As soon as Nagisa thought of a specific person, her face turned red, which she desperately tried to ignore while holding a teacup.
It was a habit of hers that often popped up right when she got nervous or was about to change the subject. Just as she was about to take a sip of tea, she realized a bit too late that her teacup was empty.
However, Nagisa pretended to close her eyes and savor the tea as naturally as possible—even swallowing hard in the end.
Of course, it was only natural for her to want to hide this kind of mistake, given her high regard for propriety and dignity… especially as one of the Student Council Presidents of the Trinity T-party. It was to be expected that she would try to conceal this from others.
That said, Nagisa was a brazen person when it came to her self-image. Unfortunately, her attempts were often clumsy, leading to her being easily caught or falling flat on her face.
While she was trying her best to maintain this charade, the Teacher suddenly threw a question her way.
“Come to think of it, I’m a bit curious about where Mika is. I heard earlier that she would need a bit more time, but I don’t think I got the details.”
“…Umm. That’s, you see…”
“If it’s difficult to talk about, you don’t have to tell me, Nagisa.”
After asking, the Teacher quickly added that line, having recalled the relationship between Gehenna and Trinity and sensing that mentioning Mika’s potential troubles could be dangerous.
“Wait a sec, Teacher. What do you mean by that? Regardless of what’s complicated on their end, I absolutely need to know Mika’s whereabouts. Just because she’s my biggest supporter doesn’t mean I can let that slide!”
Makoto’s words were undeniably valid. No matter how poorly she was treated, Hanuma Makoto was the Chairperson of the Manma Battle, and it was reasonable for her to expect appropriate treatment and respect.
However, once Nagisa had appeared before them, Trinity also had something to say. Although the structure of the T-party was a bit peculiar, Nagisa was still a Student Council President.
Even considering all of that, Makoto’s request was valid. Her coming to Trinity was entirely based on an agreement with Mika.
“Despite being at your request, it’s quite rude for you to not even show your face when the distinguished Makoto-sama comes personally—”
“Who, whose supporter are you talking about?”
“…Uh oh. Of course, I’m talking about Mika. Ah, Teacher. There’s no need to be surprised. It’s only natural that Mika would be captivated by my greatness, just like how the sun rises in the west, Hina that girl bends to me, and pleads for mercy!”
“…Haah. Senpai, that just means it’s impossible.”
“Oh? So the sun rises in the west, huh? Ibuki, I learned something new!”
Hearing Makoto’s words, the Teacher momentarily wondered if she really was that naive. Then, upon hearing Iroha’s sigh and checking Nagisa’s expression, she quickly nodded.
But the sharp glare from Ibuki, clearly showing her displeasure, was the cleanest answer to the Teacher’s doubts.
“Mika-san is currently handling the ‘cleanup’ from the incident that occurred at Trinity last night.”
However, Nagisa held back. After once causing Mika trouble, she had vowed not to act carelessly again… so she carefully suppressed all the words she wanted to say to Makoto and replied softly.
“…Well. Speaking of which, just a little while ago, there was a report about helicopter operations that weren’t pre-notified to the Student Council. Until just now, I was wondering how to leverage this against Hina, but if it relates to Trinity, the game changes…. kikikikk.”
“Senpai, maybe you should stop plotting such nonsensical schemes…”
“…That sounds oddly ominous.”
“kekekek Great! That’s it, Iroha! You prepared that, right?!”
“What is it now? I have no idea what you’re talking about this time.”
“…Tch. Iroha, not preparing something so obvious is just unacceptable.”
“I have all the paperwork for resigning from the Manma Battle ready. I heard Mika-san has a competent secretary; if we discuss it properly, maybe I can get on board too? The competent secretary will handle everything… sounds like a win-win, right?”
“W-What…?”
As Makoto’s eyes widened in shock, Ibuki dove toward Iroha.
“I-Iroha-senpai… where are you going?”
“Huh? No way— Oh, wait, I guess I’m a bit tempted to transfer my academy affiliation to Trinity.”
‘Of course, I doubt Mika-san would accept that.’
While Iroha lamented that the train had already left the station, a shadow fell across Ibuki’s face. Dark clouds began to brew, rumbling just before a storm.
“W-Wait, are you leaving because of Ibuki?”
