The
day after the quarterfinals was designated as an adjustment day, so there were
no matches scheduled.
The
four teams that had advanced to the semifinals ought, under normal
circumstances, to be resting thoroughly and preparing for tomorrow, but...
“We’re
withdrawing from the semifinals. Is that okay?”
With
that announcement, Chloe looked around at the faces gathered in the room.
Yuzuhi,
Nina, and Sophia exchanged solemn glances, each wearing a grave expression.
Only
Minato hesitantly raised her hand and spoke.
“Um...
is that really... the only option?”
Chloe
let out an exaggerated sigh and shot her a sharp look.
“Honestly...
Minato, do you really need to ask that after seeing the state we’re in?”
“Ugh...!
I-I mean...”
Faced
with that, Minato could only falter.
After
all, they were in a hospital room at the treatment center, and every member of
Team Kaguya who had gathered there was battered and bruised.
Sophia,
admitted to this private room, was the most seriously injured: multiple
fractures including her right leg and several ribs, along with severe
contusions. Nina, who had the lightest injuries, and Chloe, who was next in
line, were both covered head to toe in medical patches and bandages. Yuzuhi,
who had fractured several fingers on her left hand, had sustained contusions
all over her body and even projectile wounds.
And
Minato herself, the second most seriously injured, was riddled with wounds,
foremost among them a deep gash in her left shoulder. She had lost
consciousness immediately after yesterday’s match and had only woken in the
early hours of the morning a few hours ago.
“Even
if we forced our way into the match, Sophia’s absence would be certain. And our
opponent would be Team Lancelot. Unfortunately, no matter how much I rack my
brain, our odds of victory won’t budge from zero.”
“But...
Chloe, you said before that ‘no matter the condition of the team, it’s your
role to find the best path to victory from there’...”
“There’s
a limit to everything!”
Of
course Minato understood. In their current condition, Team Kaguya had no chance
whatsoever of defeating Team Lancelot.
But
still. Even so.
“Because...
because if we give up here, everyone’s dreams will...!”
Minato
lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly.
They
were so close. Just a little more.
Win
the remaining two matches, and each of them would be within reach of their
dreams. To have come this far, if they fought and lost, that would be one
thing. But to relinquish it themselves... such a decision could not be made so
easily.
Then
Yuzuhi, who had been silent until now, spoke with her usual gentle smile.
“My
goal was to attain the secret of Shingyou Issen as one who studies the Amagiri
Shinmeiryuu of archery. Thanks to all of you, I believe I have at least reached
its threshold. So please, don’t concern yourselves with me.”
Nina
followed with a faint, self-conscious smile.
“M-Me
too... um, my wish was to become someone who’s needed, and to be able to answer
that need. And... yeah, that’s already come true. O-Of course, I’d love to win
and receive the prize money to make my family happy, but still... this is
enough!”
Next,
Sophia, propped up in bed with only her upper body raised, swept her hair back
with a flourish and then winced from sore muscles at the unnecessary motion.
“Well,
my dream of winning and securing succession of the Fairclough family has been
dashed... but by winning the quarterfinals, I believe I’ve given it the minimum
push it required. As for the rest, it’s a matter between those two... well, you
know. In any case, though imperfect, I’ve managed to set down a burden I’ve
carried for many years. I shall simply trust my brother from here on. Yes, it’s
not as though I’m some brother-obsessed fool!”
Sophia
puffed out her chest proudly. Everyone in the room looked at her as if to say,
No... you absolutely are, but she seemed satisfied, so perhaps that was fine.
“So
there you have it, Minato. Everyone has already come to terms with it in their
own way. And what do you think would happen if we forced ourselves into the
match in this condition and something went wrong? I need you to think about things
like that as well. You are... the leader of our team.”
Chloe
placed a hand on Minato’s shoulder as if to reason with her, but Mina still
shook her head.
“But,
but! Chloe, are you really okay with this?”
Chloe
had come to this academy after being singled out by Petra, the chairwoman of Queenvail.
The agreement had been that she would be granted her freedom on the condition
that she win the Gryps Festival. If it ended here, Chloe’s circumstances would
remain unchanged. And moreover, the goodwill of Silvia, who had arranged the
collateral for that agreement, would come to nothing.
“...It’s
fine. It can’t be helped. And... Minato, I truly am grateful to you. Perhaps I
couldn’t achieve my dream. But before that, before anything else, you gave me
the chance to have one. That alone will let me stand, no matter what happens
from here on.”
Chloe
answered with a quiet smile.
“Chloe...”
And
then.
“...Excuse
us. So? How’s everyone feeling?”
The
hospital room door suddenly swung open, and a bright voice rang out.
“Huh?
