Let’s be a bit honest here. For me, it was difficult to understand Haruna’s feelings. In fact, today marks only our second meeting. Yet at the end of that second encounter, Haruna confronted me with her feelings.
Perhaps the depth of that meeting is more important than the number of times we’ve met. When I think about it, ever since we first got together, I seemed to have clicked oddly well with Haruna. Maybe she had feelings for me that went beyond like from that very moment.
Haruna had, surprisingly, been much more persistent in demanding another meeting than I expected. I, inadvertently overwhelmed by her energy, ended up avoiding giving a clear answer, I suppose.
I do reflect a bit on how my indecisiveness led to serious situations in various ways… but I couldn’t help but feel burdened by getting too close to Haruna.
There’s a saying, “You become black by mixing with black,” after all. It wouldn’t be wrong to fear how irresponsible I could become if I let myself be influenced even slightly by the Gourmet Research Club while being close to Haruna.
In any case, if such an occurrence happened when it was just me and Haruna, I might have genuinely been glad. Essentially, rather than just not hearing an answer, it was practically a public confession.
Fundamentally, the teachers in Blue Archive, meaning the avatars of the users, don’t have a strictly defined gender. However, it has almost become established that the teacher is male. I didn’t particularly think differently about that myself.
Could it be that I was overly conscious of this aspect in Kivotos, a place where not just male students but males in general, excluding teachers, are nowhere to be found?
Therefore, my thoughts that romance should be something I shouldn’t even dream of might have been a bit too premature. Haruna’s confession and departure proved that fact.
Yeah, if that situation had occurred with just me and Haruna alone, I would have felt pure joy. If there hadn’t been any unusual reactions from around, there wouldn’t have been any reason for my heart to be troubled.
The vehicle used to abduct me from Trinity to this Millennium was in no condition you could call “fine” even by idle chatter. The windows were shattered, and there were burn marks here and there, raising doubts as to whether it could even move properly.
“Then… see you next time, Vice President~!”
As Akari in the driver’s seat shouted that and started the engine, surprisingly, the vehicle started moving smoothly. I saw Izumi in the backseat, her face squished against the window, waving her hand lightly. But the one who bothered me the most, Haruna, didn’t show her face.
With a vehicle that looked as if it had been thrown into the middle of a battlefield, the Gourmet Research Club and the storm named Haruna left, while silence descended on our surroundings. It felt so cold that any wrong word could get someone shot.
And why do I feel like I’m going to be that person?
For some reason, after lowering the machine gun pointed at the Gourmet Research Club’s vehicle, Hina approached me, slinging it back over her shoulder, and simply stared at me. Then, she sighed softly.
“Mika. It seems like you haven’t avoided any trouble lately. It wouldn’t be strange to be called a flirt or a bad girl who toys with people’s feelings.”
“Uh…? Th-that’s…”
Only after hearing Hina’s words did I realize. Haruna confessing her feelings for me meant that such feelings might return from other girls at any moment.
“But since I know what kind of person you are… I can’t bring myself to criticize you. Every action you take is surely based on good intentions. Aco said before that the first one to fall is the one who loses. I think I understand a bit of what she meant by that.”
“Wait, does that mean Hina-chan too?”
Hina, nodding silently, suddenly pulled me in for a hug. She threw all the dignity of being the Student Council President out the window and leaned against me, which made me instinctively wrap my arms around her in return.
“See? It’s happening again. You keep giving me openings like this… Alright, saying it will just hurt my mouth. I’m not brave enough to act as boldly as Kurodate, so I’ll just be satisfied with this much.”
“Ahahaha… I’m not quite sure what you mean by giving you openings…”
“…Could it be that you really didn’t know how you were acting all this time? Hearing that makes me imagine how many competitors I have. If a war breaks out in today’s Kivotos, it’ll probably be your fault, Mika.”
Hina, a couple of steps back from me, locked eyes with me. Her usually cold, icy demon eyes were filled with strange warmth.
“Let’s settle the score during the festival, and the loser will grant a wish to the winner.”
“Uh, suddenly?”
“Just so you know, I already have my wish decided. I want you to face my feelings for you, Mika.”
