There’s a saying about stereotypes.
Due to its slightly changed meaning over time, today it refers to fixed notions.
And the desert of Abydos was very much like a typical stereotype of a desert. No matter how you looked around, all you could see was yellow sand everywhere.
The sand piled up to form rolling hills, and the positions of the hills shifted over the days due to the wind, with cacti poking up here and there… a classic desert.
However, at this very moment, there were no signs of that.
The rain pouring down from dark clouds soaked the sand and painted the world in darker shades, cleansing the air.
And one thing that greatly changed since I left Abydos… a forest was forming, nurtured by human hands, and a gift from nature, torrential rain, had fallen upon it.
“Did you plant those trees?”
“Hmm… It’s the result of Nonomi negotiating with Saint Nephthys. Despite everything, she’s from Abydos too. After hearing the truth about the O-part that we had been searching for all this time, she surprisingly cooperated willingly, which shocked everyone.”
“Heueng. That’s unexpected. What about the school’s debt?”
“It seems that part is still under discussion. I’ve heard that Saint Nephthys wants something from Nonomi… but I don’t know what that is, sorry.”
“Ahaha, no need to apologize. I had a suspicion about that. Nonomi-chan might want to transfer to another school, namely Trinity or something like that… for some reason.”
“Ah… I see. So…”
By the way, if Saint Nephthys is working hard to stabilize Abydos… then the Black Suit might find it difficult to intervene now. That means Hoshino might have already half-given up on her case.
Kaiser was still excavating that mysterious weapon in the desert. Probably without Vina’s interference, he’d succeed faster than planned.
How that would change the situation is anyone’s guess, but if they need Sanctum Tower, it’s fine to watch how it unfolds for now.
“Anyway, Shiroko-chan.”
“…?”
“If I’m making you uncomfortable, I’m sorry. My wings… I folded them, but still.”
“No… it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. It actually feels cozy… uh-huh.”
Hmm…?
What is this feeling? It’s become too familiar… It can no longer be dismissed as a mere crush; something akin to a signal has arrived.
I pondered if I had ever given Shiroko any kind of flag, but nothing came to mind.
What on earth is happening?
Simply hugging or holding hands or linking arms can happen even without romantic feelings if it’s a personality that doesn’t feel distance easily. How the other person perceives it can vary greatly.
For instance, if someone like Asuna were to link arms with me, would I think, “Does she like me?”? That would be almost guaranteed wrong. After all, that kind of closeness is her basic personality.
So I could let it slide that Shiroko hugged me. Well, it’s been a month since we last met. There are countries on Earth where people greet each other with kisses, so hugging isn’t that big of a deal.
I even overlooked her clinging to me after handing her an umbrella. She might just dislike getting wet.
But this reaction now is a different story. Did I do something to earn Shiroko’s affection…?
If she merely felt cozy because my wings touch her back, I could rationally brush it off. However, avoiding my gaze and blushing is a crime. Honestly, even if I missed the mark, I could claim innocence.
Sigh, this is all my favorite’s fault for being too cute. What a sinful girl. It’s making things hard for me.
…Hmm. This doesn’t seem right. It’s time to really set some limits.
I couldn’t come up with a proper answer regarding Arius or Akko’s case, and adding to the problem wasn’t the way to go.
Coincidentally, the distance from here to the Abydos school is just right…
“Shiroko-chan, shall we… talk a bit?”
“…Wasn’t what we were doing a conversation?”
“Ahaha… It’s a bit more important than that. At least for us.”
Though she still wouldn’t meet my eyes, Shiroko’s wolf ears perked up. A signal she was focusing on me.
Our steps slowed.
Finally, we stopped under a tree.
A tree that wouldn’t have existed originally. Rain that wouldn’t have fallen originally.
And a connection that wouldn’t have been established originally.
Although I take pride in the fact that such a big change could occur just from one person’s contents being altered, there’s also a feeling of guilt.
With the sound of rain providing a backdrop, I slowly opened my mouth.
“To be honest, I’m not sure how to bring this up… so I’m just going to ask directly. Shiroko-chan, do you…”
“Uh-huh.”
“…Hey, I haven’t even asked the question yet.”
“If you want an explanation, I don’t really know. Just seeing you makes me happy, and just being close makes my heart warm… it feels like if I explain, this feeling will vanish like a mirage… that’s how it feels.”
“Hmm…”
Maybe it would be better for both to let the mirage fade, a thought that would be rather thoughtless to say. It would definitely hurt.
“Shiroko-chan, I understand how you feel, but… um, my personal relationships are a bit…”
“Messy?”
“…That hurt a little when you put it that way. I can’t deny it though.”
