Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: The Culprit is at the Crime Scene… (2)
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The shared living arrangement under one roof began with Makina's bold proposal.
I spent nearly until midnight repeatedly giving statements as a witness in the Cale Ace murder case, cross-referencing my memories from the time with the records preserved in the video stones.
*I have to believe it was because of that…*
As a result, I dreamed that I killed Cale Ace.
The problem was that there was no way to determine whether that "dream" was pure fantasy or a reconstruction of actual events.
"Did I say anything, by any chance?"
"It was more like… well, you were groaning in pain, then you shouted, and afterward, you called out for Cale Ace. That's all."
My shaken reason flickered like a lantern in the wind.
My intellect blazed intensely one moment, then wavered precariously the next, blinking in and out—so unreliable that even I couldn't trust it.
"I was awake because I was thirsty, and I heard you groaning. I'd heard you had a chronic condition, so I took the liberty of opening the door. Sorry about that."
"No—no, I'm the one who should apologize for disturbing you in the middle of the night. …By the way, can I ask you something too?"
"Sure."
"That spell earlier—you were chanting something I couldn't imitate."
"Ah. [Hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit]?"
Spells are truly strange things.
When spoken by a mage, they form coherent sentences with meaning, but try to mimic them, and the words won't come out of your mouth.
It felt like listening to a foreign language spoken with completely different vocalization while your ears were the only part awake.
"Yeah, that one. What kind of magic was it?"
"A simple awakening spell. It's mainly used on kids having nightmares."
"……"
Regardless of the spell's original purpose, it was true that Makina had awakened me from the nightmare, so I expressed my gratitude.
Now that I looked closely, Makina was dressed in an oversized cashmere robe that seemed meant for sleeping, a round-neck shirt, and silk pants.
I'd only ever seen her in uniform before, so this stripped-down look was a first.
I quickly averted my gaze to avoid staring and glanced around the room.
*The room to the right of the student council room that Makina lent me. The door wasn't locked, so she must have just come in… Looks like I didn't thrash around as much as I thought.*
In the dream, I'd abetted a guardian angel as it bit a person to death.
It had been such a shocking nightmare that I'd expected the room to be a mess from my tossing and turning, but it was surprisingly tidy.
"If you're feeling really unwell, should I fetch Cadet Theodor White or Cadet Arthur Usher from downstairs?"
"Ah, no, I'm fine."
Whichever one I called would only double my worries.
If I brought Theodor, I'd have to worry about whether I'd attack him; if Arthur, whether he'd attack me.
Above all, right now, I wanted to decline summoning anyone.
"I see… If you're okay with it, you could sleep in the living room instead of your room. An open space might feel safer. I won't come out until morning—"
"…No, really, you don't need to worry about me anymore."
My pride wouldn't allow any more embarrassing displays.
Makina nodded as if she understood, straightened the collar of her robe, and rose with a crisp movement.
"Supplementary classes start tomorrow, so as hard as it might be, try to get at least a short nap."
"I will."
Makina left the room quietly, without even a patter of footsteps.
I wiped the cold sweat soaking my back with a face towel.
After locking the door, I lay back down in bed.
*Is it really not true?*
The bluish moonlight filtering in from the window seemed to work some mysterious effect on my brain, clearing my mind.
Sleep had completely fled, making Makina's advice to at least nap impossible to follow.
*Am I really innocent?*
I tossed and turned, endlessly comparing the nightmare to my memories.
The more I focused, the sharper the horrific scenes from my memory became—the blood-soaked altar vivid in my mind.
Just as the terror that maybe I—maybe I'd killed Cale Ace with these two hands—began to crush my entire body, the chirping of birds came from outside the window.
*I killed Cale Ace—…*
An illusion hit me that the smell of blood was wafting from the palms covering my face.
Or maybe it wasn't an illusion.
If I really had committed murder with these hands, then Cale Ace's vengeful spirit, which had followed me ever since that day, might be dwelling in them…
-Bang bang!
"Hey, is this guy ignoring us or what?"
"Shirley, just rip the door off."
"Got it—"
"What's 'got it'? Don't rip the door!"
The sudden noise made me bolt upright in bed.
I hurriedly threw on the robe hanging by the bedside table and opened the door.
There stood Shirley at the door, fist raised in exactly the same pose as I'd seen her months ago, looking full of vigor.
"What? You're here. Why pretend you're not?"
The same pose as back then, the same words as back then—but a different Shirley from back then.
"…Uh…"
To be honest, it was a relief.
Only then did I truly feel that I wasn't lost in chaos and darkness, but back in everyday life.
Shirley sheepishly lowered the fist she'd raised to smash the door and grinned mischievously like a rascal.
"You know we have to start extreme training today, right? If you go out now, you won't be back till midnight—in that outfit, it'll be rough…"
"…You guys are too early. Come in first."
I awkwardly looked down at my pajamas and let the two into the room.
Then I quickly washed up and got dressed before stepping out of the dressing room.
