NOVEL NEXT Early in the morning, I was alone… or rather, I was riding in a vehicle driven by a servant, heading towards D.U. Every time the humid morning air filled my lungs, I couldn’t help but think that if I had been just a little less lazy, I would have enjoyed my morning walks every day.
I had somehow succeeded in persuading Seiya and Nagisa regarding my visit to Gehenna. Other than that, I decided to openly share my plan to build goodwill with Arius, which was something I intended to carry out alone. I even revealed that I planned to lay the groundwork for a meeting in the Catacombs.
At the time of the Eden Treaty, Arius invaded Trinity through the Catacombs, so it was a known fact that the Catacombs were their active area. However, at this moment, the evidence to convince those two was quite lacking.
Thus, I had to take the time to explain why I suspected the Catacombs were Arius’s area of activity. In other words, I sold the idea that my hypothesis was derived from various books and ancient texts I had consulted to search for traces of Arius. They had seen me reading ancient texts or were aware that I frequently visited the central library, so they seemed to accept it to some extent.
Anyway, I promised not to shoulder everything alone anymore, so after much deliberation, I decided to proceed with the meeting through the Justice Realization Department. It would only involve hanging pieces of cloth indicating the meeting locations and times in various spots within the Catacombs.
Once I processed it through the Justice Realization Department, there would be no need to come back and forth multiple times.
Specific days. Specific times. Specific places.
Once I confirmed these three things, I just had to remember to stop by the meeting place and wait. Given the priority, this was indeed more important than improving relations with Gehenna, so I wouldn’t forget it.
Honestly, I only need to spare time about once a week, so it’s not a big deal.
The place Hina transmitted to me was near the subway station leading to Gehenna. We figured it would be more convenient to meet at neutral ground D.U. rather than the border between Gehenna and Trinity.
When I arrived, there were about ten minutes until the scheduled time. Not wanting to wait idly, I stopped by a nearby convenience store and came out with a can of coffee.
I had drunk plenty of beverages from what Nagisa provided and the tea from T-party, but coffee has its charm. Even if it’s just cheap canned coffee.
As I sat on a bench, sipping my coffee, I saw a vehicle resembling a Humvee approaching from the direction of Gehenna. The students within were dressed in T-party uniforms, and my wings made me easily noticeable from afar, causing the vehicle to slowly reduce its speed.
Then, in a completely natural manner, it made an illegal U-turn in the middle of the road. But then again, it was Gehenna we were talking about. Does the Student Council care about being caught by others as long as they don’t get discovered?
Clack—
The door of the vehicle stopped in front of me and opened, revealing a Mob Student from Gehenna who surprisingly bowed and greeted me.
“On the orders of the Student Council President, we will escort you to Gehenna from this moment. Please this way.”
The Mob Student promptly opened the back door of the vehicle. If it were Trinity, I would expect them to be terrified, but it was clear they were treating me with this much respect out of deference to Student Council President Hina. I could tell from their eyes that they didn’t think very highly of me.
I wasn’t offended by that. I merely suppressed my feelings and didn’t let it show. Facing Gehenna was always unsettling for me.
“Thank you, Mob Student!☆ You’re working hard this early in the morning. Here, have a can of coffee! One for the driver.”
“…Thank you.”
I hadn’t received word on how many escort members were coming, but I estimated around two. There wasn’t a need to draw attention by increasing their numbers.
So I bought exactly two cans of coffee. I knew Hina didn’t need to send a large number of members, so I wouldn’t run into a problem of mismatched numbers of canned coffees.
I got into the back seat of the vehicle and shut the door. It was an oddly strange feeling that it closed just by pulling the handle.
“Our journey to the main building of our academy will take approximately three hours.”
“Okay, thanks for letting me know.”
None of the two Mob Students touched the canned coffee I handed them. I anticipated this might happen, but it still made me a little sad.
These kids were practically bodyguards assigned to escort the head of a rival state in a cold war. But would they really be able to sip on a can of coffee given to them by that head who’d say, “It must be tough for you in the morning. Here, take a can of coffee”? Expecting them to drink that was just too much to ask.
If it were the usual me, I would have tried to strike up a conversation, but today I decided not to. It felt like a situation where I would be bothering them while they were trying to do their job, just because I was a little bored.
As the vehicle gradually increased its speed amidst the uncomfortable silence, it started racing down the road at a pace that felt somewhat dangerous. It was still not a highway, yet it felt like we were zooming down one. I wondered if they were planning to film a Mad Max scene the moment we hit the highway.
The reason they could drive crazily without worrying about fatal accidents might be because they felt people wouldn’t die in them. I wondered if the situation where Makoto’s airship crashed in the original work wasn’t such a dire crisis either?
I already knew how reckless Kivotos’s sense of safety was, but it felt alarming considering they were escorting someone of diplomatic significance from another country. I wouldn’t call it just a problem exclusive to Gehenna; that could be overreaching.
Bam———!!
“Whoa—…”
…These insane bastards. Did they really have to overtake that?!
Holding tightly onto my can of coffee, I closed my eyes, feeling like the experience was akin to Fuka being kidnapped by the Gourmet Research Club. It would take still close to three hours to arrive at the Gehenna campus.
*
…Ah. Life is extremely fleeting and hollow. After just three short hours, it felt like I had experienced the tumult of life. I hope I don’t have to return with them as well? Just the thought of it drives me insane.
