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When Zetto didn’t return from his outing, she went outside the academy to look for him…but there she met Aizel and Edward, who were returning to the academy.

“You’re lying, aren’t you…? Zetto…”

Yuri burst out laughing.

She denied it.

Zetto, who was being carried by Aizel, had been wrapped in rags because Edward’s illusion magic had worn off.

To Yuri’s untrained eye, it looked like Zetto was simply sleeping on Aizel’s back.

“Zetto’s dead.”

But Aizel’s voice sounded so serious and clear that Yuri couldn’t believe it.

Aizel’s clothes were stained with blood, Zetto’s face had no color and Edward’s silence, everything felt strange.

“It can’t be…”

Yuri stumbled forward on weak legs, toward Aizel, toward Zetto.

Her eyes caught sight of the blood on Zetto’s cloth.

Yuri’s fingertips trembled violently as she reached for the cloth.

Yuri wanted to deny it.

It was so unexpected but death always comes unexpectedly.

Yuri clutched at the cloth and eventually, her hand revealed the brutal truth.

“Oh…?”

The cloth is pulled away, revealing Zetto’s horrific scars to Yuri’s eyes.

“……”

Yuri’s trembling eyes ask Zetto, “Why are you doing this?”

Why are you doing this?

Why is he bleeding?

What is all this?

Yuri’s head felt dizzy and she had an excruciating headache like she’d never felt before.

She couldn’t quite process the brutal truth that Zetto was dead.

At that moment, she heard the voice of Benno, the orb in Yuri’s arms.

[…Master, calm down.]

Why would Benno say such a thing…Yuri didn’t understand, but when she came to her senses and looked around, she realized that the entire forest was engulfed in flames.

Flames were rising around her as she clutched her hair.

Aizel and Zetto were unaffected by the flames thanks to the shield Edward had cast in time.

Yuri stared at Aizel, her eyes expressionless.

She was feeling doubtful.

Zetto is dead, isn’t he?

Why can you be so unaffected?

If Zetto is dead, why can you make such a nonchalant face?

Eventually, Yuri’s warped mind came to the wrong conclusion.

“Yeah… It’s your fault…”

Yuri approached Aizel with flames.

Aizel was carrying Zetto’s body, but that didn’t matter to her now.

“It’s all your fault…Zetto died because of you…”

Yuri asked, reaching for Aizel’s throat as Edward’s protective shield was slowly dissolving.

Yuri remembered why Zetto had left the academy.

“I know. It’s all my fault.”

Aizel didn’t dodge Yuri’s hand.

“Zetto died trying to protect me. If you want to kill me, kill me. I’ll die by your hand if you want it so badly. But…”

Aizel’s empty eyes trailed off.

“…My death will not bring Zetto back.”

It was the truth. Still, Yuri denied it.

She continued, reaching for Aizel’s throat but at that moment a hand reached through the flames and grabbed her arm.

Yuri turned her head.

-Aaah…

Edward’s hand on Yuri’s arm was burning.

“…Cadet Yuri, I understand your desire to find someone to blame, but… please stop.”

“…”

“Aren’t you just looking for someone to take out your anger on, Cadet Yuri? You want to make Cadet Zetto’s sacrifice in vain?”

Edward, who didn’t even groan in pain as his hand burned, said so in a calm voice.

“Cadet Aizel is the same way, please don’t encourage her any further.”

“……”

Aizel turned her head, avoiding Edward’s gaze.

“Think about what we must do, if we truly care for Cadet Zetto.”

“……”

Unable to speak, Yuri looked into Aizel’s golden eyes.

There was no indifference in them but only a deeply rooted emptiness.

Aizel was already broken.

Yuri’s arms trembled, sinking to the floor, Yuri hung her head low.

She realized what an ugly thing she had just done.

“…Come back when you’ve gotten your emotions under control, for there are things that those left behind must do as they are left behind.”

With those words, Edward picked up the cloth from the floor and wrapped it around Zetto.

Soon they turned away from Yuri.

Yuri did not follow them, nor did he hold them back.

Left behind in the flames that engulfed the forest, she could only stare after them, after Zetto, as they walked away.

***

Arriving at the academy, Edward headed straight for the headmaster’s office to report the incident.

Edward reported to his father, Julius, who was also the headmaster of Innocence Academy, what he had seen and what he had learned.

“…Cadet Zetto’s body has been turned over to Medical Officer Priscilla.”

Julius grimaces as he listens to the report.

“Hmm… Where is Cadet Aizel now?”

“She said she would stay by Cadet Zetto’s side…”

“…I see. Cadet Zetto… Did he say he has sisters?”

“They were living with him in the Academy’s dormitory.”

“They had…”

“I’ll tell them myself.”

“…I see.”

Julius swallowed hard.

“I’ll put all the cadets on hold for now. I need you to arrange his funeral as soon as possible.”

“Yes.”

For now, the first-year cadets were scheduled to travel to the East tomorrow, but Zetto’s death would naturally push back the schedule.

After all, Zetto had died as a cadet and had no other connections, so the academy would have to take care of his funeral.

“…So that’s it for the report?”

