After confirming at the firing range that the original Mika's shooting skills were ingrained in my body, the three of us dragged Seia out of the academy to grab lunch. Nagisa declared she would introduce me one by one to all the delicious and friendly restaurants in the Trinity district, so it seems we'll be eating out often in the future.
This time, we headed in a different direction from where Seia had been waiting this morning. At our destination was a place more familiar to the Senseis of Blue Archive: the Tea Party's office. Staring out at the view, which overlooked not only Trinity Academy but also parts of the autonomous district, I got the feeling that it was drawing a line, as if to say the world of the Tea Party and the world of ordinary students were completely different.
As we approached a long table laden with desserts for a tea party, waiting staff members pulled out our chairs. Once we were seated, they poured tea into our respective cups. Seeing them pour from separate teapots, I wondered if they prepared tea in advance to match each leader's preference.
For Nagisa, it would undoubtedly be black tea. I couldn't quite guess Seia's. As for me...
Matcha? This was a bit of a surprise. I had the impression that Mika would like some kind of fruit tea, but perhaps that was just a stereotype. Or maybe it was simply a pairing that prioritized synergy with the sweet desserts.
"Everyone, you may spend your time freely today unless we call for you first. Thank you for all your hard work preparing."
At Nagisa's natural dismissal, the staff members looked towards me, as if seeking permission. So, this is the power of the Host. I gave a small nod with a gentle smile, and they bowed their heads with words of thanks before retreating from the office.
"Mika, the three student presidents of the Tea Party fundamentally hold equal authority. However, among them, there are powers that only the Host can exercise, and for another student president to infringe upon that domain is an overreach of authority."
From holding councils and managing student admissions, to making the final decision on diplomatic relations with other academies.
"Hey, hey, if you put it like that, it doesn't seem like there's much reason for the Host to be busier than the other presidents. Those aren't exactly everyday occurrences, are they?"
"Mika-san, the most important thing is... that the Host is the one with the final authority on all of Trinity's major and minor affairs. Trivial matters are mostly handled by other staff members, but truly important matters must be reviewed by all of us together, and then you, Mika-san, must give the final approv—"
"Nagi-chan, Seia-chan. It was fun while it lasted. But you know, I think I've just made up my mind. I want to experience the wide world outside of Trinity☆ Therefore, I hereby resign from the Tea Party☆"
"...Sit back down while I'm still asking nicely."
"Whoa—"
Nagisa, that smile is not a real smile. Why do I see the image of a demon behind you...? Still, I think that icy smile is super cool, on par with Joumae Saori's.
"Let us start by handling the simple things first. The truly important documents are sorted separately, so we will help you with those."
"Yeah, okay..."
And so, the curtain rose on paperwork hell.
This document is from the Library Committee...
A budget request for restocking lost books... No, does something this minor really have to come all the way to the Tea Party?
[Request for budget allocation for participation in and winning the bid for the first edition auction of 'Drinking the Tears of the Indigo Oasis.']
[The final work of a great literary master who defined an era centuries ago... We have received information that the first edition of this book, which was lost over 20 years ago, will be up for auction. We have determined that we cannot miss this opportunity...]
Hmm, I guess something like this is worth bringing up. Just the keywords "great literary master," "final work," and "first edition" make it sound valuable. That's why it's being put up for auction, I suppose. But auctions have the potential to go far above market price, so we need to approach this with caution.
[An indispensable book that must be acquired for the Trinity Central Library, which prides itself on being the best in Kivotos. The estimated auction cost is—]
Let's see... one... million... one million... Huh?
15 million yen?
The fuck? What?
Trinity may be loaded, but 15 million yen for a single book? Wow, so this is why they sent it all the way up here. Sorry for doubting you.
So, is it okay to approve this? It's natural for works of high artistic value to be expensive, but it's a bit of a stretch to see this as a reasonable budget expenditure...
And that's not even the end of it; there's a whole list below. There were no more insane budget requests on that level, but there were a few books requesting several hundred thousand yen. Several hundred thousand is still ridiculously expensive, but the shock of seeing a number with a different number of digits was too great.
