Chapter 36: Back to Academy Life Again

After three more days of work, the After-School Sweets Club headed back to Trinity ahead of me, leaving the remaining farm tasks to just the three of us. With most of the summer harvest already finished, we moved on to thinning buds and fruit on persimmons and mandarins—both of which peak in autumn and winter—along with pruning branches. At the same time, we continued preparing strawberry seedlings.

Once all that work finally reached a stopping point and summer break was drawing to a close, I left my family home, feeling reluctant to go.

"Guess the next time I can come back is winter break…"

Rocking inside the ever-reliable self-driving Royalty as it cruised toward central Trinity, the scenery gradually shifted from farmland to residential districts, and then into the city proper… until the familiar Trinity Integrated Academy came into view for the first time in about three weeks.

Technically, it was still summer vacation, but a few students in uniform were already going in and out of the school. Well, we officer candidates used to train around this time too, so I’m sure they’ve got things to take care of.

"Hey, did you hear? The Eden Treaty."

"Yeah, the signing ceremony is in a little over a week, right?"

Right—the Eden Treaty. The signing ceremony was finally just around the corner. I barely thought about it while I was at home, but things are definitely going to get hectic soon. And also…

(If things go like they did in my previous life’s knowledge, Arius will cause trouble again.)

Well, to be precise, it won’t be just Arius—Gehenna’s Pandemonium Society will be involved as well. It’s impossible to prevent everything in advance, so I need to figure out how to minimize the damage when things do happen.

"But a peace treaty with Gehenna…?"

"If they actually manage to sign it and things get more peaceful, that would be great, but… it’s probably impossible."

Realistically, even within Trinity’s leadership, the only one openly supportive of the Eden Treaty is Nagisa. The rest are either opposed or undecided. And on Gehenna’s side, it isn’t their student council—the Pandemonium Society—leading the effort, but their Discipline Committee. Honestly, just from that alone, it feels like nothing good is coming.

Feeling uneasy after overhearing the general students’ conversations, I headed back to my dorm room.

After finishing unpacking in the dorm, I first sent a message to Maiha and Masa to let them know I was back. Then I skimmed ahead in the textbook, played a few games, and spent two days that way until…

"From here on, it’s back to classes every day…"

The new term had started, and I had just returned from my first set of classes. I found myself quietly absorbing the fact that I was back to daily student life.

"Oh, right. I need to go there after this."

…The usual balcony used by the Tea Party. This morning, Nagisa had sent an internal school email summoning me and the other officer candidates to meet there. The matter of the “Trinity traitor” being Misono Mika had been settled in the previous incident, so I didn’t think she was suspicious of us or anything, but still…

When I arrived, Maiha, Masa, and our host Nagisa were already seated as always. Actually, why am I always the last one to get here?

"…Now that everyone is here, I’ll get straight to the point. I called you today to discuss our movements concerning the Eden Treaty, which is now only a week away."

Well, that was exactly what I expected. Without changing her expression, Masa spoke up.

"So that’s what this is about. Then, what would you have us do?"

"Yes. First, regarding the After-School training of organizations under the Tea Party. During that time, please head to the ‘Ancient Sanctum of Tsūgō’ and assist the Sisterhood with their work there."

The Ancient Sanctum of Tsūgō—usually just called the Ancient Sanctum. It was a historical site where, hundreds of years ago, the first council discussing Trinity’s unification was held.

Now, it was little more than a massive ruin. But Gehenna had proposed it as the venue for the Eden Treaty signing ceremony, and Trinity’s leadership*1 had approved it. The Sisterhood was now rushing to repair and restore it.

"I heard the Pandemonium Society people wanted to use that place, right~?"

"Yes, Maiha. The proposal came from the Pandemonium Society’s chairwoman, Hanuma Makoto, of Gehenna Academy’s student council."

"I see. Gehenna must be eccentric. That place is famous for rumors about ghosts in strange outfits, you know."

Ghosts in strange outfits… I wonder who that’s supposed to be*2. Anyway, Nagisa continued.

