As we moved from the Trinity campfire to the neutral faction campfire, I was met with several familiar faces here too. Most were faces I recognized unilaterally, though.
What was particularly surprising was the sheer number of students from the Sisterhood that I saw here, especially the image of Sakurako capturing photos with a seemingly unknown Gehenna student, which stuck in my mind the most.
Perhaps it was because I didn’t know that she was the head nun of the Sisterhood, I didn’t feel intimidated, so it seemed like Sakurako was enjoying the hotspring festival at ease.
I wanted to chat with students from other academies whom I knew unilaterally, but due to my situation, I decided to be satisfied with just observing them.
Then I encountered Wakamo and the FOX Squad, and I was surprised to see them getting along so well without any major quarrels.
For reference, when I say they didn’t have any big fights, I mean they at least didn’t have their guns aimed at each other. In the current FOX Squad, the only one who could embrace Wakamo was Niko, the embodiment of light.
Given this, when it comes to carrying out operations, I find the idea of managing Wakamo solo a bit more appealing than pairing her with either the FOX Squad or Arius Squad.
When comparing the actual strength of the three parties, I believe they would yield roughly equal results, but considering Wakamo is quite the elusive kid, I feel like she could handle things well on her own.
When I asked them about my thoughts, both the FOX Squad and Wakamo answered in unison.
“Mika-san, if you collaborate with that woman, I can assure you that efficiency would actually decrease.”
“Oh my… that’s a pretty harsh thing to say, little fox. I can’t help but agree with that.”
“Well, you’re using personal revenge as a excuse, not justice, and that’s why it doesn’t align with us.”
“Hahaha, I had a hunch that would be the case. It’s really not a good match.”
Yukino’s words were undoubtedly the truth. Regardless of Wakamo’s self-reflection, she certainly wasn’t someone who honored justice.
If we were to dissect it, Wakamo is thinking, “I want to get back at Kaiser who messed with me,” while Yukino concluded that tolerating Kaiser’s actions couldn’t be called justice.
“Well then, I’ll consider managing Wakamo solo. Or maybe rely on a part of the operation entirely…”
“Ufufufu… Knowing that you trust me so much, I can’t let you down, can I?”
“…Mika-san, no matter how I think about it, I don’t think that’s the right way to go. You don’t want to see the news the next day about Reikubyō no Yū attacking Kaiser, do you?”
“Hmm, hearing that does make me second-guess it.”
Niko is always right. So I etched that into my mind and repeated it two more times.
“Oh, come on… that’s too much… playing with the heart of a poor little fox like that.”
Believing in Wakamo, the owner of countless red strings.
Believing in Niko, the sushi artisan.
Honestly, it wasn’t a difficult choice at all.
*
“Mika. You’d manage well wherever you go, but just remember to always be careful. Keep in mind that there are many who cherish and care for you.”
Mountain after mountain, fox after fox.
After meeting five foxes, I found yet another one.
Next to her was a small tea table, whose arrival I was unsure of, with Hina and Nagisa sitting across from each other, arms crossed. Nagisa was sipping her tea silently with her eyes closed, and it was clear she was sulking.
…By the way, perhaps due to the limited time today, she refrained from beating around the bush and simply worried about me. After all, no one else would stroke Seiya’s feelings like I would.
“By the way, I didn’t expect Seiya-chan to be here. I thought she had gone back already.”
“I can’t hide behind you forever, can I? With Nagisa stepping up, I have to too.”
“Heueng. Still, Seiya-chan is way too frail, isn’t she? I’d actually feel better if she stayed hidden.”
“It’s fine. That’s what bodyguards are for. More importantly, it seems like you have more urgent matters right now.”
As Seiya said, my most pressing priority was to soothe and reassure Nagisa before leaving. I had a lot of people to care for, but if I had to prioritize, there was no one more deserving than Nagisa.
In the midst of managing other kids, my time to be with her was drastically reduced…
“Nagisa-chan~!”
“…”
“Open your eyes. Okay?”
She’s just being stubborn, reducing our time to chat even more instead of just relenting.
“Nagisa, we’re leaving in 20 minutes. Are you going to stay like that?”