“Uh-huh… It’s okay. Don’t worry. Right now, I just want to cherish this feeling a little more.”
No, what do you mean by that, Shiroko? Wolves are originally, what’s the term, monogamous by nature and strongly romantic creatures, aren’t they?
“Uh, anyway. Love is originally supposed to be a two-way street, right? Uh? I feel a bit bad bringing this up, but the distance between us isn’t exactly mutual right now.”
“That’s fine too. I learned that love is a process of understanding each other…”
“From where?”
“From a movie… in the sequel of the movie you sent me before.”
No way, I can’t believe this. Learning about love from not even a romantic movie but from the sequel of an action blockbuster movie—what’s that even about?!
This isn’t good. The more people involved, the harder it becomes to draw a line afterward.
It’s entirely my fault that I didn’t properly set boundaries with Hina from the beginning…
“The choice only exists for the strong, Mika.”
“Shiroko-chan, among us, I’m the stronger one…”
“Then I’ll get stronger. I promise, so lend me this as collateral.”
“Wow—oh. Did she really just say something huge?!”
Ultimately, the conversation with Shiroko ended on an ambiguous note.
I also had business to attend to and couldn’t spend eternity here.
Still, while I did manage to set some boundaries this time, Haruna was also like, “Sure, try saying it’s impossible~ I’ll win anyway if it goes to the end~” and boldly took a place beside me.
Of course, she was practically my first love, and there was a difference in that Shiroko didn’t have such feelings.
But I still couldn’t understand why Shiroko was acting this way.
Originally, she was supposed to be flirting with Nonomi over the teacher, but somehow she seemed disinterested in the teacher.
Was this a butterfly effect from our twisted first meeting, or something else…?
…I don’t know. It’s giving me a headache. Let’s meet Hoshino quickly and head back.
Right, time to get to work. From now on, I’m an external advisor for the Millennium Phenomenon Special Warfare Department.
*
“Uugh… it’s cold… A-choo! I know that the high-ups from Millennium have something to discuss with me but…”
While shivering and speaking with a towel wrapped around her, Hoshino took a sip of warm hot chocolate.
It’s still early spring, and she just happened to get drenched in unexpected rain… After hearing Ayane’s explanation that Abydos’s average temperature had hit an unprecedented low this month, I understood why she was like that.
Naturally, it was warmer than Trinity. However, apart from that, if someone woke up from a nap on the rooftop and suddenly got showered with rain, anyone would react like that, right?
…Wait. Isn’t this all Hoshino’s fault for not checking the weather forecast? Shiroko even came to pick me up after checking the forecast.
So… yeah, this is the consequence of her own actions.
“Ms. Mika, I understand that the Special Warfare Department has an interest in Vina’s remains.”
“Technically, it’s not the remains but the data sleeping within it. Plus, there’s also the military factory we visited before?”
“Um… I need to clarify that the military factory is still privately owned by Saint Nephthys.”
“…Didn’t we get it back?”
“Well, Saint Nephthys is a company that pursues profit. If we express our intention to purchase, they would be open to negotiations, but given Abydos’s situation, it’s impossible.”
Hmm. Looks like Saint Nephthys isn’t entirely evil like Kaiser, but still, a company’s a company. In any case, if it’s a situation that can be resolved with money, it shouldn’t be a big problem for Rion, the president of Millennium.
“There’s still debt left, and acquiring the vast lands of this Autonomous District would require staggering amounts compared to just resolving debts. The road ahead looks long… but we’ve already trespassed once, so it shouldn’t be hard to do it again. Let’s just go in and investigate, shall we?”
“Sounds good.”
“M-Mika! You can’t just say that…!”
“Ahaha. Just a regular joke, a joke. So Hoshino-chan, what will you do?”
“Whew~ I guess I’ll have to do it. Alright, I’ll meet with the chairman over there. I don’t know much, but I get that you’re getting involved because this is important.”
Hmm. It feels great to be trusted. Honestly, I’m almost grateful that Hoshino agreed to the proposal without hearing details about the goals of the Phenomenon Special Warfare Department.
The committee is trustworthy enough, but Rion still strongly resists working with others, and the tendency to control information remains.
For that reason, I forced Himari into the Special Warfare Department to keep her quiet, but if I started speaking freely, the trust that had been built between Rion and me might crumble.
“More importantly, Mika-chan.”
“Uh-huh.”
“We’re suspiciously close, and yet… what if something happened between you two in a place your uncle doesn’t know about~?”
No, why are you prying into that? Give me a break…
Momentarily locking eyes with Hoshino, I found myself overwhelmed with the urge to faint.
Whew~ What the hell? Were you feeling jealous?
