I decided to push the whole 'Host' business to the back of my mind. It was too complicated. In fact, hearing about it made me feel like my amnesia ploy was a stroke of genius.
If I had brazenly tried to act like Mika and then been hit with the completely unexpected news that I was the current Tea Party Host... Ugh, I don't even want to imagine it.
Politics and keeping each other in check are supposedly daily affairs among the higher-ups at Trinity General School. It's said that regular students aren't involved, but... based on their actions in the story, you get the feeling they're all pretty rotten to the core. Every last one of them has a shady disposition better suited for a dirty political arena.
Anyway, even I can see that Mika and the position of Tea Party Host don't exactly mesh. Now, if you were to ask if Mika's political skill is zero, that's definitely not true... Hmm, looking at it from the original story's perspective, it feels more like she had political cunning, but lacked the luck to back it up.
Oh?
Come to think of it, the decisive event that sent Mika down the wrong path was the 'Eden Treaty.' If we assume Mika's term as Host ended before the General Student Council President pushed for the treaty, then it's not entirely nonsensical that she was Host at some point.
If you set aside her blind hatred for Gehenna, would it be fair to say Mika had any disqualifying factors as a Host? She's playful, flighty, and so frivolous that it's hard to argue when people call her behavior undignified. She's a chatterbox, too, but that doesn't directly mean she's unfit for a leadership role.
Her one and only disqualifying flaw was what led to her ruin. If you take that out of the equation, there's no reason Mika couldn't have completed her term as Host without issue. No matter how hardline the Pater faction's leader was, Nagisa and Seia would have been there to apply the brakes.
This is absolutely not an attempt to justify my current situation after being struck by lightning. Absolutely, definitely not.
Ah, whatever. Enough with the stray thoughts.
I portioned out the vegetable fried rice, made from my own experience living alone, and placed the bowls on the table. By the time Nagisa's explanation was over, it was well past dinnertime, and before I knew it, I had offered to whip up a simple meal.
"...It looks surprisingly decent. I truly didn't think you'd be able to finish it without any problems. It feels like I'm seeing a new side of you, Mika-san. It's a little strange."
I recalled Nagisa's flustered reaction when I'd suddenly offered to cook. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" "You don't need me to help?" she'd asked. She was so cute.
When I picked up the kitchen knife, she was the one who got nervous, not me. But would a knife even work on students who can walk away from gunshots and bomb blasts? That wasn't a question I was keen on answering in front of Nagisa. Hmm, on second thought, regardless of whether Nagisa was here or not, I have no desire to test that theory on my own body.
"Hehe, I just threw in some ingredients that my hands seemed to reach for☆"
"...Why does hearing that fill me with the anxiety that, while it may look fine, it will taste anything but normal?"
"No way! Of course, I took a bite first just in case. I wasn't sure either, you know."
You might ask how I can explain being able to cook while sticking to my amnesia concept, but that's a rookie mistake. The amnesia concept is the height of convenience, allowing you to selectively forget only what you want.
My name? I might forget it. Then of course I wouldn't remember anyone else's name. How to shoot a gun? I never knew in the first place, but I can just sweep it under the "I forgot" rug. Basic common sense? Don't know that either!
And yet, I can use a phone perfectly fine and speak fluently. It's literally a case of "I remember this, but I don't remember that. So what are you gonna do about it?" That's the pinnacle of the amnesia ploy.
Unless she has the ability to read my mind, if I say it is so, then it is so. What can the other person do but believe me? As long as I don't blatantly drop clues, Nagisa will never, ever arrive at the absurd conclusion that a complete stranger has possessed Mika's body. If she did, she'd just be a delusional weirdo.
"I don't think you needed to offer to cook when you weren't even sure yourself..."
"Yeah... but I was so grateful that you came, Nagi-chan, I wanted to do something for you. To be honest, I was a little scared, not knowing what was what."
That wasn't a complete lie. It was because of the transmigration, not the amnesia, but still. When I first saw that Nagisa was coming, I almost had a panic attack, but now that it's happened, I'm glad she came. Not only did I get a grasp of the situation much faster than I expected, but I also secured a smokescreen to protect me until I've fully adapted. Getting information early that would have been a problem later was also a stroke of luck.
"I was very worried. I knew even you wouldn't skip school and ignore my calls as a joke, Mika-san. Now that I know the circumstances, I'm glad I came to check on you before something serious happened."
Mika and Nagisa's friendship was as thick as, or perhaps even thicker than, what I had seen in the story. Nagisa is fundamentally a formal-speech character, so the fact that she was more casual only with Mika was a good indicator of how close they were. But now that I'm in the situation myself, I see they're even tighter than I thought. So much so that I actually feel a pang of guilt for deceiving her.
