...
After I spent the evening helping the Problem Solver girls decorate, I relaxed for the rest of the evening, before going to sleep.
Early the next morning, as I laze around, I receive a text from Hoshino.
Um, Sensei, can you come to the Foreclosure Task Force club room when you have the time? I need your help.
She needs help? Before I can respond, she texts again.
Oh, also, I heard that whales hold their breath underwater. Did you know that?
Sure, I'll swing by. And yeah, I did know that.
Chuckling at the girls' actions, I get dressed and head over to Abydos.
—————
A bit later, I arrived at the school, completely empty, save for Hoshino, who began telling me all about whales when I arrived.
"So that means whales are holding their breath when they sleep... Isn't that amazing?" She asks.
"Yeah, it is pretty neat when ya think about it." I agree. "So what did you need help with anyways?"
"Ugh. Loosen up a little, Sensei." She chastises me. "Actually, I need help with some manual labor. There's something I can't move by myself. I came to you because everyone else was busy." She then smiles. "And I'm glad you're here, I knew I could count on you."
"Alright then, lead the way." I say, standing up.
The pink haired girl leads me to an old storage room. Opening the door unleashes a plume of dust directly at Hoshino, who opened the door.
She coughs once or twice, while fanning the air in front of her face with her hand. "Here we are. This place could use a dusting, though..." As I enter behind her, she cautions me. "Be careful in here, Sensei. Watch your footing."
"When was the last time someone went in here...?" I ask, looking dumbly at the unbelievable amount of dust in the storage room.
"Dunno." She shrugs. "This is just one of the many often forgotten storage rooms on campus. We have quite a few of these." She explains. "Most old equipment that's still useful gets sold off, so everything that winds up here is just junk." She then looks around the room, until her eye catches something. She reaches into a pile of junk, and pulls on something.
"Careful." I warn.
"But, if you search in just the right places..." She then yanks something out, once again causing her to be hit with a cloud of dust. She coughs again. "Ta-da! You can find some really cool hidden gems like this." She says, pulling out a...
"A workout mat? Whaddya need that for?" I ask, looking at the large mat that's on the floor.
She clears her throat. "This is no ordinary workout mat. I carries the tradition of our academy's glorious, wealthy past too!"
"So, what, it's a fancy workout mat?" I ask, wondering where she's going with this.
"Close. This mat is made of genuine duck down!" Color me interested. "This luxurious mat is filled with real duck down, not that crap felt filler! I can understand if it were a blanket, but who puts duck down in a workout mat? It's so quirky." She chuckles. "I guess some people are just eccentric like that. The world is full of things like this that exist for the sake of being different." She then catches herself from rambling more. "Er, if that makes sense. I hope it wasn't too philosophical."
"Not at all." I say. Sometimes her intellect really shines through. "You seem to know a lot about this kinda thing." Then again, she does sleep a lot.
"Anyway, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste." She says happily. "Would you mind carrying it for me, Sensei?"
"Heh, not at all." I say, rolling up the mat, carrying it under my arm.
Her heterochromatic eyes widen. "I didn't know you were that strong, Sensei. You must work out a lot."
"Every morning. Let's get going."
Hoshino then leads me to an unused classroom, not as dusty as the storage room, but still covered in a layer of it. She points me to a spot in the center of the room. "This should be good. You can put it down here." I lay the mat down for her, completely flat.
She inspects it for a moment. "Hmm. The angle is a little off. Could you move it like..." She motions her arms, as I rotate the mat in that way. "There we go! Perfect!"
"What's the plan with the mat anyways?" I ask, wondering why she's put it in here.
She just giggles. "Isn't it obvious?" She's gonna sleep on it. I already figured that out-
My train of thought is interrupted by the short, pink-haired girl jumping on the mat. "The perfect napping spot is complete!" She cheers, raising her fists while laying on her back. I certainly wasn't expecting her to just flop down like that! "Now that I have a secret nap spot that no one knows about, you're not gonna tell the others, are you, Sensei?"
