Scrunch crunch.
Hina glanced at the white trash crumbling beneath her feet, a small smile forming at the corner of her mouth.
Winter was a season filled with good memories for her. Remembering her time walking hand in hand with Mika through a world blanketed in white snow. The incredibly sweet first kiss. Her eventful birthday, and…
Shaking her head, Hina recalled those memories vividly. Looking back, she realized just how immature she had been back then.
Buried under those awkward memories, Hina soon realized that it wasn’t only winter that was filled with happy recollections.
Spring too. Summer too. Fall too…
No matter which season she thought of, countless good memories remained, and, of course, all of these recollections somehow connected to Mika.
Even though she was wearing rain boots, Hina reached out to touch the snow that reached above her ankles and started forming a small snowball. The cold bit through her gloves, but Hina paid it no mind.
Thud. Thud.
After tossing the snowball up twice and catching it, Hina squished the snow tightly in her hands. An idea popped into her head as she thought the pure white color resembled Mika’s wings, and she hurled the snowball with all her might.
Whoosh—
The snowball, or rather an ice missile, flew through the air and hit its target with pinpoint accuracy.
Thud?!
A gray bear that had been ambling toward her was startled by the sudden pain on its forehead and leaped up in shock. Standing on its hind legs, it began to growl at Hina, but…
“…”
The bear instinctively felt threatened by Hina’s cold glare.
Letting out a mournful whimper, the bear turned and started to retreat away from Hina.
I wonder if Mika could have subdued that bear using only raw strength? Maybe instead of using violence, she might have approached it with kindness and given it a pat on the head.
Clap clap clap clap.
As Hina had mused, a round of applause erupted from her side.
“Indeed, the chairperson of Gehenna’s Student Council is no joke. I never thought someone could scare off the fierce bear of Red Winter just by presence alone.”
“…And you are?”
“I’m Tomoe, the secretary of the Red Winter office who came to greet you. Just a mere follower serving the illustrious Chairino.”
At the moment Hina acknowledged Tomoe’s self-introduction, she instinctively realized.
This woman was from the same department as Aco.
“I see.”
“Since I already know the purpose of your visit, may I take you to our academy now?”
“Sure.”
As Hina nodded, Tomoe clapped her hands as if to say it’s all settled and said to follow her. The two students standing next to her, who had watched Hina scare the bear away, seemed too intimidated to even glance in her direction.
No, they couldn’t.
Not knowing how much further they would walk, Hina, who usually wasn’t that chatty, thought this silence would persist until they reached Red Winter. After all, it wasn’t often that people approached her for a conversation.
However, the silence didn’t last long.
“I believe you visited us at Red Winter for business last year…”
“…Yeah. I don’t remember it being very important.”
“Well, it’s certain it wasn’t important since you didn’t get to meet Chairino…”
Hina could assert that she had instinctively thought, ‘Even if I had met her, it wouldn’t have been that important.’
“Speaking of which, you came alone without any attendants, didn’t you?”
“I doubt I would welcome the cold of Red Winter.”
That was half true, but more than that, she didn’t feel the need to bring a crowd just to clean up after Makoto’s mess. Plus, Aco seemed to be up to something too.
Tomoe continued to attempt to strike up a conversation, but Hina didn’t actively engage.
After all, the topic was about the student council president of Red Winter, Chairino, whom she had never met.
*
‘So small.’
Hina’s impression of Renka, the student council president of Red Winter, and Chairino was succinct.
So small. Quite astonishing, but she was at least a head and a half shorter than Hina.
And…
‘A mustache?’
In a ridiculous twist, her opponent sported a fake mustache.
“Nice to meet you, esteemed chairperson of Gehenna. As for myself, I am Chairino, the student council president, beautification club president, secretary, and…uh…hmm…”
“The sports club president, student council chairperson, janitor, lunch service manager, and just successful in the lottery today, Chairino!”
“Ahem. Involving external forces to carry out a successful revolution rarely ends well. As proof of this, I have managed to dodge the purges and reclaim my throne in less than half a day!”
“Amazing, Secretary!”
“…”
Hina’s expression darkened.
The sensation she felt earlier when looking at Tomoe washed over her again.
This Chairino was undoubtedly cut from the same cloth as Makoto.
