Today is another bright and cheerful day… or so they say, but thanks to one person, the time spent on paperwork has dramatically decreased, and lately, I feel like I’m finally able to breathe.
“Haah. You’ve worked hard today too, Urawa Hanako!”
“Hehe, not at all. I’m not doing anything that great… After all, it’s Mika-senpai who gives the final approval.”
No, I’m only doing the final approval part. It’s thanks to our secretary who skims through the documents and summarizes the key points that the paperwork just seems to melt away these days. It would be nice if she could use that ability a bit for Nagisa too, but she tends to draw the line at that.
“Mika-senpai, I joined T-party solely to help you, right? I’m well aware of how much you care for Nagisa-senpai, but I believe that’s not something for me to be concerned with. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have joined T-party in the first place, so I’d appreciate it if you could respect that.”
Something along those lines.
By the way, seeing Hanako occasionally twitch her lips in front of me must mean it’s really hard for her to hold back. There must be things she wants to say, and it’s been a while since she’s stopped holding back, yet she tries so hard to keep quiet in front of me. It’s quite adorable.
Still, the quiet lady mode of Hanako has its own charm. I wonder how she managed to keep her mouth shut when there are no bad words spoken about her around…
“Hey, Mika-senpai. Have you heard any news?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“That… desert-crossing train project by Saint Nephthys Corporation. I’ve heard that the work in the Abydos desert is nearly 80% complete, and there are rumors that it’s accelerating the desertification phenomenon? If Abydos Autonomous District turns into a desert completely and this phenomenon continues to spread…”
“…Yeah, that’s true. I can’t say exactly when, but there’s definitely a risk that other autonomous districts could be swept up too. We wouldn’t be exceptions either.”
Saint Nephthys.
I know it’s a company related to Izayoi Nonomi.
And I’m also aware that after I tore Kaiser apart, this leftover military industry is evolving into a new giant that will take the place of Kaiser.
That means, if this railroad development project restarted by Saint Nephthys after growing larger is the cause of exacerbating the desertification in Abydos in a serious manner compared to the original work… it entails that my stake in it is significant.
“It’s about time to contact Kaiser.”
“Kaiser Corporation? They’re barely hanging on through the PMC due to last year’s Kaiser Gate incident. I can’t quite see why Mika-senpai would contact them…”
“Oh, Urawa Hanako must not know yet, huh? That Kaiser Gate incident, well… roughly half of it is my doing.”
“…Heh.”
“Huh? Hanako, why the sudden reaction…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing! Just a bit surprised, that’s all. So contacting the place you personally brought down… implies Kaiser has some use for you in one way or another.”
“Exactly. The deadline for the deal I proposed to the Kaiser President is just around the corner☆ Find a way to solve or reverse the desertification in Abydos. If you can’t find it, I’ll wipe out Kaiser PMC and Kaiser Ron completely. Yeah, something like that was the deal.”
“Oh my, so the Kaiser side is in a bit of a pinch, huh?”
“Ahaha. Well, who knows? At the time, the deadline was before March… so there’s about two weeks left now. The problem is, they might just ignore the deal we made and play dumb.”
I hadn’t calculated this aspect when making the deal, but if the Student Council President goes missing, there’s no guarantee that I can get the Student Council’s cooperation in pushing Kaiser over.
Now that I’ve built ties with the Defense Office, it might be reasonable to have a good talk with Kaya, but now I have to factor in the existence of the teacher and Rin’s Student Council as well, which is quite a difference.
The Student Council President herself was really heated over Kaiser’s heinous acts back then, and she definitely bolstered my plans, but who knows what Rin is thinking?
Evaluating Rin based on her actions in the original work, I can only think she probably doesn’t want to change the system established by the Student Council President, or perhaps she’s afraid of doing so.
That naturally leads to a passive approach in her overall actions, and I can understand her fervently seeking out the useless Student Council President while minimizing unnecessary involvement. I can’t sympathize with it, though.
“Wait a second. The fact that you proposed that deal means you have a weapon capable of bringing down Kaiser’s last bastion, doesn’t it? But there’s a chance they might play dumb… Ah. The situation’s changed since then.”
“Yeah, if we assume the Kaiser President is as competent as the Student Council President thought he was. With the Student Council President missing, they might’ve concluded that even if they stall, they won’t be forcibly pushed out by public power.”
