The golden petals were still drifting through the air, but the warmth of the victory vanished the moment Koko spoke. The Student Council President didn't look like a hero; she looked like an avenging spirit.
"Koko, wait!" Konone stepped forward, her hand outstretched. "Mahiru just saved everyone. She’s on our side now—"
Koko didn't even look at Konone. Her eyes were locked onto Mahiru, who had frozen like a deer in headlights.
"On our side?" Koko’s voice cracked, a rare break in her perfect composure. "Does a change of heart fix a shattered spine? Does 'forgiveness' mend nerves that can no longer feel the keys of a piano?"
Before anyone could react, Koko moved. She didn't use a flashy move or a named technique. She used raw, unrefined speed. She blurred across the grass and swung a heavy, gloved fist.
THWACK.
The punch connected squarely with Mahiru’s jaw. The force sent the smaller girl sprawling backward into the dirt. Mahiru didn't fight back; she didn't even raise her hands to protect herself. She just lay there, tasting copper in her mouth, looking up at Koko with wide, hollow eyes.
"KOKO! STOP!" Yui screamed, rushing to Mahiru’s side.
"You don't understand," Koko hissed, her hands trembling so violently that the emerald light of her armor began to flicker and spark. She ripped off her right glove, tossing it onto the grass. Beneath it, her hand was covered in a network of surgical scars and faint tremors. "Three years ago. The intersection on 4th. A 'random' burst of violet shadow caused a twelve-car pileup."
Mahiru’s breath hitched. A memory flashed in her mind—one of her earliest, most chaotic moments as Arcana, where she had lashed out in pain, not caring where the energy landed.
"I was in the third car," Koko said, her voice dropping to a whisper that was scarier than any shout. "I was a month away from my debut at the National Gallery. I spent ten years practicing ten hours a day for a rhythm you destroyed in ten seconds. You didn't just 'create discord,' Mahiru. You stole my life."
Koko lunged again, grabbing Mahiru by the collar of her sweater and hoisting her up. "I spent months in physical therapy just to be able to hold a spoon! Every time I transform, it hurts because my body is held together by pins and sheer spite! And you get to be a hero now? You get a pretty white suit and a 'Card of Forgiveness'?"
"I... I didn't know," Mahiru choked out, tears streaming down her face. "Koko, I'm so sorry..."
"Sorry doesn't play the piano!" Koko roared. She raised her fist again, the green energy around her knuckles turning into a jagged, unstable blade.
Konone grabbed Koko’s arm, her own fire flaring up to match Koko’s wind. "That’s enough, Koko! She was brainwashed! She wasn't in control!"
"Neither was I!" Koko shoved Konone back, her eyes wild. "I wasn't in control when the glass went through my hands! I wasn't in control when the doctors told me I’d never play again!"
Koko stood there, breathing heavily, the silence of the park returning. She looked at the three of them—the fire, the ice, and the new light. She looked like an outsider in her own world.
"Keep your card," Koko said, her voice suddenly cold and dead. She pulled her glove back on, hiding the scars. "But don't you ever call me your ally. The music ended for me three years ago. Now, I’m just waiting for the silence."
She turned and vanished in a green streak, leaving Mahiru sobbing in the dirt and the redemption arc stained by a truth that no magic could simply wash away.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENc9yhUIFq
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