NOVEL NEXT Sin. In this case, the dictionary meaning refers to something that is liable to punishment due to wrongdoing or fault.
“Nagisa-chan.”
I have committed an unforgivable sin against this child who is like a flower grown in this greenhouse. That is an undeniable reality.
“Nagisa-chan…?”
What’s worse, I even tried to shamelessly hide that fact.
“Hey, Nagisa-chan~!”
“Ah, come on! It’s noisy! What did I do to keep getting called?”
“Ah, well… um, sorry. But it’s already been two hours…”
“In that case, just hold it for two more hours. I really feel like I won’t survive because of Mika-san!”
Yeah, the reason I’m being tortured this severely is that I am a sinner.
For an adult like me to be forced to kneel and hold up my hands, I think Nagisa is truly going too far.
…Ah, my arms are starting to tingle.
“It’s all Mika’s karma, so just accept it quietly. If you hadn’t had other thoughts and had honestly paid your dues, there might have been some consideration!”
“That’s if Seiya-chan had kept her mouth shut—”
“Mika-san, do you want to add another hour?”
“I’m really sorry…”
If I were to explain why I’m in this predicament, it’s all because that traitor, Seiya, told Nagisa everything she saw. Damn prophetic dreams, why do they have to see all the details like this?
A few hours ago, I managed to endure the rough driving of the Gehenna student council members and safely return to the central area of Kivotos. I think I received a Momotalk saying something like [Help me, Vice President!] along the way, but that was probably just my imagination.
Anyway, I intended to stop by my house first and change out of my uniform. My aim was the perfect crime. I figured it would be better to hide the fact that there was friction with Gehenna.
I couldn’t guess if Nagisa would be angry at me or at Gehenna for that. I just didn’t want to see her worry after checking the state of my messed-up uniform.
After all, it was just yesterday that I had made Nagisa cry. In that sense, it was a kind of consideration that I hoped her heartache would be lessened. The reason was bigger than just my dislike for being scolded.
However, just as I was about to set off to return to Trinity, I realized someone was standing in my way.
That person was Nagisa, whose smile was anything but genuine.
With her darkened eyes looking down at me, Nagisa said, “Where do you think you’re running off to?”
The resentful Seiya seemed to have told Nagisa exactly what had happened to me, including the fact that I would try to hide it. As a result, I was caught and taken away by Nagisa without any option to escape.
Not only was there a clash with the Manma Battle executives, but Seiya also blabbed that I had made a bet with Makoto, causing Nagisa to erupt like a volcano, which was unlike her. So, in order to calm her down, I had no choice but to accept the punishment.
But seriously, having to kneel and hold my hands up is a bit too much…
Ah, I could really use some coffee today. If I had known it would be like this, I should’ve just asked for a cup when I was at the student council headquarters.
I decided not to whine further since both Nagisa and Seiya were busy working. To be honest, I felt resentful about the bet I made, but I couldn’t possibly explain that to them.
My inner Michael felt pushed into accepting that gamble!
How good they are at believing such a ridiculous excuse, seriously.
For a while, there were only the sounds of pens moving across paper without any conversation. I calmed my mind and decided to meditate a bit. It’s fortunate that at least the attendants were allowed to leave; otherwise, I would’ve been too embarrassed to face anyone.
I tried to clear my mind, but I failed horribly with all the distracting thoughts. These days, I was so worried about the future that it felt like I was busy 24/7. Even when I slept, there were scenes in my dreams where Saori smiled coldly, revealing her face without a mask—need I say more?
Before I knew it, it felt like thirty minutes had passed, and Nagisa set down her pen. It seemed she had finished her work for the day.
“Seiya-chan, I’ll be leaving now. Thanks for your hard work today.”
“Nagisa, you’ve worked hard too, but please take that with you while you’re at it.”
“Take what?”
“What is that…?”
Seiya, don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh on me? I thought we had become somewhat close. Was that just my misunderstanding? Well, considering it was a misunderstanding, you probably had no hesitation in handing me over to Nagisa.
