Surviving in Blue Archive Chapter 426 426: V5 Epilogue: A Tea Party Just for You and M

Nagisa smiled: "I've been waiting for you, Sensei."

I nodded. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Nagisa."

Once again, it was just the two of us at a small tea gathering. No guards stationed nearby, not even a single mber of the security detail.

After so polite chatter, I took my seat opposite Nagisa and, as usual, scanned the tea table. The sweets were delicately crafted and looked delicious, clearly made by Nagisa's skilled hands.

Seeing her rise to pour tea for , I glanced at her and asked with concern, "Is your foot okay now?"

"Thank you for asking." Nagisa turned slightly, lifting her pristine heels to show . "I can't do strenuous activity yet, but I'm recovered enough that it doesn't interfere with normal movent."

Students certainly have a natural advantage when it cos to rapid physical recovery, and Nagisa's previous sprain wasn't all that serious to begin with.

After taking a gentle sip of her tea, I complinted her as she returned to her seat: "As expected of your skill, Nagisa."

But for so reason, her expression seed to stiffen the mont she heard my words.

Masking it with her tea, she looked directly at , her tone serious: "Sensei… you know why I asked you here today, right?"

Wasn't it to confess her feelings to ?

I remained calm on the surface. "Of course. How's everything going with that matter?"

Nagisa let out a long sigh, troubled. "Luckily, with the testimony of the Sisterhood and the Redial Knights, the Pater faction associated with Mika has been temporarily pacified. But it's only temporary. The consequences will be far-reaching, especially regarding the Eden Treaty…

"Not only are there many issues within the academy to resolve, but the president of the Pandemonium Hall is like a bloodhound, sniffing for trouble, insisting on renegotiating clauses that were just finalized…"

Sotis, listening to others describe him, I honestly can't tell if Makoto is just not bright or if his brain works in strange single-track ways.

She often does ridiculous, whimsical things, yet occasionally shows unexpected sharpness, more or less like that.

Nagisa paused, then concluded. "This ans it'll be several more months at least before we can hope to formally conclude the Eden Treaty with Pandemonium Hall."

"At least the real traitor in Trinity has been caught," I reassured her. "Now we don't have to worry about getting stabbed in the back at any mont."

That's probably how Mika would have described Gehenna.

ntioning this made Nagisa uneasy. "I… I have to apologize, Sensei, to you and the Make-Up Work Club. It was my fault that things nearly beca so serious."

Despite sotis being quick to her assumptions, her ability to recognize mistakes and apologize promptly made her admirable.

I shook my head. "It's fine on my end, but for the Make-Up Work Club… that's for you to handle yourself."

Nagisa nodded. "You're right. But… it may take so ti to finish dealing with everything… to ntally prepare myself to face them…"

I understood. She still felt guilt and couldn't yet face her classmates who had suffered, as well as…

"Even Mika?" I asked bluntly.

Caught off guard by my directness, she hesitated briefly, then said: "Yes. Even Mika."

Unlike her approach toward the Make-Up Work Club, she couldn't yet face Mika because of the complex mixture of being a close friend, protector, and witness to Mika's wrongdoing.

Nagisa pressed her lips together, her expression sorrowful. "Honestly… Mika has already shown many suspicious signs. I just trusted her too much and subconsciously ignored them."

I recalled and reflected, "It's precisely because you trusted her that this escalated…"

Before I could finish, Nagisa interrupted anxiously, "Please don't say strange things! Huh… From now on, Mika's life at the academy will probably be spent in confinent…"

The ending Mika had envisioned for Nagisa had now beco her own fate, how ironic.

I knew Mika deserved brutal correction, yet couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

"Isn't there any chance for a turn of events?" I asked.

"…Unless we can prove that Mika was deceived…" Nagisa looked at with complex eyes. "Sensei… you really are an incorrigible good person."

Hearing this complint made slightly uncomfortable. "Why do you say that?"

"Mika deceived even you, did sothing reckless, yet you're still willing to speak on her behalf… Hehe, I suppose I benefit from your kindness too?"

