The unpredictable race had finally come to an end. As the winners of each medal were decided, I found myself torn between joy and something else.
First, the gold medal went to Ichika and Tsurugi, who had perfectly lived up to my expectations. I couldn't have been more satisfied with that part.
However, the silver medal ending up around the necks of the completely unexpected team of Makoto and Satsuki was a development I hadn't even considered. I had honestly expected Iori's team to take that spot, but they were the only ones to be eliminated.
The bronze medal naturally went to Sakurako and Mine, who had put on a respectable performance. Mine looked utterly devastated after falling for Satsuki's trick, so I sent her a quick Momotalk message telling her not to be too hard on herself.
It was an upset brought about by Ichika's stellar performance and Makoto's unimaginable tenacity, but if you just looked at who won the medals, the result was more or less in line with what I had hoped for.
With this, the eight-point gap had shrunk to five. Still a grim outlook, but at least the gap hadn't widened. That was definitely something to be happy about.
"Fufu. Well, that was a messy race. Which, of course, made it all the more entertaining."
"Ah, I was thinking the same thing. There's something about a chaotic race that just makes it more fun to watch, you know? It's a bit of a shame we didn't get the silver, but—oh, hold on a second."
Just as the medal ceremony was about to begin, my phone rang. The name 'Shichido Yukino' on the screen told me that something serious was happening. After a quick apology to my companions, I stepped away to take the call.
"Hello?"
[Mika-sama. There was a small disturbance caused by a club called the Hot Springs Development Club on the Gehenna side of the beach. One of our squad members was on standby and we were able to neutralize them all before the situation escalated, but...]
"Right, and? If that was all, it wouldn't be something you'd need to report directly to me."
Normally, the FOX Squad answers only to the General Student Council President, but here at the festival, authority was split between me and Hina. Since I was still on-site today, it was only natural for Yukino to report to me.
I had a feeling the Hot Springs Development Club was up to something the moment I saw Kasumi, but I was relieved to hear they'd been nipped in the bud. Now we could just arrest them and hand them over to the Prefect Team.
[There have been multiple sightings of the Fox of Calamity.]
"Eh? Uh, you're talking about the Kosaka Wakamo I know, right?"
[Yes. We have confirmed testimony that she appeared to be cooperating with the Hot Springs Development Club before leaving the scene. It seems necessary to strengthen security at the festival grounds in case of a potential incident.]
"Ahaha… right. I'll discuss it with Hina-chan and have security tightened starting tomorrow. For today, Yukino-chan, I'll have to ask you to work a little harder. Oh, and the head of the Hot Springs Development Club is over here, so you don't need to worry about that."
[Copy that.]
After ending the call, I let out a small sigh. This place, Kivotos, never had a quiet day. Wakamo was known for her random acts of terror with no clear motive, but I never thought she'd be bold enough to scheme against both Gehenna and Trinity at once.
It might have been better if she had just caused her trouble today. With me, Tsurugi, and the FOX Squad ready to respond immediately, what could Wakamo possibly have done?
"Mika-san, is something serious the matter?"
Nagisa, knowing I rarely stepped away to take calls, must have sensed that this wasn't a normal situation.
"Ahaha, well… Gehenna's Hot Springs Development Club caused a ruckus and got themselves taken down by the SRT personnel the GSC President has stationed here. So, I need to go down there for a minute. That girl Kasumi who competed today is the head of that club."
"The Hot Springs Development Club… I've heard of them. I believe around fifty percent of the expenses for road repairs in the Gehenna district are due to damage caused by them…"
Ah, I see. Thanks for the info, Haruna.
But hearing that from you, of all people—a girl with her own notorious reputation as a terrorist within Gehenna—feels incredibly ironic.
We came down from the spectator stands, and the three of us—minus Haruna—approached the area near the award ceremony stage. Haruna said she had her own preparations to make and parted ways with us for a bit.
She didn't say it outright, but I guessed she was referring to the marksmanship competition.
Iori had already competed in two events, so she was out. That left Haruna and maybe Aru as Gehenna's remaining talents. But Problem Solver 68 hadn't shown their faces at the festival yet, and considering two of their members hated the Gehenna campus, Aru's participation seemed unlikely.
So, that left only Haruna.
A part of me wanted to cheer for her, but Trinity had to win, so I couldn't. It was a bit of a dilemma. Especially since Hiyori was one of our representatives.
When we arrived at the stage, however, I saw the Trinity representative holding the gold medals and smiling awkwardly.
It seemed the sullen expression on Tsurugi's face and the strained smile on Ichika's were making her uncomfortable.
Hmm, I could understand Tsurugi. But why did Ichika look like that?
As I was pondering this, Ichika spotted me, and her smile instantly brightened.
"Ah, Mika-senpai! I was worried you weren't coming!"
