The Gehenna Students’ Trinity Experience Week has finally come to an end.
It seems like the only thing I can remember clearly is Akko and Ibuki, but honestly, there were a bunch of big and small events. Most of them were just squabbles between students, after all.
The Justice Realization Department managed to suppress disputes that were threatening to escalate, but still, they couldn’t step in for every little argument. Thank goodness there were no conflicts, except for the first three days or so.
One interesting point is that, given the situation, the moderate students who were positively inclined towards strengthening ties with Gehenna often found themselves becoming negative instead.
The biggest shock for me was that no complaints came from the more hardline Pater side. Is it really feasible for a single person to completely change a group’s disposition?
It seems Trinity and Gehenna are like oil and water… an impossible relationship to mix. Yet, when I see things like this, my thoughts change.
Well, at least, as the last day approached, there was some progress in the relationships between the students from both academies, which is a positive takeaway.
“Heueng. It’s the end of this today. Yeah, it’s quite disappointing.”
“You seriously need to stop teasing me.”
“But, thinking about the end of this luxury of working with two exclusive maids makes me feel down… Akko-chan has a different master, so it can’t be helped.”
“M-master?”
“Why not? She’s the Student Council President’s pet, so it’s not an incorrect expression, right?”
Slouching over the desk in the office, I flashed a mischievous smile at Akko who was standing next to me. I guess teasing her about this could become a topic for life.
“…Being jealous is really pathetic.”
“Heueng…”
Oh, this is a new repertoire. Me, jealous of Hina? Just because I’m getting her admiration, respect, and reverence all in one?
“Busted☆”
“What?”
“Isn’t that the keen insight one would expect from the renowned senior administrator of Gehenna?”
“Ugh. Here we go with the strange comments again…”
“Hey, I’m a person too, you know. But how about we just gloss over this topic?”
These kinds of discussions always conclude with me being the embodiment of hypocrisy, truly selfish and shameless, so they just make me uncomfortable.
If I claim to be jealous of Akko and Hina right now, would those kids who like me not feel jealous seeing Nagisa being showered with my preferential treatment? It’s natural for anyone to feel jealous, considering they’re humans too.
So if the conclusion doesn’t end up like that, it would be even stranger.
Anyway, let’s just brush off this awkward topic.
“Oh, right. Speaking of… two outfits. Heueng.”
“Wait a minute. Are you really thinking something weird this time?”
“Ahaha. Akko-chan knows me too well now…”
I winked at Akko, who was glaring at me with a strange look, and her obvious frown left a tiny scratch on my heart.
How could she react like that to this face?
Although I think it’s kind of cute that she shows that kind of reaction.
“Excuse me. You think I would fall for your cute act?”
“Hmph. It’s not an act; I’m cute, Akko-chan.”
“Ugh… I don’t think your actions are cute at all. But fine, let’s hear it. What strange idea did you come up with this time to emphasize that there are two outfits, including the spare ones?”
Ah, I see, so it’s not about looks but actions not being cute. I can accept that. That indirectly admits my appearance is cute, so I’m satisfied.
As long as you’re not blind to our princess’s charm, it’s fine.
“It’s not a big deal, but, about that outfit. Are you not planning to wear it for a while longer?”
“…Are you insane? Why would I? I can’t stand this humiliation anymore!”
“I’ll wear it with you this time☆!”
“…Huh?”
“Puhuhuh.”
Seeing Akko looking bewildered, blinking in disbelief, a foolish laugh escaped me for some reason. Honestly, no one else can show such amusing reactions like Akko does.
“Listen up, Akko-chan. Wearing that outfit at Trinity is a bet, but in Gehenna, it’s the attire used to serve someone properly, right?”
“…So, you want me to wear that in front of the Student Council President and work? And you’re saying you’d wear it too while you stay in Gehenna?”
“Well, I’m not particularly planning to wear it the whole time, you know? I have a responsibility to maintain a fitting image while I’m here, for better or worse. But hey, during short moments, I thought Hina might enjoy it!”
