...
The day after my excursion to Millennium, I got a text from a surprising person.
It's Suzumi, Sensei.
Suzumi! Haven't heard from you in a while.
Yes, I've been quite busy with things here in Trinity. The district is quite tense considering the Eden Treaty is coming ever closer.
Ah, right. I'd heard about that.
Yes, and considering what happened to Miss Seia a while back, things have been quite hectic here.
Fortunately, I have had some off moments.
Like now?
Precisely.
I just wanted to remind you that, as I mentioned before, let me know if you need an escort.
I'll gladly take you to your destination safely.
Thanks, Suzumi.
Hey, you wanna escort me for a while?
I don't see why not.
I'll meet you in front of the Schale building soon.
Well this was a pleasant surprise.
Still... Seia? I recall seeing that name somewhere before. Considering Suzumi called her 'Miss', she must be a higher-up of some sort.
Eh, I'll look it up later.
—————
As I left the Schale building, I called out to Suzumi. "Yo."
"Ah, there you are, Sensei." The white haired girl greets, smiling. "Please tell me your destination. I'll escort you."
"Geez, don't be so stiff." I chide. "I more or less wanted some company is all."
"You just... wanted company...?" Suzumi asks slowly, her face a bit red. "S-Sensei! I would've come as a companion rather than an escort instead!"
"I suppose I could've worded my text better." I admit. "Though, you don't have to hang out with me if you're busy."
She smiles. "You don't need to concern yourself with my Vigilante Crew workload. It isn't as though you're tearing me away from a job I love."
"Eh? Then why do you do it?" I ask, thrown for a loop.
"Well, truthfully, I hope the day comes where this city won't need a Vigilante Crew anymore." She admits.
"That's a rather nice thing to say." I praise.
"You must be mistaken. Others would rather stay away from me because I seem cold." Suzumi scoffs. "Not that I don't understand. It simply comes with the territory of this line of work... Thank you for saying that, though." She adds, her face a slight bit red. "Let's go, Sensei. I'll lead- I mean... Let's walk together." She says, smiling.
"What're we waitin' for then?" I ask, returning the smile, as the two of us begin to walk alongside one another through the city.
—————
"Ah. Here it is." Suzumi says. She asked if I wanted to go somewhere with her, but didn't say where. "This is a cafe I enjoy. Would you care to join me?"
Sure enough, we've stopped in front of a small, outdoor cafe. It's rather cozy, all things considered.
"I'd love to." I smile.
"I have a preference for lattes, and this cafe's are-" The white haired girl begins, but is interrupted by...
BOOM BANG
"Gah! What are you doing?!" Someone yells.
Suzumi and I both tense up and whirl around to find the voice's source.
"Hahaha! What are you, stupid? We're robbing you, obviously." A delinquent says, standing over the robotic man running the small, outdoor cafe.
"It's the perfect job!" Another delinquent adds, standing over the man threateningly. "We scouted for weeks so we could strike while the Vigilante Crew is off duty! So shut your mouth and empty the cash register! Do it!" She barks.
Suzumi merely sighs in annoyance. "If only the ruffians here put this much energy into studying."
"I know right?" I ask, chuckling, as I walk over to the robbery in action.
"S-Sensei? What are you doing?" Suzumi asks, a bit startled.
"Gonna go knock 'em out." I say, simply.
"I..." She tries to speak.
"I know we're hanging out and all, but I ain't willing to let this shit slide." I explain. "I get the feeling you aren't either."
"...You're right." Suzumi finally says with a smile. "Let us take care of them as quickly as possible then."
I smile back. The vigilante takes out a flash grenade and pulls off the pin with a click.
"Huh? Did you hear something?" One of the robbers asks.
"Yeah... What was that? It sounded oddly familiar." The other adds.
"Flash grenade!" Suzumi says as she tosses the grenade at them, shouting her attack move like an anime character.
BAM RIIIIIIIIIIIING
I'm still surprised by how effective those things are. They're blinding and concussive.
The two delinquents go down with ease and are quickly snatched up by passing Justice Task Force members.
One thing did catch my eye, though. The JTF members, from what I've seen, all have black hair, even Hasumi and Tsurugi, so I was quite surprised to see a girl in the back with bright pink hair.
That aside, after the JTF left, the man running the cafe rewarded us by letting us buy some stuff for free.
"I'm sorry, Sensei." Suzumi suddenly says, as we finish our food and drink.
"What for?" I ask, confused.
"I was supposed to keep you company, yet I still had to-" But I interrupt her.
"Suzumi, it's fine. Just hanging out with someone is fun, regardless of what we do together." I reassure, bringing a slight onto the vigilante's face. "Besides, this is Kivotos. I'm half expecting stuff like this to happen whenever I go outside."
"I..." She begins, taken aback.
"I AM curious about somethin'." I muse. "Why flash grenades?"
"That's simple. It's because they're non-lethal and their effects wear off." The white haired girl explains. "Flash grenades are the quickest and safest way to neutralize the situation and subdue the enemy. They may be ruffians, but my goal isn't to harm them. My mission is only to stop them. That's the Vigilante Crew's objective."
