Best failure.
　Too sweet.

　It seemed to me that what those expressions tell us is - a miscalculation.
　Although the original goal was achieved, an unexpected miscalculation forced me to regard it as a failure.
　That's the impression I get.
　I don't know what the miscalculation was.
　I don't know what it was, but--

　I don't like the term "failure".

　What does a person who is confronted with the word 'failure' think?
　I was something of a failure myself to begin with.
　There were times when people spoke to me without thinking.
　So that's why - it's hard.

I've been told that we are a failure from the point of view of the people who built the orphanage in the apocalypse. So, well ... I guess that's true.

　What is engraved on her expression.
　It's a mastery beyond resignation.

''And originally I feel like I was floating even in the sixth house.......and as an existence, I must be wrong somehow. I've always felt that even after coming to this academy. I'm........just a foreign body here too.

　A foreign object.
　That was one of the words Rokia had released to me earlier.

"I don't know where I belong.

　Currier-san's mouth loosened sadly.
　But she didn't seem to notice that it was a forlorn smile.

''So when I find out from the noise where that woman is--''
He's not gonna disappear, is he?

　When the search for noise is over.
　Wouldn't it be meaningless for her to remain in this school?
　The anxiety that was born in her mind swells without limit.
　My heart is filled with anxiety.

"Kurohiko...?

　One day.
　Miss Currier was absent.
　He wasn't at school.
　I found that her things were missing from her quarters.
　I couldn't find it anywhere.
　A note was left behind.
　It was so unlikely I didn't know if it was possible or not.

You're not going to suddenly disappear in front of me, are you?

　Now it was my turn to ask.
　Currier-san didn't answer.
　His mouth - it looked as if he was wandering around looking for an answer.
　So I was.

Is it okay if I don't make it?
What?
I need to find a place for Miss Currier.
You're going to cook?
If you don't have a place to live, you think it would be a good idea for me to make one for you?

　If you don't have a place to stay, make one.

So what's wrong with that?

　The feeling that I am a foreign body.
　That's what I feel.
　What is born from that sense of foreignness is a sense of loneliness.
　When I suddenly came back to myself.
　In a sense, I feel that I am a very lonely existence.
　A thin, invisible wall exists between you and the people living in this world.
　Such a feeling.
　A similar feeling she has been experiencing all along, if you will.

　She makes a bitter smile.

'If Currier-san is feeling a foreign sensation...............then we must be similar, you know, we are.

　I began to feel a little embarrassed.

"So, I wondered if, as a similar person, I could be a place to share that feeling with others.
Hey, I don't remember you being from this country.
..........
Blackbeard?
Actually, no.
No?　What the hell is that?

　I kept a bitter smile on my face.

I haven't told you this for a long time, but I'm not actually from the East.

　I said.　

'In fact, you're not even from this continent.
Oh, really?
'I'm from a more remote place ... probably where no one on this continent has ever been before. The circumstances ... it's complicated to talk about.
Well, I'll be d*mned. I'm proud of you. I've always found the occasional accent in the mix to be unfamiliar....
That's why I'm wondering if I can understand the feeling that I'm a foreigner.

　Hmph, Currier-san's mouth breaks out in a smile.

''You're a sweet guy after all, aren't you?

　There was a moment's silence.

'Oh, um, Mr. Currier,'
Hmm?
I think... people can change, you know?

　He swallowed his spit to quench his throat, which was beginning to thirst.

Of course, I don't think you can change that quickly. But if you keep trying to change, you can change someday... that's what I think... so you don't have to believe that there's no place for you, but if you keep trying to change, you will find a place for you. I think...well, I mean, I think I can--

　Mr. Currier looked at his hands with deep emotion.

'People can change, or...'
I'm sorry, but you don't have to be so formal.

　Huh.
　That's about the limit for me.
　It would be nice if I could say something cool like that, like a boy's comic book hero.

"All right. I'll say 'no' to you and I'll come.
What?

