ALL NOVEL In Misono Mika’s eyes, the world was like a stage.
And the star of the show? Well, it was undoubtedly her. It had to be her.
From birth, she was precious. Her natural beauty was so stunning that it was impossible not to be loved by everyone, and indeed, she grew up receiving love from all around her.
So, if a protagonist existed in this world, surely Mika was the one who fit the role better than anyone else… or so she thought.
At least, that’s how Mika perceived it.
However, Mika’s perspective changed the moment she encountered someone so radiant that even she was dazzled.
The phrase “love at first sight” usually lacks sincerity. It commonly applies to those who quickly fall for someone’s looks alone, which is the reality.
But when Mika first laid eyes on her teacher, she felt fate. And it wasn’t just because her teacher’s beauty was so remarkable; that was only part of it.
At that time, her teacher was in the midst of solving various incidents in Abydos, Millennium, and Kivotos, building her name along the way.
An adult who came from outside Kivotos. Someone who had summoned the disappeared Student Council President before her disappearance.
The moment Mika faced this woman, who held both the status of an adult and teacher, as well as the authority of Shalle, she instantly recognized her uniqueness.
It was no great surprise; how could one not see a shining star like that?
Essentially, anyone could admire a brilliant presence.
That admiration can sometimes twist into jealousy or a desire to distance themselves, but Mika was not one of those.
The warm and beautiful light drew Mika in, wrapping her in a comforting glow.
Neither her teacher nor Mika had any idea that this would be the very beginning of all their problems.
In a life where she could have anything she desired, Mika, accustomed to getting what she wanted, naturally wanted to have it again this time.
Alas, how unfortunate that her teacher, who had to keep her grounded and not get swept away by Mika’s desires, ended up falling into that very trap.
And thus unfolded a series of events, a tragic turn of fate until the moment the two, having reached their second chance, finally reunited.
“Never again… Yes, never again. I won’t let you go…”
Mika’s love, twisted into a terror, didn’t adapt easily, and it wasn’t surprising at all upon further thought.
*
When the Misono Mika Terror faced her counterpart who had taken her body, she instinctively scowled with displeasure.
It was said that when one meets their doppelganger, one must die, or that the very existence of the original would perish upon discovering theirs. It felt as if she had truly come face to face with her doppelganger.
In this case, it wasn’t exactly a myth. The one who occupied her body could genuinely be considered her doppelganger.
Though it could be argued that it wasn’t a perfect doppelganger due to the revelations surrounding Mika Terror’s own mysteries.
Anyway, Mika Terror had never expected her counterpart would come looking for her in this Clock Tower.
Once she grasped the situation, Mika had taken on the mantle of Student Council President to fend off the invasion of colors, leaving no time for her to be proactive. Yet here they were, the doppelganger had come seeking her out, leading her to wonder if perhaps she had already given up.
That thought changed for Mika Terror in the next moment.
“I’m sorry. It’s all because of me…”
In front her, Mika exhibited utterly unexpected behavior.
With teardrops pooling and falling, Mika Terror felt an unsettling atmosphere.
The Mika she’d observed through the mirror wasn’t the type to crumble like this.
It was a completely different matter from her own discontent.
The fake Mika had a spirit and heart so strong they were incomparable to hers.
Yet, this unexpected visit, resulting in useless apologies and tears, was perplexing.
Fundamentally, how had she even found this place? Mika Terror herself had only arrived here because a few casual words from her teacher had unexpectedly resurfaced in her mind.
“Hey, Mika. I think the Academy known as Trinity is really beautiful.”
“Uh-huh, suddenly? I don’t think that’s entirely wrong, but…”
“Hehe… it’s just a bit surprising to see that the view from this small window is so beautiful. I wonder how Trinity looks from other places? For instance…”
“From the top of that Clock Tower, for instance.”
Upon hearing those words, Mika Terror easily discerned the teacher’s feelings.
Sure, she was indeed awestruck by the beauty exuded by the Trinity Academy, but that wasn’t the sole reason.
Hidden beneath that remark was a subtle wish, a plea.
How about letting yourself out of the confined cell that held you?
And that subtly connected to Mika Terror, suggesting she reconsider her current pursuits.
Mika Terror grasped that her teacher’s words were simply veiled expressions of a desire to stop her from forcing the issue.
However, this understanding didn’t progress any further; it remained just that—understanding.
When her teacher first uttered these words, perhaps it wasn’t too late, but as Mika Terror pondered the response, the situation had changed.
