Chapter 70 - An Urgent Request - Tea Party
...
If I had known of what was to come, I would have never gone to Trinity.
Oh, who am I kidding, I definitely would have.
Dreams...
Dreams are odd little things.
They're involuntary. Sometimes they're nice, sometimes they're not.
They're just bullshit our minds have made up.
But what if they weren't the result of our minds?
This was the case when I dreamed of a petite fox girl with golden ears who I had never seen before.
Either my mind has made her up, or...
She spoke to me in a polite, light voice.
"The Eden Treaty is a promise to put an end to hatred, so to speak."
This small girl, clad in a pretty white dress, making her look like a doll, spoke to me.
Even though I couldn't respond, I listened intently.
"It's a pact to cease the long-standing rivalry between Gehenna and Trinity."
She closes her eyes.
I can make out buildings around me.
"In other words, it's an effort to build trust in the place of hatred that would only continue to fester if left alone."
Her golden eyes open again, staring at me as she continues.
Are we high off the ground? This building seems rather fancy.
"You can think of it as a peace treaty between Gehenna and Trinity."
Why is she speaking of the treaty?
"However, now that the General Student Council president, the one who drafted the treaty in the first place, has gone missing, the pact is worthless."
A small, white bird flutters over and lands on her dainty shoulder.
"Eden is the name of paradise from ancient scriptures. It's beyond me why she chose it to begin with. Perhaps it was because she had a sick sense of humor."
The small girl turns around and faces the night sky, stars glittering like diamonds.
"Are you aware of the seven pervasive questions in Kivotos?"
Seven questions? Only thing I can think of are the Millennium Prize Problems from back home.
"The fifth one relates to paradise."
Oh, so they're philosophical questions.
'Can we prove that anyone has ever reached paradise?'
"Like each of the seven questions, it's intent is vague, but it can be interpreted as referring to the inherent paradox in proving the existence of paradise."
The girl tilts her head up, looking at those strange rings in the Kivotos sky.
"If paradise exists, then the ones who reach it will remain there for eternity, forever enveloped in joy and satisfaction. If someone does leave paradise, it's because they weren't fully satisfied, so it was never a paradise for them. Therefore, those who reach paradise cannot be found- and should not exist- outside of paradise."
Yeah, real head-scratcher there.
People want to go to a paradise, sure, but they'd get bored with everything going right for them.
We humans are well-suited to this world since it can be both easy and hard for us to live in it.
If paradise was anything like heaven in KonoSuba was described as, I'm sure lots of people would opt out, otherwise they'd go insane.
"So, can you prove the truth of someone who does not exist?"
Probably not, no. This is the same as 'If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound?'.
"The purpose of this fifth question is to be nigh unanswerable. Does truth that cannot be proven become worthless? What is the true question masked behind such cynicism?"
Who knows? Philosophical shit usually just makes my head hurt.
Everyone has a different look on things after all.
"Eden is the paradise from scripture. It exists nowhere and cannot be found. In other words...
...it's nothing but a sweet illusion conjured by dreamers."
Yeah... Atheism isn't anything new, y'know? People always want to believe in something. Religion's been a big part of humanity for a long, long time.
"You see? Surely this is the metaphor behind the treaty's name?"
What?
So, what does it mean, then? That paradise doesn't exist, so we have to make our own?
She turns back and looks at me again.
"Sensei."
What?
"You may find the story that's about to unfold to be unpalatable."
What is this, a trigger warning?
"It's a story meant to make you uncomfortable, uneasy, and leave you unhappy."
I've played Drakengard, you know? I doubt this'll be worse.
Fuck those babies.
"A cynical story that will make you doubt people and truth."
I already doubt those things.
I only just regained my faith in humanity and that was only after I came here.
"Gloomy, sad, painful, and ultimately bitter."
Your words are the only gloomy thing here, girly.
"But entirely truthful."
Yeah, things that happen in reality are usually true.
"I ask that you not look away and see it to the end."
Pfft. Like I have a choice.
The tiny fox girl steps closer.
"For that is your responsibility."
Real ominous there.
Ugh, fuck this dream.