“N-No?!”
“I’m sorry… I won’t ask for pudding anymore! So please don’t go, Iroha-senpai…!”
With a tearful face, Ibuki clung to Iroha, causing Makoto to jump up in shock and point an accusatory finger.
“W-Wait, Iroha! What are you doing to make Ibuki cry, huh?!”
“A-Ah… um, Ibuki. That was just a joke…”
“What if you take Ibuki with you?!”
“…W-What?! No way, Ibuki! Please don’t say that!!!”
In the face of this perplexing situation unfolding before them, the Teacher and Nagisa exchanged glances.
‘…This is Gehenna’s Student Council, huh?’
‘Just as you see it.’
‘How on earth are they still functioning without falling apart?’
Wordlessly communicating through looks, the Teacher and Nagisa decided to quietly watch the sitcom before them. They instinctively knew that stepping in would only lead to fatigue.
*
In the High Cathedral of Trinity, particularly in the Confession Booth, a place I had grown unusually familiar with this year.
I hesitated in front of it. I could fully understand the fear that the Sisterhood students felt toward Sister Sakura.
“Mika-san. May I ask why you seem hesitant? Today is supposed to be a joyous day, as the students from Gehenna came to Trinity for fellowship. You need to greet them before it’s too late…”
“Oh, no… I’ll leave that to Nagisa-chan, so it’s fine.”
“I see. So that means it’s alright even if the confession takes a bit longer?”
“…Yes.”
“Good. Then please, go on in.”
With Sakura’s urging, I nodded slightly and slowly stepped into the Confession Booth. Usually, the one receiving confessions here would be Mari, but not today.
For good reason, the atmosphere surrounding Sakura was completely different from usual.
I had nothing to say about this matter. I was responsible for carelessly promising the Gematria a chance to study ancient doctrines, and I had cooperated with them to bring Mika back; what kind of excuses could I make?
…Hmm. It was honestly a bit nerve-wracking to be treated with such emotional indifference by Sakura for the first time. I felt guilty, too.
Following the now-familiar confession procedure, I took a moment for contemplation. But today, that time was easily half as long as usual.
Drurururur.
As the confession window opened, Sakura’s compassionate yet solemn voice resounded.
“In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen. May the divine light shine upon our hearts, and may we deeply thank the Lord for His mercy and grace as you confess your sins truthfully.”
“Amen… I, for my own selfish desires, have allowed untrustworthy individuals into the High Cathedral of the Union. I permitted them to conduct research on the doctrines while handling the power of their side. As a result, I caused incidents leading to the collapse of portions of the High Cathedral considered historically significant, both above ground and below.”
“Sister. What exactly do you mean by ‘selfish desires’?”
“That is…”
Perhaps just a few days ago, I might have hesitated to talk about it. But now, having revealed my secrets to so many, there was no need to hide this from Sakura.
Given the gravity of my own mistake, and considering Sakura’s standing and influence at Trinity, there was really no benefit in keeping it hidden.
So I confessed everything honestly. My existence from beyond Kivotos and the original Mika, as well as my desires gained through cooperation with the Gematria. I revealed all the details, including those I didn’t strictly need to share, leaving nothing unspoken to Sakura.
“I see… Is that everything, Sister?”
“…Yes.”
“Then surely the Lord has forgiven your sins. No, how could that possibly be labeled as selfish desires? Rather, it could even be viewed as a noble goal and determination, if anything—much like the ideal of everyone’s happiness you hold.”
Wait, is she really accepting this so easily? Seriously…?
“But Sister.”
…Of course.
“The sins you committed in the process are infinitely greater than this.”
“Ah… um. Can you tell me what those specific sins are?”
“Your sin is simple. You did not trust me enough.”
“Huh?”
“When you asked me to cooperate with the access control of the cathedral, you beat around the bush and asked for help without explaining the reason. If only you had been honest with me back then…”
D-Did I inadvertently commit another sin?
“I trusted you, Sister…”
“Sakura-chan?”
“We were friends, were we not, Mika-chan…?”
Now, so begins the trial of Misono Mika, with Misono Mika presiding over her own fate.
Death penalty.
The charge: failing to empathize with the lonely heart of the Sister President who had no friends.