"You're mighty kind, Suzumi." I compliment.
"Wh-What about what I said leads you to THAT conclusion?!" She shouts, her face a bright red.
"The fact that you don't wanna hurt people." I say, deflating her a bit. "I've seen too many people too willing to hurt others to stop them, so hearing that there's someone willing to stop people WITHOUT hurting them makes me glad."
If possible, the vigilante's face becomes redder and redder.
"A-A-Anyway, we need to get going!" She shouts, standing up. "We're going to fall behind on our schedule today at this rate!"
"Schedule...?" This is the first I'm hearing of that.
"This way...!" Suzumi says, quickly walking off, her face still red.
We hung out for a while longer, visiting many places Suzumi enjoyed. Every single time, she had to use a flash grenade. She'd easily used a dozen by the day's end.
Soon, the evening arrived in Kivotos.
"I'm so ashamed..." The vigilante bemoans. "I may as well have been on duty with how today turned out. I just couldn't help myself. I'm sorry."
"Don't beat yourself up over it." I say with a smile. "Still, you say that like I didn't have fun."
"Y-You can't be serious." She says, taken aback.
"Of course. Didn't I say it before? Just spending time with others is fun." I say, thinking back to my lonely excursions over the past five years. "I wouldn't mind hanging out with ya again."
"You...!" Suzumi says, exasperated, before she relents, a smile breaking out onto her face. "If that's what you want. It would be my pleasure, Sensei. I'd be happy to keep you company any time you want. So, thank you for today."
"Anytime, Suzumi." I say, happily.
"I had... a wonderful time." She admits, a great red blush on her face.
The two of us parted ways after.
As I watched her go, I noticed her gait was far more relaxed than it had been earlier.
All in all, it was another nice day.
As I began back home, Haruka texted me.
Hello, Sensei. I know I'm probably out of line, and shouldn't be asking you for something like this, but... My name is Haruka, by the way...
...
Actually, it's nothing. Never mind.
Oh, hey Haruka. Nice to hear from you. What do you need?
Wha?!
...
Thank you.
By any chance...
If you could please give me another opportunity. I'll do my best this time.
Please let me know when you're free.
Thank you.
Haruka and I then made plans to meet up over in Gehenna.
Seriously, was she bullied or something? That girl's way too skittish.
—————
Sure enough, there Haruka was, standing near a shop, clutching her shotgun close to her chest as she nervously looked around.
"Yo, Haruka!" I greet.
"Eek!" She squeals in fright, fumbling her shotgun. "S-Sensei! You actually showed up again..."
"I told ya I was coming, dummy." I say, ruffling the girl's purple hair with a smile.
She preens under my headpat. "Thank you for agreeing to this." She says as I let go of her head. "I-I thought you'd never want to see me again..."
"You shouldn't worry about last time, y'know?" I ask. "Besides, I like spending time with you."
"H-Huh...?" She asks, eyes wide and face red. "Th-Thanks, Sensei. This time, I-I want to give you a proper gift." She says, reaching behind her back. "I'm not sure if you'll like it, but... Here you go."
She hands me a... "A model figurine?"
Yup, a scaled down figurine of an anime girl.
"Th-There's more." She says, taking out another from the pouch on her back. "Here you go... and here's some more..." She begins putting more and more figurines in my hands. "I thought you might like them, so take them all."
By the end of it, I look like that meme of the guy holding a bunch of limes.
"I-I didn't make these like I did my first gift..." The timid girl begins. "...so there shouldn't be anything wrong with them. Again, I'm sorry about last time."
Each and every figurine looks rather expensive and immaculately crafted.
"Wh-What do you think, Sensei?" She asks, shyly. "A-Are they... not good enough?"
"Nah, they're great, but... where'd you even get all of these?" I ask, curious.
Haruka merely lets out a... rather unsettling chuckle. "I'm glad that you like them... Sensei. If this is what you like... then I'll get you more."
"Haruka." I say, causing the girl to freeze as I carefully sit down the figurines on a bench nearby. "I'm not exactly big on figurines."
"B-B-But...!" She stutters, her face one of pure horror and sorrow.
"I don't care what you get me as a gift, even if it's a simple weed." I say, patting the girl's head again. "They're nice gifts that I want because YOU got them for me. It's the sentiment of it all."
"S-Sensei...!" She cries, tears welling up in her eyes. As I-
bzzzz bzzzz
The sound of TV static interrupts us.
"Huh? Why did the channel change all of a sudden?" A clerk at a nearby store asks. "Breaking news? What's going on?"
"Uh... Um..." Haruka mumbles nervously as she freezes under my hand. She then begins to tremble a bit.
Sure enough, all the TVs nearby switch to the same broadcast.
"Breaking news." The announcer announces. "Early this morning, a series of robberies took place across multiple gift stores in the shopping district here in Gehenna. Each robbery shares a defining characteristic: The offender only stole valuable and rare items, leaving the cash registers untouched. It has been speculated that the offender's primary motive was not monetary gain. Investigators still believe that the offender is still within the district."