　I looked up from hanging my head in disappointment at Currier-san's words.

'I'm not going to stop talking.
Mr. Currier...
I will.

　I'm glad to hear that.
　But.
　I'm glad you said that at the same time.

　He implied that he would be leaving this school once he had completed his purpose.

　　　　　　　　　　*

　I lie down on my bed and look up at the ceiling.

'I don't know what's going on,'

　I mutter to no one.
　The time is midnight.
　Currier-san has already returned to his quarters.
　I was alone in my room.

　After that, I ate the dinner Mia-san had prepared for me, and then took a bath.
　Or rather.
　After I got out of the bathhouse, I realized that the hot water I was soaking in was the hot water that Currier-san had entered.
　I also noticed that the bath towel that was neatly folded in the basket was after she had used it.

　Would he be allowed to use that bath towel?

　...............
　I ended up with a new bath towel.
　Yup.
　Gentlemanly reason should not be forgotten at times like this.
　There is a line that a man should not cross.

　So, after getting out of the bath and returning to my room, I lay down on my bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze.

'I wonder if I have a better idea.

　Currier Versteen.

　If I could, I'd like to spend my time at the school with her and graduate with her.
　But the current me is not strong enough.
　I'm not even sure I can be the reason enough to keep her here at the school.
　The wish I made earlier.
　I didn't reach it completely.
　I want you to stay.
　That feeling seemed to have been conveyed, but........

　What do I do to make her want to stay in the school?
　.............
　As long as the noise doesn't get caught forever?
　No.
　That's not true.
　It's not right that my wishes are fulfilled by not getting her wishes fulfilled.
　That's why I'm not going to spare no effort to help Currier-san get her wish.
　The problem is that Currier-san, who caught Noyes, accomplished her first objective, after that.
　If Currier-san is going to leave Renoussourde for the purpose of finding "that person" or something like that--

..........

　Will I then have to follow her and leave this school?

　I don't know.

Well, anyway, I guess we have to catch the noise first.

　Noyes Dees.
　A native of the 6th house whose purpose is still unclear.
　And I was going to ask Currier-san about it today, but he didn't seem to be in that mood earlier.

　Besides, Currier-san said he didn't want me involved if possible.
　That's why she may not tell you the details.
　If that's the case.......it would be quicker to meet Rokia, who seems to haunt the school in vagaries, and ask her about it.
　I'm reminded of that elusive man's face.

　Rokia, huh?
　He said something about wanting me, but what was that about, too?

"You have the potential to be the greatest evil of all, if you're wrong.

..........

　I don't know if I'm the most wicked person in the world.
　If you say that, I think Hibigami has much more talent....

　Hibigami - that's right.
　You have to think about the fight with him, too.

　I'm stronger than ever before, I think.
　The fight against the giants also gave me a sense of strength.
　However, the factor that makes me realize this is probably the fact that I can feel that sensation - the "beast" - more distantly than before.
　That "beast" seems to appear when I'm in a tight spot in battle, when I feel in a pinch.
　I wonder if it's the sense of urgency inside me that draws me in.
　Now that I think about it, it was always when I didn't have the luxury of time for the "beast" to come close to my consciousness.
　Hence, during the Blue Goblin battle, I struggled to keep my consciousness from being engulfed.

　I'm sure you can say that this was hardly necessary in the fight against the giants.
　That means - I guess that I didn't see the giants as a threat.
　That's why I'm getting stronger.

　It's getting stronger.
　But the stronger I get - the stronger I get - the more hibigami still feels farther away.

　How do I learn to beat that man?
　For the time being, I plan to have Currier-san train me.......
　After that, what should I do?
　..........
　We'll have to think about it after all.

..........

　Currier Versteen.
　Noyes Dees.
　Locia.
　Hibigami.

　People from the Sixth Estate.
　When Makina-san first told me about them, I hadn't expected to get this involved.
　Will I continue to be involved with them in the future?
　I wish I could continue to be involved with Currier-san from now on, but....

