"Still, for someone who confidently declared they were going to get candy and then disappeared, you came back with nothing".
"Ah, that's because the candy I had prepared beforehand ran out".
"Hmm...".
Yoshimi glanced over at me, scanned me from head to toe a couple of times, and then suddenly nodded.
"I'll give you that. You have the kind of face that looks like you'd give out handfuls of candy until you run out".
…What? Was that a roundabout way of calling me a pushover? It's not like I was just handing it out indiscriminately; it was because a lot of people came to see me.
"Yeah. It's not my fault I couldn't get any candy from her".
Truthfully, I could have just asked one of my attendants to bring more candy.
But it would be a little strange to do that when some of those very attendants had already received candy from me, right?.
And from Yoshimi's attitude, it seemed she didn't know exactly who I was. It seemed better to let her enjoy Halloween as she was now, rather than making her realize it.
The moment she found out who I was, she might blurt out something like, 'This person was that V.I.P.?! Wait, then Atsuko is on a first-name basis with someone like that?'.
Besides, if Yoshimi started to watch her words because she was conscious of who I was, the atmosphere would become awkward.
Whatever it is, natural is best.
"We came all the way to the high school campus, it'd be a shame to go back empty-handed… Do you know any other seniors?".
"...Ah. Yeah, I do".
"What, Atsuko, how are you so well-connected? It's not that common to know seniors from the high school, is it? You're a really strange one".
"Hmm. Because we're family…?".
"...You have more older sisters? You only ever talked about this one, so I thought she was your real sister. But then your last names are different, so that can't be it".
"They're not my real sisters, but they're family. Hmm… But come to think of it, I don't think they'd have any candy to give us".
After a moment's thought, the conclusion Atsuko reached was not wrong. Would Saori, Hiyori, or Azusa have prepared candy?.
Saori would obviously have no interest in Halloween, Hiyori was the cheeky one who had already wheedled a ton of candy out of me and then had the nerve to ask, 'Ehehe… Mika-chan, couldn't you give me just a little more…?'.
to get even more candy. And Azusa was the type to be out trick-or-treating with Hifumi.
"Hmm… The place most likely to have prepared candy would be the Sisterhood, I guess. I happened to have some business there anyway… so, how about we stop by the Remedial Knights on the way?".
"Ah, then we can see Misaki, too. I think that's a good idea".
"Yikes. The Remedial Knights? I have an image of them confiscating candy because it's bad for your teeth…?".
Or they might just knock your teeth out as a form of relief. A free implant procedure for a perfectly healthy tooth, what a terrifying relief method to imagine.
.
"Pfft. You'll see when we get there. And I just remembered, I heard the Library Club is holding a Halloween event. An event where you read a book and tell the club president your thoughts on it! I think they said they'd give you a lollipop as big as your face?".
"A lollipop as big as my face…! Wait, a whole book? That takes way too much time. Isn't that just a trap?!".
"Ahaha! Maybe so. But you can read a short fairy tale, so I think it's a pretty good event".
Well, I think the intention itself is certainly not bad. I don't know what the actual participation rate will be, but in any case, it gets students to visit the library.
"By the way, Yoshimi-chan, you didn't wear a separate costume?".
"...I am wearing one".
Yoshimi raised her eyebrows as if to say, 'What are you talking about?', then turned around and showed me the middle of her back.
Looking closely, it was a hoodie with something like bat wings printed on the back.
"…I see. That's a really creative costume".
"W-what! People can be too lazy to wear one! And why say 'Yoshimi-chan'? You're talking as if Atsuko is wearing one. She's not wearing one either, you know?".
"Ah, um… you're right. I'm sorry, Yoshimi-chan".
"...No, senior. Why are you suddenly apologizing for something so trivial? It makes me feel weird, like I did something wrong… Hey, Atsuko, is your senior always like this?".
"Yeah. I told you. She's the kindest older sister in the world".
…Why am I the one feeling secondhand embarrassment?.
In any case, I had decided to take the day off and relax as well.
so I turned and headed toward the Remedial Knights with the two of them.
***.
My dear Nagisa had declined my invitation to enjoy Halloween together, saying that she felt she had been neglecting her studies recently because of me, and was now focusing on her backed-up schoolwork.
She was already at the top of her class, so I wondered what was bothering her so much.
Hmm, actually, it was probably because her test scores last month were lower than Seia's.
And if you excluded ballistics from my scores, she lost to me, too.
For that reason, Yoshimi and Atsuko, who had come to find me as I was spending a lonely Halloween, abandoned by my lover, were truly like rain in a drought.
If you were to ask if my standard of 'lonely' was getting candy extorted from me by dozens of students… I would answer that I was lonely because none of my close friends were by my side.
So how could I not welcome Atsuko with open arms?.
Besides, during the entire walk to the Remedial Knights, Atsuko and Yoshimi kept up a lively conversation, to the point that there was never a single moment of silence.
Before my possession, I wouldn't have been able to find a way into a middle school girls' conversation, but finding myself enjoying it now, I couldn't tell if this was a good thing or a bad thing….
I had heard that Atsuko had made many friends in the middle school division and was adjusting well, but I had thought she would mostly hang out with the quieter, more ladylike types.
.
