Around the time Mizuhi and her group had established contact with Kūna Mirume, Fectom Academy was about to witness a historic moment.

“—Alright, that concludes the procedure. Thank you for your hard work.”

In the Fectom Academy’s student council room.

Facing Miroku and Toa, Agiri Rinka nodded in satisfaction after confirming the signed document.

It bore the signature of Aohoshi Miroku, the student council president of Fectom Academy, officially agreeing to operate as a sister school to Mikage Academy.

When it came to negotiations, no one surpassed Rinka, who had honed her skills during the Silver Twilight Era.

It was only natural that she was chosen to represent the student council president as a proxy.

“Dealing with someone competent sure makes things easier. We wrapped this up thirty minutes ahead of schedule. Right, Mihaya?”

“Indeed. With this, other schools won’t be able to use Demonsgear as an excuse to invade so easily.”

As Mihaya spoke, she glanced at Demonsgear—Shieru—who sat silently beside Miroku with her eyes closed.

“Moreover, Mikage Academy’s affiliated companies are expected to sponsor Fectom Academy. This place should become much more presentable.”

The run-down buildings and the neglected garden.

Honestly, Mihaya was amazed the school had managed to survive until now.

(Operating without sponsors… No, perhaps they were deliberately kept in such a state.)

The numerous cracks in Fectom Academy were remnants of exploitation by Kiso Academy.

There was no tourist district to generate income, and the only residential area was the dormitory.

Calling Fectom Academy a school was almost a stretch; it was practically a shell of its former self.

(No wonder Kei was so desperate to help.)

Even Mihaya, who had no personal ties to the school, felt a strong urge to do something.

For Kei, who had a deeper connection to the academy, that feeling must have been even stronger.

Though she didn’t fully understand why she was chosen to witness this contract signing, Mihaya saw it as an opportunity to learn about Fectom’s current state.

(Also, the issue is…)

Mihaya casually glanced at Toa.

But Toa immediately let out a small shriek and averted her gaze.

(Moon Palace Toa, wasn’t it? Ah, that disastrous first encounter.)

Mihaya sighed inwardly.

It was their third meeting.

The second was during the rescue at Kiso Academy.

The first… when Kei saved her in the dungeon, only for her to lash out at him afterward.

She could guess that her first impression wasn’t great.

To add to that, Toa seemed a bit frightened.

When they first met, Toa had bravely stood up to protect Kei.

But now, clinging tightly to Miroku’s side, this seemed to be her true self.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Eek! Y-Yes!”

“We’re both first-years, right? Let’s be friends.”

Mihaya smiled warmly.

Seeing her smile, Toa timidly nodded.

Watching the interaction, Rinka exchanged a glance with Miroku and shrugged.

Then she spoke casually to Toa and Miroku.

“Oh, by the way.”

“Hm?”

“I love Kei more than anyone else. Super, super love him. Please take care of me.”

“Eh… Eh!?”

The atmosphere instantly shifted.

The solemn, peaceful student council room suddenly felt as tense and sharp as a battlefield.

The previously tranquil scene became a stage for subtle maneuvering.

“What… exactly do you mean by that?”

“Nothing strange. Just your typical romantic feelings. We’re at that age, after all.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Why are you telling us this?”

Miroku gulped down her precious cup of tea in one go, her face strained with a forced smile.

Seeing this, Toa abruptly stood up.

“I-I-I’ll make some tea!”

Without waiting for a reply, Toa bolted out of the room.

A tactical retreat.

One participant down.

Left with no choice, Miroku had to face Rinka herself.

“Since we’re becoming sister schools and all, I thought we could cooperate. Kei’s there, so maybe you could make things… convenient?”

“Rinka, that’s personal business. Let’s save that for another time—”

“Couple seats at the Chromer Music Institute’s live event. Touraku’s favorite band is performing, and I’ve confirmed he’s free that day.”

“…I’ll allow thirty minutes.”

Poor Mihaya.

The reason Rinka chose Mihaya was simple—she was easy to handle.

Mihaya, sharp but emotionally driven, was an ideal target for Rinka.

The second candidate was Touraku, but his presence would complicate matters further.

“Well, with the chaperone’s permission, will you support my love story with Kei?”

“Let’s discuss that another day. Slowly. Thoroughly.”

Miroku exhaled deeply, regaining her composure.

Although her eyes hinted at resolve, Rinka remained unfazed.

“You two are just senior and junior, right?”

“Y-Yes! He’s a trustworthy junior. And I’m hoping he’ll take over as student council president in the future.”

“…Wait, what?”

Surprised by the unexpected revelation, Mihaya carefully stored her concert ticket in her Divegear’s expanded storage.

“So, you don’t see Kei as attractive? He’s quite handsome, no?”

“W-Well, um, I mean… he is.”

Next to the flustered Miroku, Shieru opened her eyes wide.

“Miroku is unsettled. Please show some restraint.”

“Nana, please stop.”

“Understood.”

Shieru calmly closed her eyes again.

Despite this apparent master-servant dynamic, they weren’t contracted, which was surprising.

“Anyway, I don’t have any romantic feelings for Kei. Absolutely not!”

Rinka smiled mischievously and bowed her head.

“Sorry about that. Just kidding!”

