Work Text:
Good day I bid, to the Club Advisor of Schale.
I’m C, the head of the Penemue Intelligence Unit and someone with the interest in maintaining the stability and safety of my school. I, and the rest of those whom worked on this matter, are dedicated to fully address the ongoing aftermaths of the incident, analysing the weaknesses in our school’s political structure, intelligence regarding about Arius Branch School and assessing whether Treaty of Eden is still a viable peace treaty between our school and Gehenna Academy.
This report of which will be discussed with you is none of those directly but concerning the future of Make-Up Work Club and in extension, the fellow students under your guidance. These four students, Ajitani Hifumi (the president), Urawa Hanako, Shirasu Azusa and Shimoe Koharu, were heavily involved with the Eden Treaty Incident and therefore, part of our effort in understanding the incident and bringing a closure to their involvement in this politically sensitive issue. While it is our intention to fully assess their profiles to ensure they will not affect the stability of our school, we also intend to ensure their rights as Trinity students are guaranteed and protected. The formation of Make-Up Work Club and the involvement of Federal Investigation Club (Schale), after all, are technically infringement of both Trinity’s autonomy and students’ rights by the current Representative of Filius, Acting Host President of Tea Party, Kirifuji Nagisa. Miss Kirifuji has also overstepped her authority in conducting this process as the task to ‘remove traitors of Trinity’ would fall under our responsibility. Normally, this action would warrant a formal inquiry into her actions and possibly removal of her position as one of the three Presidents of the Tea Party. However, considering the situation revolving around the treaty and taking the words of the victims into account, including your statements, the matter was ordered not to be pressed further. The Head Sister of Sisterhood, Sakurako, and the Captain of Remedial Knights and Representative of Johannes, Mine, also have determined that such inquiry is unneeded as the matter had been resolved privately between the involved parties.
We understand your commitment to these students despite their failures in the field of academics and generally regarded as ‘a group of misfits’. With that taken into consideration alongside with the reports regarding about the club, its achievements related to the Eden Treaty Incident and recommendation from the Post-Eden Investigation Committee, it is decided that the club shall be retained as what it supposed to be for our students – a space for students to help each other for the betterment of their academic studies. In light of their repeated failures, the club still retains its use in this matter and possibly assisting those who will need such help in the future. It is also decided that Schale’s responsibility as the club advisor of Make-Up Work Club will be continued. The Tea Party will provide the necessary support to ensure its continuation and ensure the rights of students are protected without the threat of expulsion. Therefore, we will assure you that Make-Up Work Club and its members will remain safe within the care of Trinity General School and their rights be guaranteed by the name of Tea Party.
Minimus, amissus et ultimus. Those who seek help, will be helped.
At this point, you might realise that I have not touched upon the question on their political involvement yet. For this matter, I understand that Make-Up Work Club is not a political club nor can it be utilised as one like how it was formed at first. The club should maintain its actual purpose of improving the academics of struggling students and allow a more centralised effort in addressing this particular issue. For this, the Post-Eden Investigation Committee had recommended that a special order had to be issued for the club not to be involved in any political affairs of Trinity and the Eden Treaty Incident anymore.
However, that only applies for this year and the future of the club, not the four students in question. As mentioned, our original intention of studying the students in question and Make-Up Work Club is to ensure their rights are protected and bring a closure to the issues we are facing as of now. Their debriefings are valuable to the investigation after all.
The circumstances had changed though. The deeper we looked, the heavier our concerns are for their ignorance. As of now, these students are not involved politically in any of Trinity’s circles despite their backgrounds. From the reports, interviews and requests, we understand that they do not wish to be involved with political matters. It is to our understanding that Make-Up Work Club will perform its activities according to its original goal. No matter what their intention is, however, the Eden Treaty Incident and their involvement had influenced the political field of Trinity to the extent that the chances for all four of them to be involved in political affairs in the near future are very high. It is unavoidable at this point.
