Title is a reference to "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
The shrill sound of my phone alarm assaulted my ears. My body felt unusually stiff.
I slapped the alarm off with my eyes half-shut, then closed them again, wasting a few more minutes in bed. It was a luxury I hadn't allowed myself once in the past few months.
The moment I realized that, my eyes shot open.
The time! What time is it…
[10:02 AM]
"Wa—ow."
Three missed calls. Dozens of MomoTalk messages.
The second day of the festival began with me, blissfully, oversleeping.
There was no time to waste. If I didn't get to the Tea Party and deal with my work right now, I might not have any time left for Saori and Azusa, who had worked so hard yesterday.
I headed for the bathroom, quickly opening MomoTalk to send out replies. A copy-paste job, of course. For Nagisa, who had gone so far as to call on top of messaging, I sent a more detailed explanation.
I squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush and stood before the sink. My gaze naturally fell upon the mirror.
…What was that?
I thought I saw something strange…
Ah, it's gone. I must still be half-asleep.
I wet my toothbrush and made a silent vow. I would be ready to leave in under thirty minutes. No matter what.
My vow, unsurprisingly, ended in spectacular failure.
By the time I'd showered and dried my hair, a good forty minutes had already passed. This damn hair is the root of all evil, but it's not like I can just cut it.
I mean, I could if I really wanted to, but a short haircut would feel like it needed a whole new uniform to go with it, and frankly, that's too much of a hassle.
…Though if you asked me if managing long hair every day isn't more of a hassle, I wouldn't have a good answer.
As I finished getting ready, I sent a message to one of my attendants. Since I'd overslept, I had no choice but to ask for a ride.
At least I didn't have to worry about what to wear. I just packed my swimsuit and went in my school uniform. I couldn't be bothered to style my hair, so I skipped it. There was no time to waste.
I rushed out the front door and got into the back seat of the car waiting for me. Then, I naturally pulled up the competition broadcast on my phone.
Looks like the 1-person jet ski preliminaries are still going. The only name I recognize in Group A is… Akari, I guess. Since today is also the day of the eating contest, she's bound to be fired up. That means this is the event where we're most likely to lose the gold medal.
And just as I thought, Akari, handling her jet ski as if it were an extension of her own body, easily advanced to the next round. Anyone who watched yesterday's race would probably assume her making it to the finals was a given.
It was a strange feeling, watching on the broadcast as students who crashed their jet skis were rescued without any major injuries while the floating debris was calmly collected.
I really did it, didn't I? I actually made this an official event… No, the problem is just that our students are too fearless. As far as I know, jet ski competitions exist on Earth, too. Let's be real, they're only going full throttle and ramming into each other because they know they won't get seriously hurt. So this is definitely not my fault.
The moment I arrived in front of the Tea Party building, I hurried to my destination: the Host's office. I returned the greetings of students who bowed as I passed and finally reached my office, a place that in just a few months had come to feel as comfortable as my own bedroom.
…But Seia? Where are you?
Seia isn't always here, but on days when she knows for sure I'm coming, she's usually here waiting for me. It's strange that no one's here today.
"...Huh?"
I saw a small note placed on my desk, right where I usually sit. It must have been left by Seia.
I picked up the note and unfolded it. The words that greeted me were so unbelievable they made my head spin.
[Submitted a sick leave request for three days.
For the record, I approved it myself.]
"...Wa—ow."
That's two "Wa—ows" in one day.
As I contemplated what to do with this girl, a Tea Party attendant entered at the perfect time with a cup of tea. Perfect timing indeed.
"Hey, could you do me a favor?"
"Huh? Y-Yes, Lady Mika! Please, ask me anything!"
"Have some of the girls drag Seia here. Oh, and if she resists, you can subdue her… Not that she's strong enough to put up a real fight. But still, she's a fragile girl, so don't be too rough with her."
"Ah, yes…! I will relay your message, word for word!"
"Ahaha, sorry to always trouble you ☆."
Seia, I'm not saying I don't understand how you feel. But if Nagisa and I were just slacking off, that would be one thing. This, however, is a bit much.
Submitting a sick leave request? Who gave you permission to do that?
I'm rejecting it with my authority. Get your butt back here.
As a fellow slave, I will not permit another slave to escape.
After sending the attendant off on her important mission to capture the runaway slave, I calmly reviewed the documents that needed my attention. But, surprisingly…
"Hmm, at this rate, I can probably just keep her here for an hour and then let her go."
She had already neatly finished all of yesterday's work, including my share. Today's work looked a little unfinished, though.
…As expected of a top-tier slave. She's so good at her job.
Come to think of it, while I was exploring the food stalls and watching fireworks with Hina and Nagisa, Seia was here, all alone, staring at paperwork.
