Ratatoskr headquarters, Woodman's office.
Kannazuki was giving Woodman his regular report.
"Thank you for your hard work, Commander Kannazuki."
Looking over the report in his hands, Woodman could not help feeling a certain doubt, but on the surface, he still answered calmly.
"No... this is simply my duty."
"What's wrong? You don't look well. Are you sick?"
"No, nothing of the sort. I am rely not used to being addressed as 'Commander.' Rather than commanding others, I would much prefer to be the one taking orders, manipulated beneath the beautiful feet of a sadistic, petite young lady."
Kannazuki sighed with an expression as if he had lost sothing precious.
Hearing Kannazuki's words, Karen, who had been waiting silently behind Woodman, could not help showing a faint look of contempt. Woodman, however, remained completely unshaken and continued.
"I see. It seems these past few months of intense work have placed quite a bit of ntal strain on all of you. Please take so proper rest next and relieve your fatigue."
"Yes! Thank you for your concern. In that case, I shall take my leave."
Kannazuki straightened his back, saluted Woodman and Karen, then turned and left the office.
"Elliot, we should run."
Not long after Kannazuki left, Karen suddenly spoke.
"Run? Why should we run?"
Hearing Karen's words, Woodman asked calmly.
Seeing Woodman's attitude, Karen could not help shouting anxiously.
"Because of Ryougi Yutsuki, of course! You saw Vice Commander Kannazuki just now, didn't you? He was clearly brainwashed! And she even used your na without permission to disband Fraxinus. That is unquestionably an abuse of authority. That Spirit is far too dangerous. If she tries to harm you——"
"Calm down, Karen."
"Don't worry. I'm only altering and erasing part of your mories. I won't hurt you."
A third voice suddenly sounded. The two turned around, and at so point, Ryougi Yutsuki was standing beside them.
"——!"
Karen's pupils contracted sharply. She reacted imdiately, rushing in front of Yutsuki like a nimble rabbit. She activated the small Realizer hidden in her sleeve, produced a blade of magic, and slashed toward Yutsuki.
Of course, such an attack could not threaten Yutsuki. Before the magic blade even touched her body, it was dissolved by a spirit power barrier.
The next second, Michael stabbed into Karen's body, causing her to lose strength and collapse to the floor.
"I see. As a Wizard, you're quite excellent. As expected of Ellen Mira Mathers's sister."
Yutsuki said faintly.
"Well, she is a Wizard from the sa village, after all. I apologize for Karen's rudeness just now, Yutsuki-san. She only acted rashly because she was worried. Please don't bla her."
"It's fine. I'm not angry either. Her mories have only been sealed, so she's temporarily unconscious. She isn't hurt."
As she spoke, Yutsuki held Michael and walked toward Woodman in his wheelchair.
"Are you going to seal my mories of Itsuka-kun and you as well?"
Without showing any fear or unease, Woodman rely looked calmly at Yutsuki and asked.
"Mm."
Yutsuki did not deny it and nodded.
"Not just you. Anyone who has ever co into contact with Shido or with ——I will seal their mories, then implant false ones through brainwashing. After that, I'll destroy every object that might beco a key to waking those mories. Finally, I'll use one more seal on the entire world and completely erase both my existence and Shido's."
"That is truly thorough."
Hearing Yutsuki's plan, Woodman could not help sighing.
"It's necessary, so everyone won't have to carry painful mories."
Yutsuki said calmly. She looked as if she did not care at all that she would be forgotten by others.
"Are you sure this is all right, Yutsuki-san?"
Yutsuki's overly composed attitude made Woodman unable to stop himself from asking.
"Without question, you saved this world. If that were made public, you would surely beco a hero admired by all."
"A hero? Please."
Yutsuki said self-mockingly.
"I was only cleaning up my own family's ss. From the beginning, I never intended to save the world. If this were for justice, I would have killed everyone from the start instead of letting nearly ten million people get dragged in and die. Being forgotten by everyone now is just what I deserve."
