Blue Archive - Story of Joshua Sensei

Chapter 81 - Eden Treaty Arc Part I: Epilogue

...

"Mika." I say, with narrowed eyes, staring down the angelic pinkette.

"It's good to see you again, Sensei." She chirps. "As I was saying, the Justice Task Force won't be moving from their post. My orders. You noticed, didn't you? Just how empty campus was this morning? I've removed every obstacle in my way and given stand down orders to anyone and everyone under the Tea Party's command. I wouldn't want anyone to interfere with our assault on Nagi."

"Misono Mika of the Tea Party..." Hanako says, lowly.

"That's me~" Mika chirps. "And here I am, making my grand appearance as the mastermind behind everything. You can consider me to be Trinity's true traitor."

The girls remain silent, Koharu jolting in shock.

"Won't you tell me where you've hid Nagi? I don't have much time." Mika asks.

"Why? So your pals over there can kill her? No chance." I say, upset.

"What do you mean? They're not here to kill Nagi, just to help me kidnap her. So just tell me where she is." Mika says, like it's obvious. Azusa and I share a look as she says that, both of us confused, but quickly coming to an understanding.

Arius wants to kill Nagisa and likely Mika right after, Mika just doesn't know it.

Looking over, it seems Hanako's figured it out too.

"Hmm? Ah, I bet you want to know why I'm doing this, huh, Sensei?" The traitor asks, innocently. "Because I hate Gehenna." She says it so simply, I can't help but raise an eyebrow. "I sincerely loathe Gehenna Academy from the depths of my heart."

"Why?" I ask.

"Why? I dunno, I just hate Gehenna." Mika says, shrugging.

"Hatred can only be acquired one of two ways: learning it from one's experiences, or being taught it." I point out. "Don't expect me to believe you hate something so badly- that you would go this far to disrupt the Treaty- just because."

"That's you real objective." Hanako realizes. "To stop the Eden Treaty from being signed? That's why you're targeting Nagisa?"

"Uh... who are you again?" Mika asks. "Sorry, I've always been awful at remembering faces. Wait, I remember now!" She says, on the verge of laughter. "You're Urawa Hanako, right? The one who was kicked out of chapel class for attending in a swimsuit!" She says, laughing.

Hanako just flashes her a deadpan stare.

"Well, to answer your question: That's correct. I mean, Nagi's Eden Treaty idea was completely ridiculous. Ludicrous. A peace treaty with those wretches? Just the thought of coexisting with them makes my skin crawl. And how long would that last, hm? How many years- weeks- no, DAYS until we end up with a knife in our back? I simply can't allow something like that to happen. For being such a paranoid girl, Nagi really is too naive. This isn't a fairy tale." She scoffs. "There's no happily ever after waiting beyond her treaty. It's about time she came to grips with the reality around us. So hand her over. I promise not to kill her. She may have to spend the rest of her school life in confinement, but it won't be so bad."

"So it was a peace treaty after all." I realize. "You were just trying to trick me, huh?"

"Oh, that." Mika realizes, looking a tad apologetic. "Yes, I'm sorry for deceiving you, Sensei. That little conversation we had by the pool wasn't entirely truthful. Someone as ignorant and naive as Nagi would never think to use the Eden Treaty to create a military alliance under her control. But... not everything was a lie, Sensei."

"Oh?" I ask.

"I was telling the truth about reconciling with Arius." She says, looking at her troops behind her. "See? They make rather loyal comrades for someone wanting to wage war against Gehenna. As I told you, Arius was once one of us- an academy that would have otherwise joined the Trinity union. Of course they hate Gehenna- they always have. Theirs is an academy held together by animosity. That's why I extended an olive branch to them. I offered them the opportunity to stop a villain aiming to welcome Gehenna with open arms."