If you’re only a bottom rung of the Student Council, it’s rare for a high-ranking official to personally visit another academy’s autonomous district. The status of the Student Council is such that it’s usually hard to handle unless it’s at the level of a large academy.

“Thank you for the warm welcome, Mika. Of course, it’s somewhat regrettable to see you again under these circumstances…”

“Huh? No, no, it’s not that much of a welcome. I’m just happy to see Kaya-chan’s face after a long time. Honestly, I never thought you would come all the way here…”

“It’s only natural for me to visit in person. This is a matter that could potentially cause chaos across Kivotos, and without your help, Mika, we might not have fully grasped the situation right before it erupted… or even after it did.”

And it was quite unusual for Kaya, the head of the Defense Office, who has built a solid position under Rin in the Student Council, to visit another autonomous district.

“As the person responsible for overall security in Kivotos, this is a matter I simply cannot overlook… indeed, must not overlook. This time… oh, this is nice.”

“Hahaha. Of course I know it’s to your taste, Kaya-chan. Yup.”

Shiranuichi Kaya has a penchant for subtly expensive tastes. And she likes coffee too.

I also quite like something like Cafe Mocha, but when it comes to diving deep into coffee beans and such, I’m a total novice. Today, it’s just some good beans I had stocked up before… what was it again? Blue Mountain?

Anyway, this is just something Aco brewed expertly. Normally, a particularly talented attendant would step up to serve coffee, but…

“Um, Mika’s taste is… uh, refined. Yes, I really think it brings out a refined vibe.”

Today was somewhat different. Thanks to a fortuitous victory in a chess match, I had a competent maid on hand for my service for five days, who also happens to be a potential girlfriend, Amau Aco.

The reason Kaya went out of her way to compliment my taste was entirely due to Aco’s outfit.

A black dress with a white apron that flows down from the shoulders, adorned with frills. And even a hairband on her head. It was truly a typical maid outfit, but there was one distinct difference… it had a daring design that would make anyone gasp.

“R-refined…?”

Seeing Aco’s face turn red, making a grimace while her side was completely exposed, I wondered if Kaya’s compliment was an attempt to dress up my taste in an unflattering way.

“Oh my, to think you would even describe this as refined. Your taste is quite… progressive, isn’t it?♡”

“P-progressive?”

“Uhuhuhu. Of course. Should I get a spare one for the Defense Office Head? Opportunities to engage with our senior are not as frequent as you’d think.”

“I’ll pass, thank you…”

…On the side, Hanako, who was in a specially made spare maid outfit for Aco, seemed to play a significant role in this conversation.

Seeing my friend being attended to by two girls in maid outfits with daring side slits, I couldn’t help but think I’d immediately declare, ‘What a lunatic…’ so I could totally understand the reaction.

More than that, to suggest Kaya wear that outfit… Hanako has clearly gone completely mad. To have her wear an outfit tailored for Aco’s size, flaunting a side slit?

No way. Hanako, she’d seriously get herself in trouble…

“Kaya-chan, it’s fine to let our cute underclassman’s words slip by. If you just look at her abilities… well, she’s definitely someone you wouldn’t easily find even in the Student Council. Yup.”

“That’s certainly impressive.”

As I boasted, I noticed Kaya’s gaze on Hanako shift slightly. It seemed to hold some sort of craving vibe.

Hmm, for someone like Kaya who always claimed to have bad luck with people, a competent subordinate’s presence might be enticing.

“Now, let’s get to the main topic… As you mentioned, we were able to confirm that the Kaiser Corporation is indeed plotting something. They have gathered a large military force and have their own production facilities, running the factory non-stop.”

“Wow—so they were really preparing for an all-out offensive. Yup, this is a huge feat thanks to Iroha-chan!”

“As you said, if the Kaiser Corporation gathers this level of military power and collaborates with Gehenna to launch a military coup against the Student Council… unless the entire Gehenna gets involved, I don’t think it would be impossible to suppress them using SRT and Valkyries. However, it would take quite some time for them to carry this out.”

“Hahaha… the Student Council’s leadership in Gehenna is different from that of Manma Battle, so it’s unlikely the entire group would join in… but who knows? If Makoto manages to skillfully incite the students… there are plenty of idiots in Gehenna who would join a coup simply because it looks fun. Yup.”

Kaya seemed surprised that I referred to someone as ‘kid,’ and she opened her eyes for the first time today.

Wow. Seeing those pupils again after a long time… certainly sexy…

…Ah, snap out of it. I’ve been warned by Nagisa-chan, yet here I go again.

