ALL NOVEL I’ll remember the provocation I did, Hina said, but after that, she didn’t mention it at all. So I decided to just brush it off as a joke.
Honestly, I just hoped it was a joke.
I did have a smooth communication style with Hina. Unlike when I was with Haruna, where the conversation would abruptly stop, it felt more like Hina was the type who listened well, allowing our dialogue to flow seamlessly.
I could understand why she and Nagisa managed to push the Eden Treaty along so well. She was smart and quite polite. It didn’t seem like she was the type to refuse things outright, unless it was about Gehenna, of course.
“The exchange student program clearly needs more safety measures. Primarily for your Trinity students rather than ours. We can have the student council assign people for escort duty, but even that might not be enough for Gehenna.”
I recognized Hina’s concerns. Unlike Trinity, who whispered and plotted behind our backs, the students from Gehenna were more likely to cause direct trouble.
“I think a little friction is worth it. Oh, not to imply some grand sacrifice for the greater good! But considering the long history of conflict between our two academies, I see minor issues as just growing pains.”
Imagine two nations that have considered each other enemies for years suddenly making peace and actively starting to interact. Can you even imagine how many problems might arise?
When weighing the potential benefits of the exchange program against the growing pains we would endure, it was clear that the gains would outweigh the losses based on its success.
“That point does hold merit. Even in the case of the joint event we proposed, where the rivalry between the two academies is involved, there’s always a chance things could boil over into a disaster. There’s no real way to completely solve the conflict between the two academies, so we have to unavoidable accept the annoying situations that arise in the process.”
“Exactly, that’s the spirit! Hina-chan, you’ve got such a good grasp of things! I wonder if my academy friends will fall for your charms once they get to know you☆”
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t usually into girls like Hina who didn’t match my typical tastes. I preferred those with outstanding figures.
But spending time conversing with Hina in person made me realize how attractive she truly was. Not to mention, her weakness for compliments was just adorable.
…Come to think of it, wasn’t Haruna also someone who had a soft spot for compliments? I definitely need to remember this. I wouldn’t want to end up being pushed around like last time if we cross paths again.
Anyway, with a beautiful girl right in front of me, thinking about another girl felt like I was committing some crime, so I quickly pushed Haruna out of my mind. After all, the other person probably wasn’t even aware of such thoughts.
“…How do you just say such embarrassing things so casually? I’ve never even heard such a title before.”
“Huh? Hehe, I came across it while browsing recent internet articles. I think it was written by a student from Kronos School? Those exaggerators are great at fluffing up even the smallest details, aren’t they? I had to admit, they really make the truth sound tasty.”
Internet reporters often have headlines that are more appealing than their content. In this age overflowing with articles, they must grab your attention right from the title.
In that regard, a headline like “Gehenna’s new student council president takes down dozens of delinquent circle members single-handedly!” sounds pretty bland… But since I know Hina, I had to give it a read. The content was surprisingly engaging.
“Ugh… my head hurts. But Mika, why are you so keen on improving the relationship between our two academies? There hasn’t been a single student council president from Trinity who’s been this friendly towards Gehenna until now.”
“Huh? Oh, did I not mention that?”
“I’ve never asked you about it.”
Well, I suppose it makes sense. Just like Hina pushed for the Eden Treaty because she wanted to retire, her supporting this endeavor was probably just a way to reduce her own workload. Still, it was natural for her to have her suspicions since I hadn’t shared my motivations for pushing this forward.
Hina’s eyes stared at me with a mix of questions and some suspicion. But I wasn’t worried. As long as I faced her sincerely, I believed she would understand my true feelings.
“It’s not like I have some grand reason for it. It’s really nothing special, something that might seem foolish.”
“Mika, that’s for me to decide. I don’t care how others see you.”
“Haha! Hina-chan, you’re so charismatic! Honestly, I think it’s kind of cool!”
“…Enough with the flattery; just get on with what you were saying.”
Wow, she sparkled with those eyes of hers even while pretending to be indifferent! I felt an overwhelming urge to shower her with compliments, but if I did, it might come off as insincere.
Anyway, Hina was waiting for my response, so I had to give her an explanation. To summarize without a long-winded speech…
“I want to improve the relationship between the two academies because it’s crucial for my dream.”
“Dream…?”
“Yeah, my dream. I genuinely wish for everyone in Kivotos to be truly happy. Realistically, not everyone can be, but still, I hope everyone finds happiness. The biggest obstacle to achieving that dream is the current animosity between our two academies, which is why I want to change that. Simple, right?”
Gehenna. Trinity. Arius.
Gehenna and Trinity consider each other enemies, while Arius harbors hatred towards both.
The hatred Arius holds for Trinity has been somewhat egged on by Beatrice, but it’s also a justified rage to some extent. It’s a complicated issue stemming from the previous T-party and Justina Temple Association, making it a tough nut to crack.