“Huh?”

“Rinka, what are you saying?”

“I just thought things between Mihaya and Toa were too awkward. I wanted to shake things up.”

“Is it all or nothing with you?”

Mihaya retorted, slightly harsher than usual.

Rinka accepted it with a friendly smile and apologized to Miroku once more.

“Sorry. Really, Kei and I aren’t like that.”

“I see… Well, alright.”

At that moment, Toa returned to the room.

She had left to make tea, but her hands were empty.

“Thank goodness…”

“Toa, where’s the tea?”

“…Ah!”

“My apologies for Rinka! She sometimes tries to manipulate people and causes huge messes.”

“Isn’t that a critical flaw for a negotiator?”

Mihaya agreed with Miroku’s remark.

But Toa’s impression of Mihaya shifted slightly upon seeing her reaction.

(Now then.)

Rinka watched Mizuhi and the two others as they relaxed deeply into the sofa, then sank into her thoughts.

In this disrupted atmosphere, only she maintained her composure, observing the situation from above.

(Former student council president Sakuraba Rakka’s identity was secured under the highest-level confidentiality by the board of directors. Just learning her name had taken a considerable amount of time. I thought it’d be easier to approach through Sorciera’s side, but…)

Rinka’s objective was clear.

It was to determine whether someone at Fectom Academy knew Sorciera’s true identity.

(If there is such a person, they’re likely a collaborator. Even if I can’t reach Sorciera directly, I might extract information from her allies.)

The possibility of Sorciera having collaborators was high.

Given her scale of operations, it would be unnatural to assume she acted alone.

(I suspected Aohoshi Miroku the most, but she completely recognizes Narou Kei as a man.)

Rinka had noted subtle reactions — glances, shifts in tone, slight hand movements — all subconscious responses indicating Miroku viewed Kei as male.

(If she knew Kei was a woman, her reaction would’ve changed the moment I mentioned recognizing Kei as male.)

Both of them harbored affection toward Kei.

With that as the premise, Rinka deliberately created an opportunity for them to feel superior.

The sense that they alone understood Kei’s true nature — the tension of keeping that knowledge hidden — she made sure to bring it to the surface.

(I planned to catch any slight change… but yeah, Aohoshi Miroku is in the clear.)

She quickly excluded Miroku from suspicion, realizing that Miroku simply liked Kei.

And then —

(Well, Toa is probably innocent too.)

Seeing Toa bolt mid-conversation, Rinka came to a conclusion.

Her reaction was just too pure and naive.

However, there was something off about her behavior.

(I know she’s timid, but her emotional responses went beyond that. At some point, I just couldn’t read her anymore.)

Rinka’s analytical prowess came from skill, not supernatural ability.

Her deductions were based on experience and knowledge, but they had stopped working partway through.

(It wasn’t that she was hiding things well. It was just chaotic, like a tangled web of threads.)

In her mind, Rinka pictured two overlapping images.

Looking through them, she couldn’t clearly discern the outlines or colors of the front image.

(She’s either ridiculously scared or a con artist who can bluff even me.)

Rinka decided to tread carefully.

Just as she prepared to probe Toa further —

“—We’ll take action if this goes any further.”

In the once-cheerful student council room, Shieru suddenly spoke.

Her gaze fixed firmly on Rinka.

The words were more of a warning than a statement.

(Did I push too hard, even with an analytical type like her nearby? Yeah, let’s stop for today.)

Understanding that she’d been noticed, Rinka quickly switched her demeanor back to her usual cheerful self, Agiri Rinka.

There was no point in turning things hostile.

“Ah, sorry about that. I guess even in Demonsgear, boredom can’t be tolerated. Want some tea?”

“…Sure.”

“Oh, wait, Nana. That’s for our guests.”

Ignoring Miroku’s remark, Shieru sipped her tea.

The coldness of the Demonsgear persona was gone.

“It’s fine. If she enjoys it, that’s all that matters.”

“Delicious, though I’d prefer it a bit sweeter.”

Mihaya and Rinka silently noted that her preference matched her childlike appearance.

With the mood lightened, Rinka casually turned to Miroku.

“Oh, by the way, you might be heading to Zilnius Academy soon. It’s not confirmed yet, though.”

“Huh? Zilnius Academy?”

“To prepare for the upcoming war with the Twin Rider Academy, we’re sending envoys to secure alliances. We’d like Fectom General Academy to help formalize a partnership between Zilnius and Mikage Academy as sister schools.”

“Understood. I see no reason to decline. Building ties with Zilnius Academy would be beneficial.”

Miroku nodded, her expression now serious.

“Yes, we’ll arrange a meeting with Zilnius Academy’s student council for you to negotiate…”

Before Rinka could finish, Miroku’s dive gear rang.

Rinka gestured for her to answer it.

Miroku bowed apologetically and stepped aside to take the call.

“Yes? …What? Why? I don’t understand what you’re saying—”

The call ended in less than three minutes.

Miroku returned, head tilted in confusion.

“Miroku-chan, what happened?”

“Well…”

Miroku glanced at the three of them before speaking.

“They found a rare genius who was exiled from Zilnius Academy deep inside a dungeon… and they’re bringing her back.”

“What are you talking about?”

Their reaction was completely reasonable.