The magnificent and beautiful flower blooming on the cliff, revered by everyone, in the Millennium.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“…Leader, what did you say?”
“T-chan, even if you’re intoxicated by this ultra-genius frail girl’s cuteness, hearing things is a bit much, isn’t it? Maybe you should try to extend your sleep hours a little?”
“No, I heard you clearly… Besides, there sure are a lot of them.”
Chihiro scratched her cheek, looking at the massive amount of Yokai MAX that filled up an entire storage room. The members would probably love it, but…
“I wonder if this is good for your health?”
“That’s a strange question coming from you today, T-chan. It can’t possibly be healthy, can it?”
“…I figured as much.”
Whether it’s good or bad for health is honestly a trivial matter. Veritas and the energy drink Yokai MAX… were a relationship that could not be separated regardless.
“I’d rather have canned coffee than Yokai MAX… but maybe this isn’t so bad sometimes.”
After contemplating for a while, Chihiro opened a can and took a drink, and Himari quietly moved to her own spot. Her exclusive sanctuary, the paradise of the one and only genius in the Millennium.
This wasn’t because she was sulking that she had given Mika an unparalleled treasure after much deliberation but hadn’t received a gift in return. Absolutely not.
“…Himari-senpai, Rion-senpai is looking for you.”
…To think that on such a splendid day, she’d have to see Rion’s messy face. Himari thought that her luck today might be the worst.
*
“I’ve been waiting for you, Himari.”
“…It’s been a while since we’ve faced each other directly, Rion. What brings you here?”
“The reason I called you is this.”
Rion, sitting casually at her desk, brought out two gift boxes in response to Himari’s question.
Wondering if Rion was trying to show off after receiving gifts herself, Himari swallowed her words. Rion would surely know just how many gifts the ultra-genius beauty often received, so it was odd to brag about just two; besides, she wasn’t the type to boast about such things.
“…Oh?”
As Himari stepped up to the desk and examined the inscriptions on the gift boxes, her eyes widened. This was something even she, the genius who mocked even the divine, hadn’t anticipated.
Well, it might be a bit too soon to discuss today’s luck…
[To the Best Genius of the Millennium☆]
[To the Most Beautiful Person of the Millennium☆]
“This is a gift from Mika, the host of the T-party at Trinity. You must have met her, so you already know.”
“Well, I do know Misa-chan… but to be called the ‘Best Genius of the Millennium’ and the ‘Most Beautiful’ means, of course, they’re referring to me, Akeboshi Himari, who has a Universal degree and boasts the title of the top in the school popularity vote, right? So these gifts…”
“A Universal? What’s that… Only one of them is for you.”
“…What?”
“If you misheard me, I can repeat it.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I just didn’t quite understand, that’s all.”
With the two gift boxes before her, Himari fell deep into thought.
The best genius of the Millennium must be referring to her, hence the most beautiful would make it her too. But for only one to be hers?
This was like a test asking her which she prioritized more: intelligence or beauty.
‘Mika-chan sure pulls troublesome pranks.’
Tentatively tossing the topic to Rion, who was silently reviewing documents, Himari asked carefully.
“The meaning of only one of these gifts being mine is that the other must be yours, Rion?”
“That seems to be the case.”
“Then which one does Rion think belongs to you?”
Caught by the question, Rion directed her unchanging gaze at Himari.
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it does! If the owner of these gifts is determined, then depending on my choice, one of them might end up with the wrong person. Naturally, a choice made by this ultra-genius beauty can’t possibly be incorrect.”
“Then starting today, you’ll have to drop one of those titles with your choice.”
“…”
As Himari sank into contemplation once more, Rion turned her attention back to the documents. Thinking back to the message Mika had sent along with these gifts.
[I hope you can take a picture of Himari-chan, who is struggling to decide between these two. It must be a delightful scene!]
[One is Rion-chan’s gift, but with Himari-chan, I’m sure she’ll make the right choice☆]
Just as Mika said, seeing Himari agonizing like that wasn’t a particularly pleasant scene. The choice of having to discard one of her identities was indeed a harsh dilemma for her.
“…I’ve made my decision.”
“Mm.”
“Beauty will eventually wither away. Surely, the beauty of a lovely girl like me will remain stunning regardless of age, but still… it’s a fact that it fades. However, transcendent intelligence lasts forever.”
“Is that to say you’re choosing this one?”
Rion pointed to the box marked ‘Best Genius.’
“No. My choice is actually the opposite.”
“…Why?”
“I assume Mika-chan expected that I would arrive at such a conclusion. So twisting it a bit more, the box marked ‘Most Beautiful’ is what I, the uniquely frail genius of Kivotos, have chosen.”
“…?”
Rion, perplexed as to why anyone would go out of their way to complicate the answer to Mika’s straightforward question, tilted her head as Himari confidently tore open her gift.
And revealed:
[To the Most Beautiful, Tsukatsuki Rion☆]
[If Himari read this first, she might be a little disappointed?]
“…”
With Rion’s emotionless stare upon her, Himari slowly pushed the box toward Rion and covered her face with her hands. If only Rion would at least laugh, it might have eased her embarrassment a little, but the fact that it was Rion, who showed no reaction, only amplified her shame.
