The sky was a brilliant blue, without a single cloud in sight. Only the halos of students shone loftily in the firmament. It was a peaceful day, with no major incidents.
It took Kaya about two months to realize that the position of Defense Chief was, surprisingly, more comfortable than when she had worked in the lower ranks.
What a discovery. After cleaning up her predecessor's mess, most of the work was resolved by her subordinates and rarely reached her desk. The relationship between Trinity and Gehenna, which would have normally been the source of the most conflict, was now one of the most well-maintained security situations in all of Kivotos, thanks to the competence of the ETO's leadership—Director Yukino and her personnel—during its trial run.
After somehow managing to restore a sliver of the trust that the once-faltering Defense Office had lost, she found there was no cushier job in the world. A full stomach, a warm back, a steady paycheck, all while her subordinates did the hard work and a capable external partner handled the troublesome matters.
Completely oblivious to the unprecedented chaos that would soon engulf the Defense Office, Kaya, sitting behind the nameplate of the Defense Chief, leisurely took a sip of her coffee. In a position like this, she could understand why the former Defense Chief had harbored ulterior motives and accepted bribes she couldn't handle. Nodding to herself, she tapped on her laptop and opened a portal site.
[Two months after the Kaiser Gate incident. How has new Defense Chief Shiranui Kaya's declaration, 'The Defense Office will do its best for the safety of all students, regardless of external evaluations,' been upheld?]
[When asked about SRT Special Academy, now completely independent from the Defense Office, Defense Chief Shiranui Kaya responded: 'SRT has never once betrayed our trust. I hope Valkyrie can earn the same level of confidence.']
[With the new semester just around the corner, signs of a power shift within the General Student Council are detected! Is Shiranui Kaya's Defense Office the cause?]
"...Fufut."
The once-negative public response was gradually turning positive. If things continued like this, her power would become unshakable.
Silently thanking the foolish woman who had given her the chance to seize control of the Defense Office even before the new semester began, Kaya drummed her fingers on the desk. Amidst the rhythmic tapping, she smiled giddily as she recalled the gift she had received from someone she had come to look up to.
[If it were up to me, I would have loved to give you a more ornate gold nameplate... but that doesn't really suit the position of Defense Chief, does it? Considering the reason the last one was kicked out, it would probably attract the wrong kind of attention. So I sent one with the cleanest and most dignified design possible. I hope you like it☆]
[Oh, and it felt a bit cheap to just leave it at a nameplate between us, so I threw in a couple of perfumes as a bonus. I picked out a White Musk and a Woody scent that I thought would suit you, Kaya-chan, so give them a try!]
Still, Mika's overly familiar sense of distance was, in truth, quite burdensome for Kaya. Though she had risen to the position of Defense Chief, she felt she was no match for Mika in terms of raw ability.
Therefore, while Mika's approval was most welcome, she maintained a subtle distance, always offering a polite refusal with a smile whenever Mika got too close.
"I haven't used perfume very often, but this doesn't seem too bad..."
While neither scent was an absolute favorite, they were pleasant enough that Kaya couldn't help but be satisfied with Mika's gift. After all, finding a perfume that was an absolute favorite without picking it out herself was practically impossible.
"If I could just get the General Student Council President's approval now, I'd have nothing more to wish for."
As Kaya said this, she lifted her cup, only to frown. Her coffee was empty.
She had no inkling that the possibility of her wish coming true converged infinitely towards zero.
***
In the Director's office of the newly established ETO headquarters, Yukino was reviewing the incident reports from the previous night when she sighed at the arrival of an unexpected guest. A scheduled one.
"So, you're saying that after confirming your 500 hours of community service at Odysseia, the General Student Council President deemed your will to return to your studies sufficient, canceled your suspension, and immediately permitted your transfer to SRT Special Academy..."
"Yes. That's exactly right, Baby Fox-ssi."
"And after completing the new student training course, you will immediately take the grade-skipping exam to begin the new semester as a second-year student? In which case, I would be your sunbae."
"Yes. You've already been briefed on all of this, haven't you? Baby Fox-sunbae."
"...Kosaka Wakamo, I do not trust you. Nor do I want to."
"Of course, I understand that sentiment completely."
"No, you do not. As one of the people who cleaned up the catastrophe your actions could have caused that day... I am not pleased to have you join this organization, which exists to protect justice. And I do not believe you will be able to integrate well into this group."
"...That's right. It's been about four months now, hasn't it? If not for that incident, I would have thought the same. But during that trying time of reflecting on my misdeeds and seeking forgiveness from the victims, I, Kosaka Wakamo, have become confident. I have been reborn as a new person... no, a new fox."
Pushing aside the mask she always wore, Wakamo met Yukino's gaze directly. Yukino's eyes wavered as she witnessed the sincerity welling up from behind that gaze.
"I am not ignorant of the fact that this does not erase the things I have done. My impulsive and violent actions, carried out to satisfy my own petty desires, will follow me like a shadow. But it is precisely because of that I was able to stand here. Solely in the name of atonement."
"...Is that all you have to say? I am currently authorized to request that the General Student Council President reverse this decision."
"I will not say that I have engraved justice in my heart. However, I will appeal that my presence will be of some value to SRT. The way a villain thinks is best understood by another villain."
"Kosaka Wakamo... I have heard your answer, but my opinion remains unchanged. I... do not trust you."
As Yukino replied coldly, Wakamo nodded as if she had no choice. Her original options had been the Correction Bureau or SRT.
However, she had no desire to choose the Correction Bureau, nor did she like the idea of choosing it only to bide her time for an escape attempt, so she had simply chosen the second-best option, SRT.
Just as Wakamo, judging that she had been rejected, was thinking she would have to negotiate with the General Student Council President under different terms, Yukino spoke again.
