After the long journey that was just the two of us, we finally returned to Millennium late at night, just before midnight.
And somehow, I ended up meeting Rion, who hadn’t gone home until that late hour.
“First of all, I want to say you both worked hard. But…”
“What is it, Rion? Could you stop looking at me with that suspicious gaze? It feels like bugs are crawling over my skin.”
“No. I just thought Mika might have had a hard time because of someone.”
Rion nonchalantly brushed off the hateful comment aimed at her by glancing at Himari, who was seated in a wheelchair, and then tossed out a bone-chilling remark.
Given that Himari was sitting in an utterly ordinary wheelchair, it was only natural for Rion to have a certain grasp of the situation.
“I think it was worth it to suffer for Mika-chan, don’t you agree, Mika-chan?”
The arrow soon turned back toward me, but my thoughts were a little different.
“Himari-chan, if you decide to go to the scene next time, I’ll personally put you to sleep.”
“…Who would have thought Kivotos’ biggest rascal would have no sense of shame? Is the concept of shame nonexistent for Mika-chan?”
“Wow—oh… I mean, how can you twist my words like that? That’s just some perversion! Right?”
“Hmm.”
Seeing Rion appear oddly displeased, I tilted my head while gently placing my hand on Himari’s shoulder.
“I wouldn’t say it was completely boring, but it’s not an experience I’d want to repeat. It’s not that I’m suffering or anything like that; I was simply worried about whether I could protect you properly.”
“Oh my. I believe in you absolutely, Mika-chan, even if you have little faith in yourself.”
As Himari said this, she gently stroked my hand resting on her shoulder. The action may have appeared natural, but from my perspective, it seemed rather forced.
Maybe Rion thought the same, as her gaze shifted from my hand back to the conversation.
“…That’s not okay at all.”
“As Mika said, Himari, you’re not exactly in a state to be wandering around the scene. How about you drop that strange stubbornness and give us a report on Decagramaton instead?”
“Well, I’ll let that ugly jealousy a pass, but was it really necessary to receive this report at such a late hour? After all, if we waited a day, a proper report would arrive by tomorrow.”
“The quicker we deal with the hordes, the better. Since this information has leaked to some of Millennium’s students, we need to wrap things up fast. After that, we’ll need to figure out how to replace the absence of the herb.”
Despite appearing displeased, Rion solidly laid out the facts.
With a small click of her tongue, Himari nodded and began explaining what had happened in the ruins.
As the discussion shifted to Keter and Decagramaton, Rion’s gaze turned towards me. It clearly seemed like she expected something from me.
“Mika, I have one request. If possible, could you lend a hand in driving off the hordes? I can offer abundant rewards…”
I was briefly taken aback by how Rion, who usually asked in complex ways, put this so simply. But then I recognized Rion for who she was, bringing up rewards so swiftly.
No, wait. If it were the old Rion, she wouldn’t have even sought my help in the first place. In that regard, it’s quite clear I’ve built a good relationship with her.
“Hahaha. You know I’m not the type to be short on that kind of help. So I think I’ll refuse this time. How about asking the teacher from Shalle? She has experience defeating Vina.”
“Hmm. If you’re saying that about the teacher from Shalle, it must be a viable option. But wasn’t your role pretty significant in Vina’s defeat?”
“Eh, not at all! Everyone who was there helped out. Yup, the teacher was a big help too.”
Truthfully, I think I could help with this kind of thing—especially since the teacher could mobilize the SRT and with Himari providing support, and the strongest in Millennium, Neru, launching an all-out war wouldn’t be too far-fetched.
In that sense, I supposed I should follow Nagisa’s wishes this time. I hadn’t listened to her lately, and it was starting to feel awkward. If this continued, I might find myself in a situation where I’d have to go along with whatever Nagisa said.
“Got it. You’re probably busy with your academy work, so Millennium’s matters should be settled within Millennium.”
But what was that look Rion gave as she readily accepted? It was like she was saying, “Of course, nobody can be trusted in this world.”
It would make me look bad for saying I wouldn’t help.
“…Should I just help out?”