I will start off with the least complicated student regarding this matter; Shimoe Koharu, 1st Year student of the Justice Task Force, Trinity General School. Formerly before her suspension, she was part of the Quartermaster Company and handled illegal and contraband items. She had requested to be transferred to the 1st Battalion under the 1st Justice Enforcer Brigade and prepared to be trained for it before her failing grades became a problem. She was suspended from service and transferred into the Make-Up Work Club to improve her academics afterward. The actual story, however, was to be a ‘hostage’ in what can be regarded as a ‘witch hunt’ in Make-Up Work Club under the conspiracy hatched by the Acting Host due to the alleged ‘extreme hatred towards Gehenna’ shown by Hanekawa Hasumi, the current Vice Chairman of Justice Task Force. As Vice Chairman Hanekawa held much of the command in the Justice Task Force, it was viewed as a ‘liability’ for the success of the Treaty of Eden, therefore warranting a ‘hostage’ from the Justice Task Force in the Make-Up Work Club to prevent any radical actions from the Justice Task Force. This matter was quietly resolved between the involved parties afterward.
Due to her actions during the Eden Treaty Incident, it was decided that Miss Shimoe Koharu will be awarded with ‘Trinity’s Police Medal, for Gallantry’ award. There are talks for her to be granted the title of ‘Knight’ under the Order of Saint George due to personal recommendation from former Representative of Pater, President of Tea Party Misono Mika. She also insisted on granting these awards to Miss Shimoe herself during the planned ceremony. This is still under consideration as Miss Misono is a former member of the Tea Party under criminal and treason charges, thus no longer in position to make such a recommendation. Furthermore, Miss Shimoe is still categorised as a member of the Justice Task Force despite being on suspension, therefore forbidding the appointment into the Orders other than the Order of Saint Judas. However, both Miss Kirifuji Nagisa and Miss Yurizono Seia accepted this recommendation, stating that “Miss Misono deserves to honour Miss Shimoe’s bravery by herself” and felt her contribution is more specific to Miss Misono, who was the former Grand Knight of the Order of Saint George, rather than Justice Task Force. Chairman Kenzaki has also approved this appointment.
As of now, Shimoe Koharu will remain in Make-Up Work Club and her service remains suspended due to another failing grade in her recent exam but we expect this to be temporary after her awards are made official. Even if it is just a second-rate award, her status will be prominent within Trinity’s circle as such awards are rarely made, especially considering she is still a first-year student, let alone the fact she is going to be knighted into one of the major Orders. From the interviews done with Miss Shimoe and various officers from Justice Task Force, it is likely that she will be assigned to the 1st Battalion or the 9th (Air) Battalion of Justice Enforcer Regiment, both being the elite battalions of Trinity’s main security force, the 1st Justice Enforcer Brigade, in the main campus. She does have the potential to become a leading officer in the Justice Task Force and soon be joining the ranks of the Central Justice Committee. It is highly likely that Miss Hanekawa will personally take her as an assistant or recommend her into a junior position within the Committee considering their relationship. Either way, she will be involved with Trinity’s political affairs as a senior member in the future but not with a huge influence as the Justice Task Force is a politically neutral organisation. Its role will always serve to enforce justice, laws and orders within and protect Trinity General School and its students. I judged that her circumstances will not be complicated to warrant special attention from your side nor ours other than providing consultation to her regarding this matter.
The next student in question will be Urawa Hanako, 2nd Year Affiliated student of Trinity General School. She was considered as one of the honour students in Trinity and at one point, was considered for a staff officer position in Tea Party or Sisterhood before her academic result started to decline, resulting in her tethering on expulsion. Originally, she was supposed to join either of the three major factions under the Tea Party before being scouted by Sisterhood for her skills and potential. This was the time where she made a reputation of being a skilled intelligence officer. However, her failing grades and an instance where she “violated the sanctity of the mass” by wearing a school-sanctioned swimsuit to the church resulted in the considerations being dropped. It was understood that she intentionally failed her examination due to her dissatisfaction with the politics of Trinity and used this method as an excuse to avoid being appointed officially.
To avoid joining either of the major political factions, Miss Urawa chose to be affiliated with Johannes in name. By far, the Johannes is the least politically-driven faction in Trinity and the most neutral amongst them, thus serving as a political safe haven for many Affiliated students whom wish to maintain their neutrality. However, the Eden Treaty Incident saw a brief return of her involvement with Trinity’s politics and temporarily led Sisterhood during the chaos. Due to her valued service, Miss Urawa was personally recommended by the Sisterhood and Tea Party to be awarded with ‘Cross of Holy Merit’ and ‘Elizabeth Cross’ awards respectively. She will also be officially granted the title of ‘Knight’ under the Order of Saint John, an award that was cancelled after the incident in the church.
