01x11 - Muku

[bunniefuu]

All right. We will now begin
the practical skills tests.

You pass if you are able to defeat all
of the mock enemies in the time given.

When your name is called,
please proceed quickly to the court.

Yes, ma'am.

Scared?

Huh?

Are you scared to take the test?

Yeah, I'm scared.

Darn it. Why don't they just
let me take it in your place?

I know! Say you have a tummy ache,
and the teacher might let you observe!

I can't fake being sick.

Next is number eight, Sheena Totsuki.
Please get ready.

I'm up.

Don't worry. I should do better
than last time... I hope.

I'll see you later.

Mimi-chan.

Considering what happened
last time, you must be worried.

Ari, your face...

Yeah, I know. How silly
of me to get a cut here.

Are you okay?

I'm okay.

But thanks.

All I've ever done is run.

I run, thinking how I can't do this

and how I want it to be over
as soon as possible.

But I know I can't keep doing that

if I want to find a way to contribute
and be helpful to the others.

You're lucky you're so weak, Sheena-chan.

You don't even have to think
about w*r, do you?

I can't fight like the others. However...

That guy gets to sit out
and observe again?

Must be nice.

Already done?

The teacher said they didn't need me
to take it and told me to observe.

Oh.

Well, I guess there's no reason
to test your practical skills, is there?

Are you that worried about her?

Well, yeah. If she gets hurt
when I'm not around,

she could lose an arm or something.

Right, that happened
during the mock battle, huh.

But that was only because
a real enemy snuck in, wasn't—

You never know!

Another one could sneak in.
And if she got hurt really bad...

Yeah, I'm going to go help her!

If you do that, you'll get
Totsuki-san disqualified.

Has Totsuki-san always been like this?

I thought she was really reluctant
to take the practical skills test.

She still is.

She hates every part of it,
like the pain and the spiky magic.

So why does she have to go through this?

We're all going to be
upperclassmen eventually.

We can't just opt out.
Especially when we keep losing people.

But Sheena shouldn't have to fight.

Because she's not like me.
Sheena's really weak.

If she got hurt in battle,

she could actually die.

What?

She already ate that many?

I'm done brushing my teeth!

Do you want to sleep together again?

Mm-hmm!

I thought you just finished
brushing your teeth.

Oh!

Did you like the cookies?

Yeah!

Well, good.

I'll bake more soon.

I want to help!

Okay, we'll make them together.

Sheena.

Hmm?

Are you going to take the test again?

Mm-hmm.

I ran out of time, so I didn't pass.

And here I thought I'd at least
do better than the last time.

Do you really want to pass?

Well, yeah.

I hope we get to take class
together tomorrow.

Me too.

Attention. Attention.

The following students
must report immediately:



- 1603,

- It's her first deployment
since we lost Seiran.

- 1605,

- 1608,

- This can't be easy for her.

- 1609,

Okay, see you later.





- 1702,

- Sheena.

- 1708...

- Don't practice anything dangerous
while I'm gone, okay?

Promise?

Huh? Oh, yeah.

Just wait for me, okay?

She's gone.

Mimi didn't come home yesterday.

She is okay, right?

The students who were deployed came back!

Sheena!

I'm back.

Welcome home.

You know what?
Nobody got hurt at all today!

Now that you mention it,
you aren't dirty at all either.

Right?

Yeah.

Hey, Sheena.

Hmm?

Sheena, does it make you happy
when I come back in one piece?

Of course it does.
I do get a little worried about you.

It's okay! I'm tough!

You should always just
wait for me in our room!

Mimi kept getting called
to battle after that...

And she always came back unhurt.

Okay, now do this one.

Have things been quieting down recently?

What things?

I've heard that the deployed upperclassmen
keep making it back safely

and younger students
aren't made to fight anymore.

Well, yes.

And Mimi doesn't come back
injured like she did before.

It feels like things are
moving in the right direction.

Your hands aren't moving, though.

Oh!

When you're done with that,
do the flowers on the shelf, okay?

Yes, ma'am!

Ms. Fran.

Ugh.

Have you informed Totsuki-san
about what's happening?

Mimi's doing her best to hide it.

I don't have any right to spoil that.

She'll find out sooner or later.
Mimi can't keep it a secret indefinitely.