　While I was thinking about that.

　I drifted off to sleep.

　　　　　　　　　　*

　Two days passed without incident.

　The Holy Ruins are still under lockdown.
　If the blockade is prolonged, it will inevitably affect the assessment of the Little Sacred Ruins at the end of the semester.
　Therefore, some of the school's administrators have proposed that instead of capturing the Holy Ruins, they will hold an in-school tournament for students to compete for the results to be used as a basis for evaluation.
　If so, it would certainly be easier to evaluate the results since the rankings would be clear.
　However, it has not been decided that the Holy Ruins will continue to be sealed off from now on.
　We'll just have to wait for the academy to make their move.
　The only thing I can do is to try my best to do something else, since I don't have the ability to capture the Holy Ruins.

　As for me, I spent my days the same as usual.
　The only thing that has changed is that I'm more enthusiastic than ever when I'm in battle class with Curie-san.
　Anyway, right now I have no choice but to borrow her help to become stronger.
　Maybe because she knows that she will fight with Hibigami in the future, she has been practicing more seriously than before.
　That Currier-san doesn't seem to have changed in any way.

　Also, during the two days, Rokia did not come in contact with him.
　I haven't even seen him on campus.
　I'm sure he's out there somewhere, though.
　I'm sure he's gathering information to look for noise.

　On both days, me, Currier, Cecily, Cecily, Sieg and Hyrgis had lunch at the cafeteria.
　There's no specific rule, so we just gather at random for lunch, as long as we can get together and eat as we please, but it's just a frank feeling.
　We no longer take turns eating with Currier and Cecily as before.

　And then there's Ira-san, who seems to have made up with the upperclassmen who used to be part of the attack team.
　It seems that the upperclassmen were pressuring her to get back together with an apology.
　However, it was the senior members who broke up with him without permission.
　
　In the cafeteria, I could see Ira-san and Rei-san around the table with those upperclassmen.

　After school, I spent most of my time mixing in with Currier-san and Cecily-san's practice.
　However, the two of them slipped away from their sword practice after some time.
　After a while, the two of them would go home first.
　And it seemed like they were secretive about what they were doing.
　Feeling a bit bored, I spent the last two days doing gestures and image training on my own, and then went home to engage in idle conversation with Mia.

　I also decided to ask her to teach me a little massage while I was at it.
　It was a careful instruction with practice.
　Or rather, I was easily distracted by her massage.
　The consciousness.
　Of course, it felt too good.

　It was great, Mia.

　I thought to myself, "Wow.
　If I could learn this Mia's massage and add to it my knowledge of foot acupuncture points, I'd be the strongest person in the world, I thought.
　I may be advancing to a new stage.

　I agree.
　When I go to Cirrus Baths, I'll ask Currier and Cecily to let me try out this power.
　If we don't learn from practice, we won't grow, you know.

　And then the next day.

　After class, I was standing side by side with Makina-san in front of the main gate.

'Hmmm, noise deez, hey.'

　Out of the blue sky, Makina-san put her hand to her chin and pondered.

''If the Titan fiasco in the example is the work of that person, then we certainly can't leave it alone.

　I told Makina about the noise search earlier in the day to kill time.
　I sorted out what I was going to tell her in my own way, though.

'It's just--'

　Makina-san opened her mouth while holding back her hair that was blowing in the wind.

''I can't actively cooperate with you at the moment. Which means I can't act in the best interests of this Lokia person.
Well, it's not a pretty sight.

　For example, handing over a list of students would be tough in his position as headmaster.
　Besides.

I'm sure there's a credibility issue with this Rokia guy.
You're very perceptive. Well, that's what I mean. I've never met and talked to this guy Rokia, and I can't rule out the possibility that Currier is being used for good by that man. After all, when it comes to someone from the Sixth Estate.

　Currier-san is just a special kind of person, and essentially the people of the Sixth House are probably not someone you can easily forgive.
　Her decision is not wrong.

