ALL NOVEL Lately, I’ve been missing my days at the middle school academy.
Sisterhood, Rescue Knights, and several other factions. They’re all so desperate to bring me into their fold that it feels like they won’t leave me alone.
I just wanted to have a normal school life… If I had known things would get this annoying, I would’ve regretted hiding my grades from the start.
“First-year Urawa Hanako, the T-party presidents wish to meet you.”
Right, the T-party is no different from those three.
At this point, it’s already decided that I’m going to be summoned. How can a mere student like me dare to disregard the call from the highest-ranking members of Trinity?
I can already predict what they’ll talk about today. Like with other factions, they’ll spend ages telling me to join the T-party.
Seriously, why can’t they just leave me alone? I’m more than capable of following the politics you all engage in over different interests, but I have absolutely no desire to do so.
Trinity is a den of snakes. It’s a banquet for those who have sharpened their forked tongues. No academy in Kivotos would be this suffocating.
Waaah!
“…?”
But it seems I’ve overlooked the fact that there are always exceptions in this world.
Perhaps one of the three student council presidents of the T-party, Misono Mika-senpai. At first glance, she doesn’t seem to fit the top of this Trinity power structure at all.
I could tell right next to her that Kirihouji Nagisa-senpai’s gaze was no different from that of others… but Misono-senpai’s eyes are utterly unreadable.
However, one thing is certain…
“Hanako-chan, does the tea suit your taste? If not, you can be honest and say so~ Nagisa-chan might feel sad, but everyone’s preferences are different, right?”
“…Since when did Mika-san represent my position? I wouldn’t be sad about something trivial like that.”
“Hahaha! Don’t mind it, Nagisa-chan. As long as it’s tea you made, I’m happy with it☆”
“Ah… The tea suits my taste. Thank you for your concern, Misono-senpai.”
Misono-senpai has a fundamentally unique vibe compared to other senpai. You could say there’s an invisible special aura about her.
“Oh my, that’s the most formal title I’ve heard in a while. This won’t do, Urawa kouhai! That sort of distance makes me sad. So, if you can, it’d be best to just call me Mika-chan! If that’s too hard, I’ll allow Mika-senpai☆”
“Um… Okay. I’ll do that, Mika-senpai.”
First impressions say she’s quite the free spirit. A persona that’s hard to find within Trinity. It might be more noticeable since everyone else tends to overly pay attention to others.
Honestly, I think it’s a bit cool. Not caring about others’ gazes takes an incredible amount of courage.
“Yep~ This is much nicer to hear! It’s a bit disappointing you didn’t call me Mika-chan, though.”
“Mika-san, how about we leave off on teasing Urawa-chan and move on to the main topic?”
“The main topic…?”
So that was what Kirihouji-senpai wanted. Mika-senpai wouldn’t be any different at heart, regardless of the light atmosphere right now. After all, being the student council president at an academy like Trinity naturally comes with that role.
I suppose the host would still be Kirihouji-senpai? Or maybe the third student council president not here right now is the current host of T-party.
“Hahaha! Nagisa-chan, come on. Isn’t respecting the host’s way during their term part of our T-party culture? Of course, I’d do as I please even if Nagisa-chan were the host, but you shouldn’t do that!”
“Honestly… Your audacity is off the charts. If hypocrisy were a disease, Mika-san, you’d be terminal.”
“Hanako-chan, what if we ignore our local broadcasting for a bit?”
“…Sigh.”
Hmm… Is it just my mood, or does it seem like Kirihouji-senpai is somewhat sympathetic? She seems to be going through a lot in various ways.
By the way, the current host is Mika-senpai? This really catches me off guard—it’s completely different from my expectations. I haven’t seen enough to know if Mika-senpai possesses the abilities suited for the host position, but at least from what I’ve seen of her demeanor, she seems completely lacking in the gravity one would expect from such a role.
“Hahaha, but if this continues, Nagisa-chan’s blood pressure might rise, so I’ll ask now! Hanako-chan, are you thinking of joining the T-party?”
“I’m sorry, Mika-senpai. However, I want to remain in the club until I find one that I like.”
“Mm…”
Here we go again. That vague reaction. They’ll shortly start trying to persuade me that it’ll be a waste to pass up on this opportunity and how chances like this don’t come around often. They’re persistent, even if the person concerned says she’s not interested.
At this rate, the ordinary school life I dreamed of has already sailed away.
Please, just leave me alone…
“Is that so, Nagisa-chan…? Hahaha! See? I told you I was right?!”
“Ugh… But without that girl, there’d be no one to follow in our footsteps…”
“Really, we have more time ahead in this academy than the time we’ve spent here, right? If we wait, talent will definitely appear. So why not drop the hassle with someone who clearly doesn’t want to join and just go back to ice-breaking☆? Right?”
“…”
…What’s up with this person? Did she know from the start that I’d refuse? If the T-party found out I had rejected offers from other factions, it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out, but to take it all so nonchalantly is just…
I don’t get it. It’s strange, isn’t it?
“Hanako-chan? If you want, I’ll let the other factions know not to bother you! Even if they covet talent, it’s only proper to respect the directions that the person wants to take, right? Oh, and if they continue to annoy you even after that, feel free to subtly let me know☆”
“…What’s in it for Mika-senpai after doing that?”