I just shrug. "Got no reason to. Still, you could've wiped off the dust first." I say, observing a thin layer of dust on the mat.
"You don't have to nag me." She says, deadpan, before smiling again. "Thanks though. Now I have a great spot to sleep." She snuggles into the mat cutely. "Hehehe~ It's so fluffy. You just can't resist genuine duck down."
"I wouldn't know, having never slept on the stuff." I shrug.
"Can't hear you." She says, her eyes beginning to close for longer than a blink. "Falling asleep... Sensei..." She lets out a cute yawn. "Nighty-night..."
She begins to lull herself to sleep. "I'm glad... I'm not... a whale..." She manages to say, before completely passing out. I idly notice that her halo disappears, fading away just like her consciousness.
I stare in awe for a few moments at the fact she could fall asleep that quick. Shaking my head and chuckling quietly, I slowly walk out of the room, and close the door.
'Sweet dreams, Hoshino.'
—————
As I left the Abydos campus, I got a text from Kayoko, surprisingly.
Sensei, have you ever worried about the impression you make on others?
Not really. If people don't like me, I usually just ignore them. What brought this up?
I mean... I'm sure you've noticed that I look kind of threatening. I think that's why I keep getting into fights. There's not much good that can come from a bad first impression.
First impressions are important, after all.
Hoping I gave her a bit of good insight, I went to close my phone, only to receive another next from Hifumi of all people.
Sensei! Sensei!
What? What?
I have good news! I got some rare Momo Friends foods from the auction!
An auction? Why're you telling me?
Well, you did say the Ice Cream Peroro was cute, so..
I let out a sigh. Might as well indulge her...
Eh, fine. What'd you get?
Heehee, that's still a secret. I'll show you the next time we meet!
You want I shout come over now? It's my day off?
Huh? Well, if you want to, then sure.
Chuckling to myself, while pocketing my phone, I begin to go towards Trinity.
—————
"Oh, Sensei! You're here!" Hifumi chirped as I entered a random classroom in Trinity. "I told you about the new merch, right?"
"Yup." I say simply, nodding.
"Here it is. Look! Ta-da!" Hifumi happily pulled out a long pillow, shaped like a cat. "It's a fluffy neck pillow in the shape of Wavecat! Any place is a good place for a nap now!"
Chuckling, I ask "Is that a slogan?"
"Not really..." Hifumi says, awkward. "Though it should be!"
"Still, Wavecat? There's more than just Peroro?"
"Huh...? You've never heard of Wavecat, Sensei?" She asks. "He's a cat with a long body that appears in Momo Friends. He and Peroro are besties! Wavecat isn't as good of a dancer, but his moves are really charming and Momo Friends fans love him." She rambles as she pulls out another piece of merch, shaped like an owl this time. "Also, this tiny owl on top of Wavecat is named Big Brother! Big Brother's eyes get so big that he can see anything and everything! Every truth! That's why students like to bring his merch to exams as a good luck charm."
I don't like the idea of something called Big Brother... Fuckin' 1984...
She excitedly pulls out another one, kinda looks like a groundhog. "And this quokka here is Mr. Nicholai..." Hifumi trails off, realizing her rambling.
'WHAT THE FUCK IS A QUOKKA?!' I shout in my head.
"Oops, sorry for rambling on you like that." She apologizes. "I always get carried away when I talk about Momo Friends..."
"Nah, don't worry about it. Rambling about something just means you're passionate about it." I placate her.
She smiles. "Thanks, Sensei... Still, a lot of my friends give me a hard time when I talk about Momo Friends. They poke fun at the characters for being weird and quirky..." She looks a bit upset.
"That's just what makes 'em appealing, huh?" I ask.
"I suppose so..." She agrees. "Characters that are a little different are more fun." She says with a smile.