When I met with the Kaiser President last time, he was also in a cornered situation. So assuming I’ve seen his true colors would be foolish. You have to tap on a stone before you cross a bridge, right?
“Should I contact Kaiser directly now?”
“Right now, just a simple notification should be fine. Oh, maybe toss in a little bluff too. If they’re contemplating hiding and weathering the storm, let them know that Trinity’s towing unit is always ready for outdoor classes.”
I’m always so grateful for everything Kirihouji Nagisa does. Today too, I put to use what I’ve learned from her; the greatest Student Council President in Trinity’s history…
“I understand…”
“Ah, but before that. Let’s go have lunch together, Urawa Hanako. I’ll introduce you to a new restaurant that just opened nearby☆”
You know, their rose-shaped tteokbokki is just no joke!
Thanks to that, the number building up in my bank account won’t be a joke either.
*
After sitting in the train’s passenger seat and gazing out the window, the teacher briefly lowered the curtain. All that could be seen was the view entirely blocked by sandstorm.
After renting an entire cargo compartment of this desert-crossing train, it was filled with two tactical vehicles to be operated in Abydos, along with various materials. Thanks to this train, there shouldn’t be any supply issues during my activities in Abydos.
“Teacher, I would like to seek one piece of advice.”
“Mm? Sure, Tsukiyuki Miyako. What’s on your mind?”
Among the few people awake in the same cabin, only Miyako and the teacher remained conscious. All the other students from the RABBIT Squad were peacefully sleeping in their seats.
“Hehe.”
Ignoring Mohe who lightly scratched her belly with her hand inside her clothes, the teacher turned off the movie that was playing and focused on Miyako.
“Do you remember what happened the first time we met in Shalle’s clubroom?”
The teacher pondered if there was anything that prompted Miyako to bring up the subject the way she did.
“Are you referring to the incident with Saki?”
“Yes, that’s correct. As you noticed back then, it’s a reality that I’m not particularly trusted by the current members. Luckily, Miyu is following me, but Saki had the best scores in the new student training course conducted before entering SRT… and Mohe doesn’t bother to hide her annoyance at my attempts to control the squad.”
“In other words, you’re seeking advice on how to firmly lead the squad as its commander.”
“That’s right. Although our RABBIT Squad isn’t lacking in real combat experience, we still have a tendency to act independently. I have sought similar advice from others regarding this matter, but the response I received was… somewhat difficult to implement realistically.”
“What kind of advice did you get…?”
“Basically, they told me to gather everyone in front and then smack them around a bit before having a discussion.”
“That’s a bit extreme, but… it’s an effective method.”
Establishing hierarchy within a group can indeed be valid advice, but it comes with a prerequisite. You need to have enough strength to pull it off. If you fail to establish it, there’s a real risk that you’d be… eaten, so to speak.
However, the teacher would want to dissuade a student from choosing a path like that, no matter how efficient it might be. After all, students are still… students.
Of course, the SRT, whose identity is quite close to that of ‘soldiers’, might have a slightly different stance. Still, to the teacher, they are ultimately students.
“I’m curious about what kind of squad leader Miyako wants to be. A strict leader who enforces strict hierarchy?”
“…No, I haven’t thought that far. But… I don’t want to be a squad leader who brings trouble to the teacher because of my failure to lead the squad.”
“In that case, how about starting off as friends?”
“Friends, you say…?”
“If you understand each other and accept each other in your hearts, won’t Saki and Mohe recognize your strengths as well? The reason the Student Council President designated you as the squad leader was because she recognized something in you; the reason they didn’t acknowledge it is that they didn’t try to understand you.”
“Teacher… I don’t believe that friendships can be formed overnight. And right now, with our activities in Abydos on the horizon, not being able to lead the squad firmly is a huge minus.”
“Then how about letting me take command of the RABBIT Squad until everyone accepts you in their hearts? You can tell me whenever you feel ready.”
Hearing those words, Miyako thought for a moment and nodded. Regardless of the student-teacher relationship, SRT was now under Shalle’s organization. It was entirely natural for her to follow the teacher’s orders, and Saki and Mohe had already accepted that.
‘…Friends, you say.’
While pondering that aspect internally, Miyako’s past advice resurfaces. However, despite respecting that person, she firmly denies that advice.