Dreams are always fucking weird for me, but at least this one had nothing to do with that asshole or anyone back home.
Or that Shiroko look-alike.
Seriously, that dream just keeps happening ever know and again and I don't get it! Why an older Shiroko? Is she supposed to be an Alter from Fate?
Ugh...
Shoving all of that shit aside, after that ominous dream with the philosophical fox girl, I went to Trinity a few days later.
Why? Because Nagisa, the current 'host' of the Tea Party asked me over to cash in her favor.
I'm actually kinda looking forward to meeting her. I ran into Mika once, but that was a while back. As for Seia, apparently she got hurt and is in a coma.
One might ask, 'How can a student get that hurt?' The answer is that Seia was quite frail compared to the usual student, so she got hurt rather easily.
A wave of cold fear washed over me after I did some research on the Tea Party members.
Especially seeing as how Seia, the girl in a coma, was the one who spoke to me in that dream.
I know Kivotos has some magic stuff going on here, but invading dreams? That's something else entirely. However, before I left, I ran into Rin as I was exiting the building.
"Sensei." The dutiful girl filling in for the still missing GSC President says, running into me just outside my office.
"Ah, Rin. Hey." I say, a tad surprised by her being here. "Didja need me for somethin'?"
"You could say that." She says, handing me a paper.
"What's this?" I ask, taking it from her gloved hand.
"It's Schale's monthly report. I would have forwarded it to you, but since I was nearby, I decided to visit you for a moment." She explains, adjusting her glasses as she speaks.
I smile appreciatively. "Thanks for stopping by. Have you been takin' care of yourself? I know doing the Prez' job is tough."
"Fortunately, she often shirked her duties into me before she disappeared. The amount of work she had to do could only be handled by a superhuman. But rest assured, I'm aware of my own limits." Rin says, sounding tired.
"That's good." I say, happy. "I was talking to Ako, one of the Prefect Team members, a few days ago and she's been swamped with work. I've never seen eyebags that bad."
"Yes, I would imagine Gehenna and Trinity's higher-ups are rather busy and will be for quite some time." She adds.
"Mhm." I hum in agreement. "I'm actually headed over to Trinity right now. Their council asked for me to repay a favor."
Rin's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Did they specify how you would be repaying them?"
"No." I say, shaking my head negative. "But this ain't the first time I've dealt with political shit, seeing as how this likely has something to do with that treaty. Don't worry about me too much."
Rin merely sighs. "You're much to carefree, Sensei."
Then, she mumbles something I almost can't hear. "Perhaps that's why I can't hate you... just like the president..."
I just shrug, ignoring her mumbling. "I just know I've faced worse." I say, flashing her a smile. "I'll keep ya posted of anything crazy happens."
"Like when you went to Abydos and only reported what was happening AFTER you attacked the head of a PMC, criminal or not." Rin says, her trademarked angry eyes reappearing.
"I was in the moment." I say, only causing her eyes to narrow further. Sighing, I continue speaking in a less jesting tone, "Rin, you know as well as I do that bureaucracy is the slowest and most annoying thing on the goddamn planet. That's Schale's purpose: to deal with things that the GSC can't in time."
"I am aware." She says, eyes softening. "I does not make it any less concerning, though. You are strong, Sensei, but you still do not have a halo."
"Pfft. Halo, shmalo." I scoff. "Besides, nothing in Kivotos has pushed me to go all-out yet... Save for maybe Binah, and even then, I couldn't do too well due to its size."
Rin only sighs again.
"But, thanks for worrying about me. It feels nice havin' people who care enough to do that." I say, sincerely.
Rin's features soften at my words. "Of course. Many people count on you in this city, and..." She pauses, almost embarrassed to finish her thoughts. "...admittedly, you remind me too much of our missing president." She says, melancholic.
"It sucks having your friend disappear like that, huh?" I ask, softly.
"Yes." She says, equally as soft.
I exhale loudly, neither of us able to meet the gaze of the other for a long moment.
"Well..." I say, placing my hand on her shoulder. "You might be runnin' this city, but you're still a student. So... don't be afraid to swing by, even if it's just to take a break or something." As I finish, I remove my hand from her.
