View source for Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume2 Interval Play 2nd Act

==Interval Play - 2nd Act: Three Years Ago—==


“I’m sorry, you two.”

Putting the report down on his desk, the elderly man in charge of Tremia Academy sighed bitterly.

“I never expected there to be such a terrible situation.”

“You aren’t at fault for that, headmaster.”

Mirror, who wore a blue lab coat, crossed his arms.

“A mysterious Recitation that turns people to stone. An <Egg> placed as a trap in the research institute. And the report also included the mysterious word ‘Lastihyt’ written in blood. All of these are things we don’t fully understand yet. It’s a stroke of good luck that the worst possible outcome didn’t happen to the teachers and students.”

“……Well, I guess you could put it that way.”

“That’s true.”

Zessel shrugged and Enne nodded.

The research institute’s staff members who had turned to stone had all been safely rescued and were undergoing a checkup at the medical facility. Although they were all weak at the moment, it was possible that they could be well enough to be interviewed a few days later. They should have witnessed what had happened in the institute that day.

“—I also did some investigating myself.”

Mirror handed a thick bundle of paper to the headmaster.

“The fact that the research institute could successfully refine the <Egg> can be mainly accredited to one assistant.”

“An assistant?”

Mirror nodded slightly at the headmaster, who was pondering over those words.

“Yes. It wasn’t the head of the research institute or an official staff member, but just a hired assistant. That’s why that person’s name was never officially on record. Even I have only been able to ascertain the existence of such an assistant, but been unable to find the person’s name.”

“……Hey, does that mean……”

Cutting off Mirror’s words, Enne took a step forward.

In other words, so that their own name wouldn’t be written down in the records, the person had purposely taken the role of a hired assistant. Had they used the institute’s facilities just to refine the <Egg>?

“It could be thought of that way.”

Pushing his glasses higher up on his nose, Miller agreed.

“That assistant left the research institute three years ago. The last clue I could find was that using the name of one of the institute’s staff members, the assistant bought a train ticket to the Falna wastelands.”

“Falna?”

Was that the name of a place? It was the first time Enne had heard the word before.

“To describe it briefly, it’s an undeveloped piece of land. Or should I say, there are more wild animals living there than there are people. It’s an enormous wasteland completely covered in grey sand.”

—Grey sand?

Enne quietly frowned as she heard the headmaster’s response. Beside her, Zessel also narrowed his eyes.

“……To put it a different way, three years ago, that assistant cut off all outside communications after arriving in the Falna wastelands.”

Crossing his arms, Mirror continued speaking.

“Lastihyt. Come to think of it, Xins had also been searching for someone by that name…… If I recall correctly, that was also around three years ago.”

Three years ago. Zessel’s testimony matched perfectly with the situation.

That was when Xins had been searching for someone with the name Lastihyt.

That was also the time when communication had been cut off with the staff member who had refined the <Egg>.

“I should also mention, it was also three years ago when Xins mastered all five colors of Recitations.”

The headmaster murmured quietly as if talking to himself.

Was it just a coincidence? Or could it be—

While everyone in the room fell silent, the door suddenly opened.

The headmaster who stood in the middle of the room opened his eyes and saw a woman wearing a pale green suit.

“……Kate-kun.”

She was the female teacher who had gotten seriously injured protecting her students. She should have gotten intensive medical care a few days ago.

“Oi Kate, you should still be resting!”

“No, I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.”

She was stubborn. Bandages still peeped out from her suit collar and sleeve.

“Kate-kun, I’m sorry. ……And I need to thank you as well. If you hadn’t risked your life to protect the students, who knows what might be happening right now.”

The headmaster bowed, but Kate still had a gentle expression on her face.

“No…… Rather, I’m happy.”

—Happy?

“I now understand that my student Ada…… No, that everyone in the class is a student who I can be proud of. As a teacher, there’s no greater joy than knowing this.”

Walking over to the window, Kate gazed at the empty campus.

“I look forward to the end of summer when I can meet my students again.”

Her own figure was reflected in the windowpane. It seemed like she was also gazing at that—

“Summer break may only be a month long, but I have the feeling that within this short amount of time, the students will definitely continue to mature.” 

Speaking those words, the young teacher smiled gently.


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