Anyway, having faced a kind of rival… a being similar yet distinct from the girl she had dealt with countless times in Kivotos right after that clash in the High Cathedral of the Union.
Mika Terror had to thrash about in the depths of despair.
She understood the shadow of her rival, who had been haunting her in her familiar yet strange world within the twinkling Sorasaki Hina, a being with the remnants of Kivotos that she had personally led to ruin.
For that reason, the solitude she had deeply buried began to resurface, gnawing at her heart.
Thus, Mika Terror desperately clung to a word left behind by her teacher and scaled the heights of the Trinity Clock Tower.
Someone had painstakingly climbed the stairs one by one; meanwhile, she simply took a step forward. Of course, it was more akin to falling, but at any rate, the outcome wasn’t vastly different.
She had arrived at a place reached through what might have been a convoluted journey. Leaning against the railing, she found Mika suddenly appearing before her.
“…Ah.”
But the answer to that question didn’t take long to reveal itself.
This Seiya of Kivotos wouldn’t have gotten embroiled in affairs as the Seiya she once knew. After all, the situation had originally been orchestrated by Mika Terror herself.
So, if Mika had benefited from Seiya’s help, it made sense that she managed to reach this location. After all, wasn’t it true that Mika had once been saved thanks to Seiya’s prophetic dreams?
Mika Terror quickly deduced the answer and confronted the first question again.
So, why on Earth was Mika continually saying sorry and shedding tears before her?
The deeper she thought, the more her head ached. She couldn’t get close to the answer on her own.
Whether she cared or not, Mika’s words flowed on, consisting only of confusing, incomprehensible statements.
Yet, one thing was clear; the emotions that surged beneath those puzzling words were unmistakable.
Guilt.
Mika was clearly wrapped up in guilt.
Realizing this, Mika Terror slowly began to draw closer to the truth.
Then, she denied the emerging truth.
She didn’t want to accept it.
She must not accept it.
Thus, she actively tried to erase that possibility from her mind.
But Mika wouldn’t allow her to escape the truth, and Mika Terror couldn’t prevent Mika from closing the distance between them and fiercely embracing her.
The first thought that hit her was the sensation of warmth.
It was amusing; Mika Terror found herself inadvertently gaining solace in the embrace of the fake who had originally taken her body.
Then, as if to deny that fact, she began to push Mika away with sharp words.
However, Mika Terror’s body resisted. The moment Mika drew her into her arms, Mika Terror’s lips sealed shut.
“I’ve missed you. Yes. I’m truly happy to see you again, my princess.”
And at last, Mika whispered the truth in her ear.
That entire exchange felt like an act of violence to Mika Terror.
“…Huh? What is this? A joke, right? Huh? This fake is… my teacher? That’s nonsense.”
Mika Terror’s reaction to hearing the truth was, of course, denial.
And there were innumerable reasons behind that.
“Wait a minute. So, I have been… to my teacher…?”
The first thing Mika Terror did was mentally replay all the lines she had shot at Mika… no, at her teacher.
The list was endless. From beginning to end, there wasn’t one that she could omit.
Naturally, disbelief spilled from her lips as she struggled against reality.
“Are you really, truly my teacher?”
Ultimately, she had to concede to reality, wresting a second chance to embrace the warmth of the teacher she adored mais she had given up expecting ever again.
“Oh, oh… Oh!”
Even though the appearance was significantly altered, she pledged she would never lose this warmth once more.
“Teacher… I won’t let you go again, for sure!”
Mika Terror firmly engraved this day, the day she reacquired the person who was, in every sense, the other half of her soul, into her memory.
For hours on end, she didn’t release her grip, wishing this moment would stretch into eternity.
In that feeling of satisfaction as if filling her very soul, Mika Terror cautiously spoke up.
“…Um, Teacher. I hope you take this seriously.”
“Uh-huh?”
“I’m not going to ask you to keep the others away for me. But please, don’t ask me to befriend those annoying horned ones. And I think I could somehow ignore at least one of them…”
“…”
“Teacher, why so quiet…”
“I’m sorry.”
“…Huh? Sorry? For what—”
And moments later.
“Wait, Teacher? This is a joke, right? More than ten of them? No way could you handle that, no matter how much of a teacher you are…? Though maybe Nagichan could, but being beaten by that horned one, Sorasaki Hina? I feel like I’d hurl just thinking about it…!”
She realized that she had inadvertently opened Pandora’s box and shattered it entirely.