But what do you know? It turns out she was friends with the boisterous Yoshimi.
I found myself wondering if she was also friends with the other Sweets Club members, aside from 'Caspalug' who should be active as a sukeban by now, or other named students.
However, I decided not to pry, thinking it would be better to find out naturally when the time came.
.
Unexpected encounters like today's were more enjoyable than I could have imagined.
After walking for a while, we arrived at the Remedial Knights' headquarters, which was decorated with a palpable Halloween feel from the outside.
It was hard to shake the feeling that there were a few too many jack-o'-lanterns.
but that, too, had to be seen as one of its unique characteristics.
"Ah… Mika—".
"Hi! Um, the reason I came today was… I was wondering if Misaki-chan might be here☆".
"Ah, you mean Imashino-san. She's studying with Serina-san right now.
Shall I guide you to them?".
"Yes, please".
The moment I stepped into the headquarters, a student who spotted me widened her eyes and was about to say something, but I quickly cut her off and asked about Misaki's whereabouts.
If Yoshimi heard me being called with a suffix like '-nim,' my identity would be revealed in an instant.
Honestly, it wouldn't be a big deal if she found out… but I was looking forward to Yoshimi's reaction when she found out later. so I wanted to hide it for as long as I could.
.
Surely not all four members of the Sweets Club were unaware of my face, right?.
My face had been plastered everywhere because of the summer festival, after all.
"They're probably in here. Those two are always studying in here".
"Ahaha, thanks for guiding me! Happy Halloween!".
"Ah, yes. Happy Halloween…!".
At first, I had the prejudice that everyone in Trinity was hiding a dark interior beneath a smiling face, but these girls were, in the end, just high school students.
It's not that there weren't any bad apples among students of this age, but I had recently come to realize that even those ones were mostly capable of rehabilitation.
It was all thanks to Wakamo.
Knock, knock.
"You can come in~!".
When I knocked lightly on the door, a cheerful voice that could only belong to Serina came from within. As I opened the door, I gestured for Atsuko and Yoshimi to go in first.
"Oh, Atsuko-chan? It feels like it's been a while. Did you come to see Misaki-chan?.
And I don't believe I've seen the person next to you before…".
As I let the two in, I noticed that the way Serina addressed Misaki had become less formal than before.
Well, it had already been three… no, four months since I had put them together.
so it wouldn't be strange for them to have become quite close. Besides, Misaki was practically living at the Remedial Knights' headquarters.
…Come to think of it, Serina used to call me 'Mika-nim'. That was a problem.
For the sake of my 'This is a Prank on Yoshimi' plan, I needed Serina's cooperation.
I quickly took out my phone, opened the notepad, and carefully wrote on it.
Relieved that my handwriting was pretty and easy to read even in a hurry, I slipped my body through the crack in the door.
I held up my phone at an angle where Serina could see it well and moved to a position where Yoshimi likely couldn't.
In the small room, which had a strong feel of a study, my companions were seated across a large table from Serina and Misaki.
"Ah, hello! Uh… Mika… ssi…?".
Relieved that Serina had understood my intentions, I gave her a nod and put my phone away. With this, the perfect crime was complete.
Now, all I had to do was hope that whenever Yoshimi did find out my identity, it would happen in front of me.
"Hi, Serina-chan. And Misaki-chan!".
"…I was wondering when you'd show up again. Serina bet you'd come next month.
and I bet you'd come this month. I won by a hair".
"Ugh… If you had just come one day later, I would have won the bet. Did I underestimate Halloween too much…?".
"Hmm? No, no. I wasn't originally planning on visiting today. I was out of candy, so I probably would have gone to see Nagisa-chan after stopping by the Sisterhood. Yes".
"You're still as sweet as ever…".
By the way, the subject Misaki was studying… it was medicine, right? She had chosen to walk a difficult path.
To see the day when Misaki, who used to talk of dying, would devote herself to the study of saving lives, I was truly moved.
"So… Princess, why did you visit today?".
"…Princess?".
"Ah, that's a kind of nickname for Atsuko-chan".
"Pfft… pffft".
As I answered Yoshimi, who had asked in confusion about the title Misaki had used, she let out a small laugh. Not content with that, she looked as if she was about to burst into laughter.
"Puhahaha! Atsuko, you! You've been living with seniors calling you a princess? Whoa, no way. Is this for real? Pffft!".
"…?".
"Ahahaha! No wonder… no wonder! When you first transferred, you had no reaction when the other kids called you pretty! Our Princess Atsuko, shall I carry your bag for you from now on?!".
"Okay. If you're offering, I won't refuse".
"…Huh?".
It was a shame for Yoshimi, who was happy to have found something to tease her about, but Atsuko was, in fact, the princess of Arius. In other words, she was immune to that kind of teasing.
Misaki's lips curved into a small smile as she watched Yoshimi, who had dug her own grave, begging Atsuko to let her off the hook since it was just a joke.
It was a smile from Misaki that I had seen for the first time in a very long time… perhaps the first time ever.
Yes, leaving Misaki with the Remedial Knights… with Serina, was undoubtedly the best possible choice.
Now, it was time to sincerely cheer for Misaki, who had chosen to move forward instead of hurting herself.
Sources