Silvia! And Chairwoman, too!”
The
ones who entered were the student council president, Silvia, and the academy’s
chairwoman, Petra.
Though
the private room was fairly spacious, it felt cramped with so many people
inside.
“Um...
what brings you here...?”
Minato
asked, much as she had on a previous occasion.
“What
brings us? We came to commend you, of course. You are a team that fought your
way into the Top Four of the Gryps Festival. Well done.”
Petra
said this in a cool, almost clinical tone that carried little warmth of praise.
“Ah...
thank you...”
“And
Wakamiya Minato, I suspected you might propose forcing your way into the
semifinals.”
“Ugh!
N-No, I didn’t say that, I didn’t! It’s just... I’m not convinced about
withdrawing, that’s all...”
As
Minato stumbled over her words, Petra fixed her with a sharp gaze through her
visor.
“It
amounts to the same thing. In any case, as I thought. Naturally, we cannot
permit your participation.”
“W-Why
not? Don’t tell me, Chairwoman... you just don’t want to let Chloe go, so
you’re...”
“Are
you an idiot?”
Petra
cut her off crisply, looking exasperated.
“I
don’t know how inflated your ego is, but there is no conceivable way you could
defeat Team Lancelot in your current state. I am merely telling you to stop
doing something pointless.”
“Ugh...”
Petra’s
words, as ever, held not a shred of mercy.
“Ahaha!
Honestly, Petra-san, you never can say things any other way, can you?”
Silvia,
who had been listening to the exchange, cut in with an amused smile.
“Petra-san’s
worried about you, you know. Even if she doesn’t sound like it.”
“Eh...?”
Minato
glanced timidly at Petra’s face, but with the visor and her iron expression
concealing her features, her emotions were impossible to read.
“That
is a misleading statement. As chairwoman, I merely do not wish to see you
students, assets of Queenvail, wasted needlessly. Sophia has already exhausted
her three Festa participations, but the rest of you still have futures ahead of
you.”
“Oh?
Am I being told I have no future...?”
Sophia
froze atop her bed with a look of stunned disbelief, but Petra ignored her and
continued.
“In
any case, withdraw from the semifinals. That is a direct order from the
chairwoman.”
“Ugh...”
“Now,
now, I thought Minato-chan might say something like this, so I brought a bit of
good news. Petra-san, you could’ve led with that.”
Silvia
gently soothed Minato while casting Petra a reproachful look.
“I
was about to. But this child... no, never mind.”
Petra
shook her head lightly, as if her rhythm had been thrown off.
“Now
then, Chloe. There is something you must be told.”
“Me?”
At
the shift in tone, Chloe furrowed her brow in suspicion.
“After
discussions with the upper management of W&W, your disposition has been
decided. If you agree to several conditions, you will leave Benetnasch and be
granted your freedom.”
“Whaaaat!?”
Everyone
but Chloe cried out in shock.
Chloe
herself was speechless, utterly at a loss for words.
“W-What
do you mean...?”
That
was all she managed to squeeze out. Silvia gave her a playful wink.
“I
presented Petra-san with my plan. Well, to put it bluntly, this was a chance
for me too.”
“Don’t
tell me... the Chairwoman approved that proposal?”
Chloe
looked back and forth between Silvia and Petra in disbelief, while the rest of
them had no idea what they were talking about.
“H-Hey,
Chloe! What plan? What’s going on?”
“Huh?
You didn’t tell them?”
Silvia
looked at Chloe in surprise.
“How
could I tell anyone something that sounded like a delusional fantasy...?”
“That’s
harsh! I was completely serious. ...Well then, I’ll explain. You see, I want
Chloe to become the next student council president.”
“S-Student
council president...?”
“Chloe-san...?”
Nina
and Sophia stared blankly, unable to quite process it.
Minato,
of course, was no different.
“...I
see. So that’s why you had Chloe become an idol.”
Only
Yuzuhi clapped her hands lightly, as though the pieces had fallen into place.
“Exactly.
As expected of Yuzuhi-chan, you catch on fast. Without a proper name and
achievements to back it up, there’s no way it would work. In that sense,
reaching the Top Four at the Gryps Festival is a pretty major plus. Truly, well
done, everyone! Oh, by the way, Mirsche and the others were really frustrated.
Since Rusalka only made the Top Eight, they were like, ‘We lost again!’”
“You’re
getting off track, Silvia. In any case, regardless of Silvia’s personal
ambitions, the idea of positioning Chloe as a successor to the student council
presidency was, in my view, worthy of consideration.”
Taking
over from Silvia’s soft laughter, Petra continued.
