Act 5: Dear Rainy Girl
The ones enjoying the performance of Excia, the Winged Guardian, weren’t just the children (and otaku).
Up on the second floor of the chapel, the so-called “dignitaries” were also enraptured by the heavenly music.
Isana, seated at the far end of the guest section as their guide, was—
“Ugh… I can’t take this anymore… Why do you like me…? I don’t get it… It’s scary…”
—mentally battered by the unreasonable affection from some suspicious otaku.
“I didn’t even enter any popularity polls…”
A bit of her true self was slipping out.
True, there was an inter-branch popularity poll for angels, but Isana had never once ranked in it.
In other words, this made zero sense.
The sheer otaku affection damage she’d taken so far had nearly depleted her SAN points, so she decided to give up on using [Mind Reading] on Kairi the Separation.
…Though, she’d thought the same thing multiple times already—”But what if he’s plotting something bad right now…?”—and kept sneaking glances, taking psychic damage each time.
But she’d stop.
This time, for real.
She would stop.
“Another splendid performance, Vice Branch Director. And yet, these angels are not all you have to offer, are they?”
Turning at the voice behind her, she saw a stunning woman with strawberry-blonde wavy locks cascading down her back.
In an instant, Isana switched gears, straightening her posture ever so slightly.
“I’m glad it pleased you, Lady Bloodrose.”
Roselia C. Bloodrose.
The patron who had been a major factor in arranging this observation session—the current head of the Bloodrose family.
She had apparently descended from her seat in the highest tier to the front row just to speak with Isana,
standing a few steps above her.
“No need for such formality. Are we not comrades, you and I?”
Her face, oozing arrogance, wore an exaggerated smile.
It was impossible to take her words at face value.
“Should I… try reading her mind…?”
Faced with her blatant suspicion, the reckless thought crossed Isana’s mind.
Yes, reckless.
Isana’s [Mind Reading] came with the risk of [Transmission] basically Thought Leakage.
If this vixen’s thought processes exceeded her expectations, the reverse could happen—her thoughts might be read instead.
Such thoughts were usually shallow, reflexive impulses.
If she didn’t probe too deep, the leakage wouldn’t go too deep either.
But even that much risked alerting Roselia. Isana’s instincts screamed that it was dangerous.
At worst, her own [Lux] ability could be exposed.
After all, the woman before her was a battle-hardened merchant of death.
This was no ordinary conversation with a random member like Ibuki or her own subordinate, Hinata.
Moreover, while Lux abilities affecting the mind—like Isana’s—were rare, they weren’t unheard of.
Someone constantly under threat of assassination wouldn’t be defenseless against such things.
If anything, she might have traps set up for mental defense.
The more she thought about it, the more relying on [Mind Reading] seemed like pure folly.
…And the fact that today’s attempts had only exposed her to incomprehensible thoughts further chipped away at her confidence.
All of this reasoning flashed through Isana’s mind in less than a second.
The best move was to deflect lightly—no progress, but no mistakes either.
The next option?
“Hmm? You and I are hardly equals. Isn’t that why you stand above me—because you know that?”
Picking a fight.
If she could at least get a clue about what Roselia was thinking, it’d be worth it.
Their time for superficial posturing was over.
That was likely why Roselia had chosen now to approach her.
“—Kukuku.”
Roselia, standing several steps above Isana, laughed as if thoroughly amused.
Her military jacket swayed over her shoulders.
“Conflict is beautiful, Isana Shindou.”
“I dislike it. It’s the play of monkeys.”
As the two glared at each other, the surrounding elites broke into cold sweats and backed away.
To them, they were just here to ride the coattails of Roselia—a tycoon and surefire winner—not to antagonize either side.
Staying neutral, playing the stone, was the wisest move.
Isana had expected as much, so it wasn’t a problem.
At least none of them were siding with Roselia.
“However, Shindou.”
The tension in the chapel’s upper tier, woven with schemes, dissipated.
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“Unfortunately, I didn’t come here today to quarrel with you.”
“…………”
“Let us quietly enjoy the rest of the performance.”
With that, Roselia turned on her heel without another word.
…What had been the point of that conversation?
Watching Roselia’s retreating back warily, Isana still couldn’t grasp her intentions.
◇◇◇◇◇
Amid thunderous applause and the innocent cheers of children, Utsurugi Rui responded with an elegant bow.
Her face, lifted gracefully, was as immaculate as a sculpted statue.
A girl who witnessed her serene, picture-perfect beauty gasped softly.
Even the dignitaries in the upper tiers were now fixated on the conductor on stage.
The angels, too, were likely captivated by her profile.
Every last person was entranced by Rui’ every movement.
I was no exception.
But the only thing stolen was my gaze.
My mind raced, burning with thoughts—though my brain surely wasn’t overheating.
“So that’s how it is.”
Utsurugi Rui was a skilled singer.
Not only that, she could play almost any instrument—keyboard, wind, strings, percussion—as naturally as moving her limbs.
And yet, she chose to be a conductor.
Because she loved conducting.
In the original work, Rui had told Hinata with a smile: “I love all instruments. That’s why I love conducting most—it brings them all together.”
The beaming smiles she showed in Watayume were rare.
They stuck in my memory.
And yet, now, after finishing her conducting, her beauty was “like a statue.”
Just beautiful. And hollow.
“Right now… do you not enjoy conducting? Music?”
I’d thought it from her very first motion.
The freedom I’d felt when reading Watayume—like a swan spreading its wings—was gone.
I’m no expert on conducting, but I know my favorite Rui better than anyone.
…Okay, fine. Second only to Hinata!
You’re someone who belongs soaring through the open sky.
You were never meant to be caged.
So then—what is your cage?
Before I knew it, the second piece had begun.
Rui remained on the podium, conducting flawlessly.
Her slender hands danced like flowing water.
“……The *Beautiful Conductor, Maestro.”
The moment I muttered those words—
The image of the beautiful conductor overlapped with that of a sword-bearing Valkyrie.
At the same time, I recalled the lifeless swing I’d seen in the training grounds.
A sword and a baton.
Different in form, but both *her* tools.
If both were faltering, there was only one answer.
“The trauma is *the act of swinging your arm itself.”
Then—what caused that wound?
“Rui… killed a criminal.”
From what Hinata had told me, *that* was the biggest difference from the original Rui.
…That’s all it took?
This is a world where supernatural powers are the norm.
In such a world, an accidental death in the line of duty—
How could that be enough to break Utsurugi Rui—
“Uh… excuse me?”
“That”? What “that”?*
The Utsurugi Rui before my eyes now—
A Hinata supremacist, merciless to her enemies.
That’s how she appeared to me.
But I knew another version of her.
“Watayume : The Dream I Saw,” Chapter 2.
—Utsurugi Rui, silently but with shining eyes, eating her first-ever crepe.
—Utsurugi Rui, singing at karaoke for the first time, stunning Hinata with her voice.
—Utsurugi Rui, giggling as she stopped by a sweets shop or karaoke on the way home, enjoying ordinary teenage fun.
“…………Ah.”
The interference wasn’t coming from my knowledge of the original story.
The preconception I needed to discard was this world’s common sense.
A world where human death means nothing.
──And yet.
She’s still just a fifteen-year-old girl.
“If you’ve realized that much, it’s enough.”
This isn’t [Watayume] – this is the world I live in.
And while [Rui Utsurugi] smiles, the real Rui Utsurugi weeps.
In that case,
“I’ll rescue Rui Utsurugi from that gilded cage.”
I’ll change things so she can spread her wings.
……But how?
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