As she clearly verbalized her feelings without avoiding my gaze, her face flushed shyly, and my mind began racing.
Clack.
“…Stay away from Mika.”
And at that moment, Atsuko appeared behind me, aiming her gun at Hina. Saori, who walked out next to her, had her gun lowered, but she looked ready to fight at any point.
The other members of the squad followed suit and surrounded the two. Hiyori bowed her head as soon as she saw me, while Azusa looked at me with an unreadable expression, and Misaki was lazily gazing up at the sky.
Wait, are you guys… no, right? Hm? Atsuko herself subtly hinted at it, so if she means it, I’d understand. But still, I hope that’s not the case. There’s an uneasy feeling crawling around my brain.
“This makes me think even more that I shouldn’t let you stay in Trinity.”
After glaring coldly at Atsuko for a while, Hina took a couple of steps back before speaking to me.
“What does that mean?”
“None of your business.”
“…I thought Madame’s words were all lies. But it turns out that’s not the case. The claim that Gehenna is our enemy may actually be true. Right, Saori?”
“Atsuko… The more you do this, the more trouble Mika gets into.”
Seeing Hina’s icy response, Atsuko immediately passed the baton to Saori, who thankfully seemed to be holding onto her sanity.
“Yeah, but isn’t it unpleasant for you, Saori? Don’t you also like Mika?”
“What…? W-What does that even mean, Princess?”
“Around the time we were sleeping, Mika—”
“M-Mika! We will keep our guard up until we return…!”
As I watched Saori hurriedly pull Atsuko to her side and flee, I cautiously glanced at the remaining three members of the squad with skeptical eyes.
“…Well, I’m not like that.”
Right, at least Misaki isn’t, phew, that’s a relief.
“Hehe… A useless person like me doesn’t deserve to hope for someone as shining and angelic as Mika-chan… Life is originally about yearning for the unattainable and suffering in pain. It’s sad and painful, but that’s what suits me…”
While pressing and releasing her fingers together, Hiyori refused to take her eyes off the ground.
“Th-that’s not true, Hiyori-chan! Your sniping earlier was truly the best, okay? Thanks to you, we could take down Neru-chan more easily! You did a great job today, so you should be proud☆ You’re the best!”
As I said that, I could vaguely hear a distant shout that sounded like, “Ahhh??? Who did what to whom, you idiot? Let’s have another round!” but I figured it was just my imagination.
“Oh, I helped with that.”
“Yeah… If Azusa-chan hadn’t supported my reloading, I wouldn’t have been able to snipe as well. So I really have no reason to receive such compliments… Boohoo!”
No, Azusa, why do you have to add that while I’m comforting her…!
“Th-that’s not it! Hiyori-chan, you’re the best sniper I’ve ever seen. So stop it already!”
In the end, because I had almost the same height as her, I awkwardly pulled Hiyori in a little and gently patted her head. Then I felt Azusa give me that look and pout before turning sharply to follow Saori’s path.
…How many girls is this now? I’m already dizzy.
Isn’t this all just a dream? Logically, there’s no way I could have charmed this many girls. It doesn’t make sense, this kind of thing.
“Sounds good.”
Unlike Azusa, who left those words behind and exited, Misaki alone remained my only savior. The shining leader’s armband on the sleeve of the Arius coat I’m wearing was undeniably distracting at that moment.
I hope I won’t end up being acclaimed as the leader of the Arius Squad like this. That’s something only my mother, Saori, should have…!
“…Should I try to endure that next time?”
No, Hina, why are you talking about enduring stuff like that? I don’t want to see you down in the dumps, but…
Still, what’s important right now isn’t that…! At this rate, my chastity is in danger.
“Our Student Council should return for today. Just thinking about how Chairperson Makoto will pressure me after this is giving me a headache. It’s self-inflicted, so I can’t complain anywhere.”
“…Well, it’s wrong to do wrong, yeah. But I’m honestly happy you came to see me like this, Hina-chan.”
“Mika, you still haven’t gotten your head straight. It’s nice, though.”
After leaving that remark, Hina went to join the other Student Council members. In the gap she left, I thought I caught a glimpse of Iori wanting to say something, but I wasn’t sure.
