At Trinity General Academy, Mika Misono, one of the hosts of the student council's "Tea Party," stood accused. Bound by the Justice Task Force and Sisterhood, she faced charges of incitement to violence, attempted assault, and even attempted treason through foreign collusion. Imprisoned in the underground isolation tower, she awaited her fate.
A single misstep could have plunged all of Kivotos into chaos. This monumental incident branded Mika as Trinity's true traitor, her punishment pending.
And Mash, whose student had become a criminal, bore the weight of this reality… or so one might expect.
"Straight!" Mash declared.
"Four of a kind! ♡" Hanako chimed.
"Royal straight flush," Mash said, unfazed. "Looks like I win again."
"That's absurd!" Mika wailed. "This is beyond absurd!!"
"A loss is a loss," Hanako said with a smile. "The limited-edition cream puffs are Teacher's."
"Yay," Mash said, raising a fist.
Completely ignoring the gravity of the situation, they were engrossed in a game of poker.
"Why… why?" Mika groaned. "I heard Teacher was bad at studying or brainy games like this!"
"Well, cream puffs were on the line," Mash said. "So I cranked my brain to max."
"But to this level?" Mika said, exasperated. "This is your fifth win in a row!"
"A new side of Teacher," Hanako giggled. "Hehe~♡"
"It's cream puff power," Mash said, deadpan. "Cream puff power."
"You really love cream puffs, huh?" Mika laughed. "Hahaha—wait, no!!" Slam!
Deep in the isolation tower's punishment cell, Mash, Hanako, and Mika sat around a card table, playing poker. The stakes? Limited-edition cream puffs. With his desire for sweets driving him, Mash was undefeated. When it came to cream puff battles, no one could touch him.
"Okay, hold up," Mika said. "Can you explain this situation?"
Please don't break the fourth wall.
"Why are you two playing poker here?" Mika pressed. "Why am I dragged into this? And… is visitation even allowed right now!?"
"They said it wasn't," Mash admitted. "But I kinda forced my way in."
"Of course you did!" Mika snapped.
"I came along too," Hanako added.
"Can't you stop him?" Mika said. "You know he does stuff like this!"
"I had things to discuss with you, Mika-san," Hanako said. "Plus, this was faster."
"Teenage girls are too easily influenced by guys…" Mika muttered.
With the Eden Treaty signing ceremony looming, publicizing this incident would shake the academy to its core. For information security, visitation with Mika was supposed to be impossible… in theory. Yet, thanks to their recent achievements, Mash and Hanako had strong-armed their way into a meeting.
"Ugh, fine, I give up," Mika sighed. "I can't keep up with the quips. So, what's the talk about?"
Hanako's expression grew serious. "I'll ask directly, Mika-san. Why did you cause this incident?"
"…Talking about it in front of the culprit herself?" Mika said. "Nice hobby, Hanako. Wait, didn't I already explain this to everyone?"
"We haven't heard the clear reasons," Hanako said. "Why did you adopt such extreme measures?"
"…There's no reason," Mika said quietly. "I just really hated Gehenna. That's it."
"Can I ask why you hate them?" Mash said.
Mika sank into her chair, wings drooping, her voice hesitant. "You know, Teacher… sometimes, people don't need a reason to hate something. It's just… there. I just hated them."
To keep the conversation going, Hanako began sharing her analysis. "The quickest way to sabotage the Eden Treaty was to become a host yourself. We don't know how you made contact, but you allied with Arius to orchestrate an attack on Seia-chan."
"And?" Mika said, her tone flat.
"But I believe your original plan was merely to kidnap and confine Seia-chan," Hanako continued. "That would've been enough to secure your position as host, right?"
"Impressive, Hanako-chan," Mika said, a faint smile flickering. "You're almost spot-on."
"So, Mika-san," Mash said, "you didn't intend to kill Seia-san, did you?"
"…Right," Mika admitted. "I didn't mean to hurt her. Just capture and lock her away. That was the plan."
"But Arius had other ideas," Hanako said. "From the start, they aimed to destroy Seia-chan's halo."
"…"
To Arius, this was a golden opportunity to seize a key member of Trinity's Tea Party. But Seia's precognitive dreams made her a threat to their plans. The solution? Destroy her halo.
"I heard most of it from you at the gymnasium," Hanako said. "But let me say it plainly: when you were told 'Seia-chan is dead,' that's when your entire being warped, wasn't it?"
"…Exactly," Mika said, her voice trembling. "The moment I heard that, my mind went blank. I was half-crazed, even lashed out at Arius. It… hurt."
"So you channeled that pain into hating Gehenna," Hanako said.
"It was easier that way," Mika said. "If I didn't… I felt like I'd break. Sorry, Teacher, I… I really messed up."
