Chapter 7: Get Noticed

It’s been a week since I was recruited into the Tea Party, and I’m now sitting in a chair prepared in the Trinity Grand Auditorium. The entrance ceremony.

All students entering high school from middle school and students transferring to Trinity from other middle schools are gathered in this Trinity Grand Auditorium.

Next to the numerous chairs, various firearms are decoratively painted and hung on simple gun racks, one for each chair. Next to me, an M1 Garand with a modest paint job was mounted.

I’m receiving an almost overwhelming amount of attention. The reason is probably external factors. A modestly painted firearm, a uniform with luxurious gold decorations that is entirely white but not tacky,

a beret that matches the neat attire, yes, I am now the only one among the entering students in this grand auditorium wearing the Tea Party uniform.

It’s not that I’m the only one who was appointed to the Tea Party through the entrance exam. I was the only one whose appointment to the Tea Party was confirmed before officially entering, before the entrance ceremony,

so I was wearing the pure white uniform from the day of the entrance ceremony, and I was receiving the attention of everyone around me.

It wasn’t the first time someone wore the Tea Party uniform from the day of the entrance ceremony, but it wasn’t a common occurrence… Since the entrance ceremony hadn’t started yet, I was being bombarded with questions from those around me.

I could quietly say it’s confidential. It’s true, but it’s not a good option. Wouldn’t that be like advertising that I’m an unusual person, an important person?

I couldn’t use the entrance exam as an excuse either. There must be high scorers among the people who asked me questions. From here on… I have to write a novel. I distort and inflate the encounter with Kirifuji-sama and write a novel.

“My encounter with her was in the library…”

Honestly… I don’t feel very good… I hate lying, both in my past life and in my current life. A lot, tremendously. It’s different from not being able to and hating.

If I had to say, I wasn’t particularly bad at lying… but I hated it. We only have a shallow connection as an attendant and bodyguard of the Tea Party.

Just because it’s hard to tell others. And yet, I feel unpleasant that I have to create so many lies and deceive others. I guess I’m not suited for the Tea Party, or at least politics.

“So at that time, that official said to me…”

There was no major problem with facial expressions. 27 years of life, social life that I had been doing until just before my past life,

I had to deceive myself to overcome encounters with high-ranking people there, so based on that memory, I could show a pretty plausible facial expression.

In front of the Tea Party faction leaders, I was crushed by the pressure and couldn’t act with facial expressions, but these pure young ladies here are just the same first-year high school students as me, so it wasn’t difficult to get past them with facial expressions… but…

I felt bad… But what kept me going was self-justification, that I could protect the fantasies of these young ladies. At least what I’m doing now is the way to protect Trinity. I brainwash myself.

“Wow… That’s amazing… I wish I could have such an encounter… It’s romantic…”

“Fufu, you’ll soon have a good encounter.”

I hide the truth.

I imprint social life on my body.

I already know what to imprint.

I also have the necessary framework for imprinting.

It hurts… a little…

It feels like being branded with a hot iron.

I imprint social life with a hot iron.

It stings. I’m being butchered by something.

I just want this moment to pass quickly.

As the entrance ceremony begins, the inside of the grand auditorium becomes quiet. Formal events such as speeches by student representatives and Tea Party officials pass. It’s boring, but at least for me at this moment, it was a moment of calm and peace.

The formal entrance ceremony quickly came to an end. It may feel long to others, but it didn’t feel that long to me, who was able to be freed from the barrage of questions. I hear sounds of groaning from all over, as if it’s finally over, as if it was boring.

“Ah, I’m thinking of going to a cafe now, would you like to join me, Tea Party person?”

“I’m sorry, I have a prior engagement, so I’ll be leaving first.”

If I get dragged along in this state, I’ll have to receive a barrage of questions for a long time. Then I’ll have to make up stories that don’t exist or tell lies. It’s a so-called lie to avoid lies.

As I came out of the auditorium, I ran into Ichika-senpai, who was waiting in front. She said she came to see it because it was her day off on the day of the entrance ceremony.

“Wow… Is it real? The Tea Party? Sora-chan? You have the ability, but I thought you’d refuse because it’s a hassle.”

“Ahaha…. There were some circumstances, so I joined, Senpai…”

“Heh… Are you going to work from today?”

“No, Senpai. I’ll be busy from tomorrow, but I’m free today.”

From tomorrow, I’ll probably start full-fledged work directly in the Tea Party’s meeting room and terrace. Even if it’s bodyguard work, I won’t be attached to the student council presidents 24 hours a day, so it’ll be fine.

So for now, and after tomorrow’s work is over, I’ll be free. Overtime and additional work will vary from time to time, but what does it matter? At least for now, I’m free.

“Then I’m thinking of going to a cafe, what do you think?”

“Sounds good.”

We came out to the inside of the Trinity school grounds. It’s a distance from the central district of Trinity to go to Cafe Melina like before, so we just move to a nearby cafe.

…Unfortunately, it might have been a mistake. I heard murmuring sounds from around. A member of the Justice Realization Committee and the Tea Party, it’s a noticeable combination, so is it natural?

“Ahaha, the stares are piercing…”

“Senpai… Our uniforms… are very noticeable, you know?”

Senpai also felt the stares and was deliberately looking away and drinking coffee.

“So… are you planning to bury your bones in the Tea Party completely?”

“No. I’ll probably only do it until the first year?”

I guess from Senpai’s point of view, the very fact that I joined the Tea Party would be unexpected. In fact, I don’t intend to stay in the Tea Party for long either.

“That’s a waste~ The Tea Party has good treatment, so isn’t it a good option?”

“Do I suit politics, Senpai?”

