Chapter 34: Preparing for the Transfer

About half a year had passed since Yurizono Seia’s assault operation.

"Ever since the disappearance of the GSC President, the Treaty of Eden had been left in limbo… but just yesterday, Nagisa Kirifuji, host of the tea party, announced that preparations for the signing ceremony are underway! Even though the treaty had once nearly fallen apart…"

“…So this made it into the news. That’s why I thought it was too crazy to be true… but I came anyway.”

“Yes. That ‘too crazy’ is exactly it…”

“This… is a smartphone? It’s the first time I’ve actually touched one.”

Azusa handed back the smartphone she had received from Mika.

“Hmm… I thought so. So, this time…”

“…No. There were no instructions to have anyone killed.”

“…Can I ask for details?”

“Yes, of course. Standing here isn’t ideal—let’s talk inside that building.”

“The Treaty of Eden… another troublesome matter… Didn’t it nearly collapse once before?”

“It seems Nagisa Kirifuji has been pushing it forward behind the scenes. If, by any chance, this treaty succeeds, your victory… the elimination of Gehenna and Trinity… would become nearly impossible.”

Without even needing us to gather information, the higher-ups had already reviewed the outline of the Treaty of Eden. Well, they can move freely within Kivotos, so the results were mostly as expected.

That’s why I had suggested sabotaging the treaty…

“Then, to immediately stop the treaty from going through…”

“No.”

…What came next was unexpected.

“If we’re going to use it anyway, let’s make it grand. Wait a few days.”

“…Huh? E-Excuse me?”

“…It’s fine. You were curious, weren’t you?… Yes, this is something I will tell you eventually. Until then, send a spy into Trinity to gather information. With Misono Mika’s cooperation, it should be possible, right? Suou, you are entrusted with choosing the person.”

“…Understood.”

“…So, that’s the situation. I haven’t been told what he plans to do yet, but it’s probably nothing good.”

I explained this to Mika, who was sitting across from me on a splintered chair.

“…I see. A spy…”

Mika wore a grave expression… Wait a minute.

“Mika…? What are you looking at…?”

“…Huh? Oh, sorry! I was just bothered by something snagging on my clothes…”

“…Yeah, this building is pretty shabby, isn’t it?”

“Sorry… it’s still one of the cleaner places, though…”

“I-I’m fine… don’t worry. Sorry for derailing the conversation. So, about the spy?”

“Yes. As I mentioned, I have the discretion to choose, and I recommend this girl, Shirasu Azusa.”

“Shirasu, Azusa… nice to meet you!”

“…Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot from Suou and Saori. About… well, yes. I’ve heard.”

“Suou? How exactly did you describe me?”

“I-I have no idea what you mean~”

“Hey, look this way. Your tone is different than usual, right? Hey.”

“A-Anyway! This girl is my… younger sister!! Azusa Shirasu!”

“You blatantly derailed the conversation… oh well. Nice to meet you, Azusa.”

“Yes, I’m counting on you. And Suou, I’m not your sister.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“…Uh…?”

“…Ah, you have wings! Can I touch them?”

“Eh…?”

“…W-Wow, so fluffy. That’s actually a big plus.”

“Uh, that…”

“You’re growing your hair… looks like it’ll be a good appearance.”

“Um…”

“The halo is simple and pale yellow… doesn’t stand out. Chest is normal… eyes are light purple. Beautiful color… okay, okay, looks settled.”

“S-Suou…!”

“Yeah, looks good! Suou, you have a good aesthetic sense! Azusa seems like she could manage even in Trinity!”

“I didn’t judge her solely on looks…”

“Really? Honestly, in Trinity, you can’t get by without taking care of your appearance too…”

“Ah… that kind of…”

“Uh, I… don’t need to be that particular…”

“No way! If you’re wearing it, make it cute! I think the scarf should be yellow rather than blue! Matches the halo… Speaking of the halo, it’s plant-shaped, right? Then add flowers… match the eye color with purple! Clothes are simple, so add lots of decorations! Skirt, hair ornaments, wings! Using gold hardware will give a classy feel with the black corset dress…”

“S-Suou…! Please, help me…!”

“…Sorry. This is necessary…”

“Th-This…!”

“Right! Let’s add a motif from the Arius branch! Suou, what does it look like?”

“Eh? Ah, like this.”

“…Alright! I think we’ve got the general image down! How is it, Azusa, Suou?”

“…I-I’m exhausted…!”

“Let’s see now—”

I took the smartphone from Mika and looked at the uniform design for Azusa in the image editing app.

…It was probably the same as the outfit Azusa wears in the original material. The notebook only noted its features, so I couldn’t be sure if it matched exactly… but it was mostly the same, I’d say.

“…It’s so cute! It will definitely suit Azusa!”

“Right, right! I’m so glad! Once the transfer paperwork is done, I’ll submit the order for this uniform!”

