After sending Kaya back, my office, which should have been quiet, was still noisy.
“You really…”
“Are you talking about me?”
“Who else could it be? Honestly, this person is Mika—”
“You should call her Mika-sama, you know?”
Hanako grinned and immediately jabbed Aco in the solar plexus. Aco flinched but didn’t back down, trying to argue back.
“B-but you don’t call her that?!”
“Well, unlike someone who’s addicted to losing, I’ve never lost a bet♡”
Ouch. That’s definitely going to hurt. At this point, Aco must be getting a bit worn out…
“D-don’t joke around! I beat this person yesterday!”
Nope, good luck with that. Still, the determination is impressive. I’ll give you that much, Aco.
“Looking at the results, that bet was technically won by Mika-senpai, wasn’t it?”
“…”
Seeing Aco speechlessly opening and closing her mouth, it seems she just can’t win against Hanako. Poor thing.
As for me, I have my secret weapon I can use against Hanako if it comes to that… but unfortunately for Aco, that’s not an option.
“Aco-chan, could you give my shoulders a bit of a massage☆”
“Huh? Why would I…”
Aco, still adjusting to her situation, reflexively asked back, but realizing she had to do it, she squeezed her eyes shut.
…Was it that unpleasant?
“No, well… if you don’t want to, then…?!”
“Don’t worry, okay? A bet is a bet! But I swear, I won’t lose next time!”
Eek! Aco, who shouted, began to knead my shoulders. This kind of intensity might make a teacher scream, but for me, it’s refreshing, so I don’t mind.
“Hey, Aco-chan. If you’re going to talk about next time after this, doesn’t that mean you’re just enjoying losing?”
“Why is losing a given for me?!”
“Well… because that’s how it’s been decided.”
Aco winning? That world line shouldn’t exist. That’s insanity.
Yeah, Aco really does look best when she’s sulking after a loss. Honestly, her reactions are cute, and her eek sounds so delicate that there’s nothing actually annoying about it.
Anyway, amongst my tiny…
Well, among the students, how many aren’t tiny, anyway?
Anyway! Feeling Aco’s tiny hands working on my shoulders in this luxurious situation while Hanako picks the key documents for handling to ask for my opinion… this is completely absurd.
Double secretaries… no, double maids, who knew they could be like this?
I should keep that maid outfit in mind for later. It’s bound to be a great time to have Nagisa wear it. Although I expect to hear the usual lectures on it being too revealing and whether she’s even aware she’s a T-party host…
But deep down, I know she’ll definitely like it. Yes, definitely.
“More importantly, Mika…”
“Hehe… just act as usual, Aco-chan. I think that’s better. I’ve heard it enough times now!”
“Ugh. So, Mika-san, I’ve been wanting to ask for a while, but is it really okay to handle the work like this with me here?”
“Yup☆”
“Are you serious? I’m still a student affiliated with Gehenna! I think writing up budget proposals for each club right in front of me is a serious violation of regulations?!”
Well, simply putting out the budget size for each club to Gehenna isn’t a big deal. It could be another story if they find out more details, like where the Justice Realization Department spends its funds…
But if we just get the Eden Treaty passed, that’s that… I highly doubt Aco and Hina would betray me and mess things up.
“Ahaha. As long as Hanako-chan keeps this secret, it’ll be a perfect crime, so it’s fine.”
“Fufufu. I don’t really care about regulations♡”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, having people like this in charge of Trinity is absolutely insane!”
“But to me, Mika-senpai is more important than Trinity.”
“Y-you’re crazy. That’s just madness.”
“Oh my. It was Trinity that made me this way, Aco. I’m a lot better compared to before, but before I met Mika-senpai, this snake pit… it was truly… a dreadfully suffocating place?”
With those words, Hanako placed the documents in front of me. As Aco instinctively stopped massaging, I quickly handled it and she immediately snatched it back.
Ah, this feels so good. This luxurious working environment is truly my first experience.
“I-I feel like a fool now, not having shown a single sheet of paper while Mika-san was here last year…”
“Ahaha, Iori-chan picked it up pretty well. Yup, I guess I lacked trust?”
“Back then, yes. But rules are rules. Well, now things have changed a bit…”
Ah, seeing Aco sneak a glance at me, it seems that moment has come! The perfect time to tease her!