“Ahaha, then from the second year, the Justice Realization Committee…”

“I refuse!”

I don’t think I’m a suitable talent for the Tea Party. That said, I don’t like the Justice Realization Committee either. As I said before, I don’t really like physical work. I’ll just find a normal club… in the second year…. Please… will it be possible?

“Wait… I’ll pay this time.”

“Eh… I’ll be getting a good salary now, so I’ll pay.”

“This time too, right? And I also get a salary. Rather, I’m an executive, so I get paid more than Sora-chan.”

Since that day several months ago when I clung to Ichika-senpai and cried like crazy, I have been paying for all the expenses when I meet with Ichika-senpai.

That day, I created too big a debt to Senpai, so no matter what Senpai thinks, at least until the day Senpai graduates, and if possible, even after Senpai graduates, I plan to repay that unpayable debt.

“So… can you tell me the reason you joined the Tea Party?”

“That’s… going to be difficult… But I’ll explain it simply.”

“So… that’s… in the library…”

I told the story of that day last week when I was studying briefly in the library and misunderstood Kirifuji-sama as just a high-ranking official and was naturally dragged to the Tea Party’s meeting room and terrace.

Of course, I left out the story about the Eden Treaty. I don’t know if Senpai knows, but it’s confidential, right?

“So… that day… you were… targeted by the three student council presidents… Pfft…”

“Don’t make fun of me… I’m very upset right now…”

“Ah… I’m sorry… But… Pfft…”

Senpai also seems to find the situation absurdly funny, and it’s visible that she’s desperately trying to hold back her laughter. I shouldn’t have told her…

“But it’s fortunate. It’s the neutral faction, not the faction that’s deep in politics. If it were the faction, you’d be stressed out?”

“I guess so… From tomorrow, I have to go to that suffocating tea party every day… Ugh…”

“Well, good luck.”

“Then good luck from tomorrow~!”

“Yes, good luck to you too, Senpai.”

So, while we were spending time at the cafe, the sky was starting to turn red, so I said goodbye to Senpai, and I headed to Trinity, and Senpai headed in the direction of her house. By the time I arrived at Trinity, the sky had already turned red, and it was time for dusk.

“Wow~ Sora-chan, you came at a good time~”

“I look forward to working with you from tomorrow, Sora-san.”

“I’m sorry for the trouble. I look forward to working with you.”

When I entered the central part of Trinity, the Tea Party faction leaders came down the central stairs of the building. Yes, the reason I returned to Trinity was to escort Yurizono-sama.

Kirifuji-sama and Misono-sama said their residences were in the same direction. They are childhood friends. In addition, Misono-sama is said to be one of the strongest in this Trinity, no, in Kivotos.

But Yurizono-sama seems to be particularly close to the other two, but it was a slightly later meeting compared to the two, so it seems that the direction of her residence is a little different.

Meanwhile, since she is physically weak by nature, it seems that the other two were worried about Yurizono-sama and attached me separately.

“Yes, I will escort you, Yurizono-sama. Misono-sama and Kirifuji-sama, I will see you tomorrow.”

“Ah~ Sora-chan, you’re so stiff~ Mika, my name is Mika! Call me Mika~”

“You don’t have to be so stiff, Sora-san. You’re too nervous.”

“…Yes, Mika-sama, Nagisa-sama.”

Was I too stiff? It can’t be helped. I still haven’t found a separate solution for getting nervous in front of high-ranking people. It seems that there is no way other than to get used to it like in my previous life.

I see off Mika-sama and Nagisa-sama and board the vehicle with Seia-sama. I don’t know how to drive, but fortunately, there was a separate driver, another Tea Party senior.

The vehicle itself was a normal, high-class car, but it was a common car in Trinity, so as not to stand out. I sat separately next to Seia-sama, and my main task was to protect Seia-sama in case of a situation and help Senpai and Seia-sama escape.

Since the vehicle itself is a high-class car, the inside of the car did not shake. Seia-sama, as if she was used to it, was enjoying tea inside as well.

“I’m sorry, Sora-san. It seems like I got you involved in something absurd.”

“It’s okay, Seia-sama. In the end, it was me who decided to join, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

Seia-sama seemed to be quite concerned about me. Well… I guess she felt a little uncomfortable because she invited someone who didn’t originally think of the Tea Party in a pressured way. The time in the car… felt quite long.

“Then go in carefully. Thank you.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Seia-sama.”

Seia-sama lived in a fairly high-class apartment located a little away from the central district of Trinity. There seemed to be no major problems with security, but since I was doing it, I had to do it properly, so I escorted her to the front door.

The student council president of Trinity would be almost like the president in my past life, so I was expecting something like a luxurious mansion, but was it a bit of a prejudice? Still, the apartment itself looked very nice.

“Ah, you’re here. I look forward to working with you tomorrow, too. Wait in front of here by 06:00. It’s a bit of a tough work schedule, but if you get used to it, it’s manageable… Let’s do our best together…”

“Ah, yes, Senpai… Good luck.”

When I came out to the front door, the senior who had been driving the car from Trinity to here was waiting separately. Senpai… said, “Let’s do our best” in a genuinely tired voice, as if she was exhausted from the Tea Party’s tight work hours.

“Then go ahead… I have to go return the car because I’m living in the dormitory…”

“Yes, good luck….”

Senpai first drove the car and disappeared in the direction she had come from.

Seia-sama’s residence was quite far from my house. At least I live in the central district… The time itself wasn’t very late, but it was the beginning of the semester, and it was still dark because the sun sets early.

A Trinity student returning home alone at a dark hour… Even the commute will be difficult…

It seems that a busy daily life is waiting for me for a while…