Chapter 60: Choice

It had been several weeks since the crisis that nearly brought about Kivotos’s destruction. In Trinity, restoration work on the damaged power lines, water systems, and roads had progressed at remarkable speed, and daily life had recovered to the point where people no longer faced any major inconveniences.

Schools and hospitals had been prioritized for repairs and had regained basic functionality. Many classes were transitioning from self-study at home—where students relied on pre-recorded materials—back to in-person lectures held in classrooms.

Compared to my previous world, the pace felt almost impossibly fast. But here, with AI and robotics being far more advanced, construction drones and automata made large-scale repairs far more efficient. And besides, building destruction in Kivotos was practically an everyday occurrence; by now, they probably had reconstruction down to a science.

"Hm, we’re kind of free after this, aren’t we~?"

After finishing a lecture for the Arius students and just before evening, the three of us—officer candidates—gathered together. Thanks to the recent educational reforms, the former Arius students had followed evacuation instructions properly during the Trinity defense incident, and some had even cooperated with Mob-chan to help eliminate hostile threats.

"We were worried whether they’d be able to adapt to Trinity, but at this rate, it seems like we won’t have any major issues."

"Yeah. It might look a little different from the reconciliation with Arius that Mika originally envisioned, but I think we’re making steady progress, one step at a time."

…At least, that’s what the Tea Party pair said. But the Arius students they interacted with daily were the carefully selected, moderate ones. Whether the rest of Trinity’s student body would accept them… that was another question entirely.

(Not like worrying about it will change anything.)

With that thought, I happened to look up at the sky. From here, the building itself was too distant to see, but the single beam of light extending upward from Sanctum Tower was still visible—just like before the incident.

Sanctum Tower had been completely destroyed by the False Sanctum, but reconstruction had begun immediately using the original blueprints, and apparently it had been completed just yesterday.

(Of course they’d prioritize it—it houses the main facilities of the General Student Council.)

Rumor said the Kaiser Group had handled the reconstruction, which annoyed me… but before I could dwell on that irritation—

"Aika-chan, what’s wrong? Why are you staring at the sky?"

"No, it’s just… seeing the city restored like nothing ever happened made me wonder whether everything that happened recently was even real."

"That’s true. The sky turning red, a black tower descending from the heavens, a monster trying to destroy the world… If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I’d think it was impossible."

Now that daily life had returned to normal, the reality of those events felt like it was fading away. I found myself hoping this peaceful routine could continue—but just then, an unfamiliar alarm suddenly blared across the city.

"This alert… the General Student Council?"

Don’t tell me the False Sanctum appeared again—no, that shouldn’t be possible. It was resolved. So that meant—

"Attention, citizens of Kivotos. The General Student Council will soon issue an emergency statement. Please tune in to the Council’s official channel or the Kronos Channel."

A prerecorded announcement echoed through the streets. An emergency statement from the General Student Council, right after the conclusion of the final chapter… well, there was only one thing this could be. I opened the Council’s page on my phone and tapped the video. The screen displayed—

"Greetings, citizens of Kivotos. I am Shiranui Kaya, Director of Defense for the General Student Council."

…There she is.

Her pink hair was tied back in a chignon, and she smiled with narrow, threadlike eyes. At a glance, she looked gentle, even mild. But compared to the genuinely warm and cheerful Maiha, the difference was instantly obvious.

〈──In recent days, Kivotos has suffered a series of unprecedented disasters. A mysterious structure fell from the sky, paralyzing urban functions, and not only the D.U. District but many others sustained catastrophic damage.〉

Kaya paused, her voice lowering ever so slightly, as though she were genuinely apologetic.

〈However, the General Student Council allowed SCHALE and the individual districts to shoulder the burden of resolving these crises, and even after the incidents concluded, we focused solely on restoration. We acknowledge that this was an extremely shameful failure on our part.〉

Honestly, the General Student Council had always left everything to the autonomous districts and ignored most incidents anyway… No one really expected much from them. And with the President gone, there was no room for them to function properly. I couldn’t really blame them.

