Arius, leisure, hobbies, and play are words that just don’t click together. Harsh training, punishment, not-so-great living conditions, and a lackluster education. The joys of well-off kids and students are hard for these folks to relate to.
Leading such a squad with a motherly heart, we explore the festival stalls.
Saori wasn’t much help here either. Being the one who had lived the harshest life in the squad, even after transferring to Trinity, she was still focused on training and honing her skills, aside from attending classes. Usually, she’d end up being dragged out by Nana and the other squad kids anyway.
Thankfully, thanks to Azusa, who got closer to Hifumi, and some unnamed friends she made, Atsuko had become livelier than before; otherwise, I would have been way more tired than I am now.
“Hehe… That kakigori didn’t look special, but it’s got a heavenly taste… But, was mine not grape-flavored? The more I eat, it’s tasting more like strawberry; could this be a cheeky prank to teach me the bitter taste of life?”
“Fuhut. Hiyori-chan, that was probably just a little strawberry syrup added on purpose. Yeah, maybe it’s to enhance the grape flavor.”
“I-I see. But Mika-chan, if I hate strawberry flavor, isn’t this basically a scam?”
“Huh?”
Kakigori, simply put, we were just each enjoying some Japanese shaved ice. Hearing Hiyori’s sharp remark, I was left speechless.
“Hehe… I guess we could say that stall was trying to rip us off… If it only happened to me, it’d be just a common occurrence, but I can’t just let this slide.”
Once I heard that, I couldn’t retort; she had a point. Could this be the ‘explosion’ angle?
…Wait, what am I even saying? Kurodate, you’re rotting inside me!!!
And Hiyori, that’s not it. Why are you suddenly trying to go down that path too?
“It’s probably not out of bad intentions, so it’s fine.”
“Yeah, I like that.”
Luckily, our ladies from Trinity came to the rescue. At this rate, Azusa might join the common sense line faster than I thought.
“But still, if Hiyori wants, I’ll help too.”
“Ahaha… Azusa-chan, sit back down. And Hiyori-chan, please refrain from shooting at that stall with your ridiculous gun. That’s my request.”
Maybe it was a too hasty judgment after all. It seems like it will take a bit longer for Azusa to fully socialize.
Sitting under a large parasol, with several beach towels laid out and slurping on a slushy-like shaved ice, it felt like paradise. The squad kids chatting next to me were a nice sight too.
However, among them, there was one who was notably silent—Saori, who was quietly sitting with her legs tucked and indulging in her shaved ice. She had a look on her face like something was bothering her.
“Saori-chan, what’s on your mind? Are you still worried about what happened earlier… or do you have other concerns?”
“…Not particularly. It’s just that having this kind of leisure or luxury while in Arius was something I could never even imagine, so I’m just not used to it. Everything outside our little well is in stark contrast to what I knew, and it’s disconcerting.”
“Wasn’t there a promise? I wanted you all to be happy without being tied down by the past. In that sense, Saori-chan, are you happy now?”
“…Not yet, I can’t say for sure. If this tingling feeling can be called happiness, maybe so.”
“Hmm, defining happiness is up to oneself. One day, Saori-chan will feel that certainty too. Just like I did.”
“…Is that so? I think I’m starting to understand what you mean. The hatred that was everything to us sank so easily once we stepped out of the well, and even for us, who thought we could never be happy…”
Saori stopped her chatter and looked at the squad kids who were watching her in turn. Were they comparing their pretty, flashy selves wearing surprisingly daring swimsuits to the fully armed version of themselves?
“I vowed never to wish for happiness again, to abandon hope, and yet… something that can be called happiness has apparently come to me. Thank you, Mika. This is all thanks to you——”
“No, not all of it. I provided an opportunity, but it was all of you who seized it, right? If you had rejected my offer or rebelled until the end… the picture would have been vastly different from now. Maybe not just a little different, but 180 degrees different.”
If we had crushed the Arius Branch by force and merged it, would the kids of Arius have adapted to Trinity peacefully like they do now?
If the squad hadn’t turned cooperative, the current standing of the Arius Faction would be completely different. From a political standpoint, the once-emotionless weapons raised against us by our compatriots, who suffered under ‘outsiders’ was something that couldn’t be compared in any way. In that light, it’d be too much of a stretch to say the current situation of Arius is entirely because of me.
“Mika… excessive humility looks bad.”
“Oh? That’s not true, Saori-chan. At my level, any words I speak will look good☆”
“Kuh. Puhut. Hahhaha!”
…Wow, even I find that embarrassing to say. Honestly, isn’t it a bit much to laugh so hard, Saori?
With this face, it feels like I could seriously spout nonsense and make it sound plausible…
Oh wait, speaking of that. There was someone who got treated like a clueless kid after seriously spouting nonsense with this face. And let’s be real, that was the truth.
*
Today, one of the events happening is an eating contest. Plus, Akari is participating as a representative, so I expected she would sign up for the eating contest to fill her rumbling stomach.
But,
“Mika, the dish for today’s eating contest is yakitori.”
“Oh, I see. But why?”
“And the record for the most yakitori eaten in Kivotos is eight hundred skewers.”
“…Yeah, and?”
“I want to participate. I’m going to eat over a thousand skewers.”
Of all times, Azusa decided to challenge an unbeatable proposition. It was a rather ill-timed escapade.
