It was the end of July.
The weather had fully turned into summer, and it was getting pretty hot and sticky. From early morning, the sound of cicadas was making me feel like I was losing my mind.
As usual, I stopped by the cathedral first and then diligently attended class. But then, I had a question pop into my mind.
Am I really happy right now?
The classes conducted through BD always gave off a stronger vibe of self-study. Sure, there were teachers I had in my school days who made attending class a nightmare, but there were definitely more who were neat and fun.
Among online lectures, there were instructors who made the lessons enjoyable. But this BD class felt rigid and only served the purpose of information delivery. I often found myself getting sleepy during the lectures. So, it wasn’t unusual for me to have distracting thoughts on days like this.
Personally, I believe happiness is a very intuitive concept. If you can’t say for sure whether you’re happy or not, then you’re probably not happy enough to be satisfied.
If I can’t say that living a fulfilling life—balancing my studies, leisure activities, friendships, and even work—is happiness, then what could happiness possibly be?
So, I can certainly say that I am happy right now.
Although the attention I received due to my identity as the host of T-party was a bit bothersome, it wasn’t that different from before, so I could just brush it off. After all, the only thing that changed was the reason they were looking.
I never liked being treated like the original Mika, so naturally, I had grown distant from the kids who were more like followers than friends. When asked if I was disappointed, of course, my answer would be “no.”
Still, the children of Pater still look up to me. When all the truths are revealed someday, I wonder how those gazes will change, but for now, that’s how it is.
“Mika, there’s a new dessert shop in the city. Did you know about it? Oh, I brought this mille-feuille for you from there!”
“Ahaha, thanks ☆ But it feels a bit odd to accept this empty-handed, so let me at least—”
“N-no! This isn’t something I’m giving in hopes of a reward!”
…Perhaps it was because of the strange competitive relationship formed with the children from Arius, but it sometimes became tiring how enthusiastic they could be.
From what I saw, the kids from Arius seemed divided equally between those who supported me and those who looked down on me, but at some point, it felt like they were turning into even greater fanatics than Pater’s children. Considering they must have felt the drastic difference in quality of life during their weeks in Trinity, I can’t really blame them.
As I mulled over these random thoughts during class, lunchtime came, and I walked towards the T-party’s shooting range. My goal today wasn’t personal training; it was to feed the two kids who had taken up residence in what used to be my personal shooting range.
As expected, stepping into the shooting range, a barrage of gunfire assaulted my ears. Hmm, this feels less like a shooting range and more like a training ground.
There, predators clad in dark blue and silver were entwined in a deadly dance, hunting each other’s throats. The identities of these combatants were the leader of the Squad, past top force of Arius, and her second-in-command, Saori and Azusa.
As I knew, Saori was definitely stronger than Azusa, yet surprisingly, Azusa was putting up a pretty good fight. That just meant her potential was high and she was well following Saori’s training.
It was no wonder why I referred to her as Squirrel, as Azusa displayed quick movements that dazzled Saori. Watching her dart around cover to torment Saori, I felt confident that Azusa was indeed the top expert at utilizing the battlefield environment in the Squad.
However, Saori was also no slouch. She wasn’t just standing there and taking it. Predicting Azusa’s moves, she restricted her firing paths and dove in for the takedown.
In terms of speed, shorter Azusa had the clear advantage. But when taking overall balance into account, she couldn’t compare to Saori, who had a solid physique. Just the height difference alone was at least a solid 15 cm!
Kicking aside Azusa’s arm, which was aiming the gun, Saori fired a suppression shot, and I flinched as I witnessed the bullets embedding into Azusa’s body.
“Ugh…!”
“You’re better than before, Azusa.”
“If I had just tangled her movements once, I would have won… so regrettable.”
“Regret is nowhere to be found, so get up. Looks like the owner of this shooting range has arrived.”
“…Huh? Mika?”
Only then did Azusa, who had been watching from afar, hurriedly rise upon discovering me. She then approached with a lightness that was hard to imagine considering how she just endured a merciless barrage of bullets.
“Hey, Mika. Did you come to train?”
“Ahaha, unfortunately, I have something else planned for today, so I’ll pass ☆ Right now, I came to take you both somewhere!”
“…Huh? Take us where?”
“That’s obviously to the place where I’ll treat you to lunch. Oh, Saori-chan! How’s training going?”
Seeing Saori’s relaxed yet confident demeanor, I couldn’t help but think how cool she was. Isn’t that tall figure just unfair? Plus, with an outfit that openly showed off her leg lines, my gaze naturally gravitated that way…
“Ah, it’s going well, I think. Certainly, the training environment has improved, especially with the food situation… cough.”
“Yes, eating well is always important for people who move a lot! Your Squad may have received relatively more support, but the hardships of Arius likely overshadowed that. It’s indeed sad. I wish I could do more for you…”
I still can’t forget the reaction we received when we went for our first meal out with the Squad kids. Right until I proclaimed I’d feed them until they were stuffed, they were passing food around to one another and eating just the tiniest bites, which was heart-wrenchingly adorable.
Still, I’m relieved that they’ve been eating well lately. It would be pretty shameful for me, who claimed I’d make them happy, to not even take care of my very own subordinate Squad.
“…Mika, to us, you’re a benefactor worth following for a lifetime. Every single thing you’ve done for us is invaluable. So, please don’t make that kind of face. We’re forever sorry for not being able to do much for you.”
“The leader is right; Mika. That shirt you gave us last time…”
“The Skullman T-shirt?”
“Yes, I treasure it dearly.”
