Arisuin Nagi knew that Rozen had already noticed his true identity, even if no one else did.
He knew Arisuin Nagi was a spy.
He knew Arisuin Nagi was one of the attackers.
He knew Arisuin Nagi was a member of Akatsuki Academy.
He knew Arisuin Nagi was part of the Rebellion.
Given all this, how could Arisuin Nagi continue to hide?
He had no choice but to turn himself in.
It wasn't because Arisuin Nagi wanted to silence Rozen, nor was it because he feared Rozen would come after him.
Arisuin Nagi knew Rozen didn't care about such things; as long as he didn't bother Rozen, with the grudge between him and the League and the Rebellion, Rozen would definitely choose to stand aside and ignore him.
But Arisuin Nagi still chose to turn himself in.
Not for any other reason.
"I no longer want to be a killer for the Rebellion, nor do I want to have any further connection with that world."
Arisuin Nagi finally voiced his true feelings.
This was the reason he turned himself in.
If Arisuin Nagi still wanted to continue being a killer, still wanted to stir up trouble with Akatsuki Academy, then he could have ignored everything, kept his distance from Rozen since Rozen wouldn't interfere with these matters, and Rozen certainly wouldn't expose his identity.
But Arisuin Nagi didn't want to do that; he wanted to leave the underground world and return to this surface world.
"I want to continue being a student at Hagun Academy, to continue being Shizuku's friend."
Arisuin Nagi looked directly at Rozen, speaking with utmost sincerity.
"I believe that if I want to achieve this, I must be honest with you, who knows my identity."
Otherwise, even if Rozen didn't expose Arisuin Nagi, he wouldn't easily trust him.
And if Rozen didn't trust Arisuin Nagi, given his influence on Ikki, Stella, Shizuku, the student council members, even Shinguji Kurono, and Saikyo Nene, perhaps Arisuin Nagi would never be able to integrate here and achieve his wishes.
Therefore, Arisuin Nagi had to be honest with Rozen.
Honest about his thoughts.
"I know, suddenly saying this, you probably won't easily believe me, right?"
Arisuin Nagi felt helpless.
However, this underestimated Rozen.
"I believe you."
Rozen asserted.
"Huh?"
Arisuin Nagi was stunned.
He had no idea...
"Ever since you gave up your representative spot, I had a rough idea of what you intended to do."
Rozen smiled slightly as he spoke.
"If you still intended to cause trouble as a member of Akatsuki Academy, you would definitely try to keep your representative spot, not easily give it up."
So, when Arisuin Nagi gave up his representative spot, Rozen was very surprised, even Edelweiss was surprised.
But afterward, both Rozen and Edelweiss understood Arisuin Nagi's thoughts.
"After all, a person's expression can be faked, but their intentions cannot."
Rozen shrugged.
"Your concern and care for Kurogane Shizuku are genuine, I can see that."
Not only Rozen, but others could also see it, right?
Otherwise, given Shizuku's aversion and rejection towards others, it would be unrealistic for her to actively make friends with anyone other than her brother.
Yet, Arisuin Nagi accomplished this.
This must be because Shizuku sensed Arisuin Nagi's genuine feelings for her.
"Don't say it's because Kurogane Shizuku was fooled by your sweet talk," Rozen said, "I've already heard about her from Kurogane."
Ikki once told Rozen.
"Actually, Shizuku had a very bad phase before."
This was something Ikki personally told Rozen.
Because Shizuku displayed exceptional talent as a Blazer from a young age, the people of the Kurogane family treated her like a princess, flattering her and showering her with love.
People around her allowed Shizuku to do anything she wanted.
She could bully other kids at will, snatch their toys, and even if she was in the wrong, the adults around her wouldn't blame her, even punishing the children who inadvertently offended Shizuku, fearing her greatly.
Shizuku deeply despised such people, those who bowed to the strong, who chose to yield in the face of benefits and status, who never spoke a sincere word, always flattering her, dirty to the extreme.
This is why Shizuku claimed to hate humans.