Her influence in Trinity’s political affair and its future is something I have anticipated. Her involvement with the Sisterhood and also its change of policy in being active in Trinity’s general affairs meant Urawa Hanako will, at some point, be involved with Trinity’s politics and be a leading figure in the future. It is highly unlikely that her talents and potential will leave unnoticed at this point. She had demonstrated her capability in taking command during one of Trinity’s most confusing moments within minutes despite lacking the needed personnel, information and authority to do so. By honouring her promise with Head Sister Sakurako of Sisterhood, her reputation, which was originally sourced from her usual ‘perverted’ antics, has risen prominently. Needless to say, her current standing within Trinity’s circles is pretty high. Various circles in Trinity’s higher-ups have expressed their interests in seeing Miss Urawa returning to active service and taking up a representation though I see this will come with various issues.
The first would be Miss Urawa had expressed that she has no intention to be involved again with Trinity’s politics as of now. She specifically stated that she wishes to remain in Make-Up Work Club for the rest of the year until the situation that needed her service arises to which she predicted “will possibly be after Mika’s hearing and the reselection of representatives”. She also stated that she wanted to “enjoy her youth as a normal student as much as possible with her friends without the constraints of a Trinity’s officer”. This really indicated her disinterest in ever taking any active duties within Trinity’s political circles.
The second issue is that while Miss Urawa is a de-facto member of Sisterhood with enough influence and connections to head the faction, she is technically affiliated with Johannes. The faction which heads its own knights’ order, the Remedial Knights, has strict rules regarding its membership and neutrality, especially after the current Head of Johannes and Captain of Remedial Knights took over command. The faction specifically encouraged its members not to participate actively in any political activities within Trinity and maintained a ‘neutral’ stance ever since. Miss Urawa, originally going to join one of the three major factions in the Tea Party, chose to be affiliated with Johannes as a means to avoid the politics of Trinity. If she ever wants to rejoin in the general affairs of Trinity, she has to withdraw her membership with Johannes and possibly sparks tension between Sisterhood and Remedial Knights. I have personally talked to both the current Head Sister Sakurako of Sisterhood and Captain Mine of Remedial Knights about this and both parties agreed that they will be considerate of Miss Urawa’s choice.
Regardless of her wish, the circumstances in Trinity might change and will warrant the need for her to rejoin Trinity’s political circle as fast as possible. I personally wish that she will take my advice into consideration and consider joining Sisterhood in a temporary capacity. Trinity needs an excellent officer that is capable of leading Trinity in times of emergency and also reorganise our school’s political structure. As it stands now, it is highly volatile and the future is uncertain. However, the ultimate decision lies on her and how you wish to approach this as Miss Urawa is still your student under Make-Up Work Club. I, and Miss Sakurako, wish to honour her freedom at the very least.
The third student that I will discuss here is Shirasu Azusa, 2nd Year Unaffiliated student of Trinity General School and former member of 1st Arius Squad of Special Operation Detachment under Arius Branch School. Miss Shirasu is arguably the most controversial student that neither I nor the Post-Eden Treaty Investigation Committee have a proper solution to ensuring her status as a free, neutral Trinity student is not compromised. Her status as a former Arius Branch School student was put under gag order for now, but I do not know how long this will hold until the words spread within Trinity. Certainly, the original goal of her transfer was to subvert Trinity General School but her selfless effort in search of peace between our schools despite the odds is of immense bravery that one rarely sees. Not only she helped in containing Arius’ incursion and also assisted during the Eden Treaty Incident, she also provided us information regarding Arius Branch School, especially their standard operating procedure which greatly helped us in conducting security patrols around the district. Her bravery, willpower and cooperation are something to behold and therefore, we have no reason to doubt her words stated in any of the interviews that were done with her.
Her selfless actions and the immense bravery shown during the Eden Treaty Incident was something of a miracle to us in Trinity. Therefore, it was decided that Miss Shirasu Azusa be awarded with the ‘Victoria Cross’ award, Trinity’s highest military award for valour. There were some objections, however, due to her origin as a former Arius student and her involvement in the assassination attempt of the Representative of Sanctum and President of Tea Party Yurizono Seia. Such concerns were formally addressed by Miss Yurizono. She specifically stated that she was “willingly to forgive her” and instead saw a person with “immense valour and courage in the face of despair”. Therefore, she personally recommended Miss Shirasu Azusa to be awarded with the VC award and also granted her the title of ‘Knight’ under the Order of Saint Mary, thus giving more legitimacy to her status as a proper Trinity student and a degree of protection to her status.