However, Gehenna and Trinity’s situation is different. If we can gradually ease the long-standing animosity, I truly believe their relationship can change. It’s just that their mutual hatred kept anyone from attempting such a thing until now.
“Misono Mika, you’re quite an idealist.”
“Haha! Actually, Hina-chan, I’d prefer to be called broad-minded rather than idealistic! I didn’t start out wanting everyone to be happy. Initially, I just sought my own happiness, and then I wished for the happiness of those around me. But now I have the capacity to pursue the happiness of many more students. If my extra efforts can lead to more happiness for others, that’s plenty valuable to me! Don’t you think?”
At first, I only wished for my own happy ending. The growing pains I experienced as Misono Mika were solely hers, and they weren’t necessary for me since I took over her body and wanted to change the future.
Originally, Nagisa suffered alone because the T-party didn’t trust each other. Plus, because of my presence, someone who had been her childhood friend for so long was lost. I wanted to ensure Nagisa found happiness, especially since the guilt I felt was intense.
However, changing the future meant stepping into the unknown. The more I altered the future, the greater the chance someone would end up with a better or worse conclusion than the original. Perhaps it might lead to a far worse outcome than the original for everyone involved.
So, I intended to do my best within my capabilities. For Abydos, for Arius, for Gehenna and Trinity, for those other academies that I couldn’t afford to care about yet. I hoped no one would suffer more due to my choices and that they would find their own happiness.
The first step, of course, was laying the groundwork for the Eden Treaty to be realized.
Not to be used as a tool for Arius as in the original story.
Not a half-hearted version of the Eden Treaty that only a few pursued while the rest couldn’t accept it with their hearts.
Not a vague promise of, “Let’s stop fighting now,” but rather, “From now on, let’s be friends.”
I was using the power of being the host of the T-party and the knowledge of the future to achieve that.
“I don’t have any especially grand reasons for cooperating in this, either. In a way, I accepted your proposal with a rather selfish mindset.”
Oh dear, Hina. Of all people, it’s fine if you’re a bit selfish. I wish you’d act a little more selfishly.
“Hina-chan, what you feel about accepting my proposal isn’t really that important. If being a little selfish leads to more students being happier than they are now, that’s what truly matters.”
“…Is that so?”
Hina seemed deep in thought as she contemplated this. While waiting for her to organize her thoughts, I popped a straw in my mouth and sucked, enjoying the fresh strawberry flavor.
See? Happiness really doesn’t have to be complicated. This is happiness. I wonder if the combination of early summer and smoothies is a cheat key.
“Well, there’s no reason to invite other academies to mimic the Grand Summer Festival either. Taking that on would be impossible. So allowing personal attendance seems more feasible.”
“Ah, so that was what you were thinking about.”
“Then since it is summer, how about we jointly hold a summer festival on the beach that borders Gehenna and Trinity? Though it’s labeled a festival, the main structure will be competitive, as you mentioned, Hina-chan. We could pull the student council in for the preparations to minimize noise and make it a recurring event to gradually reduce the animosity between the two academies.”
“That doesn’t sound half bad. There will likely be many issues with budgeting, though…”
This was a classic catch-22. It seemed they figured out that just holding the event with the student council alone wouldn’t suffice. This meant we’d need the cooperation of the Manma Battle, and under the current circumstances involving Makoto, Hina might find it hard to give me a firm commitment.
Honestly, this was also a risky move for me. I needed to navigate the fine line of maintaining my support in Pater while stepping into the pro-Gehenna camp.
A difficult challenge awaits.
…Or is it? The kids from Pater probably didn’t think that highly of me, so if I simply pitched it as, “This is a competition between Gehenna and Trinity to prove who’s better! So go win! Win for sure!” they might genuinely take it at face value.
If Gehenna wins, I could shamelessly say, “If you guys had just tried a little harder, you could have won!” And honestly, would they truly hate the idea of playing in the ocean during summer?
Maybe the answer lies nearby. Instead of a demand for Pater kids to smash Gehenna, I could flip it around and say, “If you lose to Gehenna, Misono Mika will be disappointed!” That could definitely work!
“I totally understand what you’re worried about! Right, it’s about the current chairperson of the Manma Battle, Hanuma Makoto, isn’t it? From what our spies said, it seems the student council and the Manma Battle are currently going separate ways.”
“How dare you say that right in front of me, as though it means nothing! But you’re right. To budget for an event of that scale, I must get Makoto on board.”
“If we take this route, I’ll need to openly express my intention to lean towards being pro-Gehenna. So after that, how about I make an official visit to Gehenna? Let’s see if we can convince the chairperson of the Manma Battle! After all, it’s not a conversation we can avoid☆”
“…That might be better than trying to handle this on my own.”
From the moment Hina accepted that idea, our plans began to form piece by piece. Yes, a calculated blow of opportunity was about to hit Hanuma Makoto…!