!

She'd beaten him half to death out of sheer irritation, and he'd walked back in of his own accord, shouting in casual speech that he wanted to make a deal.

Ari...el. She's alive.

Even the contents of that deal had been more help to Vivian herself than to Eugene. And on top of that—

Could you take on just one disciple?

He'd even spent that payment on a friend.

"...?"

No. That couldn't possibly be it.

Let me sort this out again.

A guy with a special ability, who knew how to hide it behind a foolish smile. A guy who charged toward his goals without hesitation, unafraid even of death. A guy who knew what other people wanted—and used the payment for that knowledge for someone else's sake.

"...?"

Having finished thinking, Vivian was confused. No matter how she turned it over—

"...Isn't he just a good, incredible guy?"

While the thoroughly confused Vivian was standing there pondering this, Rania still slung over her shoulder—

BAM!

The training hall door burst open, and someone walked in.

"Vivi-BIG!!"

"?"

It was Eugene.

"It means Big Vivian!!"

"...?"

She was briefly thrown by the playful attitude, then collected herself and asked.

"What."

"This is the last deal."

"Ah."

Come to think of it: becoming a master was one. Bringing them here was two. Vivian nodded.

"Speak."

Eugene answered without a shred of hesitation.

"Let's throw down."

Rank insignia off. Nice and clean.

The scene rewound to just a moment ago.

"The Six Apostles of the Evil God will come."

Right after he'd given Hestia a heads-up about everything that was going to happen.

"Leave."

"Excuse me?"

He'd been shown the door. The reason was simple.

"Because it's dangerous."

Thinking about it, that was only natural. Extra Eugene was a freshman who'd only just enrolled at Academy Zion. And Rania's friend.

"I appreciate the thought, but this is a matter for adults. It's not something a student like you should be involved in."

From Hestia's point of view, I wasn't someone to take help from. I was a child she needed to protect. On top of that—

"I don't doubt you, with Lady Vivian at your side. But I can't fully trust you, either."

My identity was unclear, too. The information I'd given her was the kind only a core executive of the cult would know.

It's only natural she can't drop her suspicions.

If I forced my help on them, the unnecessary doubt would only swell. But if I followed the eviction order and walked out, the Vulcanus family would vanish right on schedule.

"Let's throw down."

"?"

"Rank insignia off. Nice and clean."

Get beaten up by Vivian. Pretend to be injured. Exit the episode.

As Eugene, that is.

After that, heal up with Dawiraenol, become the 2nd Apostle, and walk back into the episode. Help Rania while hiding my identity from both the cult and the Vulcanus family.

Of course, I'll have to be careful not to become a Dullahan.

I already knew the future where my head got cut off. I just had to watch out for Vulkan.

A perfect plan.

Ahh, see? It's simple. Behold—the completion of a world where no one gets hurt.

The moment he looked at Vivian like that, a famous line from Big Bro Mike Tyson floated up in his mind.

"Huh?"

Everyone has a plan that looks pretty good.

Until they get punched in the mouth.