"But there's one thing I'm curious about, Mika-san," Mash said.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Why did you confess everything at that exact moment?" Mash said. "You could've stayed hidden. It was a viable option."
"It's just… uh…" Mika faltered.
"Strategically, it was a bad move," Mash said. "I can see that. Mika-san, were you… worried that Arius might destroy Nagisa-san's halo, just like they planned for Seia-san?"
Mika fell silent, her face betraying shock. She'd expected Hanako to see through her, but Mash? That caught her off guard.
"You're something else, Teacher," she said finally. "You see right through everything."
"Ehe," Mash grinned.
"…I knew those Arius kids would betray me," Mika said. "I wanted to find a way to reconcile, but I also had to protect Nagisa-chan. So I thought, 'I'll just take control of her!' But…"
"With your skills, you could've handled Sisterhood or Tsurugi-san easily," Hanako said. "But you didn't."
"Because I showed up?" Mash asked.
"That's part of it," Mika said. "But… I don't know anymore. I just got so confused. I thought fighting you might make me forget, but you came at me so directly…"
"My instincts told me I had to," Mash said.
Mika sighed. "In the end… I'll never like Gehenna. I don't want to get along with them. But I don't care about the plan anymore. I did awful things to Azusa-chan too."
"Mika-san…" Mash said softly.
Mika had lost all drive to disrupt the Eden Treaty. But that didn't mean she was ready to make peace with Gehenna. That was her state of mind now.
"After the Eden stuff wraps up, you're going to Arius, right?" Mika asked.
"Yup," Mash said.
"…I wouldn't recommend it," Mika said. "I don't know about the ones in custody, but the others… they'll definitely try to kill you. You're still going?"
Her question—would he face people intent on killing him?—had an obvious answer.
"Of course I'm going," Mash said. "I've said it before, but my goal is everyone's happy ending. I'll save Arius, make Trinity and Gehenna happy too. That's my mission now."
"Very Teacher-like," Hanako said with a smile.
"Plus, they say they'll kill me," Mash added, "but I'm not gonna die."
"Hahaha!" Mika laughed. "That'd sound arrogant from anyone else, but not you, Teacher! ⭐︎"
Mash's pursuit of a happy ending was unwavering.
A path of thorns, a bed of needles—he knew it well. But he couldn't stop here. He wouldn't.
Mash Burnedead would never stop.
"I'm heading straight for that happy ending," he said. "With my muscles."
No matter the obstacle, he'd solve it with his trusty muscles. No intention of losing, no thought of dying. There's a saying in this world:
"One for all—one for everyone."
With his students in his heart, Mash pressed forward.
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Teacher… I, Makoto Hanuma, have clashed with Arius Branch School.
…Huh??
The first step toward peace—I won't let anyone interfere.
I agree. No matter what, we'll protect it.
No matter the means, no matter the cost… we'll kill Mash Burnedead!!
Understood.
Mash Burnedead, you… you're nothing but a cancer to us. So here and now… we'll erase you.
That's a problem. If you do that, I can't save you.
Why… why, why, why, WHY!? Why do they listen to him!? Why do they believe him!?
Simple—Teacher's my friend… because he's Teacher.
For everyone's happy ending… then why!? Why aren't you in it!?
My happiness is everyone's smiles.
You, who's had everything handed to you, could never understand!!
Raised in the gutters, no parents to rely on, no proper food, no light in the depths of despair's abyss… our feelings—you'd never get it!!!
…I do understand. I've been through… a lot.
Nice to meet you, Teacher. My name is—
Some creepy shotacon lady who wants my body… scary.
Who're you calling a creepy shotacon lady!?
This is your final warning. Hand over Mash Burnedead, and I'll spare you.
We no longer follow your orders… or rather, you.
You, who've hurt others at my command, think you can find happiness now?
There's always a chance to atone. I'll make it happen if I have to. And isn't the root of this you?
You think I would forgive their happiness?
I'll make them happy, so stay out of it. Your permission isn't needed.
Students finding light… unacceptable!! They must be cloaked in hatred, in curses!!
In a hell of betrayal and pain, in eternal despair and darkness, they should remain exploited by adults like me!!
Shut up, you monster. As long as I'm here, that won't happen. I won't even give you the chance—I'll crush you completely.
If you're that determined… let's go all out.
Full Muscles Magic—Unlimited Physical Mode
A single fist in a translucent world.
Eden Treaty: Collapse
Mash Burnedead and the Path to Paradise
Eden Treaty: Climax
Mash Burnedead and the Kyrie for Forgotten Gods
The bloodbath begins.
"What are you doing to my princesses?"
Things will change a lot, so heads up!
What's with Makoto's betrayal!? What about the missiles!? Stay tuned for the truth.
I'm writing this with a "screw bad endings" mindset.
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