So this is the Sprites' Forest?
I would have avoided it if I could have.
But with the current situation in Cardair, I have no choice.
You look just like that fat cat.
Didn't I tell you to be careful?
What is this place?
A black Garderobe?
Look.
Mashiro is a demon!
Stop that!
I told you to stop!
You're always so short-tempered, Mashiro.
Stop trying to be so friendly! We just met!
Just met?
I've always been watching over you guys.
Always?
Begin stirring.
Complete.
Miyu, you're always a tremendous help when you come here. Now then...
It's ready!
Come quickly!
Mai's food!
By the way, where are we?
The Black Valley.
kasane atta hibi
The days have added up
kiokuno okue tojikome
Memories locked deep inside me
kinou to chigau
Unlike yesterday
Watashiga ima kokoni tatteru
A new me is standing right here now
Orite kita yamiwa
Darkness has fallen
Subetewo yasashiku daite
Gently embracing everything
katari kakeruno
It begins to tell me
Mamoru kotono hontou no imi wo
The true meaning of protecting
Mugen ni hirogaru hoshi wo
The stars spread out to infinity
Nandomo miageteita
I looked up at them repeatedly
Ano yoru wo wasurenai hikikaesenai
On that night I can't forget or return to
Ushinau mono wa nanimona
There is nothing I have to lose
Afuredashiteku ENERGY
It's flowing out of me, this energy
Atsuku tsuyoku takumashiku
With passion, strength, and endurance
Tatoe hikari no nai sekai demo
Even in a world without light
koe wo kanjite anata dake mitsukerareru
I feel your voice and can find only you
Arika of the Mysterious Valley
The Black Valley?
Midori said that was the Aswald homeland.
But I heard the Black Valley disappeared...
...during the War of the Twelve kings.
Hey, Ari...
Seconds!
Two Arikas?
Two Mikotos?
You have such a great appetite, Arika.
You two!
Seconds! Hurry! Hurry!
All right. I'm getting them now.
So.
So what?
Who are you guys? Where are we?
Why are we here?
Um, I'm Mai.
And this is Mikoto the Cat Goddess.
Mai is my servant!
Come on. Would you stop that?
And this is the Black Valley.
You two fell into this place, along with Miyu.
That's not what I meant.
Um...
Is that red gem on your ear by any chance the Fire Stirring Ruby?
W-Well, yeah.
I knew it!
Wow! So you're the legendary Otome!
The tragic Otome torn between dreams and love.
She sure doesn't fit the image.
So this place really is the Black Valley?
That's right. As far as details go...
Um... Miyu, please explain.
So you two know each other?
She visits us from time to time.
Arika, this place really was once called the Black Valley.
Now it's the holy grounds of lost technology.
The technology of the Otome, and the Harmonium were created here.
This place now exists as a sealed valley in a warp in space.
A warp in space?
It was caused by the power of the Harmonium...
...used during the War of the Twelve kings.
Confirm the situation immediately!
If needed, send our Otomes to Cardair.
We need accurate information.
Damn that little runt Nagi.
Haruka, I'd like you to do something for me.
Would you be a messenger and contact all the nations?
And tell them...
"Pursuant to Otome Propagation Prevention Agreement Clause C...
...Aries will hold emergency deliberations."
So you're gathering the heads of the nations so that you can warn them...
...not to do anything rash, right?
Sure, I'll drag them here by the neck.
Show the flag!
Don't infuriate them, okay?
You need to persuade them with kind words.
You're in good hands! Sit back and ride the mudboat!
I think you mean, "big boat," Haruka.
The Harmonium can reverse the effects of high-order materialization sequences.
It decomposes and sucks everything in, including this warped space.
Arika, you have seen the organ beneath Fuka Palace, right?
The song, the player, and the protector seem to now all be in place.
Right, Mikoto?
My shadow was defeated by someone with a black gem.
Black gem.
Don't tell me it was Nina?
The Ultimate Black Diamond.
She seems able to take on both the roles of the player and the protector.
The protector?
Yes, she belongs to the bloodline of the Windbloom Royal family.
N-No way.
I can't be wrong, since she was able to start up that Harmonium.
How is Nina doing?
She's sleeping.
Honestly, I didn't think you'd recover before her.
It appears using that thing is quite exhausting.
Well, it took me by surprise.
This is all thanks to you, Sergay.
What do you plan on doing?
What do you mean?
Regarding Nina and that Harmonium!
Isn't it obvious?
Excuse me!
Aries? That's great.
I understand. I'll head over right now.