"Heh, reminds me of an old game from back home." I chuckle. "RPGs used to always have the same old protagonists, until a game called Drakengard game out which had odd characters with... questionable morals. But that's what made them stand out so much more than other characters around that time, even if they all were batshit insane."
The blonde girl stays quiet for a moment. "I've always been so ordinary, so... I admire these characters for being different."
"You ain't ordinary." I say, surprising her. "Not everyone's as passionate about Momo Freinds as you are. That's EXTRA-ordinary, right there."
"Sensei..." She looks really happy. She continues with a big smile. "Thank you."
"No problem." I shrug.
"Oh, Sensei. Do you want to try my Wavecat pillow? It's so fluffy and nice." She offers with a bright smile.
"Er, sure." I reluctantly say.
Hifumi walks over to me, wrapping the pillow around my neck. She giggles. "It looks great on you! You look like a new Momo Friends character! What do you think? Feel like lying down and taking a nap?"
"Oh, yeah." I say, feeling really calm for some reason. "It's hella fluffy."
"Sorry, but I'll have to ask for it back. It was tough to get my hands on!" She exclaims.
I chuckle. "All right, all right. Here." I hold I back to her.
She holds it. "Still... if you want to borrow it sometime, I'd be okay with that." She says, blushing.
"Ha! I'll hold you to that, Hifumi." I say, causing her to blush harder.
—————
I left Trinity after Hifumi showed me some more merch. I'm not too interested in Momo Friends stuff, but it makes me kinda happy about someone nice as Hifumi having someone to share her passions with.
I continue my walk, this time through Gehenna. I see a vending machine. Feeling thirsty, I decide to get something to drink.
Pulling change out of my pocket, I drop a hundred yen coin in front of the vending machine.
"Goddammit..." I say, as it rolls straight into a manhole, straight through the gap.
"...Fuck it." I decide to open the grate and climb down the shallow manhole.
"Huh? What do you think you're doing?!" A feminine voice shouts, as I look around the manhole.
Looking up, I see who it was.
"...Sensei?"
"Iori? What's up?" I ask the tan girl, resting my arms at neck height on the concrete, while standing in the manhole.
She looks at me silently for a long moment. "What?" I ask.
"I suppose I should call the Prefect Team and let them know I finally caught the pervert that's been sneaking around..." She says, with a sigh.
I narrow my eyes. "That's a big accusation you're throwin' there, Iori."
"Ha! Nice try!" She shouts. "Manholes we're only built for one reason. Why else would you open one and climb inside? You were going to hide in there and look up the skirt of every girl that walked by!"
Manholes were built for what? Looking up girls skirts? I doubt it.
"Iori." I say, dryly. "I dropped a coin down here and am trying to get it. That's all."
"A coin?" She asks, surprised. "They must really not pay you enough. Going to all those lengths for a single coin..."
"No, I'm just not one to waste money." I say, turning back to look down for the coin. "I've lived without much money for a time, so I don't waste money. No matter what. Even if it's just a hundred yen."
She sighs. "Next time, just let me cover for you. It'd be better that you don't crawl down manholes for change."
"I've done worse for change." I shrug. Suddenly, a glint catches my eye. "Aha!" I say, picking up the coin.
I begin to crawl out of the manhole. "Still, you're lucky I'm not a pervert." I say, standing up.
"Why's that?"
"Because you're wearing a skirt, Iori." I say, deadpan. "Be careful with that stuff." I turn back to place the cover back as Iori kicks me in the shin.
"Ow!" She says, holding her foot. "What the heck are you made of?!" She shouts, a tad surprised by the fact I didn't budge.
"Muscle, duh." I joke, standing back up after returning the cover. Pointing at the vending machine, I say, "You want a drink as an apology?"
She thinks it over for a moment. "Fine."
We both bought a drink and went our separate ways.
A minute later. my phone pinged as I received a text from Hina of all people.
Sensei, I know this is sudden, but I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Can I meet you tonight after my work is done?