〈…All of this occurred because the final decision-maker—namely Acting President Nanagami Rin—vanished during the incident and abandoned her responsibilities.〉

Maiha, Maasa, and I exchanged exasperated looks. Rin didn’t “abandon” anything. She had a no-confidence motion forced onto her, was attacked and detained by Kaiser, and literally couldn’t act even if she wanted to. The moment she was freed, she rushed straight into the Atra-Hasis offensive.

〈Based on these circumstances, the Defense Office formally investigated Administrator Nanagami’s responsibility. Today, the no-confidence resolution—which had been pending due to the recent turmoil—was passed. Effective immediately, I, Shiranui Kaya, will assume the position of Acting President of the General Student Council.〉

I glanced at the other two. Maasa seemed deep in thought, while Maiha looked as though a few puzzle pieces had just clicked into place.

〈I imagine many citizens are surprised by this sudden leadership change, but we—this reborn General Student Council—intend to devote ourselves entirely to the “normalization” of Kivotos. We ask for your understanding and cooperation.〉

Kaya bowed respectfully. When she straightened again, her expression shifted subtly.

〈──And lastly, to the Sensei of SCHALE. I am certain you are watching this broadcast somewhere. For the future of Kivotos and SCHALE, there is a matter of great importance I wish to discuss with you.〉

"Sensei…"

A small, uneasy feeling ran through me. Kaya wouldn’t harm him—not now. But Sensei had the tendency to go along with whatever a student asked of him, and that worried me.

〈Once this broadcast concludes, please come to the General Student Council’s reception room. All of us in the Council are sincerely awaiting your arrival. …That is all.〉

The screen faded to black. Broadcast over.

…So it’s really starting—Caerbannoge Chapter 2.

"The new Acting President of the General Student Council… just what is she planning to do?"

"I don’t know… but remember? Right before the sky turned red, Kaiser attacked the General Student Council and tried to seize control of the D.U. District, right?"

Maiha, as quick-witted as ever, had already pieced together most of the situation.

"When I check the website… yep. It says Acting President Kaya is launching a new administration starting tomorrow, but there are a bunch of new regulations added for the D.U. District… and it looks like Kaiser’s forces will be in charge of maintaining security there."

"…Maiha, that means—"

Maasa had reached the same conclusion. She wasn’t the type for complicated schemes, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t understand them.

"And that day, Kaiser soldiers moved freely throughout D.U. without resistance, and the attack on Sanctum Tower—where the General Student Council is headquartered—is something that shouldn’t be possible without inside cooperation. Putting all of that together… I think she joined hands with the Kaiser Group, seized control of the General Student Council, and now she’s planning to take over the D.U. District—and eventually all of Kivotos."

Maiha ended with a quiet, "Of course, we don’t have hard proof."
But everything she said was correct. Kaya had teamed up with Kaiser to build her own power base, and sooner or later she intended to rule Kivotos in line with her own ideals.

"So, what do you intend to do, Aika?"

"Eh? Me?"

Maasa suddenly threw the question at me. Ignoring my confusion, she continued.

"You don’t like Kaiser, do you? In that case, I can already guess what you might do next."

"Yeah, if you’re planning a little vi-sit out to D.U., we’d love to tag along too~"

They must have assumed that because I hated Kaiser so much, I’d be rushing in to knock over whatever schemes they had brewing. But right now…

"No, it’s fine. I fired more than enough rounds last time—I’m satisfied for now. And besides, Sensei will handle things somehow, like he always does."

"…? I see. Well, do whatever you want, I suppose."

"A normal outing is totally fine too, you know~?"

Watching the two of them slip naturally from serious concern back to their usual selves, I couldn’t help but smile.

…But.
To make sure these two never get dragged into danger…
I have to disappear.