Vol. 6 Ch. 3 Ep. 10: Ecclesia for Those Who Don't Disappear

Well?

Hm.

I don't have anything to back it up...

...but I suddenly feel really confident that everything's going to be okay.

Again, I've done nothing to warrant feeling this way.

You didn't study at all, did you?

So I was thinking...

Um...

Textbooks are books that are made to teach students well, right?

Right...

Then, as far as I can tell, our textbook sucks.

It didn't teach me anything.

Wow. I've literally never heard that kind of logic before...

With that, good luck on the test...

You too...

Get exactly one more question wrong than me!

You totally just cursed me!

"All right! Did everyone study hard?"

Ah, Sensei!

Sensei...

What should you do when you feel like you're gonna bomb a test?

Wow... I feel...a thousand times worse...

Okaaay...

Hi, Sensei. Nice to see you. You came out here to meet us?

You're such a worrywart... Do you seriously think we're going to run away at this point? We went through too much trouble to get here.

Hm? Is Sensei not here purely to cheer us on?

Oh... I mean, I thought Misaki was just saying that to be Misaki...

I-I see. I apologize, Misaki.

Seriously? I wasn't...

*sigh* Whatever.

Well then, we should be off, Sensei.

I-I'll do my very best...

Hello, Sensei.

Ah, hi, Sensei... Did you not have to work today?

I-I see.

Hm? You want to know how I feel about taking the Arius mock exam?

...

Honestly... I can't say the idea sits well with me yet.

But all of the Arius kids wanted to try again.

And I've decided to put my trust in them.

You as well, Sensei.

E-Eh? What? Why? Wasn't that uncalled for?!

W-Well, that isn't anything to...

Huh? You get anxious and unsure when your students don't trust what you're doing?

...

I...wasn't expecting such an honest answer.

D-Does that mean I'm helping you too, Sensei?!

Heehee... Heh... That feels nice... Thank you, Sensei.

...

M-Me too...

Subaru! Let's go! It's already time!

Huh? O-Oh...

Okay...

"I wonder if the Trinity exam has started yet..."

Ugh... It's really, actually over...

So? How was it?

...

...

It was a complete disaster...

H-Hey, they haven't even been graded yet!

You know...sometimes you just know...

...Honestly, same...

My sister-in-arms...

"Welcome back, everyone!"

Sensei...

*Sob*... Sensei...

I'm positive I totally bombed the test...!

What's that?

Like...to celebrate the end of exam season?

W-Wow! There are amazing traditions like that?

Maybe exams aren't so bad after all!

Wait, wait, wait. Let's not forget how brutal all that studying was THAT quickly.

But it's done with, isn't it?

Once the pain's over, it's not pain anymore!

...!

That's the Arius way!

Right!

Can you buy us something delicious, please, Sensei?

Okay!

Hello, Subaru, Maia. Please, sit.

Hello, Atsuko.

U-Um... Hello, P-Princess Atsuko...

Fufu. I'm not a princess anymore, so there's no need for the title.

Didn't we agree to be friendly with each other?

W-We did! It's just... Okay... *inhale*

A-Atsuko. Hello, Atsuko.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

So, what did you want to talk about, Atsuko?

Hm... The exam went well, right? And I heard that this is a common post-exam activity in the outside world.

First, let's fill our stomachs. This cafe's pecan pie is supposedly very famous.

O-Okay... Thank you very much...

So, how did both of you feel about the exam? I think I answered everything to the best of my ability.

I answered everything I knew as well!

But, to be honest with you, there was a lot more I didn't know than I did.

What about you, Subaru?

...It was my first time taking a mock exam, and the third-year questions felt a bit heavy for me. That's all.

Fufu. Since it's just a mock exam, it's only meant to be a...personal benchmark, of sorts.

There aren't any punishments for a mock exam either, so it doesn't matter what your results are.

Huh...? Do real exams...have punishments?!

Hm... If you do too poorly, you'll need to take supplemental classes.

And if your grades don't improve, you could be held back a year, or be barred from graduating.

Ah... So that's what "punishments" are...

...Yes.

