The sudden commotion caused by a group of delinquent students known as the “Mangryangzu.”
It was an eye-squinting scenario, but who are the two people beside me right now?
Hina, the embodiment of Gehenna’s strength.
And Mika, one of the two pillars of Trinity.
They were such lavish bodyguards that even at T-party, the staff had no qualms about allowing them to accompany me without complaint.
With those two around, it was clear that the situation would be settled quickly.
“Hina-chan, get back!”
But suddenly, Mika, who had embraced me, shouted that and turned her back, wrapping her wings around me protectively.
I could finally grasp the situation after seeing the explosion that followed. After ensuring I was unharmed, Mika, with a cold expression, pointed her gun at the now exposed Mangryangzu due to Hina’s merciless shooting.
She didn’t even care about the dark spots left on her back, hair, and wings.
Despite not being in Mika’s league, I still wouldn’t get seriously injured by a single rocket. No, not even I would be that fragile. Really.
But the way Mika treasured me was absolutely conveyed, making her seem incredibly lovable.
While the Mangryangzu were being mowed down by a merciless hail of bullets, contrary to my fluttering heart, it was clear those were just rotten kids who deserved to get hurt for making Mika take the risk instead of me…
Having dealt with the situation, Mika suddenly expressed her intent to move to their hideout for an all-out attack.
It was only natural for Hina and me to protest simultaneously, but after Mika asked Hina to escort me safely back to the lodging and wait there, it was already like we were in a losing battle.
In truth, knowing that I was furious about being threatened made me a bit secretly happy.
Mika deeply cared for all of us, but especially for me, so flimsy persuasion wouldn’t work on her, right?
So I reluctantly let Mika go. Not long after, I received news that things had gone well. While waiting for Mika to return, Hina and I had a brief time looking over fashion magazines.
My lover… I realized just how enjoyable it is to dress up our lover in her preferred style, so perhaps we will have these moments from time to time in the future?
…But.
It’s strangely late.
No matter how late, she should have arrived by now or at least sent a message saying she’d be a little late.
Just as I was about to make a call, a Momotalk notification appeared on my screen.
The sender was Mika. I thought she was going to tell me she was running late, but what was this.
[Nagisa onee-san, it’s Wakamo.]
[I’m sorry. I made Mika drink, and now we’re in big trouble.]
What could this be?
A terrible prank?
Wakamo-chan, I had thought well of her, but she got Mika to drink?
She seemed to have subtly shown interest in alcohol before and actually got caught trying to procure it, leading to its disposal.
To feed alcohol to Mika, this was utterly unforgivable…
No, not really. Thinking about it, Wakamo-chan is technically of the age to have graduated.
That being said, there wouldn’t be any restrictions on buying alcohol.
Since I didn’t know the exact situation, it seems I needed to hold my judgment for a moment.
“Hina-san, it looks like we have to… step out for a bit.”
“…Hmm? Didn’t Mika say she would be back soon, Nagisa?”
“Wakamo-chan told me that Mika is currently drunk.”
“…Wait, what?”
“Alcohol. Yep, that very thing that students aren’t even allowed to possess.”
“Let’s go now.”
Hina-san, who found the location Wakamo-chan informed us of using a map app, led the way. It’s reassuring in times like this.
As I followed behind, scratching my head about where to start lecturing Mika when we met, forgetting that a lecture wouldn’t reach a drunk Mika at all.
*
“…”
When we arrived at the specified location, the first thing we saw was Mika, sitting on Wakamo-chan’s legs, rubbing her tail against her face as she let out a laugh I had never seen from her before.
The moment I saw that, amusingly, the lecture I wanted to give her got wiped from my mind.
“Mika-san…?”
“Ah, Nagisa-chan?”
Her words were elongated unusually.
Her cheeks were flushed red.
Her expression was a goofy, dazed smile.
For a moment, I tried to resist getting enchanted by her charming appearance, but when I noticed how she was still holding Wakamo-chan while gently petting her tail, and Wakamo-chan’s expression that seemed ready to burst into tears, reality hit me.
“Mika-san, let go of Wakamo-chan and come here.”
“Wait, I want the tail…”
“Hurry up.”
“Ugh…”
Seemingly reluctantly, Mika gave Wakamo-chan’s tail a few last strokes before getting up, swaying unsteadily as she made her way over.
“Just how much did you drink to be in that state?”
“Three-quarters… But, I only started acting drunk after finishing a glass.”
“A glass…?”
