NOVEL WEB The woman standing on the podium exuded charisma that overflowed simply by her presence.
Approaching 170 cm in height and with a splendid ratio, her figure was devoid of any shortcomings in feminine charm. She radiated confidence, with an icy demeanor that felt both cool and imposing, especially with the intimidating horns that rose from her head like a crown.
Now, if I had to pick just three of the most handsome people in current Kivotos, I would say, in my personal opinion, Teacher, Saori, and Makoto would be the unchanging trio.
In fact, I feel like there’s hardly room for disagreement on this point.
Of course, Nagisa might feel a bit hurt by this, but regarding our Nagisa, she fits more into the image of a noble family’s daughter… yes, she possesses a beauty full of grace.
So there’s no need to worry about any hurt feelings. Probably.
Anyway, after wrapping up my tasks in Millennium and spending the remaining week doing what I could, the scheduled exchange student experience week at Gehenna was fast approaching.
For that purpose, I led our students to Gehenna, which resulted in the sight of Makoto delivering a passionate speech from that very podium.
…By the way, Makoto really is ridiculously cool. I’ve heard that she is actually pushing for a merchandise business for her goods at the Manma Battle. Unexpectedly, the demand might be pretty decent.
Not that I’d have accepted it before, but now, if someone were to gift me one, I could happily accept it. I could just take it and brag about it to see Nagisa’s jealousy explode.
I know it’s not exactly a good idea to provoke Nagisa’s jealousy like that. After all, she goes through enough emotional turmoil as it is.
But once you receive a glance from Nagisa, simmering with jealousy, there’s no escaping that shivering allure…
“Ki–shi–shi–shi–shet! To you Trinity folks, recognize! Revel in the opportunity to feel Gehenna’s greatness in body and soul, and remember to always thank me, Makoto, for this… oh, right. Also for Mika-chan.”
Makoto’s greeting to our Trinity students could only be described as quintessentially her. I was grateful that she mentioned me at all, but somehow it felt like I was being treated as an extra.
“Ah, just to let you know in advance, Gehenna’s students value freedom above all. This applies equally to all of you visiting us. Of course, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to adapt properly, like the greenhouse plants you are… but for that, the beasts of Gehenna will serve as a minimal safety net! Snicker.”
Wow, Makoto’s disdain for the Student Council is truly unwavering. To compare the Student Council to watchdogs even in front of the opposite Trinity, just how much does she hate Hina?
Makoto continued to ramble on about Gehenna, the Manma Battle, and her own greatness, delivering a speech that rivaled the principal’s. But if the principal were a stunning beauty who could command attention, wouldn’t at least one person pay heed…?
Eventually, there was a period to Makoto’s endless chatter, and surprisingly, after saying what she needed to, she passed the baton to Hina with an unexpectedly gentlemanly demeanor. She might have thought she had sufficiently riled Hina before that.
Hina, who had kept a stiff face throughout Makoto’s speech, finally glanced over at the Trinity students, and then at me last. I confirmed for a brief moment that her tense expression softened when our gazes met, and I quietly returned her smile.
“…A year ago, I don’t think anyone would have imagined the relationship between Gehenna and Trinity could have evolved to this point. In fact, I might say only one person believed it possible.”
Hina’s gaze remained consistently fixed on me. I could feel the students from Trinity and Gehenna glancing my way as well. They wouldn’t be able to miss who that one person is, at least the students present here.
“However, we have progressed from being enemies yesterday to being allies today. Therefore, perhaps it wouldn’t be so strange if tomorrow we became true friends.”
It feels like Hina’s conclusion should have included the phrase, “perhaps even more than that,” but maybe that’s just my imagination?
“I do not intend to cut off all friction right from the start. The Student Council will intervene when one side oversteps its bounds, and clear guidelines are set up to ensure no personal emotions are involved, so if you’re worried about one-sided favoritism, rest assured. If anyone was expecting that… consider this a wake-up call.”
Hina’s stern gaze swept across the audience. I could hear the sounds of gulping from all directions, as everyone seemed to be overwhelmed by the aura of the Student Council President.
Well, it’s not the charisma arising from looks like Makoto’s; rather, it’s the kind of charisma that springs forth naturally from the weight one carries, such as Hina’s, that is bound to leave a stronger impression.