(Not choosing to beco the savior who saved the world, but choosing to bear the guilt of the deaths of millions people instead...)
Woodman could not help sighing inwardly. Perhaps this was the first ti he had ever felt sothing like awe toward another person.
"Then, do you accept this ending? Elliot Baldwin Woodman."
Yutsuki asked Woodman in return.
"Mm? Why ask that?"
"You helped . After all, if you hadn't approved it, I wouldn't have obtained Fraxinus's support, and saving everyone would have been impossible. Though I cannot compromise on sealing your mories, I can give you one chance. A chance to flee from my pursuit... or a chance to take revenge on and kill ."
Hearing Yutsuki's words, Woodman first froze, then could not help laughing.
"Haha... you really do know how to joke, Yutsuki-san. I'm an old bag of bones who can't even stand and walk. How could I possibly kill you, the only surviving Spirit in the world? Besides, I have no reason to take revenge and kill you."
"Not necessarily. If you're willing to use the power you had in your pri, your chances of winning might not be zero. As for your reason..."
Narrowing her eyes at Woodman, Yutsuki asked in a cold voice.
"You loved Takamiya Mio, and I killed her. Is that not enough?"
"..."
For a mont, Woodman fell into silence.
During that ti, Yutsuki first felt an icy killing intent envelop her. Yet after a few seconds, it gradually faded like air leaking from a balloon.
"You truly are frightening... Yutsuki-san."
Woodman slowly lowered his shoulders and spoke helplessly.
"You're choosing to give up?"
Yutsuki asked.
"Mm..."
Woodman nodded, a faint bitter smile appearing on his face.
"After all, mine was rely one sided love. Even if I risked my life, there would be no reward. The grudge between you and her has no right or wrong, and I have no place interfering or comnting... No, in truth, none of that is the real reason."
Removing his glasses, Woodman leaned back into his wheelchair, pressed his palm over his eyes, and let out a tired sigh.
For a mont, this gentle and refined mature man seed to have aged considerably.
"It's only that I no longer wish to lose anything more... I am old, and I am tired. Perhaps this ending is not the one I hoped for, but it is not one I cannot accept. Yutsuki-san, I should thank you. Thank you for putting an end to the karma we created."
"I see... I hope your life afterward can find peace."
After softly saying that, Yutsuki raised the Angel in her hand and stabbed it into Woodman's body.
"Thank you for taking care of during this ti, Director Woodman."
_______________________
When the girl first woke up, what greeted her was the sharp sll of disinfectant and a pure white ceiling painted over with fresh coating.
(Where is this? Why am I here?)
The girl tried to sit up, wanting to further confirm her surroundings. However, perhaps because her body had not moved for a long ti, she was abnormally weak. Several tis, she tried to support her upper body with her arms, but every attempt ended in failure.
However, as if they had noticed that the girl was awake, several strangers in white coats ca to her side and carefully helped her sit up.
Taking that chance, the girl desperately began observing her surroundings.
She was currently in a hospital room, lying on a bed in pink patient clothes. Other than her, she could see several girls around her age sleeping on other hospital beds.
"Thank goodness. You finally woke up."
"How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"
Ignoring the concern of the doctors and nurses, the girl sank into deep confusion.
She had lost her mories.
Who was she? Where was her ho? Who were her parents? Why was she here? What had happened?
It was like flipping through a blank diary. Faced with the questions surfacing in the girl's heart, almost none of them had any answers.
The only thing she rembered was her own na.
"...To...hka."
The instant she spoke, the girl felt a grounded feeling, as if she had recovered her "self."
Staring at her own palm, the girl awkwardly pronounced those two syllables and repeated them in her mouth as if to confirm them.
"...To...hka... Tohka... Tohka... Ya... Yato..."
Gradually, like finding a place to stand in an empty universe, the girl's emotions slowly settled.
As if telling herself, the girl said,
"My na is... Yatogami Tohka."
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