The elven girl's blue eyes widen behind her glasses, before she closes them and smiles. "Truthfully, I had almost forgotten that..."
"Hm?" I ask.
"Some days, I feel more like an adult than a student, what with how busy I am." She admits. "I will take you up on your offer sometime, Sensei."
"Good." I say. "Now, I guess I oughta get going."
"Indeed. Good luck at Trinity, Sensei, and... stay safe." Rin says, smiling a beautiful smile.
I nod, smiling back, before going to the elevator.
Afterwards, I went to Trinity's main campus. The place was beautiful, it looked like some kinda fancy college.
The main building overlooked a great big, green courtyard with a fountain in the center. However, the splendor of the school was eclipsed by the MASSIVE cathedral nearby.
Goes to show how important church is around here.
Gonna have to limit my use of 'goddammit'.
Entering the building, I was directed to a balcony on a higher floor. I came to a large set of double doors, guarded by two girls in white, both wielding a rifle.
Upon seeing me, the two guards nod and open the large doors for me.
"Thanks." I say, nodding and smiling to them as I enter the balcony.
The area, that wouldn't seem out of place in a fancy mansion, is decorated with a simple, yet long table. On it are various foods, drinks and snacks, some raised up on those multi-tier things that usually have sweets and other confections on them.
There are also three chairs. One in the middle of the long end, the other two on either end of the long table.
In one of the seats is Mika, whose face brightens up upon seeing me.
As for the other, she must be Nagisa.
She has long, pale brown hair with a headband of various flowers and golden eyes. She wears a prim and proper white dress that also has the collar and tie often seen in Japanese school uniforms. Below her chest is a grey strap, connected to it is another grey strap which goes down to her hip and holds a small pistol. Her legs are covered with black leggings and she wears white slip-on shoes. Her most noticeable features are the large, angel wings sprouting from her back. Her halo, in contrast with her color scheme, is a bright red ring with ten 'spikes' either separating or piercing through the ring.
She sits at the table, tea cup platter in one hand, tea cup in the other. She raises the cup to her mouth and takes a sip before sitting it, and the plate, back down on the table.
"Hello, Joshua Sensei. It's good to finally meet you." She says with a polite voice. "As you might have guessed, I'm Kirifuji Nagisa, the current host of the Tea Party." She then motions over to Mika. "And this is Misono Mika, a member of the Tea Party like myself."
"Nice to meet you, Nagisa." I say, politely. "And good to see you again, Mika, despite how brief our meeting was."
Mika wordlessly smiles and giggles while Nagisa raises an eyebrow, before shrugging her confusion off.
"Trinity's Tea Party hereby welcome the Sensei of Schale." Nagisa continues, professionally.
"It's good to see you again, Sensei!" The pinkette chirps, happily. "For a while I was wondering what you might look like. It was neat to see that you didn't look all that different from us."
"Save for the halo, not much of a difference here." I joke, smiling.
"Ahaha! I think I like you, Sensei!" Mika says, before turning to the other girl. "What do you think, Nagisa?"
"I don't believe it's polite to comment on such things in front of Sensei, Mika." The brunette chides. "There's no shame in affection, but there's a proper time and place for it."
"Oh. Is that how it works?" Mika asks, deflating. "Sorry, Sensei. I guess I was being too informal. I guess I should say something like... I'm pleased to meet you!"
"You don't have to force yourself. Speak to me as formally or informally as you like." I say.
"Really? I'll keep that in mind, then." The pinkette says, smiling.
"If memory serves..." Nagisa muses. "...,you're the first person outside of Trinity to be invited to the Tea Party. This is normally a place that ordinary students could scarcely hope to be invited to."
"Sheesh, Nagi! Don't make such a big deal out of it!" Mika complains.
Nagisa sighs at the other girl's antics. "That wasn't my intention, Mika."
"Right. My bad. I'll keep a lid on it." Mika whines.
I can't help but let out a chuckle. "You two certainly seem close."
"Yup!" Mika chirps.
"Yes, the two of us have been friends for a long time. Ever since we were kids, in fact." Nagisa explains.
