MTLNOVEL D.U. is a tall building in Shiratori district.
The office on the top floor, overlooking the view of D.U., is currently rented by Heungsinso 68, which is rising as a new powerhouse in the underworld. The only thing that cannot be seen from there is just Sanctum Tower.
“Uhuhuh. The amount in the account is steadily increasing. Since our name has spread in this industry… if we keep this up, it won’t be long before we become Kivotos’ number one outlaw, a hard-boiled villain with no pity or tears!”
“Well, it’s only increased by 500,000 yen in three months♪”
“Th-that’s the rent…!”
“Haah… The boss insisted that we set up an office near Sanctum Tower in D.U. And the real problem isn’t the rent, it’s how much we burn through while completing requests.”
“If a business is aiming for the top, having an office like this is a must! Requests come in that much, right?! This office is basically the face of our Heungsinso! Plus, it’s a place where the Student Council can’t just waltz in…”
“Ahaha! As much as requests come in, we spend it all, Aru-chan.”
“…Shut up! That’s an investment! If we can proudly claim a 100% success rate for requests, even if we don’t have anything left now, we definitely will in the future! And it’s not Aru-chan; it’s President!”
“But today is a day off for us, right?”
“…Umm. That aside, it seems like Haruka is running a bit late.”
Aru, who became a victim of workplace bullying aimed at the boss, quickly changed the subject. Mitsuki, who was chuckling, and Kayoko, who was dusting off the cases of CDs piled up in one spot, briefly paused at that point.
“A-Aru-chan. Did you call for me…?”
As if waiting for her name to be mentioned, the office door opened, and Haruka appeared, holding a delivery box and asking in a timid voice. On top of the parcel was a bag containing the convenience store lunch they planned to eat for breakfast.
“I did… but that delivery, Haruka?”
“I picked it up from the security office…”
“Hee. Let’s see… it’s from Trinity?”
“Huh, huh? Was there a delivery coming from Trinity?”
Aru, who couldn’t think of anyone from Trinity who would send a package, was approached by Kayoko, who quickly hit the nail on the head.
“…President, who do you think we owe this office to?”
“Hanuma Makoto?”
“That’s one way to look at it, but…”
It was a correct answer, but somewhat different from what Kayoko was trying to highlight.
“Ahah! I know who it is~♪”
“Ah. Don’t tell me, that, VIP…? No, Misono Mika?”
“Kuhuhu. So Aru-chan thinks of that person as a VIP, huh?”
“It’s not like that! It’s just that it means they might need our help someday…!”
“…For free? The T-party host isn’t the kind of person who could use our help, whether as an individual or group.”
“Right. Angel-chan is super strong. She probably has a lot of subordinates. Plus, she has to have a bunch of money too?”
“Shivers. She’s a scary person.”
“…Shut up! Everyone be quiet! We have our own things in the underworld that we can help with, right? Like eliminating political rivals. Or plotting behind the scenes with other academy autonomous districts. Or, after Kayoko’s birthday, legally getting cigarettes or alcohol instead…!”
“…Haah. I can’t believe the lady from Trinity would ask for such things. The first two are plausible, but knowing her character, she wouldn’t think of making us do something like that.”
As Aru couldn’t refute Kayoko’s words and only groaned, Mitsuki naturally started to unwrap the delivery. The admiration that burst out upon seeing the contents was just a bonus.
“…Wow! This is a Christmas gift?! As expected, Angel-chan is totally sweet!”
“Wha-What…?!”
“Now that I think about it, we never sent anything in return.”
“Ahah, turns out that’s true. What should we do, Aru-chan? It seems like Angel-chan might be a little disappointed~?”
“I-I’m sorry, Aru-chan! I should have taken care of that and prepared something! Should I die? Dying seems to be the right thing to do?! I’ll do it!”
“Ugh! It’s fine! Misono Mika will understand with a generous heart. So we just need to return the favor with a New Year’s gift, right?!”
Feeling her head spinning, Aru tried to rationalize and comfort Haruka while Mitsuki passed the gift box to her. Now that she thought about it, the fact that there was only one box meant it wasn’t a gift for each individual at Heungsinso. Perhaps that was a relief, and Aru sighed as she ripped open the wrapping.
“…?!”
“What’s this?! Is this real gold? The letters are pretty too.”
“Is someone like me really worthy of receiving something like this…?”
“Hey, it looks like my title and Mitsuki’s are swapped here.”
“Huh? Wait, really!”
There were a total of four gold nameplates, each inscribed with the names of everyone at Heungsinso. While somewhere an Chairperson had been gleeful about receiving a special gift, Heungsinso ended up with four of the same.
Seeing the gift, Aru couldn’t help but think, is this the financial power of Trinity…? And then she noticed one irritating detail.
At almost the same time, Kayoko also realized that their titles were written in reverse order.
“W-Wait, does that mean we need to swap Mitsuki’s title with Kayoko’s?! More importantly, why are all four nameplates gold? It makes me feel like the president isn’t special at all!”
“…No, if you look closely, Aru’s nameplate is a bit bigger and fancier.”
“Kuhuhu, let’s just overlook the titles. I’ll have to tease Angel-chan about this when we meet again~! And Aru-chan, how about we try thinking outside the box?”
“Thinking outside the box…?”
“It gives the impression that even our low-ranking employees get gold nameplates, right? It should intimidate those coming to put in requests, and maybe they’ll think our fees are more expensive because of that~?”
Without realizing it, Aru began to think there was some truth in Mitsuki’s words and started seriously contemplating what to give in return for New Year’s as a sign of her affection.