Either way, Miss Shirasu is now a proper, fully legalised student of Trinity General School and will remain as such for her entire duration in Trinity. She has already reaffirmed her intention in staying as a normal student in Trinity General School and I do intend to respect her decision. Her admission into the school will serve as an important step in integrating Arius students into Trinity General School in the future. Both Miss Kirifuji and Miss Yurizono have already proposed for such an effort to be made and the framework is currently being drafted by the Post-Eden Treaty Investigation Committee. There is still opposition to this effort within Trinity and I still don’t expect the remnants of Arius to fold over easily. The conflict had been going on since the beginning of Trinity and the complicated relationship between our schools is not going to disappear overnight with a mere gesture. However, with Miss Shirasu as the leading example of a heroine who dedicated herself for peace between the two schools, I can see this being a reality in the near future, not under our wings but by our future successors.
Miss Shirasu’s future does not end there. Certainly, I intend to just let her enjoy her youth as a normal student but her training and talents gained from being part of a special operation unit can’t be ignored completely. The top brass was made well aware of this and various elite regiments are hoping that she will join them in the near future. While the current plan is to let her join the same battalion as Miss Ajitani Hifumi, there is a high chance that officers from various elite regiments will force a transfer in order to make use of her talent. I will not pretend that I am not one of them. My organisation certainly wished that she would join us as we specialised in this type of field. Unconventional warfare and intelligence gathering are our specialities after all. Her skills in unconventional warfare and in-depth knowledge on Arius’ standard operation procedures and tactics will greatly benefit them in future operations. I’m expecting remnants of Arius Branch School will continue to mount insurgency operations in Trinity and threaten the general peace and safety of our school. Miss Shirasu will be a great help in countering these threats with her vast experience and trained skills. This is still under consideration, however, as I manage to convince the other commanding officers to let her decide her choice of assignment on her own when the time comes. If anything, I highly suggest that she comes under my wing. She is, undoubtedly, our greatest asset in facing Arius’ threats. I hope that you will consult with Miss Shirasu about this matter.
The last one will be the president of Make-Up Work Club, Ajitani Hifumi, 2nd Year Unaffiliated student of Trinity General School. Arguably, she is my biggest concern with how big of a wave she will make in the future if left unattended. To be frank, she is unremarkable. Her status, social circles and achievements are just average, maybe below or above depending on the specifics. However, it seems like her general disposition of an ‘average school girl’ with a surprisingly decent charisma managed to impress some officers throughout her career in her home battalion, the 5th Battalion of St. Mary Rifles, and some of her classmates. One thing and another, Miss Kirifuji came to be well acquainted with her, going as far as being the few Unaffiliated Students to have a personal audience with her. As of the grand picture, she would be nothing but one or two mentions at most. Her appointment to the Make-Up Work Club changed her future however.
For her selfless action in leading Make-Up Work Club despite the challenges and also showing immense bravery during the Eden Treaty Incident, the current Acting Host President of Tea Party personally wish to grant Miss Ajitani Hifumi ‘Victoria Cross’ award and ‘Distinguished Service Order’ award for leading her club during the dark moment of Trinity. Miss Kirifuji also intends to bestow the title of ‘Knight’ under the Order of Saint Peter to Miss Ajitani but this is still being discussed due to Miss Ajitani’s status. As an Unaffiliated student, there is a great concern on whether to allow such appointment due to the Order of Saint Peter being officially under Filius. There was a call for Miss Ajitani to be appointed under the Order of Holy Victoria instead but Miss Kirifuji insisted on the appointment, stating that “Miss Ajitani carried her burden and served faithfully under me despite the circumstances, therefore such appointment is warranted and appropriate”. This is of oddities amongst the higher-ups but in a personal discussion between myself and Miss Kirifuji, I understood why she insisted on this.
This is related to the future of Miss Ajitani Hifumi, which is the one I least expected. She is a normal student, no doubt, as her records are clean with very little problems, other than occasional troubles like the incident involving the near annihilation of a platoon under the 1st Battalion of Justice Enforcer Regiment, association with a pseudo-criminal group under Abydos High School (Foreclosure Task Force) and constant visits to the black-market district, which is prohibited under Trinity’s rules. However, some of these were viewed in a positive light by some higher-ups whom recognised her skill and charisma in leading the rag-tag club and commandeering a light tank to blitzkrieg through the campus. These two incidents were rather popular amongst the members of Free Trinity Student Union to the point of her being referred, in a jokingly manner and with her obsession with Momo Friends in mind, as “Saint Hifumi of Peroro”. There was also the incident where she successfully coordinated an artillery exercise for Battery C of 1st Holy Convent Artillery Battalion despite not training for it. This, plus her stellar reputation in handling various tasks in the 5th Battalion of St. Mary Rifles also caused her reputation to be solidified within both the Tea Party and the Free Trinity Student Union.