"And now you two work together like this? Seems nice. Kids always want to be friends with their friends for as long as they can." Sometimes that shit doesn't work out, though. "Plus, working together like this means you've got each other's backs."
"Yeah, it really great." Mika says happily, though her voice was a bit strained there.
Nagisa lets out a soft giggle, before speaking again. "Moving on. We asked you here because we have a small favor to ask."
"Are you cashing in?" I ask, referring to her helping us back during that mess with Kaiser in the desert.
"That I am." The brunette nods.
"Hold on, Nagi." Mika interrupts. "Are we really going straight to the point?!" At our gazes, she shrinks in her seat, her wings drooping a bit. "Shouldn't we, like, make small talk or something? Chat a bit to break the ice? We could talk about how great the weather is or what we ate yesterday. Should we really be skipping all of that?" She then perks up a bit. "Isn't the Tea Party supposed to be all about social gathering?"
Nagisa shoots an angry glare at her friend.
Mika, too, takes on a glare. "You can stare at me with those pretty eyes all you want, but I'm not backing down. This has to do with proper Tea Party etiquette!"
Nagisa smiles a strained smile with thinly veiled annoyance. "You're more than welcome to uphold those values when YOU'RE the host, Mika. I am the host at the moment, so you will be following MY lead."
The pinkette stills, unable to respond.
Nagisa turns to me. "Forgive me. It's unsightly of us to quarrel in front of a guest."
"No, it's fine. I'm sure you two are a bit tense with that Treaty coming up." I say, waving them off. "Besides, I'm not one to care about etiquette and the like."
"I see. Why don't we change the subject as Mika suggested?" The brunette offers.
"Well, I know Trinity's student council is a triumvirate, but how'd that happen in the first place?" I ask.
"Whoa, Sensei can really read the room!" The pinkette chirps. "Take a good look, Nagi. Those are some grownup conversational skills. Listen to the eloquence and flow!"
"I don't think it's that impressive." I say, smiling.
"...Ignoring that, yes, you are correct, Sensei. Our Student Council is indeed a triumvirate." Nagisa explains, shrugging aside her friend's comments. "It's a tradition of Trinity's Student Council to have multiple persons serve simultaneously."
"Hey! Why did you ignore me, Nagi?" Mika complains.
Nagisa continues. "Long ago, before Trinity was unified, the representatives of each branch academy would hold tea parties to resolve any disputes."
"Are you really doing this? That's so mean. My feelings..." Mika whines, causing Nagisa's face to twitch.
"Hence the name of the group, 'Tea Party'." I surmise.
"Indeed." Nagisa nods. "The representatives of the Pater, Filius and Sanctus academies came together to hold tea parties meant to create an atmosphere of reconciliation, and since then..."
But Mika interrupts again. "You're just straight-up ignoring me, Nagi. Are you doing this to get back at me? You're the worst. Is this how you treat a friend that you've known for over ten years?"
Nagisa continues with gritted teeth. "...the Student Council of Trinity has been called the Tea Party, and the representatives of each faction host- Argh! WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" She finally snaps.
"There it is." I comment, unheard by both.
Mika recoils with a face of fright.
"I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING! CAN YOU NOT KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT?!" Nagisa roars. "On and on and ON!"
With each word, Mika sinks further and further into her seat.
"If you don't shut that little yap of yours... I'LL STUFF IT SHUT FOR YOU WITH A CAKE ROLL!" The brunette threatens.
Huh, never heard that threat before.
The pinkette is left blinking in fright and surprise. Guess she never saw her friend that angry.
"Pardon me. I don't know what came over me." Nagisa apologizes to me, after remembering that I'm standing here. "My apologies, Mika... Sensei." She says, ashamed.
"It's fine. Like I said, y'all have been busy." I say, waving her off once more.
"S-So scary..." Mika comments, relieved it's over.
"Still, all this talking is nice, but I'm rather curious as to why y'all have asked me over here." I say, wishing to get to the point.
"Very well." Nagisa says, fixing the creases of her skirt a bit. "What we're requesting of you is rather simple, Sensei."
"Yeah. Simple, but important." Mika says, rather serious for the first time.