Please tell me one thing.
Inside the casket of the Valkyries' Predecessor... Who is it?
I guess I can't hide it from you any longer.
That's right. She's inside...
Lena.
You and that girl...
I...
During the rebellion fifteen years ago...
...when I reached Wind City, everything was almost over.
But fortunately, I was able to find Lena.
And her daughter.
I picked up and carried the infant to Lena's mother, your grandmother.
Then, I really am...
Yes. You are the Blue Sky Sapphire, Lena Sayers' daughter.
Mother.
Then what about the gem?
It was going to be sold to Artai, so I took it for safekeeping.
And then I gave it to your grandmother.
It is rightfully yours, after all.
Thank you, Miyu.
But why did you do so much for me?
Because you are the blood of my special person.
We caught something!
Mai, be happy! Tonight's dinner has arrived!
Come, Jubei!
Then let me go get some water.
Oh, I'll help too!
You're Miyu, right?
You seem to know quite a lot.
I do not know everything.
However, I have existed much longer than any human.
Then, do you know anything about me?
I do not.
I guess you wouldn't.
I'm nothing but...
...a replacement the minister brought along for Nina.
Do you know the story regarding the master of the Pure White Diamond?
About the Otome's Predecessor, Fumi?
Every human has their own will, and it is their will that decides their fate.
A leader or king rises by his own will...
...sets a path and does what needs to be done.
That is one conclusion I have reached through hundreds of years of observation.
Miss Mai, what made you want to become an Otome?
I have a younger brother.
He has many responsibilities.
That's why, as his older sister, I felt I had to help him.
Something like that.
Miss Mai, please tell me!
What are Otomes?!
Huh?
What's this all of a sudden?
I see.
I don't really understand.
Why are there Otomes? What should I do?!
Well...
Yes?
I don't know.
That's not fair.
Well, aren't you being a bit unfair by asking me?
I guess I am.
Don't worry.
One day you'll understand, Arika.
Or rather... this is something only you can understand, Arika.
But what if I make a mistake?
I'm such a fool, so there are a lot of things I don't understand.
That's why...
That's why Ersty...
Then what you must do is think it through.
Decide on your own what's best for you.
And if you think you've made a mistake, you can start again from the beginning.
Of course there are things that can't be undone.
But, unless you believe things will work out for the better...
...you can't move forward.
Miss Mai.
I thought things out on my own after meeting with Mikoto and Miss Miyu.
I thought about why Garderobe sealed its technology, and why Otomes existed.
That's why I'm with Mikoto now.
But those are my own thoughts.
It's okay to ask for opinions from others.
But in the end you have to make your own decisions.
Well, first start with what you can do, and then take it step by step.
That's okay? Just like that?
Well, yeah.
If you think too much, you could fall into a trap.
I speak from experience.
What should we do? We won't starve to death here, will we?
Big catch! Big catch!
Headmistress?
Arika?!
It's you!
Princess Mashiro?!
You.
Natsuki?
Mai.
I don't know where to begin.
You haven't changed a bit, Natsuki.
Why in the world are you here?
Before graduation, you left a message and then you disappeared.
Do you realize how much I worried about you? I thought you'd died.
Died?
Me?
Then what did happen to you?
Well, I was stressed out, so I went on a little trip. That much is true.
While I was walking and thinking about what I should do...
...a strange mist surrounded me.
Then I got lost in this valley, and fell into the same trap you just did.
Okay, I'll accept that explanation.
But, why are you still holding the Ruby?
Who is your Master?
Don't tell me.
It was a mistake to take the gem with me.
I fell into the trap, and the gem ended up in her stomach.
And the gem won't come out?
No, it won't.
In fact, we were somehow able to enter a contract under those conditions.
That doesn't make sense.
It's because Mikoto is the Crystal Princess.
Crystal Princess?
Yes. An Otome born under strict guidelines...
...to maintain order in this world.
Otome-type Higher-order Materialization Powers.
She is an original.
The last remaining, pure wielder of higher-order materialization.
And who are you?
I am Miyu.
I follow my Lady's wishes to watch over the world's future inhabitants.
In accordance with those who hold the fate of the Otome...
...and the guidance of that star.
Nina.
I hated that girl.
But no matter how cruel I was, she didn't mind at all.
And then, at some point, I also...
It's strange, isn't it? I never cared for friends. But then...
Don't let it bother you.
You were only following orders.
The blame for this should be placed on me and the Grand Duke.
Father.
Meister Nina.
The Grand Duke is calling for you.
Wait.