These are the ways in a much kinder world.

...

...

What are your plans for the Squad from here on out, Atsuko?

I assumed you would be curious.

...

The Arius Squad intends to address the responsibilities it's been neglecting until now.

...And how does it plan on doing that?

Until the next Arius student council is officially and fairly elected, the Arius Squad intends to function as an acting student council.

The Arius Squad...will act as the Arius student council? But then... Then...

That would make our school...just like other schools...

Wouldn't that mean that, after hundreds and hundreds of years, the Arius Satellite School is going to get back to normal?

I'll do all I can to ensure that happens.

Yes. I'll have to, as Arius' acting student council president.

Student council president?!?!

Easy, easy. You're getting a little loud, Maia.

A-Ah. Sorry.

Objectively, based on what few traditions Arius still has, it couldn't be anyone but you.

Okay. What does everyone else intend on doing?

Misaki will be treasurer.

She complained, of course. "You really want to work me to the bone, don't you? Fine, if you really have no one better."

In Misaki-speak, that means, "I'm doing it anyway, so I might as well do my best."

What on earth is "Misaki-speak"...?

Well... It's a language where you simply flip about half of what she says. Don't say that to her face, though. She'll be quite enraged with you.

*sigh*...

And Saori will be vice president, and a general manager as well.

I can follow the logic.

For management, she proposed this policy: Everyone should work part-time jobs whenever they are able.

What? Why?!

She said it's because you'll learn about society quickly, earn some pocket money, and help with the Arius rebuilding efforts.

Since scams are a concern, she's directed everyone to get contracts approved by her before they sign anything. She rather sheepishly explained that she's undergone a lot of trial and error in that field.

...So she's just making everyone follow her blueprint.

Fufu. People learn best from experience, after all. Also...

"Also"?

...

Hm? We're starting to get the groundwork laid down.

If we start getting club applications, we'll need to evaluate them based on budget and feasibility...

It'll have to be on a case by case basis, when the time comes.

Hm? Less logistics, more of my personal wishes?

I-I couldn't, Atsuko. We're not in a position to be putting ourselves, or our wants, first anymore.

It's a request from my student council president...?

...

W-Well... There's little justification for them, so you may ignore this thought entirely.

It crossed my mind... What if we...made ourselves uniforms...?

Something pretty, and cute.

Thank you, Sao-Sao. That's exactly what I wanted to hear.

Sorry. I'll elaborate when the time is right.

Huh? Sure. Fine by me.

And Hiyori...

...Hiyori is...

...our secretary?

So a secretary, also acting as a record keeper. That's...

Yeah... She cried quite a bit when she first realized...

Then, she pulled herself together and got fired up about doing her best.

Hiyori always does great things when she's motivated to, so I was very happy.

I-I don't really know why, but that makes me happy too... Hiyori's just really kind...

Well... As long as it makes you happy.

Oh, and there's something I want to ask of Nicomedia's Troop as well.

...Us? What is it?

I'd like you to take on the role of Arius's disciplinary team.

Disciplinary...team?

Yeah, an autonomous force in charge of public order, morals, and discipline.

For this, I really don't think I can ask anyone but you, Subaru.

...And if I say no?

Are you really gonna be that way?

...

S-Subaru...?

*sigh*

You've always been a crafty one, Atsuko.

Have I? I suppose I AM the student council president. Even if just for now.

Yeah, yeah. Exactly as you should.

(Handling personnel matters this smoothly is a talent in itself.)

...

So what's your big plan, Atsuko?

I want to turn Arius into a wonderful school.

...Then we're on the same page there.

Yeah. I figure any student from Arius will say the same.

...You're not wrong. There's an absurd amount of work to do, though, isn't there?

I know. I won't run away again. I'll assert that as many times as you need.

Are you confident in your abilities?

To be frank, no. I'm not. That's why I need help.

Joining hands just means it's easier for one person to pull down the other.

Or it's easier to pull each other back up if one of us falls.

There's no way of knowing the future, so I don't want to dwell on worst-case scenarios.

Isn't that just unfounded optimism?

