“…So when exactly does this person plan to wake up?”

Nagisa murmured as she gazed at Mika’s face, lying peacefully in the exclusive hospital bed prepared for the representative of the T-party.

“Considering she’s healthier than anyone else, why can’t she wake up…?”

Despite her grumbling tone, concern was overflowing in Nagisa’s voice. She wanted to scold her, yes, but scolding only works if the other person is actually conscious. If the person to be scolded is in a coma… then what can she do?

“Um, I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to talk about this kind of thing right now…”

The teacher, sitting on a chair in one corner, hesitantly opened her mouth. There were still many people left in the hospital room, but it had decreased a bit compared to the situation at the High Cathedral.

Currently, except for one person, everyone here had received simple treatment and stayed behind because of Mika. For some reason, on one hospital bed, three others were lying down together beside Mika, excluding her.

The most ridiculous thing was how the attendant of the T-party, who last visited the hospital, reacted with “Just as expected of Mika…!” when seeing that scene.

Nagisa was sure that attendant was definitely from Pater or Arius.

Anyway, on one side, Wakamo was lying with her arm sprawled over Mika and taking up two spots with her tail. Only one person was trying to lie down next to someone else, and that pair was unique in that regard…

That pair generously yielded their spot to Wakamo, who had worked hard today, while one was lying on the other side, allowing her to monopolize half of Mika’s space.

The opposite arm was claimed by Atsuko. Perhaps reminded of events in Arius, she was filled with the determination to greet Mika first when she woke up.

Those unaware of the backstory expected Nagisa to express her dissatisfaction towards Atsuko, but contrary to that expectation, Nagisa silently accepted Atsuko’s behavior.

Only Nagisa knew that Mika had once owed her life to Atsuko.

Lastly, the spot beside Atsuko was taken by Hanako. She honestly didn’t care who lay between her and Mika.

She just wanted to rest her exhausted body after lengthy battles, while also not wanting to leave Mika’s side, so she took the remaining space for herself.

That was why she was currently holding Mika’s hand with such reverence that it almost felt sacred.

“I’m having a hard time understanding that the Mika here isn’t the real Mika. Can I ask for a proper explanation now?”

Looking at Hina and Nagisa, the teacher inquired. Hina, sitting beside the bed with her arms crossed and eyes closed, nodded at her words.

“I’ll explain, Nagisa.”

“Hina is going to?”

“I started this, so there’s that. Unlike you, who knew the original Mika, everyone else here, including myself, only knows the current Mika. So, it’s better if I explain.”

“Well, if you put it that way… I understand.”

With that, Nagisa silently fidgeted with Mika’s hand. To her, it seemed like there was truly no solution to this dilemma.

“To cut to the chase, the Mika we know is… a being from outside Kivotos.”

At Hina’s words, voices of shock echoed throughout the room. Among them, Aco’s exaggerated “Puhuh?!” was particularly memorable.

“Mika made a deal with the Black Suit and the Maestro to return the original owner of that body, ‘the real Mika,’ back to this world. In the end, there will likely be two Mikas existing simultaneously: the known Mika and the original Mika.”

“…Then, during our last encounter, the adult that the Black Suit mentioned referred to the current Mika?”

“That part is unclear… actually, I just heard about this a short while ago, so I think Nagisa knew before me.”

“That’s right. In fact, Mika had no intentions of sharing this information with anyone except me. The only reason I know is that I’ve known the original Mika for a long time…”

“Wait a sec. So, Nagisa, in a way, you lost an old friend…”

“…Yes. Because of that, I felt resentment towards the Mika who deceived me by pretending to be amnesiac. Admittedly, it may sound harsh, but… I ended up developing feelings for the current Mika, who was kinder, more mature, and had beautiful ideals compared to the original Mika. That’s how we reached the relationship we have now.”

As Nagisa spoke, she recalled that time, momentarily wrapped in nostalgia and a bittersweet smile that was, in a sense, quite T-party-esque.

