Chapter 10: The Promising Newcomer

About a week after Sensei’s appointment, I was invited to a Tea Party meeting. If I remember correctly, ordinary students almost never receive such an invitation… I guess that means Tea Party members really are special?

◇

And then, the day of the gathering arrived. Since it was my first time attending, I made sure to dress neatly and headed to the same room we’d used for the interviews. Inside were Misono Mika, Nagisa, and two other students wearing Tea Party uniforms—neither of whom I recognized from real life or even from the game.

One of them had deep ultramarine hair that fell to her shoulders, with the left side tied into a side-tail. She wore glasses, and like many Trinity students, she had white wings—but unlike most, who have at most two, she had four: one large pair and a slightly smaller pair beneath them. She was absorbed in a book. With her scholarly aura, I assumed she was reading a reference text or a classic novel… but when I looked closer, it turned out to be a video game strategy guide.

The other girl was clearly tall even while seated. She had wavy light-brown hair cut into a bob and waved at me with a bright, cheerful smile. Her wings were a soft, fluffy-looking pair—lighter than mine or the blue-haired girl’s.

"Um, excuse me… did I arrive late?"

There were only five chairs prepared. It made sense that there wasn’t one for Seia, who was still officially resting. But the remaining four seats were already taken. If all the invited members were present, then I really was the last to arrive. Had I taken too long getting ready…?

"No, you’re fine. We still have plenty of time. But since everyone we invited is here, shall we begin?"

"Y-yes. Thank you for your consideration."

Relieved that I wasn’t actually late, I took my seat. To my left sat the girl with glasses; to my right, the tall girl with the light-brown bob. Nagisa sat directly across from me.

"Now then, first-years. It’s been almost two months since enrollment. Have you grown accustomed to life at Trinity?"

Nagisa opened the conversation with a sip of tea. Wait—the girl to my right is also a first-year? She’s so tall I assumed she was a second- or even third-year. She answered first.

"Yes~ it’s been so much fun~ Everyone’s been really nice to me~"

How should I put it… she gave off an incredibly soft, fluffy aura. Just like her hair.

"I’m glad to hear it. And you?"

"Me? Yes. I came from the countryside, so there were some things that confused me at first, but I’ve grown used to them. Every day has been full of learning and discovery, and I am very satisfied."

"You don’t need to be that formal. One Nagisa-chan type is already more than enough."

"Um…"

"Mika."

"Yes yes."

I froze a little when Mika suddenly addressed me, and with Nagisa cutting in to rein her back, all I could do was smile wryly.

"Next would be me, I suppose. Let’s see… Oh, may I have this roll cake?"

Before anyone noticed, the blue-haired girl had already put away her strategy guide and begun eating a roll cake all by herself. Huh? Are the manners for this situation really okay…?

"Yes, go ahead—wait, aren’t you eating before answering the question?"

munch… munch… "Ah, sorry. It just looked delicious. And it was."

Standing in front of Trinity’s top two, she was unbelievably relaxed—steady, almost immovable. If Nagisa was right, she was also a first-year, but she certainly didn’t act like one.

"I’m glad you liked it, since I was the one who prepared it, but…"

"As for whether I’ve gotten used to school life? Yes, I have. Is that enough?"

And with that, she took another bite of roll cake. N-no hesitation at all… Nagisa looked like she wanted to say something, but swallowed it down.

"…Yes, that’s fine."

"Ahaha, Nagisa-chan totally got swept up ☆ Our new girl’s pretty impressive."

"…Mika."

"Yes yes."

"…The reason we invited all of you today is that among the first-year Tea Party members, we’ve judged you three to be especially promising. We would like each of you to serve as officer cadets—representatives of the first-years—within the organizations under the Tea Party."

"Officer cadets…"

"Representatives of the first-years…"

The organizations under the Tea Party were, bluntly put, private military units. At Trinity, the major armed groups included the Justice Task Force, the Sisterhood, and the Trinity Vigilante Crew. While the Justice Task Force could be mobilized to some extent, the latter two operated independently of the Tea Party. Because of that, the Tea Party maintained its own subordinate units—forces they could freely deploy as needed.

Earning sufficient merit within these groups would provide a significant advantage when aiming for the position of Tea Party Host in the future. In other words, officer cadets were effectively candidates for future Hosts. Of course, as with Hanako—who was approached as a first-year—exceptionally gifted students could also be scouted from outside any faction.

"What do you think?"

"If that is the decision, then I have no objections."

"I’ll do my best too~"

"I don’t mind either way."

"Then I look forward to working with all of you."

I was about to say "Yes," when Mika nudged Nagisa lightly, prompting her.

"…Hey, Nagisa-chan. Aren’t you forgetting something?"

