We took a table in the innermost part of a nearby cafe. I personally prefer window seats, but we had to be careful; it would be a huge problem if we were caught by the paparazzi from the Chronos School. No matter how low the probability, if it's not zero, the fault is entirely on you when things go wrong.
Only after we were seated did Hina take off her baseball cap and mask. With the hat off, I could see that this girl's horns were truly magnificent.
"Mika, are you sure you're okay just wearing that? You're the one who needs to hide this meeting, aren't you?"
Hina said, turning her gaze towards me as she smoothed out the hair that had been pressed down by her hat.
"Oh? Thanks for worrying, Hina-chan. Actually, the answer to that question is surprisingly simple! The Tea Party is a ridiculously secretive group, so we tend to refrain from public activities as much as possible. As a result, while people may know of me, not many people know who I am."
"...It's true that the Tea Party is a group shrouded in mystery. It's so unknown that in Gehenna, there's even a rumor that the Tea Party is a gathering of cowards."
"Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about you saying that to my face... but I won't deny it! Whenever Trinity has had talks with you Gehenna folks, we've always sent a proxy instead of the Tea Party leaders, and even within Trinity, the Tea Party doesn't often show its face to the public."
If I were wearing my Tea Party uniform, I would naturally draw attention. But with just a simple image change like tying up my hair, the number of people who can recognize me as a member of the Tea Party drops drastically.
Hina nodded her head, as if she understood my explanation.
"Hmph~ The weather's getting warmer, so I'm craving a smoothie today. What do you want to drink, Hina-chan?"
"...The same thing you're ordering."
Ah, right. She's the incarnation of laziness. Can't be helped. It seems I, who has become extremely extroverted since being transmigrated into Mika, will have to take good care of her.
"Then it's two strawberry smoothies☆"
If you're asking why strawberry, it's because among the fruits that are less divisive, strawberry was what they had on the menu.
I ordered from the robot staff at the counter, received a vibrating pager, and returned to my seat. Hina had a blank expression on her face, making it impossible to know what she was thinking.
"Before we get down to business, let's have a quick icebreaker, Hina-chan!"
"Looking at your personality, I have to question if an icebreaker is even necessary... To be honest, it's a bit of a hassle. Can't we just get to the main point?"
"Ahaha, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other from now on, you know? Since this isn't a one-time thing, I think the process of getting to know each other is essential! With that in mind, what are your hobbies, Hina-chan?"
"...I don't really do anything special in my free time. Just sitting around and resting is about it."
Ah, right. Our Prefect Team Leader was also a very pitiful person...
"Mmm, Hina-chan, that's a bit... difficult to call a hobby, isn't it? I know Gehenna's situation, so I understand that you're too busy to find a hobby."
But for some reason, I get the feeling that Hina might just be too lazy to even think about finding one.
Unlike Trinity, which has a triumvirate system and other competent factions, Gehenna is an academy with many problems, placing an excessive burden on the Prefect Team. Therefore, Hina, who leads that team, is in a position that is similar to mine, yet completely different.
"This won't do. Hina-chan, you need to hang out with me! You can't just end your school life, which has less than two years left, by working yourself to death. Don't you think so?!"
"...Even if you say that, if I'm not there, Gehenna won't function properly. While it's not completely useless, Gehenna's student council, the Pandemonium Society, is so incompetent that they just end up creating more work to be dealt with. Compared to Trinity, which has multiple leaders——"
Hina must have had a lot pent up, as she let out a deep sigh and began to complain without hesitation. Considering the timeline, it must not have been long since Hina became the Prefect Team Leader, yet if she's already at this point, I can't imagine how rotten she must have been on the inside by the time she was a third-year in the original story.
I thought that Hina, being a classic "hard on the outside, soft on the inside" type, wouldn't so easily complain about her work to others, but it seems I was wrong. Could it be because she's finally had a chance to talk privately with a student from another academy who can wield a similar level of power?
Hmm, maybe that really is the reason.
"Ugh, my apologies. Trinity has its own hardships, yet here I am... I've crossed a line. I apologize."
"Hm? No, no, there's no need to apologize. If you just let your troubles pile up inside, they'll just clump together and weigh you down even more! As someone who can sympathize with even a fraction of what you're going through, Hina-chan, listening to you is not a difficult task at all☆"
"...Is that so. I was worried I was whining too much, but it's a relief to hear you say that, Mika."
