I suddenly turned toward the direction of the startled voice and met a pair of wide, crimson eyes filled with both confusion and panic.
"Hasumi…?" I instinctively called out to the Vice Pres of the Justice Task Force, immediately noticing something unusual about her.
On her normally cold, elegant face, near those enticing cherry-red lips, there was an unmistakable smudge of pure white.
Looking down, three limited-edition parfaits (half-eaten) sat on the table in front of Hasumi. One spoon was heaped with parfait, the handle gripped firmly in her hand.
Seeing this scene, it was obvious who the customer had been, the same one the cashier mentioned earlier who bought the last three limited parfaits.
Given how noticeable Hasumi's "wings" were, it made sense that I hadn't noticed her while she was buried in her desserts.
At that moment, two strange thoughts flashed through my mind:
Why did it feel like, whenever I came near a dessert shop around Trinity, I would always run into Hasumi? Was this some kind of fixed spawn point?
And Koharu's "jinx"... it actually works on others too!?
It might have been a coincidence, but just thinking that this was Kivotos made me feel an inexplicable sense of dread.
"Ha-Hasumi-senpai!?"
Koharu, who had been proudly boasting about her respected senior always keeping her promises, now looked both fearful and shocked.
Hanako and I immediately noticed the table in front of Hasumi: "Ah… those are the limited parfaits? Looks like there's quite a few…"
Hasumi lowered her gaze to the parfaits, then looked up at us. Her expression alternated between red and pale, lips moving silently for a while. After steadying herself, she slightly narrowed her eyes, putting on a solemn expression:
"Sensei, and everyone from the Make-Up Work Club…"
At this moment, under the heavy psychological shock, Koharu could only mutter incoherently.
In sharp contrast, Hanako's lips curved into a mischievous smile:
"Hasumi-san, what a coincidence! Ah… eating three parfaits in the middle of the night… I thought you were on a diet, right?"
Faced with Hanako's teasing, Hasumi's composure faltered, and she stammered: "Th-This is because… that…"
"I understand," Hanako nodded knowingly. "You were lured here by the evil desires that struck at night, weren't you?"
"Eh…!? N-no, it's not like that…"
Ignoring Hasumi's protest, Hanako continued with her subtly ambiguous teasing:
"Following your desires to feast, only to realize once reason returns that things have already gotten completely out of hand…"
Seeing Hasumi struggling, I cleared my throat and smoothed things over for her:
"You were probably just hungry during your nightly patrol. You do need to replenish your energy, otherwise it could affect your efficiency."
"Se-sensei… cough! Basically… yes…"
Hasumi's voice trailed off, lacking confidence.
Clearly, she had simply been hungry.
Knowing that Hasumi, despite her words about dieting, would sneak food when hungry, I felt a great sense of relief.
Ahem! Realizing that continuing this topic could be disadvantageous, Hasumi coughed heavily and awkwardly changed the subject:
"Anyway, let's not talk about me. The Make-Up Work Club members are here on a training camp, so you're probably not supposed to go out, right…"
Just as the atmosphere was about to turn tense:
"…let's just pretend none of us saw anything."
Hasumi whispered softly, and the girls of the Make-Up Work Club all relaxed.
Koharu finally mustered the courage to timidly greet: "Ha-Hasumi-senpai…"
Turning to her junior, Hasumi offered a warm smile and asked with concern: "Koharu, are you studying hard?"
"Ah… well, um…"
For the easily flustered Koharu, this was difficult to answer. I quickly stepped in to respond:
"Lately, Koharu's grades have improved significantly, haven't they?"
"Y-yes…!" Hifumi chimed in, "As long as Koharu-chan keeps this up, she'll definitely pass!"
"I see… that's good to hear."
Hasumi nodded, her expression softening further: "That's wonderful. I told you before, Koharu. You can do it. Just like I said back then…"
I knew "back then" referred to a few days ago, when Hasumi accompanied Koharu to return the prohibited books to the Justice Task Force storage room and spoke to her privately.
Indeed, it turned out just as I expected.
"…Ehehe." Koharu scratched the back of her head, embarrassed, smiling sheepishly. "I just didn't want to let Hasumi-senpai down."
"I'll keep cheering for you, Koharu. I look forward to the day you return to the Justice Task Force and join us on missions."
"I will do my best…!"
Watching this harmonious interaction between the two clubmates, I couldn't help but think of the scheming rivalry between two other student council presidents at the same school.
Mika and Nagisa, who had even grown up together.
Suddenly, a sharp ringtone broke the moment.
"Contacted at a time like this…?"
Hasumi frowned slightly and answered: "Hmm… Ichika? What is it?"
I heard Ichika's voice through the phone: "Hasumi-senpai, a slight problem has occurred. Where are you now?"
"A problem…? Can you explain?"
"There are reports of suspected Gehenna students intruding near the school and indiscriminately attacking Trinity's facilities."
"An attack…" Hasumi's brows shot up. "Is it Gehenna's Prefect Team!? Or has the Pandemonium finally revealed its true nature…!?"
Why did the second part of that sentence sound familiar?
"No, it's not… that is—"
Before Ichika could finish, Hasumi sharply interrupted: "Whoever it is, they're trying to interfere with the Eden Treaty…! How many squads? Where exactly is the facility!?"
"Please calm down, senpai. It's not the Gehenna Prefect Team. Their forces are small, currently only four confirmed."
"Not the Prefect Team… four people…?"
"Yes. As for the place being attacked…" Ichika paused. "It seems to be the aquarium."
Hearing that, an inexplicable chill of déjà vu ran down my spine.