Hanako: …This doesn’t excuse her actions, of course. She is still our enemy.

Hanako stands at the edge of Lake Lacrima, her eyes closed. She has recounted the story she pieced together from Ophelia’s negative emotions, which Hanako had absorbed in full during their last fight. 

Hanako: I would pity her… if she were not trying to kill us. If she were capable of sitting down to talk. But she now only knows violence. Murder. Her mission. But… Koharu was right. If I had wished my depression away, I would be no different. I see this now, in practical terms, Shinju. I… I made the right choice, in the end. Moonlover… she is what I could have become, if I ran from my pain, instead of facing it directly.

Shinju: If you’re afraid of “what you might have become,” or whatever, don’t be, man. I think you’d need to have a lot more wrong with you deep down to be like that psycho. (She sighs and runs a hand through her hair) Take it from me, having your feelings all messed up doesn’t mean you don’t still know right from wrong in your head. I still knew. I started pickpocketing and fighting ‘cause “adrenaline” was the only thing I could feel anymore. And I still did my best to make sure I wasn’t doing real damage. If I understand this wish right, this freak would be just as happy if she stayed at home and played video games. 

Hanako: …Thank you, Shinju. Sincerely. But even so, it still took you all far too much effort to get me to see right from wrong just a month or so ago. Had I… wished my pain away, ran from it like… like Ophelia has done… (she turns to look at Shinju) …There’s… still quite a deep well of darkness within me, more than most. You can’t deny that… no matter that I use it for the right reasons now.

Shinju: I don’t know what you’re talking about. Struggling with stuff or having made mistakes doesn’t make you evil. At least I don’t think so.

Hanako: …I suppose it depends on the gravity of the mistake. But you’re right. It’s not healthy to dwell on what might have been.

Yosuke: (he approaches the two, handing them both a travel mug of hot instant soup Yasu has managed to heat up using a pocket gas burner) Can you imagine… just feeling no negative anything, ever? Not just pain, but no hate, no sadness, no guilt or grief to hold you back from doing things you shouldn’t otherwise do. 

Hanako: …The idea is alluring at times, yes. (she takes a sip from the mug with a grateful sigh)

Yosuke: And since you can’t feel that stuff for yourself, you can’t feel it for others either, so… she kinda also wished away her own sense of empathy, even… Someone like that wouldn’t even have a sense of good or evil. N-Not that I’m denying she’s evil, or anything—

Koharu: (she joins him, hands firmly clasped around a cup of her own) You are.

Yosuke: I-I guess…? I mean, maybe I don’t think she’s like, evil evil. Then again, she has tried to kill us several times… Also, she’s Canadian! (he chuckles in a manner that is both slightly too loud and slightly too mannered)

Koharu: No point in making that kinda judgment now. (she takes a sip of her soup) Doesn’t matter how good or evil she is.

Yosuke: Wha… N-Nuance?! Who are you and what have you done to my senpai?!

Koharu: (she glares at him) Learned a lot. (her gaze quickly shifts in the other direction, though) Before we ever even met.

Yosuke: H-Hey, I never meant to take credit for, eh…

Koharu: For what?

Yosuke: (he mumbles) … C-Changing you, for the better, and stuff. That’s all you. And pretty cool, I guess.

Koharu: Not because of me. (she looks at Hanako and Shinju) These two changed me.

Hanako: (Hanako smiles)

Yosuke: Sure! B-But you’re still the one who changed, right? T-That’s pretty brave in its own right, if, eh, if that makes sense.

Koharu: … It doesn’t.

Hanako: Nothing Yosuke says makes sense.

Yosuke: Ah, come on! W-What did I do to deserve this? (he mumbles) I brought you soup…

Koharu: It’s too salty. (she says, despite finishing her cup in one swig)

Yosuke: You… You say that as if I made it!

Koharu: (she holds out her cup to Yosuke) Taste it.

Yosuke: It’s empty, you… you just finished it!

Koharu: Enough left sticking to the sides.

Yosuke: I-I’m not gonna lick your cup clean!

Koharu: (she frowns) Didn’t say you had to lick it.

Yosuke: W-W-W-Why do you even need me to taste your soup?

Koharu: Because it’s too salty.

Yosuke: What does that have to do with me?

Koharu: Why are you getting so worked up about soup?

Yosuke: I-I-I—You’re the one who’s being weird about soup! And other things! A-Anyway, we should really get going if we wanna make it back to the city before nightfall…

Shinju: Yeah… under these weirdos’ “rule” I bet it’s really dangerous at night. A lot more than it ever was before. So much for these guys being “Balancers.”

