"Ahaha… you have to take responsibility for this, Nagi-chan. How could you be so bold, out there like that?"
I buried my head in the table at a corner of the beach house, taking a short break before the mock battle began. The lecture Nagisa had given me right after the race was replaying in my mind.
'So only you get to make fun of me? Do you think it makes any sense for the person who orchestrated my humiliation for all of Kivotos to see to be saying such things? Oh, by the way. I hope you enjoyed that "broken" look you wanted so badly. What was it you said? "Isn't this a bit much?" The person who made me show that "much" to everyone is the one who went too far. What would you do if I, right here and now, told you to act cute for everyone to see? How do you think that would feel?'
I honestly thought I was going to suffocate listening to it. Even Makoto, who had been looking for a chance to chime in with some nonsense, took one look at her and fled.
Still, I respected Nagisa's method of using an analogy to express her dissatisfaction. Even I had to admit her complaint was justified.
The problem was my response that followed.
'B-But… if I were to do that, I'd only want to show you, Nagi-chan…'
'…You, get over here.'
Ah, it's embarrassing just thinking about it. If you do that in broad daylight in front of everyone, how am I supposed to show my face, Nagisa?
"Then… um… you can… marry me…"
"Wow—. Nagi-chan, I'm pretty sure you threw a fit when I jokingly said 'let's date' a while back. And now you're the one proposing to me…? I could die today and have no regrets☆"
Thinking back, even at that time, I was at a point where I couldn't tell if I was Mika or if Mika was me. I think my sense of identity is actually clearer now than it was back then.
Well, probably.
"If you're that happy about it, I would prefer it if you didn't give other people any openings. And don't talk about dying. I don't want to hear it, not even as a joke."
"Ouch… that one hit home, Nagi-chan. It hurts when you attack me with the truth like that. And don't worry about the other part! I mean, if I weren't around, who would protect my delicate Nagi-chan? I have to protect you for the rest of our lives. Because you're so weak."
"Are you trying to fight fire with fire, using my attack as an excuse? Mika-san, are you prepared for the consequences? I'm not the same person I used to be."
"Ahaha, are you talking about how your debate skills have gotten a little—just a little—better from arguing with Haruna-chan?"
"Fufu."
Oops, my mouth is running away from me again!
But I heard the three of them, including Noah, went out for dinner a few days ago. And Nagisa hasn't said anything about disliking or hating Haruna since then.
So, it should be fine… right? Even if they aren't exactly friends, they can at least maintain a polite distance. So a little joke like this should be okay. Right…?
"Mika-san… do you, by any chance, know?"
"Hm?"
"You're a terrible kisser."
"…"
Excuse me?
Excuse me?
A statement I had never in a million years imagined hearing from Nagisa flew like a poisoned dart and embedded itself deep in my heart.
"It's alright, it happens. It just means I'm your first, doesn't it? I don't dislike that. But you're still a terrible kisser."
"Hey, you didn't have to drive the point home…! I'm in so much pain right now, Nagi-chan."
"But… it's the truth, isn't it? All I did was state the truth you love so much. What's so painful about that?"
"I was wrong. Can we just call it a draw?"
"Asking for a draw when you've already lost… you're so shameless. Though, I suppose that's what makes you even cuter."
As Nagisa verbally pummeled me without giving me a chance to breathe, my life points rapidly dropped toward zero.
"Hmm. Come to think of it, it would be a problem if Hina-san said the same thing later. That would mean I failed to lead you properly."
"Wh-why are you the one leading?"
"Mika-san, do you have a conscience? Honestly, at first, you seemed to seduce people just by breathing, so I wondered just how experienced you were. But when I peeled back the layers, I found this amateur. It's not just surprising, it's shocking how you seem to get more innocent the further our relationship progresses."
"Wow—?"
"What do you mean, 'wow'? Come on, Mika-san. Get up and come over here."
"Are you serious?"
"Do I look like I'm not? Of course I'm serious."
"Ahaha… uh, my pride…"
"Are you really going to talk about pride when you can't even kiss properly?"
"H-hey, Nagi-chan…? I get it, so please, stop crushing my self-esteem! It's not like I'm bad at it because I want to be! And besides, I'm your first too, right? How are you so good at it? That's what's weird. It's normal for me to be bad, and it's weird that you're so good, isn't it?"
"That is… ahem. A topic that is a bit too embarrassing to discuss in public, I think. A… a lady is entitled to her secrets, is she not? As I'm sure you are."
"Secrets? What's that supposed to—ah."
As if on cue, both of our mouths snapped shut, as if everything we had just said had been a lie. It took quite some time for our lips, which felt as if they had been glued together, to open again.
More importantly, I didn't have any secrets like that. Could Nagisa, surprisingly…?
"Phew. Anyway! Come over here and sit down. I refuse to see the person I love be looked down upon by others."
"And it's okay for you to look down on me?"
"This isn't looking down on you; it's tough love, Mika-san. If I don't take you in hand, who else will? The other women are just clamoring for your love, Mika-san. But you need to understand that as your only true confidant, my case is different."
"I won't deny that, but…"
To be perfectly honest, if Nagisa ever turned her back on me, I would surely be lost and adrift.
