Eden.
The name of a paradise that appears in ancient scriptures.
Among the seven ancient rules passed down in Kivotos since time immemorial, one was related to paradise...
Can the reality of someone who reaches paradise be verified?
This is, in fact, an unsolvable paradox.
If paradise truly exists, anyone who reaches it would never return, having attained supreme joy.
But if that person chooses to leave "paradise," it only proves that it was not the true paradise that compels one to linger.
Thus, we, who are outside and unable to observe, can never confirm the existence of paradise.
The choice of "Eden" as the name for the peace treaty between Trinity and Gehenna... Perhaps that missing GSC President intended some deeper meaning.
Yet my focus was not on this ancient rule, but on the oldest legend in which the concept of "paradise" appeared.
In that story, the people who once lived in paradise were deceived by a serpent into eating the forbidden fruit, which led to their expulsion.
I imagined that, in Nagisa's eyes, I might now be that cunning serpent.
On closer reflection, this role indeed fit perfectly with what I was about to do.
When the plan first took shape, Hanako had teased me:
"Oh my∼ Sensei, from the outside, you really do give off a deceptive impression, huh? The type that makes people let their guard down. But, if they look closely, some parts are unexpectedly… hard?"
After a brief pause, I sneered and replied:
"And what exactly do you understand about me?"
I still remembered the amusing expression of embarrassment and irritation that crossed Hanako's face in that instant.
But indeed, Hanako had not been wrong. With my handsome appearance, which girl in love could resist letting her guard down around me?
Thus, the plan mockingly dubbed by Hanako as "The Serpent of Eden" could only be executed by me from the very beginning.
And with it, the accompanying danger… must also be borne by me alone.
At dawn, I rose early. After a brief farewell to everyone in the Make-Up Work Club and contacting our collaborators via Momotalk, I set off for the Trinity main campus. The journey was uneventful, as if the calm before a storm.
At the Tea Party, Nagisa, who had agreed on the meeting time with me, was already waiting.
"Didn't sleep well last night?" I asked, noticing her pale complexion.
She only gave a barely perceptible nod in response.
It was clear she didn't want to say more, and that was natural.
I glanced at the tea treats for today, sampled one, and came to a quiet conclusion.
Nagisa had indeed let love turn into hate.
Even the treats she served me weren't made by her own hands. Too tired? Or unwilling? Likely both.
…Honestly, I still wasn't quite used to this change in her feelings toward me.
But after all, this was my choice, and I had to accept it.
Sighing slightly, I took another sip of tea.
"…Aren't you afraid I might put something in it?" Nagisa said suddenly, her eyes fixed on me.
"Would you?" I asked with a smile, then added a seemingly unrelated question:
"Did you call anyone for help last night?"
Nagisa remained silent, but both of us knew the answer—
She hadn't dared.
Neither tampering with food nor reaching out for help; she had no courage for it.
For Nagisa, who had already been deceived by me, there was no one she could trust. Even if there were, who could guarantee that I didn't have eyes on them?
After our deal, with a safety net in place, she no longer dared gamble on that possibility…
Just as she couldn't afford to believe, "Trinity has no traitors."
"…Is this really enough?"
She asked suddenly.
"What?"
"The condition…" She bit her lower lip, her expression complex.
"Is it really enough… if I just… go on a date with you… will you give up?"
That was the deal I had offered Nagisa.
It wasn't a all-purpose solution of "lower the Make-Up Work Club exam difficulty and stop tampering," nor an extreme demand that would push her into a life-or-death confrontation with me.
It was simply… to go on a date with me.
Even now, she seemed unable to fully believe it, though I had already given her a reason she could reluctantly accept yesterday.
Here we return to my original simple, direct but crude and even slightly unrealistic plan, which I called the "Compulsory Protection Measure." In the eyes of someone unaware of the reasons or my high moral standards, the similarity in execution might confuse it with another term...
Military coup.
Theoretically, it wasn't entirely impossible. Using my unparalleled charm and strategy, I could persuade Trinity's upper echelon, which was already dissatisfied with Nagisa and secretly in love with me, to turn against her.
Then, I could recommend the naive… yet morally upright Mika to assume the Tea Party host role. This would prevent her from making foolish decisions while I ensured Seia's return to manage the situation.
At least, I had the advantage.
Now, after modifying the last step to "preemptively elect a new Tea Party host," this became the phrasing I used to coerce Nagisa into compliance.
She had even tried to mock me, claiming it violated procedure. I brushed it off lightly, several exams could easily be used to expel all students en masse, which also defied procedure.
Schale had powers beyond legal restrictions, even capable of bypassing school rules with the student council's cooperation, a lesson Nagisa herself had demonstrated.
And just when Nagisa, imagining a bleak future, was about to despair completely, I told her how she could prevent me from enacting a coup.
That is… to go on a date with me.
In her momentary relaxation, she asked bewilderedly why. I explained the condition Makoto had originally set for me.
Nagisa still hesitated, so I clarified:
"I didn't need a marriage pledge, just one date."
- Sensei of Schale
This far more lenient condition allowed her to agree without thinking, as if afraid I might change my mind.
Now, perhaps after a night of overthinking, she hesitated again.
I nodded: "Of course it's true."
"Why?"
"Hmm…" I paused briefly. "If you want, you can just consider it me liking you."
In Nagisa's eyes, wouldn't this make her feel more like a tragic heroine?
"…Sensei," Nagisa said in a low voice, "I'm not going to like you just because of a single date."
"Hehe, who knows."
I smiled ambiguously, then extended my hand:
"Then it's time to go, my dear… princess."