Chapter 31: Supplementary Classes (4)

After the mock exam, we continued self-study together until the evening. We asked Sensei and me what we didn’t know, and if possible, we answered each other. The self-study itself went smoothly, and it became night.

Late at night, while looking at each test paper in Sensei’s room and comparing the model answers of each question to determine the difficulty of the next mock exam, I found something.

All the model answers for all the questions in last year’s 1st to 3rd-grade exam range were fixed by one person.

It’s something that you might overlook if you just look at it, and even if you find it, you might just think that there’s a genius.

Or, you might think that the examiner wrote it himself… But the name of the owner of the model answer was Urawa Hanako, who was forcibly admitted to the Supplementary Class Club due to academic problems…

[It’s late at night, shouldn’t you go rest?]

“…Sensei… Can you take a look at this?”

[Huh?… Oh?]

“The owner of all the model answers for last year’s exams from 1st grade to 3rd grade…”

[Hanako….]

Urawa Hanako. I expected it a little when I saw her helping Azusa-senpai or Koharu in the early days of the Supplementary Class Club, but she is clearly a so-called genius, or a person of tremendous effort.

If such a person had tried to take the exam normally, even if her condition was not good, her grades would not be bad.

There was one more suspicious point.

There is one strange thing about her test paper. The only question she got right, the identity of that question is a problem for discrimination, which is close to a so-called bomb, that is, a problem with ridiculous difficulty.

It’s a descriptive problem, and the explanation was close to perfect, so it’s hard to say that she guessed it right. Honestly, even I would have to spend a considerable amount of time to barely solve this.

“Yes… Maybe… Hanako… It seems that she is intentionally getting low grades…”

[Why…]

“Spy… No, it’s hard to say that Hanako is a spy….”

[…Hmm…]

Sensei and I didn’t give up on finding a spy, or finding evidence that they weren’t a spy. To be precise, Sensei said not to think about spies, but rather I said that I should find them first and protect them.

I persuaded Sensei with words like, I need to know what’s going on and prepare. Sensei initially opposed it, but in the end, he reluctantly agreed because the intention was to protect the members of the Supplementary Class Club.

So we racked our brains and thought for a long time, but there was too little information, so that day ended with us sleeping quietly in our respective rooms.

“Wow- The water is filled?

Ahaha, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen water filled here. Are you going to swim? Or a pool party?”

“Welcome, Mika-sama.”

[What’s the matter?]

“Hehehe… Yeah! I was curious if Sensei and Sora-chan were doing well.”

Early the next morning, Mika-sama visited. She called Sensei and me and was waiting in the pool.

She was alone, too. Mika-sama is a key figure in the Tea Party, and she has lived like that, so she always has attendants around her.

I don’t know if it’s because of the environment she grew up in or if she’s just used to it, but Mika-sama didn’t think it was strange.

The fact that such Mika-sama came to this annex alone means that it’s okay to think that she came for a rather important story.

“Are you doing well? You’re not secretly doing anything else, are you? Huh? For example, having a party in the pool with the students. Yeah, something like that!”

Mika-sama’s unique icebreaker started. Compared to the previous Mika-sama, her liveliness has decreased a little, but I was slightly relieved that she was still maintaining a bright tone… I couldn’t be relieved.

When Mika-sama is saying something, when there is a lie mixed in what she is saying, or when something happens and she feels down, it is immediately reflected in her wings and they sink slightly,

even if it’s subtle, so it’s possible to see it with the naked eye.

Nagisa-sama and Seia-sama said that they noticed Mika-sama’s mood through her voice or the difference from her usual appearance…

Compared to the two, I’m confident in my eyesight and remembering such subtle differences, so maybe it’s a fact that no one knows except me.

Anyway, that’s why Mika-sama now… looked a little uneasy.

“Sensei doesn’t like long introductions either….. Then let’s get straight to the point.”

See, if it were the usual Mika-sama, she would have tried to chat a little more, but she quickly got to the point.

