Revolutionary Girl Utena IF: The One Who Betrays the Rose Seal - You can't go outside, but—

The rose garden after school seemed to blaze crimson, set alight by the setting sun. The cloying fragrance hung thick, almost suffocating. I ran along the tree-lined path, searching for a glimpse of black hair in the distance. (There she is.) Himemiya Anthy was alone again today, trimming the rose branches. Only the small, quiet *snip, snip* of the pruning shears echoed in the stillness. Her profile was as expressionless as ever, unchanged since the day we first met—like a doll's. "Anthy!" I rushed over, out of breath. Anthy slowly raised her head. Her deep green eyes reflected my image. "...Utena-sama." Her voice was small and distant, as always. But right now, I couldn't care less about that. "We're going! We're getting out of here, right now!" I grabbed Anthy's wrist. The pruning shears clattered to the ground. "...Huh?" Anthy's eyes widened, just a fraction. "Outside! Outside the academy! You've been trapped in here all this time, haven't you? That's messed up!" As I spoke, I pulled her hand firmly. Anthy's hand was thinner and colder than I'd expected. "B-but..." "No buts! We're running!" I took off without waiting for an answer. We dashed through the rose garden path and cut across the fountain plaza. Anthy stumbled behind me, nearly falling, but she followed desperately. I never let go of her hand. (I'm getting you out of here, no matter what.) Touga's words flashed through my mind. The Seal of Death. The warning that I might disappear. But—I don't have time to think about that. I'm the type who moves before thinking. I can worry after I've done everything I can. The main gate came into view. A pair of iron doors, at least four meters tall. Beyond them, the ordinary world was supposed to stretch out before us. "Just a little more!" I threw myself toward the gate with all my momentum. *THUD!!* The next instant, my body was airborne. "—!!" Something repelled me, slamming me onto my back against the ground. The breath was knocked out of me. My vision flickered with sparks. "Utena-sama!" Anthy had been hurled back the same way and collapsed beside me. "Wh-what... was that..." I got up and reached toward the gate. —There was an invisible wall. The air had solidified like glass. No matter how I pushed or struck it, it wouldn't budge. "You've gotta be kidding me!!" I clenched my fist and punched the wall with all my strength. *THUNK!* A dull sound. My hand throbbed with pain. But the wall wouldn't break. "Why?! Why can't we get out?!" Again—this time I rammed it with my shoulder. *THUD!* I was thrown back and tumbled to the ground again. "Dammit...!" I stood up. A third time. A fourth. With every impact, my left wrist burned hotter. Beneath the sleeve of my uniform, the Seal of Death prickled with pain. I could feel it—the black vine creeping upward, inch by inch, from my elbow toward my upper arm. "Please stop... Utena-sama..." Anthy's voice was trembling. I dropped to my knees, breathing raggedly. My shoulder and arms ached fiercely. But more than that, the heat of the seal was growing stronger and stronger. "...I cannot leave." Anthy stood up and extended her hand toward me. Her face—was smiling. But her eyes weren't smiling. It was the kind of smile of someone who had given up long, long ago. "For as long as I can remember, always. The Rose Bride is not permitted to go outside. That is the rule." "...Since when?" My voice was hoarse. "Ever since I became aware of myself, I have been here." Saying that, Anthy took my hand. Her hand felt much warmer than it had before. I couldn't say anything. I could only stare at her slender fingers. A tightness gripped my chest. (This girl... has she been living all this time, having given up like this?) Brute force couldn't break the wall. There was nothing I could do right now. That reality pressed down on me, heavy and crushing. The sun set, and the area began to be enveloped in twilight. I staggered to my feet. The pain from the seal still hadn't subsided. "...Curfew's gonna be a problem." It was almost nine. If I didn't get back to the dorm, the dorm mother, Takashima-san, would be furious. But—when I looked at Anthy, she was just gazing steadily at me, as if curfew meant nothing to her. "Shall we go to the greenhouse?" Anthy said quietly. "The greenhouse?" "I have a spare key. Tonight... we can spend the night there." So saying, she began walking toward the rose garden. I followed her retreating figure. The greenhouse—a large structure made of glass and steel, situated next to the rose garden. With night having fallen, a faint light leaked from within. Anthy took out a key and opened the door. The hinges creaked with a *gii*. Stepping inside, warm air clung to my skin, thick and heavy. The smell of earth and leaves, slightly damp. Potted plants were crammed together, and there were many plants I'd never seen before. At that moment— "—Ukyah!" Something leaped down from above my head. "Whoa! What the heck is this?!" A fluffy mass of fur landed on my head. Small hands pulled at my hair. A