"Happy birthday, Nagisa-sama!"
"Oh my... really, all of you didn't have to go to such trouble for me..."
"What are you saying, Nagisa-sama! For you, the person we all admire, we would gladly do this a hundred times over. Right, everyone?"
"Of course. We were so happy when Mika-sama asked us to help with the party preparations... Oh, Nagisa-sama. Here, please take my handkerchief."
"Ah, thank you..."
As Nagisa took the handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of her eyes, I approached her, and the Filius Faction girls thoughtfully made way for me.
"Nagi-chan~!"
"Ah, Mika-san... I'm sorry. All of you gathered here and prepared this party for me, and I've made such a sight of myself."
Nagisa gave a weak smile after wiping her tears away. It's her birthday, she's allowed to get emotional and cry. What's there to be sorry about? Well... it might have been a bit awkward for the other guests, but Seia and I stepped in to smooth things over, so there were no problems.
"Ahaha, a sight of yourself? Not at all! Everyone looked touched to see you so happy."
"Even so. As one of the heads of the Tea Party, I must maintain my dignity at all times..."
"You know, I think it's okay to let that go for a day. Today is a special day where you're the star of the world, Nagi-chan. So..."
I pulled her into a tight hug. For this very moment, I had held back on saying a single word of congratulations, even though I knew better than anyone that it was her birthday.
"To my friend, who is more precious than anything in the world, happy birthday!"
"...Thank you, Mika-san. Truly. Thanks to you, I think I will remember today as the best birthday of my life."
"Of course, I'm happy to hear you say that!"
I stepped back from Nagisa to take in the sight of her. Her makeup was a little smudged, but not enough to be noticeable. Other than that, she looked every bit the part of the birthday girl.
"But... I've been monopolizing the guest of honor, so I suppose it's time I shared you with everyone else. Greed brings misfortune, after all. And the glares from your followers, demanding I return their Nagisa-sama, are starting to sting a little. ☆"
"W-what?! I swear on my life, we would never, Mika-sama!"
The reflexive denial from one of the Filius girls set off a chain reaction of chatter. Seeing her faction members like this, the smile on Nagisa's lips spread to her eyes.
"Ahaha, everyone, calm down! That was just a little joke. Still, it's true that I've had Nagi-chan all to myself, so it's time I let you all and the other guests have a turn."
"Sigh... Mika-san, other people don't always take your jokes as jokes. You should be a little more mindful."
I just smiled in response to her words. It was my way of saying I wouldn't make a promise I couldn't keep.
"I'm going to go hang out with the underclassmen I invited, so Nagi-chan, you should come say hi to my kids later!"
"Yes, I'll be sure to. It seems there are quite a few... yes, quite a few people waiting for me... Wait, your kids?"
"Aha, you're so popular! Happy birthday again, Nagi-chan. See you later~."
I waved and offered a silent prayer for Nagisa, who had a long line of people to greet. It was a good thing I'd added a postscript to the invitations, telling everyone to just enjoy the party for what it was.
[P.S. While you're at the party, don't you dare mention the 'p' in politics. If you ruin my Nagi-chan's birthday, I'll personally come and punish you, so you'd better behave. Okay? - From Mika Misono ☆]
That's probably what it said. Anyone with half a brain would know to behave themselves. By the way, I feel like Nagisa said something that bothered me at the end there, but it must have been my imagination.
Anyway, now to find my underclassmen. Where could they be...?
The first person my eyes landed on was Hanako. She was standing in front of a table laden with desserts, chatting with two nuns. Suspecting something, I approached them quietly.
"...Are you really not going to have any of these exquisite desserts?"
"As the Prioress of the Sisterhood, I must maintain a certain level of dignity. Therefore, I cannot be swayed by something as trivial as... gulp. Desserts. Yes, I must maintain a weight appropriate to my position."
"A weight appropriate to your position... Sakurako-san, are you perhaps suggesting that you'll be handing over the Prioress position to Hinata-san?"
"Pardon?"
"W-wait a moment. Hanako-san? W-what on earth do you mean by that...?"
"Oh my, Hinata-san, you're being quite sly. Are you pretending not to know, despite possessing such an overwhelming weight? According to Sakurako-san's logic, that weight is enough to plot the overthrow of the Sisterhood at any moment!"
"...Eh? Sister Hinata's overwhelming weight? I-I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you're talking about."
"H-Hanako-san?! Isn't that extremely rude to Sister Sakurako... A-and isn't this conversation rather inappropriate?!"
"Ohoho, are you not tempted, Hinata-san? With that overwhelming weight, you could push Sakurako-san aside and take the Prioress's seat in an instant. Not to say that Sakurako-san is small, by any means, but there's always a heaven above a heaven, isn't there?"
"Ah, aah... Um, this conversation is getting dangerously close to blasphemy...? P-perhaps we should change the subject...!"
"..."
"Hey, everyone, hello! ☆ How have you all been?"
I thought our dear sisters might have been trying to recruit Hanako against my warnings, but from the sound of it, that wasn't the case. Still, seeing how uncomfortable Hinata looked, I decided it was time to cut in. I walked right up to the three of them, who were in the middle of a rather incredible conversation, and greeted them.
"Ah, Mika-senpai...?"