“Ah. Before that… Sora-chan, you know, but Nagisa doesn’t know that I came here. So, Sora-chan… Keep it a secret?”

“Fufu… Yes…”

“….Sensei and Sora-chan. You were offered a deal by Nagisa, right?”

[A deal…?]

“Finding the traitor of Trinity, you know.”

[…]

“….Sensei, it can’t be helped, can it?”

“…Sigh… I see…. As expected. Really, Nagisa too…

Did she really just write off the information as Sora-chan? Really?”

“Maybe?”

“Sora-chan, you didn’t hear everything, did you? Why this combination of 4 people, etc.?”

“Yes.”

“Really… She didn’t tell you anything and put a big burden on Sensei…”

[I refused that offer.]

“Huh? Refused? Why?”

“In addition, I was also persuaded by Sensei? I might get fired after this is over…”

“Sora-chan too?! Why? Why?”

During the ongoing conversation, Mika-sama’s expression was filled with surprise for the first time.

That’s because I was quite attached to the Eden Treaty before I was persuaded by Sensei, and Mika-sama probably knew that, so she would be surprised that I sided with Sensei.

[That role is not my role, and… Just because I’m on the students’ side?]

Wow, there it is, Sensei’s unique answer that is absurd but somehow difficult to say anything about.

“Uh… Yeah… I see… I didn’t expect it… Yeah… Is this the adult way of speaking? Maybe it’s a little reassuring?

But… At the same time, that means you’re not on anyone’s side, right? I won’t be fooled by that.”

… In response, Mika-sama’s expression went from a slightly embarrassed expression to a happy expression, and then… She returned to her usual playful expression.

Her wings also tried to go up slightly, but stopped… Here, I’ll try to take revenge for the prank I was subjected to last time.

“Hmm~ Then if I say I’m on Mika-sama’s side, will you be fooled?”

“Wow, you say such amazing things so casually, Sora-chan? Did Sensei teach you that? I wonder if Sora-chan will become a playboy after spending time with Sensei…”

[Playboy… I don’t think I’ve done anything to be called that…]

Huh, somehow, when I said it, it became a kind of pick-up line, so I was a little embarrassed. My head hangs down. Ugh… Now that I see it, it’s a complete pick-up line…

But… I’m glad that Mika-sama seems to have regained a little energy.

“Ahaha☆ Just kidding~ It seems like the story has gone off track a little? Let’s get back to the point… Sensei, Sora-chan.”

“I’ll tell you who the traitor in the Supplementary Class Club is.”

[?!]

“Mika-sama…?!”

Seia-sama didn’t tell me much. She said something like the fate of a person who sees the future… She told me the minimum knowledge and promised the future while saying such difficult things.

But she asked me to take care of Mika-sama, and said that I would come to see her someday for something related to Mika-sama. Seia-sama… You’re a little vicious…

“However, that’s only the traitor of Trinity that Nagisa is looking for. It’s the person who is trying hard to get expelled.

In reality, a much more complex and bigger problem is unfolding, but… I can’t just stand by and watch Sensei and Sora-chan being swayed by Nagisa…

Do you know? It was me who invited Sensei to be the homeroom teacher of the Supplementary Class Club? Sora-chan was put in by Nagisa, though…”

Mika-sama… Who is the traitor… She told me that the person’s origin is a student of a place called Arius Branch School, and asked me to protect that child.

At the same time… She said that she might not be a student, and she said something meaningful that the experience of learning was excluded.

“First… Yeah, I’ll explain it so that Sensei can understand… I’m not as smart as Nagisa or Seia… I’m not confident in explaining, but I’ll do my best! Sora-chan, you know the content, so it might be boring, but please listen one more time?”

Mika-sama explained to Sensei about the characteristics of Trinity, the origin of Trinity, which was created by integrating various factions.

She trembled her wings slightly, saying Seia-sama’s name.