This girl seemed sharp-tongued, seeing no one other than Ikki, but there were reasons for it.
Shizuku was very sensitive to people's hearts.
If Arisuin Nagi approached Shizuku with false intentions, no matter how well he disguised himself, he couldn't have become friends with Shizuku.
The reason Shizuku didn't reject Arisuin Nagi was because all his actions towards her were sincere.
Even Ikki, the reason Shizuku was so obsessed with him, was because when she was young, he was the only one who blamed her for doing wrong, even hitting her, showing her his uniqueness.
Shizuku had been looking for such a person, who wouldn't pamper her, who was strict with her, just hoping to find someone different from the adults she had met so far.
Hence, Shizuku accepted Arisuin Nagi.
"In that case, I also choose to believe that you don't really want to be with those people, that you long for life in this academy."
Rozen thought.
This left Arisuin Nagi in a daze for a while, before he finally murmured.
"Is that so?" Nagi Arisuin said, somewhat complicatedly, "But you're wrong, it's not that I like this life so much that I abandon my past, I just like Shizuku too much, to the point of no return."
Yes.
This was the reason Arisuin Nagi abandoned his past.
"That child was born in a twisted family, loved her blood-related brother, doing all kinds of absurd things without a care, even though she knew her feelings were twisted, even though she knew her love path wouldn't be smooth, she still chose to endure all of it, just for the brother she deeply loved."
For Arisuin Nagi, who grew up in darkness, Shizuku was extremely dazzling.
As a result, unconsciously, Arisuin Nagi found himself unable to take his eyes off her.
It wasn't love, but more like familial affection.
Arisuin Nagi treated Shizuku as his sister.
And this killer chose to abandon everything, to move towards the light, just for this one person.
If it were before, even if Arisuin Nagi had such thoughts, it would have been difficult to realize.
"Wallenstein was my mentor, he wouldn't allow his disciple to betray him. Once I showed such intentions, not only would I be killed, but Shizuku would also be killed. That man was like that."
Arisuin Nagi felt both complex and relieved.
"But now he's dead, killed by you."
So, after that, Arisuin Nagi resolutely chose this path, abandoning his identity as a killer.
"So, what do you plan to do? Are you going to hide your identity from Kurogane Shizuku forever?"
Rozen asked.
"No, I will tell her everything."
Arisuin Nagi had already decided.
Seeing Arisuin Nagi's expression, Rozen knew this person was ready to give it all.
"Then I wish you success."
Rozen smiled suddenly.
"Thank you."
Arisuin Nagi also smiled sincerely.
With that, the incident involving Hagun Academy's attack finally began to settle down.
However, the series of problems that emerged from this event threw the entire country into a chaotic atmosphere.
Everyone started focusing their attention on the upcoming Seven Stars Sword Art Festival.
Not for anything else, but to see the outcome of this Seven Stars Sword Art Festival and the changes it would bring.
Even though many representatives, like Arisuin Nagi, chose to forfeit, many others chose to face the challenge head-on.
They would clash with the students of Akatsuki Academy on the stage of the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival.
They would compete for the peak.
And those who continued to participate were undoubtedly the elites among elites from each academy.
Therefore, this year's Seven Stars Sword Art Festival was gradually gaining a reputation not just for being talent-filled but elite-gathered, recognized as the most unique and powerful one yet.
Naturally, the many representatives from Hagun Academy were also preparing extensively to face these opponents as the festival approached.
For instance, Todo Touka planned to visit her mentor for final adjustments and advice.
Similarly, Stella Vermillion returned to the Vermillion Empire to meet with her family and citizens to bolster her fighting spirit before the competition.
Totokubara Kanata also returned to the Totokubara family.
At the academy, only Kurogane Ikki and Shizuku remained.
It's worth noting that after this, Arisuin Nagi was constantly seen around Shizuku.
Although Shizuku's behavior remained the same, extremely supportive of Ikki while indifferent and rejecting others, Rozen could tell that Arisuin Nagi's expression and demeanor were much brighter than before.