Julius asked, suspecting that he had not heard the whole story, but Edward hadn’t moved a muscle but after a while his tightly closed mouth opened.

“When this is over…I’ll quit.”

“…I’m afraid not.”

“Why? Don’t we need someone to take responsibility for this?”

Julius frowns at Edward’s insistence and places his glasses on the desk.

“…I appreciate your willingness to take responsibility, but… Don’t try to run away, son.”

“…”

“My student was killed by a demon. You think this father doesn’t know what you’re thinking…”

Julius stared into Edward’s eyes.

“…Are you going back to the old days, Eddie?”

The Edward in front of Julius’ eyes looked exactly like the Edward of the past.

He had a vengeful gaze that only wanted to slaughter his enemies.

It was the same Edward who had told Yuri not to look for someone to blame, but in truth, he was no different.

His words were ultimately directed at himself.

“Been there, done that. Slaughtering all the demons around you won’t change anything. Most of all, it’s not the same. You have people to protect now, and besides… I heard you had a child…”

“…”

Frowning, Edward turned his head, remembering the face of his wife, Vanessa.

“If you can’t protect them, you will desperately defend what is left of them. That is the role of a father, and the virtue of an instructor.”

“…”

“If you understand, then go away.”

Edward bows his head in silence and leaves the headmaster’s office.

Alone in the principal’s office, Julius stared at the window, where raindrops pattered against it.

The rain was pouring down, and the city was mourning.

***

-Aaah…

The rain was pouring down and the flames in the forest had long since died down.

Water droplets trickled down the back of my hand.

Alas, it was not rain.

The heat from the droplets told me that.

Another drip, another drip.

I had to admit it. No, I couldn’t deny it.

I had to accept it for Zetto’s sake.

Zetto was…dead.

As the rain beat down on me, I thought of Zetto.

I remembered the way he looked, the scent of his arms and his soothing voice, now lost forever.

I remembered the last time I had spoken to him.

It must have been in the morning.

We met on the way to school and he was heading in the opposite direction of the academy.

When I asked him where he was going, he said he was going out with Aizel for a while.

‘So when will you be back?’

‘I don’t know, but…’

‘…Whatever.’

Feeling unnecessarily upset at the sight of him taking Aizel somewhere, I cut him off and turned away.

“…Well.”

That was the last thing I said to Zetto.

“Ugh… Hmph….”

I patted the damp ground in frustration as tears rolled down my cheeks, mingling with the rain.

“I have to apologize…”

I had to say I was sorry so I scrambled to my feet and ran toward the city.

I wondered where he’d gone.

Zetto, where are you?

As I frantically ran through the city, I spotted Zetto.

He was a blur in front of an unlit restaurant, talking to me.

‘Ms. Yuri is really good at eating.’

‘Shh, shut up…!’

‘Haha…’

As I get closer to the smirking Zetto, our figures turn into raindrops and disappear.

‘Yuri…’

“Zetto…?”

Hearing his voice again, I immediately turn my head to look around.

‘…Yuri, it’s strawberry milk.’

‘Oh…!

Yes, it was the street he often walked on.

The streets were filled with Zettos and I walked as if mesmerized.

I relived my memories, my memories of him.

‘You’re going to read me a fairy tale…?’

‘Yes, there’s a fairy tale I’ve always wanted to read to Zetto…’

‘I’m good, right?

It was the first time I ever felt comfortable talking to a man outside of my family.

I turned my gaze away and saw Zetto and I sitting at a table on the terrace of a closed café.

‘What do you think, this saint…? He looks like Zetto, doesn’t he?’

‘Does he…?’

‘Yes, they look alike…!’

‘Then who is the princess?’

‘That’s… I don’t know.’

‘What about you, Ms. Yuri? Don’t you like princesses?’

‘No, don’t say that…!’

Really…He was like a fairy tale.

Whenever I’m with him, I’m easily misled.

If it was Zetto…I wondered if pure love, the kind you read about in fairy tales, wouldn’t be such a dream but it was all for naught now.

As I wander aimlessly, I see a distance in my eyes that I can’t forget unless I want to forget.

“…Ah.”

It was an ordinary street, nothing different but this street, this landscape, was unforgettable.

My feet moved of their own accord and I walked down the street just like that.

I was going back to the beginning, to the beginning of everything.

I could see my past self on the side of the road and my eyes caught the corner at the end of the road.

If I turn that corner…Zetto would bump into me.

“Stop…”

I chased after my past self.

I had to stop what was about to happen.

But my past self runs around the corner without a second thought.

Then I hear Zetto fall.

“Stop… Please…”

I slumped to the ground.

My whole body was drained of energy.

My voice pierces my ears as I shout harsh words at Zetto.

It was painful.

“Ah…”

It dawned on me.

I remembered Zetto’s last words.

He had said it to me with his back turned.

“You said you’d… come back…”

With those words, Zetto left me.

“This… You’re not coming back…”

With that, Zetto left me and returned to me as a cold, dead man.

I wanted to be strong enough to protect him.

I didn’t want him to push himself too hard and I didn’t want him to leave my side but I wasn’t even given the chance to protect him.

It was just too painful.