“Since
you failed to win, you remain, strictly speaking, academy property. However,
your abilities, your name, and your face are already widely known, and your
activities as a member of Benetnasch will inevitably be severely restricted.
Although Silvia has already compensated for those projected losses, we were in
the process of determining how best to utilize you when she brought this
proposal forward. I am more aware than anyone of your competence. If you are
willing to contribute to this academy in a different capacity, separate from Benetnasch,
then I have no objection.”
Petra
paused for a breath, then spoke in a voice that was, ever so slightly, softer.
“In
that case, it would be inappropriate for you to serve as student council
president while remaining affiliated with Benetnasch. At least at Queenvail.
Perhaps at Rewolf it would be another matter, but we maintain a certain image
here. For that reason, you must become an ordinary student. That is what this
entails.”
“Of
course, whether Chloe can actually become president is another matter entirely,
so you’ll have to work hard for that!”
Silvia
beamed like the sun and clapped Chloe on the shoulder.
“Well...
to be honest, I can’t deny the feeling that Silvia maneuvered me rather neatly
into this, but if you are willing, review the contract. I have already sent it
to your terminal.”
“Y-Yes...”
Chloe
nodded slowly, still looking as though she could scarcely believe it.
“In
that case, Silvia, whether we won or not, you would have been able to draw
Chloe into this plan. Was everything part of your design from the beginning?”
“Ahaha,
looking only at the result, I suppose it does seem that way. But I could only
persuade Petra-san and the others because you all achieved the Top Four, and
Chloe’s suitability as a songstress was an unknown at first, so it wasn’t that
simple. Well... maybe it was a little underhanded. But hey, I did put up a fair
amount of my own money, so can’t you forgive me?”
Silvia
stuck out her tongue and pressed her hands together in mock apology.
As
expected of the world’s top idol, the gesture was irresistibly adorable.
While
Minato found herself momentarily smitten by the sight, Petra’s terminal chimed
with an incoming call.
“Excuse
me a moment. ...What did you say? ...Yes, yes... Surely not, Claudia Enfield...?
Understood. I will return at once... Monitor the movements of the galaxy...
Yes, proceed accordingly...”
Without
opening a spatial window, Petra stepped to the corner of the room and spoke
briefly into the device. When she finished, she beckoned Silvia with one hand.
“We
are leaving, Silvia.”
“Eh?
What is it, Petra-san? Did something... happen?”
Sensing
the gravity of the situation, Silvia’s expression shifted into that of the
student council president as she asked.
“I
will explain on the way. ...We shall take our leave.”
“Ah,
okay. See you later, everyone!”
“Yes,
y-yes!”
Seeing
Silvia and Petra hurriedly take their leave, Minato let out a long breath.
“…Haaah,
this really turned into something incredible.”
“At
any rate, this means Chloe’s issue is resolved, does it not?”
As
if to neatly conclude a matter that had grown absurdly large in scale, Sophia
said so.
“S-So
then.. what’s left is...”
Timidly,
Nina looked toward Minato.
“I
see... you’re right. That just leaves me.”
Minato
murmured it to no one in particular and lowered her gaze to her own palm.
All
that remained was for Minato to give up on her dream.
If
she did that, everything would settle nicely.
Minato’s
dream was to go to the moon.
Truly
a foolish thing, quite literally a dream story.
There
was her father’s will behind it, yes, but there was no profound reason. She had
simply longed for it, nothing more.
That
was why, in truth, giving it up shouldn’t have been so difficult.
And
yet... and yet, why...
“Ah,
just so there’s no misunderstanding, let me say this first.”
At
that point, Yuzuhi suddenly raised her hand.
Just
as before, she was the very first to do so.
“If
Minato insists on competing in the semifinals in order to pursue her dream,
then I will accompany her.”
“Eh...?”
At
Minato’s surprise, Nina and Sophia followed.
“Y-Yes,
yes! Me too, me too!”
“Why,
of course! In that case, I would compete even if I had to shake off Director Korbel!”
“N-No,
I think Sophia-senpai should exercise a little restraint...”
“Wha!
No, absolutely not! I refuse! I won’t be the only one left out!”
Sophia
flailed her arms about like a child while Yuzuhi tried to calm her.
“Everyone...”
The
swell rising from deep within her chest, Minato desperately held it back.
“Unfortunately,
my opinion hasn’t changed. I am absolutely opposed to competing in the
semifinals. Firmly opposed. If you still insist on participating...”
Chloe,
who had spoken with such a stern expression, suddenly softened.
“Well,
in that case, it can’t be helped. I suppose I’ll just have to devise a strategy
that keeps you from getting hurt as much as possible.”
“Chloe...!”
And
just as the atmosphere was turning deeply moving...
