I haven’t met Rion in person many times, but every time I do… I can’t help but think, she’s really freaking tall.
Ah, this is said in multiple ways. It’s not wrong to call her a “embezzlement pocket,” but simply considering her height, she’s at least about 15cm taller than me.
Knowing, or not knowing my thoughts, Rion silently led me and Himari to a corner of the office. She pointed to a pre-set table and spoke in her usual monotone voice.
“Mika, take a seat. Himari… you sit next to her.”
As soon as I sat in the chair Rion pointed to, Himari took one side.
…Oh, I mean she just occupied the spot. I don’t know if it was considerate, but the table was not uncomfortably high for Himari, who sat in her wheelchair.
A table for a three-way conference that happened accidentally.
The topic is…
“You remember what my response was when you sent those materials, right?”
“…Wasn’t it something like, ‘I’ll decide whether to share based on what answer I hear from you?’”
“Close enough. And that thought hasn’t changed.”
As I subtly shifted my gaze to Himari, she shook her head.
“Unfortunately, I completely failed at interpreting it. Even if you want an answer from me… Huh. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but even with my genius-level skills, I couldn’t interpret it since there was no key element for me.”
“And you rejected my offer back then.”
“Is that not natural, Rion? How can you expect me to help you when you have some schemes that only you know, in Millennium, no less?”
“That might be true. But the real problem is that, despite being the best intellect, you were utterly useless in interpreting those materials.”
“Ugh… I see. Is that the trend among students these days, where you say, ‘You can’t even do it?’ It’s quite pathetic how you keep losing to me and then start teabagging just because you won once, isn’t it, Rion?”
Ah, I guess due to their extreme personalities, these two started a battle of egos over trivial matters.
Maybe it’s better to just cut it off here.
“Hey…”
“That’s a strange statement. Who exactly is losing to whom? As far as I recall, I’ve never competed directly with you, Himari. So that statement is obviously false.”
“Is that how you want to play it?”
…Maybe it’s truly better to cut it off here.
“Hey, you guys.”
“…I don’t see why you’re getting heated. I merely stated facts. Besides, Mika called me the most beautiful woman in Millennium, so… doesn’t that mean you lost in that regard, self-proclaimed beautiful girl?”
“Ex-excuse me…! It’s not self-proclaimed! It’s universally recognized! Rather, should we question Mika-chan’s judgment for rating Rion higher than me, a proven beauty?”
“As far as I know, Mika is a notorious playboy with multiple lovers… So, who else should I trust if not their judgment?”
Ah.
Crack—
“M-Mika-chan…?!”
“…Hmm.”
“Hahaha, come on, why don’t you listen to me? And talking about someone else’s private life so casually is no good. I mean, it’s embarrassing for the listener, so I’d appreciate it if you could refrain.”
I awkwardly stuck together the shattered pieces of the table and began mediating between the two.
Honestly, for reasons I don’t understand, their attitudes seemed to soften a bit, and I was glad. I really can’t fathom the reason for that.
“So, Rion-chan’s proposal to Himari… can I assume that was the same proposal you were going to present to me?”
“….Similar but a bit different. I know everything about Himari like the back of my hand, but not you.”
“Excuse me, Rion. Why do you act like you know me so well?”
“Hey, Himari-chan? Please.”
“Mika-chan, this was Rion who started it first…”
Oh please, you’re not a child saying, ‘They started it first.’ This is unbearable, really.
“Anyway, I can’t help but feel uneasy about the fact Himari-chan also rejected your proposal. I don’t know what we’ll hear here, but I think you both are way smarter than me. If it’s a story where your thoughts diverge, then it’ll be hard for me to make a choice.”
“No, Himari never heard anything from me in the first place. She simply rejected it because she didn’t want to cooperate at all. Well, it’s not like I specifically needed her help, so it doesn’t really matter. Just don’t get in the way.”
“Hey, it’s troublesome for you to look at me like I’m an annoying woman. You and I are in completely different fields. To put it simply, I gracefully flap my wings above the sky while you awkwardly thrash your legs underwater. Yes, that’s the vibe.”
“Wow, Himari-chan. Just saying you’re flailing underwater instantly makes me think of a swan, doesn’t it? Rion and a swan fit together quite well, after all.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that, Mika-chan? The name ‘swan’ doesn’t fit at all with Rion, who’s utterly dark in body and mind.”