I'll go ask His Highness to give you a bit more time.
If the wishes of you and His Highness...
...can once again bring mankind to a more glorious era...
...I'll do everything within my power to help you.
Nina.
Even if I have to kill my friends.
Because I am an Otome.
I see.
Miss Shizuru is there.
Yeah, I understand she's been locked up.
So that I could escape.
I just hope she's not being tortured.
Are you going?
Yeah. I have asked President Yukino of Aries and king Nguyen of Annam...
...to provide assistance with appeasing the other nations.
And I am the Headmistress of Garderobe, after all.
You've matured.
Shut up!
And, I have a favor to ask of you.
Regarding those two.
This makes everything clear.
I am not the true Queen.
I'm nothing but a replacement.
Even though you said all that at the Aswald village.
That... Um...
Mashiro.
I can't help but think.
Even if I take back the nation, everything will go back to how it was before.
But now Nagi has the Harmonium and he could change the world for the better.
He may be able to create a new world...
...without the need for Otomes to fight.
That's definitely wrong!
Now, in accordance with the Otome Propagation Prevention Agreement...
...Iet the emergency deliberations begin.
Madame President! The Albright Base is under attack!
When Nina appeared at the Dragon's Cemetery she was crying.
But I felt that it wasn't just because Sergay was wounded.
I thought about the benefits of technology...
...and whether Otomes are good or bad.
And I'm still confused.
That's why I've been thinking so much.
You know, Nina's really cute when she smiles.
I love it when Nina smiles.
But, that time Nina was crying.
Then...
Grand Duke Nagi's making Nina do these things.
I think it's definitely wrong!
Arika.
So, Mashiro.
Arika!
As I expected. They used it again.
This is the country of that glasses woman.
Aries?
That Nagi.
He's showing off the Harmonium's power to the leaders...
...and forcing them to either follow him or fight him.
At this rate, the world will be split, which will result in a major war.
Nina.
We're leaving immediately for Garderobe.
Just great.
After all this, we're going back to where we came from.
We're going too!
No, you two are staying here.
Why?
You haven't been able to release the Gem's true powers.
If I let you go now, you'll die.
But...
Then why not test your skills?
Mikoto!
If I beat Mikoto, then you'll let me go, right?
Will this test really prove anything?
Even with my Robe, I could not beat Mikoto.
Really?!
Her?
Then, I won't hold anything back!
What are you doing?!
Huh?
It appears the black gem girl is a lot stronger than you.
Want to continue?
Mikoto.
No, I mean...
Miss Cat Goddess! Boss!
No, Master!
Please teach me how to fight!
Please!
If you are Arika's Master, then there's one thing I must ask you.
Can you do this?
I don't know.
But I swore to my citizens I would, together with Arika.
Then learn well.
Become a Queen worthy of being Arika's Master.
Learn?!
How am I supposed to learn?
Why don't you learn from Mai?
Mai hid it from me too.
She's the older sister of Tokiha Takumi no kami Tadayori, the prince of Zipang.
She's none other than Mai-Hime, Princess Mai.
Mashiro.
Please give me a little time. I will become a powerful Otome.
Then I'll never allow war to break out!
That's good.
Yeah, that's good, Arika.
Yuuki ga negai kanaeru noyo
Courage makes your wishes come true
DO YOUR BEST
Do your best
Makenai youni susumi mashou
Keep moving forward, so you don't lose
Hajimattayo watashi dake wo matsu
It has started and it's waiting right now
Monogatari ga ima
A story just for me
Nigedasu yori
Instead of running from it
tachimukaeba iine
I'm going to face it
sorega Otome no yuuki
Because that's the courage of Otome
Ganbatteruyo munega
I am doing great
kyun to samishikunaru
Even when I feel lonely
tokimo egaode
I smile
NO, NO, NO wa nai
No, there is no "no"
kanarazu anatano sekaino nakani
In the world you're living in
Tanoshii mirai ga aru mamotte agetaino
The future will be fun and I'll protect you
daijyoubuyo
Everything's going to be fine
Kireina omoi houseki yorimo hikaru
Pure thoughts are brighter than jewels
Hokori wo motte susumi mashou
Just keep moving forward with pride
Makenai youni susumi mashou
Just keep moving forward so you don't lose
For Your Sake...
Isn't this supposed to be a steaming hot school drama?
Uh, we already did that.
Then, Midori is really...
We've already done that, too.
What?
I finally make an appearance, yet...
Poor girl. Now, don't cry.
Natsuki, it's not comforting when you do it.