“Waa-ka-mi-yaaa
Mi-na-tooo!”
A
raucous voice shattered it in a single blow, echoing from outside the room.
“...Huh?”
“I
know you’re in there! Get out here this instant!”
“M-Minato,
they’re calling you...?”
“Y-Yeah...”
Cautiously,
Minato opened the window and peered outside.
“Aha!
There you are!”
In
the courtyard of the clinic, a girl with blonde twin-tails was being held back
in a restraining grip by a nurse as she looked up toward them.
For
the record, this hospital room was on the fourth floor.
“Violet...?
W-What are you doing here...?”
“There’s
no ‘what’ about it! Listen well, Wakamiya Minato! Just because you beat Team
Helion, who defeated us, doesn’t mean we lost! Make sure you engrave that
firmly into your heart!”
“Y-Yeah...
I know that, but...”
Minato
understood perfectly well that the battles and power dynamics of Festa were
never that simple.
“Good!
As long as you understand! Then our destined rivalry will be settled next time!
Next time I’ll claim a glorious victory for sure! So wash your neck and wait
for me!”
Even
as she was dragged away by the nurse, Violet continued shouting to the very
end. It was beyond a neighborhood nuisance, more like a hospital-wide
disturbance.
And
yet...
“I
see... next time, huh...”
Those
words from Violet seemed to sweep away the weight that had been lodged in Minato’s
chest.
“That’s
right... there’s still a next time. Phoenix Festival, Lindwurm Festival... just
like the Chairwoman said, I still have a future ahead of me...!”
It
was something incredibly simple.
If
she couldn’t reach it this time, she would just try again next time.
That
was all there was to it.
“...Well,
I don’t have a next time, though.”
“Sophia-senpai,
please be quiet for a moment.”
Chloe
sharply reprimanded the sulking Sophia.
“Ahahaha!”
Watching
that familiar exchange among Team Kaguya, Minato felt genuinely refreshed as
she laughed, and after looking at Yuzuhi, at Sophia, at Nina, and at Chloe one
by one, she gave a firm nod.
And
thus, the battle of Team Kaguya came to a close.
*
* *
Winter.
“Brrr,
it’s so cold, so cold!”
“Welcome... oh. It’s just you, Minato.”
The
moment she slipped into Café Macondo as if fleeing from the biting wind,
Chelsea greeted her with a snide remark.
“What
do you mean? I’m a customer too, you know.”
“Yes,
yes, I’m well aware. Your usual seat’s open, so go ahead.”
“Yay!”
Rubbing
her numbed hands together, Minato made her way to the seat in the very back.
It
really was the most relaxing spot.
“There
you go, water. So, what’s the occasion? Meeting someone?”
“Yeah,
I’m going shopping with Yuzuhi and Nina-chan.”
“Oh?
Nice. But just the three of you?”
“Chloe’s
idol work has really picked up lately, so it’s hard to match schedules.”
“Ah,
right. Her popularity’s skyrocketing. She even did a collaboration with Neitnefer
the other day.”
“Oh,
but next holiday Chloe’s coming too, and we’re all going out together. Outside
Asterisk, even!”
“My,
my. The paperwork’s such a hassle, though... so where are you going?”
“To
Yuzuhi’s dojo! I said I wanted to see it at least once, and Yuzuhi got
permission for us.”
“The
dojo... as in the Amagiri Shinmeiryuu? That’s impressive. They won both the
Phoenix Festival and the Gryps Festival back-to-back. It’s the school of the
hottest name around right now, isn’t it?”
“Right?
Right? Oh, but keep this a secret from Violet, okay? It could turn into a whole
ordeal again.”
“Ahh,
yeah... things looked pretty rough for Renjouji-san the other day...”
“Violet
even got down on her knees to beg. Well, wanting to enroll in the Amagiri
Shinmeiryuu dojo isn’t exactly something Yuzuhi can decide on her own, so she
had to turn her down... and it seems the main dojo isn’t accepting new
disciples at the moment anyway.”
“...Huh?
Wait, if you’re shopping as a trio, what about the fourth?”
“Oh,
Sophia-senpai caught a cold at the worst possible time... She was crying over
the screen going, ‘I want to go toooo!’ though.”
As
she carried on this idle, aimless chatter with Chelsea, Minato suddenly felt a
sense of déjà vu.
She
could swear there had been a similar situation before.
And
back then, if she remembered correctly...
“Oh,
Minato. You’ve got an incoming call.”
“Huh?
Oh, yeah...”
Checking
the mobile terminal she had left on the table, she saw that a new message had
arrived.
The
title read: “Invitation to Mount Ryouzanpaku.” The sender was...
And
thus, Wakamiya Minato’s “next” begins.
