Loving non-human things comes with unbearable hardships.
The statue-loving Pygmalion teacher who realized the charm of figures since BC was like that.
The nobles who loved commoners (non-humans) at the end of the Middle Ages were like that.
I, who found out about the existence of the Blue Archive at the end of my third year of high school, was the same.
I don't even know what I was thinking at that time.
It would have been better just to play games, but I enjoyed looking through character backgrounds, searching for fan comics, collecting illustrations, and chewing, tearing, and tasting them in various ways.
I could summarize that I was holding onto my phone more than I paid attention to lectures, even though I had devoted my life to the CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test).
If I could turn back time, I would have snatched my phone out of my hand and thrown it into the Han River, but unfortunately, my future self seems to have failed to develop a time machine.
Naturally, I failed the CSAT that year.
It wasn't really surprising because I spent the last month of school without a conscience.
But what can I do when the characters are pretty?
Anyway, one of the characters who had such a great influence on my life was now elegantly pouring tea in front of me.
"I just got some new sugar, and it's moderately sweet but has a clean aftertaste. I think it would be good to put a spoonful in black tea."
The teapot slid down onto the tea table with a clink. The deep red black tea rose and rippled in my cup. Nagisa's hand had dragged me here, to the tea party.
Trinity's student council—the center of the school, shrouded in mystery and full of rumors—the tea party, as its name suggests, was very, um. How should I put it, um… it was like a tea party.
You might think it's ridiculous to say that a tea party is like a tea party, but that's all I could think of. After all, there's no way I've ever attended such a noble tea party in my life...
"Okay, Mika. I hope it suits your taste."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes? Ah, no. I like it. Thank you."
You really should be somewhat sensible now.
The girl in front of me, Kirifuji Nagi, was a character I had cherished for a long time.
I'm not a flat-earth believer who says there's a person inside the monitor, claiming that only 2D is truly human, not digital archaeology or 3D. But the current situation was a bit overwhelming.
A character that existed only as a data fragment was now alive and moving in front of me—what in the world.
"Um, Mika?"
"Yes, why?"
"Your... saliva is flowing."
"Whoa!"
Hastily, I wiped my mouth with a tissue laid on the desk.
Looking in the mirror, my face was all red.
"Fuhuhuhu!"
"Your... saliva is flowing."
"Whoa!"
Hastily, I wiped my mouth again.
Looking in the mirror, my face was all flushed.
"Fuhuhuhu!"
But since I could see the precious, smiling face of Nagi covering her mouth while laughing, what does it matter?
It feels like my lips, bitten tightly, might bleed. My heart hurts.
Damn it, I'm glad I'm alive.
Even amidst the noisy chaos, Nagi's pen made a cheerful scratching sound on the paper.
It was a relaxing sound, like the fluttering of a turning page or rain dropping softly.
Nagi had been working at the tea party since before dawn. She said she was just taking a break and going for a short walk when she happened to meet me.
"If you're working even at dawn, you must be really busy, huh?"
"Actually, a bunch of urgent matters piled up."
"Urgent matters?"
She kept writing, erasing, and signing various documents without a break, explaining softly.
"First, I have to pay the equipment rental fee from Millennium Academy by next month. Also, I had to reorganize the L-18 tow artillery unit, which caused additional expenses. I might even have to issue new bonds urgently."
"Oh, really? That's a big deal?"
"Yes. Plus, some factions within the academy keep demanding a council meeting, so I have to coordinate the schedule of the Tifa Party executives. And since last year, the Kaiser Group has been attempting a hostile M&A by publicly buying shares of several companies, and there are suspicions of insider trading, so we're reviewing that."
"I see."
I understood perfectly.
No, actually, I didn't understand at all.
"Besides these, there are also various things planned for the end of the year, so the budget plan for Trinity is also delayed."
It seems Nagi is busy with various matters.
She, as the leader of the three factions managing the Tifa Party—especially the head of Filius—must carry a heavy responsibility.
"I didn't expect the host of the Tifa Party to be in such a chaotic place."
Nagi looked at me with a somewhat embarrassed face as she tapped the desk with her finger.
"So, um, could you help with some of the work here?"
"Work? What kind?"
"It's just some trivial administrative tasks. A member of our student council will review it, but you can refuse if the Patère side is busy."
"Of course, I can do it! Just leave it to me!"
That was the brightest smile I'd seen from her today.
"I'll bring the work right now."
If I had seen her three hours later, I would have shouted at her to run away immediately, regardless of the character or anything else.
Ah, I should have run away then.
Black tea is bitter. Was this the seventeenth cup?
It wasn't so much enjoyed as gulped down like coffee, making me feel like a water buffalo.
"Oh, your hands are idle?"
"Save me. No, kill me..."
"If you complete this, I will do whatever you want. Hehe."
Even though high-quality life maximizes work efficiency, some exceptions occasionally occur.
Examples include graduate students, web novel writers, and Mikano Mika.
"Khm, khm. Oh, since you're here anyway, could you also do this? It's something Patère should handle, so it's okay if you refuse."
Having learned that sometimes locking someone up and making them work is more efficient, Nagi fished out her childhood friend and declared her kidnapping and confinement.
A fresh newbie just arrived in this world could only helplessly watch the mountain of work pile up right before her eyes.
Of course, as with the early part of a kidnapping and confinement romance novel, there was some minor rebellion.
"Um, Nagi-chan?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I'm a little hungry. Should we go have a meal soon..."
"Ah, I'll prepare more roll cakes."
"No. Have you been sitting too long? My body feels stiff."
"Shall I bring a standing desk? Or we have a comfortable all-in-one desk that doesn't wobble."
"Come to think of it, wasn't there a class later?"
"Hmm, that sounds strange? Mika's schedule didn't list anything for this afternoon."
Why do you have a schedule I don't even have?
Unfortunately, the Trinity tyrant, holding a cup of black tea in one hand and a roll cake in the other, did not look like she was planning to let her captive go easily.
And so, several hours passed.
"My arm hurts..."
Realizing that even if I escape now, Nagi would probably carry the whole tea table and chase after me, I finally accepted my fate.
Some might say I resigned.
Fine, it's faster to finish the work quickly and run away. I'm starting to feel nauseous just looking at roll cakes and black tea.
"My throat is dry."
"Let me get more black tea..."
"No! I'll do it myself. Sorry, but that's enough black tea already!"
She then shrugged and handed me the menu.
"Take your time choosing. Filius's tea party has a wide variety."
The menu was definitely diverse.
Black tea and cinnamon rolls, strawberry crepe rolls, chiffon ginger rolls...
Something felt a little odd. Should I look at the back?
Appetizer with salt along with black tea and green tea rolls.
Main dish: pumpkin roll paired with black tea infused with oyster sauce.
Dessert: Frozen black tea and roll cake ice cream.
Huh. Isn't tea party meant for desserts? Why are there course menus?
The entire menu seemed to show an obsession that went beyond favoritism.
I quickly turned my head to look at Nagi.
"Why do you ask, Mika?"