A mass of super high-level energy, six in total.
Unfortunately, its true identity remained shrouded in mystery, and I myself had no inkling about it either.
All I knew was that color was somehow entangled in this situation.
Ultimately, the important factor was the existence or phenomenon of color. It was something that could potentially lead a world to destruction.
It seemed like a crisis where I should be screaming for a state of emergency at any moment, but there was surely a way out.
To find that way out, it was only natural to require prior investigation.
“I lumped together the location of one of these masses as the border area between Trinity and Gehenna for convenience, but it actually leans more toward Trinity. Yeah. A place everyone is familiar with… the High Cathedral of the Union, where that mass has been observed.”
Naturally, both the Student Councils of Trinity and Gehenna were gathering opinions on investigating the area around the High Cathedral of the Union.
“Uh. Again, the High Cathedral of the Union…?”
Of course, Sakurako said this in a quivering voice, shivering for various reasons…
But for now, Trinity has plenty of money. Yeah, so I believe it will work out somehow, Sakurako-chan.
“Hold on a minute.”
“Yeah, Makoto-chan. What is it this time?”
“I was listening quietly since you said it’s the border area of both schools, but if it’s a place within Trinity’s autonomous district, it seems like Gehenna has no reason to get involved in this?”
“Hmmm. That’s true. If our Trinity is struggling to manage just one place… I wonder if the other schools can handle the remaining five, Student Council President.”
It was a bit… no, extremely annoying that Nagisa was using such a formal title towards me, but for now, I decided to let that slide.
After all, when you think about it, isn’t Nagisa’s attitude correct? In a public setting like this, it makes sense to use proper titles instead of just calling Nagisa-chan as usual.
…But seriously, I just can’t do that anymore. I used to manage it somehow in the past, but the discomfort has been growing day by day.
“Wait a moment. Nagisa-nee, if we check this part…”
“…Oh my.”
Anyway, there was one mistake in what Nagisa had said, and I should have pointed it out.
Atsuko, who was sitting next to Nagisa, ended up pointing it out for me.
Wow. I always knew Atsuko was the type to do well, but she seems oddly eager.
Well, being eager is a good thing, right?
If this keeps up, it looks like she’ll forcibly occupy a spot in the T-party, doesn’t it?
Once that happens, one of the president positions in Trinity would be secured for the next two years.
…But honestly, isn’t it more something T-party should be working toward rather than me? Nagisa said that there’s surprisingly some dissatisfaction arising from Pater.
If only I had directly introduced Atsuko as my successor, it would have been a different story. Was I overly optimistic?
“…That’s right. According to the data, the energy scale observed at the High Cathedral of the Union is significantly larger than those reported from other regions. It’s even more than what was confirmed at the center of Sanctum Tower.”
Putting that aside, as Atsuko pointed out, the place assigned to Trinity and Gehenna had a scale of energy that was larger compared to the other energy masses.
This meant that it required a similar level of additional power investment. That was the interpretation from our Student Council.
“Even so, I think it’s overkill to concentrate the power of both academies here, so I would like a portion of the troops from two academies to lend their strength to Millennium. What do you think?”
“Hmm. Is that so? They group us together as the three great academies, but no matter how you slice it, Millennium doesn’t compare to Gehenna… snickers.”
“…Senpai, please. Even though no one from Millennium is here, if you say something like that, we could face complications.”
“What do you mean by that, Iroha? Which academy could compare to the greatness of Gehenna!”
I could see Nagisa shaking her head at Makoto’s words. The Sisterhood and the Rescue Knights seemed completely uninterested in Makoto’s nonsense.
“Take that back immediately…!”
But Hasumi was different. She directed a slightly sharp gaze at Makoto while struggling to calm down… but hesitated for a moment before glancing at me.
This meant she was gauging my reaction… Could it be that my presence as the Student Council President was considerable? smirks.
“Oh? Well said, you—”
Makoto, who typically wouldn’t back down when it came to banter, hesitated. It was clear she was going to say “big girl” but quickly shut her mouth before Hasumi could catch onto it, which was strangely impressive.
The cherry on top was her glancing at Ibuki.
“Ahem. I could concede that Trinity is on par with our Gehenna in the next tier. Hmm.”
It seemed that Makoto, glancing cautiously, was acknowledging that she had changed a lot.
Indeed, there isn’t anyone in this Kivotos who is completely irredeemable, huh?
“However, I must object to this matter!”
“Eh?”
“In a situation where we are still rife with speculation, assigning our school’s troops to another academy is something I cannot agree to as the chairperson of Manma Battle. If, by any chance, that choice results in harm to Gehenna, who do you think will take responsibility!”
“…That’s certainly a valid point.”
Honestly, I had expected Makoto to pull her usual tricks, but she provided a surprisingly sound reason. After all, the priority for a Student Council President should be their own academy.
“Alright then. Once the prior investigation is complete, and if it’s confirmed that troop support is needed, will you be willing to lend a helping hand then?”
I snapped my fingers and asked, and Makoto’s lips formed a straight line. As her gaze turned toward me, it sank deeply.
“Hmph. How boring!”
“…?”
Makoto, who made an incomprehensible statement, abruptly leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs on the desk. The expressions of the people witnessing this were not pleasant.
“Hey, Mika, you’ve gotten extremely boring since you took that seat. That’s what I’m saying.”
“Me?”
“Hah. If you don’t understand what I mean, then that’s fine! Anyway, if it becomes necessary, I will personally spread the greatness of Gehenna during our Manma Battle. Yes, that should suffice, right?”