"Very important." The brunette adds. "Could you take charge of the Make-Up Work Club?"
"The what now?" I ask, confused.
"The Make-Up Work Club. To put it plainly, we want you to operate a special class meant to save failing students." Nagisa explains. "Trinity is an academic institution with a long history of intellectual and martial excellence. But somehow, this proud institution has no less than four failing students."
"Yup. We've got a lot on our plate right now." Mika adds. "Things are pretty disorganized due to the Eden Treaty."
But why would they need me to help with this? My job is that of a real-life problem solving teacher, not an academic one. Not to mention I finished high school years ago, I'm sure to have forgotten some stuff.
"We need to deal with these failing students pronto, bit we're short on manpower and time." Mika continues, unaware of my thoughts. "That's when we read an article all about the amazing things Schale has been doing! Finding cats-" Less of that said, better. "-, cleaning streets-" Does she mean picking up the trash while I walk here and there? "-, delivering packages- Schale may just be the greatest errand runners Kivotos has ever seen!"
I feel a touch offended.
"There was someone we could stick with all our most tedious work right under our noses!" The pinkette chirps. "You're our savior!"
Isn't she being a bit too presumptuous? I haven't even agreed yet.
I mean, I think I will, but why is she being so subtly pushy?
"I wouldn't go quite that far, Mika." Nagisa comments, awkwardly.
"Why not? That's what we're doing, isn't it?" Mika asks her friend, confused, before turning back to me. "Besides, you're a teacher, Sensei. These days, lectures are held on blu-ray disks. While we still have faculty members, administration, guest lecturers and associate professors, a regular old teacher is pretty rare."
That still bothers me a bit, truth be told
Mika continues. "A teacher is someone who uses their own knowledge to guide others, right? In other words, a leader." I stiffen, an action that doesn't go unnoticed by Nagisa, her eyebrow raising slightly. "In that sense, a teacher is also someone who commands respect and gives others directions in life. That sounds perfect for the Make-Up Work Club."
Guide others? If I could scoff openly during her reasoning, I would. I've been a leader before I came here.
That certainly didn't end fucking well, after all...
I was the only one who survived that mess. One that I let them all walk into.
None of my friends these past five years are alive. None of them.
I know I've given orders to girls here in Kivotos, but...
Life advice? What could I even say?
"Yes, but I've heard Sensei here isn't quite someone I'd consult with about my direction in life..." Nagisa adds, bashfully.
"Huh?" I ask, confused. "Is someone spreading rumors about me or something?" The fuck have people been saying about me?
"...If you're that confused, then someone must be." Nagisa says, shrugging.
"Anyway!" The pinkette interjects. "We're in a bit of a jam, so you taking care of this would be great!"
"The Make-Up Work Club will be a special club intended to give failing students the help they need." The brunette adds. "Given it's being made under the current restrictions, Schale's extrajudicial authority will be necessary to have it established."
My eyes narrow. "What do you mean by that? You girls, the Student Council, are setting up this club. Why do you need Schale's power to do it for you?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"Well..." Mika mutters, eyes avoiding me.
"For things such as this, all three members of the Tea Party need to be in agreement, regardless of who the host is. And considering Seia's condition..." Nagisa says, a bit sad. "Still, this will be a necessary expenditure if it's to help failing students. What do you say, Sensei? Surely you wouldn't turn away students in need..."
A sly smile appears on Nagisa's face, the one of someone who's won an argument.
It pisses me off, but...
"Fuck it, fine." I groan, relenting. "I don't want to be the one to ruin a student's future. Plus, I do owe ya."
"Yes, we did it!" Mika cheers, her wings flapping a bit. "Thank you, Sensei!"
The other girl remains silent for a moment."Very well. I didn't necessarily expect you to decline our request, but... Never mind." She then pulls out a paper off the table. "Just take a look at this document."
I take the paper from Nagisa and look at it. "This is a list of the students."
"Yup. Each one a thorn in Trinity's side, so to speak." Mika adds, earning a soft chuckle from me.
"You could put it more tactfully than that, Mika." Nagisa chides her friend. "We'll put it this way: These are students in need of Trinity's love."
"Sure, whatever." Mika says, waving her hand.
