In my opinion, the students of Kivotos can be classified into a few categories.
Among them, the most challenging ones are those students who can only be approached politically, like representatives of other factions based on Trinity.
Shiranuichi Kaya falls under this category, but she didn’t give me the feeling that she’d be hard to deal with.
Rather,
“One of the notable aspects of Arius’s power was definitely highlighted in this festival. The Defense Office was also paying attention to this part, and seeing the abilities exceeding all expectations made me feel that Misono Mika, who once again incorporated Arius into Trinity, is truly impressive…”
“Ahaha… Kaya-chan, if you keep praising me like that, it doesn’t feel genuine.”
“Oh my, do you doubt my sincerity after seeing these eyes? That’s troubling, you know.”
“By the way, speaking of eyes… are you truly awake right now?”
“Of course! I even caught Misono Mika tilting her head a moment ago.”
Dealing with Kaya was easy. So easy, in fact, that there seemed to be no signs of the conversation stopping.
The topic would jump from this to that in an instant, and just when I’d realize it, we’d already moved on to another subject.
And importantly, all of those conversation topics led back to me. It was as if Kaya was digging for information about me.
“Speaking of which, was Misono Mika supposed to participate in the idol project from the Millennium side? I’ve heard rumors that the members are composed of students from Trinity, Gehenna, and the Students of Millennium…”
“Uh-huh? That’s all true. Two students from Gehenna, three from Millennium, and me, making six.”
“I doubt it, but could it be that the host of T-party, who just broke the secrecy rule for the first time, is actually serious about such trivial matters? Of course, with Mika’s beauty, it’s practically guaranteed she’ll have countless fans in the future. I absolutely don’t doubt that. It’s just… I’m not sure if it’s really worth that much…”
At this point, I couldn’t help but feel curious about Kaya’s evaluation of me until now. The way she subtly complimented my appearance while asking pointed questions about my intentions made it feel like she was leaning toward narcissism.
“Ahaha. It’s true it might just be a trivial matter. But if you think about it, this is also part of the politics aimed at improving relations among the three academies, isn’t it? Value is always relative, after all… But yes, I believe this has enough value for the students from the three academies.”
“Oh my… I see. Certainly, if the subject of a three-way alliance comes up in this process, it can’t be an issue I can just overlook as the next Defense Office Head. Hoo.”
Sorry, Kaya. The truth is, this was just a picture I arbitrarily painted while trying to deal with the friendly accident between Trinity and Gehenna. There’s no such alliance!
…Hmm, but looking at it from another perspective, isn’t this a kind of politics aimed at improving relations among the three academies? Upon second thought, it doesn’t feel like I need to apologize for it.
“Heueng, the next Defense Office Head, huh. I had an inkling, but it seems Kaya-chan is a bigger deal than I thought. Should I feel happy to make a capable friend in an unexpected place? Yeah, this is an unexpected gain☆”
“…A friend, you say?”
“Oh? Is this a situation where I’m the only one feeling a one-sided friendliness?”
“It seems a bit much for me to consider myself a friend of Mika-san’s. I’m just an ordinary student belonging to the Defense Office, while Mika-san is the Student Council President overseeing a large academy like Trinity.”
“Uhmm… I don’t really pay much attention to such trivialities. There’s no need to place too much significance on the term friend, Kaya-chan.”
“I’m sorry, Mika-san. I just happen to be a bit sensitive. Once I take over the position of Defense Office Head, I will positively consider what you mentioned afterwards.”
…That’s how it was.
I don’t know how to put it, but thinking I was turned down by someone for the first time felt a bit painful. After all, this means that everything until now had gone my way, making me even more curious about Kaya’s true intentions, which seem to deviate from the norm.
“Hey, Kaya-chan. For someone like us, saying you’ll think positively is a roundabout way of saying no. Yeah. If you set those boundaries, my fragile heart might get hurt!”
“Oh my. Should I say I’ll consider it negatively then? If you felt I was drawing a line, I apologize, but when I say I’ll think positively, that’s sincere…”
While Kaya awkwardly smiled, seemingly troubled, a student from the Defense Office approached her and handed her a small object.
“Excuse me, Kaya-san? I’ve organized the information you requested.”
“Ah, thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
Now that the business was concluded, it seemed my short meeting with Kaya was finished.