“…Most importantly, the previous Mika believed it was impossible to solve her situation. The presence within Mika’s body was not something she intended, and she knew nothing about the whereabouts of the original Mika.”

“And now that she knows the location, she’s cooperating with Gematria for that reason, to regain the life the original Mika lost…”

“The name of the organization they belong to is Gematria. Hmm. But in truth, that’s not what’s important right now.”

Everyone in the hospital room took their time digesting this hard-to-believe tale.

The children of the Arius Squad felt a bit of their confusion about Mika, who had known far too much about them and Arius during their first meeting, get unraveled, though not entirely—some questions would likely remain unanswered for a lifetime.

Haruna and Noa didn’t feel particularly affected. Their connection with Mika had originated solely from their shared culinary interests, and Noa had only been drawn to the dynamics between the two and Mika’s personality.

Hanako, who placed her cheek against Mika’s hand, felt grateful for having met the current her. She had no certainty that if she had met the original Mika, she would be happily living in Trinity like she was now.

Wakamo brushed the matter off lightly. At the current moment, resting in Mika’s embrace was far more important than any heavy topics.

Meanwhile, Aco pondered about what would happen to the student council presidency of the T-party if there were two Mikas.

Finally, the teacher wondered for a moment if Mika’s identity as an adult made her rather messed up, considering they were sharing a hospital bed with students.

Especially now, no matter how physically normal Mika might seem, seeing the students all sharing a bed raised quite a few questions.

However, the teacher wiped those thoughts from his mind and focused on a surprisingly concerning issue.

“…This is a story for when Mika’s plan succeeds and the original Mika returns. If two Mikas exist, what do you intend to call them? We can’t just call both of them Mika… Nagisa.”

“Yes, teacher. Go ahead.”

“Do you happen to know Mika… I mean, the old name of the Mika we know?”

“Regrettably, I don’t. And I have no intention of asking. It’s because I respect Mika’s wish to avoid recalling what she’s lost.”

“…That makes sense, considering it wasn’t her intention. Understood. Still, I think it would be wise to come up with a separate way to address them when things work out.”

With that, the teacher yawned lightly and blinked. It was getting close to midnight, so he thought it would be best to head back to his lodgings. Staying long in a room full of female students wouldn’t bring any good, after all.

“Since it’s getting late, I’ll head back to my lodgings now. I don’t know when Mika will wake up, but… don’t the Gehenna students come to Trinity tomorrow?”

“If Mika can’t wake up, Hina and I will have some brainstorming to do, but it’s not something to worry too much about. Thank you for your hard work today, teacher. Get plenty of rest, and we’ll see you again tomorrow.”

“…Teacher, I’ll accompany you to your lodgings.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

Without hesitation, Saori nodded at the teacher’s question. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay by Mika’s side; it was just that completing the task Mika entrusted to her perfectly was more important.

After the teacher left, when Misaki and Azusa followed Hiyori out, Nagisa and Hina turned their gaze to the critics of culinary arts.

“Um, do you two intend to stay here? You’ll have to go to school tomorrow.”

“Hehe. I’ve already gotten a response from Rion-senpai saying it’s okay to handle it as a business trip. It seems our president is particularly concerned about Mika-chan… and thanks to that, I could manage it pretty easily♪”

“…Is that so?”

Nagisa was somewhat troubled by the phrase “particularly concerned.”

However, having met Rion personally, she couldn’t help but feel a mix of annoyance and indifference at the return of what seemed like a rival.

If she had understood what Rion’s “special” interest really meant, her reaction would’ve been different, but even Noa, who mentioned him, didn’t fully grasp that essence yet.

“Well then, what about Haruna?”

“I believe that can be explained with just the word Gehenna, right?”

“…Ah.”

Gehenna was a place where skipping school became so common that not a single forged absence report dreamed up by some entrepreneur ever sold. Nagisa quickly saw the truth in that.

Time passed, and amidst the efforts from the Justice Realization Department and Sisterhood to clean up the scene at the High Cathedral…

In this splendid care, Mika finally opened her eyes.