"Aha, your whining side was pretty cute, so it was fine! It was fun to watch, should I say? Yep, I wonder if the people in Gehenna even know their Prefect Team Leader has such a cute side to her? It's a shame to see it all by myself!"
After I called her cute twice in a row, Hina shot me a look that seemed to be devoid of all emotion.
Hmm, maybe it's because I'm not Sensei. I was just genuinely complimenting her, but it seems she took it as me teasing her.
"Mika, what is your intention in repeatedly calling me cute...? If you mean it as a challenge to a fight, I will gladly accept."
"Intention? There's nothing like that! I was just purely stating my thoughts. If it was unpleasant, I apologize! I'm quite talkative, so sometimes my words get ahead of my thoughts☆"
It's not that I don't filter what I say, but the filter's holes are so big that things sometimes slip through. But I'm careful not to make any slip-ups that could cause real problems, so, well.
"Ahaha... But anyway, are you confident you can win in a fight?"
Whoa—oh.
...No, wait, that wasn't just a slip-up!!! This damn Mystery is finally acting up, isn't it?
"Interesting. Now I see there was a reason you said it was fine to meet in the Gehenna Autonomous District, Mika. I had always thought the only opponent in Trinity to be wary of was the vice president of the Justice Task Force..."
A deadly atmosphere flowed between us. It had become a situation where it wouldn't be strange for the 'menacing' sound effect to appear in the air. I didn't cause the trouble, so why do I have to deal with the aftermath!
And to make matters worse, my lingering male pride was acting up, internally screaming, "You're not going to back down and say it was a joke now, are you? You're not going to chicken out in front of a girl who's barely over 140cm, are you? Don't tell me you're scared? Scared???".
What is this complete disaster? This isn't why I came to meet Hina...
What saved me from this chaos was the vibrating pager, signaling that our drinks were ready.
Bzzzzzzzzzz——
Nice!!! Nice assist!!!
"I'll get this. It's a pain, but it's only fair."
...No, if it's a pain, just stay put, Prefect Team Leader. You're so unnecessarily diligent!
As an aside, the sight of Hina carrying a tray with two smoothies was unbelievably cute. It was a scene that filled me with a strange sense of guilt, but still, she's so cute... an inhuman level of cuteness...
Thankfully, the arrival of the smoothies completely revived the atmosphere. I, for one, felt healed just watching Hina sip her smoothie through a straw.
"So, about 'hanging out,' what exactly did you mean by that?"
Oh, did the smoothie cool her head and pique her interest? If so, then the whole "Hey, you confident? Let's go if you're confident" thing might just be forgotten.
"Let's see, I think just wandering around the nearby shopping district until we find something that interests you, Hina-chan, would be enough. Even if we don't find anything we really like, we can still find joy in just looking around. Yep, we can go shopping. Or it wouldn't be bad to find fun at a bowling alley, a pool hall, an arcade, or a karaoke room. Even just taking a walk along a place like a lake park can be a form of enjoyment, so the options are endless!"
And all of those things are within your reach, Hina. All you have to do is extend your hand.
"For a moment, set aside the thought that it's a hassle, and reach out and grasp that happiness. Yep, a body and mind worn out by work and stress are practically sick. Playing in moderation is the most effective way to heal a tired mind and body, and it also leads to an improvement in work efficiency. In that sense, it wouldn't be a bad story for you either, Hina-chan."
For some reason, I feel like our roles have been reversed. And it's not just a feeling.
A demon who always says it's a hassle, but when you peel back the layers, is an extreme workaholic. And an angel who suggests to that demon that working too hard is a sickness, and how about playing in moderation?
Anyone can see that our roles should be reversed for this to be normal, right?
"...Alright, if you put it that way, maybe taking a day off wouldn't be so bad. I understand, Mika. I'll leave what we do entirely up to you."
"Whoa—oh."
My god, Hina is actually going along with this. I'm honestly a little surprised. Hmm, in that case, where should we go first? I've never wandered around this district either. It would be a bit... embarrassing to talk a big game and then just get lost.
"Of course, that will be after we've finished discussing our business."
"Ahaha, right, I forgot about that."
Yep, being so clear about distinguishing between work and private life is just like Hina.
"And, I will be remembering your little provocation from earlier."
...Could you just forget about that? Please?