Once Rion’s AMAS, the robot legion, were in sight, they approached in an instant. Rion was nowhere to be seen, but knowing her personality, it was a given that she would appear as a hologram to attempt a conversation rather than show herself directly.
“…Mika, you look terrible.”
“Umm, that’s probably because the opponent is not easy to deal with…”
Still, it’s way better than Neru. Just looking at those swollen temples makes it impossible not to nod in agreement. It’s ridiculous that someone can take a hit from a sniper rifle right in the vital spot and still be fine; but honestly, Tsurugi or I could probably withstand it just fine.
Maybe I’ve been somewhat underestimating just how tough this body is? It feels about right.
“Ugh… Please take care of your body, Mika. It’s breaking my heart to see you like this.”
As she said this, Nagisa approached me, fixing her disheveled clothes and dusting off any dirt. Looking at her serious expression reminded me of the first few days after I was possessed. Back then, she even helped me manage my hair.
“I can’t figure out how to fix this outfit…”
“…Ahaha.”
What’s the big deal about an outfit right now? Today is the day I’ve taken the most bullets in my life.
Honestly, if I wanted to settle this properly, we could’ve fought for at least another hour. I doubt Neru would be any different.
“…Mika, wear this.”
“Huh? Saori?”
Since Neru surrendered, Saori, who seemed to have relaxed her guard a bit, casually took off her coat and offered it to me. Besides the Trinity emblem embroidered on the back, it was the same design as the Arius coat Saori usually wore, complete with the armband indicating she was the leader of the Arius Squad.
“…”
Somehow, Nagisa’s gaze on Saori seemed to become even colder—could it just be my imagination?
I turned my attention away from the effortlessly elegant Saori and draped the coat over my clothes.
…But if I wear it like Saori, the difference in height makes the hem drag on the floor. How unfair, really. Can I just grow a bit taller? Given Millennium’s tech prowess, can’t they do something about it?
In the end, I gave up on the showiness and wore it properly. There was a minor issue with not having room for my wings, but Saori coolly pulled out a dagger tucked against her thigh and made two big holes for me.
“…Hmm.”
Satisfied, Saori nodded beside Nagisa, who was mumbling something with a distressed face. I couldn’t catch the details, but it was clear she mentioned Arius.
“Mika…”
“How’s it going, Hina?”
“Um… I’m sorry…?”
Wait, is that our student council president’s adorable side we rarely see?! Seeing Hina, who looked so vulnerable with her confidence shattered, triggered my protective instincts, and I unconsciously reached out. As my hand touched the top of Hina’s head, the council members gasped, and Iori’s eyes widened.
“Hey, there’s no reason for Hina to apologize to me.”
“Our academy students caused trouble…”
“Huh? Well, it would be a lie to say those kids didn’t cause trouble, but… that’s not something Hina should be apologizing for. Unless I was unknowingly associating with them, but I know the situation well.”
Hina and Nagisa were both sporting question marks above their heads—not literally, but you get it.
“Why? Did you think I was hanging out with them without knowing? It’d be pretty hurtful for me to know you both thought that I was such a fool…”
“N-no, we definitely didn’t mean that. It’s just that discovering they’re troublemakers while still hanging out with them is surprising.”
“I suspected something when you pointed out the location of the Gourmet Research Club during your visit to Gehenna… Mika, those guys are terrorists who won’t hesitate to blow up a restaurant they dislike. Not to mention they frequently attack Gehenna’s cafeteria too. Knowing this and still hanging out with them…”
“Ahaha! I’m not defending that part, so don’t give me those sad puppy eyes, Hina. The first time I met Haruna was at a restaurant in Trinity. It was shortly after we got reports that an ice cream shop had been attacked, and when I spotted a Gehenna student there, I thought, ‘What if that kid tries to pull something? I should stop them.'”
By the way, it looks like our chit-chat has come to an end. I saw the AMAS units halting a short distance away from us.
“Welp, to summarize, even after talking, surprisingly we hit it off. I was planning to keep Haruna from causing any trouble, but I ended up delaying my guarantee and look where we are now☆”
Removing my hand from Hina’s head, I leisurely walked toward the AMAS legion, lowering my gun to show I had no intention to fight.
Click—
As the AMAS all simultaneously aimed their weapons at me, I honestly wasn’t scared at all. Unless Rion was really planning on starting a war, they wouldn’t hit me.
Even if they tried, there’s no way those units could take down everyone here.
Hina followed suit behind me a moment later, even without holding her machine gun.
Seeing that, Nagisa hesitated for an instant but ultimately stepped in line behind us. If Rion were ever to act irrationally, I made up my mind to protect Nagisa first. Although the possibility of that happening is almost zero.
When the distance between the AMAS and us closed to about 10 meters, a drone flew in and illuminated the space between us. A hologram appeared there, displaying Rion, the Student Council President of Millennium Science School.
Though she was still a sophomore like us, Rion possessed the poised demeanor of a mature woman and was the very definition of an intelligent and cool beauty.
Especially her superior height, which was almost a head taller than mine. That was the most enviable thing about her. Even including heels, I’m pretty sure our eye levels would match if she were back on Earth.
On top of that, seeing her overwhelming presence and excellent legs, I had a thought.
There’s paradise right there; why can’t we prove its existence? The fifth topic is getting serviced today…
[…Gehenna’s Student Council President. And one of the three Student Council Presidents of T-party, Kirihouji Nagisa. I have a lot I want to say about this incident, perhaps a bit more than necessary. But first.]
Rion lowered her head in my direction.