You're probably right.

Still, they need to
work this out themselves.

What a huge amount of magic ash.

No kidding. I've never
seen it this bad before.

Esther! Don't get distracted.

I know.

Esther!

Thanks, Rika. But...

Mimi-chan!

Hey, is it dead?

Probably just unconscious.

You serious?

Is it finally over?

Mimi-chan!

Esthe—

I wanted... to thank her.

She's grown even
stronger lately, hasn't she?

Even when an attack lands,
she doesn't so much as flinch.

She's always overdoing it.

But we were able to hold
them off at the front today.

Sheena, I'll be all right.

Because I'm tough.

I fell asleep.

I guess Mimi still isn't back yet.

Ms. Fran, I've finished.

Maybe she's outside.

Hmm?

Isn't that...

Mimi! Mimi? Mimi!

Mimi!

Sheena-chan.

Mimi, how did this happen to you?

She's been like this every time lately.

But thanks to her, the number
of casualties has dropped.

Every time?

I'll go find Ms. Fran.

Sheena?

Why?

Why did you keep this from me?

Huh?

I had no clue that you had been
coming home in this condition.

Sheena.

You must have been showering and
changing clothes when you returned

so I wouldn't find out. You were
hiding this from me, weren't you?

I wasn't trying to trick you.

Then why?

Because if I showed up all hurt and messy,
I thought you might start crying again.

I've always hated the way
they make you fight so brutally!

That's why...

That's why...

But if I don't do it, then the others
will end up like this instead.

Huh?

Someone who can't come back
to life will end up like this.

So it's better for me
to fight in their place.

But you... can't keep doing this.

Why not?

Because...

If I take everyone else's place,
then nobody else has to die.

Well, that may be true, but...

Isn't it?

Listen, Mimi.

I can use a little bit
of healing magic now.

It's magic that lets me ease pain
and give relief to others.

I want to keep practicing until I'm strong
enough to help everyone, including you,

so you don't always have
to be the one protecting us.

And then there'll be no need
for you to keep fighting alone.

Sheena, you...

Sheena, you don't have to do that for me.

If you're that weak,
you shouldn't be doing anything!

Huh?

I just want you to wait here for me.

Then we can bake cookies
together like always,

pick flowers in the backyard,
clean our room, take baths,

and just spend our time
doing fun things together.

You should quit practicing magic.

I can fight so hard that
nobody else gets hurt.

Because I'm strong, and I'm unkillable,

and I don't care how much it hurts.

Okay?

Everything you just said is so wrong.

Why?

Nobody's dying now, and people
aren't getting hurt as much!

And I'll always clean up before I come
back to you. Isn't that good enough?

That wouldn't make me happy at all.

But you said it did.

Only because I didn't know
what was going on!

You can't be the only one
who suffers! That isn't right!

I'm only doing what I've always done!

And I'm telling you how much I hate that!

So you hate everything that
I've done up until now?

You hate everything that I've done
to try and make you and everyone happy?

No, I don't hate everything.
But this is still so wrong.

Then what do I have to do to be right?

What can I do that you won't hate?!

Sheena!

I don't know!

I don't know anymore.

All you had to do was wait for me
in our room like always, Sheena.

Why couldn't you do what I asked you to?

Uh...

Fine! Then I won't do
anything you say, either!

That little... She smashed my nice plant.

I'm sorry.

For what?

Normally, she's the one who's
spouting a bunch of nonsense,

but unfortunately, I think she's
the one making sense this time.

So you agree with her, Ms. Fran?

It isn't just me.

The school itself agrees with Mimi.
That's why she's being deployed so often.

But...

No ifs, ands, or buts. The logic is solid.

And it's also what Mimi
herself thinks. Right?

So you're asking me to give up?

If you were okay with that,
that would be the end of the story.

But you aren't, are you?

No.

In which case, you'll just have
to keep trying to convince her.

Huh?

You hate this entire deal.
You think the whole thing is wrong.

So keep trying to get through to her
and let her know you can't take this.

You're lucky you're so weak, Sheena-chan.

I can't agree that being weak
means I should do nothing.

I can't keep making excuses and running
from my responsibilities. I'm sick of it.

I've had enough of things
being the way they are.

Good night.

Yeah, good night.