The handover went more smoothly than I had expected.
The members of the Gourmet Research Society, upon seeing Hina arrive in person, didn't shrink back at all. Instead, they even tried to chat and joke with her, fully displaying their brazen, outlaw-like nature.
As for the mysteriously missing Izumi, Hina, finding it too much trouble, didn't ask further questions, rendering all the explanations I had prepared completely unnecessary.
"…All loaded, and we're ready to depart."
After securing the four students into the ambulance, Sena, sitting in the passenger seat, leaned out the window and called down to Hina, who was still lingering below, hesitant to get in:
"…Wait a moment."
The petite, white-haired girl then walked up to me, lifting her solemn face and staring directly into my eyes with her purple irises:
"Sensei… what have you been doing in Trinity lately?"
I understood the meaning behind her question. It wasn't an accusation; there was genuine concern hidden beneath it.
Lately, I had been coming and going from Trinity frequently, and even stayed there long-term without returning to Schale. Naturally, the intelligence department of the Prefect Team would have taken notice.
Ordinarily, this wouldn't matter. But at this delicate time, such behavior could be interpreted as signaling that my favor leaned more toward Trinity.
It was only natural that someone as kind and gentle as Hina, even if she didn't have romantic feelings, might worry about me.
"Thank you for your concern. Schale, as a neutral organization, hasn't changed its stance. I'm here solely as an advisor to the Make-Up Work Club."
"The issue isn't what you say," Hina replied with a trace of complaint, "but what others might think."
Indeed, whether misunderstandings arose would mostly depend on Gehenna's perception.
Even though I could probably guess her answer, I asked anyway: "Then, what do you think, Hina?"
"I… of course… if it's sensei, you wouldn't do something like that… Ah, sorry. Please just pretend I didn't say anything."
Clearly, Hina was a little embarrassed to reveal her true feelings, she had obviously been quietly in love with me for quite some time.
Suppressing the urge to tease her, I composed myself and said:
"By the way, I actually have a question I'd like to ask you."
"A question…?"
"Yes." I nodded. "Hina, what is your perspective on the Eden Treaty?"
As the head of the Prefect Team and Gehenna's representative, she might offer a fresh perspective different from the members of the Tea Society.
I proceeded to explain my current situation to Hina. Naturally, to honor my agreement with Seia and to avoid dragging Hina, a Gehenna official, too deeply into things, I omitted the sensitive parts. Well namely, Seia's status and the interactions between Mika and Arius.
For everything else, the truth behind the Make-Up Work Club, Nagisa's attempt to identify a traitor within Trinity, and Mika's speculations about Nagisa, I told her the gist.
"I see…" The white-haired girl looked thoughtful. "Sensei is in quite a complicated situation. Everyone's statements are intertwined, it's hard to tell who's telling the truth and who's lying…"
I corrected her: "It's not necessarily that anyone is lying. People simply interpret events differently, so reaching different conclusions is normal."
Hina couldn't help but mutter: "Sensei, it's hard to tell whether you're cautious or overly optimistic…"
Neither, really.
I simply choose to give everyone a necessary degree of trust, nothing more.
Especially considering Seia's ability to foresee the future.
"…By the way, is it okay to tell me such important things?"
"Of course it is," I replied casually. "It's not exactly that important anyway."
These were all matters that, regardless of the outcome, could easily be investigated by the Prefect Team's intelligence team. And given Hina's personality, even if she knew beforehand, she wouldn't interfere proactively.
"Besides, I trust you," I added.
Hina suddenly widened her eyes, staring at me for a long moment, then looked away and muttered softly:
"…That must be one of sensei's flaws."
I nodded in agreement: "Yes, even you, Hina, have fallen for my exceptional charm… Sorry, don't stare at me like that, let's get back to the matter at hand."
Her sharp, dangerous gaze softened gradually. Hina sighed and returned to the previous topic:
"The Eden Treaty is a military alliance… Hmm, that's an interesting perspective. But on second thought, it's really the idea of Misono Mika, isn't it?"
Was she subtly implying that Mika's opinion was nonsense?
Suppressing a laugh, I interjected: "Speaking of which, you met her in the Abydos Desert last time."
Hina nodded: "Yes, although our contact was brief while countering Kaiser PMC's forces, she is just as the rumors say… both spoiled and extremely capable. Even without using her full strength, she is at least on par with Arius."
Arius… yes, Arius.
Better to get back to the main topic.
"However, some of the intelligence seems unreliable."
Hina suddenly mentioned this, piquing my curiosity.
She didn't leave it vague: "It's just my impression, but as the current representative of the Patel faction, Mika herself doesn't seem as radical as her faction claims. Well, for a faction leader with competent political skills, that's fairly basic."
Clearly, Mika was not radical.
I asked: "So you mean…?"
Hina thought for a moment: "Does she truly, as she claims, genuinely dislike Gehenna? Or is it just influence from her surroundings and pressure from her faction? But as I said, I've only met her once, so these are just guesses without concrete evidence. Sensei, you needn't worry too much."
I silently nodded.
In my mind, Hina's words about Mika were actually about me.
From my perspective, Mika did dislike Gehenna, and part of her dislike for me probably stemmed from that.
"In any case, regarding the nature of the Eden Treaty," Hina returned to the original topic, "I do not agree with Mika's view. I believe it is indeed a peace treaty."
"Is that so?"
"The Eden Treaty Organization (ETO), created under the treaty… even if seen as an armed group, cannot be controlled solely by Nagisa. Makoto also wields the same authority as Nagisa. Furthermore, other Tea Society members and members of Pandemonium Society share authority to a significant degree. So it's hard to imagine ETO losing control because of a single individual's will."
She paused: "Of course, if the situation required full cooperation, theoretically anything could happen… But then, if that were possible, the two schools could have just merged from the start. And Makoto… can't really cooperate with others anyway."
On this last point, I personally had a small disagreement.
But given Hina's relationship with Makoto, her conclusion was understandable.
Overall, the insights from the Prefect Team head were certainly valuable for me.
"By the way," I asked, "if I remember correctly, it's actually you, Hina, pushing the Eden Treaty on Gehenna's side, right? Can I ask why?"
From Trinity's side, Nagisa supports the treaty to avoid exhausting the balance of power; Mika opposes it to reconcile with Arius. What about Gehenna's perspective?
"…It's complicated. If the treaty succeeds, maybe I could retire," Hina replied unexpectedly but the answer made sense given her personality. "If ETO is successfully established, Gehenna's order will improve greatly. Then even if I'm no longer the head of the Prefect Team, it won't matter."
For a moment, I didn't know how to respond.
I understood Gehenna's chaotic situation. Hina had always been driven by a sense of duty, forcing herself to oppose her natural laziness, even becoming a workaholic in others' eyes.
But I had not expected her to actually consider retirement…
Indeed, if circumstances change, the requirements for the position change as well, and the originally irreplaceable person can be replaced.
"Prefect Team head, ready yet?"
Sena poked her head out the window.
"…Yes, I'll be there now."
Hina glanced at me: "Thank you, Sensei. See you next time…"
With that, she turned toward the ambulance.
"Hina," I called, locking eyes with her deep violet orbs full of doubt, "no matter what, I'll support you."
"Mm… thank you… I understand."
On that usually serious and businesslike face, a faint smile appeared.
Then, as if remembering something, Hina asked with confirmation in her voice: "Sensei will protect the Make-Up Work Club, right?"
"Yes. Isn't that my duty?"
"…I see… then, goodbye."
I watched as the ambulance disappeared into the distance at the end of the bridge.