You could see it that way, but I'd rather call it activism. Ah, I know the word has its own definition, strictly speaking.

I've been using it to convey that what matters is to take action in the here and now, in the moment I am currently standing in.

And I don't believe we can do that without at least pretending we harbor some vague, hazy hope for our future.

Together, if we can.

...

Understood.

If that's how you feel, then I'll do my best to support you.

We really don't know what'll happen next, or what's coming our way.

I mean, who would've thought we'd end up taking some mock exam...?

Fufu. I admit, even I was caught off guard by that.

C-Come to think of it.....about that Remedial Knights captain from Trinity...

Mine? Right. We should talk about her too.

Yes... I heard she was bedridden for a while, after the incident in Arius.

She was. However...

There's nothing to worry about. She's recovered completely.

Really?! That's great to hear!

She was unable to study for a few days, but it sounds like it won't have much impact on her mock exam results.

I see... I guess that's a relief, at least.

Yeah. The truth is, that day Mine essentially sealed the power of the four Angels of Revelation inside herself.

What? That's what actually happened?!

Yes. Just before she passed out, she defeated four of the angels, if you recall.

Her actions stymied the seven angels' only chance to harmonize and unleash their full power.

Mine...endured the power of all four angels?! By sheer will?!

Wh-What's wrong, Subaru...?

Ah, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. I was just so...

It would seem that Mine awoke at almost the exact moment you were defeated as the final angel.

...I could barely handle just one. Her mentality and strength are out of this world.

...Maybe that's what you call conviction, or integrity.

No matter what happens, no matter what comes at her, even knowing that it may end in tragedy...

...she endures and presses forward regardless.

That part of her...really is incredible.

It is...

That said, there's one thing I just can't wrap my head around.

What is it?

If she's trying to help people, why does she leave them in such a wreck?

...

A-Atsuko?

You're pulling out your mask? Seriously?! No one can hear you when you wear that thing!

(Flick, flick, fwoosh.)

I don't know sign language! And you know that!

Are you running away again, Hakari Atsuko?!

...But she still made sure to pay in advance...

Subaru, I just realized something!

Leaving yourself an escape route, in case of emergency, is super important!

That's not something you should try to learn...

Better yet, just learn to not put yourself in a situation where you would need one.

Oh, Sensei. Welcome.

As you can see, this is currently the only place that's been fully restored.

This is the starting point. From here on outwards...

...we want to create a new Arius, one building at a time.

I mean, no one wants to go to a school that looks abandoned.

...And someday we'll have to accept new students and transfers again.

Do you really think...anyone would really want to come here?

Apparently... Some people are interested.

They're interested in the...particular set of skills that is most widely associated with our school.

Sh-Shouldn't we let that kind of stuff just fade into nothingness?!

...No matter when or where, there'll always be people who idolize power.

People like those won't last long here, anyways.

Let me think... Out of ten ranks, I was number two. For my first try at taking a test, I believe that should be acceptable?

...Rank three.

...Literature really is hopelessly nonlinear...

I was rank four... Waaah...

Waaah...! Kindness can come across as pity at times like these!

Patrol report complete... Oh, Sensei, you're here?

Ah, hello, Sensei. Welcome to Arius!

M-More importantly, what brings you here?

Huh...? You came because you heard the mock exam results were out?!

...

I'm sorry, Sensei... I only got rank four... Uwaaah...

Rank four...? You too?

H-Hiyori, you too?

...

...

That would mean we're...rank four buddies!

Yeah! Buddies!

We'll try even harder next time!

Yeah! I'll put in double the work!

UWAAAHHH!

"By the way."

Y-Yes...?

...

I mean, I'm sure that's why you came all this way.

"You placed fifth."

...Yes.

...Okaaay...

Seriously, so much has happened.

Looking back,

it almost feels like it was all just a dream...

I wanted to thank you,

for all that you've done.

That, at least, I can promise is sincere.

Hm? You mean my grades?

Hm...

This might sound a bit like I'm bragging, but...

It's all thanks to you, regardless, Sensei.

I placed first.

Thank you, Sensei.

You really are...the greatest thing that has happened to my life.