Hanako: I can’t help but wonder… do they really hunt more aggressively at night? Or is that a tactic to break down the wills of those still inside the city…?

Yosuke: I-I wouldn’t know, it’s more like if this one doesn’t sleep in a proper bed for another night, I’m afraid she’s gonna… do things to me—

Koharu: (she shoves her empty up into Yosuke’s face) Hmph.

Yosuke: W-W-Will you let it go already?! I’ll take your word for it!

Koharu: Why are you so jumpy?

Yosuke: I-I-I’d just… really like us to move on, is that so irrational? I mean, we all wanna get back home, right?

Hanako: …I agree. We should get going.

Koharu: Wait. (she holds out her arm to prevent the others from leaving) Anyone else hear that?

Yosuke: Oh great, ominous sounds. All the more reason to get going, senpai!

Koharu: Quiet!

However, at this point, no one needed to be quiet to be able to hear the sound. Ever growing louder, the distinctive sound or a rotating propeller quickly becomes undeniable, and soon enough, powerful currents of wind tear leaves off the trees surrounding the lake as a helicopter descends towards the lake.

Shinju: What? Kohaku couldn’t have—they’re landing way too close!

Yosuke: (he mournfully watches the aircraft approach, breathing heavily) T-That’s not the good guys. We gotta run. We gotta—

Koharu: Thought you knew better than to call the JSDF the “good gu—(before she can finish her sentence, Yosuke grabs her by the arm and starts running and the helicopter makes a sudden movement, its tail unnaturally flying forward as blood splatter appears on the windshield — causing the aircraft to come crashing down spinning, its propellor ready to chop whatever comes in its path to pieces, headed straight towards the girls and Yosuke)

Yasu: {Lily!}

Hanako: (Two shrieks in one emanate from Hanako’s body, and a sudden sharp gale lifts the craft into the air. The wind shifts, and the craft is sent hurtling into the middle of the lake.)

As the helicopter spirals towards a watery grave, a familiar figure opens its door, flashes a grin and launches herself into the air, leaping over the lake and landing on the coast to cut off the group’s escape route, while the craft plummets into the lake behind her.

Ophelia: <Zut alors, blondie! That nice pilot flew me all the way out here and this is how you reward him?>

Hanako: (The light returns to Hanako’s eyes, several rapiers swirling around her in her personal cyclone) My only regret is that you did not share in his reward. Now… do me a favor, and fight me in silence.

Ophelia: <Eh? I don’t recall owing you any favors! Or do you want a little merci for letting me have so much fun?>

Hanako: Pitiable as you are, you will find no <mercy> from me… Ophelia.

Ophelia: (she grins as she stretches her leg, assuming her trademark stance like a sprinter about to explode into action)

Yosuke immediately grabs Koharu’s arm again and starts running away from what he assumes will indubitably erupt into the scene of another fight. Before he has well and truly started moving, however, Moonlover’s leap has already reached its zenith, black metal armor pieces materializing around every part of her body and accelerating her drop. Shinju, Hanako and Yasu attempt to spread out as well, but with only a few yards between the three of them, the Balancer comes crashing down into the dirt between them like a meteor, shattering the earth and obliterating everything in a radius several times her own size. As Yosuke and Koharu run, the ground underneath their feet gives way and they lose their footing.

Yosuke: Oh, shit! No! (as the ensuing landslide begins to drags him towards the crater’s epicenter, he manages to grab onto an exposed root and pull himself towards safety, but Koharu is not as lucky and begins rolling down the slope of what has now become a massive crater, filling up with water that comes pouring in from the now disrupted lake) Senpai!

Koharu: (she lands in the water, the strong current created by the lake pouring into the crater quickly dragging her under)

Yosuke: Fuck, fuck, fuck! (looking around, he quickly spots one of Yasu’s backpacks lying next to the still burning gas stove she used to heat up the soup. He zips it open and pours its remains onto the ground, quickly spotting rope among them.) Oh, thank God! (he quickly ties one end of rope around a nearby tree and the other one around his waist, before taking a running start and jumping into the water) 

Meanwhile, the armored Moonlover gracefully lands atop the surface of the lake proper, standing on the water as if she possesses no weight of her own, and catches a glimpse of the mayhem she has created on the coast. As another crooked grin creeps upon her face, she takes off, dashing across the water to go and deal the finishing blow to the defenseless duo, when suddenly, she notices a shadow underneath the surface, swimming towards her at an alarming speed.

