Camp Dorm
After Mash and Koharu returned, relieved of the book issue, the club shared late-night cream puffs and entered free time.
Hifumi returned, hair damp, in gym clothes instead of her uniform. "All refreshed!" she said.
"Already bathed? Fast," Mash noted.
"More study time this way," Hifumi said.
"Makes sense," Mash nodded.
"If you're tired tomorrow, Hifumi, I'll wash you," Hanako teased.
"N-No thanks!" Hifumi stammered.
"Wash yourself! We're not kids!" Koharu snapped.
"Efficiency, Koharu. Group bathing saves water," Azusa said.
Azusa had a point—four members made solo baths less practical.
"No big bath here, so synchronized washing's tricky… Oh! How about we all jump naked into the pool instead?" Hanako suggested.
"What!? No way! Banned!" Koharu yelled.
"Not a bad idea, but what's the pool's benefit?" Azusa asked.
"The open-air freedom! Imagine baring it all under the sky ♡," Hanako said.
"Freedom… hadn't thought of that," Azusa mused.
"No! Don't imagine it! That's wrong!" Koharu shouted.
Koharu panicked as Azusa considered it seriously, fearing Mash's influence had already warped her. More weirdness was the last thing they needed.
"Don't corrupt Azusa! You're Trinity's only pervert!" Koharu accused.
"Oh, Koharu-chan wants to swim naked too?" Hanako teased.
"Ignoring all logic!? Invincible! I never said that! Swimsuits are justice! You wore one yesterday!" Koharu retorted.
Hanako stepped closer, smirking like a succubus. "Was it really a swimsuit…?"
"What!? If not, what was it!?" Koharu gasped.
"Modern underwear's so advanced—some are waterproof. Hard to tell, no? Or maybe… body paint?" Hanako whispered.
"No way! That swimsuit…!?" Koharu faltered.
"If it wasn't, does it change anything? What's a swimsuit versus underwear? Waterproofing? Skin protection? Design? Exposure? You thought it was a swimsuit then, didn't you?" Hanako pressed.
Koharu grew confused, flustered. Hanako grinned, enjoying it.
"Y-Yeah, but…" Koharu stammered.
"If it was underwear, how do you prove it? Unprovable truths are powerless, no?" Hanako said.
"What are you even saying!?" Koharu cried.
"In short… it was a cute swimsuit, right? ♡" Hanako concluded.
"All a joke!?" Koharu screamed.
"Yup! Your confused face was adorable ♡," Hanako said.
"I hate you!" Koharu wailed.
Hifumi smiled wryly. "So peaceful…"
Azusa, serious, muttered, "The fifth one, huh?"
"!" Hanako froze.
"Fifth what?" Koharu asked.
"What's that, Azusa-chan?" Hifumi said.
"…"
Hanako's shock was clear. Hifumi and Koharu, clueless, exchanged looks.
"Heard about Kivotos' seven ancient precepts. That was the fifth: 'Can the truth of those who reach paradise be proven?' Something like that. Don't know the rest," Azusa said.
"Like… philosophy?" Hifumi asked.
"Sort of. A zen riddle—can an unprovable paradise exist?" Azusa said.
"How do you know that…?" Hanako asked, trembling, her face screaming "no way."
"Who told you that?" Hanako pressed.
"…"
"Seia?" Koharu asked.
"You mean Tea Party's Seia-sama?" Hifumi added.
Seia, the third Tea Party member alongside Mika and Nagisa, whom Mash had met.
"Just something I heard. Nothing more," Azusa said.
"A transfer student, right…" Hanako noted.
Tension hung in the air, making things uneasy.
"Vanitas Vanitatum… that phrase means…" Hanako started, then stopped. "Never mind. It's late—time to sleep."
Hanako smiled as usual, but Hifumi sensed a shadow in her expression.
The Supplementary Lessons Club's night deepened.
Mash's Room, That Night
Mash and Hifumi discussed study plans. As Mash munched a cream puff, Hifumi spoke hesitantly.
"Sensei, about Hanako-chan…" Hifumi said.
"Hm?" Mash mumbled.
Hifumi, pained, pulled a file from her bag. "Model answers and a student's test papers. Found them while searching. They're all from one student, covering last year's exams, grades one to three."
"Perfect scores," Mash muttered, staring. Every answer was marked correct, scores Mash had never achieved.
"If this is true… why?" Mash asked.
"…"
Hifumi's hands clenched, head bowed. Mash read the name: "Urawa… Hanako."
"After finding her first-year results, I saw these. Hanako-chan aced every exam last year, even third-year genius-level courses. She's beyond prodigy," Hifumi said.
"This means…" Mash started.
"Not just skipping grades—she'd breeze through any school test," Hifumi said.
"…"
"I thought her grades tanked this year. But these results… she's deliberately failing," Hifumi concluded.
"Intentionally failing?" Mash echoed.
"Yes," Hifumi said.
Hanako didn't know the club's true purpose or the stakes of failing. To her, flunking was recoverable.
"Why, Hanako-chan…" Hifumi whispered, hurt deeply by Hanako's divergence from their all-in effort.
Camp Lobby, Same Time
Azusa, in uniform, slipped out with a rifle and a cream puff, expression blank as always.
Watching from the shadows, Hanako murmured, "Azusa-chan, patrolling again…?" Her face was heavy with worry.
Next Morning, Classroom
Day three. The club followed the sweet scent of cream puffs, oddly coming from the classroom, not the kitchen. Opening the door, they found no Mash.
"Morning, Sensei—huh?" Hifumi said.
"Not here?" Azusa noted.
"Why're cream puffs in the classroom?" Koharu asked.
"Look," Hanako pointed.
A note on a cream puff tower read: Got business, stepping out. Study on your own 'til I'm back.
"Let's follow instructions and self-study," Hifumi said.
"Got it," Azusa said.
"Okay," Koharu nodded.
"Hehe," Hanako giggled.
They began, waiting for Mash.
Poolside
"Wow, water's in!" Mika cheered, running barefoot. The once-dirty pool now sparkled, Trinity-worthy.
"Haven't seen it filled in forever! Swimming soon? Pool party!?" Mika asked.
"Maybe after camp," Mash said. "Cream puff?"
"Yes! Starving!" Mika grabbed one, her expression strained as she ate.
"By the way…" Mash said, turning serious. "Isonami Mika-san."
"Wooow ☆, sounds like a fun talk, Sensei," Mika replied.
Mash mixed up Seien and Isonami.
That ending! Mika stealing the show—love the chaos! Eden's heavy, but you're weaving it well. Original event tweaks? Go for it—makes it yours!
Comments and ratings super appreciated!
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