It was chaos. The kind of situation where a single wrong word, a single misplaced pull of a trigger, could escalate into a full-scale conflict between three academies. And it was all happening right in front of me. The whole thing was a snowball that had started from one tiny (?) misunderstanding and grown to an absurd size.
"To be honest, at first, I was worried sick about your safety, Mika-san. After all, it was you who had supposedly been kidnapped. You, who has no equal in Trinity besides the head of the Justice Task Force. It made no sense that you would be kidnapped."
"Ahaha, Nagi-chan? I can explain that. So, if you could just calm down a little…"
"No, there's no need for you to explain that part. I just needed to confirm it. Unless you were on personal terms with that club from Gehenna, the Gourmet Research Society, the situation was inexplicable. The possibilities naturally narrowed down to two: a crime that took advantage of a friendship to catch you off guard, or you accompanied them voluntarily."
Could there have been no CCTV cameras where I was kidnapped? Or dashboard cameras? If so, Haruna's plan was more meticulous than I thought…
"If you had gone voluntarily, there would have been no reason to leave so suddenly without telling anyone, so it had to be the former. Besides, I confirmed that you did, in fact, have a personal friendship with the head of that Gourmet Research Society."
"Huh? How did you do that?"
In response to my question, Nagisa silently held out my phone. The case was a solid pink with small angel wings on either side, and I was sure I'd tucked a photo we took on her birthday into the back.
Thank heavens she was showing me the front. I wasn't mentally prepared for the expression on my face in that photo to be seen by everyone…
"Because you left this in the office, you silly goose. And that… that password… No, why do you keep setting it to that? For security purposes, you really shouldn't…"
"Ah, so that's where I left it! Yeah, I guess I deserve to be called a silly goose for that… If I'd had it, I would have at least called. As for the password… hmm, I guess I just thought it would be okay if it was you, Nagi-chan?"
"…In any case. The way I found out about your friendship with that terrorist was… well, I know it was a great breach of etiquette, but… I looked at your MomoTalk, Mika-san."
"Aha…? Hmm, mmm. MomoTalk, huh. Well, if it was you, Nagi-chan, I don't really mind."
It's not like I use MomoTalk for any truly sensitive conversations that I couldn't show to others. Except with Hanako. I just have to hope she didn't see that one. I don't think I'd have the confidence to explain it.
"That's not something you should just brush off so easily, is it…? Ahem, yes. In any case, I only confirmed your conversation history with the most likely suspect, a person named Kurodate Haruna, and I didn't touch anything else. Since she was the only Gehenna student you were friends with…"
"Wait, not the only one…"
Whoops.
"…This is just a wild guess, but. Mika-san, do you happen to be friends with other Gehenna students as well?"
"Ahaha."
Well, if we're just talking about who's in my contacts, there's the three from the Prefect Team and Iroha. It's just that Haruna was the most recent person I'd talked to. I have so many conversations going on that if I don't talk to someone for a few days, their chat log gets pushed way down the list.
"Hah… That part isn't important right now, so let's move on. What is important…"
Nagisa irritably tapped open the chat log with Haruna. My question of what had set her off was answered all too easily the next moment.
"…is this."
On the screen was a brand-new photo, not even an hour old. The picture Haruna had taken of me, and for some reason, a picture of Haruna herself. I think I was starting to understand why Nagisa had been looking at me with such a cold gaze.
"You were having a good time, weren't you? While my stomach was twisting itself into knots with worry for you."
To be fair, I did have a defense. It's not like I didn't try to contact her at all; I did borrow Haruna's phone to leave her a message. But judging by her reaction, she didn't know about it. Did she see it and not believe it, or did she just not see it at all? The current Nagisa wasn't a paranoid mess, so it probably wasn't the former. Probably.
"Umm, Nagi-chan…? Just wondering. Did you not see the MomoTalk I sent?"
"…What?"
Seeing Nagisa freeze, her eyes blinking, it seemed my guess was right. It was the latter.