Ophelia: (noticing the shadow, she begins to hum a familiar movie theme) Daaaa-dun. Daaaaaa-dun. Daaaaaa-dun. Daaaaaa-dun. Da-dun. Da-dun. Da-dun. Da-dun.

Too busy trying not to drown to notice the Balancer in the distance, Yosuke keeps calling out for Koharu, until he finally spots her coming up to the surface and gasping for breath.

Yosuke: Senpai! Hold on! (he swims towards her, but fails to reach her before she goes under again) No! (he takes a deep breath and dives below the surface, but due to the sheer amount of dirt mixed in with the water, plus the lack of his glasses, he is barely able to see anything but a vaguely flailing shadow close to him) … (he pushes on, and on, and on, until eventually he is able to grab onto Koharu’s arm, pulling her into a tight embrace and swimming back to the surface) 

He gasps for breath as he emerges from the water, but Koharu doesn’t respond. With one arm around her chest, he uses the rope to pull them both out of the crater, coughing as he wobbles back to his feet and rolls Koharu onto her back, dragging her away from the water. She is unconscious.

Yosuke: (panting) Fuck. Senpai! Wake up… Wake up, dammit! (he brushes her hair out of her face, and begins to perform CPR) H-how does this work again… (he places the heel of his hand on the center of Koharu’s chest, places his other hand on top, and presses hard, performing chest compressions the way he was taught in health class) Come on! (after the chest compressions, he tilts back Koharu’s head and lifts her chin, opening up her airways) … (he stares at her mouth for a split second, before sighing and closing his eyes) You’ve gotta be kidding me, man… (he takes a deep breath and performs mouth-to-mouth to the best of his abilities, before switching back to chest compressions) Please… Come on, please God, please! (as he performs another rescue breath, he notices Koharu’s chest rising and soon enough…)

Koharu: (with a gasp, she snaps back to consciousness, coughing violently as she jolts up, bumping her head into Yosuke’s) Gh…!

Yosuke: (he recoils) Ow!

Koharu: (she clutches her chest, hacking and spitting up water)

Yosuke: Whoa there. Easy now, easy now. (he helps her sit up and supports her as she coughs up more water, until she eventually manages to calm down) It’s okay… It’s okay… You’re alive. I’m so happy. You’re alive.

Koharu: (she struggles to adjust her breathing, taking a few seconds in Yosuke’s arms to recover) … I… I didn’t think I was going to make it.

Yosuke: You’re lucky you’re not always right, then.

Koharu: You… You saved me.

Yosuke: Of course… of course I did. I don’t want you to die. T-That’s not weird, is it?

Koharu: No… (she coughs) No, it isn’t… But… (she looks straight into Yosuke’s eyes, her expression impossible to read) … Why?

Yosuke: You would’ve done the same for me. In spite of… everything. That’s just the kind of person you are.

Koharu: You don’t know that.

Yosuke: (he flashes a slight smile) Oh, there’s lots of things I don’t know. But I do know tha—(before he can finish his sentence, Koharu presses her lips onto his, squeezing his shoulders with her shaking hands. His eyes widen and his face warms up, despite the cold water still clinging to his skin. After a few seconds, she lets go, continuing to gaze into his eyes. He can read the myriad of emotions coursing through her head on her face.) S-Senpai, I—

Koharu: Shut up. (she goes in for another kiss, closing her eyes and holding it for much longer this time, before she finally breaks it off, resting her head on his shoulder)

Yosuke: (dazed, he luxuriates in the feeling of having her this close for a while, before speaking up) I… I didn’t know you knew—

Koharu: It’s you, isn’t it? (still with her forehead on his shoulder, she doesn’t look at him as her tone of voice grows cold)

Yosuke: Y-Yeah? It’s me? W-What… is me, exactly?

Koharu: You have been ratting us out to the Balancers this whole time. I know.

Yosuke: (his eyes widen again) H-Huh? W-W-W-What are you talking ab—

Koharu: Don’t try. Don’t… make this worse than it already is. You… You brought me to that club where they tried to kill us all. You had those pictures of Rinju and Hikarizaka on your camera, even though you’ve never met them. You’re the reason why that psychopath keeps finding us. You knew she was coming, that’s why you were so nervous—

Yosuke: N-No! I was nervous because I was worried about you, and… and because I didn’t know how to act ar—

Koharu: You knew she was Canadian. How did you know? Hanako is the only one who saw into her memories, and she never mentioned that.

Yosuke: What? I never said she was Canadian!

