Vol. 3 Ch. 3 Ep. 1: Postmortem Part 1

Yurizono Seia?

I've been waiting for you, Arius Satellite School's Shirasu Azusa.

You...were?

Yes. Because all of this already came to me in a dream.

It's difficult to explain, precognition. You can think of it as the ability to "prophetically dream."

I have them often, dreams that become reality. As well as ones that are indistinguishable from reality.

Does that mean you know what I'm going to do now?

Yes. You're here to destroy my halo.

Others joined you on this mission, but you're the only one who made it this far. You're quite talented, Azusa.

Then why didn't you run away?

If you must know...it's because it would have been meaningless.

Everything is in vain. Just as the wise saying Arius is so fond of goes. Struggling is meaningless to someone like me who can see the future.

Death may not be common in Kivotos, but that doesn't mean we're free from it. We may not be able to see it, but as long as we draw breath, death will always be clearly with us.

To destroy one's halo is to kill them. Meaning, someone out there wants me dead.

And here you are. You made it all the way here and infiltrated a hidden room still undetected. You, Shirasu Azusa, a student from Arius Satellite School.

Have you ever destroyed a halo before?

No, but I know how to... I've been taught.

Taught?

A halo will shatter if they're wounded gravely enough, over and over.

A student in Kivotos could be shot with a dozen 5.56 millimeter rounds and it still wouldn't cause a fatal wound...

...but with enough ammunition, time, and tactical superiority, destroying a halo with just a firearm isn't impossible.

If someone is made to go without food or water for long enough, is suffocated for an extended period of time, loses enough blood, suffers from hypothermia, or other types of illness...

All are sufficient ways to destroy one's halo.

As I understand it, you're particularly frail as well, Yurizono Seia.

Do you think your firearm will be enough?

Under most circumstances, yes. But I'm short on time and don't have the tactical advantage right now.

That's why I brought this bomb. I can destroy your halo immediately with this.

A bomb that can shatter a halo? I've never heard of such a weapon.

This must be the kind of thing Arius spends its time teaching. How to destroy halos, how to kill.

Naturally. A school is a place of learning, isn't it? And that's what they taught me there.

...

I see. So this is what Arius has become.

Are you truly prepared to become a murderer, Azusa?

...

I've seen it before. How afraid you are of becoming a murderer.

Murder is murder. Whether it was something you wished for or not, whether you had any other choice...

None of it matters. It's something you can never come back from. It's something you will carry with you for as long as you remain in this world.

The despair, agony, rage, regret, frustration, and helplessness you'll feel... No one will ever be able to empathize with it, and eventually, those feelings fade into nothingness, just as you will.

You've been told it your whole life: vanitas vanitatum, that it's the truth of the world.

Yet, from what I've seen, you're a living contradiction. You simultaneously place faith in these words but don't believe them.

Isn't that right?

It's what you were thinking to yourself as you gazed upon that flower.

"Even if everything is in vain...I must continue struggling."

This is what's at the core of your being, the image you see when you close your eyes. I couldn't understand it at first...

...but now it makes perfect sense to me.

You didn't come here to kill me. You came to seek advice.

Advice about your struggle.

Are you all right, Sensei?

I know you've been busy with this and that lately, but I'd appreciate it if you could focus a little bit.

I know you've been busy with this and that lately, but I'd appreciate it if you could focus a little bit.

As I understand it, you've been volunteering to deal with the aftermath of that incident.

Fair enough.

A lot has happened in such a short amount of time. We'd be remiss not to do our due diligence.

It will undoubtedly be tedious, but that's simply the nature of a postmortem.

So, back to the beginning.

Seia's recovery room was destroyed at roughly 3 AM on the night of the attack.

The first to arrive at the scene was Captain Mine of the Remedial Knights.

She reported what happened to the Tea Party after grasping the situation.

Even as the Tea Party fell into a panic, a concerted effort began to hide news of Seia's death and search for the perpetrator.

Captain Mine took advantage of the chaos and escaped with Seia's body. Even the other members of her club were unsure of where she went.

That's as much as the Tea Party knew. In reality, Mine had only made it seem like Seia's halo was destroyed and instead hid her somewhere safe.

It was the best way to protect Seia from another attack. No one targets a dead person.