Are you planning to extend your goodwill while positioning yourself as the one backing me, hoping to somewhat lure me into T-party, which you represent as its leader?
Or is it that my not joining any faction benefits you in some way?
I just can’t understand. Surely, Trinity was meant to be like a den of snakes. Kirihouji right next to me doesn’t seem fond of this situation either, but Mika-senpai, why are you…
“I thought you were a top student, so you’d easily understand… Nope, don’t overthink it! The world isn’t just black and white, you know?”
With those words, Mika-senpai snaps her fingers. The tiny shooting star that appears, drawing a beautiful arc before vanishing, was I just misinterpreting it?
“In simpler terms, a student who lives a normal school life here in Trinity is the white one. Right next to me, Nagisa-chan, who’s always struggling with different factions behind the scenes, is the black one. And me? I’m gray—belonging to the black but not wanting to give up a normal and happy school life. That’s all!☆”
…I’m starting to understand a bit. It seems Mika-senpai is the odd one out. No one among Trinity’s elites would be like her.
Mika-senpai calls herself gray, but dark gray doesn’t fit her at all. Can you really define someone like Mika-senpai, who can color either black or white with her own light, with mere color?
“You see, Hanako-chan, I have humble dreams, a slightly bigger dream, and a dream so immensely grand that I don’t even know if it’s achievable.”
As Mika-senpai says this, her eyes resemble a beautiful starry night, each star distinct in its brilliance. If the stars within represent the number of people she can embrace, it’s clear her capacity is as vast as the night sky itself.
It makes sense. If I were to define Mika-senpai, it’d be the Milky Way. That fits perfectly.
“I wish for myself to be happier than anyone else in the world.”
“I wish for those around me to be as happy, if not more so.”
“And while I’m at it, I hope that everyone deserving of happiness becomes happy, and that no one is left behind in the pit of despair… it’s truly an idealistic dream.”
The moment I behold Mika-senpai with her shimmering eyes, I realized: to her, being the host of T-party, positioned at the pinnacle of the school’s power structure, is merely a tool to fulfill her dreams… her ideals.
“Hanako-chan, I want you to be happy. Yes, I hope you can relish all the joys that Trinity has to offer. So, I’ll be your shield.”
“Until you find the club you wish to belong to. And until you make like-minded friends. If you wish, I’ll continue to be your shield even after that.”
“The benefits to me are not really that important. Yep, I’m not that calculative of a person. So, Hanako-chan, the reason I want to help you is simple: I can’t stand by and watch Urawa Hanako lose the opportunity to chase happiness. There’s nothing hidden beneath it, no ulterior motive, just that.”
And then it hit me, how utterly captivated I was by Mika-senpai’s magic.
Just a single encounter. The time it took for me to feel drawn to and nurture admiration for Misono Mika was just that brief.
“Happiness might seem a vague and far-off concept, but at the same time, it can exist surprisingly close. Just like how each moment spent with you, Nagisa-chan, is happiness for me, I’m sure there’s a happiness that belongs solely to you, Hanako-chan, somewhere out there. Finding that is up to you, but if it feels tough, I’d recommend wandering the academy in just your swimsuit☆.”
“What on earth are you saying to a kouhai, Mika-san? I can’t take this anymore…!”
Seeing Kirihouji-senpai, who had maintained an elegant and dignified demeanor, blush and panic, I wondered if perhaps she’s not the complete black and white person Mika mentioned.
…I’m sure there are those whom I initially felt discomfort towards that exhibit similar sides. It’s just that I didn’t know that side of them.
Maybe thinking of Trinity as merely a den of snakes was a bit of an exaggeration.
“…I don’t really know much about swimsuits, but you really are an amazing person, Mika-senpai. It’s not strange to call your dreams foolish, yet there’s something about you that makes me feel like you can definitely achieve them.”
“Hahaha! Hanako-chan, if you flatter me like that, it’ll be troublesome. Compliments from a genius like you are like poison to a person like me!”
What kind of category does Mika-senpai mean by “someone like me”?
An ordinary person?
She looks so far from being ordinary that I shouldn’t even bother to question it.
“Mika-senpai, if I change my mind… then I’ll join the T-party.”
“Hahaha, sure! You’re always welcome, Hanako-chan… Huh? Huh? Huh…?”
Seeing Mika-senpai blink and panic, it seems this situation wasn’t her intention after all. Giving a host position to someone so straightforward must be its own form of torture…
As I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, it quickly became infectious with the other two, filling the T-party’s office with laughter.
Right. This, too, is part of the ordinary school life I desired.
After sharing various conversations, as I stepped outside the T-party building, I gazed up at the beautifully clear sky without a cloud in sight, falling into a worry.
Mika-senpai had definitely told me to wander the academy in just my swimsuit. Maybe this was said as a reflection of her own transparent inner self.
Isn’t it a lesson that just because others wear a mask, I don’t have to as well?
In fact, the thought of doing something in only a swimsuit strangely appeals to me. It sounds tempting.
…It might not be bad to try it out once, just as a moment of deviation.