Noticing my discomfort, Nagisa smiled faintly. "Hehe… Sensei, if you truly forgive Mika, then perhaps there is a chance for a turn of events."

I hurriedly asked, "What do you an?"

Nagisa straightened her expression, shifting into a calculating mode: "First, it depends on whether Mika truly repents. Second, it depends on the thoughts of , Seia, and you. And finally…"

She looked at with a aningful gaze, teasingly leaving the last part unsaid.

"What's the last part?"

"From the results alone… Mika's final actions and the public response have channeled the emotions of Trinity's students into a safe direction, preemptively diffusing the situation."

Nagisa tilted her head toward the clear sky outside and murmured thoughtfully, "Sensei… many people's opinions follow the trend of the majority. Once ordinary students assud that Mika acted out of jealousy toward , her actions appear far less severe in their eyes."

I listened carefully, nodded thoughtfully, then asked the question that had weighed on the most:

"How are you so calm when bringing up that matter?"

I recalled how grief-stricken and pale Nagisa had looked when she first witnessed Mika's acts.

Only one day had passed, and she had recovered? Her ntal resilience in dealing with on this topic was impressive.

Nagisa smiled lightly: "Hehe… what's done is done. Regret won't change anything. Even if the person I care about is forced by a friend to commit such acts… all I can do is accept it. Isn't that right?"

Despite preparing myself ntally, I was nearly stunned by her kindness, then couldn't help but admire her.

Looking closer, the flower on the host's headpiece, the color of the leaves, was so fresh and vibrant.

And… she admitted she liked ! Wait, Nagisa just said that… act fast!

I was about to speak when Nagisa smiled warmly and shook her head:

"Of course not."

…Huh?

"Hehehe…" She kept smiling, yet there was a subtle quiver and tension in her voice. "That damn Mika… humiliated like this… likes kissing? Next ti we et, I'll shove the Swiss roll...No! The whole thing! Into her mouth!"

SAUCE

I imagined the scene… if that actually happened, Mika's jaw would probably dislocate.

"That might be a bit much," I advised. "How about the Shanhaijing bread instead?"

At least I thought the Shanhaijing recipe would be safer.

Nagisa sneered, "A perfect idea. A super-spicy version of that bread would surely make Mika jump for joy!"

Ah… best not to ddle in childhood friend business.

I recalled Mika's comnt on Nagisa, she's always prone to emotional outbursts.

"Phew…" Nagisa, likely still imagining punishing Mika in her fantasy, exhaled and refreshed her expression. "Hehe… sorry for the laughter. It's better to look forward than to dwell on the past. Now, let's talk about sothing pleasant."

I eagerly nodded.

Nagisa said warmly, "Sensei, today's tea and sweets were carefully prepared by , you know?"

Relaxed, already aware of everything, I teased: "Weren't they before as well?"

Nagisa blushed and pouted: "Before… you knew it, Sensei… really, why are you sotis so mischievous?"

She implicitly admitted that all previous private teas were prepared with feelings similar to those now.

I asked: "Don't you like it?"

The answer was obvious.

"Sensei, if you say such strange things again, I won't talk to you, okay?" Nagisa teased softly. "So… I specially, intentionally, carefully prepared this tea party… You don't like my sweets?"

She gave a pitiful look, her acting not entirely natural, but that only made my heart race faster!

"How could I not accept Princess Nagisa's feelings!?"

I patted my chest and began enjoying the tea and sweets.

While eating, she explained in detail how she made them, after, I praised her skill.

As ti passed, the atmosphere grew warr. A casual, private flirtation finally crossed a boundary, heat radiated from my chest pocket, making alert.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Nagisa's gaze, rooted on , noticed my change instantly.

I casually replied: "Nothing… just a little sleepy after eating."

Not exactly a lie.

"I see." Nagisa smiled gently, corners of her mouth rising. "Finally took effect, huh."

Suddenly, the tea party of just the two of us felt utterly still.

"…Huh?" I instinctively asked. "Took effect?"

