I had already roughly guessed why Hanako had deliberately done poorly on the test.
However, whether or not to tell Hifumi should be Hanako's own choice.
"…I'm sorry, I can't say," Hanako said sincerely. "It's for my very private reason… But don't worry, Hifumi-chan. Now that you know the truth, I'll make sure not to hold anyone back in the upcoming evaluation exams. I've already made a promise with someone, you see."
As she spoke, her expression remained calm on the surface, but secretly, she tugged lightly at my sleeve.
If Hifumi hadn't been present, I probably would have reached over to grasp Hanako's mischievous little hand… But precisely because Hifumi was there, Hanako dared to tease me this way.
Hifumi first lightly patted her chest and sighed in relief, then cautiously asked, "I really don't mean to pry. If Hanako-chan doesn't want to say, that's fine. I just wanted to confirm… um, about Hanako's issue... Sensei, has that been resolved…?"
I understood. Hifumi was still worried whether Hanako, who had deliberately done poorly before, might run into trouble again.
The topic Hifumi wanted to discuss with me tonight, most likely, was also to arrange a three-way meeting with Hanako. The timing happened to be perfect.
Hanako blinked in surprise, then shyly smiled and suddenly pressed my arm against her soft side:
"Hehe, I didn't expect Hifumi-chan to be so sensitive. You guessed right, but even this matter is a little secret between Sensei and me. Can you please keep it to yourself too?"
I couldn't help raising my voice. "What are you saying again that's going to get people all the wrong ideas!?"
"Eh? Did I say something wrong?"
Hanako relaxed slightly and smiled. "It feels a little embarrassing to say, but even now, there have been quite a few people trying to get close to me. If others knew that Sensei might know why I became a problem student, it could cause you trouble, right?"
I immediately realized that she had misunderstood the purpose of the Sisterhood's visit… No, thinking from another angle, what she was hinting at now probably did include a portion of the truth.
"Hanako-chan, Sensei, don't worry. I absolutely won't tell anyone else," Hifumi promised sincerely.
Seeing her so earnest, Hanako's smile grew even brighter. "Thank you, Hifumi-chan. From now on, the three of us have a little secret together… By the way, aside from us, does anyone else know that failing all three evaluation exams means expulsion?"
Hifumi nodded. "Yes. No one else knows yet, aside from us…"
"I see…" Hanako murmured thoughtfully. "In that case, Azusa-chan's unease probably isn't about the exams. There must be something else going on that I don't know about…"
Regarding this matter, nothing could be considered absolute.
I knew that Azusa had transferred to Trinity at Mika's arrangement, and as a Tea Party member, Mika had long known the truth about the Make-Up Work Club. It wouldn't be surprising if Azusa got her information from Mika.
But there was another point of doubt here.
If Azusa's sleepless nights were caused by fear of expulsion, then logically, after learning that I promised to protect her, Mika should have arranged a simple three-person meeting with Azusa to ease her worries. That wouldn't have taken much time.
Mika, being able to swallow her pride and ask for help from someone she disliked and looked down upon, wouldn't have ignored such details, right?
So there must be a deeper layer of truth.. either concerning Azusa, or Mika herself.
"…No, rather than that, I'm more curious about the real reason this Make-Up Work Club exists," Hanako said, stroking her chin and muttering to herself. "Mika-chan… probably couldn't do something like this. The only one capable of this is Nagisa-chan. But why now, just as the Eden Treaty is about to be signed…? No, could it be that it's precisely because of this that…"
After thinking a little, she concluded: "…I see. So this Make-Up Work Club was established to gather anyone who might interfere with the Eden Treaty, right?"
No wonder she was such a talent, sought after by every faction at Trinity and even considered a candidate for the next Tea Party.
She had managed to deduce nearly the whole truth just from the information at hand.
Hanako shook her head in admiration. "This really is Nagisa-chan's style. She's just like a sly cat, as always."
"A cat… a cat…?" Hifumi echoed hesitantly.
I also froze for a moment but then thought that the description was strangely apt.
…Once all this is over, maybe I should buy some cat-themed accessories and beg Nagisa to wear them for me.
This made my determination to protect her even stronger!
"Since it's more efficient to handle everything together, that's probably the logic," Hanako continued, somewhat dissatisfied. "I can't help but feel we're being treated like laundry to be sorted."
Recalling how Nagisa had annoyed me to the point that I had to call her full name in frustration, I suspected the reality was far more extreme than Hanako realized.
"…Sensei must have been tricked by Nagisa too," Hanako added sympathetically.
I turned to meet her gaze.
"Using the pretense of 'helping students who are struggling' to exploit Sensei's kindness and make you take on this responsibility… it's really about making use of Schale's authority that transcends regulations."
That wasn't entirely true. At least, the one who had insisted most strongly on inviting me was probably Mika. Nagisa likely didn't want to involve me in this whirlpool initially.
Of course, this doesn't mean Mika bears all the responsibility. She has her own reasons…
And I didn't mind any of that.
"But on the other hand," Hanako suddenly shifted tone and looked at me affectionately, "Sensei was simply doing your best for us… Thank you. Sensei, you really are a kind person, hehe~ And for all the misunderstandings before, can you forgive me?"
I felt a little uneasy. "I was just doing what needed to be done… Besides, I wouldn't hold it against you anyway…"
"…Oh."
For some reason, Hanako seemed a little displeased.
Hifumi, standing by, listened wide-eyed and, once Hanako had finished, clapped her hands in admiration. "Hanako-chan, that's amazing… You're like a detective."
Hanako replied, "I just did what I could."
Could she really be mad now!? Why!?
Just as I was feeling anxious, oblivious Hifumi said:
"[The Traitor of Trinity]… Nagisa-sama wants me to find them."