“Ah, um. Right…?”
What the heck? I can’t seem to follow this conversation at all. No matter how much it’s Makoto, this dialogue is just too much…
“I’m done talking, so I’ll be heading back. If you have more to say, make sure to discuss it with that unpleasant head of the student council… snickers.”
“…Oh, before you go. If you happen to see someone who looks just like me, be careful. Yeah, it might be dangerous.”
“Oh. You mean that blackish guy? If that guy is anywhere near your level, I have no intention of picking a fight against him. Ibuki, let’s go.”
“Eh, already?”
Ibuki, still nestled in my embrace, asked that while squirming to detach herself from me.
This feeling of loss… Ah, is this what despair feels like…?
“Hehehe. Mika-ne, let’s have fun next time with Ibuki!”
“Ah, yeah☆.”
Ibuki trotted over to Makoto, who had stood up, and firmly took her hand. One by one, the members of Manma Battle began to exit the meeting room without hesitation as I quietly watched.
…Wow. Even while doing that, they didn’t miss a chance to greet me.
“There’s not an ounce of decorum in sight.”
“Hmm… Well, I don’t really care about decorum. Right, but more importantly, was Makoto-chan always like that…?”
I don’t know. I could see how Makoto might act like that, but I couldn’t shake the thought of ‘Is that really it?’ It’s not easy.
“Well, whatever. At any rate, she didn’t say anything wrong. More importantly, we need to continue the meeting, right?”
*
The meeting conducted with the representatives of both academies finished earlier than scheduled. Even considering Gehenna’s tardiness, the time spent on the meeting was quite ample, allowing Trinity’s kids to have some breaks in between.
“Student Council President.”
“Ah, Nagisa-chan… and everyone.”
“That’s too much, Senpai. Now you aren’t even calling me by my name. Could it be that love has faded?”
“Hahaha… There’s no way, right? I mean, you’re the most…”
As I naturally tried to respond to Hanako’s joke, I glanced at Atsuko and erased what I intended to say from my mind.
“The most treasured, my secretary.”
“…Ufuufu. To say that should count for at least a few days, right? That precious place is tingling…♥︎.”
To be honest, if I called anyone my most treasured junior, Atsuko would probably sulk. She’s a junior too, so would it be okay for her to hear that? If she were to hear that, I’d have nothing to say.
I decided not to think too deeply about the meaning behind Hanako’s words regarding it being okay for a few days.
I’d rather think that it’s not an innuendo, even if it comes off as one. Honestly.
“That’s too much, Mika-onee.”
“Ah.”
…Thinking it over, it wasn’t odd at all for Atsuko to be already sulking in this situation. Just like now.
“I understand it’s a crisis, but…”
“I’m sorry, Atsuko-chan. I thought about who could be trusted besides Hanako-chan, and you were the first person who came to mind… Hahaha.”
“Just let Hanako-onee handle it.”
“…Ah.”
If Atsuko says something like that, I wouldn’t have a comeback. For Atsuko, who is part of the T-party, bringing her instead of assigning Hanako, who is affiliated with an external club, must be a no-go.
“Still, knowing that Mika-onee trusts me this much makes me a bit happy. So… I’ll do my best.”
“…Ah, really?! As expected, our princess is the best! I’m relieved to think that I can trust you with Trinity.”
“Yeah. Just trust me, Mika-onee.”
Yet her kind nature is still intact, and I couldn’t help but embrace the enthusiastic Atsuko tight.
“Hmm.”
However, as it started to stretch a little —just a bit— Nagisa cleared her throat, giving me a hint. In reality, we only had about 15 minutes left in the given free time, so I had no choice but to let Atsuko go from my embrace.
“Student Council… no, I guess it’s fine to call you Mika-san now. Although I have many things I want to say and ask…”
As if recalling that I still had meetings to attend, Nagisa embraced me silently. The soft wings of Nagisa wrapping around me gave me a cozy feeling.
“Let’s do our best in our respective places. And, that… other Mika-san…”
“Yeah, we will get her back. Definitely.”
How, I couldn’t say. According to Kuzunoha’s information, something tainted by color can’t be reverted, but there might be a miracle somewhere in this world that can make it happen.
“…Yes, definitely.”
With that, we released each other, parting ways with reluctance.
No matter how much we had a lovey-dovey relationship like that..! There was still a need to discern the situations and timing, and I wasn’t shameless enough to bring up more expressions of affection than this.
“By the way, seeing you as the Student Council President makes me honestly a bit surprised. I guess I never expected it.”
At Sakura’s words, I scratched my cheek and turned my gaze aside. There, Hina and Aco were having a serious conversation about something.
…I’m curious about what they’re discussing, but for now, it’s polite to focus on the person right in front of me.
“Hahaha… I certainly didn’t think it would come to this just a few weeks ago. Yeah. I mean, I don’t really feel suited for this kind of position.”
“Hmm? I think you fit well, but I honestly thought Mika-chan would just continue to stay in Trinity. I mean, it’s like a total shocking pipo makus…”
“…Huh?”
What did I just hear? Shocking pipo… what?
“…? Why are you reacting like that, Mika-chan… Eh? Why is everyone looking at me like that…?”
Throughout the past, I’ve heard about Sakura picking up strange habits and catchphrases, but this was the first time I had no clue what she meant.
“It should definitely be the right term to use in this situation…?”
As I watched Sakura tilt her head in confusion… I couldn’t help but think it was fortunate that she was planning to remain a clergy member. I thought that without realizing it.
After all, letting someone like this out into society might actually spell disaster…
