School Garden, Tokiwadai Dormitories.
On an open-air balcony outside the dormitory, Shokuhou Misaki sat at a small white table, enjoying a lovely afternoon tea.
No, calling it lovely was not quite right.
Because around Shokuhou Misaki, the young ladies of the various factions were continuously offering advice to the Queen they admired.
"Misaka-sama must be preparing to make her move on that man."
"After all, she went so far as to do that without caring about what others thought."
"Yesterday, she was still agonizing in the dormitory outside School Garden over whether she should contact that man."
"Misaka-sama had never shown this much concern and worry over any man before."
"Just like the rumors say, Misaka-sama has fallen for that man too."
"Queen, you cannot keep sitting back and waiting. Misaka-sama will get ahead of you."
"And the other young ladies in School Garden cannot be underestimated either."
"Exactly."
The faction's young ladies spoke around Shokuhou Misaki as though earnestly offering counsel. It should have been a noisy, chattering scene, but thanks to their impeccable upbringing, their tones and manner of speech were all exceptionally graceful and lovely, making it strangely pleasing to the eye and ear.
Among them, Hanazei Junko, the faction's second-in-command, spoke up as well.
"Queen, I too recommend that you take the initiative. With your qualities, Queen, you will surely overwhelm those young ladies in no time. Your only true opponent is Misaka-sama. And even if that is not enough, you still have us."
It seemed Hanazei Junko truly intended to carry out that strategy of throwing the entire faction into the fray.
Shokuhou Misaki did not quite know how to react to that.
If there is some mastermind behind all this, I really want to make them regret it.
That was the only resentment left