“I never thought Mika would be this weak to alcohol. I’m very sorry…”
While listening to their exchange, I tightly embraced Mika as she reached me. With all my strength, to the point of crushing.
“Nagisa, I feel suffocated…”
But really, the most I could do was make her ticklish. Even saying she felt suffocated while chuckling was clearly an act.
By the way, why does her laughter sound even more foolish than usual when she’s drunk…?
“Mika-san, how old are you?”
“Uh…? Ehm… twenty… how many was it again?”
“Seventeen. Seventeen. Please.”
“Got it… right, um. Ehehe… wait? Then I shouldn’t drink, right?”
“Yep, that’s correct. And yet, you still did. I’ve asked you to hold off until I graduate so many times.”
“But Wakamo-chan was the one who coaxed me first…”
“…Hmm?”
After hearing that, my gaze instinctively turned toward Wakamo-chan, who was crouching on her knees.
Although I was a bit miffed by the ridiculous nickname, I was curious about what had transpired between the two.
After some thought, I decided to drag Mika over and occupy the spot under the cherry blossom tree where they had been sitting.
A quick glance next to me revealed an empty bottle rolling on the ground, and a little ways off, I spotted a still unopened bottle.
“…What on earth were they so eagerly looking for?”
“Ehh…? It makes you feel good.”
“When something difficult happens, or when there’s something to celebrate… alcohol can be a wonderful pain reliever or seasoning. I also used its power once last time.”
“…I see, but it seems I won’t need that. I’ll be confiscating that bottle.”
“Hmm. To think alcohol could bring Mika to this state… now I see why it’s prohibited.”
“No, this is just because Mika-san is extremely weak in that regard…”
“Weak?”
“It’s short for ‘alcohol trash.’ And you, Mika-san, are at a different level altogether. You’re already half out of it after just a glass.”
“So, Wakamo-chan. Could you tell me what happened… every single detail without holding back?”
“Ah, yes. About that…”
Fortunately, while Wakamo-chan continued her story, Mika stayed relatively still in my embrace.
…Though “still” might be stretching it since she kept playing with my hair like there was no tomorrow.
However.
“Wait, wait, what did you just say…?”
“Mika-san said she wanted to drink together and… then she held the alcohol in her mouth and, uh, yes…”
“Oh my god… dear primordial deity…”
What kind of insane nonsense is this? She said she wanted to drink together, then suddenly kissed me with her mouth full of alcohol?
That should’ve been something to happen later between us; why to an innocent bystander…!
“…While I wasn’t seriously opposed to Wakamo-chan joining, I never meant it to happen this way, as if we were jumping from step to step.”
“I have no face to show to you, Nagisa onee-san… I wanted to take my time to win Mika-san’s heart and draw closer, but I never dreamed Mika-san would so roughly… take my first… Ugh.”
…So that’s why she seemed like she wanted to cry.
I had a feeling from the start this sort of thing might happen, but seeing her genuinely upset made it oddly difficult to feel angry.
Yet, turning that frustration toward Mika…
“Eh, heehee. Nagisa-chan, shall I kiss you? No, wait! You have to make sure I get to kiss you! Can I kiss you?”
Yep, there’s no way I could say yes to that.
Watching her make kissing sounds on my cheeks and lips sapped the remaining potential for anger.
“Nagisa, what are you going to do about this situation…?”
“What can I do? Since it was Mika-san’s doing, well… Mika-san should take good responsibility for it… Ah, no! Please stop, Mika-san! I’m talking here, okay? Roll cake—”
“I’m sorry… Nagisa-chan, are you mad…? Please don’t be angry…”
Oh.
Honestly, I really can’t hold a grudge against you anymore.
Tears welling up in her eyes while saying that, how am I supposed to lecture her? How do I even get angry at that?
Really, I can’t stand you…
“Sigh…”
My head’s in a mess. Honestly, no matter how I think about it, I’m going to have a hard time living because of this person.
“Wakamo-chan…”
“Yes, Nagisa onee-san?”
“If this fool makes things difficult or frustrating, just tell me. I’ll take care of it for you.”
“Does that mean…?”
At that moment when I replied to Wakamo.
Pewwwwwwwww— Boom! Blub blurb!
Fireworks in the sky… Of course, I know it’s a hologram that looks like fireworks.
Anyway, they started at a ridiculous timing, overshadowing everything I just said.
“…I won’t say it twice. I still have my pride, you know.”
Changing my sitting position, I watched Mika enjoy the fireworks. In the end, I could only wear a bitter smile, watching the splendid sparks fill my eyes.
Honestly, it’s like the love of a killer.
