Not long after I got in touch with Noa, a Momotalk came back from Rin's side as well, saying she was available to talk..
After coordinating our schedules as best as I could, it was decided that I would visit the General Student Council in the morning tomorrow, and then Millennium in the afternoon..
The General Student Council President was surprisingly agreeable in setting up an appointment, perhaps realizing that a situation beyond her control might arise if she didn't keep a proper leash on my activities..
There was no way that time slot was coincidentally free, so she must have made time for me at some personal cost..
I really do need to have a proper talk with Rio at Millennium at some point, but since that's not the purpose of this visit, it will have to wait for another opportunity..
After sorting out my schedule, I had some time to spare.. After a brief moment of deliberation, I decided to just head to the Prefect Team headquarters..
It wasn't that I had no business in the city, but an eye-catching angel like me wandering alone in the heart of Gehenna is just asking for trouble, and I didn't want to create more work for the Prefect Team..
However, the futility of that thought was proven in the short time it took me to get to their headquarters..
The number of times I was harassed with simple taunts about "pigeons" was about eight..
I tried to just ignore them and walk past, but the number of times I had to kindly plant a bullet in the forehead of an opponent who indiscriminately drew their gun was five..
Other than that, there were also some sukeban who approached me with malicious intent even after recognizing me as a high-ranking official from Trinity.. For them, I had no choice but to kindly engrave in their heads the fact that I am a powerhouse on par with Hina..
Thanks to all that, I was once again reminded that harmony between Gehenna and Trinity is several times more difficult to achieve than I had dared to hope..
And this was with Makoto, who could be considered the biggest problem, out of the picture..
Things got better once I entered the Prefect Team headquarters, as everyone recognized me.. No one wanted to get on the bad side of their beloved Chief..
Inside the headquarters, I was not led directly to Hina's office, but to a department that could be considered the secretarial office..
However, the expression on Ako's face, who received my unexpected visit, was so suspiciously bright that it made even me wonder..
"Wait, let's talk in the break room, not here.. Follow me.".
Seeing Ako's uncharacteristically excited state, I was sure it had something to do with Hina, so I obediently followed her to the break room..
As soon as I stepped into the empty room, Ako closed the door and naturally walked over to a cabinet, taking out two instant coffee mixes..
"Ah, would you like a cup too, Mika-san?".
"Hmm?. I already had coffee before I came.. By any chance, do you have any tea leaves that Trinity sent over?. I recall the Tea Party sending some Darjeeling Second Flush at the beginning of this month.".
"E-even if you say that, it's not like I'm a Trinity lady.. How am I supposed to know what that is?. Honestly. I did store the tea leaves you sent separately..
I tried brewing them once as a test, but the taste was just…".
"Hmm. Is that so?".
When I gently coaxed her, asking if she wouldn't like to try some tea brewed by a Trinity lady herself, even Ako was easily won over..
Honestly, there's nothing special about the way I brew it..
But as the saying goes, after half a year in the Tea Party, even someone who's barely touched tea in their life can become a decent brewer..
"By the way, you seemed to be in a very good mood earlier.. Did something good happen?".
"Pardon?. Well, it's the first time I've ever seen the Chief come to school exuding such a bright atmosphere.. Of course I'd be happy.. At first, I was furious thinking about all the hardship the Chief would have to endure after getting entangled in your licentious relationship, but if you continue to take care of her like this, I feel like I can let all of that go.".
"A licentious relationship… ahaha. Ahem.".
"…What's with that reaction?. Don't tell me you're shameless enough to try and deny it?. Our Chief is someone who deserves to be loved completely!. Do you understand?!".
"Hey, I know!. Mmm, of course I do.. I'll continue to cherish Hina-chan with all my heart, so you don't have to worry.. And now that our relationship has been exposed thanks to a certain someone, there's no reason we can't see each other whenever we have free time—".
"…Tch!. To cowardly bring up my blunder there… as expected, you really are a Trinity person through and through, Mika-san…!".
"Hey!. No more of that discriminatory talk☆".
"Kyaa?!".
After silencing the chattering Ako, I measured out the tea leaves into the strainer of a teapot and boiled some water separately..
The key is to get the water to about 90 degrees, then slowly pour it into the teapot to steep.. Since I was planning on making iced tea, I used less water than usual..
"…Somehow, this feels unnecessarily professional.".
"Ahaha… To be honest, I think so too.. But it's like cooking; if you follow a set recipe, you rarely fail.. Mmm, though the finer details change depending on personal preference.".
"I am a little curious to see how different it will be from when I brewed it.. Not a lot, just a little.".
"Oh, I don't think it'll be anything to look forward to.. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.".
I placed the teapot and several glasses filled with ice on a tray and headed for Hina's office..
