Chapter 14

EPILOGUE Bouquet Toss from the Guillotine “The disappearance of the Ragnarok phenomenon has been confirmed. Destruction caused by the berserk Third Factor has not been officially declared. The calamity has been stopped before escalating from stage two.” “I see. The world has escaped destruction yet again, unfortunately. Any yields from Loki?” “The data has been submitted for analysis, but he didn’t leave any materials detailing his research process that led to the creation of the Synthetic Sealing Ring. It’s uncertain whether we’ll be able to infer how he arrived at that invention based on the result data alone…” “Well, that’s a loss we must accept. We were collaborators, not partners. While it’s deplorable that we’ve lost a valuable resource, he’d already been immensely useful to us. There’s always a trade-off between genius and sanity. As for us, we cannot afford to sacrifice the latter. We’ll have to try another approach from now on.” “And your orders regarding the Calamity Research Institute and the Order?” “Maintain our current relationship with them. We’re not at a point where we can upset that balance.” “And the Sacred Sealing Ring?” “No changes regarding the singularity, either. The girls’ march to their execution continues.” “Understood. Blessed be the spring of our new world.” “Blessed be the spring.” “So the world’s been saved.” Ranko summed up the events, throwing Ryuunosuke a bunch of flowers. “But there won’t be a fanfare or end credits. It’s not over—there’s a ton of boring work left to deal with the aftermath. We’ve got to cover up the unnatural weather phenomenon and that mountain getting blown away. There’ll be brain-numbing meetings to discuss whether we’ll abandon the destroyed facility. But that’s all work for grown-ups. Students don’t need to worry about it.” “But you’re a student, too.” “Exactly. For now, at least, I can enjoy a life of leisure.” Ryuunosuke was sitting in a hospital bed, holding the flowers Ranko had brought him. She was briefing him about the events since he’d saved the world. The room was very neat and furnished more like it was in a hotel rather than a hospital. The Calamity Research Institute must have been behind Ryuunosuke getting a VIP room at Kokonoe Hospital. It’d been three days since the world-threatening cataclysm had been averted. After saving the world, Ryuunosuke passed out and slept for those three whole days. He had to be taken to the municipal hospital since the CRI’s underground facility had been partially destroyed and not all the necessary medical equipment could be salvaged. He’d only just woken, and the first thing he saw was Ranko’s face as she peered closely at him. “You don’t seem to be suffering any aftereffects. Good to see you’ve been pretty much left unharmed.” “Yeah, I sure am glad to be okay.” “It must be thanks to a synergy between the regenerative abilities of the dragon and vampire factors, I suppose… Well, there’s not a scratch on you. Linking with multiple mythical girls seems to have no adverse effect.” “Except memory loss, maybe? I remember everything up to getting close to Rinne, but not really what happened after that… Oh, and what about you? The research facility was badly damaged, wasn’t it? Did you not get hurt?” “No, I was fine. See, I’m a picture of health. Funny, though—I also have trouble remembering the events from that day, which is going to make writing a report hella difficult. I woke up in a hospital bed, like you.” “At least everything ended well, somehow. It really was a miracle, huh?” Ranko shook her head. “No, it wasn’t. It wasn’t a miracle that saved the world.” “No…?” “I have pieced it together after reviewing camera footage from the facility. It revealed the decisive factor that led to the fortunate saving of the world.” “And that is…?” “Simply put, love.” “Love?” Ryuunosuke frowned. “That sounds really cheesy…and unscientific? I don’t see how an electrochemical state of the brain played a part.” “Don’t make it sound sciency, that’s my job. Anyway, I’m not making this up. Emotional states are integral to the workings of Sacred Sealing Rings and mythical girl powers. Every mythical girl researcher would agree that emotions have a significant effect on the soul. Rinne’s love for you is so strong that even in her berserk state, her soul called out to yours, enabling it to respond to your ring and win against her devil. That’s my analysis, anyhow.” “So grit prevailed.” “You could say that. Strong will was definitely essential on both sides. Rinne’s undying love for you and your dogged perseverance made it happen. You kept reaching toward her, calling to her. So it was not a miracle, but the result of the strong feelings you had for each other. The feelings of—” “I get it, love.” Ranko nodded. “On a different topic, was everyone else at the facility okay?” “Yes. Thankfully, everyone safely evacuated when the alarm sounded.” “Good to hear! Um, one more thing… You had Rinne move in with me to keep her stable, but in the end, she did go berserk. The CRI isn’t thinking about…executing us both for that failure, is it?” “No, of course not.” Ranko laughed. “Nobody involved in the Dragon Babysitter Project is going to face any repercussions. The incident was due to the higher-ups and our internal security not taking any action to find spies in our organization despite my repeated warnings. The council can’t blame us for Rinne going berserk or for any damage she caused.” Ryuunosuke was very relieved to hear that. “Furthermore, the project has been granted an extension since you’ve proven the effectiveness of the ring. And the good news doesn’t end there.” “What more have you got?” “I’ve confirmed that Heimdall, the End-Bringer Factor, has been removed from Rinne’s astral plane.” “Which means…?” “Her devil’s gone for good.” “Cool…?” “It means she’s not at risk of going berserk ever again. She’s not an ordinary girl now, since her mythical factor remains, but she’s been freed from the evil part.” “Oh, wow… That’s amazing…” Ryuunosuke exhaled deeply, happy and at ease. “President, I think I found a new calling.” “Oh?” “I want to erase all the mythical girls’ devils so that they can live normal lives.” “What a coincidence… That’s my calling, too.” Ranko gave Ryuunosuke a strange look that he wasn’t sure how to interpret. “By the way, Dazai boy…” “Yes?” For some reason, Ranko’s usual smugness was gone, and she was blushing, looking uneasy. “…I’m…tremendously grateful to you for what you’d done, and I’m also really sorry. I just…really owe it to you, for everything. I’m the one responsible for getting you involved in the first place.” “Hey now, it’s cool. I’m always happy to help a friend.” “You’ve made a monumental contribution to the CRI. I’m sure you’ll get compensated handsomely.” “Haven’t even thought about it. That’ll be nice.” “But aside from that, I’d also like to…give you something as thanks from me personally.” “Well, I won’t say no to presents!” “A-are you sure? Well, don’t complain later. Here it is…” Ranko swiftly lifted his chin with her finger and pressed her lips to his. For a while, the room was silent except for the ticking of the clock on the bedside table. After some time, and Ryuunosuke had no idea how long it had been, Ranko broke the kiss. “You’ve really done well.” She praised him, her face flushed. “To fulfill your wish, you must not die. Keep giving it your all. Well, that’s everything I wanted to say.” Even her ears had turned red. Without waiting for his reply, she hurried out of the room, looking embarrassed. Ryuunosuke’s mind had gone blank. He’d only just woken up in the hospital, and suddenly, he was getting kissed by Ranko. “…Huh?” He looked at his hand, feeling an odd sensation. On his ring finger was a ring of light.