Part 35: Moon Door 3: Descended Wings - Part 4

The next day...

-A Cat Relaxing in the Sun-





W-Well, it's not like I have to do anything too daring today. All I need to do is scope it out for now!
(I know I didn't mean any harm by what I said, but that's no excuse. I never should've made fun of the kids here without knowing anything about them.)
...
Which is why I'm gonna come here, get to know more about the place, and then try to apologize to her. Maybe then she'll forgive me...

MISSION GAMMA: COMMENCE





Whew...









What are you doing here?
Wh-Wh... Whaaat?!
A-Ahaha... F-Fancy seeing you here, Kloe!
Umm...
Do you want to come in?
C-Come in?
Yeah... Okay.





I-I'm sorry, Kloe. What I said was really, really insensitive, and I'm really sorry for ever saying it.
Don't worry about it, Jill.
...When I was younger...
...I lost both of my parents, too.
You...did?
That's why what you said bothered me.
In my head, I saw myself in them.



I didn't want to think that alone meant they were doomed to spend life unable to have the same kind of happiness that others did. I didn't want anyone to say it--or even think it.
But that wasn't because I was thinking of the children here... It was because I was thinking about myself. I didn't want to be thought of as a 'poor little girl,' either.
Umm... Kloe, I really...
Please allow me to finish.
I wanted to think I was getting angry on the children's behalf, but now I know I wasn't. All I cared about was myself. I knew that, too, and that's why being called a model student or being spoken of like some kind of exemplary human being irritated me so much.
...
...
I'm such a hypocrite, aren't I? Lashing out at you as if I'm sticking up for other people, when in reality I'm only thinking of myself. I didn't want to admit it, even though I knew deep down...
I shouldn't have been so annoyed by it, but I was. I really am sorry.
N-No...
No! You're clearly not the one at fault, Kloe! This is on me, and I'm sorry! Why you were angry with me doesn't matter when I said something I never should've said from the get-go! I had no idea what kind of life you or the kids here had led, and I just... I wasn't trying to imply you were a hypocrite or anything at all...
I wanted to apologize to you earlier, I just... I just... I didn't know how, I suppose...
...Same here...
I take back everything I said about the children, too.
I had no right to be judging them when I'd never even been here or met them. I didn't know the first thing about what I was talking about.
I hope you'll forgive me!
...Well, then.
Would you like to meet them?
Really?!



I'm kinda jealous.



Ahaha. That's adorable!



They really do look cute when they're sleeping.
Now I feel even worse for being so mean.
I was more in the wrong, Jill.
I knew very well that you didn't mean any harm with what you said. All my frustrations just built to a point where I took it out on you.
S-Seriously, don't worry about it. Let's call our faults a draw, okay?
Heehee. We're just going around in circles, aren't we? Still, in a way, I'm kind of glad this happened. It helped me sort out my own feelings. In fact, I feel more at peace with myself right now than I have in a long time.
Because it's just hit home just how important this place truly is to me...
Although to tell you the truth, all this fighting has tired me out...
You, too, huh?
I barely slept a wink last night...
Heehee...
Heeheehee...
Anyway...
You wanna get going?
Yeah.



We've been sharing a room all this time...

...but this is the first time I feel like you've truly opened up to me.

Fighting aside, that alone's made me pretty happy.

Yeah. I'm happy, too.



Thanks for coming today, Jill.

I'm glad I did!

May this be the start of a long and fruitful friendship.

Heehee. I hope so.





I'm feeling so sleepy all of a sudden...

This sunlight does wonders at making you want to drift off...

...Say...

I wonder if this is how it feels to grasp what's really important to you.

...Hmm?



All this time, this orphanage was right here. Same as I remembered it.

All the time I was stubbornly refusing to come back, all the time I was wrestling with myself about how I felt...

All that time, it was right here, waiting for me to come back.

Whether I was being a hypocrite didn't matter.

I genuinely love this place, and that's the only thing that ever mattered.

And now, I know that I'll always feel that way. No matter how many times I lose sight of myself or find myself losing my way...

...I know that I'll always eventually come back and remember how I feel. This orphanage is just part of who I am.

There was also one other important thing that I found myself realizing.

I still hadn't thanked him for all he had done for me. Not once.

Lechteeeeeeeeer!

-Royal Capital of Grancel-











I'm so sorry. Are you okay?
Y-Yes, I'm fine.
Our pincer attack didn't work all that well...
Voice: Hahaha. You'll have to do better than that if you want to catch the almighty Lechter!



His agility is amazing...
HAH! You've got no one to blame but yourselves for letting me get away. So long, suckers!



