After leaving the café, my "date" with Nagisa could, for the most part, be considered proceeding normally.
Like ordinary lovers, we had lunch at a stylishly decorated restaurant, strolled aimlessly side by side through the streets of the Trinity Downtown District, and stopped whenever we grew tired or spotted something interesting.
At first, Nagisa seemed unusually obedient, but carried a certain hint of gloom. It felt as if she weren't truly participating, more like a marionette following a fixed routine that was lifeless, lacking any vitality.
Halfway through, however, she suddenly seemed to have a realization and became more proactive. This shift reminded me of some strange storylines, leaving me momentarily uneasy.
At such a critical moment, how could I let my mind wander to something like The Tea Party Hostess's Devotion?
I blamed everything on Ako. Why couldn't my passive authorities have an on/off switch at will?
Trying to maintain vigilance while pretending ease, suppressing thoughts while keeping Nagisa unaware, all of it drained me in every possible sense.
Yet perhaps because Nagisa was by my side, time didn't feel slow at all. In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.
We had dinner at a high-end restaurant I had reserved in advance, Aru's favorite, with a view overlooking the nightscape. Afterwards, we strolled along the picturesque lakeside, the air calm and peaceful, like the last quiet before a storm.
"Sensei." Nagisa's voice suddenly called me.
"Yes?"
"…Nothing." The gray-gold-haired girl shook her head, pausing slightly. "…It just feels like it's been so long since I've been able to relax like today."
"Hm, it hasn't been that long since your duties at Schale, right?"
"Is that so?" Nagisa murmured thoughtfully, as if recalling a distant memory. "I suppose… it does feel like a long time ago… but even back then, I was still worrying inside, you know?"
I didn't respond. I just turned my head slightly to observe her profile, she seemed to have let down her responsibilities and mask, her side face delicate yet faintly weary under the dim streetlights.
For a fleeting moment, I realized that beneath the glow of the highest echelons of Kivotos' power, Nagisa was still just a student.
Under her thick lashes, her calm gray-gold eyes stared straight ahead, yet seemed unfocused:
"Since when did it start… this feeling that something is chasing me from behind, this heavy weight on my heart that doesn't lift, even when I'm alone with you, Sensei…?"
She exhaled deeply. "Sensei, you must have known all along that after Seia was attacked, it wasn't just a matter of hospitalization, right? Who told you? Was it someone inside the Tea Party… or that fool Mika…?"
Theoretically, it should have been Mika herself.
I imagined Nagisa's expression the day she discovered the truth would be priceless and that Mika's small revenge would be worth seeing.
"Since Seia was attacked, both she and Mika… we've all become a bit strange, haven't we? Don't let appearances fool you, though they seem to get along poorly, Seia and Mika are actually close friends… Their personalities are so alike. I really miss those days… but they're gone forever, aren't they?"
This was a topic I could only remain silent about or barely suppress a smile despite the sorrow in Nagisa's tone.
"I've thought about it too, that maybe some of the Make-Up Work Club members were innocently dragged into this," Nagisa continued, as if confessing to me, yet speaking to herself. "That's why I asked you, Sensei, to find the Trinity traitor, with help from Mika. For the sake of justice, when necessary, it's better to strike wrongly than to let the risk of the Eden Treaty persist… You're right. This sin… can only be borne by me."
Looking back at the situation now, from Nagisa's perspective, was establishing the Make-Up Work Club truly a mistake?
Azusa was a good kid, no doubt but she was also an assassin sent by the Arius faction, tasked with eliminating Nagisa and dismantling the Tea Party.
In other words, the "Trinity traitor" truly existed, it wasn't just Nagisa being paranoid.
Yet who would have expected that Azusa, for her own reasons, would abandon her assigned mission from the school and choose to protect Nagisa to help realize the Eden Treaty?
Nagisa truly needed to apologize to Mika, Hanako, Hasumi, and Koharu but only for the extremity of her methods, out of the guilt in her heart… Not for Azusa, and not for me, who decided to trust and shield Azusa, and continued deceiving her until now.
"…Time really flies," Nagisa finally said, turning to me calmly. "Sensei, it's almost school curfew."
As the Tea Party host, she didn't live in ordinary dorms and naturally didn't need to follow curfew rules.
I asked, "Are you tired already?"
Nagisa asked, "I mean… should we keep going until it's over?"
I paused. "If you don't mind…"
"…I guess I don't have the luxury to mind anymore."
"Alright." I nodded. "Then until the very end."
Nagisa said nothing, her face flushed, clearly conceding.
I couldn't help but feel like some villain forcibly taking a noble lady for himself.
We left the secluded area and headed to the next date location…
But barely a short distance later, a rustling sound emerged. About ten unknown girls wearing gas masks, white robes over bulletproof vests, and holding sharp weapons suddenly appeared from the woods, raising their guns at us in unison.
"This…?" Nagisa seemed confused. "Arius branch school…?"
I recognized it from the insignia and characters on their armbands.
"Target spotted. Awaiting instructions."
One of the girls spoke crisply into a walkie-talkie, her voice strikingly clear in the quiet night.
At that moment, I grabbed Nagisa's hand, still caught off guard: "Time to run, Princess."
Without another word, I pulled her, choosing a direction and fleeing.
Gunfire erupted behind us, but thanks to Arona's protection, neither Nagisa nor I were harmed.
"W-wait!?" Nagisa finally reacted. "Sensei, what's happening!? Are those Arius students?"
"Nagisa, save your energy for running instead of asking questions!"
Nagisa froze slightly but didn't question further.
And so, with more and more enemies in pursuit, the girl and I ran for our lives.
The final stage of the plan had begun.