NOVEL NEXT My eyes hurt. Why does the sky look yellow? I feel like I’m going to die. My brain is melting…
“Mika, stop whining and get up already. Even if it’s just us here, what’s with that undignified posture?”
With Jin completely drained, Nagisa rubs her forehead as she sees me fused with the tea table. Regardless, I’m already beyond rescue.
Simply handling the tasks wasn’t the problem, but the content was a serious issue. Kivotos has way too many troublemakers, and looking at the seemingly normal Trinity, it was no exception.
Thinking about how I’m sweating bullets dealing with continuous incidents occurring within the autonomous district daily makes the future look bleak. I’m left to pick up the mess others create, and my sanity is wearing thin. If even Trinity, which has fewer open troublemakers, feels like this, what kind of life is Hina living in Gehenna…?
And how on earth has Nagisa managed through all this since Seiya went missing up until now? My respect for them blossoms anew. If it were me, I’d be dead twice over trying to pull off what they’ve accomplished.
“…What’s with that look? It feels a bit weird.”
“Graaah… how should I put it? I just feel a sense of pride… ugh, Nagisa-chan. My eyes really hurt.”
“Told you to stop whining…but sigh.”
Pat pat—
Huh?
“Still, you did well today. Honestly, I didn’t expect Mika to work this hard; I might have to reassess my view a bit.”
“Yeah, that was definitely unexpected. I thought you’d give up after a little bit, but after a single whine at the beginning, you’ve been working diligently without a single complaint. It was such a surprise, you’re nothing like the Mika I know.”
Clearly, she looked completely fine despite reading paperwork for the same amount of time as me. My spirits were lifted briefly by Nagisa’s gentle pat on my hand until Seiya’s words snapped me back to reality.
“…Seiya-chan, does that mean I was slacking off back when I lost my memory?”
So you’re saying Mika wasn’t this diligent?
Well, I get it’s something I have to do. I do understand that.
But why does it feel so unfair, thinking I’m doing something Mika never did?
And unlike the Mika who loved to go out, I don’t have that luxury. Unless some miracle happens where all the answers pop into my head the moment I see the exam paper, it’s gonna be set in stone that I’m a slave to the T-party work, studying for exams, and combat training.
“…I didn’t mean it like that. The Mika before you lost her memory hated working but was the most reliable when it came to getting things done—”
“Huh? That makes no sense! How can those go together? It’s infuriating! It’s infuriating, Seiya-chan! Was that your plan all along, to make me just a paperwork processing machine?!”
I’ll do what I’m told anyway, but I can’t help but grumble.
“And you, Nagisa-chan!”
“Yes?”
While I was about to say something to Nagisa, who was in cahoots with Seiya, her delicate hand resting on my hand caught my eye.
Suddenly, it felt like my mouth froze, as if I didn’t want to be petulant towards Nagisa like this. Just having lived a day as the host of the T-party, I can only imagine how hard it must have been for Nagisa who endured that for a whole year.
Not to mention, she did it with one member missing.
If I hadn’t known, I might’ve acted a bit shamelessly, but that would have been hard to pull off. Even if the current Nagisa hadn’t experienced that hardship yet.
“…Mika?”
“Huh, yeah?! No! Just calling your name once!”
Honestly, I feel a weakness around Nagisa. I’ve done things that weigh on my conscience, and it feels like I’m committing sins in real-time.
“Ha… I wish you two would keep your affectionate antics to yourselves, but is that too much to ask?”
“Seiya-san, why do you keep trying to link me to Mika…? Affectionate antics? It’s nothing like that, so please tone down the overreaction.”
“Alright, I understand. Maybe it would be best if you all calmed down from the blushing first.”
“…Fufu. Seiya-san, you’re particularly free with your words today, aren’t you?”
Nagisa said with a chilly smile as she lightly tapped my hand with her finger. I felt that silent signal meant something, but I couldn’t quite grasp it.
I stood up from my chair and slowly walked over. As I stopped, the fox ears twitched and trembled.
“…Do you know that being sensitive in moments like this usually means you’re guilty of something? So, Nagisa, I think it’s time you put that roll cake down.”
Even after hearing that, Nagisa’s smile didn’t budge. She simply stood up without taking her gaze off Seiya.
As my hand touched her shoulder, I felt Seiya begin to tremble slightly. It seemed even she couldn’t maintain her composure when danger approached.
“Mika, don’t do that. Even if you always let Nagisa get away with it, making me go through it is just too much.”
“Sorry, Seiya-chan. Just this once, I’ll take the liberty☆”
I had no intention of letting myself suffer at the hands of Nagisa’s roll cake anyway. My jaw already hurt too much. I was worried my lips might split. So this was suddenly Nagisa’s last chance to smack someone with a roll cake. If Seiya became the final victim, wouldn’t that still be a memorable experience for her in its own way?