"As you know, the building is far too decayed to be used as a conference hall in its current state. The Sisterhood is leading the effort to repair and beautify it. We would like all of you to assist them. We will also conduct rehearsals for the signing ceremony, so please participate."

"Understood. What will the procedure be on the day itself?"

When I asked, Nagisa closed her eyes for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts, then said:

"First, all of you will accompany me and serve as my escort on the way to the venue. From there, internal security will be handled by the Justice Promotion Committee, who will already be stationed on site. Until the ceremony concludes, I ask that you patrol the surrounding area for any suspicious activity. After I exit the Ancient Sanctum, you will then escort me back to Trinity’s main building."

That was the general outline. The details would be explained during the rehearsal, she concluded.

"…"

A brief silence followed. It seemed this was all Nagisa had called us for, but… honestly, it hadn’t even been ten minutes since I arrived. At that point, wouldn’t an email have worked?

Judging by their exchanged glances, the other officer candidates felt the same and were debating whether they could leave.

"…U-Um, should we talk about something? Small talk, maybe… Oh! What did you all do over summer break?"

Nagisa struggled to find words, wearing a troubled expression. Well, since we were here… I might as well go along with a bit of small talk.

"Summer break, huh? I went back home for the first time in a while. I helped out with the farm work endlessly… but I also went to the beach with Maiha and Masa, and they even stayed over at my place once or twice," I recounted.

As I reflected on my summer, the two of them shared their experiences in turn.

"I went around visiting sweets shops that are supposed to be really good, and tried to get a little exercise so I wouldn’t gain weight—something like that," Maiha said cheerfully.

"Me next? Well, other than going out with Aika and Maiha, I didn’t really go anywhere. I mostly just stayed at home playing games or reading books," Masa added.

After the three of us spoke, it was Nagisa’s turn. She hesitated, her expression carrying a trace of sorrow.

"As for me… well, I was tied up handling the aftermath of Mika-san’s incident. Even after that was settled, I still had to prepare for the Eden Treaty and check on Mika-san’s situation… so I didn’t really get to rest," she admitted.

We could only listen and give wry smiles. Here we were, happily talking about how we’d enjoyed summer vacation, and now hearing that, there was nothing we could say.

"And it seems Seia-san is still bedridden, and Mika-san is locked up… so even if I had some free time, there’s really no one to have tea with…"

That didn’t sound remotely restful… Is she going to be okay? I wondered, searching for a tactful reply.

"Y-You really went through a lot, didn’t you…"

"If there’s anything we can do to help, we’d be glad to," I offered.

"No… this is my duty as the current Tea Party host, so it can’t be helped," she said.

And with that, the tea party ended in a slightly awkward silence.

We left first, walking down the corridor together. We tried not to damage the brand-new carpet that had been laid for the Eden Treaty, loosening our steps slightly.

"Still… the Eden Treaty, huh," I muttered.

"Yeah… if I remember right, Masa isn’t really in favor of it," Maiha commented.

As a strong partisan of Patel and someone leaning anti-Gehenna, it made sense that she wasn’t particularly thrilled.

"I’m not intending to interfere with their attempts to reach common ground. But I honestly don’t think this treaty will conclude smoothly without some kind of trouble," I said.

"I agree. Something’s bound to happen. Even within Trinity, they’re hardly unified. And Gehenna isn’t exactly a monolith either… I’m curious how Millennium, being left out among the three major schools, will react," Maiha added.

It wasn’t just Trinity and Gehenna—most of us agreed that even Kivotos as a whole wouldn’t let it end quietly. That just showed how deep the divide was between the two schools.

"Of course, I hope they can get along and that it succeeds. Aika, what about you?" I asked.

"I also think the best outcome is for the treaty to be concluded safely. Unfortunately, I have to agree with the opinions that it probably won’t go smoothly…" she replied.

With that, we shared our thoughts on the Eden Treaty and then parted ways, heading back to our respective rooms.