“From here on, even Sora-chan probably doesn’t know… Yeah”

Mika-sama’s expression changed slightly. Mika-sama, who had barely returned to her original appearance, became depressed again, but she is desperately hiding it on the outside.

Even Mika-sama can’t hide the habit that comes out without her knowing. Yeah, she explained about Arius….. She explained the past of Arius and at the same time, the past mistakes of Trinity.

She said that the hidden purpose of the Eden Treaty was the birth of a military force that combined the power of Trinity and Gehenna, and she turned the arrow to Nagisa,

saying what would they do with a huge military force now that the General Student Council President is gone…

As if Nagisa-sama

Mika-sama’s eyes trembled slightly.

As if she would trample everything.

She was shaking her hands.

She said that she might make her like Seia-sama.

[…Where is Seia?]

“….Do you want to know? Sensei? Sora-chan? If I talk about this, I’ll be crossing a river of no return.

If Sensei and Sora-chan, who know this fact, betray me, I’ll be in a truly cornered situation.

..But yeah, it’s okay. Sensei and Sora-chan said they would be on my side, right?”

..Until now, it was my one-sided story. I want Sensei to decide whether to believe this or not. Whether to protect Azusa-chan, whether to find the traitor….. Whether to believe Nagisa, or to believe me.”

[Mika is that…]

“Mika-sama… Is that okay?”

I didn’t like it.

”…Yeah?!”

“Sensei, I’m sorry. It might seem rude, but could you go in first?”

[…Haha, sure, Sora. Come in early.]

“Yes…”

Sensei didn’t ask for a particular reason, smiled slightly, and went back into the annex. Now, there are only me and Mika-sama in this pool.

“…Sora-chan? What do you want from me?”

“Sigh…. It’s literal, Mika-sama. Are you okay with that, Mika-sama? Aren’t you carrying too much alone?”

I didn’t like it. She’s so anxious, she’s expressing with her whole body that she wants help, but she’s trying to carry everything alone.

It doesn’t suit someone who usually jokes around without responsibility. No, she’s talking about wanting to save Arius, so I guess it’s somewhat like Mika-sama.

“Mika-sama, no, I’ll just call you senpai. You can cut me for insubordination when it’s over, so just tell me everything you’re hiding.”

It’s different from my usual self, but it doesn’t matter. I’m definitely a little angry now.

You said you would rely on me because I’m on your side in front of you, but in the end, you’re trying to do everything alone, and that doesn’t sit well with me.

You’re wallowing in guilt, and you’re pushing yourself into the swamp of guilt, as if you can’t stop anymore.

You’re always asking for this and that from the people around you, but when it’s really important, you try to carry it all alone, and that makes me so angry.

It’s annoying. You give a lot of work with a sense of ridiculous weight to a low-level Tea Party attendant, and you’re still hiding something.

Isn’t this the same as a company that just gives work as if you don’t need to know, and shifts the responsibility when a problem arises? No, even a company explains the final destination.

“….Senpai… You’re not alone… Please rely on those around you…”

Mika-sama lost her words.

“….Senpai… You’re not alone… Please rely on those around you…”

In front of my eyes, there is a single child who has been walking with all her might on a road that has been forced to walk precariously until now.

The child who was the most precarious is now standing in front of me the most firmly. The child who was clinging to a treaty full of pretense just because she needed something to cling to is standing in front of me.

I don’t know what changed this child, what made her so firm.

I ruined everything. I made my friend die, and in the process, I also hurt the child in front of me. Perhaps a truly kind and shining friend let go of her own light and made me doubt everything.

I made myself alone, and I just buried the desire for someone to stop me in the depths of my heart, which I didn’t even know myself, because I couldn’t stand it if I didn’t stop anymore.

The fact that this was brought back to the surface… It must have been pulled up by the child in front of me.

I can’t tell anyone. This sticky guilt, this sense of sin, must be only mine. I’m afraid that this sense of sin will be relieved if I tell it.

What I’ve done is unforgivable to anyone. Therefore, I myself must not stop. I wish someone would stop me, but it shouldn’t be in a beautiful form.

