Volume 2 Chapter 53: Girls’ Gathering

Mina Carat-san gazed at her room, now cleared of partitions, her expression complex.

Since Noil Arlens and the others had left the party house, she, Elle, and Sophie had been staying together in Sophie’s room for a few days. Spending time in her own room again after such a long break felt unusual.

Her spacious room, now free of unnecessary clutter, was meant to be a sanctuary—a place where she didn’t need to worry about anyone else. She had longed for this moment, for the day when she no longer had to let Noil stay over. After all, Mina had always valued her alone time. Now, freed from that peculiar roommate, her heart should have been at ease, but—

“…Something feels off.”

Tilting her head, Mina muttered to herself before beginning to rearrange the partitions she had just put away back to their original positions. Once the task was complete, she dusted off her hands and placed them on her hips, surveying her room anew.

Oddly enough, it felt more fitting this way than before. But something was still missing.

She selected one of her stuffed animals—a particularly lazy-looking bear—from her collection and placed it on one side of the room divided by the partitions. Crossing her arms and resting her chin on her hand, she scrutinized the placement.

“No, that’s not it…”

Deciding the bear was a bit too cute, Mina draped a white sheet over it.

Then, she took out a pen and began to draw on the sheet.

What emerged was a face—a man’s face with eyes even lazier than the bear’s and a cheeky grin that practically radiated lethargy.

It was her masterpiece.

Mina nodded in satisfaction and, folding her arms again, admired the completed arrangement of her room.

A partition divided the room in two. On the side without her bed sat a stuffed bear draped with a sheet, upon which a lifeless-eyed man’s face had been drawn.

She let out a single, long breath.

“Phew… Yes, this feels right.”

And with dramatic flair, she slammed the pen down onto the tatami mat.

“What the heck am I doing?!”

She shouted, scolding herself as she hurried to remove the sheet from the stuffed bear.

Just then, her ears and tail shot upright. Someone was watching her.

Had someone seen her embarrassing actions just now?

With a mix of hope and dread, Mina turned her gaze toward the source of the sensation—the entrance to her room—praying it was just her imagination.

“Sophie saw you~.”

Her prayers went unanswered. There stood Sophie, peeking through the door gap, her face unreadable.

A cold sweat ran down Mina’s cheek.

“Te-le-re-re, te-re-re, te-le-re-re~.”

Sophie entered the room, humming a strangely familiar tune in her flat voice. Mina realized it was from a play the three of them had seen together not long ago.

The plot, if she recalled correctly, was a messy romantic drama where two women fought over one man…

“T-That’s not it, Sophie…”

“Te-re~ te-te~ te-le-re~.”

“Listen, Sophie…?”

“Te-te~ te~ te-le-re~ ba-ba~n.”

“…”

Sophie finished her strange humming performance, bowed deeply, then raised her head, gazing off into the distance with a solemn expression. Quietly, she murmured:

“Love can be a terrifying thing sometimes…”

“It’s not like that!!”

Mina’s shout echoed through the house, but Sophie remained unbothered, delivering her next words in her usual detached tone.

“It’s almost time, Mina-sama.”

Despite her usual calm demeanor, Sophie seemed a touch more cheerful than usual. Mina could only sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

◇

Following the incident at the mansion, Mina Carat-san found herself in a deep, lingering gloom.

The reason? The current atmosphere around her was so tense it was suffocating—something she had never experienced before.

This was a battlefield. A true battlefield.

That was the only way Mina could describe it.

To be honest, she wanted nothing more than to escape from this place immediately.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

“Indeed.”

Elle raised her glass with a smile, and Milis Albama, the manager of White Road, nodded magnanimously.

“A toast to the exchange meeting between Spirit Wind and White Road.”

As she glanced at the three members of White Road seated across from her, Mina realized with a sinking heart that hell had begun.

Noil Arlens was not participating in this exchange. The attendees on Mina’s side were Elle, Sophie, and herself—all women.

In short, this was what they called a girls’ gathering.

The term alone carried a cheerful, fun-sounding ring to it. If it had been a normal girls’ gathering, Mina would have gladly joined in. However, other than Sophie and Milis, the eyes of everyone else present weren’t smiling at all.

The scene would have looked glamorous from an outsider’s perspective: beautiful women raising their glasses with amicable smiles. A picturesque sight, to be sure. But beneath that façade lay a messy, ugly conflict over one man. There was nothing beautiful about it. Mina couldn’t even muster a proper smile.

If they were going to host a girls’ gathering, they could have chosen a more stylish venue.

The tavern Sumibi-tei—a favorite of White Road—might have been highly rated by Noil, but it was hardly suitable for such an occasion. While Mina didn’t dislike its rustic ambiance, it simply wasn’t the right choice for a girls’ gathering. She wanted to voice her thoughts on the matter.

And then there was the issue of White Road’s attire. Why were they dressed so… blandly?

Mina could guess. It was likely due to Noil’s desperate efforts to keep them from drawing attention. He probably wanted to ensure they didn’t stand out.

But if that were the case, why did they still wear those outfits even though Noil wasn’t here? And worse, why did they look so proud, as if they were wearing their best battle attire? Save those smug expressions for when you’re wearing something cute!

Mina wanted to say all of this—but she bit her tongue.

She noticed Elle casting a brief envious glance, but Mina remained silent. Her plan was to endure this battlefield of a girls’ gathering without unnecessary conversation. After all, avoiding trouble was the best strategy.

