I gulped down the tea in a hurry, enough to make a glug glug sound. The sweetness lingering in my mouth was overwhelming, but my throat felt parched.
“…”
I really didn’t expect this to happen.
I wanted to give Nagisa a little glare out of my disappointment, but unfortunately, that was impossible. She was still behind me, gently stroking my wings.
…Even if I could, I probably wouldn’t have been able to glare at her in the first place. Just the touch of Nagisa’s hand on my wings easily melted away the disappointment I felt, as if the accumulated snow vanished when spring arrives.
“Mika, are you going back to work starting tomorrow?”
“Umm… it’s not that I have to wait until tomorrow; I could start today if needed…”
“No, you should just relax until today.”
“Right, thinking about it again, I guess I do owe my rest to someone…”
“Is that mouth of yours unable to even reflect for a second?”
“…Uweeb.”
Nagisa, with her hand that was just touching my wings, turned my head up and started to pinch my cheeks. This… felt odd, really odd…
“If you disappear again this week to slack off, you better be prepared. You’ve probably been filled with plans to go out next week anyway, so if you have any conscience, please finish your work neatly.”
“Umm, don’t worry. I’ll work hard without you even needing to tell me.”
Yeah, as long as our super secretary is around, work is nothing. The problem isn’t that, but that damn idol debut.
Having set a goal to debut in March, it was time to ramp up final rehearsals and preparations. With the Sanctum Tower and Abydos issues resolved, delaying any further would be a disservice to Rion. It would mean I hadn’t fulfilled what I promised her at all.
Given that there’s no way to embezzle funds for the construction of Eridu when the initial investment is just sitting there, Rion was in a situation where it was difficult for her to say nice things, even though she had been very understanding.
Anyway, that’s that.
After pouring tea into my empty cup, I received the teacup Nagisa handed me and placed it down. Then, I pulled her into my embrace after sliding my chair back.
“Wait a moment, Mika…?”
“I always feel this way, but I really think Nagisa’s wings are incredibly beautiful. Sure, that doesn’t mean only the wings are beautiful.”
“I always appreciate such compliments, but compared to you, Mika…”
“No, comparing is rude. Yeah, Nagisa just being as she is right now is already so lovely.”
I had seen many kids’ wings, but Nagisa’s were truly noble. They felt like a prime example of angel wings.
As for mine… they’re cute and charmingly adorable.
Haruna’s have a somewhat mischievous twist to them, and Hina’s only exude pressure when they droop.
Tsurugi’s wings are frankly fearsome in shape, while Mine’s wings give off an impression of being similar to those of flamboyant birds.
Hasumi is, honestly… huge. It’s something I can’t mention in front of her, but everything about her is massive. They somewhat resemble the wings of a bird of prey.
Personally, I think my second favorite after Nagisa’s wings would be Ichika’s. They’re just beautifully cool and their form is pretty. The texture is also the best.
Actually, the reason I hold Nagisa’s wings in the highest regard is that when she sits facing me with her wings draped over my legs, I feel as if her wings are encaging me in her embrace.
…To be honest, it seems like Nagisa enjoys those moments too.
Though right now, she’s sitting sideways with her wings drooping back, Nagisa shows the utmost possessiveness during those moments.
“Ahaha. It feels so good to be like this for the first time in a while.”
“Hina would feel a bit left out if she heard this, you know?”
“…Hmm. But Hina isn’t that kind of girl.”
No, really. After being in Abydos for so long, I feel bad for stealing Nagisa away this much; Hina is just so kind and pure that she apologizes for it. That’s why I feel even more attached to her.
Rather, I’m a bit hesitant to bring up Hina due to something that happened with Aco.
In the current situation, with Haruna and Noa’s matters hanging around, why does it keep becoming more complicated?
At least that side has Haruna’s impression of “I think I like them too.” Aco doesn’t share that kind of sentiment.
“Ugh. I don’t know about that now. Right now, I need some energy from Nagisa.”
“M-Mika?! If someone comes over here…”
“Let them come then. I’m not embarrassed at all! I can shout to the whole world how much I truly love Nagisa; what’s the problem?”
“I’m the one who’s embarrassed…!”
“Oh, does Nagisa feel embarrassed when I say that?”
“That’s not what I meant, you know… really, you’re difficult.”
“Okay, who was it that confessed they can’t do without you?”
“Who’s the one leaving that person aside and snuggling up to other girls all the time?”
Wow—whoa… calling someone a bitch is a bit… outrageous. What is this strange mix of feelings?