Well this is a surprise.
Sure, I'm not busy this evening. Just tell me when and where.
Thank you. I'm sorry to impose on you at such an hour.
I'll let you know when and where we can meet...
Hina texted me the details and I texted back, agreeing to meet her there.
—————
As the sun fell and the world dimmed, I decided to go back to Schale. I end up passing by a darkened alleyway. At its entrance, Kayoko is being questioned by a cop.
"I told you already!" Kayoko says, clearly fed up. "I didn't do anything!"
"Don't lie to me! How would you explain such a suspicious outfit?" The robotic cop asks.
What a rude cunt.
"And who would wander around a high-crime area for no reason?" He continues.
"It's because..." Kayoko begins.
"...Because?" He asks.
Kayoko blushes, clearly embarrassed by something. "...Never mind. I have nothing to say to you."
"Hmph. I knew it! You are hiding something from us!" The asshole says, clearly unable to understand another's expressions. He walks over to her. "First, I'll need your student ID to confirm who you are."
Okay, fuck this.
I walk over to them. "Do you have a problem with my student, officer?"
He whips around, surprised by my annoyed face and my height, a few inches higher than him.
"And who might you be?" He asks.
"Joshua Birkin. A teacher from Schale. Why are you hounding my student?" I ask, annoyed. I've always hated police throwing around their weight. I've seen enough of that shit back home.
I covered for Kayoko, not bothering to hide my distaste for the man. Eventually, he gave up and left.
As I watch him leave, Kayoko asks me "Why did you help me?"
"Why not?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "I can tell you aren't a bad person. Besides, I've been hounded by the police for nonsense before. I know how annoying it is."
"...Still." She begins. "I'm used to people calling me suspicious. It's nothing to get worked up about. Being interrogated by the police is practically Tuesday."
"Of course it's a problem.." I argue. "People shouldn't judge someone based on their looks. Sadly, people do just that more often than not." I gesture to myself. "I mean look at me! I'm a big guy, I come off as kinda scary from time to time. Am I a bad guy? Hell no. I don't deserve that shit, neither do you."
"...That's a nice thing to say, Sensei. Thanks." She says with a smile.
"What were you doin' here, anyways?" I ask, curious.
"I..." She begins, before sighing in defeat. "Fine. I was feeding a stray cat. Though it ran away as soon as the cops showed up."
"And you couldn't have told 'em that since it sounds like an excuse." I conclude.
Kayoko nods. "Yeah. I bet you can hardly believe it yourself. Do I look like the kind of girl who feeds stray cats for fun?"
"Yeah, you do."
"Huh?" Her red eyes widen in surprise and confusion.
"I just said those cops shouldn't've seen you as suspicious because of your outfit, so I shouldn't think someone with your outfit feeding stray cats would be strange." I shrug. " 'Don't judge a book by its' cover' and all that."
"I see... Thanks." She says, a bit embarrassed. "I guess I owe you one, even if I don't want to. But..." She then smiles. "I'll make good and pay you back. Promise."
I really don't think this is worth owing a debt, but... I sigh. "Alright then." I say with a chuckle.
Kayoko and I split up, her going to the new Problem Solver office, and I going to Gehenna to meet Hina, as it was nearing our arranged meeting time.
—————
I arrived at the meeting spot, a darkened street in Gehenna. I found Hina waiting for me. "Sensei." She greeted.
"Yo, Hina." I greeted back. "Looks like you beat me here."
She simply nods. "I apologize for calling you here so late. I am..." She averts her eyes, a bit embarrassed. "...rather famous around Gehenna. I get recognized wherever I go. Sometimes, I feel like my every move is being watched."
I sigh. "That's the downside of fame, I suppose."
"Indeed. If I were spotted with you, it would only cause trouble. Hence why I asked you to meet me at this hour." She explains.