“Nagisa wouldn’t let you rest even for a moment if you stayed here, Mika. So don’t look at me like that.”
“Mika-san… If I break the mystique of the T-party and appear in an official capacity as you planned, who do you think will be the most troubled?”
“…The person who’s been appointed as the next host?”
“If you know, hurry up and apologize.”
“Ahaha, well… I’m sorry, Seiya-chan☆”
Seiya becoming the host is in September this year. It was much later than I expected, but once things started rolling, I thought, ‘Wait, isn’t this a bit too soon?’ because time was indeed approaching. I mean, it’s only three months from now.
The reconciliation matter with the Arius Branch that I caused. And the upcoming dissolution of the mystique concept for the T-party host. If the progress stalls, it will essentially fall on Seiya to clean it up, so I couldn’t say a word against her.
Well, since I can’t get out of it, I just have to wrap it up neatly and hand it over; what else can I do?
“Alright, rise up now, Mika-san.”
Thankfully, Nagisa wasn’t the cruel child who would make me fill these two additional hours completely. But I wouldn’t have any excuses if you asked me what those two hours and thirty minutes were all about.
I grasp her hand in front of me and rise to my feet. I considered pulling her playfully to see if I could tease her, but I felt a sense of crisis that I might genuinely not be able to get back up, so I held back.
“How are your legs feeling?”
Seeing Nagisa brush off the hem of my uniform while asking, I felt that her anger had subsided. Since she had waited so patiently during the punishment, after all. If it hadn’t been Nagisa who had put me in this situation, I would’ve probably ignored it completely.
“Are you worried about me? As expected, Nagisa-chan is so kind! Yeah, I would have been even more grateful if you had helped me up before my legs went numb…”
“From what you’re saying, you seem to be doing quite well. Let’s hurry up. For dinner… Hmm, if it’s okay with you, Mika-san, I’d like to prepare it myself.”
“Oh? Nagisa-chan is cooking for me…? Yes, I want to try it! I’d love to taste it!”
Since Nagisa sometimes makes sweets herself, I thought her cooking skills might be quite decent. She would certainly know more recipes for simple dishes than I—someone living alone—could manage.
“It’s nothing grand, so don’t expect too much. We’ll just do some quick shopping on the way to your house and then… For now, it’s best to change into something decent before that. I can lend you one of my spare uniforms, so change into that first and come back.”
Ah, when she’s not being suspiciously demanding, she really does seem like an angel. In that context, I must protect our Nagisa. I hope she doesn’t lose that kind heart of hers.
“…You two, if I keep watching this, my teeth will rot away, so I’m going to leave. I cannot bear this anymore.”
On the other hand, I think Seiya needs to become a bit kinder. I feel like something similar has happened before, but I don’t understand why she’s so eager to separate us. Neither Nana nor Nagisa sees the other as potential romantic partners, after all.
*
As expected from an academy inspired by England, Nagisa’s chosen menu was Shepherd’s Pie. A simple yet delicious dish made by frying lamb with vegetables and baking it in the oven with potato salad.
I didn’t know the precise cooking process, but watching Nagisa make it didn’t seem too difficult. Unless there was a serious slip-up, it’s actually harder for this dish to taste bad.
Often, British food is unfairly labeled as tasteless. If even a recipe like this ended up tasting bad, one might as well assume it was cursed from the start.
“Mmm~ Nagisa-chan! Would you come marry me?”
“Eh, wha?! What’s that all of a sudden?”
“Ahaha! I just mean it’s soooo delicious. I thought you could only make good sweets!”
“…”
“Huh? Nagisa-chan, why do you suddenly look like that? Did you bite your tongue or something?”
With a suddenly strange expression, Nagisa put down her utensils and covered her face with her hands.
…Wait, why is she acting like this when she was eating just fine? Did I accidentally say something wrong?
“Nagisa-chan…?”