The Tea Party has no shortage of enemies after all. The culprit could be just about anyone. I believe Mine made the right decision with that in mind.

Now we know the one who orchestrated the attack was Mika. Mine made a wise decision.

However, Seia still hasn't woken up.

Her wounds from the explosion have healed, but she remains unconscious...for reasons unknown, according to the captain.

In conclusion, Captain Mine and Seia are still in hiding. No one knows their location.

That sums up everything we know about the attack on Yurizono Seia.

"Hanako."

I thought Sakurako might be boring you to tears, so I came to your rescue.

I'm not in the mood for your jokes, Hanako.

You're such a stick in the mud. Smile! Live a little! Take a walk on the beach, find something dirty to read!

Something tells me you'd be just the type to get into it. ♥

You haven't forgotten the pact you made, have you?

Of course not.

"What's this all about, Hanako?"

Sensei? What are you doing here?

"You said you made a pact with the Sisterhood."

Oh. That...

With all due respect, this matter isn't any of your or Schale's concern, Sensei.

Goodness...

...

I-I'm sorry. This is my fault.

Mari...

It was a deal. Hanako asked for my help in persuading Sakurako.

And in exchange...

...I asked Hanako to change her mind about dropping out of school.

...

It was the only way! I couldn't understand how Hanako felt or talk her out of dropping out.

All I wanted was for her to stay at the academy, even if it meant being selfish.

You weren't, Mari.

You don't need to be ashamed or apologize. If anyone was selfish, it was me for making you worry like that.

I'm sorry, Mari.

Hanako...

Rest assured that dropping out is the furthest thing from my mind now.

R-Really? Do you mean it?

Absolutely. I learned a lot while in the Make-Up Work Club, including the value of struggling and pushing myself just a little bit more. Isn't that right, Sensei?

I'm so glad to hear that. Thank you both.

However, that alone won't suffice.

Sakurako?

I have a request of my own to make of you, Hanako.

...

That's...

How devious. I still can't believe you asked for my help in creating a school rule that prohibits clothing in classrooms. All-nude lessons only!

I'm glad you remem...

I beg your pardon?

To think the Sisterhood had such naughty ambitions. I shouldn't have expected anything less of you, Sakurako. This truly is an organization shrouded in mystery.

I thought the clause that allowed Sisterhood members to still wear a veil while nude was a nice touch, though.

Completely exposed with nothing on but a veil. My, what a daring way to show off the Sisterhood's privileges.

Excuse me?!

I gave you my word, so I have no choice but to cooperate with this plan of yours! I'll make sure this rule is passed if it's the last thing I do!

However, I can't go along with the favoritism your veil exception creates. So I propose an addendum that allows all other students to still wear socks!

Make that one concession and I promise you that your rule will pass!

Sakurako! Y-You've been keeping this from me the entire time?!

Of course I haven't!

Are you sure?

Yes, I'm sure!

The exchange for granting your request was that you grant one of ours as well!

Oh, thaaaaaat. Now I remember.

*sigh*

As much as I'd like to request that you agree to join the Sisterhood, that wouldn't be fair. I would basically be coercing you.

We've decided to change our non-interventionism policy after this most recent incident. The Sisterhood will be more involved in Trinity's politics than before, at least for the foreseeable future.

There are sure to be a lot of...growing pains in that regard, and having the help of someone as talented as you could help alleviate them.

I suppose I can do that...

Why so hesitant? I hope you still aren't thinking of that fabricated proposal you said I made.

Sensei...

Yes, I can agree to that. We should count ourselves fortunate that you're willing to help at all. I won't push my luck by asking you to do any more than you're comfortable with.

Thank you, Sakurako.

Let's get back to the matter at hand, though. We were discussing...

The nude attendance matter, obviously! ♥

Precisely, the nudity poli, no! We were discussing the matter surrounding Seia!

Right.

Okay, getting serious... We already know the one who attacked Seia was our little Azusa, Shirasu Azusa.

Seia's room was destroyed at 3AM on the night of the attack, but records indicate the infiltration should have been around 2AM.

Meaning the intruder, Azusa, was with Seia for about an hour.

What could have happened between the two of them within that window?

Azusa hasn't told me. However...

Please enter, Shirasu Azusa.

...