Koharu: Yes, you did! Yes you did! You said it and I knew there was something wrong when you said it—

Yosuke: — I was just guessing, senpai, I mean she speaks French and English, that narrows it down quite definitively, no?

Koharu: (she raises her voice, still keeping her face hidden from him as she bites down the tears) I saw those pictures! I saw them! I saw them!

Yosuke: I told you what was up with these pictures, didn’t I?

Koharu: But you lied! (she sniffles, failing to contain her sobbing) You lied! You lied! You’ve been doing nothing but lie, all this time! All this time!

Yosuke: T-Then why did you kiss me?

Koharu: Because for just a second… I wanted to believe someone could… actually love me… in that way.

Yosuke: B-But… I do.

Koharu: … I know. And that’s the worst thing of all. You… You never wanted me to get hurt.

Yosuke: Senpai…

Koharu: … But you couldn’t care less about what the Balancers do to my friends… (she looks up, gritting her teeth, and wiping the tears from her eyes to stare him straight into his eyes, defiantly) … and for that… I’ll never forgive you.

---

Meanwhile, Ophelia chirps in joy as the underwater obstacle heading towards her finally surfaces. Hanako separates and reforms from the water Shinju had conjured, floating in a cyclone above the water, and her eyes, shining with light reflected from the water, stay firmly locked on Ophelia. At the same time, Yasu leaps up, hovering behind Hanako in another cyclone, and she holds out her hands, telekinetically holding the armor in the same position as last time.

Yasu: Shinju! Once more!

Ophelia: <Encore une fois? And here I thought a change of scenery would inspire you girls to try something new for once, eh ben.> (she grunts, trying to break away from Yasu’s hold through sheer force) <Ah, if only you could imagine what it’s like… to be indestructible!>

Hanako: Gods… stop talking already!! (Hanako pushes down on the surface of the water, preventing Ophelia from surfacing, even if she somehow breaks free of Yasu’s grasp)

Shinju: (In the water below Shinju swims in rapid circles, churning the water into a deepening whirlpool. Together with the current generated by her magic, Ophelia is dragged under the water’s surface) {Just hold her here as long as you can! I’ll figure it out!} 

The combination of Hanako’s gale and Yasu’s magically magnetic hold prevent Ophelia from even so much as struggling. The current and pressure begin to bear down upon the armor, and soon, even Moonlover’s cackling fades into gurgling and coughing. The lack of struggling becomes full on twitching, despite the armor’s weight, the water’s increasing pressure, and Yasu’s strengthening magnetic pull. A few minutes pass, and the armor fades, leaving Ophelia’s broken, battered body trapped in the whirlpool. Yasu’s power no longer has any hold over Moonlover, but her knives begin to rain down, aiming at her stomach to dislodge her swallowed Soul Gem. With some effort, the Gem comes free, floating up towards the surface.

In the whirlpool, Shinju glances inward. The Soul Gem gleams in the moonlight beneath the water’s surface. The taste of blood in the water. Her own, from a cut in her mouth. She rushes into the center of the whirlpool, with a final downward swoop to drag Ophelia away from her floating Soul Gem. Shinju launches herself upward. 

From the water’s surface, the black fin-sleeves trailing from Shinju’s outstretched arms look like the jaws of a leviathan, rising from the depths to swallow the Soul Gem whole. Shinju seizes it in one hand. The water accelerates in front of her fist, cavitating into air. The Soul Gem smashes, a burst of darkness staining the lake.

The whirlpool slowly fades, the surface of the lake turbulent with waves. Bubbles and fizz rise from the spot where the battle occurred. Ophelia’s body rises to the top first, followed by Shinju a short distance away.

Yasu: Whew… I-Is it over?

Shinju: (She holds some fragments of the Soul Gem slightly below the water’s surface, staring down at them. When Yasu calls, she wordlessly raises her hand to show the shattered Gem to Hanako and Yasu)

Yasu: Whew… it’s over. …Well, no, it’s not. But we stand a better chance with one of these Balancers dead for good. (The cyclone around Yasu carries her to the shore.)

Hanako: (Hanako, meanwhile, once she’s confirmed both Shinju’s safety and Ophelia’s death, floats over to Koharu and Yosuke) Ko… Koharu, Yosuke. A-Are you alright? (When Koharu merely nods, and Yosuke doesn’t respond, Hanako simply sighs.) Th-That’s good… (With a slow nod of her own, a rapier manifests in her left hand, its tip inches from Yosuke’s throat) …Now. Talk.