We'll see who's a sucker when you're chained to a chair under a mountain of paperwork!



He's not making it look like he's up there--he's making it look like he isn't... But is that all there is to it?
Let's go and have a look, anyway.

MISSION 7: COMMENCE

-Peace Bestowed By Twilight-



Anton: Seeing it try its hardest to bloom despite its small size just made me feel like my worries are all so silly. Weird, right? It made me feel...at ease with the world. What have I been wasting all this time worrying about? I'm feeling really bright today. Good morning, sunlight! Good morning, new day!
Ricky: *yaaawn* Hey there. Nice weather, huh? Wonder what I should do today? Anton ran off somewhere, but he's back now. He says he's fine, but I'm not sure I buy it. Haha. I've heard that a whooole lot of times before this, you know.

-Royal Capital of Grancel-



Oh, Luuuuuucy...
What is it?
Heheh... I just wanted to ask you something.
What do you think the most important thing in the world is? It's L O V E... Right?
Hmm... If you ask me, it's probably...
Hmm... Strength, I suppose?
...Bwuh?
*sigh* Speaking of strength... I feel like smacking Lechter upside the head right now...
Well...
(If you need someone to hit, you can smack me around as much as you like!)



Have you found any sign of Lechter?
I wish I could say yes, but unfortunately not...
Oh...
...There's no sign of him anywhere. What should I even do when I find him...?
Oh. 'Sup, Kloe?
...
Umm... Is something wrong?
Oh, no. It's nothing.
It looks like Lechter isn't here. Maybe you should go and see what Jill is up to?



U-Umm...
Mr. Effort: O-Oh, it's you... Don't scare me like that. I thought you were him...
(Here we have another of Lechter's victims, I see...)

Mr. Effort has both of his eyes closed.

Mr. Effort: Y-You monster! Noooooo!
(Just what did Lechter say to him?)



Janitor Parkes: ...Almost always during class time, though. He gets a lot of hate, but he's a good guy in my book... He has been known to steal stuff from time to time, though.



Time to accept your fate!



...Whaaat were you doing under there?



Mickey: I wasn't doing anything!





Then what were you doing down there, huh? I'm sorry, but crawling under there screams 'suspicious.'
Mickey: Th-That's what I thought, too! That's why I crawled in there!
...I'm not following you.
Umm... Can you elaborate?
Mickey: Well, you see... I was around the back of the school building when I saw this guy who looked like he rolled right out of a dumpster walking around. I don't think I've ever seen someone so sloppy looking in my life.
(It's scary how I know just from that who he's talking about...)
(Yeah. Me, too...)
Mickey: Honestly, he made me so curious I had to see what he was up to... so I ended up following him. Anyway, he looked around for a while, then he wandered here into the auditorium. Pretty suspicious, right?
...
Mickey: It was when I followed him in here that he noticed me. The second he saw me, he seemed to panic a little before crawling under there. I tried to follow him, but I ended up getting stuck. I was SO close, too!
*sigh*
Umm... So, in other words... he was toying with you.
Mickey: What?
Maybe if you bothered thinking about things other than how best to skip class you wouldn't fall for such obvious tricks.
He was deliberately trying to get your attention by acting suspicious as all get-out. Like, he was trying to set you up. Call it our Student Council president's specialty.
Mickey: Wh-What?! THAT guy is the Student Council president?! You've gotta be kidding... He couldn't look any less the part!
A-Ahaha... (He's preaching to the choir...)
Listen to what I'm saying, Mickey. I should probably have told you this a long time ago, but I'm going to take this golden chance to give you a good lecturing now!
Umm... Jill?
Oh, Kloe.
Sorry, but I'm gonna stay and give Mickey a good lecturing for a while longer.
Oh, that's all right. You can leave looking for Lechter to me. I think I might have an idea where he is.
Aww, but why am I even surprised? You're like a metal detector for Lechter at this point.
I-I wouldn't go quite that far.



Number one was...Lechter Arundel?! But he was barely in any classes!
The second highest ranking was Leo, and the third was Rigel...
...Oh. It looks like I was the highest among the first years.



Kaden: I didn't expect what would happen, though... It ended up winning this contest I entered it in... Why? I wonder if the judges liked the falcon on his shoulder or something? I mean, it did make for a good picture, but still...



