Archangels of War

Thursday, October 28. 

Three days later, and Theta magic Academy had begun to transform. Now that all of the basic labor of the inside was completed, and all of the designs that the magical engineering committee come up with were finished being built, we had begun to implement them all. This part required the most secrecy, and so only the student council, defense force team, and a few people that Ichijo and Riko chose were allowed to participate. Among these people, were Aqua, and Leo. 

"Raiden!" I expertly avoided the flying bundle of braids that came at me, shouting my name. Over the past month, any time I greeted aqua she would try and do a jump hug thing, which she did when greeting anybody. Because of that, I had lots of time to master how to expertly avoid her signature move. 

"Good morning, Aqua." I said, as she sailed past me and latched onto Hikaru, who wasn't braced for it, so she crashed into the ground in shock. I shot her a look of pity-Nova style-before turning around to greet Leo. 

"So, you two were among some of the chosen?" 

Leo nodded as he dapped me up. "Aqua heard the opportunity to partake in a "top secret mission' and she didn't even think twice. I just came along to make sure she kept her lips sealed about it." 

I nodded, turning around to look at Hikaru and Aqua, who had overcome their shock and confusion, and were now having a conversation on the floor, still wrapped in each other's arms. 

It was all bubbles and smiles, exactly what I would have expected from an interaction between the two of them. 

"Hopefully you don't regret the workload you've taken on." I commented. 

Leo looked at me anxiously. "What exactly are you trying to suggest? That it's a lot of work?" His tone had a bit of concern in it. 

I just patted his shoulder and stepped by him. "Don't read into it." 

Leo shouted back at me as I walked away. "How can I not? It's like telling someone who was a class right after you, good lunch, right before they walk in!" 

After that exchange, I continued to walk along the glass skywalk, heading for the student council room. Behind me, I heard footsteps as someone ran to catch up to me. "Hey Raiden, you shouldn't leave people behind, especially when you agree they can go with you." 

I turned to look at Hikaru, who was skipping happily next to me. "I agreed that you could come, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to wait for you." I pointed behind me. "Besides, you and Aqua seemed to be having a good time over there, so I thought it'd be rude to interrupt." 

Hikaru sighed, shaking her head, but there was still a smile on her face. We walked a few seconds in silence before- 

"So. Where are we going." 

"You asked to come with me, and don't even know where I was going?" I raised an eyebrow out her.

She just turned around with a humph; before turning back and asking me the same question.

"I'm headed to the student council room." 

"Ohhh, what for?" She asked immediately after. 

"To talk with Suijin." 

"About what?" 

"Things." 

"What things."

"Stuff." 

"What stuff." 

"Grown up things." 

"What grown u- Wait! Are you trying to call me a kid!" 

I sighed as Hikaru began to angrily punch my shoulder. I wanted to talk to Suijin about Shindo. I couldn't ask her about the 10 grand magic family's situations, in order to keep our identity a secret. 

Chisaki, was a fake name, after all. 

A name used to disguise the fact that me and Kami belonged to one of the 10 grand magic families. In fact, I was utterly frustrated with myself for not catching it the first time, when she had introduced herself. 

Now that I thought about it, it was actually a very good thing that Hikaru was tagging along. There was simply no way that anything I said would get answers from Suijin, let alone provide her with any help. I had seen the look of frustration on her face. 

"So, do you have a crush or something?" Hikaru asked teasingly, as we walked down the long hall that lead to the student council room. 

I shook my head. "No." 

"Reeeeaaallly?" There isn't that one person, that you look at, who makes your heart flutter?" She asked, leaning in much closer than anybody would be comfortable with. 

I pushed her away slightly before shaking my head. "Nope." 

After all, Raiden Chisaki does not possess a heart anymore. 

No. It's more fitting to say her never did. 

We stepped inside the doors of the student council room and saw Suijin. Except, the person sitting in that seat did not fit the image of the resilient and strong student council president that I had come to know. 

She was slumped over her desk, her entire body seemed drowned in an indescribable fatigue. It seemed to have become her entire being. The dark bags under her eyes had only drown deeper and darker. She was inhaling and exhaling shaky breaths, and she was staring straight at the wall. 

She was like the physical incarnation of fatigue. 

When she heard the door opening, she tried to snap herself into an upright position, but she was all too late, and all too tired. 

When she locked eyes with the both of us, she shook her head, bowing it down. "S-sorry about that. I-I must have lost track of time. I'm assuming that something happened where I'm needed? God, why did i-" 

"Didn't you say that there is no need to bow your head to anyone?" I cut her off. 

She paused, staring at me for a good few second. She was so tired that basic things became tedious tasks. "Ah, yes, sorry...." 

"If you were tired, you could have just told everyone that you needed to take the day off." I suggested. 

"Absolutely not." Suijin said, immediately. "With the culture festival this close, and with so many things still needed to be done, I should take a break. I'm the student council president-" 

"And so, you deserve to take on the entire burden, without a doubt?" Hikaru interjected. Her own frustration was just as palpable as Suijin's. 

