"... You... you're right, but..." Mio paused for a few moments, looking downwards with a frown even as her older sister hugged her. It was true that Kazuko wouldn't want to see her hurt, but... she couldn't just abandon her! Not even if being there wouldn't change anything, not even if Kazuko didn't even know she was there... she had to be there, by her side. It was the only thing that felt right. "I can't just... just leave her lying there without going to see her, onee-san. I can't. It feels so wrong... I just can't do it!"

It [i]was[/i] wrong, plain and simple, and it-

"[i]And you're not even trying to help.[/i]"

---

There was no appreciation or joy in Black Storm Barrage's expression as she felt the taller girl's hand pat her on the head, and present a false summation of herself. Just because she had failed did not mean that she could not try again. It wasn't insanity, or a lack of intelligence, that motivated her. It was duty. It was her duty to help others in this world. To help String Master. String Master had been suffering, those... creatures appearing around her more and more... and then something happened. Something made it worse. Something hit her and hurt her deeply. The Alter Ego returned to her home, the glass flower... and it shut. The crystalline forms that reflected the light and shone beautifully... they were stained black and swarmed with monsters. Something had broken String Master. Black Storm Barrage couldn't stand by.

She had to fix it. Even if none of the others tried... she had to break through the glass flower and fix her.

"And you're not even trying to help," she said, simply. Her tone was harsh. Black Storm Barrage was not in a good mood.

---

What... was that? For the briefest moment, Mio felt... something like a dream, some sort of... image of some... tall girl with long hair? There were books, and those words... was she remembering a dream she had?