“We have arrived. Just a heads up, there’s no need to respond if the regular students provoke you.”
“…Uh, okay. Let’s move quickly.”
From the moment I stepped onto Gehenna Academy’s campus, the two Mob Students were on high alert. If Gehenna’s autonomous district was a place where problems could occur, the inside of the Gehenna Academy was definitely a place where trouble was guaranteed the moment you took your eyes off it.
Thanks to being transported by vehicle, I could enter the Student Council headquarters without getting into any incidents. As we rode the elevator to the top floor where Hina was waiting, I thought about the named students from the council I would see at this point.
First, there was the Student Council President, Hina, and the Senior Administrator, Aco. Both were in the same grade as me, now in their second year. Of course, our lazy Student Council President and her pet, the Senior Administrator, were certainly waiting for me.
Next was Shiroimi Iori. She was a prominent figure in Gehenna’s Student Council, probably a grade below us. In the original work, she was one of the few students who brought out the darker aspects from teachers. Her in-game power was practically godlike; though, to be honest, I wasn’t sure if she would be present.
Lastly, the one handling the medical department under the Student Council was Hinomiya Chinatsu. She was still of middle school age, so she wouldn’t be inside.
It was a bit concerning that we were missing one level-headed member amid the two reasonable ones on the council.
Ding!
After exiting on the top floor, the Mob Student approached the office door to inform them of my arrival.
“You may enter. And… um, thank you for your concern. I will enjoy the coffee. Farewell.”
Oh? Our Mob Student appeared to have more courage than I expected. After expressing gratitude, she left with a noticeably cheerful demeanor.
Yet, despite that, I could never forgive that reckless driving. It was an experience that felt like losing years off my life, and I didn’t want to go through that again. Though, knowing that the same situation would likely repeat on my way back was a given.
As soon as I stepped into Hina’s office, I quickly scanned the surroundings. There was Hina sitting in front of her desk, along with Aco standing beside her like a secretary.
…Wow, seeing that outfit in person is like encountering walking adult material. If that’s the case, she might be on par with Seiya… maybe even surpass her. It’s no wonder the teacher told her to get down. It’s just too lewd.
By the way, her gaze was quite piercing. She definitely seemed to be on guard against me.
“You’ve come. Welcome to Gehenna, Mika. I hope our members did not offend you during your arrival?”
“Ahaha, hey there! How have you been, Hina? Don’t worry about those kids. Other than the rough driving, they did an excellent job. I guess that means they respect you that much, huh?”
“Glad to hear I’m doing well. I’m thankful to know our members didn’t act rudely. Regarding the driving… um, to be honest, I hope you can be a bit forgiving about that. There are fewer drivers who can drive safely in Gehenna, hence accidents happen frequently.”
Hina slightly furrowed her brow, as if just thinking about it exhausted her. If hearing about the issues was already causing me a headache, I could only imagine how much more tiring it was for her to deal with the accidents caused daily by those rebellious students. Thankfully, the burden on us was only a third of that.
“Well, I figured that out from the start, so it’s all good! I’m not going to pick on small details like that. After all, accepting our differences is the starting point for unity, right?”
By the way, Hina was emanating a massive presence in her office. She was giving off vibes like the final boss at the top of a demon castle. Honestly, I felt a bit envious since my impression and ethereal looks made it impossible for me to pull off such intimidating presence.
“Mika, you’re still the same. I don’t mind that aspect of you.”
“Ahaha, I think it’s my charm point, right after my looks. So, the one standing next to Hina is the Senior Administrator of the Student Council? Who might be the one eyeing me warily over there?”
Surprisingly, there was even Iori, a first-year student, wearing an armband labeled “Peacekeeping,” sitting on the couch and cleaning a firearm. Was she trying to intimidate me like this?
If that were the case, Hina sitting quietly would be way more effective. Nonetheless, I still found that scene kind of cute.
“Ah, that’s right. This is the Student Council’s Senior Administrator, Amau Aco.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, T-party host.”
As Aco slightly bowed and greeted me, I returned a respectful nod. Indeed, Aco was thankfully a somewhat reasonable person.
“Yup, nice to meet you! Please feel free to call me Mika-chan~ If you want, Mika-san works too!☆”
“Y-Yes?”
“Fuf… It really is so like you. The one sitting over there is Shiroimi Iori, who joined the Student Council purely through her abilities. A member with great potential.”
“B-B-B-Boss?! Saying that much makes me a bit embarrassed…”
Iori blushed immediately at Hina’s compliment. Wow, it seems Iori, who used to enjoy insulting teachers, just became a docile sheep in front of Hina. With how highly regarded Hina is, she surely has many admirable qualities to look up to.
“Now that we’ve finished simple introductions, let’s get to business. The reason our T-party host, Mika, personally came to Gehenna today is to ‘persuade’ for the Manma Battle.”
“Eh? President, why are we suddenly discussing the Manma Battle? Is it just me or is no one else clued in?”
“Oh right, it’s only natural that Iori wouldn’t know. This is a collaboration to improve the relationship between Gehenna and Trinity. If the Manma Battle doesn’t cooperate, things can’t move forward, which is why Mika visited. So now we need to devise a plan to persuade the chairperson of the Manma Battle.”
“…Huh?!”
But wouldn’t it be easier to just subjugate Makoto through violence?