Chapter 18: Almost Summer Vacation!

The day after the noisy tea party, I left the dorm and headed toward campus. Our exams before summer break were finally over, and since we barely had any classes left, I was going to school mainly for training under the Tea Party’s affiliated organizations.

"Aika-chan, good morning~"

"Good morning, Aika."

"Yes. Good day to you both."

Shortly after passing through the main gate, I met up with Masa and Maiha. We chatted casually as we walked toward the training grounds—when suddenly, an adult carrying a suitcase approached us.

"Aika, good morning."

"Oh my, Sensei. Are you on your way to the Make-Up Work Club?"

"That's right. And those two are…"

Sensei said this while glancing at Masa and Maiha. Now that I think about it, they still hadn’t met him.

"So this is the teacher, huh~?"

"He looks more normal than I expected."

The two of them examined Sensei with curious eyes. Maybe it’s because in the school district, we don’t see many adults who aren’t robots or animal-like—someone who looks so similar to the students is rare.

"These two belong to the Tea Party, just like myself. They’re officer cadets—in simple terms, the first-year representatives."

"I see. That’s impressive."

"I am Tsuchimikado Maiha~ Nice to meet you, Sensei~"

"I’m Entani Masa. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. Well then, I should head over to the Make-Up Work Club."

After watching Sensei hurry off, the two of them turned to me with curious expressions.

"Aika-chan, what’s the Make-Up Work Club~?"

"Yes, I was wondering about that as well."

Of course they’d ask. They weren’t present at yesterday’s meeting, and the Make-Up Work Club isn’t exactly something widely known.

"Let me think… From what I heard during Sensei’s conversation with Lady Nagisa and Lady Mika yesterday, there are four students whose grades are so poor they’re at risk of failing. The club was created so Sensei could oversee them and help improve their performance."

"Ohhh, I see~ But was that kind of club mentioned during the entrance orientation~?"

"I don’t recall anything like that either."

As expected, Maiha is sharp—she already realized this isn’t something permanent.

"Apparently, it’s a temporary organization that gets created only when needed. For this case, they’re also using SCHALE’s authority."

"Hmm… and whose idea was that?"

Maiha’s usual drawn-out, soft tone disappeared. Her voice sharpened. She was taking this very seriously.

"Let me think… As far as I remember, the one who suggested offering support to Sensei was Lady Mika."

"Then the Make-Up Work Club itself… that would be Lady Nagisa, right?"

She deduced all of that just from what I’d said. Terrifying.

"…Most likely."

"I knew it."

Maiha seemed to have reached a conclusion, but her expression soon softened into something sad. Masa, who had only been listening until now, finally cut in.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Aika-chan, Masa-chan. That Make-Up Work Club… I think there’s something going on behind the scenes."

Yes, that’s definitely the case.

"Should we ask Lady Nagisa directly?"

When Masa asked that, Maiha shook her head.

"Hmm… I don’t think that’s a good idea. …Aika-chan, do you know who the four members of that club are?"

"If it’s Sensei, he should know. He has the roster with him."

Of course, I actually know every one of them—but if I say that now, they’ll demand to know how I found out. Better to use Sensei as cover.

"Then once we confirm their names, let’s start by checking with people we know. The Make-Up Work Club… we need to find out what Lady Nagisa is planning."

So they intend to get involved. Hmm… I honestly want to avoid altering the original storyline too much… but we also can’t ignore Nagisa as she spirals deeper into suspicion-driven decisions.

"As for myself, as a member of the Filus faction, it seems I also have a duty to understand what Lady Nagisa is trying to do."

"I don’t really mind either way… but if you two are going, I’ll at least tag along."

"Then it’s settled~"

And just like that, the three of us decided to investigate the Make-Up Work Club on our own.

As for our training… well, firing the Pom-Pom Gun endlessly was getting dull, so I’d started practicing frontline combat as well.

"Tch, dodged again—gah?!"

I fired my shotgun, mostly missed, and while I was reloading, a bullet smacked me right in the head. That actually hurt a bit.

"Your openings are far too big."

My opponent was Masa. As usual, she was quick on her feet, making it nearly impossible to land a solid hit, and she pushed me into a corner through sheer mobility.

"Then… take this…!"

"Oh—one hit really does sting, doesn’t it?"

Even so, I managed to take careful aim and land a shot. She was using a postwar bolt-action rifle while I was stuck with an 18th-century muzzle-loader, so the matchup was already unfair—and on top of that, Masa herself was strong. I couldn’t win at all, but… well, she was still easier to handle than Tsurugi.

"Come now, one more shot—here!"

"Ugh, that really packs a punch… but this is where things turn around."

"Wha—?!"

Predicting Masa’s path as she darted around, I scattered my buckshot across her trajectory. I was sure several pellets hit, but her damage wasn’t that severe. Instead, she exploited the gap while I reloaded and shot me cleanly.

"Not yet… not yet…!"

The true power of a shotgun lies in point-blank range. I somehow managed to endure the stagger, reloaded, and took aim as Masa closed in for the finishing blow.

"Let’s end this… here—!?"

"At least I’ll take you with me…!"

I unleashed a full spread of buckshot at her just as she tried to finish me off at point-blank distance. Whether it landed effectively or not, a .303 bullet struck my head before I could confirm, and I lost consciousness on the spot.

"Aika-chan, you finally managed a draw with Masa-chan~"

"Finally? Honestly…!"

The outcome was a draw: Masa fell after taking my buckshot directly, and I, needless to say, had been knocked out as well.

"You hadn’t beaten her even once before, had you?"

"Well, that’s true, I suppose…"

I lowered my gaze while eating the milk biscuits Maiha had baked. Being confronted with it so directly stung a little.

"By the way, what are you two planning for summer break~?"

"That’s quite sudden…?!"

Summer break, huh… For now, I plan to spend a few weeks helping out at my family home, but aside from that, nothing is set.

"I don’t really have any plans either. If you want to do something as a group, I’ll join."

"As for me, I plan to return home. Not the entire summer, of course, so if you two want to meet up, I can adjust my schedule."

"Hmm, I was thinking… since it’s summer, I’d love to go to the beach~ And if possible, I want to go with Aika-chan and Masa-chan too~!"

I see… going to the beach sounds good. But the question is, what swimsuit should I bring? Honestly, I pretty much only have the school-issued one.

"Shall we go buy swimsuits?"

"Do we really need to go buy them? I think the school swimsuits will be fine."

Masa is far too indifferent… Don’t you want a cute swimsuit for a chance like this…?

"Oh, Masa-chan~ Don’t worry, I’ll pick one for you! Let’s go together~"

"If you insist that much, then suit yourself."

And just like that, the three of us decided to go swimsuit shopping. With Maiha and Masa both being beautiful girls, seeing them in swimsuits… that’s going to be fun.