Ah, I suddenly got an idea. I placed my spoon on the table, sat down across from Nagisa, and, suppressing a grin, asked a casual question.
"By the way, Nagi-chan. You said you're the friend I've known the longest, right?"
"Excluding our parents, yes. I've known you for over ten years, Mika-san."
"Wow, and you said we're sixteen, so that's a super long time. But if we've been friends for that long, why do you use formal speech? It feels a little... distant. It kind of bothers me."
"...Ah, I find it more comfortable to use formal language with everyone. I was taught from a young age to maintain my dignity at all times, no matter the place."
"I see... So does that mean you're going to keep using formal speech...?"
Sensing something was off, Nagisa's reply was slightly delayed. I took the opportunity to land another blow, intentionally putting on a sad face.
"If that's what's comfortable for you, Nagi-chan, then I guess it can't be helped. Yeah, it's a little disappointing, but..."
"Sigh. Mika-san, you already tried this once before and failed. I'm not falling for it."
"I don't remember that... Well then, I won't ask for much. Can't you just call me 'Mika-chan' just once? Please?"
"...Thank you for the meal."
Ah, she ignored me. I feel like if I'd pushed just a little more, I would have succeeded. If I mess around any more, will she inflict the roll cake punishment... Hmm, in this situation, would she shove a spoonful of fried rice into my mouth?
Still, watching Nagisa munching away on the food I made, it's not a bad feeling. I was never confident in making anything fancy; simple, easy-to-make stuff was the best I could do, so I rarely cooked for others.
"Nagi-chan, how is it? Is it edible?"
"Yes, it's so normally delicious, it's hard to believe Mika-chan made it."
...Huh? I feel like I just misheard something.
"To be honest, the 'you' before you lost your memory never cooked for me, so it's a bit strange... Anyway, it's a relief that you seem to be able to handle your daily life without any major issues for now."
"Hey, a second ago, you did call me Mika-chan, right? I didn't hear that wrong, did I?"
My god, I had a sliver of hope, but to actually hear the '-chan' suffix come from Nagisa's lips. From the perspective of the one being called, it sounded so much better than 'Mika-san.' It makes me want to hear her drop the suffix entirely and just call me 'Mika' someday.
"What are you talking about, Mika-san? You must have misheard."
"Whoa—"
Holy cow, was Nagisa the type whose ears turn red when she's embarrassed? That's unbelievably cute. She's so lovely, I feel like she could easily rival half a Mika.
Is it weird to say I want to tease Nagisa, but in a slightly different way than the original Mika did? I absolutely have to see that prim and proper face of hers turn into a beet-red tomato. The difficulty seems way too high, but a man's got to dream big.
...Even if I'm missing the equipment for it right now. That's a minor detail.
"Mika-san, you should eat too. There's still a mountain of things I have to tell you."
"If you try to cram that much in all at once, I think I'll forget everything..."
"I'll tell you as many times as it takes for you to remember it all, so don't you worry about that."
What is with this girl, Kirifuji Nagisa? Are you actually an angel standing before me?
...Ah, right, she is an angel. But in Trinity, having angel wings and having the heart of an angel are two different things. At this rate, I feel like I could call everyone below Nagisa's level a knockoff angel.
After we finished our simple meal, I went to the bathroom for a moment. In that short time, Nagisa had not only finished the dishes but was also clearing the table. What's with this un-ladylike level of life skills...?
After that, it was back to our lessons on common sense. I've never really delved into Trinity's history, so there was a lot of new information, and I had no choice but to hang on Nagisa's every word. The academy's lore is deeply tied to religion, which, as a non-religious person, wasn't exactly easy for me to understand. It seemed like hearing it once wouldn't be nearly enough. My head already hurts just thinking that I might have to study this separately later.
"...Ah, look how late it's gotten."
Hearing that, I checked my phone. It was indeed getting late, close to 10 PM. Maybe because Nagisa was such a good teacher, the time had flown by.
"Yeah... about to head back? Should I walk you?"
"And what will you do if you can't find your way back alone? Besides, Mika-san, didn't you say you don't even know how to handle a gun right now? It'll be a pain if delinquents start bothering you. It would be better for me to just stay the night here. You probably don't remember the way to the academy anyway."
"...I don't mind, but are you sure you're okay with that, Nagi-chan?"
"It's happened a few times before. If you're okay with it, Mika-san, I'd feel more at ease sleeping here too. Since it's come to this, I'll go wash up first. Oh, and I'll borrow a pair of pajamas. I know where they are."
Come to think of it, Mika and Nagisa's body types are pretty similar. Nagisa is a little taller, but overall, there isn't a huge difference.
...But, Teacher Nagisa, aren't things moving a little too fast? At this rate, I'm not going to get any sleep tonight...