"I borrowed Haruna-chan's phone and left you a message. I didn't know your number so I couldn't call, and you can't voice chat unless you're friends, so…"
In short, I did the best I could under the circumstances. Really.
"O-One moment…"
I looked away from Nagisa as she frantically pulled out her own phone. My gaze fell on the Squad, who were standing around her protectively.
Saori was glaring daggers at Neru, her gun still raised, not even glancing in my direction. I see, so once she's on a mission, there's no messing around.
Misaki, meanwhile, had her missile launcher ready to fire at a moment's notice, though she seemed more wary of the Gehenna Prefect Team than of Neru. As someone from Arius who was taught to hate Gehenna, her reaction was understandable.
I couldn't see Atsuko's expression because of her gas mask, but she gave me a nod, so she must have been watching me the whole time. By the way, is she really planning on wearing that thing all the time? If she likes it, I guess it doesn't matter…
Seeing the Trinity emblems now decorating the Squad's unique outfits filled me with a strange sense of pride. That aside, I was not happy that the Squad had been deployed for something like this. I was only letting it slide because Nagisa had done it out of concern for my safety. If it had been for some trivial reason, I never would have let it go. It was a mistake so big that the other factions would have undoubtedly torn Nagisa to shreds for it, and there would have been nothing I could do to stop it.
My eyes met Hina's for a brief moment as she stood on the other side of Neru, pressuring her. Perhaps my disappointment in her rash actions showed in my eyes, because her expression hardened.
I don't want to blame Hina or anyone else for this. The root cause was my failure to give Haruna a straight answer. Still, it bothered me that Hina had done something so out of character. She's not the kind of person to be unaware of the massive diplomatic friction this could cause.
Sigh, whatever. Since things have gotten this twisted, I'm the only one who can fix it. If you ask me how, I have no idea, but I have to.
"First off, Neru-chan. Would you be willing to accept a temporary truce?"
"Mika-san?!"
"…Mika, did you mean to say 'surrender'?"
To think that two of the four troublemaking sisters of the day would react like that. Was it because they didn't trust Neru, or was it just caution against an opponent who had fought me to a near-stalemate? I guess it's natural to be wary of someone who can take a shot from Hiyori's sniper rifle to the temple and keep fighting…
First, knowing Neru's personality, I didn't think she would accept a surrender so easily. Even in a situation that was clearly disadvantageous, if I acted like I'd already won, her rebellious spirit might just explode.
The second reason is related to the first: I need to wrap up this tangled situation as quickly as possible and move on to negotiations. Any further trouble would just complicate the process.
Which means more work for me.
"HUH? Who said you could get all chummy with me?!"
"Ahaha, don't people get closer by fighting? Besides, I've had my fun. Are you not satisfied yet, Neru-chan?"
"…Tch. Give me a break. What kind of happy-go-lucky idiot are you?"
Neru clicked her tongue and opened her palms. Her two submachine guns fell from her hands, the chain between them clattering.
"Yeah, fine! A truce, my ass. This whole thing got twisted because I made a mistake, didn't it? So, I surrender. What kind of hostage is stronger than the damn terrorists anyway, confusing the hell out of people. Screw this."
After saying that, she nonchalantly laid down on the hood of a nearby car, and I felt a sense of cognitive dissonance. Hey, is that really how a person who's surrendering is supposed to act…?
Beep.
"Hey, the request is a failure. You guys get out here, now!"
Neru made a call on her radio, her eyes closed and one hand propping up her head. But even after a few seconds, there was no response.
"…What are you guys doing? Didn't you hear me? Get out here!"
Neru tried the radio again. Still, the other members of C&C remained silent.
Just as I was thinking I should probably calm Neru down before she exploded, someone appeared from the alley next to what was once the Burger Emperor. It was Ichinose Asuna of C&C, the girl whose bunny outfit is so famous that even people who don't play Blue Archive have probably seen it at least once.
