“Happy Birthday, Nagisa!”
“Oh… really, you all didn’t have to go this far for me…”
“What? Nagisa, what do you mean by that! Everyone would gladly go through this trouble a hundred times if it’s for you, whom we all respect! Right, everyone?”
“Of course! You have no idea how happy we were when Mika asked us to take care of the party… Ah, by the way, Nagisa, here’s a tissue for you.”
“Oh, thank you…”
As I approached Nagisa, who was dabbing at her eyes with the tissue, the kids from Filius made way, picking up on the situation.
“Nagi-chan~!”
“Oh, Mika… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be showing such a sight on a day when everyone has gathered to celebrate me.”
Nagisa managed a weak smile after wiping her tears. I mean, it’s understandable to get teary-eyed on a day like this, so why apologize?
Sure, it might have put the attendees in a bit of an awkward position, but Seiya and I stepped in to take care of it, so it wasn’t a big deal.
“Hahaha, a sight you shouldn’t be seeing? Everyone here was just moved to see how happy Nagi-chan is!”
“Still, as one of the leaders of T-party, I need to maintain my dignity at all times…”
“Come on, I think you can drop that for a day. Today is a special day where Nagi-chan is the star of the world. So…”
I hugged Nagisa tightly. Despite knowing better than anyone that today was her birthday, I had held back on the congratulatory words until this moment.
“My dear friend, more precious than anything in the world, Happy Birthday!”
“…Thank you, Mika. Truly. Thanks to you, I think I’ll remember today as the best birthday of my life.”
“Yay, that makes me happy too!”
I pulled back from Nagisa and took in her appearance. Her makeup was a little smudged, but it wasn’t bothersome enough. Other than that, she looked perfect as the star of the day.
“But… since I’ve monopolized the spotlight today, it’s about time I shared it with everyone. Yes, excessive greed brings trouble, after all. Also, the burning gazes of the kids here waiting for me to return are a bit intense☆”
“Y-yes?! I swear to Hina that I didn’t do anything like that, Mika!”
A kid from the Filius faction jumped up defensively, triggering an uproar around. Perhaps they found it amusing, as Nagisa’s smile broadened to the point of reaching her eyes.
“Haha, everyone calm down! That was just a little joke! But yes, it’s true that I’ve distracted all the attention from Nagi-chan, so I do need to share her with you guys and others.”
“Ugh… Mika, others can’t take your jokes lightly. It might be better if you pay a little attention.”
I just smiled in response to Nagisa’s words, meaning I wouldn’t say anything I couldn’t keep.
“I’ll hang out with the junior Fang, so Nagi-chan, be sure to come by later to see our kids!”
“Yes, I’ll definitely do that. Though it looks like there are quite a few people waiting for me… Wait, our kids?”
“Haha, quite the popular one! Once more, happy birthday, Nagi-chan. See you later~.”
I waved at Nagisa as she was about to meet many people. Thankfully, I had added a little note to the party invitation saying the birthday party should be enjoyed as just a party.
[P.S. While attending the party, don’t even think about bringing up politics. If you ruin Nagi-chan’s birthday, I’ll come find you and give you a stern talking-to, got it? – Misono Mika☆]
That little postscript was probably along the lines of that. Anyone with their wits about them would figure it out. By the way, I thought Nagisa had said something concerning at the very end, but maybe I was just imagining things.
Anyway, now I needed to find our juniors. I wonder where they are…
As I glanced around, the first person to catch my eye was Hanako. She was standing by a dessert-laden table, chatting with two sisters, so I quietly approached, hoping to catch her attention.
“…Are you really not going to have this top-tier dessert?”
“I have to maintain the dignity fitting of the Sisterhood’s head nun. So I mustn’t be swayed by little things like dessert… gulp. Yes, I need to keep the right weight to match my position.”
“Weight appropriate for your position? Sakura-chan, are you saying you want to pass the head nun role to Hinata?”
“What?”
“Um, wait a second. Hanako-chan? What do you mean by that…?”
“Oh my, Hinata, you’re quite wily. With that overwhelming weight you have, you’re pretending not to know? According to Sakura-chan, you could upend the Sisterhood at any moment with that gravitas!”
“…Eh? Hinata-sama’s overwhelming weight? I don’t quite understand what you mean by all that.”
“Ha, Hanako-chan?! Isn’t this incredibly impolite to Sister Sakura? And moreover, such a conversation is inappropriate in so many respects?!”
“Ufu, Hinata-chan, don’t you feel the temptation? With that overwhelming weight of yours, you could easily push Sakura-chan aside and take the head nun position, right? I’m not saying Sakura-chan is small, but isn’t it always true that there’s someone above us in the sky?”
“Ah, uh… Excuse me, but the topic is getting dangerously close to sacrilege…?! We really should change the subject right now…!”
“…”
“Hey, everyone☆ Did you three manage to get along during the time I was gone?”
I had thought our Sisters might have ignored my warning and were trying to recruit Hanako, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
However, seeing Hinata looking troubled, I thought it’d be better to cut the conversation short. So I strolled up close to them and greeted them.
“Ah, Mika-senpai…?”
“W-whoa… Mika-san, welcome! Please, for the sake of Sister Sakura’s honor, put a stop to Hanako’s rampage… Huh?!”
