NOVEL NEXT This side story takes place if Iroha accepted the recruitment offer.
There’s nothing lewd! No way! That’s a death sentence!
*
“Ahh… It’s finally over!”
I’m no longer a host, but work keeps piling up. Like the original Mika, I could slack off a bit and manage things somehow, but then Nagisa might just kill me. She’d surely scold me for increasing her workload.
I don’t really have any excuses, as I’ve taken on more than one responsibility. The moment the host position was transferred, the responsibilities came along with it. If I just abandon my work like that… she might actually try to stuff cake into every hole on my body.
“Mika, are you finally done with work?”
“Yep, today’s tasks are complete☆”
Iroha, who had been lying on the sofa reading a manga the entire time I was working, asked me that.
You might wonder why Iroha is in the T-party office, which has effectively become my personal workspace. The story goes back to when I went to persuade Makoto regarding the summer festival and the exchange student system.
For some reason, Iroha expressed her desire to transfer to Trinity less than a month later. She never told me the exact reason, but if I had to guess, it was probably because she freaked out over the workload caused by the summer festival and ran away.
Though she had a strong affection for the academy to the point of carrying Gehenna’s school emblem with her, Iroha’s decision to come to Trinity was heavily influenced by the welfare programs I proposed. She also confessed that she felt a pull toward me that she simply couldn’t express in words. So, her choice stemmed from a completely different reason than I expected.
At that time, since I was still sitting in the host seat, the transfer process moved at lightning speed. During that time, Nagisa seemed to have a lot to say to me, and Hanako appeared bizarrely disappointed.
For the most part, aside from her eyes, Iroha didn’t seem like she was from Gehenna at all, so she blended easily into Trinity. Despite not being particularly keen on Trinity herself, the working conditions were so good that it seemed worth it to endure whatever misgivings she had.
I heard that shortly after Iroha transferred, a considerable number of people associated with the Manma Battle fell, and Makoto was more or less forced to join the Student Council. Hina said she’d make them pay back for all the trouble they caused her.
As for me, having a capable secretary like Iroha was undoubtedly a point of satisfaction. I didn’t mind much that Makoto clung to me every time she saw me, asking why I treated her like that. Yep, Makoto is undeniably attractive.
After stretching and rising from my seat, I walked over to the sofa where Iroha was lying. I then dove right into it, burying my face in Iroha’s hair and taking a deep breath.
“Oh my.”
“Uhh, you have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do this while working. Iroha-chan’s fluffy hair is the best…”
“Well, you could have just decided to skip work with me from the start.”
“No, no! That won’t do, Iroha-chan. If there’s someone slacking off, there has to be at least one person working diligently! That’s how we maintain the balance of the universe…”
“Ugh… that sounds a bit off. It feels like there are separate people for creating work and cleaning it up. That makes me think of some bad memories.”
“Aha, I knew it was right to bring you under me.”
“Yes, it was the best decision of my life. Yum.”
Iroha handed me a meringue over her shoulder, and I caught it in my mouth. It had become such a typical routine that I hardly felt embarrassed anymore.
“Yum, it really is delicious. By the way, Iroha-chan, did you change your shampoo? It smells a bit fresher than usual.”
“…I’ve been using the same one as always?”
Hmm, what’s this? Something feels subtly different.
“Is it… a cold or something?”
“Who knows…? But more importantly, Mika.”
“Uh-huh, what is it?”
Iroha turned her body toward me and looked up from below. The distance was quite close, but I had long since grown accustomed to it. That was entirely thanks to Nagisa, but it’s undeniable that Iroha played a significant role in that as well.
Chu.
“Ugh, huh?!”
“This is a reward for Mika, who worked hard today. Since you didn’t come earlier, it’ll only be once today.”
“…”
Honestly, even now, this situation feels dreamlike in many ways. Although the original material didn’t confirm the gender, it was fundamentally a male-oriented game, and judging by the illustrations drawn by Arona, the teacher’s gender was commonly understood to be male. Naturally, I assumed the students would also be heterosexual, thinking there would be no chance for a romantic relationship with me.
However, ever since Iroha became my secretary, at some point, Nagisa began to actively express her feelings for me. The fact that this coincided with when Iroha began to cunningly seduce me makes it clear that jealousy acted as the trigger.
After Nagisa became more proactive, other students began to show their affection too, but let’s save that story for later. What matters now are Nagisa and Iroha.
