That room had no light.
It didn’t feel dark, however, for numerous​ glowing monitors.

“Onee-chan… won’t shoot.”

Having her pure-white wings folded, an angel— Michael was sitting alone upon the floor, and, whereas watching the scene displayed upon the monitor, murmured that.
Monitor, upon which Mika is looking presently, was projecting imprisoned in the cage Lydia and the revolver.
Mika has been observing Lydia from her awakening in the library until the coming of today. Therefore, she has confidence. Lydia will not shoot. Utterly.

“That is matter not.”

Before she knew it, iris, the flower, was wavering next to Mika.

“Aki-chan… once again arrived only as fragment…”

Sending a glance at Iris, Mika immediately returned her gaze to the monitor.

“For it’s not mere fragment, Mika would bear a damage. Facing each other with our body in its real form​ a little difficult for Mika, upon present.”
“Mika knows… You don’t have to say it… every single time.”
“Right. I see.”
“Yes. More importantly… why is it doesn’t matter?”
“Whether Hinagiku’s live shalt turn cease, or last, such is of no importance to the world. Howbeit Hinagiku is supporter, their primal role is to give Lydia an important realisation. A cue to that, to be precise.”
“Realisation?”
“In sooth.”
“What, of?”
“If thou observe, thou will note it at once.”
“Hmm… Mika don’t understand Aki-chan’s… allusion. It looks to me… like you bullying onee-chan.”
“Ourself not bullying Lydia on our own. Ourself merely gaining Lydia’s consent, whereas providing essential circumstances.”
“You orienting… onee-chan’s consciousness, towards the sea… towards the Woodland?”
“Yea. Lydia calls such: ‘Just feel like that.’”
“How long… will you keep it on?”
“All she hast is to get through with the last task, and we shalt transfer the control. Thereupon, ourself would finally conclude our role, and depart. If Mika, however, accepted it upon that day, the day of prior the world’s collapse, ourself would hast already departed.”
“Because… Mika, has no interest…”
“Yea. Ourself not condemn thou. Withal, Mika, thou assisted us.”
“Otherwise, Aki-chan… won’t bring Mika along.”

Mika turned towards Iris, and resumed her seat once again.

“Mika, thou doing well.”

Iris’ existence level overly high for them to directly intervene in events that occurring under the world. For various objects would be erased.
Even if Mika didn’t destroy the world, supposing Iris were to merely flew down, the world could be perished.
But Iris have not performed that. They cannot, to be exact.

“Awakening onee-chan… before chibi-nee-chan… bringing her and Yuuyami together… To watch over her, so she doesn’t die?”
“Yea. Ourself is very helpful. Sith, for Lydia, Yuuyami was necessary. For these two youth art complement each other.¹ Well, natheless, that was unforeseen that they would fall in love with each other.”

Iris narrowed its stem, Mika shrugged her shoulders.
Mika also did not expect Lydia to fall in love with AD.
Fundamentally, human girls falling in love with human boys. Mika was conscious of that information. Accordingly, she assumed Lydia to be the same.

“Oh, ourself gave an answer just now.”
“Eh?”
“Well, fine. Peer, Lydia disassembled the revolver.”

Uttered Iris. Mika turned to the monitor.
Lydia disassembled the handed to her revolver, and now arranging its parts.

“After all… onee-chan is… unexpected.”
“For that to be regular human, they would given into temptation and shoot Hinagiku. If one shalt weight their own life against the life of foe who has confined them, they usually give a precedence to themself.”
“If onee-chan… stayed Lucy, she would, probably… shoot.”

Lucy never was a scoundrel, however was not a virtuous likewise.
Only eerily attracted a people.

“So it seemed. Lucy did not even hesitate to destroy the world. Therewithal, even killed herself, thuris create Lydia.”
“Ah, now… she started assembling it.”

Even upon revolver will be completed, Lydia will not put it in use.
If she intended to avail it, she already would, ahead of disassembling.
Mika was observing the monitor for a while: Lydia assembled revolver and deeply nodded. Thereafter, placed revolver upon the floor and slightly smiled.

“Ha-! Lydia appears not to be afraid any more.”
“Uh-huh… Thinks she’ll save herself.”
“Slightly different.”
“How..?”
“Next monitor.”

Mika shifts her gaze to the monitor on her right.
In that monitor, Yuuyami and Rapha had just arrived nigh the Woodland.

“She believes even for her cannot doe anything, Yuuyami will assist. From the bottom of her heart.”

Lydia supported Yuuyami, when Yuuyami were not able to perform anything.
Therefore, Lydia and Yuuyami complement each other.

“And presently, she reflected that. Realised this. A simple validation task. For the two of these youth complement each other. Providing an event that shalt bring forth a strong impression upon them - the role of Hinagiku.”

◇

Hinagiku was sitting on the sofa, and vacantly gazed at Lydia.
Lydia observed revolver from various angles, and immediately began to disassemble it.
Hinagiku widened her eyes to such completely unforeseen conduct.