As Rion confirmed that the present was indeed meant for her, a rare flicker of a smile graced her lips.
The pajama set, with its oddly mixed colors, surprisingly turned out to be exactly her taste.
“…What Noah said was true.”
And seeing Rion smile outside of business conversations caused Himari to silently admire her. Just from the sense of style alone, it was only natural for someone with such disastrous aesthetic sensibility to be so popular.
‘Thinking back, even during our first encounter, she was anything but ordinary…’
If it weren’t for Noah, the frail girl might have been completely enchanted and left powerless, causing shivers down her spine.
In her strong sense of self, she was quite different from Rion, who was almost like her very own self; it was as if she had encountered her natural predator.
Yet, the slow expectations for her own gift only made her feel a creeping terror, akin to slowly seeping poison, thought Himari.
[Ahaha! I thought you’d definitely value intelligence higher☆ I figured you’d realize the answer immediately, but at least we had a surprisingly good time of contemplation, right?]
“…”
Indeed, it had been so. She had simply overthought and stumbled on her own reasoning.
[The pride of the Millennium, a fairy boasting the unmatched beauty and intellect never before seen in human history. Just dipping your toes in the second-level waters would surely turn it into first-level purity, and on breezy days, everyone around becomes flustered by the allure of this sickly sweet genius, Himari, who blooms like a sunflower and shines with beauty unparalleled even when hidden among flowers. Merry Christmas!]
“…Huh?”
Where on earth did this person come up with such magnificent descriptors? Regardless, Himari made a mental note to utilize them when her own repertoire ran out.
“…Is this, sleeping socks?”
Inside the box were five pairs of multicolored sleeping socks that looked warm enough to survive the winter.
As she stood there, staring blankly at the socks, she chuckled to herself.
“I should definitely give Mika-chan a hint about my preferences next year…”
Curious about how Mika would respond upon hearing that the best genius birthed by the Millennium had an interest in topics as far removed from reason and rationality as the occult, Himari found it hard to hide her intrigue.
“…”
“Why are you staring at me like that, Rion? Would you like a pair?”
“…”
Rion silently nodded, and in the end, Himari ended up giving her a pair of socks.
Little did they know that a video of their exchange would soon reach Mika’s hands.
*
“Ah, Noah! You came just in time. Can you find one document for me? It’s about the extension of the Game Development Club‘s charter…”
“It’s in the second drawer to the right of Yuuka-chan’s desk♪”
Having led Himari to Rion, Noah was now headed down to the seminar room when she heard her name being called.
“Oh, there you are! Thanks, Noah! I can’t believe I’m making you help out because I’m on academic probation…!”
The student who was the only one expected to be on academic probation this year and remain the sole member of that club next semester should have seen it disbanded this quarter, but thanks to Yuuka’s behind-the-scenes efforts, it could continue to exist even a bit longer. Did the members even know that?
Even if they didn’t, Noah figured Yuuka’s kindness would reach them eventually, and he then cleared his throat to ask Yuuka.
“Ahem. Yuuka-chan, do I look any different lately?”
“…Uh, huh? Suddenly?”
Flustered for an instant at Noah’s unexpected question, Yuuka peeked him over from head to toe and shook her head.
“Sorry, I have no idea. What’s supposed to be different?”
“Oh my, I didn’t expect you to have such little interest in me, Yuuka-chan. I’m worried about who’s going to marry you at this rate.”
“…W-why is that being brought up here suddenly? Anyway, I really have no idea what’s changed. Surely it’s not that my lip stain color has changed or something?”
“Hehe. It’s not that. Ta-da!”
“…???”
As Noah stretched out his arm, his sleeve rolled up, revealing a simple black bracelet.
“Noah… how am I supposed to guess the changed part if you’re not showing me it?”
“Umm… by intuition?”
“…Sigh. By the way, did you get that from the T-party host as a Christmas gift?”
“Yes, did you get a present too, Yuuka-chan?”
“I did, but…”
Pulling out a small box from her bag, Yuuka revealed a bracelet that was strikingly similar to Noah’s.
“Aha! It’s what’s known as a friendship bracelet.”
“I have less of a connection with that person than Noah, so I found it odd that they would give me something like this… Turns out, that’s the meaning behind it. Isn’t this usually referred to as a couple bracelet?”
“That’s subjective, Yuuka-chan. It’s just a simple bracelet with a similar design; it can be a friendship bracelet if you think of it that way.”
“Hmm…”
Feeling unsure about that, Yuuka placed her bracelet next to Noah’s, and it did indeed seem to fit well together as Noah had said.
“…But don’t people usually get these things made together?”
“Hehe. Then how about we get matching friendship rings while we’re at it?”
“Th-That’s okay. Rings are a bit iffy because of gloves. Bracelets are preferable. By the way, it’s rare for Rion-senpai to look for Himari-senpai… isn’t that nearly unprecedented?”
“That’s true. I hope it’s nothing serious…”
It would be a little while before the two people in the seminar found out that Rion and Himari had simply fallen prey to Mika’s playful schemes.
