My destination upon stepping into the Student Council Headquarters with the teacher was, of course, our “Head’s” office. For the past few days, I had merged into the Student Council without anyone stopping me.
Instead of anyone stopping me, the presence of that damn handsome teacher next to me did grab the members’ attention.
“The Head is currently on a business trip.”
“…Huh?”
But what’s this? Our Hina is on a business trip.
I hadn’t heard anything about that…?
For a moment, betrayal and disappointment surged, but I quickly shook it off.
Essentially, without human warmth, I’m just going to plop and die. It’s not just that being alone doesn’t suit me; clinging to these petty matters makes me look pathetic at best.
Of course, I had no intention of just casually brushing it off as if nothing happened.
Neither of us sleeps tonight, Hina. You brought this on yourself, so you should graciously accept it.
“There was an urgent trip due to a situation in the Red Winter area… You probably didn’t have time to contact Mika. Given that this involves a diplomatic issue with Chairperson Makoto, the timing is critical.”
“…Sounds like a serious matter. Heueng.”
Chinatsu, pushing her glasses up, calmly explained why Hina had to go on a business trip. Hearing the circumstances, the teacher seemed to be fretting…
“Well, I personally don’t think I should worry too much.”
From what I know, Gehenna in Blue Archive is based on Germany, while Red Winter is modeled after the Soviet Union, so if things went south, the story could change a bit.
But hey, that probably won’t happen. If signs of war threaten both academies, I’ll have to throw my body and the teacher’s body into the fray to stop it.
However, as I recall, Gehenna and Red Winter managed to build a friendly relationship. In the original story, I think Cherino sent some statue of Makoto or something to Gehenna.
So, I don’t suppose anything particularly catastrophic has happened. Even if something did go wrong, there shouldn’t be a need to worry since Hina stepped in directly.
Of course, I can’t just say that out loud, so I tossed out something along the lines of, “Most of the issues caused by Makoto are trivial and just annoying, so it’s fine.”
Setting that aside, that isn’t too far from the truth.
“…I think I understand now why you get so spooked when it comes to Makoto.”
“Um, Teacher. Honestly, after what just happened earlier, shouldn’t that be obvious?”
I mean, if someone suddenly told my underlings to sabotage the Student Council because they were getting a private onsen, wouldn’t they pick up on it?
“Hmm. It’s surprising that such orders came directly from Red Winter.”
Speaking of which, when the Onsen Development Department started working, Makoto wasn’t even here…
Wait a second.
“Hey, Chinatsu-chan.”
“Yes?”
“The private onsen project in the Student Council was pushed forward by Aco-chan, right?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
“…Then Hina-chan must have already been away by the time the onsen development started?”
“Yes, that seems to be the case… Ah?”
It seems Chinatsu also realized something strange about the situation.
“So, this means…”
Aco, who schemed behind Hina, somehow led Makoto to stir up trouble in Red Winter. She directed him there, and then brought the Onsen Development Department right to the Student Council.
But how did the news get back to Makoto, who caused trouble in Red Winter, leading to the order to sabotage the upcoming battle?
“…Wow——. Aco-chan, you’re incredible.”
I don’t know what kind of trick she pulled, but one thing became clear.
Even though she has a slightly hasty personality and is obsessively devoted to Hina, Aco is sharp-minded.
As I pondered what sort of trick Aco had used, I quickly put that thought aside. Without hearing it from her mouth, guessing would be close to impossible.
“So, where’s Aco-chan now?”
“She’s likely supporting Iori.”
“…Iori? Why?”
“There were surrounding maneuvers for the coming battle, not just at the onsen development site.”
“Ahaha… You guys really are something else.”
Even Chinatsu, whose emotions usually don’t show much, seemed a bit taken aback by that statement. After all, being aware of herself as the only sane person in the Student Council made it a bit unfair. I completely empathized with that feeling.
I was about to subtly suggest a shared responsibility but bit my tongue. It’s only fair not to bring that up to Chinatsu if I can’t say it to Hina either. After all, doing that would be downright disgraceful.
Most importantly, the thought of our Pater Faction’s idiot getting roast over my negligence was enough to make my blood pressure rise. I can’t do that to my own people. Nope.
“Ah, sorry. You and Hina-chan are exceptions, so try not to take it too badly.”
“…I think I kind of understand the Head’s words now.”
But what’s this? When I offered an apology to smooth things over, Chinatsu retreated, watching me like a prickly hedgehog.
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“You don’t need to know…”
“Heueng… This feels bland.”
Well, it’s probably nothing serious. Hina wouldn’t say anything bad about me, right?
“By the way, it doesn’t seem like Aco-chan would be out at the scene… Teacher, what do you want to do?”
At my somewhat abrupt question, the teacher blinked. Then, rubbing her brows slightly, she opened her mouth.
“Mika.”
“Yeah?”