Focusing her mind, she directed her attention solely to the cozy crackling sound of the charcoal grill in the center of the round table.

“Let’s start with introductions. I’m Elshan Farseed, as you all know, Noil’s wife.”

Mina’s heart wavered at Elle’s opening line.

But she clenched her fists under the table and suppressed the urge to retort.

With a satisfied smile, Elle gently patted Sophie, who was perched on her lap, and gestured elegantly for the next person to continue. Mina didn’t want to see this side of her friend.

“Next, I’ll go. I’m Fiona Mabel, Noil-senpai’s possession. We’re in a relationship with marriage in mind.”

Mina bit her lip to keep her sanity intact.

Every word hit like a blow. If she let her guard down even slightly, she’d end up retorting.

With a sultry smile, the unnecessarily well-endowed woman concluded her introduction, placing her hand on her ample chest. Her smile unwavering, she gestured for the next person to proceed.

Mina braced herself for the next shock.

“Umm, I guess it’s my turn. I’m Noel Sialsa, Noil’s… friend, I think?”

Noel’s shy, hesitant tone made Mina relax her tense shoulders.

It felt anticlimactic. Mina had expected another wild declaration but was surprised by the unexpectedly normal introduction. She let out a small sigh of relief.

“…For now.”

Don’t lure me into dropping my guard only to strike afterward! Mina thought, smacking her own knee.

She should’ve known not to trust Noel after what she had witnessed at the mansion. Letting her guard down had been foolish. Noel was just as dangerous as the others.

“Then it’s my turn,” Milis declared. “I am Milis Albama, Noil’s employer. In other words, Noil belongs to me.”

Mina decided to stare into the distance, to somewhere far, far away.

She no longer wanted to be involved with these deranged beauties who exchanged smiles that sent chills down her spine. Her gaze drifted to the tavern’s menu posted on the wall. What’s today’s special? she wondered.

While she distracted herself with these thoughts, Sophie climbed down from Elle’s lap and bowed deeply.

“Before introducing myself, I must first apologize.”

Still bowing, Sophie continued, “Regarding the recent incident, I deeply regret the trouble I’ve caused everyone—”

“That won’t be necessary,” Fiona interrupted firmly.

Sophie raised her head, startled.

“But—”

“Sophie-san, it’s true I was angry with you at first. But thanks to the incident…”

Fiona suddenly looked down, her shoulders shaking as she let out an eerie laugh.

Mina felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of Fiona’s bizarre reaction, and when Fiona raised her face, wearing an ecstatic expression, Mina was utterly creeped out. Her fur bristled.

“Senpai told me… that I’m beautiful…”

Her flushed face, hand pressed to her cheek, and expression of pure bliss were enough to make Mina want to scream. A thin line of drool even escaped Fiona’s lips. Next to her, Noel’s gaze grew unnervingly sharp, while Elle’s teeth ground audibly.

Today’s special… focus on today’s special…

“And he gave me a passionate kiss…”

“Well, in that case, I too—”

“Absolutely not.”

“Nope.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

As Milis began to speak, Fiona, Elle, and Noel swiftly shut her down in unison.

The exchange continued, Sophie’s absurd introduction eventually tipping the scales of sanity for Mina, who stood abruptly to cut through the suffocating atmosphere.

“I-I’m Mina Carat-san!”

However, both Fiona and Noel’s icy gazes immediately turned toward her, making her regret her hasty attempt to shift the focus.

“Aaah… A rival, is it… Mina-san. By the way, what do you think of Senpai…?”

“You seemed awfully cozy chatting in your room. Surely, you’re not in love with him, are you…?”

“Of course not! Why would I be!? And how do you even know that!?”

Panic-stricken, Mina fiercely denied their accusations. There was no way she could have such feelings. Sure, Noil was unexpectedly easy to talk to and had a surprising amount of guts, but to fall for him? Impossible.

Noil was, if anything, a friend—nothing more. Besides, how could these two even know about their conversations in the first place?

“My divine artifact allows me to observe Noil’s activities.”

“WHAT!?”

Mina’s voice rose to a shriek. If Milis’s words were true, her privacy had been invaded all along. Though she had nothing to hide, it was still a blatant violation of her personal space.

“Don’t worry, Mina. I kept my promise and didn’t peek into your room.”

“Elle…”

Her friend’s words brought Mina to the verge of tears. As expected, Elle could be trusted. Even if Elle sometimes became a bit clueless around Noil, she was still different from the rest.

“But… seeing you flustered like this… makes me suspicious. Care to explain?”

This idiot!! Mina thought bitterly.

But she couldn’t let herself lose. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture and declared firmly:

“Hmph! How ridiculous. I have no interest in someone like him! I was relieved when he left—really, I finally—”

“Te-le-re-re, te-re-re, te-le-re-re~.”

A familiar flat voice and melody froze Mina in place, cold sweat pouring down her face.

“Te-re~ te-te~ te-le-re~.”

“S-Sophie…”

Mina turned her stiff neck, pleading with her eyes toward the source of the voice.

“Hey… Sophie, please…”

“Te-te~ te~ te-le-re~ ba-ba~n.”

Mina’s desperate plea was in vain.

“Sophie saw you~.”

Expressionless as ever, Sophie delivered the final blow.