A chill ran down my back. I was sure I’d blocked it off properly. But then this variable called Kuzunoha showed up, and because of that, right now...
"...Fuck... if this goes wrong... Mika and Nagisa are probably going to say something similar too..."
Countless thoughts flashed through my head in rapid succession. The last time my mind had spun this fast, trying to force every possible positive outcome while I was studying, was after a conversation with my father.
"...Haa... yeah... I really don’t need to be this worn out over a woman... ugh... that woke me right up."
I should have still been in the state I’d been in right before sleeping. But after that call, cold sweat was already running down my back, and the moment I touched my head, it was like a flood of sweat came pouring out.
"...Haa... for now... at the very least, I’m enrolling in Gehenna as fast as possible!"
Before I even had time to think it through, I rushed down to Schale.
"No, Sensei! Please sign these documents here!"
"Aaaah! Arona, please save me...!"
Bang!
"Sensei!!!!"
"Huh...? Haruta?"
"Haruta?"
"Haruta?"
In Schale’s office, Arona and Akashi were busily handling paperwork.
"...Huh? Haruta, weren’t you going to sleep?"
"...First, what time is it?"
"Look outside..."
I hadn’t noticed, but when I looked out the window, it was already late. I thought maybe the curtains were drawn, but no—it was just because I only had one eye.
"...Uh... Sensei! I’m in a hurry right now! Please!"
"Haruta? Calm down first and sit here for a moment so we can talk."
So I sat down with Sensei and talked for a while.
"...So... Haruta?"
"Yes."
"Of all times... now? And to Gehenna? You’re close with the Tea Party girls at Trinity, aren’t you... I heard you even served one of them in the past..."
"...No, that’s not what this is about right now."
Creak...
"...? What’s this... there shouldn’t be anyone on duty today..."
"Good evening. I am Nagisa Kirifuji, current host of the Tea Party and head of the Filius faction."
"...Ah, damn."
"...Oh, hey, Nagisa? More importantly, how did you get in...?"
"Ah, one of the people from the Justice Task Force kindly let me in from outside the building."
I thought the same thing as Sensei.
"...Ah, Serina."
"...Right. Anyway, since you’re here... would you like some tea?"
"Oh, no need. I’ll make the tea myself."
"R-right, thank you..."
"Not at all... but more importantly, Haruta?"
I knew that if I answered wrong, I’d die. No—worse, it wouldn’t end with just me dying.
"...I heard, as I was coming in, that you were enrolling in Gehenna..."
"Ah! That’s because I have something important to do at Gehenna today!"
"Fufu... Sensei? Could you repeat exactly what Haruta just said a moment ago?"
"No...? I didn’t hear anything."
"...Then perhaps this wiretap device, sent directly by an anonymous student from Millennium..."
"Ah! No!"
I never imagined Nagisa would have anticipated this and even recruited Kotama. No, more precisely, I never even thought of it. Maybe it would make sense if it were inside Trinity, but outside it? She’d even gone so far as to recruit a Millennium student with no connection whatsoever.
"In any case, Haruta? What exactly do you mean by that?"
"...Haa... so... what I mean is..."
"That you’re enrolling in Gehenna."
"...Literally, I want to go to Gehenna."
"...Hmm... that sounds like a betrayal of our Tea Party."
"No, betrayal or whatever, that’s my decision to make."
"...More importantly, why Gehenna of all places? Out of all the academies in the world, why did you choose Gehenna?"
"Hey, Nagisa, I know answering a question with a question is rude, but I’m still going to ask you something."
"Well... you don’t need to be so formal in front of me. Especially not if it’s you, Haruta."
"What do I look like to you?"
"Hmm... your horns are cut off, and you’ve got quite a few injuries... but there are plenty of girls like that in the Justice Task Force too."
"Not that. And it’s hard to keep hiding the horns all the time."
"Well... the Eden Treaty was almost signed anyway, so I think having one Gehenna student at Trinity would be fine."
"But what if that one student is Kivotos’s worst criminal?"
"Do you know how much grueling effort it took for me to reach this position in Trinity?"
"I’m not interested in those high positions."
"I see... Haruta, you really have always been that kind of person."
"..."