"Yoohoo~! I'm here, Chief! What's this, what's this? You said the request was a failure! But looking at you now, it seems like more than a success, it's a huge success!"
"HUH? I surrendered, so you get over here and kneel or something… Wait, where the hell have you been this whole time?"
"Hm? I was protecting our cute little juniors from Seminar. Why? Anyway, how was I, Chief?! I did great, right? I'm the best, right?!"
"…"
Neru, who had half-risen, lowered the hand that was supporting her head and started kneading the back of her neck. Hmm, I think I can kind of understand how she feels. I might be lucky that I don't have someone like that under me.
"…Ahem! Tea Party Host, we spoke briefly a little while ago. I am Hayase Yuuka, treasurer of Seminar."
"Ahaha. Hi, Yuuka-chan. The shop completely collapsed, but it looks like you and Noa-chan got out safely. I'm glad☆"
"That was… Senior Asuna dragged us out, saying we should go watch the fight, so we ended up… No, that's not what's important right now. Tea Party Host, as a member of the student council, it is my duty to grasp the details of the current situation. So, if you'll excuse my impertinence, I must ask you some questions."
"Yep, yep. I'll answer whatever I can. This is a really important matter, after all."
I answered Yuuka's questions, telling her as much as I knew about the current situation. In the process, I managed to organize my own thoughts as well.
"So, to summarize, this entire situation started from a small misunderstanding. Our C&C committing an act of disrespect toward you, Tea Party Host. And both Trinity and Gehenna completely ignoring our Millennium's autonomy… it was all…"
"There, there. Calm down, Yuuka-chan. It's not like it's impossible to sort this out, right?"
As I gently patted the shoulder of a sighing Yuuka, who had her hand on her forehead, Noa, standing next to her, gave me a gentle smile. For some reason, unlike before, this smile seemed to have some hidden motive, which made me uneasy.
Still, a sense of relief washed over me as the situation began to de-escalate. After seeing off the two from Seminar, who went to talk with Hina's group, I slowly approached Nagisa, who was still staring at her phone.
"Nagi-chan. So, you never saw the MomoTalk I sent?"
"…By the time you sent that message, Mika-san, we had already been inside the Millennium district for a long time."
"Okay, and?"
Nagisa, who had been fidgeting, let her shoulders slump. Then she bowed her head deeply in apology.
"…I'm sorry, Mika-san. I was so nervous, the thought of checking my own phone never even occurred to me."
"Ahaha! I never dreamed the day would come when you'd mess up like this, Nagi-chan. Hmm, at this rate, I'm not sure if I can trust you with the Host position next year!"
…What? Why is she making that strange face after hearing what I said? It's like she's suddenly feeling guilty…
"By the way, did you not hear anything from Seia-chan? She didn't try to stop you from doing this?"
"…Seia-san? She was the one who encouraged me, saying I would regret it if I didn't go myself."
"Whoa-oh?"
Seia. Why did you encourage her instead of stopping her? What in the world did you see in your prophetic dreams? She really is a girl I can't seem to understand.
"I'm so sorry. I was just so worried about you, Mika-san…"
"Yeah, I understand how you feel. If the situations were reversed, I probably would have lost my mind, too. I might have even caused a bigger incident. So, I'm not going to blame you for that part."
What had I done when the Squad was in danger? I was just as, if not more, reckless. I'd caused one too many incidents myself to lecture Nagisa now.
"I'm sorry for making you worry, Nagi-chan. I'll sort this out somehow, so don't blame yourself too much. This isn't like you. Right?"
"…I'm sorry."
Well, at least she knows she did something wrong. That alone puts her in the top 10% of sane people in Kivotos. But seeing her just keep apologizing like this makes me feel uneasy.
Anyway, this whole mess started because of my mistake, so I have to fix it somehow. I just don't know how well I'll be able to communicate with Rio.
As I watched the approaching army of white robots—what I presumed were Rio's AMAS prototypes—a thought popped into my head.
Is this what they call avant-garde…? The design is really ugly. It's even uglier than in the source material…!