Nearly three days had passed since Kuon and Tooka vanished through the Gate.
There were no reports of Gates vanishing anywhere in the world or any signs that a Heavy Magic Collapse had been triggered. The Empire and the Alliance concluded that Tooka had failed.
Humanity had only one hope remaining: use the Heavy Magic Engine on the Kiryu to force open a Gate, locate the Nürburg where it lay on the other side, and this time generate a magic black hole. It was their only chance.
But they had no way of knowing if the Nürburg was intact. No way of knowing the situation beyond the Gate. Comms couldn’t go through. All they knew was that no further Gates had opened.
The biggest impediment to their plan was that the only person who could fly the Kiryu, Suzuka Hanabi, had yet to recover from that battle. She was the sole Division 5 remaining.
Rin had chosen crutches over a wheelchair. She’d come running from her own hospital, moving through the ship on her remaining leg and the crutches. The sensation that her missing leg was still there was a trick of the mind, but she had phantom pains from everything below the thigh.
Medication hadn’t been enough for Hanabi. Therapy wasn’t helping her, either. Squad Leader Fuji had called Rin to the Kuou’s medical bay, saying that Hanabi needed Rin’s voice. So dumb. Her voice wasn’t magic. If she could help at all, it would be some other way.
Hanabi.
She thought about slapping her and dragging her along, no matter how much she cried and wailed. Just grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and pulling her out. She was certain this was her duty as her friend and adopted sister.
But this resolve died the moment she saw Hanabi’s face.
“She thought she was five years old until yesterday,” a nurse whispered.
Yeah, Rin thought. The situation was far too similar.
The girl here had lost the will to live. Rin’s sister lay there, expressionless, tears flowing without end. No trace of the Bushi Hime or any kind of hero remaining. Rin felt like murdering anyone who’d try and make this girl fight again.
Then I suppose the first thing I oughta do is kill myself, Rin thought, laughing to herself.
She had to say it. If she didn’t, they were all dead.
“Hanabi…” Saying the rest of it felt so much harder than just dying. If only it were just her who would die here. She took a deep breath and finished the sentence. “Get up. Open the Gate. Fight for us.”
Hanabi looked at Rin as if she’d given up on everything. Ignoring the unspoken plea, Rin glared back at her, confident she was doing the cruelest possible thing. “You can’t be weak now. Got it? If you don’t fight, we all die. When this is done, feel free to come kill me. But first, you’ve got to go kill those monsters.”
Trembling, Hanabi shook her head. “I can’t… I can’t do it anymore…”
“You can. Hanabi, you can do it. I know you better than anyone, and I say you can do it. Trust me. You’ve got this. I promise. Open that Gate, save Kyuu-kun and Tooka-chan, and blow their world to hell. See? Easy.”
“Then…then why don’t you—” Hanabi stopped herself. Clearly she’d been about to suggest that Rin do it.
“I can’t do it, Hanabi. I’m not Division 5. I know you never asked to be that strong. But you chose to be a Cavalleria because you wanted to be like the Hero, right?”
“But…but…”
Rin tried a new tactic. “Don’t you want to save Kyuu-kun?”
“I…!”
“Yeah, it sucks he didn’t tell you about his past life. One thing to keep that from us, total dick move to keep it from you. But you still love him, right?”
Hanabi said nothing.
“Otherwise, you wouldn’t be this upset just because he left you behind. Clearly, at the end, his mind was Suzuka Hachishiki’s again. ‘Cause he’s a huge idiot. Anyone who’d drop the girl they love to go avenge some crap from their past life is definitely the dumbest idiot who ever lived. You with me there, Hanabi?”
Hanabi still said nothing.
“Of course, if the girl that idiot dropped is gonna be all sad like this, you’re almost as dumb as he is. And the fact that our lives are in the hands of this pair of nitwits is the dumbest thing about this!”
Even now, Hanabi said nothing. But Rin could see her grip on the sheets getting tighter. “Tell me, Hanabi,” she said. “Why do you think Okegawa Kuon doesn’t need you?”
Hanabi’s lips moved wordlessly, but instead of sound, tears started flowing. Sobbing, she finally said, “He… He didn’t tell me about his past life…he left me behind…”
Hmph, Rin thought. But… “He didn’t tell you because he’s a nitwit, and he left you behind so you’d survive. Right?”