"You never cared about yourself, always thinking about other people instead. No matter how much we begged for your attention, you never even looked our way. And now... Gehenna?
Be grateful that Mika didn’t hear this."
"...If Mika had actually heard this..."
"You’d probably be in an underground prison by now."
"...That’s a little much."
"Well... I respect your choice, Haruta... but even we don’t know what kind of ripple effect that choice will have, or what will happen because of it."
Nagisa smiled faintly and looked at Haruta with a kind, relaxed expression. To anyone else, it would surely look like a lovely smile, but that wasn’t a real smile.
It was the smile of a demon forcing a choice.
While listening to the two of them talk, Sensei suddenly seemed to have a good idea and pulled out a few documents, bringing them over to the desk.
"All right! Then let’s do this."
"This is... a Trinity enrollment application...?"
"And... a Gehenna enrollment application...?"
"Exactly! If we use Schale’s extralegal authority... it’s possible!"
"Sensei...? Are you by any chance talking about the thing I’m thinking of...?"
I asked Sensei in a trembling voice. Sensei laughed excitedly, as if he’d already predicted it.
"...No way... seriously, no, right?"
"Yep, that’s right. I think Haruta is thinking the same thing Nagisa is."
"...Sensei? A school is supposed to be... just one."
"Ah... Sensei, could it be...?"
"Yeah! I think what Haruta’s imagining is probably right."
Sensei’s idea was this:
First, Haruta would enroll in both academies, and they’d set a period so that he would spend one month at Gehenna and the next month at Trinity, deciding Haruta’s usage period that way.
"...But Sensei..."
"Hm? Why?"
"I... want to enroll in Gehenna...?"
"...Mm... there are people there who want you too, so... I think you should at least try going there."
"...But Trinity is scary."
"?"
"?"
At that, Sensei and Nagisa looked at me with the exact same expression.
Honestly, if I were them, I’d probably do the same. No, I had no choice but to.
"Haruta? You? The Haruta who isn’t even afraid of death... the Haruta who just throws his life on the line without thinking?"
"Seriously...? Haruta is scared of Trinity?"
"No, no, wait. I’m still a person, you know?"
"Well... there are things people can fear or be afraid of... but why Trinity of all places?"
"For one thing, you can’t just go around beating people up at Trinity, right?"
"That’s true in every academy...!"
At that moment, a thought struck Nagisa hard.
Sensei was surely sharing the same thought.
"...No way..."
"Yeah, well... I do plan on visiting Trinity someday... but if I go now, I’ll get burned at the stake on the spot, won’t I?"
"Is it because of how Mika is being politically manipulated and manipulated by propaganda, and how hard she’s having it...?"
"Normally, when I see that kind of thing, I can’t help myself and my fist goes first..."
"Could it be...?"
"Yeah. Right now, Valkyrie and the Public Safety Bureau have both issued a public warrant for my arrest."
"...I see... Understood, then. If you change your mind at any point—"
"Yeah... if things go well, maybe I’ll go sightseeing in Trinity or something."
"Hmm... I was trying to make this end on a good note..."
"No, Sensei, that was a perfectly good solution... there was just a reason for it!"
My prepared line to reassure Nagisa while encouraging Sensei was now over.
"...Then, I’ll return to Trinity for now."
"Yeah, take care on your way back."
"See you."
"Haruta?"
Nagisa looked at Haruta before leaving.
"If, by any chance... and there’s absolutely no way this would happen... you were to get another woman..."
"..."
"Then... you’ll have to deal not just with me, but with Mika and everyone else too."
"If I said I already had one—"
Swish...
"..."
"You understand, don’t you? ^^"
"...Yes... but... already—"
"^^"
I had never known someone could create that much fear without saying a single word.
"..."
"Then... I’ll be going now. And Haruta... I’m truly, truly glad you’re alive."
"Thanks. Then I’ll try to stay alive."
"Fufu... I’d like to be included in that too."
"Haa... just go already, hurry up."
"Even if you don’t rush me, I’m leaving."
Not long after Nagisa left, the strength went out of my legs.
"...Sensei...?"
"R-right... Haruta?"
"...Do you think I can really go to Gehenna?"
"I can’t promise that either..."
And so, the midnight commotion came to an end.
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