As expected, after my promised time with Aco ended, I had to become a clown dancing on stage.
The one to break the ice was our squirrel.
So boldly coming up to me while claiming to know nothing about dancing, I couldn’t help but admire that courage.
Fortunately, this time I managed to take the lead, which kept things looking like a human and robot dancing together… but when Azusa remarked that it was nearly perfect, even I couldn’t argue with that.
Still, judging by the appearance, it didn’t seem bad at all; the sight of two winged angels hugging and dancing must have been a spectacular view for others.
However, one surprising thing was the absence of discussions about my relationship with the Arius Squad members.
For some unknown reason, whenever I tried to bring it up, they would slam a “let’s talk about it later” wall in my face. I just figured there must be a reason for their reluctance to share.
Atsuko gave a similar but slightly different answer, saying I’d understand soon enough.
…Hmm. So when exactly would that be?
Lastly, seeing Hiyori dazzled by the free food, I decided to let her enjoy it. Now, even if I didn’t give her pocket money, she’s got enough to spare, so that little charity case… oh dear.
But if I’m next to her, I doubt Hiyori will end up like Scrooge McDuck in the future, so I guess that’s a relief? That’s what I think, anyway. A little shamelessness in a kid can be charming.
“Ah, Mika-chan!”
“Yes?”
“About my allowance…”
“Oh, so you don’t need me to give you any more pocket money? Whoa! Our Hiyori-chan has finally succeeded in becoming independent… I never dreamed this day would come!”
“If you could just raise it a little— wait, what?!”
“Hahaha. Thank you for your big decision, Hiyori-chan!”
“M-Mika-chan! You’re joking, right…? It must be a joke! You wouldn’t make my life miserable like this…”
Looking at Hiyori, who seemed ready to burst into tears, I couldn’t help but laugh. After all, the allowance wouldn’t even scratch the surface of my account, and if it’s truly necessary, I could give as much as she needs.
“Hiyori-chan.”
“Uh, uhuh… Yes, Mika-chan.”
As I gently ruffled Hiyori’s hair while calling her name, our conscience—whose shamelessness was off the charts—had a shy smile. It seems she figured out what I was getting at.
“Let’s not forget about our conscience, okay?”
“Then what about my allowance…?”
“I’ll keep giving it to you, so don’t worry, okay? But by the way, why do you want your allowance raised?”
“Well, I read in a magazine that most people don’t prefer a spouse with low assets… Hehe. If a useless person like me has low assets too, that disqualifies me as a potential partner.”
No way, that’s really too realistic. Leaving aside everything else, the idea of getting allowances from the very partner you want to have is sinister. This is definitely something only Hiyori could come up with, right?
“…Okay, I’ll raise it just for you.”
“Really?! Hehe… Thank you, Mika-chan…!”
Well, it’s not like the increase would be that huge. My personal wealth has been steadily increasing thanks to Rumi, who is my business partner and a core asset.
Just as I thought that and decided to indulge Hiyori’s whims, she suddenly blurted out.
“If this keeps up, the quality of the secret cosplay set I’ve been preparing with Hibiki-chan will…”
Hiyori’s eyes went wide, realizing she had let something slip.
“U-Um, Hiyori-chan. If I may ask… that cosplay set of yours, is there anyone else involved other than you?”
“Y-Yeah… About five others, I think…?”
Please, don’t let anything like that happen behind my back.
“Hiyori-chan, I’ll double your allowance.”
“Eh?”
Why is it that if I can just say yes, she insists on sneaking around? I mean, I can answer ‘yes’ to almost anything!
Oh wait, am I a yes-girl now?
As I stared dumbfounded at Hiyori, the number of suspects was laughably low. While digging into that, I suddenly felt someone cover my eyes with their hands.
“Who could it be…?”
I’d give credit for the effort to disguise their voice, but it’s too obvious. If someone was covering my eyes and leaning against my back, there’s only one person it could be.
“Urawa Hanako.”
“Wrong, you’re incorrect ♡”
“Wow…?!”
The minute the hands covering my eyes were removed, standing in front of me was none other than Hanako herself.