…At least with the conversation we’ve had so far, I couldn’t grasp what kind of person Kaya was, nor could I pick up on any clues.
Shiranuichi Kaya, what on earth are you hiding behind that dark surface of yours?
“Mika-san, here’s the USB containing the requested materials. It was a short conversation, but it was quite enjoyable.”
From just what I heard and saw, she left a generally good impression with her smooth speaking, while subtly exploring me for information.
Also, mentioning her future title as the next Defense Office Head gave a hint of ambition? But I can’t understand why she’d draw a line with our friendship.
And most importantly, I have no clue why she might be planning something like a coup. Without that, the story can’t come together.
The fact that I couldn’t find even indirect hints pointing toward such extreme thoughts from Kaya’s demeanor so far only means there’s a necessity to maintain some degree of connection with her. But she’s already drawn a line, leaving me feeling lost.
I realize how greedy it is to try and solve everything my way, but fundamentally, I’m not the type to let opportunities slip by right in front of me, and that’s the issue. The regret is hard to shake off.
“Ahaha, right? I had fun today, Kaya-chan. Oh, could I get your contact number as the next Defense Office Head? Just for emergency contact, you know.”
“…Yes, that would be fine.”
“Thanks☆ And there’s something I’ve been a bit concerned about since earlier.”
“…?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you show me your eyes while they’re open?”
“…That’s quite rude, Mika-san.”
…It seems I’m finally confronted with a formidable opponent I’ve never met before—
“But, well, if it’s just for a moment, would that be okay? Please don’t think too strangely of it. People have told me my impression is hard to trust when my eyes are open, you see.”
It appeared that might not have been okay.
Honestly, how can I resist the appearance of a half-open-eyed character? Resisting would be a crime.
As Kaya slowly opened her eyes, her expression changed drastically. Clearly, the statement about having a hard-to-trust impression made sense; it was a 180-degree shift from the likable and smooth demeanor I had previously felt.
And yet.
“She’s sexy…”
“…Pardon?”
“Oh, if it sounded like I was teasing, I apologize!”
I couldn’t think of any other way to express it. While Ichika, also a half-open-eyed character, became a stunning beauty when fully awake, Kaya had a slightly different direction.
It was truly understandable why people had said she was hard to trust. Coupled with the horizontal pupil shape, her eyes slanting slightly open gave a vibe that prompted suspicion. I’ve grown accustomed to vertical pupils from hanging out with the kids from Gehenna, but this horizontal pupil was new and fascinating.
But this in itself was also charming. Seeing Kaya’s eyes narrow in surprise made it clear. Indeed, it’s only when you learn how a half-open-eyed character looks when their eyes are fully open that you can truly appreciate it.
Oh, a thought just crossed my mind. I once heard that goats’ pupils turn round at night. I’m a bit curious if it might be similar for Kaya.
“No, um… it was unexpected, so I just got flustered.”
“I see? To be honest, Kaya-chan’s eyes, I personally think they’re nice. Yeah, I understand why you’d hear that comment about not being able to gain trust… But from my standpoint, I can’t help but feel that it might’ve hurt your feelings. If mentioning this makes you uncomfortable, I apologize☆”
“It’s not that particularly… Ah, um. I seem to have some tasks piling up, so I should be going now. If the opportunity arises, I’d love to see you again, Mika-san.”
With a slightly hurried expression, Kaya gathered her things and stood up first. Given that the business was concluded, it made sense, but it felt a little disheartening, as if I were being chased away for some reason.
…This surely meant I made a mistake somewhere in my words. To avoid making the same error again next time, I must firmly engrain in my memory that Kaya might have a complex regarding the shape of her pupils.
Not long after parting ways with Kaya, Aco also returned after finishing her own task. I wanted to ask about the content of her work, but I decided not to pry into affairs of other academies out of respect.
“Did you finish well, Aco-chan?”
“Yup, well enough. How about you, Mika-san?”
“I got everything I wanted too. By the way, though it’s a bit early for lunch… how about we just grab some donuts at the airport?”
“That… sounds like a good plan. Since we have plenty of time, let’s take it easy.”
Having finished my tasks at the Student Council unexpectedly and with everything settled, it was now time to head to Millennium.
It was time to seek help from the notoriously infamous Veritas.