“Heueng… so you have a bit more faith now, huh? Then can I also help Hina-chan when I get to Gehenna from now on?”
“…The head’s tasks are my responsibility!”
“Yup, that’s right. But surely I can help a bit, right?”
“So, Mika-san, you have to assist me, not the head! Assisting me is the same as assisting the head. Do you get it?!”
…Hmm? This is going a bit differently than I expected. It really feels like a jealousy-fueled situation.
Thinking a bit differently, this is quite amusing. The one who used to encourage me whenever I praised Hina and pushed for me to prioritize the head was none other than Aco.
It’s quite interesting that Aco would get jealous over her idol Hina like this. I noticed it yesterday too, but it seems she’s quite sincere when it comes to me.
If she keeps showing these kinds of reactions, I’ll end up swaying like a reed too.
“Oh my… then the idea that Aco-san assisting me is actually assisting Mika-senpai also stands, doesn’t it?”
“Puhew?!”
“Fufufu. Please give my shoulders a little rub too, Aco-chan♡”
“Okay, okay?!”
…Hmmm. Are Hanako and Aco truly complete opposites, or do they surprisingly get along well? It feels like quite the dilemma, comparable to the millennial conundrum.
And hey, shouldn’t I not be too focused on work with both these beauties at my sides? I don’t care whether the work environment is luxurious or not, yet here I am with maids in revealing outfits working nearby. Isn’t that a bit overdoing it?
“More importantly, it’s somewhat serious that I, the person overseeing Gehenna students, am here…”
“I think that doesn’t matter, you know? After all, starting today, it’s club activity experience after class.”
“Yes, so that means I am more necessary, right? I can see endless disputes happening everywhere. Like, if Gehenna students cause a ruckus in the library—”
“Hey, I think you should pray for the souls of those students when that happens.”
I’m serious. A ruckus in the library? If Uei wishes for dismemberment, I won’t stop her. The moment Uei’s kids are harmed, anyone will regret pulling such a stunt.
“And what’s the big deal if there are continuous disputes? Hah, after a few days of brawling, bonds will surely form!”
“That’s way too optimistic…”
“Ahaha! Aco-chan, being optimistic isn’t anything special; hoping that our two academies would improve from just a few handshakes is optimistic. I reckon this is better than forcing everyone to behave! For instance… hmm, let’s see. Like us?”
“…Us?”
“Puhew… well, that’s just how I see it.”
Just like Aco and me, bickering and gradually getting closer. I don’t think that’s an unrealistic scenario.
Of course, I can’t completely eliminate the possibility that things may get worse between us, but still, I saw potential during last summer’s festival. Even if it’s not during my school years, I’m sure there will come a time when Atsuko takes over the host position and successfully mends the relationship between the two academies.
…So please, Atsuko. I can understand a bit of deviation, but just make sure to handle the T-party before you become a senior, or else!
We’ve now created a relationship capable of negotiating from a different angle, so hope is definitely there. Yup.
“…”
I grabbed Aco’s hand resting on my shoulder and pulled her close. Then, leaning against her hand…
“Having a friend like a lover is definitely not an option, but a lover like a friend—”
Knock knock knock—
“Mika-sama, I have a matter to report…”
Wow, what perfect timing.
“Ah, come in!”
As soon as I permitted it, a T-party student who entered through my office door stared blankly at the two maids beside and behind me for a while. Then, they even shut their eyes.
“I report. Firstly, a provocation from four Gehenna students from the Justice Realization Department escalated into a small-scale skirmish. Three students from Gehenna and four from the Justice Realization Department have been taken care of by the Rescue Knights.”
“Also, in the tea ceremony club, an argument over the water temperature and brewing time has led to a partial explosion in their club room due to multiple grenades.”
“The baseball club was cold-gamed on the spot by the Gehenna students during a mock battle…”
“Ahaha. Hey, make sure to schedule the baseball club’s training camp starting next week with the Red Winter Autonomous District. I’ll handle the budget and permissions from the Red Winter side☆”
“Y-yes.”
When I turned slightly to look, I could see Aco with a look that said, ‘See? What did I tell you?’
Nah, things should genuinely change in a few days. Yup. I believe in our kids.
But really? Cold-gamed even against the Gehenna baseball club? You all just go freeze to death in Red Winter. I won’t go far.