“You’re thinking about Nagisa again, aren’t you? Right in front of me, too. If you keep this up, it’ll be problematic for you, Mika.”
Iroha, puffing her cheeks in jealousy, intertwined her fingers with mine.
If I were to define my feelings toward Iroha, it’d be like looking at something cute and lovable. Perhaps because of that, most of my displays of affection towards her are limited to hugs, petting, or holding hands.
Iroha, who understands that fact better than anyone, actively pushes for what she wants. She knows I can’t push her away.
At this point, my identity was more akin to that of a girl who once was a man, possessing an aesthetic sensibility from that time. So, I’m relieved that I don’t feel any guilt. If I did, I would have hurt both Nagisa and Iroha badly.
I couldn’t bear to hurt Nagisa, who lost her most precious friend because of me. I wanted her to be happy without fail.
I couldn’t push away Iroha, who left Gehenna to settle in Trinity because of me. Unlike before, for Iroha now, Trinity was nothing less than a place where she could be with me.
“I’m sorry, Iroha-chan! I’ll be careful from now on.”
“No, I don’t really expect you to do that. I understand well enough what kind of relationship you and Nagisa have. It’s not something that can be solved with just a few words… And it’s something that shouldn’t be solved.”
Iroha lifted our interlaced hands to her cheek and softly closed her eyes. The touch of Iroha’s cheek against my back of the hand felt as smooth as a newborn’s skin.
“So what I wish for is… Hmm, just that when you’re with Nagisa, you sometimes think of me. I think that would be fine.”
“Ahaha! To be honest, that’s how it is even now. Yeah, it’s unavoidable.”
“I’m glad to hear that… Chuu.”
Iroha’s eyes curved into a cheerful, naughty smile. A tingling sensation spread where her lips met the back of my hand.
“Today, you have no other tasks to do afterward, right?”
“I still have chapel class and training time left…”
“As for chapel class… yes, that seems unavoidable. I have to attend today as well. Really annoying, but at least I think I can bear it if I go with Mika. There are about 2 hours left until chapel class starts, so were you planning to train in that time?”
“Uh-huh, that’s right.”
“I really don’t get how you manage to live so diligently, Mika… I can hardly believe you used to be even more intense when you were a host. If it were me, I wouldn’t have lasted even a few days and would’ve been tired of it all.”
“Ahaha, perhaps it’s just become a habit? Yeah, but thanks to you, Iroha-chan, things have become much more comfortable! I just need to finish my T-party tasks properly.”
“Then in that case, you’ve incurred a debt with me. In that sense, skip today’s training and stay with me. Since you owe me, you’ll obviously comply, right?”
The devil’s eyes hold a peculiar magic. Looking directly into those eyes makes it hard to refuse what the other person is saying. Other people might not seem to have that effect, but I definitely do.
Haruhi was the first to notice that fact, and Iroha sometimes uses this method to get what she wants as well. While they don’t simply take advantage of it recklessly, she isn’t shy to make eye contact when it’s not crossing a line.
“Now then, let’s enjoy ourselves together. And please do some petting too. You’ve got to settle your debt after all.”
“Ugh… okay, but your hands…”
“I’m not letting go. Petting can be done with just one hand. Right?”
As Iroha buried her face into my nape and whispered so, her breath brushed against my bare skin, sending a chill down my spine while simultaneously feeling exhilarating. These girls really know me too well. Is it fair to keep me anxious with just simple gestures and actions?
“Hehe. While we’re doing this, it reminds me of when we first——”
“If you say any more, I’ll tell Nagisa.”
Seriously, this girl doesn’t hold back on saying whatever comes to her mind. She needs to be more cautious; it’s embarrassing enough that I can’t even say anything.
“I find embarrassed Mika adorable too, but your hands are still being idle. Or should it now be my turn to pet you?”
Ah, Iroha petting me sounds nice too. But on top of that, I get this strange feeling that I’ve forgotten something important…?
Hmm, I don’t know. I can’t remember anything. This feels like a bit of a big deal. I stroke Iroha’s fluffy hair, trying to recall whatever it is I’m missing.
…
…
Oh no, I messed up.
“Wow—oh…”
“Why are you acting like that all of a sudden, Mika?”
“I remembered…”
I remembered what day it is today.
