As the bonfire dance rolled on the parade square, Irish watched from the benches, his mind racing three times faster than the revelers of the post-school festival party. He dragged it for as long as he could, but as graduation loomed, he knew he had to do this now.
"Yuu-kun?"
There was only 1 person in the world who would call him that.
"Ah," he snorted back at Karon, not bothering to turn.
The girl giggled softly. "Don't tell me... You're plotting to kill me, again."
"Ah," he snorted once more.
"Ah, I see."
She then skipped over and plopped herself right by him. Irish's hairs instantly electrified, but he had been used to her being this close enough to not leap off the bench. The pair watched the dance mutely for a bit.
Karon then started humming Fuwa Fuwa Time to the beat of the taiko drums. That made Irish look and be lost in the moment.
"It's warm."
"What is."
"Your thoughts," Karon smiled. "They are very warm."
Irish hastily looked away. "Y-You're mistaken."
"Ah, I see."
Irish sucked in his guts, tried to bring up his courage, and watched the whole thing fall apart once more. Some soldier he was...
"Time flies, doesn't it?"
"Ah."
Karon laughed again, as the memory of that time came back to her. "First you asked me out, then tried to kill me, then got yourself almost killed in the process, then..."
"Leave it!" The boy retorted as embarrassing memories flooded his mind.
"Okay~~" She sang in reply.
Silence crept in a while more.
"It's..." Irish began, then trailed off. Karon leaned forward, and waited.
"It's..."
He fumbled some more.
"It's... um... quite unbelievable." Irish finally said, failing to speak his mind again. "Just yesterday, Humanity stood on the brink of extinction. Today, we're friends with the first aliens, and we're here having a school festival."
"Of course," Karon replied. "Today would be the last time No Hokago Kohi! is performing for ISA. Everyone was looking forward to it. I wasn't going to let some misunderstood alien invasion spoil it!"
"Ah."
Another pause.
"You're really not going to tell me why you've asked me out here, do you now?" Karon said.
"Y-You've haven't said anything about what you wanted to meet here, too."
"Ah, I see..."
Her voice sounded crestfallen.
"Alright, I'll go first the--"
"Stop," Irish perked up again. He willed himself up on his feet, and faced the seated girl squarely. "I-I won't be so much less of a man to let a woman speak first."
Yuu-kun kicked himself inside. Now he was following Ichika's advice too?
Karon tilted her head expectantly.
Irish heaved a sigh.
"I, you..."
Karon waited.
"I like you," Irish tried again. "I like you, Karon."
There, he said it! All the day's tension, suddenly free. But it then flew higher, as Karon's smile widened, and in the dim flickering bonfire's glow, seems to turn redder.
"Ah..." She croaked. She was smiling, at the same time beads of light appeared at the corner of her eyes. "This is great..."
Irish was taken aback. "Wait... Er... I didn't mean to upset you or anything! Erm, just... forget it..."
"No, no!" Karon said as she brushed her sleeves across her face. "I'm happy. I really really am! Thank you... Thank you so much..."
But the tears kept flowing.
"I'm sorry... I really shouldn't be like this..."
Irish swallowed. "Alright, your turn..."
"Yup... But now... It would be just too cruel..."
Yuu-kun frowned.
Karon stood up and faced away. "Ever since yesterday, the ELS have been fusing with Three Diagram, and its fast reaching critical mass. All that is missing now, is a catalyst given at the right time, and Three Diagram will complete Final Shift."
Irish's eyes went wide. "An IS the size of the Moon Shifting... That's... extremely crazy!"
Karon nodded.
"But I don't see what this has got to do with me, or us."
She turned back, trying her best to be brave.
"The catalyst, is a fully matured ISper."
Yuu-kun's heart sank.
"No, this can't be..."
"Yes, it is! All that I've worked for... "
"No you listen..."
"...to become Governor of the Regulators, was to change the world..."
"Karon you can't..."
"...Now I can do it. My dream, its finally here! I will make this all better!!"
"I WON'T ALLOW IT!!"
Irish pounced on Karon, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in as tight as he possibly could, as if to smother the wrenching pain in his chest.
"There... There has to be someone else... God-damn..."
Karon slowly returned his embrace.
"I've changed you. I've made you better. I'm happy for you. It is time... I made every one happy."
"...God-damn it..."
"I'm sorry, Yuu-kun..."
He stepped back, keeping both arms on her.
"You know what? Forget this Three Diagram shit. Stay here! Stay with me! There will be another Awakened ISper! You don't have...!
"Yuu-kun, please..." She said. "Don't make me go back on everything I've stood for..."
He sucked in another breath, then turned to the sky and roared. Even the bonfire dancers stopped and watched as the boy fall on to his knees, his energy bled swiftly out of him.
He was one for pain, but this was just beyond him...
The remainder of the Raionman watched from afar, fully aware and holding on to each other lest one of them broke down.
He felt softness spread across his back and his neck. He felt his rage slowly ebb.
"How long will it be?"
"Rather long..."
"Damn it..."
"But I promise I'll be quick!" She shrieked with whatever courage she had left. "I'll be back in no time! We can carry on from then..."
Irish just punched the ground, ignoring the slowly growing crowd of Karon's classmates in the background.
"Yuu-kun... Do you trust me?"
"I do!" He bounced back up into Karon. "I god fucking damn do! It's just..."
Gou brushed her ruffled locks off her shoulder.
"Trust me."
Irish's hands tightened, then softened, tightened, then slowly, he let go. Karon's smile gradually grew, as lights began to come free from her. As Irish stepped back, the Awakened began to glow, casting her own light into the night sky. Her body grew lighter; her feet floated off the ground. The lights collased around her, and with a flash exploded into her full Vandam armor. The twin drives on her elbows spewed forth torrents of brilliant red ST particles, forming wings that spread far. It wrapped around the school, and everyone stopped to stare.
"Like an angel!" Nohohon cooed.
Karon's shape slowly shrank as she lifted further and further away.
"Ah mou!" Riz gave up holding it back.
"You better come back ASAP alright! You're RaionRed! You're not going to leave us here to pick up your mess, alright!!"
"Yes..."
That thought lanced through Riz's mind.
"That's right!" Houki called next. "We're all still here!"
"We'll be waiting!!" Tio screamed. "We'll see your new world!"
"You must be in it!!" Erika came next.
"Everyone..."
"Stop it, all of you!"
It was Irish.
"This is not goodbye. This never was. You haven't given your reply!"
"Yuu-kun..."
"I'll be waiting right here, you hear me!!" Irish roared. "I'll be waiting right here next year, and the year after that, and the year after that! You better damn make it quick, or I'll fly right to the moon and fucking tear you out of Three Diagram!"
"YOU HEAR ME?!?!?!"
For a moment, all Irish could see was Karon wrapped around him.
"Thank you."
Then, the ball of light wrapped up, and with a resounding bang, the angel became a comet and disappeared into the heavens.
As the combined class of 3-1 and 3-2 fell into each other's arms, Irish sat down on the bench, biting his thumbs and closing his eyes, letting darkness descend on everything.