Surprisingly, Hina had no room to compromise when it came to time. The appointed time was 9 o’clock sharp. At that time, she would carry me off to Gehenna with determination.
Unlike Nagisa, who could meet me whenever she wanted, it was hard to argue against Hina’s need to set aside time for herself.
“Nagisa-chan, at least you’ve avoided the worst, right? You’ve seen what kind of kid Makoto-chan is, so you know.”
I naturally moved closer behind Nagisa and gently wrapped my arms around her. Upon this, Nagisa seemed to be in the mood to talk and put down her teacup.
“…Haa.”
“Hahaha, Nagisa-chan. Sighing isn’t good for your health, you know? Especially not for your pretty face.”
“Well then, Mika-san, it would be great if you could help so there wouldn’t be a reason for me to sigh.”
Nagisa said this while leaning back against me, placing her hand on my arm.
“It’s not that I have any complaints about you briefly leaving for Gehenna. As you mentioned earlier, it’s not something I would begrudge if it’s for the Manma Battle and with Hina, whom I can trust. And I approved of it, so I won’t throw a tantrum. It’s just…”
“Just?”
“I’m worried that if you get there and don’t fix your bad habits, you’ll just be surrounded by people that make you feel good.”
“Eh? Hahaha, no way! I’m not like that at all.”
“…Haa.”
“Mika, I’m sorry but… that’s actually true.”
With Nagisa’s sigh and Hina’s rebuttal, I froze, unable to keep smiling. Was I really that bad…?
“Forget it. That bad habit won’t change just because you ask it to. I’ll just do better, so please don’t keep turning your eyes away from me like this, Mika-san.”
I tightened my arms around Nagisa, determined to spend this remaining time together without any regrets, not letting even a moment apart escape us.
Unlike before, I’ve become somewhat of a bothersome character now, yet the opportunity had been tossed my way; whatever happens next, it would be because of Nagisa’s choosing. That’s what I thought.
*
Fortunately, when the time came, Nagisa released me far more gracefully than I expected. Perhaps the 40 minutes of chatting together, instead of the planned 20, did the trick.
It was only natural for Nagisa to feel gratitude and affection toward Hina for patiently waiting. I was sure that these two would be able to become friends in the future.
Thanks to using a helicopter to head towards Gehenna, we arrived at the main campus in no time. Remembering the violent driving experience I had when I first set foot in Gehenna made the helicopter feel like a blessing.
During the two-hour ride in the helicopter, Hina seized the opportunity to sit beside me, nervously holding my hand, as if she wanted a reward for having to watch me indulge in lovey-dovey moments with Nagisa.
Considering how much better this situation was than being a slave to Makoto, I was genuinely grateful to Hina. Holding her hand, we exchanged quiet conversations.
Out of everything, the most shocking moment came when…
“Hahaha, arriving at such a late hour only to deal with paperwork, Hina-chan, aren’t you addicted to work…?”
“If I keep postponing what needs to be done, it’ll just come back to haunt me, Mika. Luckily, I dragged the clubs that often cause problems into the festival, so we’ll probably have a break from major incidents for a few days. I should be able to wrap this up in about two hours.”
Proving her words right, as soon as we landed at the main campus, Hina headed toward the Student Council headquarters. She mentioned she wanted to show me to the lodging space I’d be using, but I insisted on helping her a little with her work instead.
“Mika… regardless of what our relationship is, I can’t show you the contents of the documents since you’re from a different academy.”
“Hmm, is there really nothing I could help you with? It feels awkward for me to rest alone knowing how much Hina-chan is struggling.”
What Hina said was undoubtedly true, so I couldn’t push further.
If it were me, I might have thought, “If it’s Hina, I can trust her,” and ask her to take care of some relatively less important documents, but there wouldn’t be any documents from the Student Council that would be appropriate for someone from another academy to see.
“Well, if you’re that uncomfortable, simply staying here with me is enough. I’d honestly feel more at ease if I went ahead to relax, but…”
“Hahaha, that’s not something I’d find comfortable at all.”
In the end, my first day in Gehenna with Hina ended with me watching her work. The positive piece of news was that her task was completed in just an hour, half of what she expected.