“Hmm? I said I’d refuse this time…”
“No, like, I mean, since we’re friends, if I feel like it, I’d help and stuff. Right?”
“The way you catch a fish trying to escape and throw the net back—it’s truly impressive. It’s a skill needed to maintain Kivotos’ largest garden, right?”
“Hahaha. Just ignore that.”
Hearing her talk about fishing made me feel like a real bad person. I hope there’s no misunderstanding—I’m not doing this with any cruel intent.
With that unreadable expression on Rion’s face, I wouldn’t be able to figure out her true feelings unless I directly asked her.
“That ‘just’ thing… I can only think of Mika-chan when it comes to treating me like that. I doubt anyone else would treat me so harshly, not even Rion!”
“Ugh.”
No way, is that really how it is? Am I really that bad?
“The fact that I find it a bit unsettling doesn’t change that Rion treats me according to my abilities.”
“…I may seem like it, but I have high regard for both you and Rion. You two are geniuses that rank in the top three among those I know, far beyond what I could ever be.”
“Heh, heh. As expected of a member of our beautiful girl alliance, you clearly recognize my value. Though being grouped with Rion is somewhat unpleasant, this is still sufficiently acceptable as long as it doesn’t tarnish my purity.”
While Himari boasted while continuing her disdain for Rion, I finally began to discern an emotional fragment from Rion’s expression.
I can’t put my finger on why, but her face seemed like she was oddly cautious of me. If I had to name it, it was probably close to guilt.
However, if I asked Rion if she had anything to feel guilty about, I would think the answer would be no…
Hmm. What is this feeling that I seem to be missing something?
Just as I was about to delve deeper into that thought, I had a sudden idea that given the opportunity, it wouldn’t be bad to inform the two of them about my current situation.
It wouldn’t hurt to share information with Rion, the president of Millennium’s student council. As for Himari, perhaps it’d be a friendly gesture… since we’re friends and all.
My deliberation didn’t last long, and the time it took to make a decision was even shorter.
“Hey, there’s something I want to tell you…”
I slowly began to explain to them that I was someone from outside Kivotos and that in the near future, I planned to return the real Mika to her rightful place.
As much as possible, I spoke sincerely, making sure that there was nothing that sounded like a joke.
Now that I think about it, Himari seems to unconsciously enjoy occult topics, so maybe this could fit into that.
“The content is shockingly unbelievable, but if there’s no room for analysis of cause and effect, it doesn’t seem to be that important of a story.”
“I have no choice but to agree with that. Based on what I’ve vaguely heard about the real Mika, I wouldn’t want to sit down and have a chat with her.”
And as the discussion wrapped up, the reaction was much more lukewarm than I expected.
Regarding Rion’s words… I find it somewhat hard to deny. If Mika and Rion met, I have a feeling it would end with Mika punching her.
“…Is it already midnight? Mika, do you have a place to stay tonight?”
“Ah, yeah. I managed to find a place as soon as we returned from the ruins.”
…And a place to sleep with me.
Rather than saying I arranged it, it would be more accurate to say it was secured as soon as I heard from her.
In summary, today Yuuka will be sleeping in a dorm room without a roommate, and I am slated to be eaten.
“Then, since it’s pretty late and I think we’ve discussed everything, I should head back now.”
With that said, Rion glanced at Himari and shut her eyes. That was a look filled with incredibly mixed emotions.
More importantly, the answer I had briefly pondered about earlier regarding Rion feeling some guilt towards me came back to me.
“Oh, wait! Rion-chan, can I ask you one thing before you go?”
“What’s on your mind?”
“I won’t tell you who said it, but I was told to watch out for you, Rion-chan. Do you have any ideas about it? I’m a bit curious about that.”
“…”
The moment those words slipped from my mouth, Rion looked completely taken aback, as if time had stopped.
“…I don’t know anything about that.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Thanks to Rion’s hesitant demeanor, I was certain.
Rion would definitely stab me in the back, no question about it.
Yet why does it feel so infuriating that I have to endure this while being fully aware?
It’s truly undeniably a sad situation.
