[In the end, Trinity will win.]
"Th-Th-Th… Th-Th…!!!"
"Makoto-senpai, you have to at least use human words for me to understand you… Actually, no. Please just keep talking like that. Then I can just ignore you and go slack off."
"That insolent pigeon!!! 'In the end, Trinity will win?' She's using 'Eo-u-teu'…?! You've really done it now, Misono Mika!!!"
"Haaah… Here we go again."
Quietly pretending to read a book, Iroha focused her attention on the live broadcast of Mika's press conference.
Her work is so clean. Recalling the sight of Mika confidently concluding the press conference and the image of her swiftly subduing the Pandemonium executives, Iroha let out a sigh of regret without even realizing it. I really should have accepted that offer, she thought.
"Iroha…! Prepare 'it'! This great Makoto cannot stand to lose to that pigeon!"
"Senpai, you have to at least tell me what 'it' is before I can prepare it."
Ah, what a pain. I should have just accepted without hesitating. I wonder if it's too late to ask her to take me now?
As Iroha thought this to herself, a laugh that sounded like it would drive her mad echoed in her ears.
"Kikikikik—!! That, of course, would be to prepare a press conference! We will meet her fire with fire! We will declare that in the end, Gehenna will win!"
"If you do that now, all anyone will say is that you were provoked by the Tea Party Host. It would be less troublesome to just stay silent rather than respond—"
"No! That is absolutely not an option! If I did that, would the world not assume that the great Makoto has tucked her tail and run! Therefore, it will be a press conference, Iroha!!"
"Yes, yes. Understood…"
Ah, what a pain. I'm just going to go hide.
Having made up her mind to slack off, Iroha quietly made her way to her personal hideout.
That day, the Pandemonium Society office was filled with the unending sound of 'Kikikik' and 'Kishishish' laughter until Makoto realized something was amiss. It was a sad day only for the Pandemonium executives who had been assigned to guard duty.
It was summer.
[In the end, Trinity will win.]
"…"
"Oh my, Mika-san is coming on quite strong. This should serve as some motivation for our students as well."
"Still, don't you think that's a little arrogant? I'll admit she's unbelievably strong, but when you look at the overall picture, it's a fact that we have the upper hand over Trinity. Haaah. I'm not the only one who finds this annoying, right?!"
"Pfft."
"…?!"
At the sudden burst of laughter, Ako and Iori's heads whipped around. At the end of their gaze, Hina was covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
"That's the Captain's once-every-six-months laugh?! Th-This is no time to be standing around! I have to get a picture of this…!"
"Th-The Captain is laughing…?!"
Whether the two of them were making a fuss or not, Hina paid them no mind and laughed. It was a rare occurrence for her, but for some reason, she felt that her laughter became a little cheaper whenever Mika was involved.
"Ako, Iori…"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Yeah, Captain."
"We will win this festival, no matter what. After you've confirmed the competition events, you will each choose one and bring back a medal. Understood?"
After her laughter subsided, the two of them blinked at the completely unexpected words that came from Hina's mouth.
"Uh, Captain? If we win, doesn't that person become Chairman Makoto's slave? I mean, it's only for a week."
"Iori-chan, the duration isn't what's important. It's that raccoon we're talking about! I can't even imagine what she might do to Mika-san! Captain, are you really sure it's okay for us to win?"
"Ah… yes. You can win without worrying about the consequences. Even if Chairman Makoto wins the bet, she won't be able to do anything strange if she's sleeping soundly for a week."
"…!! Yes! Then I will hire instructors for the upcoming summer festival, take lessons, and then recruit students to participate in the competitions!"
"Captain, I'll participate in the water skiing event."
If Gehenna wins, they'll put Makoto to sleep, and the Disciplinary Committee will take Mika into their custody. Then, she could legally hang out with Mika while on the job. That single thought filled Hina's mind.
It was summer.
[This summer festival, to be held this year and every year hereafter, will feature various competitions to determine the superiority between our two academies as its main event—]
As the soft yet powerful voice flowed from the speakers, the halo that had been flickering faintly like a dying lightbulb gradually grew clearer.
"Mmm… Nonomi-chan… what are you watching…?"
"Oh my, did I wake you up? I'm sorry, Senpai~ I completely forgot to put my earphones in!"
Hearing the weak voice calling her from just below, the girl—Izayoi Nonomi—answered with a bright smile, making the excuse that anyone would have reacted the same way upon seeing her senpai's half-lidded, yawning face, even if it was a situation where she should be sorry.