At any rate, her reputation already superseded her status as an “average student”. In the interview with Miss Ajitani, I understand that she has no interest in joining political affairs and wishes to remain as a regular student. As much as Miss Kirifuji and I wish to respect her decision, the other officers will outweigh the benefits Miss Ajitani will give than her own interests. As the well-known heroine of the Eden Treaty Incident, whom battled through hardships for the sake of her friends, her value as a Trinity student has risen by a large margin, more so than she thinks of herself. She is one of the few Victoria Cross recipients existing as of now together with one of the few students with a foreign award, which was recently awarded by Abydos High School to her. It is a minor award, indeed, as Abydos High School is on the verge of shutting down but it is still a foreign award that one rarely sees in Kivotos. At this rate, it will be either the Tea Party or the Free Trinity Student Union that will involve her into political affairs.
Miss Kirifuji understood this and has to fulfil her duty as both a member of the Tea Party and a friend of hers, hence her decision to adopt her under Filius’ knight order. This serves as a guarantor where Miss Kirifuji will be able to stem the interest in recruiting Miss Ajitani into any political affairs that are outside of her control. This will only last until her term ends, however. She made it clear that if the situation arises, she will nominate Miss Ajitani as her successor in being the representative of Filius, a very radical choice. In her reasoning, it is only a matter of time that she will be forced into attending political affairs without Miss Kirifuji’s protection and going to helm one of the major battalions or even leading a brigade personally. In fact, the commander of the 2nd Combined Brigade Arms Team had personally asked Miss Kirifuji to appoint Miss Ajitani as one of the officers in leading the armoured force of the brigade. The various voices from the Tea Party can’t be ignored nor those within her own faction, therefore forcing Miss Kirifuji to officially recognise Miss Ajitani for her role. That will allow Miss Kirifuji to control the situation involving Miss Ajitani until her term ends. The best protection she could give is to provide Miss Ajitani the necessary training and education to prepare her as a future officer of Trinity General School and her replacement as the Representative of Filius of the Tea Party. It will end her wish to remain a normal student, but this is for the best. Miss Ajitani is seen as an important symbol of Trinity now and nothing can change this.
This recognition is a rather radical move however. I have to remind you that Miss Ajitani is an Unaffiliated Student, therefore comes under the management of the Free Trinity Student Union. Relationships between the Tea Party and the Free Trinity Student Union are not exactly the best, especially between more radical parties. The Student Union, in particular, is very sensitive to any mentions of Unaffiliated Students being poached by Affiliated Students. As the guarantor of the neutrality of Unaffiliated Students, they have a role in ensuring the rights of Trinity students and their neutrality in terms of politics are guaranteed. They rarely concern themselves with the bigger picture of Trinity General School and the rivalry between us and Gehenna. At most, they campaigned mainly for the improvements of students’ life in Trinity. They have already lodged complaints about the decision to appoint Miss Ajitani and Miss Shirasu as knights under the affiliated knight orders. As much as politically neutral they are, I believe they also intend to recruit Miss Ajitani as one of their leaders and in similar manner. She is a symbol already in both the Tea Party’s and the Student Union’s eyes. Miss Kirifuji has stated that she will negotiate the terms with the representatives from the Student Union soon but hopes that you, as the advisor of the Make-Up Work Club, will consult with Miss Ajitani about this first before coming to a decision. It is a serious matter and could determine the future of Trinity General School. Make no mistake, the complexity of her situation is on the same level as Miss Urawa Hanako.
This report of mine will come to an end now. I hope you will take note of our concerns and advise these students. Your reputation impressed me and I believe you can provide the best guidance to these troubled students. Never in my time nor Trinity sees this much of Victoria Cross recipients in one year. Please, I bid that you will guide these students through this complex situation.
I wish to remain confidential about this as the time for us to meet directly is still not here yet. Therefore, if you have any inquiries, you can directly ask Miss Kenzaki Tsurugi or Miss Sakurako about this report. They will help you through this.
I will bid you all the best and wish your guidance will continue to illuminate our light. Thank you and have a nice day. Until then.
Yours truly,
C.