monkey. "Chu-Chu, no. You mustn't jump on Utena-sama." Anthy's lips—relaxed, just a little. Seeing that expression, I froze. (Ah—she smiled.) It was completely different from the resigned smile she'd shown at the main gate. "Chu-Chu likes people he's meeting for the first time. Especially energetic people, like Utena-sama." "I-is that so..." Chu-Chu hopped off my head and perched on Anthy's shoulder. As I straightened my hair, I glanced at her. "...What's this? You can make a face like that after all." "Huh?" "You should smile more." Anthy immediately composed her expression and looked down. "...I'm not used to it." Her voice had grown small again. We moved deeper into the greenhouse. When Anthy lit a lamp, a dim orange light spread around us. Silently, she began tending to the rare plants. The way her fingers wiped droplets from leaves and plucked withered flowers was exceedingly gentle. I simply watched her. After a while— "By the time I became aware of myself, I was already the Bride." Suddenly, Anthy began to speak. "I don't even know who my parents are. I've lived my entire life only within this academy. Each time the ownership of the duels changed hands, I simply obeyed that person's orders. That is my role—and I've never even considered any other way of living." Her hands continued to move as she spoke, her words matter-of-fact. "I have never once wanted to do something of my own will. Because there's no point in thinking about it. It won't come true anyway. That's what I've always told myself." I listened in silence. Not angry, not comforting—just listening. When Anthy finished speaking, a profound silence filled the greenhouse. The lamp's flame crackled with a tiny sound. "I'm strange, aren't I? A Rose Bride... who knows nothing but being a Rose Bride." She laughed self-deprecatingly. It was the same smile she'd shown at the main gate—the smile of someone who had given up. "You're not strange." I said that, then paused for a moment. "So, what do *you* want to do?" Anthy looked up. The lamplight flickered in her green eyes. A long silence passed. She slowly looked up at the ceiling. Through the glass, the night sky was visible, stars twinkling here and there. "...The outside world." Faintly, so very faintly—her voice escaped. "I want... to see it." It was such a small voice, I could barely hear it. But—she definitely said it. I stood up. I crouched down in front of Anthy and grasped her hand in both of mine. "I'll definitely show it to you." "...Eh." "The outside world, right! I'll absolutely take you there! That's a promise!" When I said it forcefully, Anthy's eyes widened in surprise. That expression—this time, it wasn't resignation. It was genuine astonishment. "...A promise, is it?" She murmured the word as if hearing it for the first time. "Yeah, a promise. I never break a promise. So—" I stopped mid-sentence, noticing that her hand was trembling. Anthy smiled, looking like she was about to cry. "...But promises... are always broken." Those words stabbed me in the chest. I see—so this girl has never once had a promise kept for her. "I'm different." I gripped Anthy's hand even tighter. "I'll definitely keep it. No matter what." Anthy gazed at me for a moment, then gave a small nod. "...I understand." That voice wasn't the distant, far-off voice from before. It was a voice that properly reached me. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ The next morning. When I opened the greenhouse door, cold morning air rushed in. I stretched widely and looked at my left wrist. The Seal of Death had definitely spread further than last night. Past the elbow, reaching about halfway up my upper arm—the black rose vine stood out clearly on my skin. "...I knew it." I muttered quietly and pulled down my sleeve. At that moment— I sensed something and looked up. The fourth floor of the main school building. In the window of the Student Council room—the Rose Chamber—there was a figure. Long, silvery-white hair. Narrow, crimson eyes. Kiryuu Touga was staring down at us intently. Our eyes met. His lips twisted—just slightly. An instant later, Touga moved away from the window and vanished. "...Has that guy been watching since last night?" A chill ran down my spine. I had a bad feeling about this. Touga—confirmed something. I couldn't think of it any other way. If all our actions had been completely visible to him... "Utena-sama... is something the matter?" Anthy peered at my face with concern. "...No, it's nothing. Let's go." I took her hand and left the greenhouse behind. The seal on my arm throbbed with prickling heat. But—I looked at my right hand. The hand that had been holding Anthy's just moments ago. (I promised I'd definitely protect her.) As long as I don't let go with this hand, I'm sure it'll be okay. Believing that, I began to walk. Behind me, I thought I heard the sound of the Student Council room window quietly closing.

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Episode 3

Name: Revolutionary Girl Utena IF: The One Who Betrays the Rose Seal
Author: Novelia

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