NOVEL NEXT After confirming that Mika’s shooting skills were solid from practice at the shooting range, we dragged Seiya out for lunch outside the academy. Nagisa declared that she would introduce us one by one to the delightful restaurants she knew of in the Trinity Autonomous District, so it seemed like we’d be eating out quite often in the future.
This time, we headed in a different direction from where Seiya had been waiting in the morning, ending up in the T-party’s office, a backdrop that the Blue Archive teachers would be more familiar with. Looking out over this office that offered a view of not only Trinity Academy but also parts of the Autonomous District, I felt a distinct line drawn between the T-party and regular students, as if they lived in different worlds.
As we approached the long table laden with desserts for the tea party, the waiting T-party officials pulled out our chairs, and once we sat down, they poured tea into our cups. It looked like they had prepared tea according to the preferences of the head.
If it were Nagisa, it would definitely be black tea, but I couldn’t guess what Seiya would have. For my choice…
Matcha? That’s a bit unexpected. I thought Mika would somehow prefer fruit tea, but that might have been a prejudice. Or maybe it was simply a combination prioritized for its compatibility with the sweet desserts.
“Everyone, today you can freely spend your time, unless we seek you out first. Thank you for your hard work preparing this.”
With Nagisa’s natural hosting declaration, the officials looked at me as if asking for permission. So, this is what it means to be the host. Smiling gently and nodding, they bowed in gratitude and retreated outside the office.
“Mika, the three student council presidents at T-party essentially have equal authority. However, only the host has specific powers that no other council members can encroach upon.”
The authority to hold public meetings, manage student admissions, and make final decisions on diplomacy with other academies—
“From what it sounds like, it doesn’t seem like the other student council presidents have a ton of extra work compared to you. It’s not like those are everyday tasks, right?”
“Mika, the most important thing is that the host is the one who has the final approval for all of Trinity’s major and minor matters. Most trivial issues are handled by other officials, but truly important matters must be reviewed together, and you have to give the final approval—”
“Nagi-chan, Seiya-chan. We’ve only got a short time, but I had a blast. But hey, I think I just made a decision. I want to experience the wide world outside of Trinity☆ Therefore, I resign from T-party☆”
“…Let’s sit back down while we’re on good terms.”
“Whoa—o…”
Nagisa, that’s not a happy smile you’ve got there. Why do I see the shape of a demon behind you…? Still, that icy smile really is on par with Jomae Saori.
“First, let’s handle the simpler things. The really important documents are sorted separately, so we’ll help you with those.”
“Okay, got it…”
And thus, the paperwork hell began.
Here’s a document from the library…
A budget request for the repurchase of lost books… No way, is it really okay for such trivial things to come up through T-party?
[Budgeting request to participate in the auction of the first edition of ‘Tears of the Azure Oasis.’]
[We’ve obtained information that the posthumous works of a great author who reigned over an era centuries ago… are going to be auctioned, and it’s vital to seize this opportunity since a first edition of the book that went missing over 20 years ago is being auctioned…]
Well, I suppose that makes sense. Just hearing keywords like great author, posthumous works, and first edition makes it seem valuable. So it would make sense for it to be auctioned. But auctions often go much higher than the estimated price, so I need to approach this cautiously.
[An essential book that must be acquired for the Trinity Central Library, boasting the best in Kivotos. The estimated auction cost is—]
Let’s see… One. Million. One million… Huh?
Fifteen million yen?
What the hell?
Even if Trinity has a ton of money, fifteen million yen for a single book? Wow, so that’s why it was pushed this far up. Sorry for questioning it.
So can I approve this? It’s natural for artwork with high artistic value to be expensive, but it’s a bit hard to see this as reasonable budget execution…
Moreover, this is just the beginning; the list goes on and on. While there weren’t any more outrageous budget requests like that, I still see some asking for several hundred thousand yen. Seeing numbers like that really throws me off.