''But what you just said, was it right to reveal that much to me?''

　Makina-san confirmed it, taking care not to turn her skirt up in the strong wind that blew.

'Rather, Currier-san herself told me to tell Makina-san about it.
''Well I can't help you, but I'll let you off the hook for the actions of this Rokia guy. Besides ... now that I know what the man in the detention room is up to, it's one less thing to do.

　Hearing the story about Gozuto, it seems that one of Makina-san's jobs, 'The man in the detention room who escaped', has been put to rest.
　...........
　Probably because it was one less job to do.
　Makina-san, she was full of joy, not even trying to hide it.
　It's rare for her to show such happiness.
　It's also a sense of responsibility and does its job well, but this person really doesn't like the job itself.

"So, the questioning regarding the Hibigami case will be wrapped up today.

　We looked down the gentle slope from the main gate of the school.

　That's right.
　Today was the day that Currier-san and I, as an example, were to be interviewed by the people of the Holy Tree Order.
　And now we are waiting for the arrival of the Holy Tree Order members who are coming to be interviewed.

''Sorry, I'm late.''
Oh, Mr. Currier.

　After a while, Miss Currier arrived.
　After class, she was caught by Cecily-san and was talking about something.
　I, on the other hand, didn't have anything to do, so I had come first.......
　Nevertheless.
　Lately, Currier-san and Cecily-san.
　Sometimes I don't feel like I can be a part of the conversation.
　I wonder what it is.
　Lately, I've been feeling the distance between Cecily-san and Currier-san.
　In fact, for the past two days, I think I've had more conversations with Zeke and Ira-san than with them.

　I didn't think those two........

　You haven't started dating, have you?

　Have you entered the world of yuri-ish...?
　Mmmm........
　If that's the case.....then what am I supposed to do?
　Should we congratulate them both?

　I glanced at Currier-san's profile.

"!

　How awkwardly he looked away from me!
　Huh?
　Huh?
　Is it possible that you're not imagining things?
　Yuri-ish or not, I'm being... avoided?
　Am I the only one who thought it was the same old routine?

　Hey, maybe you two are in the shadows--

'Are you done with Kurohiko?
'It's okay, that guy but you're really beautiful, Cecily.
'Huh, now that you mention it, it's a currier.
"...and soon you'll be doing that again...
''Fufu........she's really cute when she's easily embarrassed, Currier.
'But I wonder if that Kurohiko guy is aware of us?
"What?　I don't think you've noticed.　It doesn't matter, you see--'
"Hmmm... so I'm telling you, you can't do that, Cecily...
It's okay. Okay?　Let me take care of everything.........

　Delusion, censored.

'...........

　No way.
　You can't be.
　No....
　But what is it?
　The flames of doubt that were once lit do not go out.
　No, that's ridiculous.
　Hahaha.........
　It's my mistake, of course.
　It can't be that ridiculous.
　It can't be, it can't be.

　As I was agonizing over such things by myself, I heard the sound of a horseshoe.

''Hmm?''

　I saw a lone horse carrying a man coming up the hill.

　White clothing that reminded me of a tailcoat.
　A light green line running across its clothes.
　It's the same clothes that Seiki Hakken wore when he fought Hibigami.
　Perhaps that was the Seiki Hakken's uniform.

　Makina-san said that the people from the Seikihachi Sword who were present at the scene at that time would come.
　But........I don't recognize that person with the huge body astride a horse.

''Oh, my goodness, what a surprise!''

　Makina-san with her unexpected mouth.

　After walking up the hill and through the main gate, the horse stops in front of us.
　The horse had two broad swords on it.
　A man with a huge frame dismounts.



　The voice has a heavy bass tone that seems to resonate in the belly.
　The tone is slow and quiet, but filled with a strange power.
　The man I saw last night, Gozuto, was also blessed with a good physique, but he looked one size larger than him.