Chuckling once more, I look at the list.
Urawa Hanako - 2nd Year
Shimoe Koharu - 1st Year
Shirasu Azusa - 2nd Year
Ajitani Hifumi - 2nd Year
'...Hifumi's on this list?' I can't help but think.
"We'll send you some documents with all the details to your temporary office." Nagisa says.
"You're gonna have me staying here?" I ask. "Eh, makes sense."
"Do you have any other questions?" The brunette asks.
"I get the gist of it, but what exactly is the Eden Treaty?" I ask, wanting to know more about this big topic.
Both girls suddenly look a bit worried. Why? This isn't a secret.
"Hmmmm... That's a toughie." Mika says.
"It's quite a long story." Nagisa deflects. "We'll set aside some time for that at a later date. The information is classified after all."
Classified? This shit is mostly public! Is she trying to stall me?
"Regardless, it doesn't concern your work with the Make-Up Work Club." The brunette adds.
"Well, all I know is that it's a peace treaty. If there's any way it can help it go through, count me in." I say.
Mika stills and clenches her fist under the table.
Nagisa makes a strange face. "I'm surprised you would offer that."
"I've had enough fighting for one lifetime, Nagisa. This city has already shown itself to be far better than back home. If I can make it better, I won't hesitate to give others the peace they deserve." I say, resolute.
Mika looks away from me and Nagisa seems... almost relieved somehow.
"Splendid." The brunette eventually says. "You can officially work for Trinity one the preparations are complete."
Work 'for'. Bit of a red flag there. I would've used 'work with'.
"Once again, we appreciate your assistance." Nagisa adds. "This will be a great help to us."
"Bye, Sensei! See you next time. Erm, hopefully!" Mika chirps.
"We'll be counting on you, Sensei." Nagisa says, standing up. "I will be escorting you from this point forward as the host of the Tea Party. Allow me to show you to what will be your temporary office here if you accept our proposal, so that you can look over the documents."
"Lead the way." I say, motioning forth.
Nagisa led me to a fairly large apartment. She said it was a 'teacher's room' within the dorms of Trinity. Although it had never been used, it was obvious the place had been cleaned recently.
In the main room was a desk, various filing cabinets and a couch, as well as a small tv. There was a complete kitchen as well as a nice bedroom. All in all, not a bad place.
Sitting down at the desk, I take the Shittim Chest from my jacket and sit it on the desk.
"Arona."
"Yes, Sensei?" My AI pal asks, appearing on the screen.
"Search the room for any hidden cameras or wiretapping devices." I order.
"On it." She says with a nod, her eyes beginning to glow slightly.
As she gets to work, I begin to pour over the documents left for me. It's a simple contract, nothing out of the ordinary.
Until I get to a particular section.
"All done!" Arona chirps.
"Anything?" I ask.
"No cameras or recording devices at all." Arona happily relays.
"Good."
"Er, Sensei?" She asks. "Why did you want me to look for that, anyway?"
"A couple of things that Mika and Nagisa did and said during that meeting worried me a bit." I explain. "I'm a bit worried they're using Schale, and therefore me."
"Using Schale? What makes you think that?" She asks, tilting her head a bit.
"Well, this section of the contract is pretty fucking suspect." I say, lightly slapping the paper with the back of my hand. "I dunno if you can understand all this jargon, but what it boils down to is, 'If all four students pass, that's it. If one fails, they take a second test. If one fails that, they take a third. If one fails the third, all four students are expelled'."
"W-What?" Arona asks, taken aback.
"And not just that." I continue. "This part basically reads, 'The club's formation and possible expulsions will be carried out via Schale's extrajudicial authority, completely bypassing any laws and/or regulations of Trinity'." I pause before growling the next words. "Schale, or rather I, by signing this contact will be placed in the position of advisor of the Make-Up Work Club to either get them all to pass, or they'll all be cut off like a goddamn disease."
With an annoyed sigh, I lean back into my chair. "And this is why you read your contracts."
"...What are you going to do, then?" Arona asks.
"Do you really need to ask?"
"Hm... Nope!" She chirps.
With that, I lean forward and sign the contract.