[First of all, I want to apologize for the unfortunate incident that just occurred, T-party host. I assigned C&C to subdue the terrorists and secure the subject, but I never anticipated things would spiral out of control like this… I’d like to take responsibility for Neru’s misunderstanding and resolve the issue by compensating you. What do you think?]
“First… Nice to meet you, President Tsukatsuki Rion.”
“…Mika?”
“Shh. Nagisa, when I said I’d deal with this issue, it also meant I’d take full responsibility.”
Upon hearing my words, Nagisa flinched and bowed her head deeply.
To be honest, considering the scale of the incident, Nagisa should be scolded by me. That’s an undeniable truth.
But everyone makes big mistakes at least once in their lives, and Nagisa is still a young student. Moreover, the underlying concern that led to her mistake was out of her care and worry for me.
I can’t be harsh enough to truly scold Nagisa for this. My guilt over her doesn’t even come into play in this situation. I simply care too much about her.
Thus, I decided to take full responsibility. Even if she makes a similar mistake again, I’ll always be the one to shoulder the blame.
“President Rion, I suggest we postpone discussions about compensation on this matter. There’s something much more important to discuss. Right?”
[Yeah, I agree with T-party’s host. What’s important now isn’t that. Okay, let’s start by talking about how this incident unfolded. The cooperation request sent from Trinity and Gehenna to me. It completely omitted any details about the ‘kidnapped individual.’ Do you have anything to say about this?]
Rion’s question was directed at Nagisa and Hina. Since Nagisa was reflecting on my warning, the one to answer was Hina.
“…The identity of the individual wasn’t ordinary. We judged that if Millennium harbored ill intentions, the information could be misused. For instance, if a report came out claiming a Gehenna terrorist kidnapped a T-party host, what do you think would happen?”
[That’s a reasonable point. Okay, I’ll acknowledge that there are some rational reasons backing your decision.]
Honestly, hearing Hina’s words sends chills down my spine. If such an article were published right before the festival, the atmosphere between the two academies would undoubtedly become incredibly hostile, not to mention how it would negatively affect the Eden Treaty.
[However, the actions you took afterward were entirely irrational. The initial request for cooperation practically disregarded Millennium altogether. Even to allocate troops on the borders with other academies usually takes several days of negotiation.]
“…”
[Asking for permission to mobilize troops within a mere 2km of Millennium’s campus? If Gehenna or Trinity received a request like that, they’d have made a huge fuss about being utterly disrespected. Wouldn’t they?]
“I won’t deny that.”
“As President Rion said, unless it was Valkyrie, no academy would have made such requests to Trinity without being ignored. Valkyrie would’ve needed at least a few days of negotiation too; other academies wouldn’t have had even that opportunity.”
[And yet, to see two academies that know this well personally lead their forces straight into the heart of Millennium… When exactly did Millennium become a lawless territory? There’s no avoiding this incident from reaching the media. A gunfight in Millennium City… especially one involving the T-party host from Trinity. The image damage could be more severe than we can imagine.]
This part is linked to Rion’s earlier question about why we didn’t relay the individual’s identity. However, initially, this was an incident that could’ve been covered up somehow.
But now, because Trinity and Gehenna added fuel to the fire with their unauthorized troop mobilization, covering this up has become impossible.
“As for the matter of image damage, I believe compensation could be appropriately handled by Trinity covering 20% of the costs for next year’s Grand Festival. What do you think, President Rion?”
[…]
The best compensation Trinity could offer ultimately comes down to financial matters. For Millennium, always hoping for a larger budget, the idea of receiving additional funds for student distribution is an attractive offer.
The reason I can make this suggestion is simple: the expected profit from this year’s and next year’s summer festivals should be substantial.
Once the expected profit from my business shows a surplus, the budget I can manage independently increases beyond the profits earned. This profit will continue annually until Trinity goes bankrupt, so proving this now would make covering a percentage of the costs for the Grand Festival a breeze.
Confidence in proving that? You bet!
[35% has to be covered to make it worthwhile. Is Gehenna willing to offer compensation in the same direction?]
“…No, it would be better to discuss Gehenna’s compensation later. Unlike Trinity, I don’t have the authority to decide on their budget execution. I ask for your understanding, President Tsukatsuki.”
[Then that means Gehenna’s recent actions were unilateral on the student council president’s part. Understood. This matter will require separate negotiations with the Manma Battle committee.]
Seems like the person who will likely face the brunt of this incident will be Hina. There’s no way Makoto will take this lightly, so the student council’s authority might get severely reduced. But Hina isn’t the type to instigate a coup over this, so I might need to see if I can help. I might just have to meet with Makoto again soon.
“Compensation exceeding 25% just isn’t feasible considering image damage, President Rion.”
[The estimated surplus funds of Trinity can easily disregard such calculations. 30%. Anything below that sets a precedent that reduces what Gehenna would owe. Given this involves issues tied to self-governance—]
“No, this should be treated separately from the self-governance concerns. I plan to discuss compensation about that matter independently. Trying to wrap them together to increase what’s owed is absurd. 25%. Accept it while I’m willingly offering it, President Rion.”
[…That’s quite rational. Alright. We’ll settle on 25% of Millennium’s budget for next year’s Grand Festival. We’ll follow up on the details later.]
At least one thing has been resolved. I can’t help envisioning Yuuka’s joyful reaction.
Yet, unluckily, the biggest issue is still hanging over us.
[Now, we must discuss the infringement of the autonomy of the two academies as mentioned by the T-party host.]
This matter cannot be resolved with half-hearted money. Using an overwhelming amount might only pile more burdens on Hina.
Thus, from here on out, I’ll need to find a way to settle this with minimal compensation, even if it means sacrificing myself.