“When will that be?”

“Hm… probably about a month? It might take a bit longer.”

“I see… I can’t wait to see Azusa wearing such a cute outfit.”

Really, that uniform would absolutely suit her. I didn’t have that kind of sense myself… I was glad Mika was handling it.

“Yeah, yeah, I understand that feeling… I’ll bring it along once before the transfer so she can try it on. We’ll make detailed adjustments then. I’ll also teach her how to care for it, and how to pick out new clothes and accessories.”

“…!? I-I feel a chill…!”

“To survive in Trinity, these are essential lessons!”

…Azusa. Hang in there…!

“…Suou, do you want to pick out a uniform too?”

“…Eh!? W-Why me!!?”

I didn’t expect this to spread to me…! I definitely didn’t want to go through that kind of ordeal…!

“See, Suou and Azusa have a lot of similar features, right? White hair, plant-type halo, both are pretty short… though no chest or wings.”

As for the wings… the chest comment was totally unnecessary… hmm… but come to think of it, she was right.

“So, I thought it’d be fun to make a sort of sister-coordinate outfit for the two of you.”

“…Sister? Can you explain a little more?”

“Oh, interested now? Good, good. Then, Azusa, I’ll need your cooperation again to tweak the design a bit!”

In an instant, Azusa’s face turned pale.

“N-No!! Suou doesn’t need to make something like that either!”

“Huh? Why not? Let’s make matching fashion with your big sister!”

“Who’s the little sister here!!! Absolutely not!!”

“Hmm… accessories I’d recommend for Suou….”

“S-Stop it already!!”

“…Alright then, I’ll call it a day here! Next time, I’ll bring a fashion magazine and some school materials too!”

“Yes! Thank you for your hard work!”

“Haa… haa…”

…Ah, Azusa… she’s really tired.

She had firmly refused the sister-coordinate idea, so we were only able to finalize the design. …Later, I’d have her send that data to me via the smartphone Mika would give her.

“…Ah, and one last thing.”

“…?”

This was the most important question.

“…Mika, what do you yourself want to do about the Eden Treaty?”

“…What I want to do, huh.”

The Eden Treaty. The Eden Treaty Organization had been established as a neutral body to prevent conflicts between Trinity and Gehenna. …In other words, it was practically a peace agreement with Gehenna.

“Hm…”

…Mika dislikes Gehenna. She hates what she hates. That hasn’t changed. That’s fine. …But beyond that… what stance was Mika planning to take toward the Eden Treaty?

“…Honestly, I’m opposed to establishing this treaty.”

“Expected. Mika, you don’t like Gehenna.”

“Yeah. They’re savage, they have horns, and they have tails…”

“…Regarding ‘savage,’ I don’t think you can really talk about others,” Azusa muttered quietly, probably recalling their fight, but Mika continued as if she hadn’t heard.

“Sure, if Suou and the Arius group cooperate… we could incapacitate Nagi, take her down as host, and I could become the host. Then I could stop something as foolish as the Eden Treaty. I guess that’s what you were thinking too, Suou?”

“….”

I nodded in agreement.

“…It’s okay. I have no intention of doing something like that. A position comes with responsibility, right? If Nagi suddenly became incapacitated… and I became the host and said, ‘Let’s cancel the Eden Treaty☆’… that would cause total chaos.”

…She remembered.

“So, if I’m going to oppose it, I should at least do so directly… but thinking about it, that would be extreme too. The person who proposed reconciliation being opposed to it…”

“…True.”

“But honestly… I don’t think the Eden Treaty will succeed. The conflict runs too deep, and personalities don’t match up. It might work between individuals, but with entire organizations cooperating? Impossible.”

“…Yes.”

In reality, Mika was right… Even at the signing ceremony, they were glaring at each other… forcing cooperation would never work.

“That’s why I’m just going to observe this situation. Probably some quarrel will break out at the signing ceremony, and it’ll end up unresolved.”

“Hahaha… I can’t deny that.”

“…Really?”

“Really. There are so many savage, low-class people in Gehenna. Listen, if you’re coming to Trinity, Azusa, you should make sure to dislike Gehenna. Come on, repeat after me: ‘I dislike Gehenna. Those people are vile and low-class—’”

“D-Don’t try to implant extreme ideas into your little sister!?”

What is she trying to do all of a sudden!? Implant ideology into Arius? That’s not a joke! …Well, Azusa would probably be fine.

“Ah, busted… But seriously, I have no plans to do anything about the Eden Treaty.”

“…I see. I’m relieved to hear that.”

In any case, no interference with the Eden Treaty would come from Mika, and she herself had no intention to act… just knowing that was a big gain.

“Well then, I guess this is really goodbye for now. I’ll see you next week!”

“Yes! See you next week!”

We watched Mika leave cheerfully with Azusa, then returned to our living quarters.