Compared to daytime, Millennium Academy is especially quiet at night.
Because of the school's emphasis on water-based ecological civilization, scenic waterways line the streets, giving passersby a refreshing psychological feeling; inside the buildings, the air conditioning is fully on, providing a perfectly comfortable temperature.
Of course, the most crucial difference between day and night is the dramatic drop in the frequency of explosions.
That's just how a Kivotos-style technical school operates.
But often, whether a person feels hot or not depends on more than just the environment.
Seeing Eimi in real life after so long, even with my experience, I didn't quite know where to rest my eyes.
After all, I'm a principled person who knows to "look away from impropriety," so I politely used my gaze only to check if the zipper on her chest was done up properly.
The pink-haired girl, dressed far too lightly, greeted me politely in return.
"Hello, sensei. Thank you for coming. Sorry for the suddenness, but this is extremely important, so no one else can know. Someone is waiting for you. Please follow me this way."
Following Eimi's lead, we took an elevator and turned left and right through corridors until we arrived at a secluded machine room.
Even though I had already guessed who was waiting for me, I still raised an eyebrow upon entering, because of what Eimi said.
"President, sensei has arrived."
"President?"
I repeated the title with some surprise, focusing on Eimi's reference to Himari.
"Oh~ sensei is surprised too? But yes, that's right."
The white-haired girl smiled smugly.
"Just a few days ago, Rio cried and begged me to become the head of the Super Phenomenon Task Force. Well, I couldn't refuse. Seeing how pitiful she was, this kind-hearted, super-genius hacker had no choice but to agree and help her out this time."
…Isn't the imaginative flair in that statement a bit over the top?
After a pause, I tilted my head toward Eimi.
"So what's the actual situation?"
"Huh? Sensei is just going to assume that this beautiful girl is making things up? Don't you think it actually fits Rio's personality better?"
Come on. With Rio's strong-willed personality, even if she were crying, it would be only in secret, after arguing with me, and hidden under her blanket.
Eimi replied.
"As far as I know, it was indeed Rio who requested the President, but it was a simple, ordinary request. The President agreed mainly because she's naturally interested in supernatural phenomena."
"I see."
If I recall correctly, Himari did seem genuinely interested in mysterious things, she once even asked me my birthday to measure my recent love luck.
Haha… I don't even remember my own birthday.
And do I really need such a measurement?
"Ah…"
Himari sighed melancholically, touching her delicate cheek.
"I never imagined there would be a day where I'd be treated so roughly by sensei, just like Rio… hehe, so this is what it feels like to be a tragic heroine? Hmm, though in Rio's case, she'd be the villainess instead…"
I couldn't help but ask.
"Can a heroine still accept an olive branch from the villainess?"
"Umm…! Th-this is called compromise… even if it involves the male lead… it's a common… common trope…"
Though she spoke hesitantly, Himari, evidently lost in thought, began mumbling things I couldn't quite hear.
Eimi glanced at her.
"What should we do, sensei? The President seems deeply affected. How will you take responsibility?"
What else could I do? Marry her later, of course... Eimi included.
Still, Himari's composure and pride as Millennium's "high-and-mighty flower" meant her mental resilience was strong, and she quickly regained her balance.
"Hehe, it's alright. Even if there are a few obstacles along the way, we will win eventually. Anyway, sensei, let's return to the matter at hand. As Eimi said, I was appointed head of the Super Phenomenon Task Force a few days ago. The matter on Veritas is now fully entrusted to Chihiro."
So that means Veritas is finally back on track?
I nodded in relief and asked.
"The Super Phenomenon Task Force… I've known about this club for a while, but what exactly does it do?"
"Well, considering there was only one member, no real activities, and it was a suspicious club founded by Rio, it's natural for sensei to be curious," Himari replied with a slight smile, teasing Rio.
Then she asked the pink-haired girl beside her.
"Eimi, can you explain it to sensei?"
"As the name implies, it's a club that tracks and investigates scientifically unexplainable phenomena," Eimi explained, pausing briefly. "And now, including President Himari, there are two members."
"Yes, that's right," Himari smiled lightly. "A healthy, practical Eimi paired with a frail, delicate me~ Seems like a good combination, hehe."
"Indeed. I look forward to working with you, President Himari!"
Just then, Eimi suddenly remarked.
"By the way, doesn't it feel a little hot in here?"
Himari, small and delicate, said.
"No. I can even feel a chill approaching. Are you here to assassinate me on Rio's orders? Eimi, please put down the air conditioning remote."
Eimi thought for a moment.
"Alright, then I'll take off some clothes."
"No, please don't do that either."
"It's still hot… what if I just unzip a little?"
"What? The zipper? What are you saying… alright, I understand, absolutely not. Otherwise, you might as well just take off your clothes?"
While the two girls bickered, I picked up the remote Eimi had put down and checked the room temperature. a comfortable 26°C.
Hmm…
Cold and hot, ice and fire. A fine combination, yes…
After a brief daydream, I asked.
"So, what is the task this time? For Himari to work with Rio again, it must be serious."
"You're right," Himari said, winking and lightly clearing her throat.
"You probably don't know. Just recently, Millennium's district communication network AI unit [hub] was illegally hacked by an unknown AI…"
She dramatically recited the news she had already secretly informed me of.
In short.
The Millennium Super Phenomenon Task Force is attempting to cooperate with Schale to investigate some of my long-familiar contacts...
The Prophets and the Nameless Priest.