"However, I do trust your skills. Your point that a villain understands a villain's ways is also valid. I truly dislike this, but... I look forward to working with you, Kouhai."
"..."
The corners of Wakamo's mouth, who had been staring silently at Yukino, slowly crept upwards. Seeing this, Yukino grimaced and was about to say something when Wakamo vanished from her sight.
"Ufufut...! Of course, Baby Fox-sunbaenim. I, too, though I may be lacking, look forward to being in your care!"
"L-Let go of me... Kgh. Let go and step back immediately, Kouhai...!"
"Fufu."
Yukino struggled to shake off Wakamo, who had suddenly appeared behind her and embraced her, but it was clear which of the two was stronger. Wakamo was far too strong a student to be simply defined by a sunbae-kouhai relationship.
"By the way, it seems you've received a nice gift?"
It was obvious just from the gleaming nameplate. From the moment Mika had pulled Yukino into the ETO, she had already considered her one of her own people. This naturally led to Mika taking the best possible care of Yukino.
"...I was assigned a dedicated helicopter for the FOX Platoon."
"...?"
"A truly dedicated helicopter that can be used for private purposes without going through SRT."
Technically, it was assigned to the ETO, but as it was under the ETO Director's ownership, there was no reason it couldn't be used privately.
This was the result of Mika and Hina agreeing to allocate a portion of each academy's budget as a thank-you for lightening their burden.
"For your information, there's a gift for you too, Kouhai. She said you can have it after you pass the training course and the grade-skipping exam."
"...Does that mean Mika-ssi knew about my plan from the start?"
"That's right... Is there a problem?"
"Th-This ruins my plan to surprise my Benefactor-nim by showing up with my splendidly reformed self!"
Wakamo said with a pout, cleverly ignoring the fact that Mika had previously told her not to call her "Benefactor-nim."
Regardless, Yukino sighed, wondering when this troublesome kouhai, who was a year older than her, would finally let her go.
***
Rin awkwardly brought her sleeve to her face and took a light sniff. She never thought she would receive the famous Samuela's The Beyond as a gift. In fact, the perfume was so expensive that she wondered if she, who hadn't sent a gift, was even worthy of receiving it.
It was described as having a transparent base of peony and chamomile, with bright notes of mandarin, lemon, and grapefruit... At least the citrus scent was perfectly to her liking. The question was how the scent would evolve, but as one of Kivotos's most popular perfumes, it was unlikely to disappoint her.
While working with a subtle prick of conscience, Rin received a summons from the General Student Council President.
"President, this is Nanagami Rin."
"Welcome, Rin-chan... Hmm? What's this? Rin-chan, are you wearing perfume?!"
"The Tea Party Host... gave it to me as a gift, so I tried a little. But more importantly, regarding our work..."
"Aha. I see, that makes sense if Mika-ssi gave it to you! I mean, that young lady does give the impression of liking luxurious things, doesn't she? Like a princess."
The President, emphasizing the word "princess," took out something like a tablet PC and placed it on her office desk. Then she took out a pillow and placed it on top of the device.
Rin still couldn't understand why the President, who always maintained a professional distance by calling Misono Mika "the Tea Party Host" to her face, would casually use her first name in private.
"By the way, this scent is really nice, Rin-chan! Mika-ssi has good taste, don't you think?"
"...It is a perfume called 'The Beyond' by the Samuela company. As it is a proven and popular perfume, it would be difficult to judge the Tea Party Host's taste based on it."
"Mmm~ Is that so? I'm quite happy with the nice gift I received. I'm telling you, this is the plushest and most comfortable pillow I've ever used in my life, you know?"
"...President, do you not sleep for even six hours?"
"Exactly! Since my sleeping hours are short, the quality of my sleep is all the more important to me, Rin-chan! You get what I mean, right?"
"May I now hear the reason for my summons?"
"Oh, Rin-chan. Don't you think it's a bit much to ignore me so openly?"
Rin squeezed her eyes shut at the pouting President. She never acted this way with anyone else; why was it always only with her?
Come to think of it, Mika had a similar personality. The only difference was that she maintained the same attitude with everyone, not just one person.
At first, the President had at least pretended to separate public and private matters. But at some point, she had completely let go, which was Rin's biggest headache.
"Anyway, I think... Mika-ssi might have come to dislike me a little. Since she's leading Trinity so magnificently, she must have some idea of my hardships, right? So there's no way she doesn't know how little I sleep."
"..."
"So, this gift was clearly meant to tease me. Still, I'm glad you aren't disliked to that extent, Rin-chan!"
"I do not believe it is my place to be concerned even if the Tea Party Host thinks ill of me..."
"Well, I wonder about that."
Hugging the pillow on her desk, the President closed her eyes. A moment later, she called out to Rin in a somewhat detached... almost dreamlike voice.
"Rin-chan."
"...Yes, President."
"The second of the Seven Koans of Kivotos... 'Can one understand through that which one cannot understand?' What are your thoughts on it?"
"It is a koan with the built-in trap that one can never find the correct answer. As it lacks an object, the answer inevitably changes depending on what is placed in that space."
"I thought so, too, right? But you see, this koan isn't a quiz. Since it's not a quiz, it doesn't matter if there's no set answer. So... we can just put whatever we want in that space."
The President looked at Rin with eyes that were somehow precarious, yet full of hope. The gaze seemed like a farewell, and Rin decided to dismiss it as a mere fancy.
"In that sense, I ask you, Rin-chan. What object do you want to put in that empty space?"
"..."
Rin's contemplation continued. She didn't know the President's intention in asking such a question, but she could feel that she wanted a sincere answer.
"Through that which one cannot understand..."
Can one understand *us*.
Hearing Rin's answer, the General Student Council President smiled more brightly than Rin had ever seen before.
***