NOVEL NEXT chapter 4
Episode 4: Lunch with the Ice Princess
“Ta-Tachibana Reina, the student council president…”
I couldn’t help but do a double-take at the unexpected appearance of such a person.
With eyes as cold as if she looked down on everything in this world, long, silky, beautiful silver hair that reached down to her waist, and a model-like figure that seemed like the ideal of femininity, there stood the magical girl, Luna, also known as Reina Tachibana.
“I didn’t think anyone else would eat here besides me.”
“Ex-excuse me! I didn’t know this was the student council president’s dining area! I’ll leave right away!”
Alright, an ordinary student A who gets scared stiff upon encountering the aloof student council president… perfect.
Let’s leave here quickly while the flow is still in my favor.
“It’s fine, you don’t have to be so considerate. I was alone today too, so let’s eat together.”
This is bad! If someone sees me having lunch alone with Luna here, my peaceful mob life will be over…!
“Well… it’s too much of an honor.”
“…Are you refusing my invitation?”
“…Excuse me.”
I quietly gave up and ended up having lunch with Luna.
“What’s your name?”
“Souta Hayami. It’s okay if you forget it right away.”
“I won’t forget. I’m confident in my memory. You’re also a second-year like me, right? You don’t need to use honorifics.”
“O-okay…”
“Fufu, that’s better.”
She smiled seductively and opened the package she was holding.
It seems she hasn’t noticed that I’m an Omega at all. That’s a relief.
“That bento looks delicious.”
“I’m good at cooking, you know.”
“Is it homemade by any chance?”
“Yes, I make it every morning by getting up early.”
The bento, which was carefully prepared with a focus on color, was mainly Japanese food, including simmered dishes and tamagoyaki, and looked really delicious.
—
—
Come to think of it, Luna used to make lunch for the other magical girls too…
“What… is that?”
“Hm? It’s a convenience store bento.”
“…Do you eat that every day?”
“Yeah, I can’t cook.”
I can’t cook at all.
So, ever since my previous life, my diet has mainly consisted of convenience store bentos, cup noodles, and supermarket deli foods.
That hasn’t changed, and I’m still eating like this.
“You know, with that kind of diet, you’ll run out of money and won’t get balanced nutrition, right?”
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about what I can’t do, right?”
“…I suppose. It’s none of my business what happens to you.”
“Isn’t that harsh?”
Alright, now she should see me as a sloppy underachiever! This should be the end of our interactions.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Phew, thanks for the meal.”
I lay down on the bench for a nap after lunch.
The sunlight is warm and really comfortable.
Yeah, I definitely need to nap after eating…
“Sigh… Are you going to sleep?”
“Yeah, how about you, Rena?”
“I’ll pass. I need to prepare for the next class. You should be back five minutes before class starts.”
“Okay.”
“…By the way, do you eat here every day?”
“Hm? Yeah, basically.”
“…I see. Well, see you, Sota.”
“Hm? Oh.”
What was that all about?
◇
After school, having finished my duties as student council president, I was heading towards a certain building.
As soon as I arrived at the building, I got into the elevator, took out a card from my pocket, and held it up to the authentication device.
—
—
We, magical girls, are fundamentally top secret.
The group that supports us financially and in various other ways, the “Artemis Group,” is a large corporation founded by the first generation of magical girls and is known worldwide. This is one of the buildings owned by the group.
In principle, entry is strictly prohibited to anyone other than those involved, and only important people who know our true identities or my comrades can enter here.
When the elevator, which only magical girls can enter, rises to the top floor and the doors open, our headquarters appear.
“You’re late. I thought you might have gotten into some trouble.”
“I was… worried… too.”
“I’m just glad you made it safely.”
“Sorry, I was a bit late due to some student council duties.”
“No, it’s totally fine!”
Five magical girls gather.
However, they are not transformed; they are all wearing the same Ryusei Academy uniforms.
We generally avoid contact at school to prevent our identities from being known, so when we gather like today, we have to come separately.
“Alright, everyone’s here! Let’s get started!”
As soon as everyone takes their seats, the main topic of today’s meeting is announced.
“Today’s main topic is about the mysterious man in the black robe who appeared the other day—’Omega.’ We need to decide how to deal with him going forward.”
As I expected, today’s agenda was about that man, Omega.
“Omega, huh… I think we should treat him as an enemy. I can’t trust such a suspicious guy.”
“Yes, I agree. From what I’ve heard, he supposedly killed that demon who tormented us in an instant. It’s too dangerous to leave someone with such immense power unchecked.”
“I… agree… with both of you…”
That’s right. That power is too immense and too dangerous to leave unchecked. Normally, as magical girls who maintain the peace of the citizens, we should eliminate anything that could potentially cause harm.
…I understand that.
But I didn’t think he was such a bad person.
“What do you think, leader?”
“Hmm… I don’t really want to be hostile if we can avoid it. Especially since there’s no evidence that Omega has done anything yet, and we don’t know his intentions. For now, I think it’s best to wait and see.”
“Leader, isn’t that too laid-back? It’ll be too late once there’s actual harm.”
“That’s right. We are magical girls with chosen powers. It’s our duty to eliminate anything that threatens the safety of the citizens.”
“Both of you… calm down… a bit.”
Fran of ‘Creation’ always seems unmotivated but steps in to mediate and keep things from falling apart.
It’s crucial to have someone who can bluntly say what leader Fiona can’t.
“S-sorry…”
—
—
“I’m sorry, Fiona…”
“No, it’s okay. I understand both of your opinions well. But more than that, I want to hear from Luna, who actually saw Omega.”
“M-me?”
“Yes, because I think Luna’s words will be the key to the decision.”
My words…
Just thinking about it makes my heart feel tight.
That person is a benefactor.
He helped me and he helped my comrades.
I don’t want to repay his kindness with betrayal.
I———
“I think that person is an ally.”
The two dissenters looked at me with suspicious eyes, as if questioning my sanity.
Even so, I continued.
“That person saved us from those demons, didn’t he? If it weren’t for Omega, we would all have died there.”
“That is…”
“Yes… If he hadn’t come, we would have been annihilated.”
“……”
“……That’s right. So, for now, let’s see how Omega acts next. Is everyone okay with that?”
“Yes…”
“…Yes.”
“No objections…”
“Yes…”
For now, I was happy in my heart that he wasn’t judged as an enemy.
Omega… I want to thank him the next time we meet…
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