“But, but…”
“Get a grip, Hanabi.” She put her hands on Hanabi’s shoulders, her knee on the bed, letting the crutches fall to the floor. “Get a grip, Suzuka Hanabi!” she yelled. “Are you or are you not a Motegi?!”
“Huh…?” Startled, Hanabi let out a strange noise. Rin ignored her. She took a deep breath.
“Listen! Suzuka Hachishiki probably thinks you’re the last girl he saved or some trumped-up bullshit like that! But Okegawa Kuon doesn’t think like that, does he? ‘Oh, the Hero didn’t need me, he didn’t trust me!’ Who cares? That boy isn’t Suzuka Hachishiki! He’s Okegawa Kuon! And Kyuu-kun is totally in love with you! Anyone can see he’d straight-up die for you! Otherwise, he’d never have pulled off what he did to save you back at the Capital! Come the hell on, Hanabi! Maybe his anger got the best of him and he reverted to Suzuka Hachishiki or whatever, but if you do nothing, he’ll die! You’ve got to make him turn back into Okegawa Kuon before that happens! You don’t want Kyuu-kun dying, do you?!”
“No…no…!”
“Then get up! Go save him! Got it?! You’re the only one who can save Okegawa Kuon! You’re the only person in the entire world who can do that! Kyuu-kun needs you, Hanabi!!”
“If…if he doesn’t…?”
Rin scowled. “Hmm…yeah, well, maybe that’s possible. I mean, he does tend to do everything himself.”
“See! See?”
But Hanabi, there’s only one thing to say at a time like this. Listen up. “That’s not the point! What do you want? Forget about what Kyuu-kun thinks! Let me say it again! You don’t want Kyuu-kun dying, do you?!”
“I don’t want him dying…!”
“Then the answer is obvious! Whether he needs you or not doesn’t matter! If you want to save him, go save him! That’s all that matters! Go! Just like Kyuu-kun ignored what the headmaster said to come save you! Now it’s your turn to go save him! To hell with the Hero’s self-sacrificing bullshit! That kinda Hero is long gone!”
“Rin…?” Hanabi asked, her head down. “What if I just really don’t want to fight? What if I don’t care about Kuon-kun anymore?”
Rin just smiled patiently. “Then I’ll give up. And then I’ll give you a big hug. And thank you for all the hard work you’ve done this far.”
“…Do that now.”
“Okay.”
As Hanabi cried, Rin wrapped her in her arms, stroking her head. “You work harder than anyone, Hanabi. You’re amazing.”
“…Mm.”
“Whatever the subject or the lesson, you were always way better than me. I was so proud to have a sister like you.”
“That’s ’cause you never took them seriously.”
“But I was better at sniping.”
“Heh heh, that’s true.”
“Hanabi.”
“Hm?” She looked up at Rin.
“If you really don’t want to, you don’t have to fight anymore.”
“After that whole big speech, you’re saying that now?”
“I mean, you just looked so sad! And it was real cute.”
“You started with ‘fight for us,’ and then somewhere along the way you started asking what I wanted.”
“You noticed?”
“Of course! I get it, Rin. I know I have to go get Kuon-kun. I know I’m the only one who can.”
“Gasp,” Rin said, like she was on stage. “Look what fate has in store for you!” They stopped hugging. Rin leaned back, they looked at each other, and they both laughed. “You okay now?” Rin asked.
“I’m good,” Hanabi answered, and took a deep breath.
In.
Out.
Innnnn…
Ouuuut.
Then she opened and closed her hands several times and stared at her palms a moment. Those palms had gotten Kuon all excited when he saw them turning into the palms of a Fencer. Then she slapped her cheeks.
She was still scared. But Kuon was on the other side of that Gate. She was sure he was fighting.
I’ve got to save him.
This thought finally rang true. She could still fight. She was a Division 5. She was a Maneuver Cavalleria. She didn’t want to give up on him.
She peeled back her sheets, getting out of bed and back on her feet. She looked down at Rin and said, “Thank you, Rin.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
They high-fived each other, and then Hanabi left the med bay without looking back. Her stride was confident. No bluffing, no hesitating. Just Suzuka Hanabi as herself.
She cut a gallant figure.