The deal with the Kaiser President couldn’t be documented in writing, so it had to remain an oral agreement without any evidence. However, the threat I held in my hand was so terrifying that the President couldn’t just brush it off.
Soon after, explosive revelations began, leading to numerous executives and presidents of Kaiser subsidiaries being arrested one after another.
[The truth behind the hijacking and sinking incident of the trade ship Nereus from the Odyssey Marine School. Was it really a terror act from Kaiser Express using even Reikubyō no Yū as a discarded card?]
[Kaiser Industry caught off guard while developing hypersonic cruise missiles and unprecedented toxic gas. The Student Council President is drawing her sword.]
[This time it’s the Defense Office Head! The Student Council Defense Office Head is under investigation for bribery charges from Kaiser. Is the Defense Office okay as it is now?]
[Kaiser Corporation faces its biggest crisis since establishment. Nine subsidiaries have hit their lower limit for two consecutive days. With stock prices plummeting unpredictably, shareholders are wailing—]
“Wow—Oh…?”
Wait a minute. My Kaiser stocks…!
Twenty percent drop for two consecutive days?
!?
“Mika, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“I’m the world’s only fool….”
“…There must be a reason you suddenly said that. Mika, you can talk to me freely if something’s up. I’ll help you figure it out, no matter what.”
“Hina-chan… my Kaiser stocks…!”
Hina, hearing about my stocks that have hit lower limits for two days straight, placed her forehead in her palm and sighed. Well, the one who’s sighing ought to be me…
“Mika, that’s entirely your fault, isn’t it? You could’ve at least cashed out before the operation started.”
“No, I know that! But living with Hina-chan just makes me lose focus. Yeah, so I ended up completely forgetting.”
“…That’s quite a pleasant thing to say. Did you lose a lot?”
“Maybe I kept around the original amount…? I bought it a few months ago, and it had been on a steady upward trend since then.”
“Well, that’s a silver lining. Just be careful next time. And about that…”
Hina seems to have something she wants to say, but looking at her cautious demeanor makes me think it probably leads to something quite embarrassing. I won’t know exactly what it is until Hina tells me.
I subtly turned my body to the side, resting my head on Hina’s thighs who was sitting upright at the head of the bed.
“…Heu, Mika?”
“Hina-chan, I think we don’t need to be so careful with words between us. If there’s something you want, saying it without hesitation might lead to a more comfortable relationship for both of us, don’t you think?”
“What I wanted has already come true. It’s not that I was choosing my words, I just felt a bit embarrassed to bring it up…”
As Hina said this, she gently ran her fingers through my hair. In that simple gesture, I realized what she truly wanted.
In other words, she wanted to comfort me and was aiming for a lap pillow. But it was embarrassing to ask me to lay on her legs.
“Ahaha, our Hina-chan gets even cuter when she finally starts getting used to things!”
“…”
How could I not love Hina, who looked like she was dying of embarrassment while avoiding eye contact but didn’t stop her hand?
If cuteness were justice, Hina sitting here right now would undoubtedly be the benchmark for justice. And if cuteness were toxic, I must’ve already overdosed.
“I thought about it a bit, and the reason I forgot about the stocks is that Hina-chan has been tormenting me with Jenga.”
“…What?”
“Yep, I’m sure of it. So Hina-chan definitely has to take responsibility for this☆”
I was still unable to shake off the bitter memories of defeat.
Thus, I planned to settle it with a slightly different game this time. As the flames I ignited spread throughout Kivotos, burning Kaiser down, I was filled with thoughts of having a delightful holiday morning with Hina.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind taking responsibility for you, but… shouldn’t we at least graduate first…?”
“Wow—Oh…?”
It’s not that I disliked the idea, but that wasn’t exactly what I meant by “take responsibility”!
*
“Whew… I have no idea how this sudden calamity has come about. I thought I wouldn’t end up in the Defense Office Head position until at least the end of this year, and yet that senior got himself into trouble like this…”
After a few days, I met Kaya again, who looked somewhat happy yet completely conflicted. Her eye smile was still intact, but she wore an expression that signified distress.