"Hina, I'm already the only teacher of Schale. I'm probably gonna end up well-known around Kivotos soon, if I haven't already. Not to mention the fact that I'm a guy that isn't a robot or animal." I reason. "Plus, I figure all this sneaking around's gonna get tiring for you, so next time, let's just meet up in the day. I don't really care if your fame ends up causin' me trouble."
She blushes a bit. "I will... keep that in mind."
"Still, it kinda makes it sound like you're an idol or something." I joke.
The short girl's eyes widen in shock. "A-An idol...? I wouldn't say that... I'm not the cute or glamorous type."
"Oh, hush. You're plenty cute." I argue.
My praise has the opposite of the intended effect, as Hina looks angry. "You really do know how to put your foot in your own mouth, don't you?! Being the adult here doesn't give you license to say whatever you want. Learn to behave."
"Foot-in-mouth? Me? Never." I say. "I don't say things I don't intend to."
She looks surprised for a moment. "Wha?!" She then calms herself down. "I wasn't trying to call you a liar. It's just..." She lets out a defeated sigh. "I know better than anyone that I'm not cute."
"Enough of that self-deprecation." I chide. "You're very cute."
She then remains quiet in thought. "Though, I can't say the idol analogy is completely incorrect. I know what it's like to have no time to myself and be constantly aware of my surroundings."
"You said we were gonna meet after you got done working, right? How busy are you?" I ask in concern.
"Very. Anyway, let's get down to business before we get anymore side-tracked." She says, seriously, clearing her throat. "Allow me to explain why I asked you here."
"Go ahead."
"I wanted to discuss Gehenna's security for this quarter, and ask for advice on developing a coordinated investigation plan for next quarter." She rambles off.
"You wanted... to talk business?" I ask slowly.
"But of course. Why else would I ask you to secretly meet me in the middle of the night?" She asks, oblivious.
"That question can be taken many ways, but next time you wanna talk business, wouldn't it be easier to do this in your office or something? Y'know, sitting down?"
This clearly throws her for a loop, as she's unable to form a response.
Irregardless, I look over the document she brought and give my thoughts on it.
"That's... an interesting perspective. Thanks for the insight." She says.
I awkwardly chuckle. "I don't really feel like I helped that much, though."
"Nonsense." She shuts me down. "Outsider perspectives help us stay objective. Of course I'd find your opinion to be valuable." She says with a cute smile. "It's not often I get the unfiltered feedback of someone with experience."
"I'm surprised you're willing to trust me like this after only having known each other a day." I point out.
She averts her eyes again. "Yes, well. You seem like a good person, so w-why wouldn't I? You do seem quite reliable..." She trails off.
I chuckle. "Call on me anytime, Hina. I'll show you your trust is well placed."
"Thank you, Sensei." Looking at her watch, she sighs. "It's getting late. I should head back and get some rest."
I look at my watch and cringe. "Yeesh. Same here. Next time, let's do this in your office, yeah?"
"I suppose that would be fine." She says, fidgeting. Before we separate, she said something. "Sensei?"
I turn back around to look at her. "Yeah?"
"I almost neglected to mention, but both Pandemonium and the Tea Party have yet to receive this information, but I thought you should know. I think the Kaiser Corporation is up to something in the abandoned Abydos desert." She says, seriously.
My eyes narrow at this information, soaking it in...
"I see. Thanks, Hina." I smile.
"Anytime. Good night, Sensei." Hina bids me farewell, looking quite tired now.
"Sweet dreams, Hina." I say, as we part ways.
I return to Schale, eager to call it a night.
Tomorrow's another day off for me, I suppose. I wonder who I'll run into this time?
—————
AN
A very simple chapter, but I got a lot done. Not much else to say.
Next time is another Down Time chapter. After that, we'll continue with Volume 1.
Edit: September 26, 2022: Added extra dialogue to Hina's section about Kaiser.
Edit: September 28, 2022: Added Hoshino's halo disappearing when she fell asleep.
Edit: April 8, 2023: Changed some dialogue and stuff.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!