"Yes. Slower than expected… hehe, haven't I warned you before?"

Her smile was serene as she said softly, "Why are you so sure I wouldn't tamper with the food?"

I realized sothing, Nagisa hadn't eaten a single sweet herself the entire ti.

I blinked, hesitated, then discreetly checked the credit card in front of her.

---

Solidify Ability: Dragon-Serpent's Sleep Healing

Description: The holder gains greatly enhanced self-healing during sleep.

Source: Successfully captured Nagisa's affection

---

I nearly jumped, almost thought the one being 'captured' wasn't Nagisa but so other student who craved my beauty.

…Looking at it, this ability seems powerful, especially the "greatly enhanced," and the definition of "sleep" is intriguing. "Self-healing" really stands out.

With unexpected delight, I pocketed the card and half-jokingly, half-seriously asked with caution:

"Nagisa, what are you planning!?"

"Hehe… haven't I already said? It's better to look forward than dwell on what's done…"

Nagisa sipped her favorite tea calmly, her eyes glinting coldly. "Sensei… you like , right? To express my apology… and deepen our bond… hehe… may I ask you, Knight, to grant the princess a small request?"

From this, one thing was clear. Nagisa had never let go of the previous matter. From the start, inviting over, she was already irrational!

Realizing this, my heart pounded.

"Hehe… Sensei, don't worry." Nagisa stood and walked toward . "I just added sothing to the tea and sweets to lower your resistance… Don't worry, I won't do anything too extre."

However, the mont she reached and reached for my clothes, my hand firmly caught hers.

Nagisa froze: "Se-sensei? How…!?"

I didn't explain, instead standing and unbuttoning the top few buttons of my shirt, revealing a cross necklace entwined with a snake, thanks to Lord Faust's blessing.

"Nagisa," I looked down at her, body far superior yet frozen with nervousness, and lifted her chin. "What exactly were you planning to do to ?"

"This… this…" Nagisa blushed deeply, stamring, "I just… wanted to… get back at you for scaring before…"

"Is that really all?"

With my hand on her shoulder, she went limp in my arms, like she'd been drugged, not .

Perhaps, at first, she only wanted a slight advantage. But now, there was no turning back.

"Wait a mont…"

Using the last of her reason, she whispered softly in my ear. "In my pocket… just in case…"

Retracting my previous words.

I had underestimated Nagisa.

With the added duration, the Make-Up Work Club's final evaluation exam was still ongoing.

While severely punishing the tea party host in my mind, I also hoped Hifumi, Hanako, Azusa, and Koharu would all succeed…

A feather fell to the floor, ripples stirred the tea.

The winged serpent of the false Eden, under mortal temptation, swallowed the forbidden fruit.

...

A/N: Finally, after nearly two months of continuous work, another volu has co to an end, it really wasn't easy.

Speaking of which, I originally planned for the later chapters to be more dramatic, but the recent pace of events made it hard to focus fully on plot design. Still, I think the overall quality is acceptable, right?

At first, the subtitle for this volu was supposed to use a "snake"-related term, but I later chose a more subtle one, "Forbidden Fruit" which has deeper aning within the context of the Eden Treaty.

As for choosing Nagisa as the first heroine of this volu, that was decided from the beginning. After all, this volu focuses solely on the Make-Up Work Club, the rest will co in subsequent volus.

By the way, Nagisa's inspiration was Raphael, associated with healing and the snake, once regarded as a fallen angel and ruler of the underworld, later reclassified as one of the three great archangels. This ties both to the volu's subtitle and to Nagisa's initial role in the Make-Up Work Club's storyline.

To be honest, Nagisa's character had so much potential to explore deeply, but she was shaped rather thinly and developed into the "persecuted" image… which feels a bit unfair to her.

Therefore, I wrote this volu with the goal of elevating Nagisa as much as possible. I think it succeeded, and it even resulted in the delightful scenario of the three tea party mbers scheming against each other, truly my handiwork!

In short, enough rambling. Good night, everyone.