"Hmm, Ichika-chan? Coming for what?"
"Mika-senpai, didn't you promise you'd be the one to put the gold medal around my neck?"
Eh? Um. Uh…
"Booo, you're the worst~."
Noah whispered playfully from behind me. Hey, now. I have an excuse this time. My mind has been a complete mess today.
"Uh, Ichika-chan! It's not that I forgot or anything…!"
"So you did forget."
"No, no, that's not it! I was just thinking that if I kept jumping in to award medals when it wasn't my turn, people might think poorly of me—"
"For the record, I have never heard such an opinion. In fact, from what I have heard from the children of Filius, the ratings see a temporary spike every time you appear, Mika-san. If even the broadcast station welcomes it, doesn't that mean there are more people who are happy to see you than not?"
Hey, Nagisa! Why are you betraying me?
The normal you would have said something like, 'I don't understand why everyone is so interested in
my Mika-san.' Wasn't that how you were supposed to react?
"President, here."
The Trinity representative, who had been watching the situation unfold, offered the pair of gold medals to me. I like a quick-witted person as much as the next, but this just felt like I was stealing her moment of glory. It was honestly making me feel terrible.
"Uh, I appreciate your concern, but it's alright. I was only ever interested in the commentary anyway..."
"Ahaha… thanks for saying that. Anyway, there's something that's been bothering me… What are they doing?"
Everyone's gaze turned to Makoto and Satsuki, who were standing side-by-side on the podium with their eyes closed. The halos that should have been glowing above their heads were nowhere to be seen.
"Are they… sleeping while standing?"
"Wow, I'm surprised I didn't notice. They look so natural."
"Perhaps the prestige of Pandemonium Society had already hit rock bottom…"
With a sigh, Iroha walked up to Makoto and kicked her squarely in the shin. Instantly, like a light turning on, Makoto's halo flickered into existence above her head.
"Ugh…?! Wh-what was that?! Are you that bitter that I won the gold medal, Misono Mika?! Retaliating like this is just pathetic!"
"Hah… Makoto-senpai, stop talking nonsense and wake up Satsuki-senpai. And you won a silver medal, not gold. It's right there, around your neck."
"What…?!"
As Makoto started to throw another fit at the sight of me, Iroha shut her down by threatening to quit Pandemonium Society if she kept embarrassing her like this.
My god, I never thought I'd see the day Iroha had the upper hand against Makoto. Perhaps I had inadvertently given her the ultimate Makoto-control switch.
"Well then… ahem. Kenzaki Tsurugi, second-year of Trinity, and Nakatsukasa Ichika, first-year of Trinity. You both kept your promise, and I'm sorry that I was the only one who forgot mine. You both worked hard☆ And thank you so much!"
I first placed the gold medal around the neck of Tsurugi, who had shed her terrifying expression for a harmless one. She was so tense she couldn't even look at me, which was adorable. Her berserk mode was still a bit much for me, but Tsurugi was one of the kindest girls around, so it was good to get closer to her.
Next, I placed the other gold medal around the neck of a much happier-looking Ichika. She waited silently for me to finish, then glanced down at the medal before looking back at me with a wide smile.
"You have a frightening talent for playing with people's emotions, Mika-senpai. Even though you forgot your promise to me, the moment you put this medal on me, all my disappointment just melted away."
"Uh, I'm really sorry about forgetting the promise…"
"Haha. It's alright. I'm just happy you came, senpai. I'm sure Tsurugi-senpai feels the same way."
"…"
Seeing Tsurugi shyly nod in agreement, I realized there was a reason she had such a dedicated fanbase. The gap moe was off the charts.
A wave of emotion washed over me, and before I knew it, I had pulled both of them into a hug. The situation felt strangely familiar, and I don't think it was just my imagination…
Well, this was the fault of my Trinity students for making me ride this emotional rollercoaster over a single medal. If you had just crushed Gehenna like I expected you to, I wouldn't have had to be so anxious.
"M-Mika…?!"
"Oh, senpai… Weren't we supposed to keep our promise a secret? Or were you planning on getting caught from the start…?"
"Ahaha, what are you talking about☆"
Hey, wasn't that just a joke? Nagisa is giving me a suspicious look. We're not like that…!
"Um, I feel a little bad asking this of you two after you've worked so hard, but could you do me a favor? It's more of a work-related thing than a favor, though."
"A favor…? Yeah, for my f-friend…"
"Well, if it's an order, it's an order."
"The way you say that makes me feel like I've committed some terrible crime. Anyway, could you go to the Gehenna waiting area and bring me a girl named Kasumi? I could leave it to Iori-chan, but I trust you two a little more."
Besides, with Iori, you never knew when she might get blindsided and taken out. Even if it was just bad luck, a track record is still a track record!
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