“Haha, right? I have no idea what that friend was thinking when he grabbed onto such a rotten string as Kaiser. No matter how tempting the immediate gain is in front of him, committing a crime out in the open and expecting it to be covered up for a few bucks is quite impressive in many ways. Isn’t that right, Kaya-chan… or should I now call you Defense Office Head?”
“Ugh? No, please don’t do that. I’m just temporarily taking over the Defense Office Head position, and the formal appointment will probably be next month.”
“I see. But doesn’t that mean the excuse you used the other day is now meaningless?”
“Eh…?”
“Oh, come on, Kaya-chan. Why are you pretending not to know? Since you are currently occupying the Defense Office Head position… right now seems like the perfect time to reconsider our relationship a bit more positively, doesn’t it?”
After all, Kaya was indeed sitting in the Defense Office Head’s office. Even if it’s temporary, she had confidently called herself the next Defense Office Head.
“Haha… if you say that, it might lead to some misunderstanding, Mika-san. I’m sorry, but I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that this time.”
“Why? Why? Is Kaya-chan that averse to being tied to me as friends?”
“…Whether to call that dislike or not, I’m unsure as well. Mika-san, watching the former Defense Office Head get dragged away this time made me realize that people in the Defense Office need to be careful about their conduct. No matter what academy it is, when dealing with executives or someone of that level, one must always be cautious. Personal connections tend to blur people’s judgment, you know?”
“Hmm… I feel like you’re attaching too much meaning to the relationship of friendship, but if that’s the mindset you have as Defense Office Head, then pushing further would indeed be rude. Fine, I’ll respect that part.”
“Thank you for understanding, Mika-san. Now let’s slowly transition to work matters. The Student Council President’s directive has come down to the Defense Office. All subsidiaries of Kaiser whose wrongdoings have been exposed are ordered to be harshly dealt with.”
It reminded me once again that even the Student Council President has limits to her patience. The biochemical weapons had stomped right on that line, and even she, who was previously skeptical about this matter, completely flipped her stance.
“However, considering Kaiser’s share in the industry and heavy industry, to even start talking about importance here is wearing. Therefore, the plan will proceed to sell both companies to the private sector while managing and supervising directly from the Defense Office moving forward. We must ensure such incidents do not repeat.”
“Hmm… it’s true that it’s impossible for the Student Council to outright consume the companies, and it has been proven that regulation alone can’t prevent it, so all that’s left is control.”
Even if I manage to salvage other subsidiaries, the industry will definitely drift solidly away from the President’s hands. Speaking of which, if they’re to be sold to the private sector, it means mergers and acquisitions.
Oh, doesn’t that mean I can recover what I lost in stocks?
If I buy in at the low point of the Industry stocks that have plummeted and they merge as a solid company, then…
“Mika-san?”
“Ah, um?”
“You suddenly went silent. I was wondering if anything’s bothering you…”
…I couldn’t help but be more concerned about Kaya’s eyes narrowing than what she was saying. That’s puzzling.
“It’s nothing. Just thought about something pointless for a moment.”
“I see… If you have anything to add regarding this matter, feel free to say it. For this case, the Student Council President ordered that your opinion be prioritized above anyone else’s… even more so than her own.”
“The Student Council President went as far as to say that? That’s a bit surprising. But I feel like I’m being overestimated a bit. Now that we’ve reached this point, I think there’s nothing more I can add. Yeah, the Student Council is already adequately managing this matter; there’s no need to complicate things by throwing in my thoughts.”
In fact, I feel like the situation with Kaiser can soon be entirely tossed over to the Student Council. I’ve done what I needed to do, so isn’t it now the Student Council President’s turn to act?
“Perhaps the Student Council President expected your reaction and said so.”
“That’s quite the coincidence. I had a similar thought.”
“Yes, seems so, right?”
Seeing Kaya’s refreshing reaction, I really can’t fathom why she chose to stage a coup…
What if Kaya’s coup is a form of justice, and I’ve simply been unaware that the Student Council was the real villain this whole time?
“Whew. I’m not sure if I can perform the duties of Defense Office Head well. I’m worried for no reason.”
…Hmm. This definitely seems like a reasonable suspicion. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be explicable at all.
From today onward, I choose to support Kaya. This is the conclusion I’ve come to after careful consideration.