At least she didn’t have the blind hatred directed at her like Makoto’s, but people like this could cause trouble at any time…
But that wasn’t her concern.
As long as nothing bad happened to her… or Gehenna because of it.
The problem was that Makoto’s large-scale incident could potentially lead to repercussions for Gehenna.
‘Supporting a subversive faction trying to overthrow the student council from within? What on earth is Makoto thinking?’
As Hina pondered this, she let herself drift in and out of the praises being sung about Chairino right in front of her.
What caught her eye was none other than a portrait. It depicted a square-faced adult male with Chairino’s head and mustache affixed awkwardly, looking utterly bizarre.
‘Fine. I just need to wrap up negotiations quickly and hand over Makoto’s case and get out of here.‘
How could someone, who was ostensibly the student council president of one academy, cause incidents at other academies and be literally forced into a mess by their rival, no less?
Moreover, if the information she had received was correct, there had even been disturbances caused by the Manma Battle at the Student Council headquarters. The ability to create chaos outside while also causing trouble inside was truly mind-blowing.
Is it really possible for Gehenna and a normal student council president to coexist? Hina thought it was an insurmountable challenge.
‘Putting aside the fact that Mika can’t truly be considered a student, what if there was a student council president similar to Nagisa…’
As Hina thought this internally, she didn’t realize that Mika, who had been spending a lovely time alone with Aco far away in Gehenna, had suddenly become distracted.
“…So, what happened to the culprits behind the coup?” she asked.
“Huh? Why would you ask about something that is obvious? The answer is simple, chairperson!”
Chairino’s eyes sparkled. What came out of her mouth next was enough to leave Hina astonished.
“Purging! There’s no option other than a bloody purge!”
“…?!”
A bloody purge? Are we really saying that the name Red Winter signifies red with the blood of the students?
Though it’s not unusual for the powerful to suppress challenges to their authority, the term “bloody purge” was quite extreme.
After all, they were students. Even the worst offenders only served time in detention at this academy called Kivotos; a bloody purge was far too bizarre.
No matter how much it was another academy’s business, allowing such a situation…
“When you clean the Old School with so much heat and zeal that you draw blood, there will surely be lessons learned!”
“…Ah.”
Hina realized she was about to make a major misjudgment and shut her eyes. Her ears turned red.
“Shall I send someone to bring Chairperson Makoto over here?”
Already feeling mentally and physically drained, Hina focused on half-listening to the madness of Red Winter while absently reacting.
After going through a few more rounds of half-hearted responses to Chairino’s comments…
Chirrup—! “Right. Has the chairperson finally changed her mind? Once Makoto takes the student council under her palm, your loyalty will surely be rewarded…”
The root cause of this situation arrived with her grandiose footsteps, spouting nonsensical proclamations as she approached. Upon noticing Hina sitting quietly with dead eyes, she halted abruptly.
“…Chairperson.”
“Chairperson Makoto.”
The two powerhouses of Gehenna met each other’s gaze, and a cold tension filled the room. Even Chairino paused to read the atmosphere as a chill descended that rivaled the frigid temperatures outside.
Whistle.
“…Achoo!”
The freeze and tension were broken by an accidental sneeze. All eyes turned toward the open window.
“Oh. I’m so sorry, Secretary! I just wanted to let some fresh air in; if it’s too chilly, I can close it again!”
What came into view was Tomoe, forcing an awkward smile, standing by the open window. The drop in temperature around them wasn’t just in their heads.
“Oh, no, no, Tomoe. I’m fine; just leave it as it is!”
With Chairino’s pretentiousness provoking a massive disaster, the temperature inside continued to plummet.
And in that moment, both Makoto and Hina independently concluded.
Let’s wrap this up as quickly as possible and get out of here.
“So, Chairperson Makoto, what on earth inspired you to get involved in a coup at another academy?”
“Ah, that? It was all part of my preparations for ascending to the student council presidency. By participating in Red Winter’s revolution, I secured a promise of support.”
Hina sighed lightly as she absorbed Makoto’s explanation.
Whoever it was, they must have been a terrible influence, filling Makoto’s head with such nonsensical aspirations for the student council presidency; she felt like shaking that person by the collar.
Unbeknownst to her, as she contemplated these thoughts, Mika, who was enjoying some sweet private time with Aco far off in Gehenna, was unexpectedly thrown into confusion.