No? Well, that’s not really my concern…
“Now, open your mouth, Seiya. If you comply, I’ll try to make it as painless as possible.”
Roll cake—loading!
“St-stop! There’s no need for this, Nagisa!”
Nagisa’s eyes formed a crescent. Seiya’s fox ears drooped in response. It seemed that no matter what she said, she realized her fate had already been decided.
The roll cake was coming right up to Seiya’s face. She desperately turned her head, clasping her lips tightly together.
Hmm, if she hates it this much, maybe it’s time to reconsider. From the outside, it could look like an ominous scene of torment carried out among the leaders of the Trinity T-party. After all, considering my age, it feels juvenile to bully someone much younger than me like this.
“Um, Nagisa-chan. If she dislikes it this much, maybe we should—”
“Hello, T-party members. I’m from the Sisterhood. Hope you’re having a good afternoon… Oh my?”
“…?!”
Nagisa froze in her smiling demeanor. Both our heads snapped to the newly arrived student.
“I didn’t know the T-party had such hobbies… I’ll keep this to myself. Please enjoy the rest of your time together.”
Is that Sakurako…? No, wait. How did we get caught in a scene that clearly looks like bullying? Is this the end of the T-party’s service?
“…In that case, we have to make sure Sakurako’s mouth stays shut. Fufu, fufufufu…”
A chilling statement slipped from Nagisa, who had been exposed in an unflattering light to someone who values dignity. She likely found it unsettling.
“C-calm down, Nagisa! You mustn’t! I’d even prefer to eat the roll cake instead—”
“If Seiya-san desires that, I ought to grant that wish. Sakurako, after this…”
Oh dear. What if she forgets there’s a roll cake in front of her when she opens her mouth? Poor Seiya.
In the end, seeing Seiya’s form covered in the roll cake was quite pitiful. Indeed, this chain of hatred represented by the roll cake had to end here.
When I expressed that opinion to Nagisa, she looked slightly disappointed but nodded willingly. Then she said,
“Honestly, it was all about Mika doing well. I didn’t enjoy this either, you know?”
She claims no wrongs were hers and that it was all Mika’s fault. Yet, when you think about it, she has a point, so I can’t really argue.
“More importantly, Mika, how can we make Sakurako forget what she just saw?”
…Shall I just feed her the roll cake?
*
On the second day of living in Mika’s body and finally wrapping up a full day of proper activities in Trinity, I had a productive day where I got to learn the ropes of T-party duties and assess my shooting skills.
After leaving school alone, I headed to the station to catch the train. I informed the T-party executives that I was heading home, and disguised attendants, blended in as ordinary students, followed at a distance.
I worried this excessive protection might expose the identities of T-party heads to other academies, but surprisingly, they blended in so well. Unless you knew what to look for, they appeared to be just a group of normal students leaving school.
As I walked through the city, I slowly glanced at the surrounding shops. A store selling Momofriends goods caught my eye first, followed by one selling firearms. Oh, there’s an Angel 24 chain store here, just like the franchise convenience store it’s based on.
The Trinity autonomous district isn’t exactly small, so I wonder if there’s one nearby Mika’s home. Even if there is, I probably wouldn’t stop by often, but knowing its location won’t hurt.
As I strolled alone, I recalled how Nagisa was worried about whether I’d find my way home safely. If necessary, I could always check a maps app to guide me, but her worry felt a tad overbearing. After all, I’d memorized the geography around my home quite well.
Hmm… it might not be too excessive. Thinking back to how Mika seemed to cherish me more than I expected, it felt natural for her to fret, knowing I’d lost my memory.
Almost reaching the station, I spotted a café. The original Mika would probably have skipped taking the time to stop here, but I wasn’t planning on going there.
Instead, there was a pastry shop right next to it that felt worth the time. I was thinking of getting Nagisa a little gift, and buying a set of snacks from here would work.
I knew Nagisa liked chess, but thinking of getting her a chess set being presented as a gift might come off as odd. It might be better to wait until her birthday or gather information from Seiya to prepare something more natural.
Upon entering the store, I scanned my surroundings where some expensive-looking treats dominated the shelves. Glancing at the price tags, I found them more expensive than I anticipated. I guess it fits with how many rich girls are in Trinity; such prices still sell well.
I worried about chaotically swiping my card and seeing ‘Sir, insufficient funds’ pop up, so I decided to check my account balance first.
When I opened the mobile banking app on my phone, to my surprise, I saw about three accounts.
One seems to be the account where T-party funding flows in.
The balance is… 8.7 million yen?
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. I raised an eyebrow at how much funding goes in monthly, and when I checked, it turns out 5 million yen was deposited each month. That translates roughly to about 45 million won—a hefty sum is allotted monthly as support for T-party activities.
I shifted my perspective. Being the head of the T-party, I indeed have an absurdly lucrative job. From today, I shall become one with the T-party, considering all attacks against it as direct attacks against myself.
Long live the T-party!