"That's not what I..... I didn't mean to.... It's just...." However, Suijin could not finish her sentence. It was the clearest sign that she was not at 100%. Suijin was the person who always knew what to say. Always knew how to help other people. But in this moment, she couldn't even formulate words. She was the one who needed help. 

"Take a break Suijin. Taking on so much work, even if you feel responsible for it, so is everyone else. It's okay to rely on others." 

"No, I- I can't. That is the one thing that I can't and won't do. Push a burden unto other people. Absolutely not." 

And yet she rejected it. She turned down idea of taking a break, of sharing her burden with others. 

"You know that Yuri is right." I stated. "You know that he was right, because he is the one person who knows you the best. And you know that everything he said was right. Even now, you only add more and more to your bag. The culture festival. Construction. Decoration. Design. Defense. Keeping up Morale. And now, worrying about The Prince on top of that... And yet, you refuse to ask for help. Do you truly believe that that is anything but, foolish?" 

"Shindo is a case I cannot let stand. In a school built on the premise of equality, built on the fact that your magic is not what defines you as a person, for there to be a student who is deemed a Monster, and held to an inhuman standard exist, because of their magic, it stands against my very goal. Shindo won't say anything about it, but I can tell. I could always tell. From the moment he was given the moniker of, "The prince", I could tell that he hated it. It isolated him from all his peers. It made all of his peers view him with fear. I can't let something like that slide. I'd be failing not only myself, but everyone who heard my words at the opening ceremony. Everyone who heard my message when i was first appointed student council president." 

"And you believe you can do that alone? Without the help of others. Change the cognition of the entire school, as well as plan a school wide event? Alone?" 

"I can't. I can't. Pushing my burden unto others is the greatest sin. And also, I'm the student council president. My role is one that is meant to symbolize strength. I will not let it fall. I won't let it be tarnished." 

Suijin had a completely over the top vision of what a student council president should be. She held it to an unreal standard, as was trying to live up to it. 

"I think you've realized it as well. Me and you have similar faults. Do you still not wish to accept help?" 

"I will do everything because I am the student council president. I will complete all my work, and not only make the culture festival the greatest this school has ever seen, but I will also make sure that not a single student is left behind. That is my responsibility as not only the student council president, but as a daughter of the Hajimoto family." 

Alone. Those were the words that she had left out. 

Me and Hikaru stood in silence for a moment. 

"If that's the case, then I'll watch. I'll watch how you handle this, alone." With that final message, I turned and left Suijin and Hikaru alone in the student council room. 

We had both made a bet. No, it was time to see it through. 

Just as I was about to step outside, I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, to see Yuri Hamanai looking at me. 

"Raiden Chisaki." 

"What's going on?" There was something about his ominous tone that threw me off. 

"What exactly are you trying to do." 

I realized it then. He was eavesdropping on my conversation with Suijin. 

"I did what I thought was the right thing." 

"And so you decided to walk in that room, and weave seeds of doubt into her mind? To push insecurities into her head? To put cracks in her demeanor?" He was making baseless accusations. 

"You should see it better than anyone. She's in trouble. She will crack and shatter eventually." 

Yuri's grip on my shoulder tightened. 

"Nobody asked you to interfere with things that are none of your business. Protecting Suijin is my job. My mission. My goal. Something that I gave my life for." 

I was jarred by those words. 

"Gave my life for." 

My own goal of protecting Kami was something that I had given my life for. Something that I had cast aside my own identity to pursue. Something that Raiden died for. 

"I have someone that I want to protect at all costs as well. If you truly want to help her, you should push yourself to see past your own bias." I tried to give him advice, but it was pointless. As a protecter, I was worthless. I had let Kami be hurt. I couldn't console her emotionally. 

"Heeheh. Heeheh. Hahahah!" Yuri began to laugh. "You, trying to give me advice on how I should help the person I dedicated my life too? What poor taste in humor. Do you remember, a week or so back, when Suijin had asked Kami to stay after the meeting?" 

I nodded slowly, more than just a bit worried as to where he was going. "There, your sister, the one you claim to be the protecter of, cried. She cried her eyes out in front of Suijin. Suijin held her in her arms, told her not to lose her faith, not to lose her confidence. Kami cried, as she talked about her own weakness, and how she felt like no one could help her!" 

My eyes widened, and I stood frozen in shock. Kami had cried once again. She had been put in pain once again, because of me. Because of how worthless I was. I cast my gaze downards, and I could hear Yuri make a disgusted sound. 

"Look at you. You can't even look me in the eyes. And neither your sister. You think I don't notice? How you avoid her gaze, how you also look down, as if she's above you? You claim to want to protect her, but how can you protect someone who you put so much distance between! You don't understand her, and you refuse to try, and yet you have the nerve to try and lecture me?" Yuri was exploding in anger, and although I couldn't understand what caused him to escalate so quickly, I could understand one thing. 

That I was weak. He was right. I was a hypocrite. 

"The fact that me and you are so similar, that looking at you reminds me of how I used to be...It disgusts me! You, as someone who says their goal in life is to protect...You, Raiden Chisaki, are pathetic.

And at that moment, his fist connected with my face.