“Oh my, Hinata-chan, what exactly do you mean by my rampage? If zealously persuading Sakura-chan to have dessert is rampage… Well, I guess that can be considered rampage too, right? Isn’t that so?”
“Y-yes?! That’s not what I meant——”
“Isn’t it true…?”
Whether she thought I hadn’t heard any part of their previous conversation or not, Hanako’s gaze briefly met mine before returning to Hinata. I even saw her poke a finger at Hinata behind her back to silence her.
…What is going on? Have their senior-junior roles somehow switched?
By the way, Hanako seems to be quite bold today. Maybe it was because I had encouraged her to walk around the school in a swimsuit that she felt like showing off by saying, “I’m a good junior who listens to my seniors~,” but then wanted to avoid showing this subtle lewdness to me… Hmm, it’s complicated just to think about it.
After all, in the original story, Hanako casually throws lewd jokes even at the teacher. Is there really a reason for her to put up a front for me…?
“Y-yes, Hanako-chan is right. Mika-san, could you please help persuade Sister Sakura to set aside her burdens for today and not miss out on the little happiness right in front of her?”
Oh dear, it seems Hinata ultimately succumbed to external pressure. Well, Sakura-chan, why are you so uptight? It’s perfectly okay to indulge a little on a day like today.
“Okay~ Just leave it to me, Hinata-chan!”
Anyways, I decided to happily take on Hinata’s request. If we go by Aris’ definitions, it’d be like saying ‘Kabam Kabam~! Side quest accepted!’
“Hey, Sakura-chan~.”
I approached Sakura, who appeared to be somewhere far away mentally, and called her name. Since she didn’t respond, I waved my hands in her face until she finally snapped back to reality.
“Ah, Mika-chan. I hope you’re having a peaceful day…”
“Yup, it’s been a fun day. How about you, Sakura-chan? Been well?”
“I have been, as always… No, that’s not the issue right now.”
“…Suddenly?”
“Mika-chan, I kindly ask that you stop Hanako from continuing! Right now, she’s going on about my little weight and Hinata-sama’s overwhelming weight, trying to drag me down from the head nun position!”
“Ah, um…”
“Certainly a discussion about height, right? It has to be about height…!”
…Wait, did you just bring up height in front of me, Sakura-chan? Now I’m tempted to jump in and harass you a bit.
Sure, Hinata is indeed the tallest among us, but given the context, we can clearly tell they’re referring to breast size.
Well, I personally have no complex about this, so I’m not particularly bothered, but Hanako, how could you be so cruel? What did you expect would happen if Sakura compared herself to the two of you, those giant mountains?
“Sakura-chan, Hanako-chan was probably just joking around a little, right?”
“Of course, it was all just a joke. fufu.”
“Seems to be the case. But, Sakura-chan, you’re troubled by dessert, right?”
“Ah, yes. As the head nun, I need to set an example for the Sisters… Thus, I have to be cautious about my behavior. Giving in to the temptation of dessert…”
I’m not quite sure how not eating dessert sets an example for the Sisters, but there’s a simple solution here.
“Sakura-chan, today there are only you and Hinata here as Sisters, right?”
“…That’s true!”
Sakura-chan opened her eyes wide in surprise. But then she immediately shook her head in denial.
“Still, that’s not okay. Even if it’s one exception, it can’t help but influence my usual conduct.”
Hmm. If Sakura-chan starts down this path, there’s always a way to deal with it. Since she’s a Sister, there’s bound to be a method that works.
“Et omnia vanitas. Everything is vanity; thus, shouldn’t we cherish this moment, Sakura-chan? I just wish you wouldn’t turn your back on your own little happiness.”
“Ugh… Mika-chan, did you study that part after getting to know the Arius folks…? If you’re saying that, then maybe just a little… Yes, one bite should be okay…?”
“Yup, that’s right!”
I watched Sakura-chan lift a piece of tiramisu onto her plate after some thorough consideration. I made a V sign with my hand towards Hinata, who nodded with her eyes sparkling.
Side quest completed! Hinata’s affection has slightly increased!
“But, Sakura-chan, and Hinata-chan. I’m sorry, but can I take Hanako-chan with me?”
“Oh my, me?”
“Yup. I have some kids I want to introduce. I’m sure they’ll be to your liking, Hanako-chan!”
“I’m fine, Mika-san. Especially today, it seems I’ve learned something good… Hanako-chan, I hope to see you again sometime… Wish you both a wonderful time…”
Hanako had just taken a small bite of the tiramisu and seemed lost in the moment as she tried to reply.
Hinata looked like she was very cautious of Hanako now, but that was probably a case of what Hanako brought upon herself.
“Shall we go, Hanako-chan?”
“Yes♡ Ufufu, I’m so excited to see what kind of friends you’re going to introduce me to.”
Leading Hanako along, we set off to find our kids… Well, not quite that far. Just a little nearby at the table with the punch bowl, I spotted two figures.
Atsuko and Azusa, standing side by side wearing gas masks.
“…Are these two the ones you wanted to introduce me to?”
I couldn’t answer Hanako, who asked with a puzzled face. Yup, astonishingly, it was indeed those two.
But why, Atsuko, are you wearing a gas mask too…?
