The thrilling end of the match was like peering into an abyss of uncertainty. As the moments unfolded and the rightful owners of the medals were revealed, I struggled with whether to celebrate or sulk over the bizarre outcome.
First, Ichika and Tsurugi snagged the gold medals, living up to my expectations flawlessly. I couldn’t help but feel satisfied with that part.
However, the silver medals hanging around the necks of Makoto and Satsuki came as a complete shock—something I couldn’t have possibly predicted. I’d been expecting Iori’s team to take that spot, yet they ended up getting eliminated instead.
Naturally, the bronze medals went to Sakurako and Mine, who showcased solid performances. Mine, still reeling from Satsuki’s tricks, looked utterly disheartened. With a little tenderness in my heart, I sneaked a message over on Momotalk to tell her not to be too hard on herself.
Thanks to Ichika’s stellar performance and Makoto’s shocking tenacity, this unexpected twist had occurred, but when I looked at who had actually won medals, it wasn’t far off from what I had expected—or rather, hoped for.
The gap had been narrowed from eight points to five. Still bleak, but hey, at least no additional points had been lost. That was definitely something to celebrate.
Fufu. “What can I say, that match was a mess. But, hey, that makes it more entertaining!”
“Ah, I think the same. The frustration only adds to the viewing experience, right? Sure, it’s a bummer we didn’t snag the silver, but… wait a second.”
As I was speaking, my phone rang just before the medal ceremony began. I glanced at the screen to see Shichido Yukino’s name pop up. My instincts told me something was amiss. I excused myself briefly and took the call.
“Hello?”
[Mika-san, there’s been a minor commotion at the beach under the Onsen Development Department in the Gehenna Autonomous District. Luckily, one of our squad members was on standby, and we managed to subdue the situation before it escalated…]
“Uh-huh, and? If it ended there, it doesn’t seem like it’s worth a direct report to me.”
Essentially, the FOX Squad follows only the Student Council President, but at the festival, the authority is split between Hina and me. Given that I remained on-site today, it was only natural for Yukino to report to me.
While I had a hunch the Onsen Development Department was plotting something, learning they had preemptively been weeded out eased my worries. Now, I could just let the student council handle the apprehensions.
[It seems several witnesses mentioned seeing the Reikubyō no Yū as well.]
“Eh? Are you talking about Kosaka Wakamo, the one I know?”
[Yes. We confirmed testimonies that suggest they seemed to be collaborating with the Onsen Development Department before leaving the site. It seems necessary to tighten security at the festival site.]
“Ahaha… Right. I get it. I’ll discuss it with Hina and have the security reinforced starting tomorrow. For today, could you put in a little extra effort, Yukino? Oh, and don’t worry about the leader of the Onsen Development Department; I’ll handle that.”
[Signal received and acknowledged.]
After hanging up, I let out a small sigh. It seems like there isn’t a single day in Kivotos without an incident. Wakamo has always been known for her reckless terror antics without any real motive, but now she’s audacious enough to pull tricks against both Gehenna and Trinity.
I might actually be grateful if she pulled a stunt today. If Tsurugi, the FOX Squad, and I responded immediately, what could Wakamo possibly do?
“Mika-san, is this a serious issue?”
Since I’m normally the type to skip calls, Nagisa sensed something was off.
“Ahaha, well, the Onsen Development Department was causing trouble, and the SRT personnel deployed by the Student Council President subdued them. I have to head down for a bit; that kid named Kasumi who took part today is the head of that club.”
“I’ve heard of the Onsen Development Department. I’ve heard that around 50% of the spending for road recovery projects in Gehenna is due to damages caused by them…”
Oh, I see. Thanks for the useful info, Haruna.
But hearing that from you, who is notorious in Gehenna as somewhat of a terrorist, feels… unsettling.
*
We descended from the audience and approached the awards ceremony stage, with Haruna opting to part ways for something she needed to prepare.
Although she didn’t directly mention it, I suspected it had to do with her sniper competition. Iori was already limited after participating in two events, leaving only Haruna and Aru as Gehenna’s remaining talent. However, the Heungsinso hasn’t appeared at the festival yet, and since those two dislike the Gehenna campus, Aru’s participation seems unlikely.
So, that left only Haruna. I genuinely want to cheer her on, but since Trinity needs to win, I can’t do that, putting me in a little turmoil—especially since Hiyori is our representative.
As we arrived at the ceremony stage, I spotted the Trinity representative awkwardly smiling while holding the gold medal. Tsurugi maintained a sullen face nearby, while Ichika seemed not quite happy, looking like she was forcing a smile.
Well, I can understand Tsurugi’s demeanor, but what’s with Ichika’s expression?
As I pondered this, Ichika’s face lit up with a bright smile as she caught sight of me.
