“A-are you sure it’s really okay for me to come in?”

“Yeah. Everyone else is already here.”

It was a little past nine in the evening.

For the study session, everyone had gathered at Toudou Mizuki’s apartment.

The last to arrive was Minaki Suzu.

“E-excuse me for intruding…”

Even Minaki Suzu, who was usually so confident, took off her shoes at the entrance with noticeable restraint.

“Minaki-san! You’re late!”

From down the hallway, Aihara Yura, who had arrived earlier, called out to her.

Unlike Suzu, who looked tense, Yura seemed completely at ease, just as always.

“…Aihara’s actually pretty something else, isn’t she?”

Suzu muttered, her face tinged with exasperation.

“Yeah, this way.”

They were led into a bedroom just past the entrance.

Inside, Isshiki Shizuku, Kaminari Nene, Otonashi Nagi, and Gobai Miya were seated around a small table.

“…So I’m the last one.”

Because the regular table had been pushed together with the guest table, the room felt cramped.

After watching Yura and Suzu take seats in the available spots, Toudou Mizuki headed toward the living room.

“I’ll go get some tea.”

“Ah, sorry about that.”

In the living room, Mikado Rei was already there, preparing the tea.

“You already got it ready? Thanks.”

“Isn’t the bedroom a bit cramped?”

“Well, there aren’t enough chairs here, and…”

The living room only had seating for four.

The table was also too high, making it difficult to line it up with the foldable table meant for guests.

“At that distance, with six women close enough for shoulders to touch, I can’t help but worry.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“If anything happens, please shout right away.”

Letting out a wry smile at how overprotective Rei was being, Mizuki took the tea from her and carried it to the bedroom.

When he returned to the room, everyone was looking around with clear interest.

“Here you go.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Nene hesitantly reached out for the tea that had been offered to her.

“So, where should we start?”

“How about geography? There’s a chance it’ll be used in the special program, so we should review it thoroughly.”

At Isshiki Shizuku’s suggestion, Gobai Miya nodded.

“I agree. Apparently, instead of the usual amphibious landing simulation, they’re planning to do some kind of recreation, but still, it’s better to be prepared.”

“Yeah. I think we shouldn’t cut corners on geography and political science. Let’s start with geography.”

“Yes, Mizuki-sama. I’ve prepared notes summarizing the key points.”

Shizuku took out a stack of printed sheets from her bag.

A quick look showed that the material was neatly organized.

There were also corresponding short quizzes included.

“This is how we did it during the class study session as well, but I suggest we try solving the problems as if it were an actual test, then look for suitable study methods based on the scores.”

“Yeah. I agree with that too.”

They decided to try solving them first, and the prints were passed around.

For a while after that, only the sound of pens scraping against paper filled the room.

There weren’t many questions on the quiz, and it could be finished in just a few minutes.

As each person finished, they quietly set their pen down.

The last one to put her pen down was Aihara Yura.

“What even is the Suez Canal…? Why do we have to memorize the width of some foreign river like this?”

Yura let out a low groan and collapsed forward onto the desk.

As if the tension had eased for everyone else as well, they stretched their legs and relaxed.

In the midst of that, Otonashi Nagi quietly spoke up.

“…It’s a key point for military defense.”

“Huh?”

As Yura lifted her head with a puzzled look, Nagi continued hesitantly.

“The Suez Canal… is an artificially cut canal that allows passage across Africa, and it’s very narrow. The Egyptian territory around the canal is under the effective control of the British Empire. If a conflict with the British Empire were to escalate, their fleet would come straight through here. In contrast, Japan’s Combined Fleet would have to detour around the southern tip of the African continent, the Cape of Good Hope, and would inevitably be delayed. In other words, the Suez Canal is a strategic point that could decide a decisive battle with the British Empire.”

Everyone blinked in surprise.

Even Isshiki Shizuku was wearing an unusually astonished expression.

Nagi shrank back slightly, then added in a small voice, as if to explain herself.

“…Um, it’s written in the National Defense White Paper.”

“You really know a lot. Are you from a military family, by any chance?”

At Miya’s words, Nagi slowly shook her head.

“…Important points from the National Defense White Paper appear on entrance exams. Anything that appears on entrance exams will also appear on the end-of-semester exams. If you understand the Party’s intentions, you can predict the questions to a certain extent.”

“Then what other predictions can you make?”

“…Anything related to sea routes will definitely be on it.”