July 4th… Today is Nagisa’s birthday.
“I haven’t picked out a birthday gift for Nagisa-chan. What should I do…?”
Normally, I manage important dates with the calendar on my cellphone, so I wouldn’t miss such things. However, ever since I brought Iroha on as a secretary, she started handling all the little things.
In other words, having a secretary has made me lazy.
“This isn’t the time for that! I need to hurry and pick a gift… Hmm, last year I got her the latest model phone, so maybe I can get her a tablet this year? But if I just do something like that again, it’ll seem too insincere. Iroha-chan, do you have any good ideas?”
“Hmm? Maybe if you give me a kiss, I might come up with something.”
“Hey, Iroha-chan, I’m seriously in a predicament right now…?”
“Of course. How could I not know how important this is to you, Mika?”
With a confident smile, Iroha leaned her forehead against mine and closed her eyes.
“So hurry up. You just need to move a bit forward and you’ll reach me, right? Then I might just come up with a really good idea. There’s a saying, ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained,’ you know?”
At that moment, I realized Iroha might already have a plan to solve my dilemma. Suddenly, Iroha looked twice… no, three times more beautiful. Is that just my imagination?
A competent secretary is indeed a must-have. Feeling too shy to initiate the kiss on my part, I decided to think of it as rewarding my beloved secretary.
Yeah, that should work.
I slowly closed the distance. Iroha probably wouldn’t expect me to go straight for an intense kiss from the start either. A light peck would be…
“Ugh…! Hmm…”
There was one thing I had forgotten; it’s that Iroha is always ready to devour me.
This cunning devil lifted her head, suddenly pinning me down the moment our lips met. Startled by this abrupt move, my mouth opened slightly, which allowed Iroha’s tongue to invade.
Once she gained the chance to enter, Iroha didn’t rush her movements. She gradually probed my tongue, lowering my guard and showing her skill at enticing me to respond first. Just as she always did.
Mwah…
Iroha effortlessly tore down the dam of my conscience, which had already been cracking little by little as the days went by. She achieved what she wanted so simply.
Once our lips finally parted, I noticed our breaths were becoming a bit ragged and saw the excitement on her face, and I found myself anticipating what would come next. But since I had something far too important looming ahead, I barely managed to keep a hold on my remaining rationality.
“Phew… that was delightful. As a reward, I’ll tell you the answer you wanted. If you check under that desk over there, there’s a shopping bag containing a specially prepared gift for Nagisa-chan.”
Wow… Iroha, you’re seriously the best secretary. Having an office wife who supports me is completely unfair…!
“I love you, Iroha-chan!”
“I love you too, Mika.”
If this story had ended here, there would have been a happy conclusion for everyone involved.
But the problem is that the world isn’t that easy.
“You two seem to be having quite an interesting conversation. That’s the trouble with being from Gehenna…”
“Hello, Nagisa. By the way, this is a bit strange. I clearly heard you voted in favor of the Eden Treaty when it was first mentioned, yet now you seem comfortable representing the Pater Faction in Mika’s stead.”
“I feel like it’s a little strange for Iroha, who knows the reason best, to be saying that, but… well, let’s skip over such trivial matters. What’s more important is… Mika.”
“… Uh-huh, Nagisa! So um, how long have you been here…?”
“I’ve been here since you mentioned not picking out a birthday gift for me. You’re such a terrible person, not even remembering your girlfriend’s birthday.”
Oh no…!
“Nagisa, you can take that gift over there as my birthday present for you. I’d rather avoid any annoying tasks, so I’ll take my leave now…”
“Wait a minute! Iroha-chan, how could you betray me like this?!”
“If I hadn’t gotten caught, it would have been a different story, but since I have, there’s nothing I can do. Well then… see you at chapel class, Mika.”
Iroha left without even looking back.
Not that she completely ignored it, though. Before exiting the office, she turned around and licked her lips. Still so alluring, Iroha…
But why on earth did she lock the door?
“If there are still two hours until chapel class left…?”
“Uh? That’s currently the case…”
“Well then, since Iroha has shown some sense… I’ll take my birthday present now, in this very spot.”
“… Uh, wuh? Nagisa?!”
Nagisa climbed onto the sofa, looking down at me, and began to peel off her uniform layer by layer.
It seemed Nagisa’s birthday present was now going to be determined by me. And that was completely independent of my own will.