Tea can be a bit of an acquired taste, but since these were tea leaves I had carefully selected and sent over, I hoped Hina would like them..
"Chief, I've brought some tea.".
As I followed Ako, who had entered the office first with the tray, I saw Hina's eyes widen as she spotted me..
The way she quickly turned her head to check her own appearance was just so endearing..
"Ako, if you were coming with Mika, you should have said so…".
"Hey, Hina-chan.. My work finished earlier than expected, so I came to see you☆. Ah, and this is tea I brewed!".
"…R-right. Thanks, Mika.. I'll enjoy it.".
I placed a glass in front of Hina and poured the tea, which, by my standards, had steeped perfectly..
It was inevitable that the aroma would weaken a little as it became iced tea, but the fresh, muscat-like scent, the strong woody notes, and the rich floral fragrance that still filled Hina's office were the essential charms of this tea..
"The scent is a little strong.".
"Ahaha, and this is the weakened version.. By the way, how's work going?".
Hina pushed her documents aside, rested her chin on her hand, and stared intently at the iced tea in front of her..
As I poured drinks for Ako and myself, I casually asked her the question..
It was obvious that Nagisa and Seia were struggling back at the Tea Party in my absence, and a sense of guilt for being here, so far away, began to creep up on me..
It wasn't as if I had been habitually skipping work like the original Mika, which made the feeling of transgression all the more stimulating..
"Well… now that you're here, Mika, I think it will go well from now on.".
"Wa-oh… saying such embarrassing things with Ako-chan right here is a bit much.".
"Pl-please don't mind me.. You can even treat me like I'm not here if you want.. Of course, that doesn't mean I actually want you to treat me like I'm not here!".
…What on earth does she want me to do?. Though, seeing her gaze fixed on Hina, it seems she's simply enjoying this side of her..
Does she just want me to let her watch Hina act naturally, as if they were alone?.
"Here, this is yours, Ako-chan.".
The teapot, now perfectly empty, was placed on the tray..
To my memory, these leaves could be steeped one more time, but I decided to let Ako brew it herself later if she wanted more..
Their initial reaction to the tea's taste was close to ambivalent.. I was busy enjoying the fragrance of the Darjeeling that filled my throat, but for Ako and Hina, it must have been an unfamiliar scent..
"…Hmm, this is quite.".
"I think it's not bad.".
Unlike Ako, whose reaction didn't move much from "ambivalent," Hina seemed to have quickly shifted to "like," no doubt thanks to the "Mika-made-it" bonus..
It wasn't that she disliked it, but it seemed it would be better to find a different kind of tea for Ako..
"Ako-chan, next time I'll make you a cup of Darjeeling First Flush.. Mmm. Finding a tea you like is a journey, so you can't expect to be satisfied on the first try.".
"I-I've said this before, but even if you say that, I don't understand, you know?. What are First Flush and Second Flush, anyway?!".
"Ahahaha!".
It was a simple tea time with an unusual group of members and no snacks, but it was a time of unexpected satisfaction..
"Hey. I'd like to try eating at the Gehenna cafeteria for lunch.. Would that be okay?".
"…Honestly, you really are a Trinity lady.. For us, eating at the cafeteria is the norm, you know?. We're often too busy to have time to go far.".
"Oh?. At Millennium and Trinity, it's common to eat lunch outside the academy.. And the Tea Party is just as busy… You're running out of excuses to use the 'Trinity lady' line, Ako-chan.".
"Th-there are delicious restaurants in Gehenna, too!. Especially the ones that survived the gourmet terrorists are always packed.. But for us, for whom even the time to decide on a lunch menu is a luxury, there's nothing better than the school lunch.. It's surprisingly guaranteed to have at least a minimum level of taste.. And!. The Tea Party has three student presidents, including you, Mika-san?!".
"But if you think about it, the Tea Party is structured to handle the work that Pandemonium Society and the Prefect Team should be doing… Unlike the Prefect Team, which is a separate institution, the Justice Task Force is just a subsidiary of the Tea Party..".
"That's enough, both of you.. There's no need to argue over who has it tougher when you're both struggling.. And as Ako said, Gehenna's school lunch has made a quantum leap in quality this year.. From inedible to a decent lunch.. It's a change that's presumed to be the influence of a new student who joined the School Lunch Club.".
The school lunch of the School Lunch Club, which is still free from the "Hand of Minus" herself, Ushimaki Juri, is sure to be, if not a gourmet meal, at least far more delicious than a normal school lunch..
As I was getting my hopes up, I had a strange, ominous feeling, as if I had forgotten something..
…And the only thing that could explain this ominous feeling was the eternal enemy of the School Lunch Club: the Gourmet Research Society..
Where the needle goes, the thread follows.. This phrase is the most perfect expression to describe the correlation between the School Lunch Club and the Gourmet Research Society, isn't it?.