Guess I'm stuck here for a while, seeing as how the contract prevents me leaving the district unless it's important.
Funnily enough, it doesn't specify what 'important' is.
I walk out of the building, signed contract in the Shittim Chest, on my way back to the main building.
As I do, I spot something strange. Well, less 'strange' and more 'normal' as far as Kivotos is concerned.
A nun attempting to drag a massive box. She's really struggling with it.
Sounds like the start of a shitty joke.
The girl has striking orange hair done in a low ponytail held in, horrifyingly enough, the anime-mom style over the shoulder. Her blue eyes close as she struggles to push the box. She has on a black shawl over her head, with two parts of it pointed way up and... are they twitching?
She has animal ears, I guess.
She wears black and white robes gold accents, and a white collar and a blue hakama, which I just remembered the name of. On her feet are black shoes with short, white socks and gold accents. Her halo is a gold six-petal flower within a ring with six points on the outside.
Feeling a bit of deja vu with seeing a girl carrying lots of stuff, I walk over to the girl. "Need some help?" I offer.
"Hm?" She asks, looking up at me with surprise in her clear, blue eyes. "Oh, no I'm fine." She says in a rather pretty voice, befitting a sister.
"You sure? You were lookin' like you might pop a blood vessel from trying to push that thing." I point out, causing her to blush and avert her gaze.
"Well, Sister Sakurako asked me to bring this back to the cathedral, but I fear she might have over-estimated the weight." She admits. "Hinata really should've been the one to bring this."
"Well, like I said, do you mind of I help?" I offer.
"W-Well..." She says, hesitant. "If you're sure you can carry it, then..."
With a smile and a nod, I bend down and lift one side of the box. It isn't too heavy for me, seeing as how it weighs about 150 pounds, or around 70 kilos. Crouching down, I put both hands under the box and lift it up. It's not too heavy, but it IS a large box.
Standing up, I rest the box on my shoulder and look down at the sister, her eyes wide in shock. "So, where am I takin' this?"
She blinks dumbly. "Oh, right. I'm supposed to take this to the main cathedral."
"Well, follow the way." I say, to which she nods and begins walking with me alongside her.
"You'll have to forgive me, but I wasn't expecting you to be so strong." She says.
"It can be a bit surprising to people sometimes." I say, chuckling a bit. "This weighs around... seventy kilos, give or take. I usually bench press two hundred twenty every morning."
"Truly?" She asks, eyes wide. "You must have worked very hard to attain such strength, um... Forgive me, but I don't think I ever asked your name."
"Joshua, Sensei of Schale." I introduce, causing her eyes to widen once more.
"Goodness, I wasn't expecting to meet you here." She says. "Well, I should introduce myself as well. My name is Iochi Mari, a member of Trinity's Sisterhood. It's nice to meet you."
"And you as well." I say, nodding.
"If I may, what are you doing here in Trinity, Sensei?" Mari asks.
"I owed the Tea Party a favor, so they've asked me to help a couple of failing students pass." I explain. "I'll be around here for the next few weeks, at least."
"Well, I'll certainly hope to see more of you in the future, Sensei." Mari says with a beautiful smile.
"You as well, Mari." I smile back. "Say, what do you do with the Sisterhood, anyway?"
"Oh? You want to know about my work?" She asks, to which I nod. "Of course, I have many duties as a sister. But my most important duty is listening to people's confessions and empathizing with their heart's sorrows. It isn't much, but sometimes all people need to find healing is an ear willing to listen."
"Heh, don't I know it." I say, smiling, which confuses Mari a bit. "One of my students, in the Prefect Team over at Gehenna, has to do a ridiculous amount of work. She's actually come to me to vent a few times."
"I'm glad to hear that you understand what I mean, Sensei." The orange haired girl says, smiling. "Sensei, if I can be of any help, I am more than happy to give my time."
"Thanks. You're a sweet girl, Mari." I say, causing the girl to blush and avert her gaze from me. "Still, I do hope you aren't overworking yourself. I've seen people invested in their jobs do exactly that."
"Don't worry about that, Sensei. I know my limits." She pauses, before eyeing the box I'm carrying. "...Most of the time."
