"Unable to truly understand each other, huh…"
Hearing Arona's words, I frowned slightly, lost in thought.
"Yes, even between you and me, Sensei, we'll probably never truly understand each other."
With a soft grunt, Arona hopped up, slipped off her white sneakers, and stepped barefoot onto the soft sand. She walked toward the sea until the waves reached her ankles.
With her parasol gun held behind her back, Arona turned around, her skirt fluttering in the night breeze, and invited me with an innocent smile.
"Ah, the sea at night feels so cool and nice. Sensei, do you want to join me?"
I stared at her, surprised. Then I understood something, and smiled in return.
"Heh… I'll pass."
Arona squinted playfully, smiling with mischief.
"I thought so. I suddenly did something strange, and it startled you, didn't it? And to me, Sensei, you're also this mysterious, incomprehensible being."
That's right. I couldn't understand what made Arona act this way.
I could guess she was trying to prove her point to me, but if I were in her place, I would've done it differently.
That's why I am me, and not anyone else.
Arona tucked the parasol gun under her arm, clasped her hands before her lips, and looked at me gently.
"So, that's how we can never truly meet. We can only walk our separate paths. That must be… huh?"
"You're wrong, Arona."
I couldn't help standing up. As I spoke, I walked toward the surprised Arona.
I took her hands in mine and guided them to my chest.
Looking earnestly into her eyes.... well, the right one not hidden by her hair, I said:
"No matter what our pasts were or what the future holds, at least in this moment, our paths cross like this. Even if we can't truly understand each other…
"Arona, you said before that even until the very end of time, you'd stay by my side, right?
"So as long as we hold each other's hands, even if we can't fully understand each other… before we reach the final destination, we'll surely see far more together than either of us could alone.
"It's precisely because we can never completely understand one another that we must keep trying to do so."
Arona stared blankly for a moment, then smiled brightly.
"Yes. I'll always stay by your side, Sensei.
Ah! I see now… You really are our Sensei. I really like that answer."
Her voice grew softer, her head lowered, and her cheeks turned crimson.
"That's right! Thank you, Arona!"
I released her hands and looked toward the endless stretch of sand behind me, my thoughts drifting back to the deserts of Abydos.
"I finally understand my true heart."
Then I declared loudly,
"Since the moment I awoke, I've never really tried to understand anyone.
"I've treated all my students as strangers, feared them, rejected them, even hated them, because I lacked strength.
"Why? Why did I come to such a dangerous world without any power to protect myself?
"Until I realized that, though this Kivotos is different, there still exists order here. And within that order, I stand at its peak.
"The missing President of the General Student Council granted me this authority that transcends law itself, and I was truly grateful to her.
"But! Without strength to protect myself, even with Schale under my command, even with you by my side, Arona, even with all my intellect and courage... There are still countless beings that can threaten my life. I could never find lasting peace.
"Power bestowed by others has its limits. Only strength born from within can surpass them!
"The Credit Card already gave me the chance to change my fate, laid out the path for me to climb higher. I once swore to draw out their full potential, no matter the cost. But what have I done since then?"
"It's true we can never perfectly understand each other."
"But I was trapped in my own arrogance, the arrogance that saw everyone as different, alien. When did I ever truly try to understand them?"
"All this time, I've only wished for others to understand me."
"Look at the ones recognized by the Credit Card, the students I've bonded with. Serika was love at first sight, Yukino entrusted her dream of restoring the school to me, Shiroko was pure and naive, Serina and Ayane came along naturally.
"It was always them who reached out first. I was only dragged along."
I laughed softly.
"Heh… It's only natural that Hoshino doesn't trust me."
"I never really tried to understand her, nor did I ever show her my true self."
"And now, it's too late. There's no chance for us to make amends."
"Takanashi Hoshino… among all the students I know, she's one of the strongest, perhaps only Gehenna's Prefect Chairwoman, Hina could compare.
"If I could win her trust… how far could I go?
"How could I just give up because of my own mistakes?"
I clenched my fist and swung my arm with conviction.
"Hoshino doesn't trust me? She hates me? All the better!
"She can be both my stepping stone and my whetstone. Isn't that the most wonderful thing?
"So why would I waste time lamenting here?
"I'll bring Hoshino back, whether she wants it or not! For my promise to Shiroko, Serika, Ayane, and Nonomi… and for my true self!"
But after listening to all that, Arona puffed up her cheeks slightly, muttering with mild exasperation.
"There's no one else here, Sensei. If you still have feelings for Hoshino, you can just admit it. You don't have to come up with such a roundabout excuse to convince yourself."
My movement froze, the momentum vanishing instantly.
"…Arona, I don't..."
"Then why can't you stop talking about Hoshino?"
"I..."
Though I really only saw Hoshino as an ordinary student, for some reason I felt a bit guilty.
Avoiding Arona's gaze, I forced out an excuse. "Everyone is a tool for my growth, including Hoshino. So to stay true to myself, I have to act accordingly…"
Arona sighed softly.
"Sensei, how about this... just pretend Hoshino secretly likes you."
I blinked in shock. "Huh?!"
"Think about it. Hoshino entrusted you with her piece(shotgun), the one that's practically a girl's second life. Doesn't that already show she has feelings for you?"
I stared blankly. "…There's such a thing in Kivotos?"
"Nope. I just made it up. Hehehe~ fooled you!"
Arona stuck out her tongue and made a playful face before pushing me lightly.
"Silly Sensei, since you've figured it out, hurry up and go to bed!"
The connection to the Shittim Chest was forcibly cut off.
Arona stood quietly where she was.
A soft glow lingered on her youthful face.
"Really now… too kind for your own good. Even when you're hated, even when you know you can't be understood…
You still can't turn away from a student who's lost her way, can you?"
She lowered her head, whispering softly.
"You've already done everything you could, haven't you, Sensei?"