"Something? …Ah, you’re right. My apologies. We should introduce ourselves. I am Kirifuji Nagisa, leader of the Filius faction, and as you know, the current Host of the Tea Party. Strictly speaking, the rightful Host is the leader of the Sanctus faction, Yurizono Seia… but her health has been poor since last year, and she was unable to attend today’s gathering as well."

"That’s how it is. And I’m Misono Mika! The top of the Pater faction… or that’s what they call me, but honestly I don’t really get politics. I leave most of that stuff to Nagisa-chan."

With the top two done, it was now the newcomers’ turn. I considered going first, but the girl on my right raised her hand.

"Okay okay~ I’m Tsuchimikado Maiha~ I want to be friends with lots of people, so I’m looking forward to working with everyone~"

Maiha, huh. …Definitely a name I’ve never heard. Just like me, she might be unreleased content—or someone who doesn’t exist in the original game at all.

"Next… I shall go. I am Gion Aika. I’m from the countryside, so my tea-party etiquette may be somewhat lacking, but… I would truly appreciate your guidance and support."

"Hmm, I’m Nukutani Masa. Nothing in particular to say, so that’s all."

She immediately followed my introduction with that. Masa… the same situation as Maiha. I didn’t recognize her from the original at all. But in several ways, she felt like someone who might eventually become important.

"Yep yep, then let’s all get along☆"

And that marked the end of the tea party attended by those who would lead—or someday come to lead—Trinity.

The Tea Party Host, Kirifuji Nagisa, sat in her office with a tense expression as she reviewed a stack of documents. They contained background reports on three Trinity students. Their names:

"Nukutani Masa, Gion Aika, Tsuchimikado Maiha…"

The very first-years she had met earlier that day. Rising stars of the Pater, Filius, and Sanctus factions—and also the students Nagisa regarded as the most dangerous among the entire first-year class.

Masa possessed combat ability unimaginable from her intellectual impression. Her small build allowed her to dart across the battlefield in every direction, and despite being only a first-year with limited training, she was already capable of overpowering regular members of the Justice Task Force. She was among the recruits Justice had desperately wanted, along with Aika.

Maiha, despite her tall stature, never came across as intimidating thanks to her gentle demeanor. She had an easygoing, friendly personality, but in truth, she was far sharper than she appeared. While she wasn’t on the same level as Urawa Hanako during her own first year, Maiha still scored nearly perfect marks on the academic exams. Her combat ability appeared modest by comparison, but if she were to become an enemy, she would undoubtedly be a formidable opponent.

"…This is going to become a major favor, you know."

Nagisa recalled the words of Tsurugi Kenzaki, the Chair of the Justice Task Force. In a normal year, they never would have placed all three girls under the Tea Party’s umbrella. At the very least—depending on their own wishes—either Aika or Masa would have been recommended to the Justice Task Force.

…but this year was different.

"The Eden Treaty, huh. We of the Justice Task Force are, at the end of the day, Trinity’s public-order organization. It’s true we have more than a few members who aren’t fond of Gehenna Academy, but we have no intention of obstructing a treaty that could improve domestic security. …I had hoped you would trust us on that much."

To ensure the success of the Eden Treaty, they no longer had the luxury of choosing their methods. No matter what anyone said, any student who might become a destabilizing element if placed under another organization needed to be kept close—somewhere they could be watched.

"…The signing ceremony draws closer with every passing moment. I need to stay focused."

They still had no leads on the “traitor within Trinity.” And they absolutely had to uncover them before the ceremony.

◇◇

Meanwhile—

"Abidos… High School… where… is it…?"

SCHALE’s Sensei had somehow gotten lost in the very center of the city and was now completely stranded.

(Original Author Note):

Two new original characters make their debut here. That said, at least based on the plot I’ve drafted so far, I don’t plan on adding any more original characters after this point. Also, the Officer Cadet system is my own custom setting; it doesn’t appear in the original work.
Below is Maasa’s profile. To avoid making this too long, I’ll save Maiha’s profile for next time.

Name

Masa

Full Name

Nukutani Masa (written as 炎谷マアサ)

Weapon Type

SR (Lee–Enfield No.5 Mk I “Jungle Carbine”)

Academy

Trinity General Academy, Year 1

Club

Tea Party

Age

15

Birthday

April 4

Height

154 cm

Hobbies

Games

Basic Information

A member of the Tea Party, the student council of Trinity General Academy, belonging specifically to the Pater faction.

Though she appears at first glance to be a calm and intellectual girl, her behavior is extremely free-spirited, and she often ends up unintentionally bewildering anyone who tries to deal with her seriously. Despite being regarded as a promising newcomer for the Pater sub-faction, she isn’t particularly fond of scheming; whenever things start to feel troublesome, she tends to try solving them with brute force instead.

She is friends with Aika and Maiha, who hold similar positions within their respective factions, and the three of them often go out together on their days off.