…Oh, right. Normally, Teacher should have been here, but unfortunately, she was too busy maintaining peace in Kivotos to grace this event with her presence. Such a pity.
That’s right… a full-out battle should be handled by someone like Teacher, not a student like me.
She’s likely very focused on the horde assault right now, so we should just take care of things between our academies ourselves.
I could just finish up there and have fun with Ibuki afterward, right?
*
What embodies the freedom of Gehenna?
My definition of it is simple.
“Aco-chan, let’s go shopping!”
“Wait a minute! Maybe for you, but I have a mountain of work to do!”
“That’s not my concern, is it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I have responsibilities as the Senior Administrative Officer of the Student Council… Let go of me!”
Slap slap slap!
It’s just a little getaway.
No one in Gehenna pays mind to attendance logs because you can just skip whenever you feel like it!
You might ask who would take responsibility for your life in that case, but I’m just here for a week in Gehenna, you know?
So, this week is basically like a legally obtained vacation.
“Then you can just take off on your own, wait…! Just a moment! Fine, fine! I’ll walk there on my own! This position is embarrassing!”
“…Now I see why the President warned me to be cautious around that person.”
“Ugh…!”
Chinatsu, seeing Aco hoisted on my shoulders, had an oddly concerned look, but that’s not really important.
Right now, getting Aco out is the only thing that matters.
As soon as we stepped into the corridor, I released Aco, who had been wriggling around, and grabbed her hand. With bold steps, I intended to make a beeline for the city without stopping even for a moment.
“Aco-chan, I’ll help you with your work later☆”
“…Ahem. Fine. It just feels like my underwear is a bit tight recently—why are you looking at me like that?”
“…”
What’s this? Is she casually bragging or subtly appealing her charm?
Either way, I could see Aco doing something like that, but it seems more likely to be the former.
“Haha, I see. Oh, so it’s getting even tighter…?”
“Pu-huh?!”
…Looking at her reaction, it doesn’t seem like it’s either.
So was that just a serious remark? Is it actually getting tighter?
No, before that…
“Wow—Oh… you actually wear them, huh.”
“Cough, choke! What kind of reaction is that?!”
“Um, maybe I should do a thorough head-to-toe check of Aco now.”
“Wait a minute…!”
“It’s noisy!”
Her outfit structurally revealed that she wasn’t wearing any underwear, Aco…
Well, I suppose that means she wears it when she’s not in uniform. Let’s just understand it that way.
“Oh, by the way, I brought what we talked about earlier!”
“What… You mean that maid outfit?”
“Is there anything else I could possibly be talking about?”
“I don’t recall saying I would wear it?!”
“Haha, it’s okay☆ You just need to say you will wear it!”
“How could you insist on such nonsense!”
As Aco gazed at me in disbelief with a smile, I met her gaze intently. After a sigh escaped her lips, she spoke rather quietly while covering part of her face.
“I-I can wear it…”
“Hmmm. Good thinking. Yes, it makes me feel like if Aco-chan wears that, I might want to wear it too.”
“Don’t say things you don’t mean! You think I’d wear it just because you said you like it?!”
…As expected, Aco’s retort was entirely reasonable. If Hina told her to wear it, she’d do so without hesitation… wait, huh?
“…What now? I just said I’d wear it! Why do you keep looking at me like that?!”
“No, it’s just… umm… not that I think any differently of Aco.”
Instead, it was more of a thought that having two people who are distinctly ‘Hina’s pets’ here was a bit amusing… or maybe that’s just me overthinking it.
“Okay, okay, let’s wrap up this conversation here. Time for shopping, Aco-chan!”
“…Ugh. Just this once, you’re getting a pass.”
Aco’s insistence on “this once” made my lips curl into a grin. There’s no way it’ll end with just once.
“Yep yep, looking forward to it☆”
Even though we’re not in an official relationship yet, both sides clearly recognized the direction in which this relationship is headed.
In that sense, Aco yielding to me is just as likely as me yielding to her in the future.
As we stepped out of the Student Council building, the sunny and pleasantly warm weather welcomed us.
Now, it was truly time to savor a week-long vacation that was sweeter than anything else in the world.
Sorry, Teacher. But I need my time to relax too.