“No, really, a gift like this doesn’t suit me at all… It’d be better to melt it down… No, it’s better to embellish your nameplate with more gold instead…!”
“In the first place, there isn’t that much gold to melt down, Haruka.”
“W-What?! I can’t even help Aru-chan; at this rate, it would be better to die…”
After a comparatively tumultuous period since the inception, Heungsinso 68 finds itself ahead of even more tumultuous days ahead.
*
…Ah. What a bother.
Hmm.
But still, I should do what I need to do.
I pushed away my blanket and lifted my body. A strand of messy hair tickled my nose, so I huffed and blew it away.
Thanks to ETO’s trial operation, it’s unclear whether to say I’m off work or off school. In any case, leaving Gehenna Campus has changed to such an early hour compared to before.
But the newfound free time turned into time dripping with sweat after entering preparation for an idol debut. This feels like I was totally scammed…
I confirmed the gifts from Iori, Aco, and Nagisa, as well as other members with whom I recently forged bonds, along with the gifts Senna had sent, all on the evening of Christmas.
…The most captivating one was undeniably the miniature figure of myself sent by Makoto, clearly meant to mock me. I smashed it the instant I saw it.
The only gift I hadn’t opened yet among the ones I received was the one Misono Mika had given me on our date before.
Despite the reduced workload, the position of the Student Council President doesn’t easily allow for days off. Gehenna is a place where accidents tend to increase on students’ days off.
It’s tiresome, unfair, and annoying, but… the same goes for today, Boxing Day. Since I didn’t have much time in the morning, I decided to leave Mika’s gift until last.
Gulp.
“…That can’t be it.”
What I had foolishly expected when I first saw the size of the gift box was a ring. But Mika wouldn’t pass on a ring like this. Given what I’ve seen of her, she’d slyly take my hand and slip the ring on before returning it to me without any fuss.
Then what could this gift be? Nothing particularly comes to mind. It could just be jewelry…?
Carefully unwrapping the paper, I revealed a box with a luxuriously branded label. It was from a high-end brand I had seen when browsing for a gift for Mika.
So it ended up being jewelry after all, but she didn’t send something like Haruna’s wing accessory, did she…? Probably not. My wings aren’t that pretty like Haruna’s.
It seemed like it might be a wristwatch, but when I opened the box, what I found was an antiquated design of a platinum locket.
Surprisingly size-wise, when opened, one side resembled a pocket watch. Not a wristwatch, but it looks like I was half right in my assumptions.
And on the other side…
“…”
There was a photo of Mika kissing my forehead, taken who-knows-when snuggled in.
…If I had mustered the courage a little earlier, the spot in that photo might have been different. Is it true that regrets can never come early enough?
I closed the locket and carefully hung it around my neck. The chain was surprisingly short. Since I sometimes get into trouble, I didn’t plan on wearing it outside of my clothes, so I like that it fits perfectly.
…Thinking back, there wasn’t really any need to have a photo of us kissing in there.
To be honest, I enjoyed feeling spoiled in front of Mika. In her presence, I could fully expose my weak self.
Someone who shares similar struggles and can embrace my weakness. That’s why Mika is unique, precious, and special.
If the kiss I received on Christmas Eve from Mika was filled with love, then the kiss she laid on my forehead was like a baptism that filled my deficiencies.
…Baptism? At this rate, I might not be cut out to be a devil at all. Finding peace in the angel’s embrace might mean I’ve already gone as far as I can.
I unfolded a letter that Mika must have written with utmost sincerity. The densely packed handwriting on the letter was a blur to my eyes.
Our first meeting. Our friendship. The bond we’ve woven together without a chance to catch our breath. And our vision.
Mika’s letter, earnest and raw, though not a literary masterpiece, was filled with her genuine feelings.
…I hadn’t thought to write something like that.
Every time I think about it, even separated, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming love that doesn’t feel deserving. Even if we were to part more than this, I’m doubtful I could break free from the love she gives me. That I don’t want to escape is a separate story.
[To the beloved Gehenna Student Council President, Sorasaki Hina. Merry Christmas♡]
“…”
I closed the letter. Come to think of it, the first letter Mika and I exchanged is still kept somewhere in my office.
It would be better to cherish this one along with those.
While my heart raced and my face flushed hot, it was beyond my capability to calm down, but it was a relief that by the time I got to school, things would have settled down.
Throughout my preparation for going out, a smile had not faded from my lips. The corners of my mouth stayed up even when I saw Makoto’s face printed on a flag hanging on campus.
Of course, I made sure to leave an empty strap on the flag for disturbing the peace before continuing my steps towards the Student Council headquarters.
…However.
“Aco?”
“Ah, President. Good morning!”
“That outfit, what is it…?”
“Mika-chan sent it to me as a somewhat belated birthday gift.”
“…”
Seeing Aco donning the Trinity uniform after becoming friends with Mika was something I could hardly adjust to.
Can you even gift a different academy’s uniform… especially a Student Council uniform, like this?
“Right. So what’s that massage chair about?”
“Honestly, I didn’t plan on wearing this tacky uniform, but the reason I had to wear it is this. Mika-chan told me, ‘Hoo, please send me a confirmation shot of you using the massage chair in this!’”
“…”
So the very outfit gifted as a birthday present from her own academy was to be used for a photo, which would ensure she’d be put on the spot by the Christmas gift of a massage chair.
…There are moments when I genuinely wonder what Mika thinks about in her daily life.
I guess this is one of those moments.