(It looks like you won’t be murdered. Rather, you’re still willing to die, huh. Poor thing.)

Moss, which was left on the floor, said so.
Hinagiku picked up the moss, and lifted it up to her face.

(Why don’t apologise?)
“What?”

Cried Hinagiku, in a whisper.

(For confinement her naked. At any rate, why don’t you ordinarily get along? If you do that, your loneliness will disappear, right?)
“Hmm…”

Albeit Hinagiku pondered it over for a while, ultimately decided not to apologise.

(Are you stupid?)
“What makes you think that?”
(I mean, after such a long time you’ve met your daughter— well, she seem to have lost her recollection, however to strip her nude and confining; one wouldn’t do it usually, you know?)
“That’s, well, that’s right, but I told you. Also, I wanted to see Lucy’s nakedness. She didn’t show me it in the past, at all…”
(So, you just sleaze that wants to see her naked, huh?)
“Well, that’s right. But I haven’t touched her. For now. As yet. Currently.”
(Well, this child is safe, while in the gauge. In sense of chastity.)
“In the worst case, I’m thinking of joining her, how about it?”
(…You’re stupid after all, huh?)

Moss grew astonished, and abort the conversation.
When Hinagiku looked at Lydia, she was reassembling the disassembled revolver.
Hinagiku was vacantly observing Lydia work for a while.
When Lydia completed revolver, she greatly nodded once.
Then, with a light smile, placed revolver upon the floor.
Hinagiku, who had been watching Lydia throughout a time, met Lydia’s eyes.

“It is awfully simple weapon,” stated Lydia.
“Since it’s old.”

That is not at an “old-fashioned” level, but old enough to be called a relic of its time, without a hindrance.

“Why do you have so ancient a weapon?”
“I like the smell of gunpowder”
“You shot with it?”
“Aha- There was a shooting range, dedicated to live-ammunition weapons.”

In prior the world was destroyed, Hinagiku continued in her mind.

“Hmm.”

Lydia grabbed revolver, and drew near the iron bars.
Hinagiku closed eyes, wondering that she will bear a shoot.

(I understand why you’d wishing to choose death rather than loneliness again, however it’s definitely better to apologise and get along with each other, you know?)

Uttered Moss, but Hinagiku ignored.
However no matter how long she waited, she couldn’t hear the gunshot nor smell the gunpowder.
When Hinagiku opened her eyes, Lydia slid revolver through the gaps between bars.
Revolver hit Hinagiku’s foot and came to stop.

“You wouldn’t shoot me?”

Hinagiku picks the revolver up.

“I won’t shoot.”
“Then, you will stay here until the day I die?”
“Mm—mm.”

Lydia shook her head from side to side.

“Nevertheless, I won’t set you free.”
“I remembered something.”
“Remembered?”
“Yes. I regained composure while was disassembling a revolver to pieces. With that I remembered.”
“What?”
“That I’m not alone.”

I see, Hinagiku nodded.

“Granting that Rapha or Mika come to help, I’ll repel them.”
(Can’t do it. You don’t have to be so worked up to keep her in confinement… You are so childish, you know?)

The Moss sighed, during saying that.
Hinagiku ignored remarks of the Moss.
Despite that, Hinagiku knew it all so well. Rather than Rapha, I can not beat Mika with but a revolver.

“It’s different, Hinagiku.”

Lydia shook her head once again.

“Different?”
“Yes. I have never met Mika, and Rapha will completely lose her way, it’s difficult area for her to help me alone.”
“I there anyone else?”

Hinagiku cannot think of anyone.
Only three new human beings were created by the Angel Project, likewise no one else was specially close to Lucy afore the world’s collapse.
Hinagiku had been watching Lucy all along, so that much is certain.

“I have.”

Lydia peered straight at Hinagiku.

“Who?”
“My lover.”
“Lov… er…”

Moss slipped from Hinagiku’s hand, and rolled over the floor.

(It hurts. Be careful.)

Albeit Moss grumbled, Hinagiku couldn’t hear.

“How should I put it, I guess now that we are married, not a lover, right? Ah, even if I say we’re married, we didn’t take an oath in front of the god, it was rather arbitrarily.”

Lydia scratched her head, saying in a slightly bashful manner.

“You have a lover..?”
“Uh-huh.”
“What kind of, man is…”

I should have been re-emerged shotgun, thought Hinagiku.
If the daughter brought her boyfriend, it was the duty of a parent to instantly flash the shotgun.

“Not a man, you know?”
“…Woman?”

That’s no particular problem. Even Hinagiku likes beautiful girls.
The other party is a beautiful girl, I don’t need a shotgun—Hinagiku changed her mind.
However, the next statement of Lydia, made Hinagiku consider the need of something of higher force than shotgun.

“Not a human, in the first place, though? Yuuyami is AD.”

1. also might denote—it is a primal meaning actually—“both full-fledged individuals”
   (look >third chapters); back