　His face is chiseled and fearless.
　A tightly drawn mouth.
　A thick neck.
　A firm chin.
　Arms so thick that you can see them even through clothing.
　He is a man of simple and sturdy.
　He is a man who gives such an impression.
　But this face.
　I think I've seen this face somewhere before....

I was expecting David and the others who were present at the scene to come, but I was surprised to see you here, Van Sustos.
It was supposed to be, but it wasn't.

　What?
　Van Stos?
　I think I've heard that name somewhere before........

　Vanstoss-san bowed to me and Currier-san.

''The Holy Tree Knights, Vanstoss Troia, I'm.......today.......nice to meet you, please.''

　Hmm?
　Trojan?
　Troia....
　Ah.
　Speaking of which.
　Cecily-san said before.
　Bashkata Troia's brother is the Eight Sacred Swords.
　So that means.........Bashkata's brother!

Hi, hi... nice to meet you. My name is Soraku Kurohiko.
It's Currier Versteen.
So, you're Sagara and Currier.

　Mr. Van Stoss looked at us with narrowed eyes.
　It's like he has something in mind.

'Is it just you today?'

　Makina asked.

'No it's not just me, I'm not........

　Mr. Van Shtos turns back to the slope.
　Our eyes went up the hill.
　Then we saw a carriage coming up the slope.
　And when the carriage finished climbing up the hill, it stopped in front of us as well.
　After the driver greeted us, the door of the carriage opened.

　The first to get down was a woman with light lemon colored hair...er, a woman?
　No ... a man?
　That person also wore the same uniform as Van Stoss-san.

''This is........another unexpected person.

　This time Makina-san's voice contained surprise in it.
　And as for me, I was again struck by a sense of deja vu, as if I had seen that person somewhere before.
　But I recognized this one right away.
　In addition to her good looks, the smile on her mouth was exactly like "her".
　This person is probably--

"Dearest Arkwright.

　Mr. Machina mentioned the name of the person who had come down from the carriage.
　Diares Arkwright.
　Cecily Arkwright's brother.
　I heard that he's the vice-captain of the Holy Tree Order.

　I see.
　So that's Cecily's brother........
　When he was a student, he was the man who broke the record for the number of levels reached in the Holy Ruins with just a three man attack team.
　As I recall, he's the one that Cecily is targeting--

What?

　That's when Makina rolled her eyes and let out an even darker cry of surprise.
　Her gaze remained fixed on the carriage door.

　Apparently, there was someone else in the carriage as well.
　The person who came out after Ms. Dearles stepped on the ground with a cutlass, and a sound on the bottom of his boot.

　The man had a strange atmosphere that seemed to be a combination of grace and wildness.
　In addition to that, a quiet yet thinly exuded menace.

　The sharp look in his eyes reminded me of a hawk.
　Jet-black eyes.
　Black wavy hair.
　An eagle nose.
　A mustache and beard.

　What is even more unusual is his uniform.
　The feeling of his clothes is the same as Mr. Van Stoss and Mr. Diares, but the color is different.
　The color of the uniform he wears is black.
　At his waist he had a sword that was nestled in a black scabbard with golden ornaments.

　Then - he has no left arm.
　One arm.
　The sleeves of his uniform were swaying in the breeze that was blowing.

　I had an idea for this person.
　The black uniform.
　Maybe this person--

''Vanstos Troia, the third rank of the Holy Order, and Dearez Arkwright, the Deputy Commander of the Holy Tree Order. On top of that, I didn't expect you to come as well... as expected.

　Makina-san cowered her shoulders.

'What the hell kind of wipeout is that?'

　The man in the black uniform doesn't seem to be amused and gives a glance around once, then turns to Makina-san.
　The man opens his mouth.

Long time no see, sister of the Renoir.

　A low, austere voice that was different from Mr. Van Stoss'.

''Yes, long time no see.''

　Makina-san looked up at the man in the black uniform.

'Holy Tree Knight Commander, Sogut Sigismos.