A little after eight in the morning, I arrived early outside the cell where Mika was being held.
I did not wait long before the Tea Party guard I was familiar with finished reporting my arrival and brought me the expected good news.
"Sensei, Miss Mika said she's willing to see you."
Then she could not help asking curiously,
"Forgive my rudeness, but... did something happen between the two of you?"
That really was a good question.
She had refused to see me the entire time, yet the moment I said I would never come again, she suddenly changed her mind.
As expected, the astonishing wisdom of Kivotos pink-haired girls was beyond ordinary people's comprehension.
After some thought, I sighed emotionally.
"As the saying goes, sincerity can move even mountains. I imagine my persistence must have touched Mika."
The girl in front of me, who had been helping pass along fake visitation messages to Mika every day, twitched at the corner of her mouth before giving me a polite yet awkward smile.
"I-I see..."
"Hehe, just kidding."
I smiled and patted her head.
"Still, thank you for your help."
"Ah, y-you're too polite. It was only a small favor..."
After that, the Tea Party security member responsible for guarding the area led me to a door adorned with elegant classical patterns.
After repeatedly confirming that I wanted to speak with Mika alone and did not need accompaniment, and repeatedly warning me to immediately sound the alarm if anything unusual happened, she finally opened the door for me.
The first thing I saw was Mika sitting on the sofa, our eyes meeting instantly.
Only after the guard excused herself, left the room, and closed the door behind her was the silence finally broken.
"Hahahaha∼ You finally came, huh∼ Mm... though since we didn't agree on a specific time, I guess it doesn't count as being late?"
Mika greeted me enthusiastically.
"Sensei, just pick anywhere you like and sit. No need to be polite, okay? Well, though in this shabby prison cell, there really aren't many places to sit anyway∼"
However, after glancing around the room, I realized that aside from the airtight walls and reinforced iron bars, Mika's "cell," at least judging from the living room, was basically a luxury apartment.
The decor and furnishings were lavish, with only some inconveniences, such as lacking firearms or ammunition and other daily necessities.
Even imprisoned as a criminal, her current living environment was still vastly superior to that of ordinary Trinity students, let alone captured Arius students.
Rather than imprisonment, it felt more like she had come here for a "wine vacation," similar to what Ako had originally planned for Hina.
Perhaps for a truly pampered young lady, these conditions really did count as shabby.
Still, since Mika told me to sit wherever I wanted, the spot beside her seemed pretty empty.
"Heeh∼ What exactly are you hesitating about, sensei?"
Seeing me remain standing for so long, Mika asked with great interest,
"This isn't your first time entering a girl's home, is it? Well, even if this is technically a prison cell. Don't tell me you're embarrassed? Hahahaha∼ Just joking. The make-up class training camp barely counts too, right? Living under the same roof for two whole weeks with four young, beautiful girls!"
Actually, this really was my first time entering one within a few hours' timeframe.
Seeing how unfriendly her words were, I ultimately chose to sit on the sofa opposite her across the coffee table.
Afterward, Mika took the initiative to pour me a cup of black tea and casually said,
"Sorry about this. Even though I'm rarely in the mood to entertain you, sensei, all I've got here is some pretty average tea. There's no decent dessert either, aside from leftover Swiss rolls from breakfast..."
If you've got something that good then why not bring it out!?
Complaining internally, I asked,
"Student Mika... why did you suddenly decide to see me today?"
"My~ sensei, you really remember my request well, don't you?"
Mika pondered briefly before smiling.
"Eh, forget it. Calling me that really does feel way too distant, like you're deliberately trying to keep your distance. We're already pretty close, right? Why not switch to something more affectionate∼"
After speaking at length, perhaps because she felt thirsty, or perhaps because she wanted to appear calm and composed before me, she gracefully lifted her teacup with the exact same elegant posture Nagisa used.
Though on Mika, it looked strangely unnatural.
After some thought, I slipped a hand into my pocket and turned on the recorder before smoothly replying,
"Alright, honey."
Mika suddenly froze.
Then, choking on her tea, she whipped her head aside and sprayed the entire mouthful onto the floor before breaking into violent coughing.
"Pff, cough cough cough cough cough!"
"Honey, are you alri..."
"That's enough already!"
Mika interrupted loudly, abruptly standing up and nearly slamming the teacup onto the table.
The way she looked at me returned to cold disgust and disdain.
"Every single time I try to show you even a little respect, you say something like that! Who exactly gave you permission to call me that? Even taking someone's polite words seriously should have limits, shouldn't it? Ah, don't tell me you've mistaken some delusion for reality. Just because I kissed you once, you think that means you and I are... Seriously disgusting!"
Honestly, considering how low her affection toward me was, it was only natural she would react this way.
Fortunately, I had a legitimate reason.
Only after she vented her emotions did I shrug and calmly say,
"Seia told me to do it."
"...Huh?"
In an instant, the furious Mika calmed down and stared blankly.
"Seia-chan? Told you to call me that...? Huh? Why? You're kidding, right? Huh?"
Suddenly, with the redness still lingering on her cheeks, her eyes lit up and she revealed a smile filled with both mockery and confidence.
"Ahh, so that's it. This is Seia-chan's revenge, right? Actually going out of her way to make you say things that'd make me hate you... Hahahaha∼ That really is so like Seia-chan∼"
As expected of a pink-haired girl.
Though honestly, seeing how violently Mika reacted, I suspected Seia might really have had that intention.
Having reached that conclusion, Mika started complaining to me instead.
"Really now, sensei, you actually obediently went through with it∼ Sigh... Did you even consider how hearing that would make me feel?"
By the end of that sentence, Mika's smile had once again vanished.
I fell silent briefly.
"Sorry. But I already promised her."
"Heh. You really are the type who'll desperately follow through once you've promised something."
Mika sat back down and lowered her head, tidying her pure white wings adorned with countless small accessories.
"By the way, sensei, was that really the only reason you kept coming to see me every day?"
Even though she was not looking at me, I still felt as though her gaze was fixed tightly upon me.
I took a deep breath, fully aware that my next answer might be extremely important.
...But no matter how bad it went, how much worse could it really get?