I shouldn’t be a princess. I shouldn’t be the protagonist of a comedy. A witch, I must be a witch. I must be the worst villain.

“Ahaha I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I’m hiding. Yeah, really?”

“Aaaagh!!!! You’re so frustrating, senpai!!!! Ah, I don’t need it! Don’t tell me!”

… Until now, the child who was quietly and obediently trying to pull me out of this sticky abyss gave up on me, albeit a little abruptly. That’s enough.

“I know everything anyway, so don’t tell me.”

Know…everything? No, it must be a word to stop me. It’s just that this child hasn’t given up on me yet. 

“It’s because of Seia, right?”

“…What?”

She knows everything…? To what extent? Then… It’s really more annoying than death, but…

To pull me out of the abyss, to look at me with the utmost sincerity, I have to get rid of this only child who is trying to get it see me with my own hands. Really…

There’s no such thing as a monster… After a friend, it’s a cherished junior…

“It’s because of Seia, right?”

“…What?”

Mika’s expression is filled with bewilderment… Then guilt… And it changes in the order of something sticky. I felt a sense of intimidation that I had felt once before, but… I can’t back down here.

I learned how to save someone from Ichika-senpai.

I learned what a friend is from the Dessert Club and the Supplementary Class Club.

I learned the duty of an adult, a student, from Sensei.

I learned from him how to let go of my attachment again.

More than anything… I received this unknown emotion, the emotion I had lost someday, from the seniors of the Tea Party.

And… If I were a student, if I were an adult, if I were a teacher, I would have done this.

I’m a little sorry for Seia… Anyway, let’s get some revenge for telling me a little viciously.

“Senpai… It’s okay to go around a little… There are plenty of opportunities left…”

“No… What I did can’t be passed over with that… And it will be like that in the future.”

“I don’t think so at all?”

“What do you know…!”

“Seia is alive, you know.”

I did it. I can’t go back now. If I can’t change Mika’s mind here, everything will be over, but… Well, I’m confident that I can change Mika’s mind now.

“What…are you…talking about…? If it’s a joke, I won’t let it go…”

“Sigh… Seia is really… She dumped this on me… Well, it’s fine.”

Seia is really too much.

Even though she knew to some extent about this matter, even if she didn’t know the whole truth, she could have told me a little more about the fact that she was alive…

I barely guessed it by forcibly combining the things that Mika directly said, the matter of Azusa-senpai, that Seia was known to be dead, and the story of Arius…

If there was a little less information, I don’t know what would have happened. I’ll complain to Seia…

“Don’t change the subject, tell me quickly…”

She also told me not to tell anyone about her survival, and I only heard a brief situation, so I’m also a little confused, but… Yes, she’s alive.”

“…I see… I’m glad… Yeah… I’m glad…. Really… Yeah… Now only me…”

The body movements finally stabilized. It seems that the biggest sense of guilt has been relieved, but it seems that she still has no intention of coming out of the swamp of self-guilt.

“Mika-senpai.”

“Yeah…?”

Then I have to bring it out.

-Hug-

I hug Mika. I cover the surroundings with my wings. So that she can only focus on me, so that I can give back everything I’ve learned in the recent short time, practice it, and make it possible.

“Senpai… Why don’t you forgive yourself a little? We’re still students, right? We make mistakes… We grow up by going through trial and error, right?

“We still have opportunities…”

I hurt Seia, Sora… I made everyone suspect each other, and I almost destroyed the tower that everyone worked hard to build… But… I

“Let’s apologize to everyone? You haven’t destroyed it yet, right? Tell the truth and ask for forgiveness.”

“Will they accept it…? What I did is something that can’t be forgiven… Yeah…?”

“I’ll help you by your side. If they don’t accept it, I’ll affirm you. Is this… okay?”

…Yeah…. Thank you…. Sora…”

The uncomfortable and unpleasant story that makes you frown is starting to become just a happening.