“Ah, Mika-senpai! I thought you wouldn’t come!”
“Hmm, Ichika-chan? What’s going on?”
“…Mika-senpai, you promised to put the gold medal around my neck yourself, didn’t you?”
Huh? Um…
“Urgh, how trashy~.”
Noa chimed in playfully from behind. But wait a minute, this time I actually don’t have an excuse. I truly felt overwhelmed today—it was a real headache.
“W-Well, Ichika-chan, it’s not that I forgot that promise…!”
“…Looks like you’ve really forgotten, haven’t you?”
“No, no! It’s just that if I jumped in here to put it around your neck, it might look bad, and that sort of—”
“Just for the record, I’ve never seen such an opinion. According to the Filius kids, it seems when you show up, the ratings skyrocket temporarily. If the broadcasting company is pleased, it means there are more people welcoming you than indignant about it, right?”
Oh, Nagisa, why are you turning on me?
Typically, you would shoot back with something like, “What’s with all the interest in my Mika-senpai?” but now, it feels all too surreal.
“…President, here.”
The representative from Trinity handed me a pair of gold medals. I appreciated the sentiment, but this felt like I was stealing the limelight, which genuinely made me feel a bit guilty…
“Well, I appreciate your concern, but honestly, it’s fine. I was only concerned with the broadcast…”
“Ahaha… Thank you for saying that. But there’s something I’ve been curious about for a while now… What are those two doing?”
Everyone’s attention turned toward Makoto and Satsuki, who were standing on stage with closed eyes. The halo that was supposed to shine above their heads was nowhere to be seen.
“Are they… sleeping while standing?”
“Waaah, it’s surprisingly unperturbed.”
“Maybe Manma Battle’s stature was already rock-bottom…”
With a sigh, Iroha stepped towards Makoto and gave him a swift kick to the shins. Suddenly, like a light turning on, a halo appeared above Makoto’s head with a pop!
“Ugh…?! Wh-What is it?! Is this some sort of injustice for me snatching the gold medal, Misono Mika?! It’s just petty to take revenge like this!”
“Haa… Makoto-senpai, stop talking nonsense and wake Satsuki-senpai. By the way, what you have around your neck is a silver medal, not gold. Just look.”
“What…?!”
As Makoto caught sight of me, he prepared to go off the rails again, but Iroha shut him up, threatening to withdraw from the Manma Battle if he kept embarrassing himself.
Wow, I never thought I’d witness Iroha taking charge over Makoto. Did I end up giving her the ultimate Makoto control switch?
“Alright then… Ahem. Kenzaki Tsurugi, second-year at Trinity, and Nakamasada Ichika, first-year at Trinity. You both kept your promises, but I forgot mine, so I’m really sorry. Okay. You both worked hard☆ And thank you so much!”
I placed the gold medal around Tsurugi’s neck first. She looked adorably nervous and was avoiding my gaze. Though she had been a bit rough around the edges in the past, honestly, it was hard to find someone as sweet as Tsurugi.
Next, I draped the gold medal around Ichika’s neck. She had been quietly waiting with anticipation for this moment. She glanced down at the medal, then beamed up at me.
“The way you can uplift someone’s spirits with just a few words is impressive, Mika-senpai. Even though you forgot the promise we made, it all faded away the moment you put the medal on.”
“I-I really am sorry for forgetting…”
“Haha, it’s okay! I’m just thrilled you came to see me. I’m sure Tsurugi-senpai feels the same.”
“…”
Seeing Tsurugi shyly nod in agreement made me realize there’s more to her than meets the eye. Truly, the gap moe is no joke.
Overwhelmed, I unexpectedly pulled both of them into a hug. For some reason, it felt oddly familiar, but I couldn’t tell if it was just me…
Well, this whole situation was really the fault of our Trinity kids, making me react so emotionally over just one medal. If only they had just crushed Gehenna underfoot like I expected instead, I wouldn’t be fretting over this.
“M-Mika…?!”
“Uh-oh, senpai… Were we not supposed to get caught? Or were you not worried since you didn’t care from the start…?”
“Ahaha, what are you even saying?☆”
Wait, that was not a joke! Nagisa was staring at me with a suspicious look. We’re not like that…!
“Uh, while I feel a bit guilty saying this to the two of you who worked hard, can I ask a favor? Well, it’s more work-related than just a favor.”
“A favor…? If it’s for my, eh, friend…”
“Sure, we’ll do whatever you ask.”
“…Saying it like that makes me feel like I’ve committed a terrible sin. Anyway, could you head to the Gehenna player waiting room and bring back the kid named Kasumi? If it’s okay, Iori-chan can handle it but, honestly, I trust you two a bit more.”
But I can’t shake off the feeling that Iori could mess up badly at any moment. Even if she has a track record, a record is still a record…!