"Fair enough." I say.
"It may be nice to receive the affection of the believers who visit the cathedral, but... I, too, wish to ascend through the Sisterhood and become a respectable sister someday." Mari admits.
"Sounds to me like you're already a damn good sister, Mari." I point out. "Being kind, listening to people. I fail to see how you could do anything more."
"I... Thank you for saying that, Sensei, but... Well... It's a little different from that." She explains. "It isn't quite accurate to say that anyone wearing a sister's garb is a sister. There's still much I have to learn and know. It's still a bit embarrassing for me to be called a sister. Truth be told..." She pauses, a touch embarrassed. "It's my dream to someday hear someone call me Sister Mari without feeling embarrassed. That's why I want to give my best to everything I do."
"Like I said, you already sound like a sister, Mari." I say. "Even if you don't think you are one yet."
I barely heard Mari utter a quiet, "...Thank you, Sensei."
Eventually, the two of us reach the main cathedral. "Holy crap, this place is a lot bigger close-up."
Mari giggles at my words. "It is rather grand, isn't it?"
The orangette opens the big doors to allow me inside. "Where do you want me to put this?"
"Anywhere is fine. I'll ask Hinata to help move it to it's proper place." Mari says.
"You mentioned this Hinata girl before, is she strong?" I ask, crouching and sitting down the large package.
"Oh, yes. She is easily the strongest member of the Sisterhood when it comes to physicality." The sister explains. "She's usually the one who's asked to do the heavy lifting around the cathedral."
Standing back up, box on the ground, I clap my hands together as if to brush off dirt before rolling my shoulder a bit. "Well, if you get stuck with doing this again and Hinata's busy, just ask for me."
"I couldn't possibly ask you to do that!" Mari says, waving her hands in front of herself. "But thank you for offering, you are a kind soul, Sensei."
"Just tryin' to make the world a little better, y'know?" I joke, smiling.
"Oh, there you are, Mari." A new voice calls out.
The voice came from a rather... buxom nun with long, curly black hair and bright red eyes. She wears the usual, black nun veil on her head and wears a form-fitting black and white dress with large, puffy sleeves. The dress splits at the side, allowing view of her hips and thighs, which are mostly covered by white thigh-highs under high-heeled brown boots. Her halo is a browner gold than Mari's and is a single ring with wings and spikes jutting out from it. She also is carrying a rather large, brown suitcase in her hand.
"Oh, hello, Hinata." Mari greets the new girl. "Were you looking for me?"
"Yes, Sister Sakurako said you were bringing something here, but she expected you here much earlier." Hinata says.
"A... haha." Mari awkwardly chuckles. "Well the package I brought was quite heavy. Fortunately, I ran into Sensei here, who helped me."
"Sensei?" Hinata asks, her red eye uncovered by her bangs blinking in surprise. "As in the Sensei of Schale?"
"That I am. Name's Joshua, nice to meetcha." I greet.
"Y-You ask well, Sensei. I'm Wakaba Hinata." She says. "Thank you for helping Mari."
"Ah, it was no trouble." I wave her off. "I was coming around this'a way, anyway."
"I suppose I should go and report to Sister Sakurako." Mari says. "Goodbye for now, Sensei. Come and visit anytime."
"Will do." I say as the orangette walks deeper into the building. "Well, I'd better get going." I say to Hinata.
"Wait a moment, Sensei." The black haired sister says. "I actually had a favor to ask."
"I see." I say, a tad surprised. "Lemme run over to the Tea Party and give them this document and I'll run back and listen to what you hafta say."
"That would be great." Hinata says, breathing a sigh of relief.
"I'll be right back!" I say, leaving the building.
I wonder what she could need help with? Oh well, first I need to go give 'em this contract.
I'm up to play whatever games Nagisa, and perhaps Mika, are trying to play.
AN
Bit of a shorter chapter this time.
And now we begin what a lot of you have been waiting for... Kinda. Like I mentioned last time, there's gonna be a little more set-up that happens in-between now and the start of the Make-Up Work Club.
Just a few more chapters before things begin. Next up is the Sister and Magician Event.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!