“Of course, she might enjoy it, but… I don’t see any reason for me to wear it too.”
Akko’s pointed out a flaw in my plan, which is indeed closer to reality. It might be a bit painful for her, but it wouldn’t evoke any special feelings in Hina if she wears a maid outfit.
But there was a reason Akko should wear it.
“But thinking about wearing it alone makes me embarrassed.”
In a more personal space… For example, if I were to ask her to wear it at her place, she would obviously comply, and so would I.
However, wearing a maid outfit that exposes the side of her chest in someone else’s workplace, just like Akko or Hanako, who just left to do some work, isn’t exactly easy.
So I was hoping that someone who had already experienced it like Akko could ease my embarrassment a bit; it was that simple of a thought.
“And by the way, I’d also get to see Akko-chan’s pretty self for longer, so that’s another reason… a tiny finger’s worth of reason!”
“No way, that’s obviously your true intention!”
“Oh, was that a bit too obvious?”
If I really had to say, both would be my true intention, but this is all part of social finesse.
Just as I always have a reason to face my lovers and maintain eye contact despite my embarrassment, it’s wrong to be greedy if I’m not confident enough to treat them as the most precious people during the time we spend together…
Wait a minute. This is the kind of thing I shouldn’t be greedy about, even if I have confidence. I guess I’ve become more shameless than I imagined since I have too many lovers now.
Still, since my words were sincere, Akko didn’t look at me with disgust but still shot a glance that wasn’t very pleasant. Compliments can dance with whales, but the praise from a loved one can make them perform acrobatics in midair.
Akko, who seemed to be deep in thought for a while, sighed and turned her head away, pretentiously.
“Fine, I guess I have no choice. Since you want it so badly, just this once.”
“Ahaha, thank you! So, let’s keep the spare outfit aside and… moving on to the next topic. Please help out Hina-chan too. I know it’ll be a hassle, but I’d really appreciate it.”
“Honestly, I can’t get used to you. What’s with the rapid subject changes?”
“Heueng… I do have that tendency, right?”
“That isn’t a compliment.”
Excuuuse me. Not a compliment, huh?
I shot a puzzled glance at Akko, but she deliberately chose not to give me attention. What a bad girl.
“Mika-san is sending a gift to Ibuki directly through the Student Council, making it hard for them to interfere with Kaiser’s side. To be honest, it’s a ridiculously flimsy plan. But…”
“It’s even more nonsensical that this wouldn’t work against Manma.”
“…Yes, as you said. It’s a plan that can only succeed because it’s Manma involved.”
Manma is already a proven organization that would do anything for Ibuki.
In fact, just this Eden Treaty business exemplifies that perfectly. The effects I hoped for from this exchange student experience week were fully realized when Ibuki met Bandibu. That ensured the chances of Makoto messing with the Eden Treaty are astronomically low now.
If Makoto gets any bad ideas, I’ll have to comfort Ibuki, but unfortunately, she seems quite pleased with Trinity.
Especially with the desserts. As expected, the best sister role is to provide delicious treats.
“Instead, we might have to experience a very… no, extremely annoying, tiring, and suffocating time.”
“A sacrifice of a cow for the greater good.”
“From the cow’s perspective, that sounds quite unpleasant, but I can’t deny it. If I were in Mika-san’s position, I would’ve made a similar request.”
“Yep, right? So please take care of it☆.”
Akko sighed with every emotion imaginable but then nodded in resignation to having to deal with that. I can already imagine the nightmare of facing Makoto.
I don’t completely understand her feelings, but there’s no avoiding it. We can’t complicate matters by supporting Kaiser from the Manma side.
If we can’t even handle Kaiser when we have a strategic advantage in information and power, what can we do against those nameless wannabes?
Anyway, this task seems to offer us a lot despite the challenge.
We can deal with those pesky nuisances while at the same time utilizing the ancient weapons Kaiser unearthed as part of Shalle’s strength and preparing for future threats, also managing to ease some issues from Abydos.
It’s a situation where we can kill three birds with one stone, so failure is simply not an option.