“Wait, wait, please be quiet for a moment. Please, I’m begging you…”
Hearing Nagisa’s request, I put my utensils down as well. Typically, we gauge each other’s emotions from expressions, but sometimes we can feel them elsewhere too.
For instance, when someone’s voice shakes as if they might burst into tears at any moment.
Yeah, Nagisa’s voice was exactly like that now.
I wonder if it had to do with the fact that she had expressed her emotions so openly just yesterday? I honestly couldn’t say. But seeing Nagisa ask like that, I felt it would be best to keep quiet for now. If she acts like there’s nothing wrong afterward, then I’ll have to dig for the reason later.
“Mika-san, you still can’t remember anything from the past, right?”
“…Yeah.”
After asking that, Nagisa fell silent again. It seemed some of my words were problematic. I had no clue which part of it had been the issue.
Just when I thought I’d have to warm the food back up in the microwave since it was getting cold, Nagisa revealed her red-rimmed eyes and spoke again.
“Sometimes, I think about what would happen if Mika-san’s memory comes back… Would everything return to how it was before…? I used to think like that.”
With a calm demeanor that held a precariousness of collapsing at any moment, Nagisa confessed her hidden feelings.
“Mika-san before she lost her memory was a very precious friend to me, but… a precious friend and a good friend are two different stories, right? The Mika-san from the past was always self-centered, causing trouble without thinking, only being heedful of herself while expecting others to take care of her.”
Such precariousness would not easily break. But if that were a problem, then it’s an issue.
“I wouldn’t welcome it if Mika-san were to return to that kind of self. It makes me sick, and it feels dishonest and hypocritical, doesn’t it? If I can’t even welcome back my most precious friend with open arms, could she really have been someone important to me?”
Even while bringing up such matters, Nagisa did not shed a single tear. Watching that, I felt that she must have been tormented deeply over this matter to become accustomed to it.
“If you were to ask me if the changed Mika-san is a good friend, I would answer without hesitation that yes, she is. If you were to ask if she’s precious to me, my answer would be the same.”
Do you know what? The Mika-san before she lost her memory never once praised the sweets I made for her.
Ah… I suppose that’s a bit harsh. To me, Mika seemed to simply not have expressed her praise, but of course, for Nagisa, that must be quite a sensitive issue.
“That’s why, when Mika-san said my food was good and my sweets were praised, I felt incredibly grateful… In that moment, I even wished that Mika-san wouldn’t regain her memory… I…”
Hearing that, I extended my arm and took Nagisa’s hand. Her hand was soft and free of calluses, very ladylike.
“Listen, Nagisa-chan.”
I rubbed the center of her palm gently with my thumb. I hoped that she wouldn’t push herself too much over this.
“Even if I regain my memory, the time spent with you and Seiya-chan will not disappear. Once those experiences are ingrained, people can’t help but change. Sure, I can’t promise everything will turn out positively, but there’s one thing I can assure you.”
Today, I’m about to commit yet another sin.
Despite being able to confess my sin and ask for forgiveness… I lacked the courage, the courage to be hated, so I chose to keep deceiving this child.
If one day this matter comes back to me like a boomerang, it will clearly be the karma I built up.
“If I ever find my memories, I’ll first apologize to you for not being a better friend than I should have been, and I’ll make sure you understand that you’ve done nothing wrong… For sure, that’s the first thing I can promise.”
“…Do you really think so, Mika-san? That I would be seen as repulsive—”
“Nagisa-chan, that’s enough. If you keep being self-deprecating, I’ll get angry. Nobody’s at fault in this situation anyway.”
Yeah, aside from me, who’s using my wit to cleverly deceive you, there’s no one at fault. So Nagisa… I hope you can smile.
In truth, it’s me who genuinely wishes for the day to come when I step forward and reveal everything, just as Seiya said in my dream. That thought alone makes me selfish, hypocritical, and doubly so… a pitifully terrible adult.
“…Thank you for saying that, Mika-san.”
So please, let it remain a secret that the smile I wear now is all nothing but dirty and ugly lies. I just hope she doesn’t catch on to that truth.