“Is Skullman that bizarrely shaped skeleton? I can’t recall ever seeing anyone wearing such a shirt.”
“Well, I’ve never worn it?”
“…Pfft. Ahahaha! Azusa-chan, what’s the point of treasuring something you were given to wear if you don’t wear it? Really, you’re incorrigible…!”
Every time I spend moments like this, I wonder if perhaps my greatest achievement in life was rescuing the children of Arius from the clutches of Beatrice.
The smiles returned to the Squad and everyone from Arius, which they should all have enjoyed, are entirely my creation. When I think about it like that, their smiles feel like they could infect my own smile too.
“By the way! Do you happen to know where Hiyori-chan is right now? I thought everyone would be hanging out together.”
“Hiyori was taken away by Atsuko who arrived first. For the same reason as you, Mika.”
“Oh, I see? That’s unfortunate. I wanted to take Hiyori-chan along as well. Atsuko-chan seems to have made a lot of friends herself, and I’m not too worried about her, but I’m worried about you all…”
“…Mika, we’re fundamentally different from the princess. We’re tough weeds that grew up in the muck, and we don’t fit well with flowers that bloom in greenhouses. But the princess can embrace even those greenhouse flowers—”
“Shh. Let’s keep the self-deprecation to a minimum, Saori-chan. Even Azusa-chan next to you has already made a few new friends, hasn’t she? It might still be awkward for a while, but I know they’re still getting closer. That means you all could mingle just fine with the kids raised in Trinity.”
Well, I have lent a little help in that area, but even if I hadn’t, those kids would have inevitably become precious friends for Azusa someday. Instead of saying it was possible because of Azusa, I want to argue that the Squad simply hadn’t been given the opportunity.
Approaching Saori, who still looked skeptical about me, I brought my hand closer to her face. Seeing her not flinch one bit at my action gives me a good idea of just how much she trusts me.
“First, let’s start by taking off this mask! To be honest, Saori-chan has such… Ah, I’m not saying this in a bad way! Let’s just say your eyes are a little on the fierce side? While there are certainly people who like a cold impression like me…”
For some reason, at this point, Saori squeezed her eyes shut. Meanwhile, Azusa next to her nodded as if she agreed with something. What are you guys doing?
“Anyway, such sharp eyes can be a disadvantage when it comes to being perceived as friendly by others. So highlighting that with a mask isn’t a great choice. It’s unfortunate, but it’s better to take it off ☆”
“Ugh…”
I carefully peeled off Saori’s mask. The moment I did, her eyes widened as she made eye contact with me before quickly averting her gaze. I could feel Azusa watching us with an intrigued expression, as if she were waiting for popcorn.
Personally, I think Saori would look great with fashion glasses, but then adding those to her sharp eyes might actually give her an even stricter and colder impression. So those won’t work in this case.
“Hmm… By the way, it seems you haven’t been using the cosmetics I gave you last time?”
“…Mika, I have no idea how to do makeup.”
“Ahaha, come on, Saori-chan! How can anyone in this world know how to do it without learning? I’ll teach you, so no worries ☆”
I myself had no idea how to do makeup at first, but now I know at least the basics. Especially eye makeup. Apparently, that is incredibly important. I’m not saying I’m over the moon about it, but if I had to, that’s the one part I’ve cared about the most.
Still, I thought they’d quickly figure things out since they’re high school girls. I guess that wasn’t the case for Saori.
“Azusa-chan seems to be making progress, at least.”
“…Hifumi checks it every day.”
“Hifumi-chan…? That’s adorable! Is it annoying at all?!”
“It can be bothersome, but I’ve gotten used to it… If I don’t do it in the morning, then Hanako won’t let it slide either.”
Hmm, it seems a friend’s presence truly makes a huge difference. I’d like Saori to have a friend like that too, but I need to think about who would suit her…
“…Ah! By the way, have you visited the Sisterhood yet, Saori-chan?”
“…”
“Hey, Saori-chan~?”
“…No, I completely forgot.”
“You need to go, alright? I’ll check in with them myself later, so don’t even think about skipping it.”
Saori, who had been bravely defending the children from the distorted ideology of Arius, ended up getting the most deeply affected at some point. And she found herself in a position where she had to teach the children.
Because of that, it’s likely that Saori struggles even more with adapting to this new life. In that case, spending time with the people at the Sisterhood may help her gradually change her perspectives.
After all, Atsuko had made friends, and it seemed Misaki was taken care of well by Mine and Serina from the Rescue Knights I entrusted her to. In fact, one of today’s plans was to visit the Rescue Knights to understand Misaki’s current condition better.
In the end, the issue came down to Hiyori and Saori.
Hiyori, much like Azusa, had tried to introduce Hifumi and Hanako to her, only to get turned down. Maybe she isn’t quite ready to make new connections yet. I’m hoping someone would barge in like I did, but it’s starting to feel like it’s all going back to Hifumi-mong.
“Well, for now, I think it’s best if you both wash up first! After that… we’re going to eat mala tang.”
“…Mala tang?”
“I’ve had it with Hifumi before. I promised to challenge myself to something spicier next time.”
The terrifying poison unleashed from Sanhaegyeong onto Kivotos. I wonder if my taste has changed since becoming a high school girl because it’s heavenly! Seriously.
Come to think of it, it seems like there’s no tteokbokki in Kivotos. With the student populations exceeding five digits in both Trinity and Gehenna, shouldn’t they drop some verified high school girl favorite, tteokbokki, into Kivotos…?
Oh boy, suddenly it’s smelling like money. Hmm…