B-but I really think Kaya’s face, with her eyes open, is definitely sexy. Also, it’s alright to appreciate her as long as I’m careful, right? Right, Nagisa-chan?

“Um, wait a moment. At that time—uh, I mean… Mika, why do you know so much about Gehenna?”

“…So, you thought I would push for a closer relationship with Gehenna without knowing anything? Huh, that hurts a bit.”

“N-no, that’s not it. I’m just a little surprised that you know so much.”

“Well, I need to know about those causing trouble for our Hina-chan… it’s somewhat obvious. More than that.”

Shifting my gaze to Kaya, who took a sip of her coffee, I tapped the table with my fingers.

“If the Defense Office approves, we can launch an assault on the facilities Kaiser has set up in Abydos in five days. Yup. We should mobilize Abydos and SRT while ensuring we don’t reveal any connections to Trinity… um, or wait. Since it will include operations with the teachers and Shalle, the affiliated academy shouldn’t matter too much? In the end, it’ll be a suppression operation carried out by Shalle and SRT with the Defense Office’s approval.”

“I have no issues granting approval. However, for any unforeseen information leaks, I think it would be better to grant approval only on the morning of the operation day… What do you think, Mika?”

“Wait a second. Information leaks from decisions made internally within the Student Council? Is that even possible?”

Upon hearing my question, Kaya gave a slightly mysterious and very shady smile and replied.

“I don’t trust the Student Council, Mika. Since February, the Student Council has been missing… and is all focused on searching for the Student Council President, who chose to disappear on her own. To be specific, it’s our esteemed acting Student Council President, Nanagami Rin.”

“Hmm… I can somewhat understand Rin-chan’s stance.”

“Mika, I don’t actually think any of the Student Council’s members would leak information to Kaiser. Therefore… yes, this is a way for me to express my complaints against acting Rin in my own way.”

“For that reason, to have such a matter approved on the day of… Hahaha. This might have been something better left unheard. Anyway, if we think of it as being prepared for any unforeseen circumstances, it might not be a bad plan.”

It’s not a good sign that conflict is starting to brew between Rin and Kaya within the Student Council, but it’s not something serious enough to cause me to worry. Power struggles exist in any group after all.

As long as it doesn’t escalate into a major problem, I really don’t care what they do among themselves. Based on my experiences with Kaya, I believe she can handle that level of discernment.

Overall, Kaya’s proposal is certainly valid if you strip away her grievances towards Rin. After all, there’s nothing more frightening than an internal enemy, and the Student Council has already taken money from Kaiser before.

Of course, that was with previous heads of the Defense Office, but even aside from that, the ones who pocketed money before had undoubtedly existed. They were just filtered out during the Kaiser Gate incident.

“Then… on the day, Kaya-chan will pass the operation approval in the Student Council’s internal meeting, and as soon as that’s confirmed, the waiting troops will enter to annihilate Kaiser’s forces… Yup, it could work well to dispatch the towing artillery unit right on time.”

“Even if Kaiser notices something odd, by then it will be far too late.”

“Yup, that’s right. I believe the fire support from the towing artillery unit would be quite substantial.”

Thinking that this time, I would be the one moving the towing artillery unit that had troubled Kaiser PMC back in the original story, I felt an unexpected rush of dopamine. Hahaha.

“Um, Kaya-chan? Why have you been staring like that since earlier?”

“…It’s nothing, I was just lost in thought for a moment. Hehe. You really don’t need to worry so much, Mika!”

What’s this? This forced cheery smile from Kaya feels oddly familiar. When did I see it?

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling a sense of discomfort, as Hanako was also casting a strange look at Kaya.

…Hmm.

“Oh, by the way, Mika. How do you take care of your skin?”

“Huh?”

“I noticed it even when we met before, but today your face seems to have this glow to it. If you have a good product, I’d appreciate a hint…”

The skincare products I use? They are a bit, well, quite expensive. But at her level, as the head of the Defense Office, maybe it won’t be a problem?

What if I thought of getting her some as a birthday present later—

“Uhuhuhu. Sharing Mika-senpai’s skin care secrets with the Defense Office Head could be a fun idea. Just to let you know, the product senpai uses isn’t applied, it’s… eaten!♡”

“Wait! Hanako-chan, stop! That’s a no-go!”

“Oh? Did you overindulge yesterday, senpai? Uhuhuhu.”

“…?”

I raised my hands to cover my face against the utterly confused looks from Aco and the seemingly oblivious Kaya.

Please, right now Nagisa must be dozing off, tired. Let’s respect my private life a bit, Hanako.