In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Only three days remained until the third make-up exam.
During this time, everyone in the Make-Up Work Club had been studying as if their lives depended on it. I had seen every ounce of effort they poured in.
As their sensei, all I could do was protect them, making sure no one could trample on them.
"… So, tell me… what exactly are you doing here?"
In the Tea Party room, Nagisa looked at me, who was calmly enjoying the tea and pastries she had prepared. Though she kept her smile, the shadow in her expression betrayed the resentment she was suppressing.
I replied slowly, "Who else but my adorable princess would go out of her way to prepare such delicious treats just for me?"
"Hehe… you really are quite humorous."
Nagisa sneered, "I'm just reusing defective practice pastries, that's all."
Defective pastries, yet presented so beautifully… and she insists she made them herself. Such stubborn pride!
I thought perhaps she could even dye her hair to match her childhood friend's color, nothing serious, just a thought to symbolize the deep bond between the two girls.
Perhaps realizing she had revealed a crack in her composure, Nagisa quickly changed the subject: "By the way, I must say… it's admirable that you can eat my food without any precautions."
"Do you tamper with your food?" I asked.
"Hehe, who knows? After all, I've already resorted to… unconventional methods."
Recalling this, I remembered teasing her about it before, no wonder she still bore a grudge.
"I see… thank you for the reminder," I said, adjusting the cross necklace on my chest before taking another bite of pastry.
Hifumi's love allowed me to ignore, to some extent, any potential tricks she might have used.
Seeing this, Nagisa's chest rose and fell with irritation. After a while, she calmed down and smiled more peacefully than before:
"Sensei, let me remind you. I only made time to meet you because you told me you had found the 'traitor of Trinity.' Are you here just to eat and drink at my expense?"
She let her hands fall to her waist, implying that if I hesitated any longer, she might, just like last time, slam her gun on the table to usher me out.
Come to think of it, she only placed the gun on the table last time, rather than pointing it directly at me. That in itself could be seen as a subtle kindness and proof of her secret affection for me.
It was time to get to the point.
"The traitor of Trinity… yes, I've found them."
Nagisa leaned forward eagerly: "So… who in the Make-Up Work Club is it…?"
I shook my head, prolonging the suspense: "Nagisa, do you really want to dig to the bottom? If you push too far, the answer might be too much for you to bear."
"Ah, Sensei… don't you understand? I'm already prepared to pursue this to the end, at any cost." Her gaze pinned me down. "Tell me quickly. Who is it? Is it Hanako who deliberately failed her exams? Or Azusa, whose background is suspicious? Or… is it actually Hifumi the one disguising herself?"
And Koharu's potential suspicion didn't even cross her mind?
Given Koharu's track record of messing things up, combined with that striking hair color, she seems like the perfect candidate for a traitor!
Easing the tension with my own wandering thoughts, I stared at the girl in front of me, recalling the plan I had devised with Hanako, the first crucial element that made it work.
Nagisa's suspicion had, over time, developed into something nearly unhealthy.
So…
The trumpet of counterattack would be sounded by me, right here.
A faint, meaningful smile tugged at my lips as I uttered a single word that made even the Tea Party host, who claimed to be ready, freeze in shock:
"All of them."
After a long pause, Nagisa's voice trembled with disbelief as she confirmed:
"… Excuse me? Did I hear that correctly? Could you repeat it?"
"I said… all of them," I replied, calmly adding, "Everyone in the Make-Up Work Club is a traitor of Trinity."
Nagisa's eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening and closing as if struggling to speak.
I could understand her astonishment…
Then I heard her murmur, "Impossible… even Koharu…?"
Ah, so that was the main source of her shock! Now it made sense.
"… But, I suppose that makes sense. Even if the other three are, given Koharu's intelligence… and her personality, it's understandable that she could be deceived."
Nagisa exhaled and said with satisfaction: "In that case, this becomes much easier. We just continue with the original plan and make sure all four of them fail, hehe…"
I sat quietly, sipping the freshly brewed tea, watching her until her excitement faded, though her spirit remained sharp as she looked back at me.
"Excuse me, Sensei," she said, her eyes gleaming with the smile of someone confident in victory. "Thank you for your efforts. At this point… hehe, it's about time you admit it, I'm the one who's right. Don't you think your previous crude words were a bit hurtful? But that's fine… as long as you sincerely apologize… hehe~ should I forgive you?"
Hearing her bell-like laughter, I felt a swirl of complex emotions.
Now came the real climax.
At this point, there was no turning back.
"It's too early to celebrate," I said. "Nagisa… don't you doubt me? What if I'm lying?"
"What are you saying, Sensei? You may be deceived, but that's precisely why you would never betray your students' trust or speak carelessly on such an important matter."
Nagisa refuted my question, suppressing part of her smile: "But you're right, there's still much work to remove the obstacles to the Eden Treaty. Now that the entire Make-Up Work Club are traitors, could there be more hidden in the school…?"
She was already expanding the situation on her own before I could guide her.
I felt a twinge of pity.
"You're not wrong," I said, keeping my enigmatic smile. "There are other traitors. And I happen to know one of them."
"Really? That's great. Who is it?"
Faced with her eager question, I spoke slowly, deliberately: "Well… I actually already told you just now, you simply ignored it."
"Is that so?" Nagisa didn't doubt me and began thinking hard, yet she couldn't reach the answer.
It was time for me to reveal it personally.
"I said, the entire Make-Up Work Club, right?"
To the Tea Party host, whose shock was gradually dawning, I said casually:
"That's right. I, too, am a traitor of Trinity."