My eyes hurt. Why does the sky look yellow? I think I'm going to die. My brain is melting...
"Mika-san, stop being so dramatic and get up. I know it's just us in here, but what is that undignified posture?"
Seeing me become one with the tea table, completely drained of all energy, Nagisa placed a hand on her forehead. Whatever. I was already beyond saving.
The act of processing the work itself wasn't the problem; the problem was its content. Kivotos was overflowing with problem children, and the seemingly normal Trinity was no exception.
The thought of my future self, sweating bullets while cleaning up the messes from incidents that erupted on a daily basis within the district, made the road ahead seem bleak. Being the one to clean up after others' messes was enough to wear down my spirit. And this was Trinity, where there were comparatively fewer blatant troublemakers. What kind of life was Hina living over in Gehenna...?
And how on earth did Nagisa endure this from the time Seia went missing until the start of the original story? A newfound respect for them began to bloom. They were amazing girls who had accomplished something I couldn't do, not even if I died twice.
"...What's with that look? It's making me feel a little strange."
"Juuust... how should I put it? I feel proud of you, I guess... Ugh, Nagi-chan, my eyes are so sore."
"I told you to stop being so dramatic... Haa."
Pat, pat—
Huh?
"Still, you worked hard today. To be honest, I didn't think you'd try this hard, Mika-san. I'm seeing you in a new light."
"Mm, it was certainly unexpected. I thought you'd give up and throw it all away before long, but after that one complaint at the beginning, you worked diligently without a single grumble. You were so different from the Mika I know, it took me by surprise."
Despite having looked at documents for the same amount of time as me, they showed no signs of fatigue. Being healed by Nagisa's words as she blossomed into a bright smile and patted the back of my hand was short-lived; Seia's comment made my mind snap to attention.
"...Seia-chan, can I take that to mean that the me before I lost my memory slacked off on her work?"
So in other words, Host or not, the original Mika didn't work this hard?
I mean, I know this is work I'm supposed to do. I know that. But when I think about how I'm doing work the original Mika didn't do, why do I feel so wronged?
And unlike Mika, who loved to go out and play, I don't have that luxury. Unless a convenient plot development occurs where I look at the exam paper and all the answers miraculously come to me, my fate as a slave to Tea Party work, exam studies, and combat training is sealed.
"...That is not what I meant. The you before you lost your memory disliked working, but you were more thorough in your work than anyone——"
"Huh? Doesn't that make no sense? How outrageous! That's so unfair, Seia-chan! Did you want to turn me into a paperwork-processing machine that badly?!"
I was going to do the work as told anyway, but I couldn't help but grumble.
"And Nagi-chan!"
"Yes?"
As I was about to say a word to Nagisa, Seia's accomplice, her delicate hand, still resting on the back of mine, caught my eye.
At that, my mouth, which had been about to say something, froze solid. How should I put it? For some reason, I didn't want to whine to Nagisa about something like this.
Just one day as the Tea Party Host was this draining. Thinking about how much Nagisa must have struggled, enduring it for a whole year, made it even harder. And that was with one member missing. If I hadn't known, I might have acted a bit more brazenly, but now it was difficult. Even if the Nagisa of now hadn't yet experienced that hardship.
"...Mika-san?"
"Y-yeah?! No, nothing! I just called your name!"
Honestly, I have a soft spot for Nagisa. Having wronged her in many ways, and continuing to do so in real-time, probably makes it worse.
"Haa... I wish you would save such displays of affection for when you two are alone, but is that too much to ask?"
"Seia-san, why do you keep trying to pair me with Mika-san...? A-a display of affection? It is nothing of the sort, so I would appreciate it if you would stop overreacting."
"Yes, I understand. So how about you both start by calming down those red faces of yours?"
"...Fufu. Seia-san, your words are quite unrestrained today, are they not?"
Nagisa gave an icy smile and tapped the back of my hand lightly with her finger. For some reason, I felt like I knew exactly what that silent signal meant.
I rose from my chair and slowly took a few steps. The fox ears on the head of the person I stopped in front of twitched.
"...Are you aware that a sensitive reaction in times like these often indicates a guilty conscience? Therefore, Nagisa, you will put down that roll cake."
Even after hearing that, the corners of Nagisa's lips didn't budge. She simply rose from her seat, her eyes never leaving Seia.
As my hand touched her shoulder, Seia's body began to tremble slightly. It seems even Seia couldn't maintain her composure in the face of an imminent crisis.
"Mika, do not do this. It is one thing for you to let Nagisa have her way with you, but to make me experience it as well is too cruel."
"Sorry, Seia-chan. Just this once, please excuse me☆"
I had no intention of enduring Nagisa's roll cake punishment again anyway. No, my jaw just hurt too much. I thought my lips were going to tear. So this was Nagisa's last chance to shove a roll cake at someone. If Seia was the last victim, wouldn't that, in its own way, be a valuable experience with its own meaning for her?
No? Well, that doesn't really seem like my problem...
"Now, open wide, Seia-san. If you comply obediently, I will make this as painless as possible."
One roll cake, locked and loaded.
"S-stop! There is no need for this, is there, Nagisa!"