What is this? There's even a red book in here. Are you guys serious?
"...Nagi-chan, it's right to reject this, right? Right?"
Honestly, I was getting dizzy. I didn't think I'd have to call for help on the very first document, but if it keeps going like this, the road ahead looks rough.
"Let me see. Hmm... Yes, you can reject the lewd book and the auction item, and just approve the rest."
"Aha... Yeah, yeah, even Trinity doesn't approve of wasting money like that. Thanks, Nagi-chan!"
I was about to internally scream "Thanks, Nagisa-emon!" and move on to the next document when Seia let out a small chuckle.
"Mika, the reason Nagisa told you to reject the auction item is not a financial one. If it is about books, the request would naturally have come from the Library Committee, correct? The reason it is fine to refuse their requests for high-priced books is... because the head of the Library Committee will end up buying it with her own money and filling the Central Library's shelves in the form of a donation anyway."
...?
A student, with her own money, participating in a book auction for 15 million yen, and then donating it to the school library? And from the way Seia says it, this is just a regular occurrence? This is truly shocking and horrifying.
My commoner's mind couldn't possibly comprehend it, but if I thought of it as a way for a rich young lady of Kivotos to express her affection for her alma mater, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
So just how much money do you need to have for that to be possible...? If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to shamelessly request an ice cream.
Oh, right, I should probably check Mika's current financial status at some point too.
"It is true. I heard this story when we first joined the Tea Party last year. That senior has brought in over thirty books with her own money. And of course, their price tags are anything but ordinary."
"The previous Tea Party presidents, who have since graduated, never once allocated the budget that senior needed to purchase expensive books. And perhaps because that bothered you, just last month, you approved a budget of 5 million yen for a theology book that senior requested. You said that since a student is filling the library with her own money, the Tea Party shouldn't exploit that, right? I do not personally empathize, as the book was excessively expensive, but..."
...What? Mika, you were that cool?
No, wait. Is the surface reason just a plausible excuse, and the reality is a little different? With Mika, that honestly seems more likely.
"Yeah, yeah, so I have a question. If I approve this, it won't cause any problems for Trinity's finances, right?"
"...Mika-san, how about you reconsider? As far as Seia and I have ascertained, the impact is as small as taking a ladle of water from the ocean, but complaints may arise from other departments. A favoritism controversy could erupt."
"Then they can complain after they've tried doing something for the academy by spending their own money! If there's backlash, I'll take responsibility and deal with it, Nagi-chan. We have the financial leeway, so we shouldn't be exploiting the heart of a student who loves her school this much, right?"
It's a little sad that such love for the school goes unrewarded out of fear of club politics.
If worse comes to worst, I can just go work in the labor market to chip in...
Hmm, maybe that's a bit much. If a rumor spread that a member of the Tea Party was earning money in the labor market, that would damage the Tea Party's prestige. And if they found out it was the Host, that would be even worse.
In the first place, the idea of giving money to someone who is clearly rolling in it is probably flawed in many ways.
"...I will not stop you. As long as you are the Host, Mika, that student can at least receive the impression that the Tea Party cares about her."
"I still think this is a bit of an excessive expenditure. Seia-san, it seems we will have to properly supervise Mika-san to ensure she does not excessively allocate the budget to strange places."
What's with that tone, like a wife who just saw her husband's mobile game transaction history, Nagisa...?
"Anyway, I'll take responsibility and approve this☆"
You never know. If I build some favor with the Library Committee, maybe they can help me find information I want later?
I'm just a calculating adult at heart, aren't I? It was a moment of self-deprecation.
With that thought, I stamped the document and decided to move on to the next one.
...But did I reject the red book?
Let's leave the minor details aside. Reading the next document, I let out a small sigh. A restaurant was half-destroyed by a mysterious group suspected to be from Gehenna...?
Right, you guys were causing trouble back then too. Haha... you crazy bastards.
Aah, if I had five lives, I'd want to live all five of them as Hoshino...