Seeing this, Rozen understood.
"It seems he's explained everything to Shizuku."
Rozen smiled slightly, putting the matter to rest.
Even though he didn't know what had transpired between Shizuku and Arisuin Nagi, it was clear that Shizuku had accepted everything about Arisuin Nagi, who had completely abandoned his past and finally emerged from the darkness into the light.
It was said that recently, Arisuin Nagi had been getting close to the news club's Kusakabe Kagami. The two seemed to be quite friendly, with Arisuin Nagi running around as her assistant while she gathered news. It looked like he might soon join the news club.
Therefore, although the attack on Hagun Academy by Akatsuki Academy and the power struggles were not yet fully resolved, seeing these scenes, Rozen had a premonition.
"No matter how great the difficulties, they will overcome them."
Rozen thought.
If that's the case...
"It's about time for me to leave too."
But before leaving, Rozen still had something to do.
That was...
"Pfft..."
Outside an open-air café, Edelweiss suddenly coughed, nearly spitting out the coffee she had just drunk.
There was no helping it.
Just a second ago, Rozen had said something to Edelweiss.
"Elope...!?"
Edelweiss was completely stunned and turned red, raising her voice.
And so...
"What? What elopement?"
"Is that woman planning to elope with that young man?"
"She... she looks quite beautiful..."
"And that young man is quite handsome too."
"Are they planning to elope?"
"No way, right?"
"They look so good. Why elope?"
"Are their families dissatisfied with each other?"
"Exactly."
Around the café, customers were drawn by Edelweiss' voice, starting to discuss and gossip, creating a buzz.
"~~~~~~~~~~~"
Edelweiss came to her senses, but it was too late. She could only lower her head, adding sugar to her coffee vigorously, her ears turning red.
Watching Edelweiss, Rozen found her both amusing and adorable, with a subtle sense of irony.
After all...
"Stop adding sugar, any more and it'll be sugar water."
Rozen said helplessly.
"If you can't drink bitter things, why not order milk tea or black tea instead of coffee?"
This was something Rozen had long wanted to point out.
Despite Edelweiss' demeanor, this Valkyrie who had a great fondness for sweets couldn't tolerate anything bitter.
Rozen still remembered the time he made a bitter gourd pie for Edelweiss. She ate it with a nearly tearful expression, her eyes watering, and afterward swore never to eat bitter gourd again. It was a memorable experience.
Yet, she insisted on ordering coffee in cafés.
"Coming to a café without ordering coffee, then why come at all?"
This was Edelweiss' reasoning, a rather baffling viewpoint.
But...
"Do you have the right to talk? You always do inexplicable things!"
Edelweiss glared at Rozen, voicing her complaint.
"Who talks about elopement out of the blue? Who does that?"
Edelweiss expressed her protest.
If it weren't for Rozen asking her out and then suddenly mentioning such a thing, how would she lose her composure so publicly?
This showed that Rozen's words were quite impactful.
However, Rozen wasn't joking.
"In essence, it's not much different from eloping."
Rozen said playfully.
Fortunately, Edelweiss had calmed down.
No matter what, she could see that although Rozen's attitude was somewhat flippant, there was a seriousness that others couldn't perceive.
Clearly, Rozen had something serious to discuss with Edelweiss.
And Edelweiss wasn't a fool. Having been with Rozen for years, she had become quite sharp.
Because of this, Edelweiss made a guess.
"You want to leave?"
Edelweiss' summation, though not entirely correct, hit the mark.
Rozen didn't answer immediately, instead, he sipped his coffee.
Although he wasn't fond of bitter tastes, as someone who often trained and researched, he appreciated coffee's invigorating effect. At cafés, he often ordered black coffee first and gradually came to like it.
Under these circumstances, Rozen pondered his words carefully.
Then...
"Do you believe in the existence of other worlds?"
Rozen finally mentioned his secret to someone else for the first time.
"Other worlds?"
Edelweiss was stunned.
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