"W-waah... Mika-san, you came at the right time! For the sake of Sister Sakurako's honor, please stop Hanako-san's rampage... Hm?!"
"Oh my, Hinata-san. What exactly do you mean by 'my rampage'? If enthusiastically recommending desserts to Sakurako-san is a rampage... then yes, I suppose you could call it that. Couldn't you?"
"N-no?! That's not what I meant—"
"Isn't it...?"
Thinking I hadn't heard their previous conversation, Hanako's gaze flickered to me for a moment before returning to Hinata. I even saw her poke Hinata in the back to shut her up.
...What is this? Has their senior-junior relationship been reversed?
By the way, today's Hanako is being particularly devious. Could it be that she took the photo of herself walking around school in a swimsuit to appeal to me, like, 'See, I'm a good girl who listens to her senpai~,' but she doesn't want me to see her making these kinds of lewd jokes...? Hmm, it's too complicated to even think about. Besides, in the original story, Hanako makes lewd jokes to Sensei all the time. Is there really any reason for her to be so reserved with me...?
"Y-yes... Hanako-san is right. Mika-san, could you please help persuade Sister Sakurako to let go of her burdens for just one day and not miss out on the small happiness before her?"
Oh dear, it seems Hinata has succumbed to the pressure. Anyway, Sakurako really can eat a few desserts on a day like this. She's so stubborn about the strangest things.
"Okay~ Leave it to me, Hinata-chan!"
I readily agreed to Hinata's request. To put it in Aris's terms, 'Bwa-bwa-bwaaam~! Side quest accepted!'
"Hey, Sakurako-chan~."
I walked over to Sakurako, who looked like her soul had left her body, and called her name. When she didn't respond, I even waved a hand in front of her face, which finally seemed to snap her out of it.
"Ah, Mika-chan. I trust your day has been peaceful..."
"Yep, yep, it's been a fun day. How have you been, Sakurako-chan?"
"As for me, I have, as always, with a willing heart... no, that's not the issue right now."
"...Suddenly?"
"Mika-chan, I beg of you, please stop Hanako-san! She keeps bringing up my lack of weight and Sister Hinata's overwhelming weight in an attempt to drag me down from the Prioress's seat!"
"Ah, umm..."
"It has to be about my height, right? It's definitely about my height...!"
...Did you just bring up height in front of me, Sakurako? Suddenly, I feel the urge to join in and tease you.
It's true that Hinata is the tallest among us, but anyone can tell from the context that they're talking about bust size. I don't have any particular complex about it, so I don't really care, but Hanako is being a little mean. What if Sakurako felt intimidated by your and Hinata's massive mountains?
"Sakurako-chan, Hanako-chan was probably just joking around a little. Right?"
"Yes, of course, it was all in jest. Fufut."
"See? Anyway, Sakurako-chan, are you worried about the desserts?"
"Ah, yes. As the Prioress, I must set an example for the sisters... so I must always be mindful of my conduct. To succumb to the temptation of dessert is..."
I'm not sure how not eating dessert sets an example for the sisters, but there's a simple solution to this.
"Sakurako-chan, you and Hinata are the only sisters here today."
"...What!"
Sakurako's eyes went wide in surprise. But then she immediately shook her head and denied it again.
"Still, I cannot. Even a single exception is bound to affect my usual conduct."
Hmm. If she's going to be like that, I have another way. A way that is guaranteed to work, precisely because she is a sister.
"Et omnia vanitas. All is vanity, so shouldn't we cherish this moment, Sakurako-chan? I wouldn't want you to turn your back on your own small happiness."
"Ugh... Mika-chan, after getting to know the people from Arius, have you been studying that as well...? If you put it that way, then just a little... yes, I suppose one bite wouldn't hurt...?"
"Yep, yep, that's the spirit!"
I gave Hinata a V-sign as I watched Sakurako, after much deliberation, pick up a plate with a slice of tiramisu. Hinata's eyes lit up, and she nodded back.
Side quest complete! Hinata's affection has slightly increased!
"Anyway, Sakurako-chan, and you too, Hinata-chan. Sorry, but can I borrow Hanako-chan for a bit?"
"Oh my, me?"
"Yep. There are some kids I want to introduce you to. I guarantee you'll love them!"
"I'm fine, Mika-san. And today, I feel like I've learned something valuable... Hanako-san, I hope we can, ugh... yes, see each other again. Please enjoy the rest of your time..."
Sakurako, who had already taken a bite of the tiramisu and was savoring the taste, didn't seem to be in a state to reply.
Hinata seemed to have grown wary of Hanako, but that was probably Hanako's own fault.
"Shall we go, Hanako-chan?"
"Yes ♡ Ufufu, I'm excited to see what kind of friends you're going to introduce me to, Mika-senpai."
And so, I led Hanako on a journey to find my kids... well, not that far. I found two of them right nearby, in front of the punch bowl.
I'm talking about Atsuko and Azusa, who were standing side-by-side next to the table, wearing gas masks.
"...The people you wanted to introduce me to wouldn't happen to be those two, would they?"
I couldn't answer Hanako's troubled question. Yes, as surprising as it is, it's those two.
Anyway, Azusa I can understand, but Atsuko, why are you wearing one too...?