"Haaaaam~ Nonomi-chan, you can't leave this old man out and watch something fun all by yourself~"
"Hmm… I don't know if you could call this 'fun.' But since you're up, let's watch together!"
The girl who had been using Nonomi's lap as a pillow, Takanashi Hoshino, sat up and blinked. As Hoshino rubbed her eyes and let out another long yawn, a strange sentence reached her ears.
[Is there any need to say more? Trinity will stomp Gehenna flat at this festival.]
"…Huh?"
For a moment, wondering if she had heard wrong, Hoshino doubted her own ears and peered at the phone screen in Nonomi's hand. Her eyes met the sight of a pretty, pink-haired angel. An angel with a gorgeous appearance and an outfit that would make you believe she was a princess from a fairy tale.
Words like 'stomp them flat' came out of that person's mouth? Really? She's completely different from how she looks.
While Hoshino was thinking that to herself, the angel on the screen smiled benevolently and spoke.
[Remember this. In the end, Trinity will win.]
…That was not a benevolent smile. It was a bloodcurdling one.
Seeing that, Nonomi burst out laughing next to the dumbfounded Hoshino.
"By the way, a summer festival! Just imagining it is so exciting. Senpai, I want to see the sand of a beach, not the sand of this dreary desert!"
"Nonomi-chan, what's this about a summer festival…? Don't keep it to yourself, tell this old man too~"
"Ah. You didn't hear, did you, Senpai! It seems Trinity and Gehenna are jointly hosting a summer festival this year~☆"
"Ueh… but, don't those two growl at each other on sight every day? I can't help but be surprised~"
Even as she said that, Hoshino's eyes never left the screen. For some reason, the angel on the other side of the screen bothered her. To a strange degree.
[For the competition events prepared for the rivalry between the two academies, any student belonging to Trinity or Gehenna will be able to participate in the preliminaries without restriction. Unfortunately, those participating in the festival as individuals will not be able to compete… but there is no need to be disappointed, as we are planning various events, large and small, for you as well.]
Why, really? She had no idea. Maybe it was because she was reminded of a senpai who now remained only as a faint memory…
No. It probably wasn't that.
This person had a different hair color, a different expression. There was no way to read an atmosphere from someone on the other side of a screen.
Then why, why was this person bothering her so much?
[From a sandcastle-building contest that even young students can participate in without restriction, to a beach beauty contest that is a must-have for any seaside event, an eating contest, and a treasure hunt with various prizes. And of course, we can't forget the fireworks display that will mark the end of each day throughout the festival, can we?]
"Wow… It looks like it's not just for students from the two academies~☆ It looks like fun!"
"If you're going by yourself, Nonomi-chan, I won't stop you~"
"Oh, what about you, Senpai…?"
"Uhe~ This old man is happy enough just to see you have fun, Nonomi-chan. It's kind of like how just watching you eat is enough to make me feel full~"
"Hoshino-senpai…"
Looking at Hoshino with slightly sad eyes, Nonomi recalled her senpai's pessimistic attitude toward everything up until the beginning of this year.
Millions of yen in interest to be paid every month. A school that was a school in name only, practically failed, with Hoshino as its only student besides herself, a new transfer. She had the means to pay off the school's debt, but Hoshino had strictly forbidden it.
The daily struggle to pay off the ever-increasing interest continued, and with delinquents starting to gather around the school one by one, their situation was slowly but surely getting worse.
One day, Hoshino had held out a check card and told her. That they had found an anonymous benefactor… so they no longer needed to worry about supplies.
From that day on, Hoshino began to change. Nonomi knew it was a process of her emulating the senpai named Yume that Hoshino sometimes reminisced about.
For her, the only junior. And for the juniors who might one day join them.
At that fact, Nonomi didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
Surprisingly, no matter how many times they used the check card, it never ran out of funds. Hoshino, suspicious of this fact, personally visited the bank and was able to find out new information.
That more money than they had ever spent was being deposited into the check card account every month… and even the name of the person who had sent the check card.
Hoshino thought their anonymous benefactor was surprisingly careless, and decided not to tell Nonomi this information, instead starting to ask around for a student named Misono Mika.
The result was disappointing. It was not easy to find a student from a large academy like Trinity with only a name to go on.
At one point, Hoshino had considered hiring a place like the Problem Solver agency, which was skilled at hacking, but she soon decided to drop the investigation completely. The benefactor, who was no longer anonymous to her, was providing them with financial support, hoping to be of help. Was it right for the ones receiving that support to turn around and waste that money trying to find the benefactor?
And so, the name Misono Mika had remained buried in the back of Hoshino's memory until this very moment.