Nagisa's eyes curved into a smile. Seeing that, Seia's fox ears drooped in tandem. She must have realized that no matter what she said, her fate was sealed and would not change.
The roll cake drew closer to Seia's face. Seia desperately turned her head this way and that, pressing her lips together tightly.
Hmm, seeing her hate it this much, maybe this isn't right. To an outsider, this might look like insidious bullying among the leaders of the Trinity Tea Party. And considering my own original age, tormenting a kid so much younger than me is a childish thing to do.
"Um, Nagi-chan. If she hates it this much, maybe we should stop——"
"Good afternoon, members of the Tea Party. I am from the Sisterhood. I hope you are having a pleasant after... oh my?"
"...?!"
Nagisa froze, her smile still on her face. Her head and mine snapped simultaneously towards the new student who had entered the room.
"I did not know the members of the Tea Party had such... hobbies. I shall keep this matter a secret known only to myself. Well then, I hope the three of you have a good time."
Is that Sakurako...? No, more importantly. We were just caught by an outsider in a scene that could only be interpreted as group ostracism and bullying. Is this the end of the Tea Party's service?
"...Now that it has come to this, we cannot let Sakurako-san leave with what she knows. Fufu, fufufufu..."
A chilling murmur escaped from the lips of Nagisa, who had been caught in a moment she should never have been seen. As someone who valued dignity, the fact that a member of the Sisterhood had witnessed such a scene must be bothering her.
"C-calm down, Nagisa! Just not that! I would rather eat the roll cake——"
"If that is what you wish, Seia-san, then I must grant your wish. As for Sakurako-san, after this..."
Oh dear. To open your mouth when you've forgotten there's a roll cake right in front of it. What will you do, you poor, pitiful Seia?
The final sight of Seia, upon whom the roll cake punishment was finally executed, was truly wretched. Yes, the chain of hatred in the form of the roll cake punishment must be broken here.
When I voiced my opinion to Nagisa, she showed a hint of disappointment but readily nodded her head. And then she said,
"In the first place, this was a problem that only required you to behave, Mika-san. It is not as if I enjoy doing this, you know?"
She says she's not at fault, and it's all Mika's fault. But when you think about it, she's kind of right, so I can't even argue.
"More importantly, Mika-san, how do we make Sakurako-san forget what she just saw?"
...You want to just feed her a roll cake?
◇─◇───◆─◈─◆───◇─◇
My second day in Mika's body, and my first full day of activity in Trinity, had finally come to an end. It was a productive day where I got a feel for the Tea Party's work and checked my shooting skills.
I left the academy alone and headed for the station to take the train. When I told the Tea Party staff that I was heading home, escorts disguised as ordinary students followed me from a distance.
I thought this kind of excessive protection might actually be a cause for exposing the Tea Party leaders' identities to other academies, but they were surprisingly good at it. Unless you knew what to look for, like me, they just looked like a normal group of students heading home.
Walking through the city, I slowly took in the surrounding shops. The first to catch my eye was a store selling Momo Friends merchandise, and next to it, a gun shop drew my attention. Oh, as expected of a place modeled after a certain convenience store franchise, there's an Angel 24 chain here too.
The Trinity district is huge, so there's probably one near Mika's house. Even if there is, I probably won't be stopping by much, but it can't hurt to know where it is.
Walking alone, I was reminded of Nagisa, who had worried if I could find my way home properly. I could just use a map app if I needed to, so I thought she was worrying too much. The geography around my house was what I had focused on memorizing the most.
Hmm... maybe it's not excessive. Thinking about how she was yesterday, it felt like she cared for Mika much more than I thought. For a girl like that to find out her friend has lost her memory, that level of worry is probably natural.
When I was almost at the station, I saw a cafe. The original Mika probably would have made time to stop here, but I had no intention of doing so.
What was worth making time for was the pastry shop next to it. I had been thinking I wanted to get Nagisa something as a gift, and buying a pastry set from here seemed like a good idea.
I know Nagisa likes to play chess, but if a girl who supposedly has amnesia gives her a gift like a chess set, something she herself likes, I thought it would just arouse suspicion, so I decided against it. It would be more natural to get her a gift for her birthday later, after getting some information from Seia.
Entering the shop, I looked around and saw shelves displaying pastries that screamed, "I am expensive." A glance at the price tags revealed they were more expensive than I thought. I guess since this is Trinity, with its many rich young ladies, they sell well even at these prices.
I worried about a potentially embarrassing situation where I swipe my card without thinking and hear, "Excuse me, this card has insufficient funds...", so I decided to check my account balance first.
When I launched the mobile banking app on my phone, I was surprised to see about three accounts.
One, which I presumed was the account for my Tea Party activity funds. The balance was... 8.7 million yen?
I let out a hollow laugh from the very start. I wondered how much the monthly stipend was and checked. 5 million yen was being deposited every month. In Korean won, that's about 45 million won, being deposited into my account every month under the guise of a stipend.
My mind has changed. The position of a Tea Party leader is clearly a cushy job with an amazing salary. From this day forward, the Tea Party and I are one. An attack on the Tea Party will be considered an attack on me.
Long live the Tea Party.