So who exactly was the one covering my eyes? As I turned my head, the first thing that caught my eye was the droopy fox ears.
“You’ve gone too far… I thought for sure you’d recognize, but was my heart unable to reach you…?”
“No, well, if you guys conspired together and pulled a fast one on me, what am I supposed to do…?”
Although both of them had impressive busts, Hanako’s was larger. Add to that Wakamo has a habit of wearing slightly tight clothes, and Hanako prefers no bra.
With their heights being nearly identical, I just assumed it was Hanako.
“Hehehe. Actually, this is thanks to Wakamo’s earlier remark. I heard that a reply came back from the SRT.”
“Really…? Oh, about that.”
“Yes, they said that as soon as they get a confirmation from the Defense Office, they will be ready to dispatch troops to Abydos. Additionally, there are suspicious signs regarding the financial transactions of Kaiser Corporation, so they’ve started an investigation clandestinely…”
“…Heueng. Are they really planning to go all in on this gamble?”
“If the President is as cunning as I think, they must have left one escape route,” Mika-senpai replied.
“Then let’s sink that route. Even if they escape to the black market afterward, it won’t matter. They will want to sell the President out to avoid clashing with the SRT. Hm, probably?”
I can’t be too sure, but if they remember the pressure the total Student Council faced from the black market at the time of the Student Council President’s disappearance… it’s only natural they’d try to stay under the radar.
Thinking about how the Kaiser President stands to lose their amassed wealth and power if this goes south fills me with a strange sense of satisfaction.
The debt against Abydos will be recoverable by the Student Council now that they’re on the receiving end of a coup, and if they take responsibility for neglecting Abydos, it could solve even that issue…
Now that I’ve laid it all out, it seems the Kaiser President choosing not to remain quietly and honestly living their life will turn out to be a boon after all.
“By the way, Mika-senpai, have you checked the gifts sent from outside the academy?”
“Didn’t Hanako-chan have to check that? Now that I think about it, what could you two have prepared for me~?”
“I don’t have anything for you?”
“…Huh?”
“Oh my. Why are you so surprised? Today isn’t your birthday for me to endearingly love, is it…?”
Seeing Hanako smile like that left me feeling a little sentimental. Every time I had such a moment where I felt fully seen, it moved me. Indeed.
“Hehe. The gift I prepared for Mika-san is this.”
“Wait a second. Wakamo? Why are you taking that out here…? Don’t make me feel like I did something wrong…”
“Um, it’s not really that big of a gift, so it shouldn’t matter…?”
What Wakamo presented was an incredibly cute pink fox mask. With no trace of intimidation from the masks she usually wears, it seemed purely adorable.
After holding it and admiring it for a while, when I pressed it to my face, I surprisingly realized that it didn’t hinder my vision much at all.
“Putting on the headband you wore before with this… Ah, just imagining it feels like melting under the summer sun…”
“Oh, I appreciate it, but isn’t this meant more for your personal gain than me?”
“As Hanako said earlier, today isn’t your birthday for me to celebrate…?”
“Heueng… Here we go again with that logic. So don’t say you didn’t get me a birthday present… oh, right, you didn’t?”
This is absurd. I feel totally played! That fox-like girl and those sly juniors must have orchestrated this from the start.
“By the way, Mika-senpai, if you add a tail to that… it would look really good on you♡”
As Hanako began to let her hand wander inappropriately, I quickly grabbed her wrist. What is this girl doing in such a crowded place?
“Hm. Can I really… add a tail?”
“Of course, Wakamo! You can add one. But Mika-senpai would need to put in a little effort…”
“Hahaha. So Hanako-chan has that kind of taste? Got it, I’ll take note if anything like that pops up in the cosplay set.”
“…Taste?”
“Hehehe… I’ll be counting on you, Senpai♡”
With Hanako, who is a fox person but cannot keep up with such conversations, and the innocent-looking Wakamo being so honest about her desires… it’s as if the two have switched their roles completely.
More importantly…
Where the heck is Nagisa-chan? What on earth is she up to that she still hasn’t arrived?