“Isn’t it a bit much to bring someone to command and then ask how you want them commanded? It’s a bit in poor taste.”
“…Oh?”
Upon hearing that, it didn’t take long for me to agree.
If you suddenly brought someone in and asked, “You have three options: Army, Air Force, or Navy. Where do you want to go?” what kind of response do you expect? It’s natural for them to recoil in disgust.
Of course, what I did doesn’t quite compare, but like the teacher said, it is indeed in poor taste.
“Then, I’ll go back out and help… Iori-chan?”
“Me? Why me?”
Just as I was about to suggest a choice in place of the teacher, an unexpected voice chimed in. It was Iori herself.
“Oh, Iori-chan! I heard you’re fighting with those Manma battle brats outside?”
“…How do you see me? I’ve already chased those riffraff away. More importantly, who is this?”
Oh, what a shame. One opportunity to command the teacher just vanished.
But saying those riffraff are the Student Council without Hina wouldn’t be acceptable now, would it?
“This person is the teacher from Shalle. A truly wonderful adult… Huh?”
As I glanced at the teacher, I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. The teacher’s gaze was fixated on Iori’s legs—
“Wow, teacher. Is that your preference?”
“Huh?”
“Ahaha! Lucky you, teacher! Our Iori-chan’s feet are exceptionally well maintained, you know.”
“Wh-what…?! Hey, hey… Aah! Ugh! Mmm!!!”
Startled, Iori lunged at me to cover my mouth, but… it only took one hand to subdue her.
“Feet fetish? I think that’s rather disqualification for an educator, but! Still, I’ll respect it. It’s not entirely incomprehensible.”
I mean, considering I have an unusual taste for being submissive, it’s only fair I don’t pass judgment on others.
Just like how we can see from Hanako’s daring inclinations and Aco’s quirky preferences, everyone has their own dark desires.
And since we’re on the topic of feet, I do consider it a learned preference.
“…Wait a second. Mika? What on earth do you mean by that?”
I had to express my regrets for our teacher, looking as if she couldn’t believe what she just heard because, clearly, I had seen her eyeing Iori’s legs just a moment ago.
Now I see why in the original she was licking Iori’s feet. So that’s the kind of preference she has.
“Not true.”
“Yep, totally true. Our Iori-chan’s feet are pampered with foot shampoo, you know.”
“Mmm!!!”
“That’s a—no, how on earth do you know about that, Mika?”
…Did I just hear something strange? Is it just me?
As Iori squirmed wildly, trying to escape my grip but failing, her voice was muffled beneath my hold.
Really, what’s there to be so embarrassed about? Being concerned for one’s cleanliness is a trait that’s commendable, regardless of gender…
Ignoring Iori’s struggles, I turned to glance at the teacher and smiled sweetly.
“I was the one who gifted Iori-chan that foot shampoo.”
“W-what…?!”
Seeing the look of shock on the teacher’s face made me chuckle contentedly. Turns out, that gift wasn’t just a wild guess after all.
This must be the pinnacle of my table-setting skills in terms of artistry!
At that moment, Iori managed to break free from my grip. Well, I had just let her go.
“Phew…! What on earth were you thinking sending that?! I can’t believe it!”
Starting to fire questions at me like a machine gun, Iori shot me a glare. To me, who was well accustomed to such glares, it had no effect, and before long, Iori gave up.
Instead, she turned to the teacher.
“And what’s up with this foot fetish…?”
Iori looked utterly disgusted. No, that was more like a look of contempt.
Those blessed with specific tastes have eyes that feel like awards bestowed upon them.
“We’re meeting for the first time, so let me clarify something—I’m—”
“Shut up! You’re an adult, right? Is that appropriate? I can’t understand why you’d like something like feet.”
“…Hmm.”
I surveyed the bemused teacher and Iori, switching my gaze between them, suddenly recalling the high likelihood that the original teacher licked Iori’s bare feet rather than just her shoes.
No way. That’s not just a fetish; that’s plain perversion.
As I pondered this, a smirk appeared on the teacher’s face. Realizing the mischievous glint in her eyes, I finally grasped the situation.
“Now that I think about it, it wouldn’t really matter if you use foot shampoo. If you’ve been running around outside until just now, I’m sure there’s sweat on your po—”
“…!!!”
Look at that flush of shame painting Iori’s dark skin a bright red.
“You’re insane! Pervert! Go die!!!”
Just as I enjoyed teasing Aco because the reactions were amusing, it became clear that the original teacher must have similarly relished the insane reaction Iori had to her teasing.
“Hey, Iori-chan, could you add ‘pervert, die!’ to that phrase? Like ‘pervert, scum, go die~’ would be perfect.”
But that’s a whole different matter. The teacher being a degenerate enjoying mocking a girl half his age doesn’t change one bit.
“…What’s a scum?”
I didn’t bother answering the teacher’s question.
That’s a secret I intend to keep for life.