The two were sitting across from each other at a makeshift table, giggling over trivial chit-chat.
"Anyway, Enoch Clark was such a wimp back then. It's hilarious how he's pretending to be all mature now."
"Hmm, calling a seven-year-old kid a wimp just because he couldn't lift a bed seems a bit harsh."
…What on earth were they talking about?
Without hearing the prior conversation, it was hard to guess how the topic had veered there.
I half-listened to their talk while checking my holster and ammunition.
Meanwhile, Shirley sounded surprised at Judith's words and countered.
"Huh? Even though no one was lying on the bed?"
"Empty bed or not, it doesn't change the result. And expecting a seven-year-old to lift a bed isn't exactly common either."
"Doesn't everyone try lifting a bed at least once?"
Yeah, even hearing the prior exchange, it was a hard topic to follow.
What would a seven-year-old do with a bed? Jump around on it like a trampoline or climb the bedpost and leap onto the mattress, maybe.
Strangely enough, Shirley's absurd comment was providing me considerable comfort.
The unfamiliar place where I'd been tossing in nightmares just hours ago now felt brightly overlaid with normalcy.
As I watched them for a moment, Judith looked my way and asked.
"Arma, your hair?"
"I'll leave it down today. No time."
Usually, I'd sweep it back to expose half my forehead, but today I had neither the time nor the energy.
Luckily, it wasn't sticking up noticeably, so I left the room with my hair down, unlike usual.
"Hello."
The moment I stepped out, I ran into Makina. It was only natural.
I was currently staying temporarily in the side room next to the student council room.
Honestly, I'd been unsure how to face her, but her calm demeanor, as if nothing had happened, was a relief.
On the arm neatly placed on the desk hung a bracelet engraved with a black lily.
*Is she using it without the control function?*
I knew from her that the bracelet was a resonance bracelet for preventing children from getting lost.
Still, it was hard to understand why she'd continue wearing a bracelet she'd chosen to punish herself with.
While I was momentarily distracted by Makina's bracelet, Shirley flinched and shuddered.
"Ugh. When did she sneak up?"
"…You shouldn't look at people like they're ghosts, Shirley."
I poked Shirley's elbow and gave Makina a silent nod.
"Come to think of it, are you taking supplementary classes too, President? Like the other cadets?"
As we were about to leave the student council room, Shirley turned back and asked.
I was curious about that too.
Makina was sitting primly at her desk in her uniform.
"Yes. The Wooden Cross, Thorn Crown, and Silver Chalice are all taking supplementary classes. It would be unfair to the Black Lily if we were the only ones exempt."
…I learned later that, unlike the frenzied Wooden Cross, the Thorn Crown that had joined in for fun, and the Silver Chalice that had a direct victim, the Black Lily had been completely unperturbed.
Of course, there was some sympathy for the horrific incident where a cadet had been brutally sacrificed, but that was it.
*Even in that cauldron of madness, that's pretty impressive…*
In a way, they were suffering an injustice due to collective responsibility, but I doubted they felt aggrieved.
Seeing Makina's serene face, I felt I didn't need to ask her directly.
"In the Black Lily's case, we gather every winter for rehearsals for the Welcoming of New Sprouts, so there wasn't much resistance to supplementary classes."
Come to think of it, after winter ends and spring arrives, one of Aegis Academy's four major events, the "Welcoming of New Sprouts," begins.
Trees are draped with silk banners, everyone dresses up prettily, and they dance praying for the spring sprouts to grow healthily.
"…The Welcoming of New Sprouts—is it still happening as planned?"
"Yes. Though graduation comes first."
"Ah."
I let out a small sigh at her words.
Aegis Academy's graduation ceremony takes place just before the Welcoming of New Sprouts, at the end of March when spring is in full bloom.
If all goes as planned, Makina will graduate then too, so the next Welcoming of New Sprouts will begin without her, with the new student council president.
I'd spent most of my academy life with Makina as president, so I couldn't easily imagine that scene.
*Wait. Thinking about it, we only have about three months left before then.*
Three months is a time that's neither long nor short.
That meant I had to secure her cooperation as quickly as possible before she graduated and push for public discourse on the guardian angel.
It was uncertain whether the newly ascended little absolute—a next-gen student president—would even listen to our far-fetched claims.
Moreover, if we missed this chance, no one knew what form the guardian angel, steadily gaining power amid the chaos, would evolve into.
"By the way—"
Makina rested her chin on her hand and smiled faintly.
As we looked at her, Makina extended her fingers toward the sky.
"Wouldn't it be better to hurry?"
-Ding-a-lang… ding-a-lang…
At that moment, the preparatory bell began to ring.
"Ugh! Preparatory bell!"
"Arma, run!"
We left Makina in the student council room and started running frantically.
Through the crack in the door, the last glimpse of Makina was her watching us with amusement before turning back to skim through yesterday's neatly organized case records on the desk.
And Makina didn't appear again that day after supplementary classes ended, nor the next day, nor the day after that.