What’s this? There are even red books here. Are you guys serious?
“…Nagi-chan, it’s best to reject this, right? Hmm?”
Honestly, I was feeling dizzy. I never expected I’d be dealing with a fiasco right from the first document. If this keeps up, the road ahead doesn’t look smooth at all.
“Let’s see… Hmm… Yes, this dubious book and the auction request should be rejected. The rest can pass.”
“Aha… Okay, okay! Even Trinity won’t allow such wasteful spending. Thanks, Nagi-chan!”
With a mental shout of ‘Thank you, Nagisaaemon!’ I tried to move on to the next document, when Seiya suddenly chuckled softly.
“Mika, the reason Nagisa asked to reject that auction isn’t a monetary issue. If it’s about books, it must be a document submitted from the library, right? When they request budget adjustments for high-priced titles, it doesn’t matter if we refuse. After all, the library head senior buys them with their own money, donating them to the central library.”
…?
A student using their personal funds—150 million yen at that—to participate in a book auction, and then donating it to the academy’s library? If Seiya is saying this, it must be common knowledge? Talk about shock and horror.
With my humble background, I couldn’t wrap my head around it, but thinking of it as a way for a rich girl from Kivotos to express her affection for her alma mater, I could understand it wasn’t entirely unheard of.
So just how much money do you have for that… I wouldn’t mind humbly asking for a single ice cream, if you don’t mind.
Oh, right. I should probably check Mika’s current asset status sometime later.
“It’s true. When we first joined T-party last year, we heard that this senior has brought in thirty books with their own money. And of course, that price range is something else.”
“None of the past T-party presidents have ever allocated any budget for when that senior wants to purchase high-priced books. And maybe because it bothered them, just last month, they requested a budget for a theology book for 5 million yen. A student filling the library with their own money can’t be exploited by T-party, right? While I personally can’t agree with such high prices…”
…What? Mika, were you always this cool?
No, that can’t be right. The surface-level reason sounds plausible, but the reality could be a bit different, yeah? Knowing Mika, that seems more plausible.
“Okay, so if I handle this, Trinity’s finances won’t have any issues, right?”
“…Mika, perhaps you should reconsider. Based on what Seiya and I know, its impact is like taking a bucket of water from the ocean—minimal, but other departments might raise concerns. It could spark favoritism controversies.”
“So those who are financially strained should speak up after trying to do something for the academy with their own money! If there’s backlash, I’ll take responsibility, Nagi-chan. We shouldn’t exploit the heart of a student who loves the academy like that, as we’re not financially confined!”
It’s a bit sad that political concerns among clubs would lead to the heart of a student wanting to love their academy going unanswered.
If it comes to it, I’ll just go out into the job market to help out…
Hmm, seeking funding from a T-party member working in the job market seems… off in various ways. And if the rumors go around that the host of T-party is working for money, that would only tarnish T-party’s reputation further.
From the start, asking the person who’s obviously rolling in wealth to contribute is a twisted idea.
“…I won’t stop you. While you’re the host, that student could feel that T-party cares for them.”
“I still think this is a bit excessive spending. Seiya, I think we really need to keep watch to make sure Mika isn’t allocating budgets to unusual places.”
What do you mean, you sound like a wife checking her husband’s mobile game spending history? Nagisa…
“Anyway, I’ll take full responsibility for approving this☆”
You never know. If I make a favorable impression on the library club, they might help me find the information I want later on, right?
I suppose that makes me a somewhat idiotic adult after all, thinking like that.
With that thought, I stamped the document and moved on to the next one.
…Wait, had I already rejected that red book?
Let’s put that trivial detail aside. As I navigated through the next document, I sighed softly. A certain restaurant was partially destroyed by a mysterious group presumed to be from Gehenna…?
Right, you guys were causing trouble even back then. Ha ha… freaking lunatics.
Ah, if life gave me five chances, I’d want to live all five as Hoshino…