I'm suddenly feeling incredibly guilty. Should I just let her rest?
Hmm, I'll decide after they bring her here.
I've been noticing this lately, but the Tea Party staff are incredibly competent.
I'm not just saying that; they're truly the most diligent and capable students in all of Trinity. The fact that the overall atmosphere of the Tea Party shifted to a more moderate tone after I, the former centerpiece of the Pater faction's war hawks, turned my back on them has certainly played a part in this.
"Ugh… haah…"
So, as I was saying, our runaway fox getting captured and dragged into my arms was a foregone conclusion. And yet, the way she's subtly leaning her head into my touch… I'm pretty sure she's enjoying this.
I'm starting to suspect that leaving that note about her sick leave was just a ploy to get my attention.
"Have you had some time to reflect, Seia?"
"Hahh… What is there to reflect on? I simply judged that I was not feeling well and submitted a request for sick leave…"
"I see… I understand. In that case, I'll take care of it for you. You can go back now, Seia. It would look a little strange for you to approve your own sick leave, wouldn't it?"
"...Hmph?! Mika, what are you talking about?"
"But isn't that what you wanted?"
I stopped stroking her hair, and Seia froze. Honestly, she's so bad at being honest.
"What, is there something else you want to say? If not, go back and get some rest, Seia! Sorry for dragging you all the way here ☆."
"You… don't you think you've been a bit too mischievous lately?"
Less dejected and more resigned to the fact that her true intentions had been exposed, Seia grumbled.
"Ahaha, well… I think the problem might be that you're not honest enough, Seia."
This girl needs to learn to be a little more direct. She's so used to speaking in roundabout ways that she's frustratingly bad at revealing her true feelings.
It's ironic that the only time she lets that wall down is when she's with me, the person who possessed the body of the Mika who was her one and only rival in the original story. The fact that our relationship suddenly became so open at some point lends more credence to the theory that she saw something in one of her prophetic dreams.
For now, though, it's a problem I don't want to think about too deeply. You could call it escapism. After what I've already put Nagisa through with the Hina situation, worrying about this now feels premature. Still, I have a general idea of how I should act when that theory is proven to be true. The problem will be how well I can tie up those loose ends.
"So, what do you want to do, Seia? If you really want to take sick leave, I won't stop you. Even though you're a naughty girl who dropped the bomb of my term extension on me without any consultation… that's that, and this is this. You need to rest sometimes too, Seia."
Nagisa is probably still upstairs working, but Seia's health is a whole other level of fragile. Nagisa, for someone who's always sitting, is at least healthy. But Seia's poor health is due to her Mystery, so there's nothing that can be done about it.
"...Never mind. Please consider the sick leave request null and void. Set aside the documents you need to handle and pass the rest to me."
"Thanks, Seia! I was running a little tight on time to make my appointment. So it's a relief that you're helping out."
"...Another appointment today, is it? I see… I will respect your choice, but please, do not increase my workload for your own personal reasons."
"Ahaha! Don't be so jealous, Seia. I was already planning to grab you and Nagi one of these days and drag you out somewhere."
"I never asked for that…?"
'Never asked for it,' my foot. Your eyes lit up the moment I said it. Seia really is a grumpy old lady in a young girl's body.
"Well, since we're working together, there's one thing I wanted to ask. Have you had any significant prophetic dreams lately?"
"Mika… my foresight is not such a convenient tool. It is merely a fragment of a future that has not yet been decided, seen in the form of a dream. This incomplete prescience is mostly useless, and… sometimes, it is better not to know. Though one exception saved the lives of you and the children you cherish, it would be best not to expect the same miracle to happen twice."
"Hmm. I wasn't expecting a prophecy that grand. But well, if you say you haven't, you haven't."
I was just asking because I remembered the prophecy the future Seia had given me. It seems the Seia here isn't quite as useful yet. Yep, she really is just a naughty fox who dreams of escaping slavery.
"Ah, but I can offer you one piece of advice that might help you in the future."
"Huh? What is it?"
"From now on, show me a little more sincerity. If you do, you may be able to avoid a great misfortune that is soon to come."
The moment I heard Seia say that, her ears twitching, a smile spread across my face. My hand, which had been naturally rising to a good height for patting her head, came to a screeching halt in front of her forehead.
Thwack!
"...?!"
And then I struck it, in a different sense. The sound it made was quite loud for what felt like just flicking away a piece of dust, but I'm sure it didn't actually hurt that much. Probably.
Seriously… who does she think she's trying to scam?
◇─◇───◆─◈─◆───◇─◇
Want to read up to 50+ chapters in advance, Join me on Patreon at
[patreon.com /ArtumTL]
And you can also support me by giving power stones, as it helps a ton