No, if she had turned her back on me that day, I would have been completely lost. If something like that were to happen now, and Hina or Haruna were to offer me a hand to get back on my feet, I might cling to them desperately. But if the me from back then had been rejected by Nagisa…
Well. I don't think I would have just taken the first hand that was offered. I probably would have pushed them all away.
I didn't usually care much about what other people thought, but what Nagisa was asking me to do now had the power to make even me self-conscious.
After some hesitation, I approached Nagisa and sat primly on her lap.
"I believe this is about the height difference between you and Hina-san, correct?"
"Hmm. It seems about right."
"Well then, shall we begin?"
"Begin what? No, wait. You can't be, Nagi-chan. In front of all these people?"
"We're in a corner. And have you considered that I'm doing this for everyone to see? How long do you expect me to just stand by and watch them flock to my partner?"
This is bad. Nagisa's brakes have failed.
And to make matters worse, I was the one who kicked them off in the first place, so I can't even complain.
"Later, I expect to hear from Hina-san that you are an excellent kisser. Since I have already given my permission, I must save face, must I not? As a way of solidifying my position."
After that, through some desperate persuasion, I was able to calm Nagisa down. Seriously, doing that in a public place is just rude, Nagisa.
No, wait a minute. Her saying it was "for everyone to see"… surely she didn't mean that, did she?
Just in time, I boarded the helicopter that was waiting at the beach where the mock battle was scheduled to begin. I was asked to commentate on the situation from the air. This time, Makoto was out, and it was just me and Nagisa.
It was a little surprising that no one from Gehenna was commentating, but they had said they didn't care about biased commentary since they were going to win anyway, so I decided to just go with it. Nagisa was professional enough to maintain a neutral stance, so I doubted Gehenna would have any major complaints.
This mock battle was, in essence, a JTF vs. Prefect Team showdown at its core. But with Arius being incorporated into Trinity, the numbers were no longer balanced. For that reason, Pandemonium Society and the Sisterhood were brought in, and the scale of the event had grown to more than three times its original conception.
And somehow, tanks had been brought in, turning it into a tank battle as well. A true battlefield had been created.
Honestly, setting everything else aside, the simple fact that the asymmetrical powerhouses of each academy, Tsurugi and Hina, were going to clash was enough to draw a massive crowd.
In a way, since an all-out war between the two academies was now impossible, this was a chance for them to settle their rivalry.
The thought of hundreds of girls armed with swimsuits and firearms, along with Trinity's Crusader tanks and Gehenna's Tiger tanks, clashing on the beach was enough to make my heart swell with anticipation. It was the first time since coming to Kivotos that I was going to witness a battle of this scale.
The time I stormed Arius was a completely different matter. If I had to classify that, the genre would have been Musou Archive.
Anyway. Amidst all this excitement, I could see Tsurugi and Hina meeting in the no-man's-land between their two camps for a pre-battle handshake.
"Wow, it's finally time for the highlight of the festival! The first mock battle, the Battle on the Beach, is about to begin! It's the perfect event to clear away some of the bad blood that has built up over the long history of our two academies!"
"Just as Mika-san said. This mock battle, where the best of both academies will clash, is the perfect stage to answer the question that has always been a source of debate. When these two academies, second to none in Kivotos, face off, who will… hmm."
"Be the top dog?"
"Uh, yes. That's a bit different from the expression I was going to use, but the meaning is the same. Shall we just say, determine the winner?"
"Ahaha, that's probably better than beating around the bush. So, this match is, for all intents and purposes, an exhibition match. Yes, and the result of this match will not, of course, answer the question of 'which of our two academies is stronger!'. But because the pride of their respective schools is on the line, defeat is absolutely not an option. One thing is for sure: we're about to witness a fierce battle!"
After Hina and Tsurugi returned to their respective camps, I could see the key members of each side making their final checks on their strategies.
On the Gehenna side, it was likely that command of Pandemonium Society and the Prefect Team would be completely separate. The members of other clubs who didn't belong to either would probably act on their own or bow to Hina and follow the Prefect Team's lead.
Trinity, I had heard, had adopted a strategy where Hasumi would command the overall situation, but the forces would be divided, and the Arius members would be given separate command authority. Even though Arius was integrating well into Trinity, the deep-seated hatred for Trinity was not yet completely gone, making this an unavoidable choice.
"If there is one small disappointment, it would be that the participation of the artillery squad was denied."
"Hmm, if we had allowed that, wouldn't the battlefield have become too chaotic? Anyway, the current time is 4:55. The match is scheduled to begin at exactly 5:00, so—"
As I was speaking, the phone I had placed beside me vibrated. The name on the screen was Shichido Yukino.
"Uh, it looks like you'll have to handle the commentary on your own, Nagi-chan…"
I didn't even need to think about what was happening.
We had arranged for her to contact me like this only when Wakamo's movements were detected.
Wow—.
For damn sure, our little terrorist fox did not want me to watch this match live.
To think I'd have to watch this on replay. It's so unfair. So, so unfair!
Kosaka Wakamo, I despise you with every fiber of my being!