“…Well, what on earth is going on here?”

After spending some enjoyable time at Trinity, Noah returned to Millennium, where she was unexpectedly caught in a situation where the shutter had completely blocked her path.

From the moment she returned, there was an oddly chaotic atmosphere at Millennium Tower. Thinking she should grasp the situation first, she had been heading toward the office when the shutter came down.

With the siren blaring, the shutter was clearly meant to isolate a section during a fire or smoke emergency. However, the fact that it was being deployed simultaneously across multiple sectors meant…

“Is it an intruder?”

What had happened while she was at Trinity for work?

Fortunately for Noah, the shutter that trapped her could be lifted with fingerprint recognition from authorized personnel… and as a student council officer, she was naturally included in that list.

So, it seemed like a no-brainer choice to attempt fingerprint recognition. However,

Beeep. Swish—bang!

She found herself doubly trapped as an additional shutter came down.

“Ah…?”

Noah quickly grasped that this situation was more than just a case of an intruder triggering the shutters.

It was likely a planned attack against the seminar by some students, probably involving hacking. And when it came to hacking, it was safe to assume that the only perpetrators could be the unauthorized club, Veritas.

Well, it wasn’t that there were no other suspects. The engineering department responsible for designing such facilities could also set up operations like this if they wanted.

And Noah knew that was a better scenario than the alternatives.

While an external attack would usually be a big deal, if it simply involved Veritas or the engineering department, it was just another typical occurrence in Kivotos.

“In that sense, the current situation is like an unkempt storm that will pass quickly as long as I stay quiet. We could even call it a legal skip time, right?♪”

Having already failed fingerprint recognition once, the next shutter would require not just authorized personnel’s fingerprints but also iris scans beyond that…

“I doubt it will work.”

After failing the first attempt, it would be odd to think the second shutter would be any different.

Sighing, Noah absentmindedly touched her cheek and silently stared at the shutter. As it stood, it was certain she would remain trapped until the situation was resolved.

No wonder, as she had no explosives powerful enough to breach the shutter, and she didn’t possess Mika’s superhuman physical abilities.

‘If it were Mika-chan, she would probably start off a bit surprised and make a fuss… but then just smash through the shutter like it was nothing, right?’

Imagining Mika’s reaction brought a smile to Noah’s face.

The shutter was so robust that one would think they needed to set off explosives just to breach it. Yet, the person who could smash through it with brute force was, in private, adorably sweet—something only a handful of people know.

Noah was genuinely pleased to be one of those people.

And just then…

[To seminar secretary, Ushio Noah. There’s a C&C agent trapped six sectors away from your current location, requiring student council officer authentication. Please confirm!]

The operator’s voice echoed within the sector. Noah figured they had pinpointed her location and decided to contact her immediately. She casually fired back a rhetorical question.

“A C&C agent, huh… I guess the commotion is bigger than I thought?”

[Ah, for a briefing on the current situation—]

“No, it’s alright. I don’t think there’s any need to hear the detailed circumstances right here.”

[Huh?]

“Well, you see, this shutter…”

Beeep.

“Isn’t opening even with my authority. Understanding the situation won’t change anything at all.”

[Oh… So that means you’re also trapped there and can’t assist the C&C agent…?]

“Yes, exactly♪ Could you also send my regards to Yuuka-chan, who’s probably struggling the same way? Thanks.”

[…Understood. I’ll do my best to resolve this situation as quickly as possible, so please wait a little longer.]

After the operator’s voice cut off, Noah fell into brief contemplation.

The primary subject being how to use the time given to her efficiently.

‘To resolve the situation… It’ll take at least two hours, I guess? If it’s something involving Veritas or the engineering department, it might be a bit much for the seminar to restore the system by themselves…’

Leaning against the wall, Noah took out her mobile phone and sent three Momotalk messages.

The recipients were Yuuka, Haruna, and Mika.

She sent a message to Yuuka saying not to worry about her, while she asked Haruna and Mika if they were available to talk.

[Luna♡]

[Sorry, Mr. Noah. Right now… I’m being chased by the Student Council.]

[I’ll contact you again later.]

“…”

Noah quietly sent her well-wishes to Haruna, who was apparently embroiled in some trouble with the Student Council.

Then she waited patiently for a response from Mika. It was late enough that she could also consider the possibility of receiving no reply at all.

‘…In that case, what should I do to pass the time?’

As she pondered, she couldn’t help but glance at the group photo of Blooming Buds set as Mika’s Momotalk profile background.

Blooming Buds.

What a mouthful of a name, Noah thought. It was clear that she shouldn’t let Mika manage the naming in the future.

Just then, new messages popped up in her view.

[Playboy 씨♡]

[I’m able to chat, but hang on a sec☆]

[I’ll call you!]

Noah felt relieved that she didn’t need to worry about what to do next.

“Hello♪”

Not long after, she immediately picked up the call from Mika, calming her excitement a bit before greeting her.

[Yep, hello!☆]

“…”

Noah’s smile froze the moment she heard a pealing laugh on the other end.

[Ahaha! Smile for me, Noah-chan!]

“Did you take something weird?”

And with a voice that could only be described as heavenly, the next words that followed from Mika made Noah respond less than graciously.

[Oh no… you shouldn’t have said that. It hurts my heart to hear.]

“You have no idea how much more painful my mind was just now.”

[Phew. Seriously, how could you be that harsh? There’s nobody in the world who fits me like you do. I feel like Noah-chan should be thanking me! You know what I mean?]

“I’m glad to hear you’re in a good mood. Oh, are you outside right now?”

[Yeah. Nagisa-chan is sleeping, so I just threw on a coat and a hat and came out. I’m thinking of popping into a convenience store for a bit☆]

“…Oh?”

While listening to Mika prattle on, seemingly effortlessly gathering wins today and rendering Nagisa’s efforts moot, Noah pulled out a notebook and pen.

Although she could switch the call to speakerphone or use wireless earbuds, today she felt like keeping the phone tucked to her ear, tilting her head and holding it between her shoulder and ear as she unfolded her notebook.

Last year’s submission for the personal qualification in the Millennium Price, her poetry collection, undoubtedly achieved an excellent score, but the evaluation received was slightly off from her original intent, leading Noah to feel a bit disappointed.

Thus, this year she intended to submit a somewhat different work.

A short story depicting two girls who grew closer while harboring feelings for each other and another girl who chose to quietly watch over them from afar, unlike the others… Essentially transforming her own experiences into a “What if” narrative.

While leaving notes to write a slightly melancholic and heart-wrenching, literary story, Noah continued her conversation.

[Oh! By the way, did you enter smoothly today? If it’s okay, how about a video call… I mean, you might not see me well, but I’d still like to see Noah-chan’s face!]

“I’m sorry, Mika-chan. Right now, I’m in the mood to share just our voices… Besides, we already saw each other in person today, right?”

[It doesn’t get old, does it? By the way, it seems I didn’t get caught by my underclassmen after all.]

“Oh, how unfortunate.”

[…Not at all unfortunate! If it’s not someone else, getting caught by that kid would be totally bad. Our Noah-chan still has that mouth of hers after getting scolded, huh?]

“Hehe… Maybe I still need a little more time to learn my lesson♪”

[Heh, we’ll see during White Night.]

“…Oh.”

Noah suddenly remembered something at Mika’s words, letting out an exclamation. Naturally, it piqued Mika’s curiosity.