I can’t believe it, but could I possibly have a masochistic tendency…?
Or maybe I’d just be fine as long as I can receive love in any form possible.
Thinking that way, it sparks a playful spirit within me. It also reminds me of something I once said to Neru.
When I told Neru that starting idol activities meant I might need to act cute in front of an unspecified audience, she provocatively asked if I was capable of being cute.
At that time, I had deflected the situation by saying I had someone I really wanted to show my cuteness to first.
And now, by coincidence, that someone is right in front of me… more precisely, sitting on top of me.
“…Woof?”
“…?!”
Raising one hand in a dog paw shape, I hesitated for a moment before playfully barking out a “Woof.”
…Surprisingly, the rejection isn’t as big as I thought it would be.
I enjoy handing over control to my lovers.
I’m okay with being degraded.
I even like being forcefully dominated.
Even cuteness comes out without any particular sense of rejection?
Uh… This is decidedly at the level of a full-blown masochistic female, isn’t it? It feels like I’ve crossed the line of jokes.
No matter how much I think about it, this can’t be my original disposition.
It must definitely be a side effect of somehow being mixed half and half with the original Mika. My incessant craving for love and obsession with attention can’t be my natural traits; that must be it.
…It must be right.
“Mika, suddenly what…?!”
“Is this not good? Then, how about ‘meow…’?”
“W-Wait. Stop! Hold on. Ugh.”
This time, when I tilted my head while making a ‘meow’ sound, Nagisa, who told me to stop, covered her face with her hands.
Hmm… is this perhaps where I acted cute but the embarrassment became Nagisa’s burden?
“Mika… where did this suddenly come from?”
“…Was it not good?”
“N-No! It’s not that it was bad. Yes, that’s absolutely not the case.”
“Oh, thank goodness to hear that. Um, you see…”
As I explained the fundamental reason for why I started acting cute towards Nagisa, she nodded her head in a daze. Then, she silently reached for my face as if still in that daze.
“Uh, Nagisa…?”
“Do you remember that hairband that I brought together with the SRT uniform? It feels like a while since then.”
“Oh, that. For some reason, I remember receiving it from the captain of the Odyssey.”
“You still have it, huh.”
“…Unless you threw it away separately?”
“I see…”
For some reason, Nagisa’s gaze felt dangerous. It felt like I had touched some weird switch.
“Mika, are you maybe wearing a collar—”
“Uh, no way, I absolutely hate that.”
“…Ah.”
Why does she seem disappointed about that? I’m starting to truly feel scared.
“Tonight, please wear that. It’s a must.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s a must. Promise me.”
With Nagisa’s intense gaze fixed on me, all I could do was silently nod my head.
After sharing warmth in silence for a while, Nagisa opened her mouth again.
“Mika, um. There’s something that happened while you were out in Abydos.”
“Hmm? Why, what happened?”
“Well… it’s about Hanako. You once warned Mika not to bother her, right? But now that she’s entered the T-party, there are a few factions expressing dissatisfaction about it. Not many, just a few. It seems the factions have been refreshed since the faction leaders graduated.”
“Oh…? That’s a bit interesting. Got it. I’ll handle that, so please send me the list of the relevant factions later!”
“Yes. Or, would it be better to set up an appointment in one go, making it easier for you to handle it in a few days?”
“Hm, that sounds okay. By the way, Hanako wouldn’t choose to involve herself in such tedious places unless it’s the T-party, right? People can really be a hassle.”
“Hanako is… truly a talented individual. She could also effortlessly step in as the next T-party host after you.”
“…I think she wouldn’t want that?”
“Hmm… that’s a bit troublesome. We should start looking for a successor to take over the student council position soon, too.”
It’s not like I’ll hold onto the student council position for eternity, so it makes sense to decide on a successor. But, if I’m someone who has managed to hang on for almost a year, whoever it is should be able to survive somehow, right?
“Oh, and this is a bit delicate to mention, but. Yesterday, Hanako was… in your office, dressed in a manner that’s rather embarrassing to even discuss while working.”
“…?”
“Did you know about that?”
“Yeah, I was aware of it. Hanako is quite the talker, especially when it’s not in front of me, right? She’s at a master’s level of being coy. That’s why she’s even cuter.”
“…This girl is unbelievable.”
“Uh, Nagisa…?”
“You did say you absolutely hate collars, right? If you don’t want them, just die.”
“…”
No… this kind of memory is incredibly troublesome, Nagisa.