Ms. Millia: It's just not right! Rrrgh...
Ms. Wiola: Come on, now, Millia... The only two candidates running were Lechter and Rigel, and Rigel was off on the actual day due to stomach pains! It couldn't have really ended any other way.
Ms. Millia: How can his grades be so good when he never acts like he gives a flyin' hoot about anything? I wish I could make the exams harder just so I could see him suffer. But if I did that, all the other students would suffer, too... Decisions, decisions...
Ms. Wiola: If there's one thing Lechter is bizarrely good at, it's speeches. Every time he starts one, I can't help but be enraptured by it. It's weird how most of the time he messes around, but at times like these, everything he says makes perfect sense. Maybe he'd actually be a good politician.



Y-Yes...
I'm afraid so. Tomorrow's the general meeting of the Student Council, but he's run away and we can't find him. Which is a problem, as we don't have all of the necessary documents to conduct it as it stands...
Haha. He's a born troublemaker, that one.
Sir, umm... If you don't mind me saying, I'm a little surprised by just how much you seem to trust him...
...I suppose you would be.
Still, he knows exactly what he's doing. He knows exactly what the potential of his actions are, too, and fully accepts them.
He still acts however he likes... but he's more than willing to face the consequences of his actions.
Haha. I'm not sure 'trust' is the most appropriate word for what I have for him, but at the very least, I think he makes for an interesting president.
...Admittedly, he does do his work properly when we do manage to capture him. And I know from experience that it may seem like he never takes anything seriously, but that's absolutely not the case.
I just wish he'd actually do his work seriously from the beginning instead of requiring us to capture him before he does it.
Quite understandable. Perhaps you should tell him that yourself next time you see him.
I think I will.
Lechter often comes to this room and lies down on the sofa over there. Haha. He really seems to enjoy the atmosphere of this academy, from what I've seen. Regardless of how his behavior is on the outside, I truly believe he's enjoying his time here.



You must find him before then.
R-Right!
(He never says more than he has to, does he?)





-Silence-



Great weather, huh?
Perhaps so, but you can't honestly believe I came to talk to you about the weather.
If you have enough free time to laze around on the roof, come and do some work. Everyone could use your help, you know.
Hey, they need me a lot less than you'd think.
And predicting the weather ten years in the future takes a lot of brainpower, you know. I need to concentrate right now.
(How does he think up these things...?)
(Still, going by my experience with him... when he acts like this, he's usually willing to listen to me.)

-The Dream Continues-



I just wanted to say thanks.
...Thanks? For what?
A lot of things, really. You've done an awful lot to help me ever since I enrolled here.
But because you're always trying to act like you aren't or you're running away from me, I've never been able to say thanks for any of it. I feel like I owe it to you.
...Yeah, I'm lost. I got no clue what you're talking about.
Heehee...



...I hated the life I had before enrolling here. I always felt like I was being pushed around by everyone and everything around me instead of really achieving anything for myself. And it was that I hated most of all. I felt empty. Worthless.
That was part of why I didn't want to try to answer your question...or even think about it. It was like if I accepted how weak I was inside, I'd never be able to get any stronger.
But that's not how I feel now. I'm not empty at all anymore.
Thanks to coming here and meeting you and all of my friends, I've learned so many new things. I was able to do things for myself, too, instead of just relying on others for everything.
Yeah?
So that's why I wanted to thank you.
...Man.
I told you before you were too serious, right? You've been thinking about that one offhand thing all this time? I never saw that coming! ☆
You're trying to make fun of me again, aren't you...?
What about you, though? Why did you choose to come here?
Me?
Hmm...
I had nothing better to do, I guess? Seemed like a good way to kill time.
Heh. Really?
Well, as long as you're here, you may as well do some work.



Tomorrow is the Student Council's general meeting. Which means you have a lot to do. AND you need to do it all by the end of the day. There's a mountain of it just waiting for you to get started on!
H-Hold up a second!
Don't do this, Kloe! I can explain!
I'm not going to listen!



This was the first and last chance I ever had to thank Lechter for all he did for me.

The day after that year's academy festival, he suddenly registered his intent to withdraw from school...and was never seen there again.

(He was himself to the very end, though, making a sudden appearance in the Student Council-organized play's final scene, ruining it for his amusement.)

Then, two years later...

...I ended up meeting him once more, in a place and way I never would have expected...

Side Story [Descended Wings] finished!
Received Falcon Eye.
Received 6,000 mira.





Just like Detection--great as long as you've got a minimap available.

There's some more unused art pertaining to Kloe's school days:



Dean Collins ropes her into helping the Student Council directly...



...an orbal accident briefly transmogrifies Hans into Kloe's evil twin...



...and the discovery is made that Kloe + Long Wig = An Princess.

Now why the hell couldn't we see that?! That would have been a great scene; but noooo, we got to deliver some friggin' syllabuses instead.