That was, until she saw the caption that appeared at the bottom of the screen.
[Finally revealing herself in an official capacity, the current Tea Party Host of Trinity, Misono Mika! Following the press conference, we will be broadcasting interviews with students of Trinity General School, covered by our special correspondent.]
"…Misono Mika?"
"Oh, Senpai? What's wrong all of a sudden?"
She finally realized why the woman on the screen had bothered her so strangely. Her instincts must have been screaming that this was the person she had been looking for.
Hoshino's jumbled thoughts finally reached a single conclusion.
…Found you.
Hoshino shot up from her seat and began to run somewhere. A bewildered Nonomi, after an "Eh, eh?", found herself running after Hoshino without thinking.
"Ho-Hoshino-senpai! Where are you going…!"
Nonomi, calling out for Hoshino as she chased after her, belatedly realized that Hoshino was heading for her dorm room.
When Nonomi, a step behind, arrived at Hoshino's room and entered, she found Hoshino collapsed in front of her desk drawer, pulling out a pinkish envelope.
The envelope was not in good condition, as if it had been torn open roughly the first time. But Hoshino had kept it all this time, careful not to let it get wrinkled any further after she had first received the letter.
"Whew… Senpai, is that…?"
Nonomi, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath, sat down next to Hoshino.
"…The first letter the person who sponsored us sent."
Nonomi showed curiosity at the letter she was seeing for the first time, but her attention soon shifted to the check card that Hoshino pulled out from inside it.
"So you were keeping the check card in here…"
No wonder she only ever saw it when they were buying supplies; it seemed Hoshino put it back in there after every use.
"Nonomi-chan."
"Yes, Senpai!"
"Let's go together, to that festival."
Words that made Nonomi doubt her own ears for a moment.
"Huh…? Really?!"
"I've found someone I need to meet there."
Her two different-colored eyes were filled with joy. Finally, she would be able to punish that damnable angel.
It was summer.
[Ajitani-san (Trinity 1st Year)] [Ah… W-When you ask if I'm acquainted with Mika-senpai… I-I suppose I have to say I am… She's a really kind person, so I still remember our first meeting vividly. Awoo…]
"…Oh my, so our sly Vice-Captain was hiding this kind of secret."
"Huh? Vice-Captain, you mean the person who sold us out to the Disciplinary Committee?! Ueeeh, if I starve to death because of this, I'll curse that person until they starve to death too!"
"Fufufu… I never dreamed that our Vice-Captain would be acquainted with the Disciplinary Committee Head. But that's fine. The path of gastronomy is not always smooth, and it is an arduous path where differences of opinion can sometimes arise."
Though she was now in the predicament of watching the news on her phone while stuck in a holding cell, Haruna didn't care about such trivial matters. It was something she had grown quite used to, and thanks to it, she was able to come up with a plan to secretly infiltrate the holding cell next time and hide some snacks.
More important than that was learning the true identity of the Gourmet Research Society's Vice-Captain, Misono Mika. From the way she had talked about capturing her back then, she knew she wasn't of ordinary status, but to think she was the supreme authority of Trinity.
"This is actually great. Doesn't this mean we can roam around Trinity as we please, just by getting Mika-san's permission? In other words, a new realm of gastronomy to explore has opened up before us. Fufu… so this betrayal is a trivial matter."
Still, a betrayal is a betrayal. For her punishment, it would be sufficient to make Mika press the detonator herself the next time they visited a substandard restaurant together.
"By the way, a summer festival… Fufufufu… I'm really looking forward to it~ Especially the eating contest! To prepare such a venue for us, Misono-san… no, Mika-san is truly the best Vice-Captain~☆"
"Uwaah, right! Festival food! There's gonna be tons of delicious stuff, right?! Like takoyaki, and yakisoba, and yakitori, and kakigori, and choco-bananas…! Yay~!"
Thinking that it seemed her club members had accepted their Vice-Captain in their hearts as well, Haruna nodded in satisfaction. After they apprehend Mika at the festival site, they would embark on a journey to find the ultimate festival cuisine together.
To Haruna, Mika's true identity held no more meaning than a free pass into Trinity. A companion who could join her on her journey to find cuisine. That alone was enough.
[Urawa-san (Trinity 1st Year)] [Mika-senpai is a really thoughtful person. I'll probably never forget the time she showed me a new path when I was in a difficult situation. That advice, which was a great help in finding my true self, I'm thinking of making it my family motto… Heehee♡]
"…Hmph."
…Is that really enough? Along with the thought that something was missing, an unfulfilled thirst and hunger began to slowly eat away at Haruna.
It was summer.