Nagi answered Shizuku’s question without hesitation.

“…For example, the Andes Mountains. At first glance, they might seem unrelated to sea routes, but they’re the reason shipping lanes in South America are concentrated along the east coast. It’s essential knowledge when it comes to disrupting the American Empire’s logistics.”

“I see. That’s reasonable. It certainly aligns with the knowledge the Party expects.”

Shizuku seemed to think it over.

Beside her, Yura looked at Nagi with sparkling eyes.

“Otonashi-san… that’s amazing! You’re a genius!”

As Nagi shook her head vigorously, Yura threw her arms around her.

“I’m saved! I actually got in off the waitlist.”

It was a remark Yura tossed out casually.

In the next instant, the air in the room froze.

“…Huh?”

“I barely made it in! I’m so glad Isshiki-san and Otonashi-san are here!”

Waitlist.

In other words, in terms of academic ability, that meant she was the most likely to fall within the bottom five.

In contrast to Yura’s innocent cheerfulness, Shizuku’s expression vanished.

“…Based on what Otonashi-san said, we’ll narrow down the questions further next time. And I’ll take full responsibility for coaching Aihara-san thoroughly.”

“I’ll help whenever I can find the time as well. We’ll have to drill it into her.”

A cold gaze was directed at her from Miya as well.

“Huh? Um… p-please go easy on me…”

Yura wilted instantly, and a quiet chuckle escaped Mizuki.

The study session had only just begun, but somehow, it felt like things were going to work out.

“How about you, Minaki-san? Think you’ll be okay?”

“Yeah. I don’t think there’s a problem.”

Answering as she stretched, Suzu gave off an air of confidence.

Mizuki then turned his attention to Nene, who had been unusually quiet.

“How about you, Nene-chan?”

“…Not really… I guess.”

Nene, who had been admitted through the sports quota, simply couldn’t compete with the others when it came to pure academic ability.

Mizuki leaned over to peek at Nene’s quiz as she sat there dejected.

“You scored about the same as me. Let’s do our best together.”

To begin with, boys didn’t have entrance exams at all.

They were forcibly assigned to coeducational schools through the Party’s internal screening, and at Shirayuki Academy, they were then sorted into classes based on their social scores.

As a result, there was a prevailing attitude that boys’ academic ability didn’t really matter.

“Please don’t strain yourself, Mizuki-sama. This is our role.”

“Kaminari is… well, she’s already in a pairing, so she wouldn’t be traded, right? That means the real issue is Aihara.”

Miya’s cold gaze turned toward Yura once again.

“T-there’s still plenty of time! It’ll be fine, right?”

“That kind of attitude is exactly how things end up too late. Now then, let’s get to work.”

“Ughh…”

◇◆◇

For a while after that, the study session continued smoothly.

Once the clock passed ten-thirty, a sense that things were about to wrap up gradually filled the room.

“You all had Seikadan earlier—aren’t you tired?”

“I… can’t go on anymore.”

Yura collapsed forward onto the desk.

Mizuki stood up and went to prepare for one last break.

“I’ll bring something sweet.”

“Ugh… thanks.”

The plan was to eat something sweet together, chat a little, and then call it a night.

When Mizuki headed to the living room, Rei had already prepared some tea and snacks, just as expected.

“Will the study session be continuing for a while longer?”

“No, I think we’ll be done soon.”

As Mizuki reached for the tray on the table, a soft, sweet scent suddenly enveloped him.

“Mizuki-sama…”

“What is it?”

From behind, Rei’s arms slipped around his neck.

Warm, sweet breath brushed against the side of his neck.

“Since we’ve been apart all day today… I ended up missing you a little.”

“…Just… a bit longer… wait for me.”

“Mizuki-sama… please allow me to stay like this a little longer…”

Rei’s soft body pressed up against Mizuki from behind.

At that moment, a voice came from the hallway.

“Mizuki-kun, are you okay? There are a lot of people, so I thought I’d help—”

When Mizuki turned around, Kaminari Nene was standing there.

Rei’s arms, wrapped around his neck from behind, tightened even more.

“Ah…”

An awkward silence filled the space.

Rei’s arms did not loosen.

Just as Mizuki was about to say something, Rei’s lips made brief contact with the nape of his neck.

“Then… if you don’t mind, could you see me to my room?”

“……”

Rei spoke calmly, offering no comment on what had just occurred.

In contrast, Nene stood in the hallway for a while, unable to move.