“W-Well, there are black swans, right? Yeah, I think it suits her perfectly.”
People say swans flap their legs vigorously underwater. That actually fits pretty well with Rion who secretly puts in a lot of effort. The selfish nature is the issue, but aside from that, I can’t really say Rion has many faults.
Personally, I find the conflicting values between Rion and our teacher quite interesting.
“If we have time to critique each other like this, should we get to the main point? Personally, I feel like this time is being wasted.”
I lightly tapped Hinari’s hand that was about to retort and shushed her. Let me first listen to what Rion has to say, and then we can go at it.
“Mika, first off, let me be clear. I don’t really need your cooperation or help.”
“Oh, that stings a little. So, in Rion-chan’s eyes, I’m not considered a trustworthy person… Okay.”
“…That’s not quite it. I just think that I don’t need anyone’s help to do what I have to do.”
Himari’s lips twitched as if she had a lot to say. It’s probably not just my imagination.
But I hope she can hold back. It would be troublesome if their arguing led to no progress. Watching them has its own kind of fun, though.
“So, Mika, you accepted my invitation today because you want to learn more about the materials I assigned for interpretation, right? Whether or not I’ll share that is entirely up to me.”
“Heueng. But, Rion-chan. In that case, it’d be like Rion-chan takes valuable information from me and wipes her mouth clean afterward?”
“No, this wasn’t a request I made first. It was merely materials you sent unilaterally. If you wanted to prevent this kind of situation, you should have made a proper contract first.”
“Hahaha, that’s a bit hard to refute. Alright, I concede Rion-chan’s position. I don’t quite know exactly what you want to hear from me, though.”
“How about a simple preliminary question? Mika, if you were given information that could control the whole academy… what choice would you make?”
“I’d share the information with trustworthy people?”
“…Share, huh.”
“Well, I wouldn’t spill it to someone who wouldn’t benefit from knowing. I’m not as smart as you or Himari-chan, so I need someone to advise me.”
More than anything, I have a history of being told off by Seiya and Nagisa about keeping information too tightly under wraps.
“That’s ambiguous.”
“Isn’t that usually how it goes? It’s rare for people to be extreme in one direction or the other. Generally speaking, it’s common to find a compromise between extremes in any situation.”
“Mika, from what I’ve gathered, there’s a secret you’ve never revealed to anyone.”
“…Well, I think everyone has that kind of secret. Even right here, Himari-chan must have something she doesn’t want to tell anyone.”
“Oh my, Mika-chan. That kind of thing is for people who have something to be embarrassed about. I’m a flawless beauty, so I have no need to hide anything, you know.”
“Is that so? Then Himari-chan, can you confidently talk about your sexual preferences?”
“Y-Yes…?”
“Also, just so you know, I prefer being forcefully dominated.”
“W-Wait a minute…! Mika-chan, that’s completely out of line for a beautiful girl?! We have an image as beauties that we absolutely must maintain, especially in this area—”
“So, that was just a joke☆ But judging by the fact you mentioned an image, I guess you do have one?”
“…”
Himari clasped her head in her hands. Personally, I don’t want to know about someone’s sexual preferences at all. I imagine Himari feels the same way.
For example, if I found out that Himari’s thing is something extreme, like choking, I wouldn’t be able to look at her the same way ever again.
“So, Rion-chan.”
“…Yeah.”
“What’s with that blank expression? Anyway. I want to hear the reason why you said I have a secret that you’re hiding from me.”
“…As I said before, I hold you in high regard.”
Rion, having said that, glanced at Himari, who was still mentally shaken, then turned her attention back to me.
This means… she evaluates me on par with Himari.
“Hahaha… that’s far too generous a rating for someone like me.”
“And you’re very similar to me.”
“Excuse me, Rion. Is that another ridiculous joke? Mika-chan is nothing like Rion. Looking at it, Mika-chan is simply the talent that would blind the whole world with her beauty as a member of our beautiful girl league.”
“…”
Rion’s gaze held various meanings as it shifted between me and Himari. Personally, one of those emotions seemed to be disbelief, like, ‘What nonsense is this?’
After that, Rion silently shook her head and turned to me, asking, “Mika, do you consider me a trustworthy person?”
…My answer was already decided.