Eventually, after moving to the place where the eating contest was taking place for Azusa’s sake, I saw Akari and Izumi had already completed the preliminaries. Naturally, weeding out the eaters in the prelims seems a bit odd since the more they eat, the more it burdens them in the finals.
However, this spot is packed with the top competitive eaters of Kivotos, a veritable den.
Having barely finished five bowls of yakisoba served in the preliminaries, Azusa didn’t look like she would last long in the finals, to put it mildly.
In contrast, Akari had even requested more yakisoba after finishing hers, showing she was ready for more.
“…It’s great to dream big, but I think Azusa-chan is dreaming way too big here.”
“Hehe… Mika-chan, seeing that makes me want yakisoba too. Can I have one… no, two bowls, please?”
“…Alright. Atsuko-chan and Saori-chan, if there’s something you want to eat separately, you can go with me and get it.”
I fished out a card from my wallet and handed it to Hiyori. I’m trying to make sure the squad kids get some pocket money. But unless it’s absolutely necessary, they seem determined not to spend it.
For some reason, it brings me joy when Hiyori steps up to ask for something in these situations.
“Mika-nee, do you want something to eat? I’ll pick that up on the way.”
“I’m not really hungry, but… sure, takoyaki should be fine.”
After sending the three off, I stayed back and suddenly had a question. With Izumi and Akari here, why couldn’t I see Haruna?
She said she’d contact me in advance when she came, but there’s been no word up to today.
Even though Haruna and I are both foodies, she wouldn’t be participating in the eating contest. Yet, it feels strange for the Gourmet Research Club to be wandering around separately like this.
I’d better ask Akari about it once the eating contest is over. No matter what I think, Haruna should have made an appearance once during the eating contest or the jet ski contest. Or maybe she came around without telling me and just watched from afar without me noticing?
As these thoughts crossed my mind, the preliminaries wrapped up, and just as I was about to casually speak up, thinking the kids were back, I realized there was one less footstep behind me.
Just as I turned around, a gun was suddenly pointed at the back of my head.
“Hehe~ Finally found you, Mika-chan.”
“…Huh?”
“There was definitely an opportunity yesterday too~. But you were sleeping so deeply in the sand that I couldn’t find you until today☆”
No way, I didn’t expect this situation at all. The two people from Abydos who had been supporting me in secret, Takamachi Hoshino and Izayoi Nonomi. I never thought they would come looking for me directly like this…
Well, given that they were receiving outside tourists, it wouldn’t be completely weird for them to come here. But honestly, considering Hoshino’s current state, I thought she would be a bit more on edge and not come to play in a place like this.
I can’t gauge exactly how chill Abydos has become thanks to my support, but they should at least have enough leeway to cover the expenses used for supplies. So, taking some time off from school like this wouldn’t be impossible if they had cleaned up the autonomous region ahead of time.
But for them to pinpoint me like this, I can’t wrap my head around it. How on earth did they know to come?
“You know what this is pointing at the back of your head, right? Don’t move or I might just shoot~. So, just sit tight until this uncle gives you some advice, okay?”
“I think it’s a bit much to point a gun like that, no matter what.”
“Nonomi-chan, shush. Mika-chan is super strong, so… if I don’t establish some dominance here, my message might not get through properly~?”
“Aha… Hey, shouldn’t we start with introductions first? Then maybe a little ice-breaking~? You know what I mean?”
Honestly, I’m feeling a bit pressured in this situation. Letting Hoshino aim a gun at the back of my head and not stuttering would be quite the achievement, don’t you think?
Of course, Hoshino wouldn’t actually shoot me. If she came knowing who I was, it’d be natural for her to know where I stood at Trinity. She’s certainly aware that the moment she fires, Abydos would be wiped off the map in Kivotos.
“Oh… Mika-chan, it seems you surprisingly get along well with that uncle~ Do you like napping, by any chance?”
“I don’t dislike it, but usually, I don’t have time to take a nap.”
“Hehe~ That’s too bad. I wonder if you’d ever consider transferring to our Abydos… here, you can nap to your heart’s content. If you transfer now, I could throw in a knee pillow from Nonomi-chan as a bonus~?”
Whoa. What the heck, I suddenly want to go to Abydos too… No, that’s not what’s important right now. It is important but it shouldn’t be a priority. If not, I might just meet my end at Nagisa’s hands.
I turned to look at the girl with the pink hair who was aiming a shotgun at me. She looked slightly surprised, as Hoshino’s eyes widened a bit. With her eyes holding a blue hue reminiscent of the sky and the other side glowing with the orange of the sun, we locked gazes.
I reached out and pressed her finger that was resting on the trigger. The blonde girl next to her, Nonomi, who had been giggling and showcasing her maternal qualities, jumped in surprise.
The trigger was pulled.
“…Hehe~ How did you know? I’d say that surprised this uncle a bit too~.”
“I just had a feeling.”
I knew it, the chamber wasn’t loaded. I totally expected that. Yep, I wasn’t scared at all inside.
“This is the first time we’ve faced each other like this, isn’t it? Hoshino-chan.”
Even though it was an unexpected encounter, it was also a rather pleasant one.
“…Hey, just who do you think you’re pointing a gun at?”
But at this perfectly timed moment, Saori returned, making Hoshino’s and my first meeting truly the worst.