“Wow—”
By the way… that means all the mischief I’ve created stemmed from treating the kids kindly.
Seeing how this turned out, does that mean I have to become the bad witch Mika?
After soothing Hiyori somehow, her expression had brightened considerably. I have a strange feeling that she’s been used for someone else’s gain, but somehow this doesn’t seem like mere gut feeling.
The entirety of the squad had vanished, leaving just the two from C&C and the seminar group. The C&C members decided not to greet me and headed back to campus.
After all, there was no situation for the two of them to greet me. But as they were leaving, Neru nodded, and Asuna waved her hand heartily, so it wasn’t entirely without goodbye.
“Mika-san, you’re a sinful woman~. Is it just to charm others that you dislike distant titles? I’m a little scared that I might fall for you too.”
“Ahahaha, I swear to the primal deity that’s not the case. It’s just, um… I guess I don’t even know how all this happened, yes.”
“Hehe, is that so? But I won’t let it slide that easily, okay? I have this cute Yuuka-chan with me!”
“Wait, hold on. Noa! Saying things like that in front of the T-party host can lead to misunderstandings! W-we’re just ordinary friends, so please don’t misunderstand. Honestly, Noa, why do you always…!”
Watching Noa, who was playfully teasing Yuuka with a bright smile, I could sense how deep their bond was. That’s a sight that can only be described as best friends.
“Well then, Mika-san. We should prepare to face journalists who will obviously come to cover this incident while we clean up the scene, so it would be better for you to leave now and avoid getting caught up in any trouble. I think we should keep an eye on that person as well…”
It was obvious who Noa was referring to. As soon as I saw the heavenly face of that person crumbling in despair, I instinctively wanted to rush over to comfort her, but then she held up her palm, smiled through the pain, shook her head, and dropped down onto a nearby bench.
If Nagisa had shown tears there, I would have rushed over, regardless of who was around…
“Both Yuuka-chan and Noa-chan, you must be starving and have worked hard without lunch. Later, I’ll treat you to a meal as an apology! See you next time…!”
“Yeees… Oh, by the way, I think Haruna-san fits Mika-san the best~.”
“Uh, w-what…?”
I was a bit taken aback by Noa’s totally random comment, but anyway. I could bid farewell to everyone, except Nagisa, in that moment.
“Yuuka-chan… Does she not feel any distance at all?”
“Hehe, doesn’t Yuuka-chan also mean that the next time you meet, you should call her Mika-san? It sounds a lot better for both of us than the cold calculations of the accountant, doesn’t it?”
“Noa, I told you not to call me that…!”
Well, best friends should be like that. The conversation behind me was enough to make me smile just by listening.
That laughter, however, quickly vanished as I spotted Nagisa on the bench, fiddling with something. Curiously, it turned out to be her gun.
…No way, was she waiting to shoot me with that thing?
“Uh, Nagisa-chan…”
As I walked up to Nagisa and called her, she finally turned to face me. She wasn’t crying, but the expression on her face somehow looked more surprising because she wasn’t tearing up. I should have taken care of Nagisa right from the start.
“Mika-san.”
Nagisa, calling my name, silently patted the spot next to her, gesturing for me to sit down. I felt as if I’d freeze and get shot for just dawdling there with a gun, so I quickly sat beside her.
When I reached out to gently grab Nagisa’s hand, she hesitated at first but ended up giving it to me, just as expected from her.
“…Mika-san, you know, until not long ago, I felt like I had abundant time… that I was a coward without any courage, and I thought maybe I could just slowly make you look at me. How foolish of me.”
I could see Nagisa’s eyelashes trembling slightly as she turned her head toward me. The trembling in her voice revealed she was desperately holding back her tears. All my doubts converged into one solid conviction.
“But I never thought that the person to beat me would be a student from Gehenna, of all people. I hated and despised Gehenna more than anything in the world, and yet… the person who came closest to your heart…”
Nagisa was as much of a coward as I was oblivious.
“I liked you first… I love you more than anyone else…”
The desire to make everyone happy is what ultimately led to my ignorance hurting the kids, and all of it was undeniably my fault.
