As the hectic day finally drew to a close, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
After a full day of non-stop meetings, the clock ticked to 5 PM.
“Phew… Finally, the last one…”
Hearing Ayumu mumble wearily, I nodded in agreement internally. It wasn’t that I was physically tired, but…
Yeah, mental exhaustion was just unavoidable, especially since I was preoccupied with where the real Mika was and what she was up to.
Plus, after dragging in kids from lesser-known academies, I had already held about six meetings on similar topics… My head was starting to throb.
But at least there was only one more meeting left. And this time, it was a gathering of kids who had been friendly with me throughout the meetings.
Right, the last meeting would be a piece of cake—
“Hiiyah?!”
“Oh my. I didn’t know our Student Council President could make such sounds!”
“A-Ako-chan…!”
I instinctively flinched, looking at Ako with wide eyes as if to ask if she was serious.
In her hand was a glass of iced coffee. A chilly one that made me jump as soon as it touched my skin…
Ako was about to bring that terrifying thing to my neck.
“Seriously, don’t you think it’s a bit much to torment someone like this? It’s so childish…”
“Yes, yes, please say thank you properly.”
“Ahaha… I’ll drink it well, Ako-chan.”
Well, it wasn’t exactly something to fuss over. But I was genuinely surprised.
After savoring the bittersweet coffee that Ako offered, I had a sudden thought: now that I was no longer part of the T-party, would I gravitate more towards coffee than tea?
…Nah, that couldn’t be. My body was already accustomed to tea.
The last meeting of today would involve the representatives of three academies.
Even though it was three, the actual number of attendees was likely lower than those from either Trinity or Gehenna.
And my expectations didn’t miss the mark.
The three academies brightening the last meeting were Abydos, Millennium, and SRT Special Academy.
From SRT, Yukino and Niko were the ones attending the meeting.
Honestly, I was half-expecting Wakamo to show up too, but it seemed my guess was off.
“Wakamo has yet to return from her assigned duties… She’ll probably be back by tomorrow.”
“…Ah-ha.”
As Niko explained with a teasing smile, I waved back at Yukino, who was giving me a little nod.
Heeung. Yukino probably had no idea her fate had flipped 180 degrees.
Seeing Yukino sitting at one spot in the meeting room, I felt a strange sense of pride.
Next to join the meeting were Hoshino and Shiroko. The two from Abydos naturally scanned the room before taking their seats.
It wasn’t strange that anyone could show up in Abydos, considering there were only five students in total. But Ayane not showing up was a bit unexpected…
Oh. Now that I think about it, those two might have been primarily coming to see me.
“Hi, Mika.”
“Ah, Shiroko…-chan?”
My guess was shattered in an instant. I couldn’t hide my confusion.
After all, Shiroko casually greeted me before promptly taking her seat.
Seeing someone who had been so actively pursuing me just moments ago acting this way was… strange.
Honestly speaking, I was a bit taken aback. It felt kind of hurtful too.
“Ehe~. This uncle is glad to see Mika-chan growing up to be such a nice person.”
“Huh?”
Maintaining a quiet demeanor throughout the meeting, our Hoshino surprisingly hadn’t fallen asleep.
…Though I guess she did doze off a bit, but is it still worth mentioning that she didn’t actually sleep?
Hoshino then walked up to me and dropped a line that made no sense.
“Hoshino-chan, I think there’s a misunderstanding. I mean, I was a good person from the start☆”
“…It might be difficult to deny that part~. So shall we say I’m glad you’ve grown up well without going off track?”
With that, Hoshino suddenly reached out, ruffling my hair.
What is this…?
Looking at her with a confused expression, Hoshino didn’t bother to explain. Instead, she plopped down next to me.
“Ehe~. Excuse me for a moment.”
And just like that, she leaned against my shoulder and closed her eyes.
A laugh slipped out, but I decided to let it slide. I was genuinely curious if Hoshino would truly fall asleep in this position.
But where did Shiroko wander off to? She had been in the meeting room just moments ago.
Her behavior today seemed oddly unusual, making me think too much.
“Mika-ssi~?”
As Niko approached me lazily, her playful smile piqued my interest. Just as I was about to ask what was up, she presented me with something.
“Huh? What’s this…?”
“I thought you might be tired from all the work today, so I prepared this before coming.”
“Hee…”
In Niko’s hands was a packed lunch. I didn’t even have to open it to guess what it contained. It was probably inari sushi.
Predictable but delightful. Niko’s inari were cheat-level delicious. I used to know the recipe, but for some reason, nothing I made tasted as good as hers.
“Thank you, Niko-chan! I’ll dig in!”
“Enjoy your meal♪”
As I expressed my gratitude, Yukino approached from behind Niko.
“Then, we’ll be heading back now, Student Council President.”
“Ah, um. Great work, Yukino-chan! And please, just call me by my usual name. That title is too stiff.”
“…Understood.”
Bowing her head, Yukino turned away first, followed closely by Niko, who waved at me with a smile.
“Mika.”
As if it were a baton pass, two other girls approached me again.
Soon enough, two beautifully rounded ‘high peaks’ filled my field of vision.
…I wonder how they’d respond if I joked about never going hungry here?
Looking at Rio, whose eyes seemed to sparkle with sweetness, I quietly tucked that desire somewhere deep inside.