"Haruka." I say, pulling my hand away.
"I-I-I can explain!" She shrieks. "I-I didn't think they'd find out so soon! I was sure they wouldn't start investigating until this evening! That's... not the kind of explanation you wanted, is it? Right. I should have done more to throw them off the trail."
"Haruka." I repeat, stopping her nervous mumbling.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..." She begins to repeat.
"Haruka." I say again, more firmly, finally stopping her. "You can't steal stuff just to gift someone. And expensive stuff doesn't always make the best gifts." I lecture. "Like I said, I don't care what you give me, I'll always accept a gift from you."
"Sensei...!" She gasps.
"Now let's go return these." I say, gesturing to the pile.
"But why?!" Haruka shouts. "It's not like they're on their way here! They haven't even figured out it was me yet... N-No, wait! I'm not trying to talk back to you..."
"Haruka, you dummy." I smile.
The skittish girl and I then went to every store in Gehenna, profusely apologized, and returned the figurines. They were still in their boxes, so it ended with no harm, no foul.
The two of us ended up walking through the nearly dark streets of Gehenna, where Haruka apologized yet again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... You were roped into apologizing to all of them because of me. I wanted to get you a gift, but I ended up causing more trouble. I just..." She bemoans. "I don't want to... bother you anymore, Sensei."
I practically feel my heart shatter from the pitiful girl's sad words and expression.
pomf
"S-Sensei?!"
Haruka shouts as I pull the timid girl into a tight, reassuring hug.
"You aren't a bother, Haruka." I say, with a no-nonsense tone. "You don't have to buy my time with gifts."
"I... don't...? B-But, I've caused you so much trouble!" She argues.
"I just want ya to feel more comfortable around me." I explain, softly, pulling away from the hug and staring right into her purple eyes. "I ain't a bad guy or anything. I don't know what's caused you to be so skittish and unsure of yourself, but I'm not gonna hurt you, Haruka."
"M-Me...? With you...?" She asks. "Th-That's impossible! I-I mean, I'm not saying that I don't want that! But still...!"
"Haruka. You don't have to be wary of me. I actually like spendin' time with you." I reassure with a smile.
"I... I'll try." The timid girl says. "If you say it's okay, th-then I'll try to... Are you sure you aren't... mad at me? You don't hate me, do you?"
"Someone as sweet as you?" I scoff. "Never."
"N-Never?!" She shrieks. "But why? How? I'm such a loser..."
"Who told you you're a loser?" I ask, realizing I've stumbled onto something.
"E-Everyone at school." She admits. I was right after all. "It's why I wanted to join Problem Solver and Aru! She's so cool! Plus, she and the other girls don't look down on me like everyone else..."
"Haruka, I'm a teacher. It's my duty to accept student for what they are." I say, softly. "Plus, I ain't the kind of person to look down on others." Unless they're pieces of shit, at least.
"Wh-What are you saying...?" Haruka stutters.
"I'm saying you're cool, Haruka." I say, smiling.
"H-Huh?" She stammers. "I... Thank you, Sensei." She says, her face red and tears welling up a bit. "I should go..."
"If you want. I'll see ya later, Haruka."
"B-Bye then, Sensei." Haruka awkwardly says, before scuttling off.
I can't hide the smile from my face as I watch her run off. I hope I made a difference.
"Sensei! Hey, Sensei!" A high-pitched voice shouts.
"Ah, Ibuki!" I greet, seeing the tiny girl happily running towards me. "Long time, no see."
"It's nice to see you again, Sensei!" She says, bubbly as ever. "What are you doing in Gehenna?"
"I was helping out another student of mine." I explain. "What about you?"
"I was out with Iroha. She wanted to buy a new book for herself and offered to buy me one!" Ibuki explains.
"A new book? Sounds interesting." I muse.
"Ah, there you are, Ibuki." A lazy voice says. Looking to the side, I see a girl pop up.
The girl is short, with long dark red hair that's incredibly fluffy to the point that her hair is almost wider than it is long. She has grey eyes with slotted pupils and a black ribbon on either side of her head right below her black military cap. She wears a black undershirt unbuttoned at the top along with a loosened red tie and a short, black skirt. Over that is an oversized black coat with a red band bearing the Gehenna logo on one arm. One of the coat's pockets has a small pistol peeking out from it. On her feet are short, grey shoes tied with black laces. Her halo is a blue-purple circle with five points, two of which are disconnected from the ring.
"Iroha!" The small blonde girl cheers. "Look, I ran into Sensei!"
"Sensei?" The fluffy haired girl asks, looking up at me. "Ah, so it is." She says, a tad surprised.
"You must be the Iroha that Ibuki was going on about." I surmise.
"That's me. Natsume Iroha, the Pandemonium Society's tank commander." Iroha introduces, holding her hand out.
"Joshua Birkin, Sensei of Schale." I respond, shaking her tiny hand. "Nice to meetcha."
"You too." Iroha says, smiling a bit, before looking down at the small girl. "What did I tell you about running off?"
"Not to..." Ibuki whines.
"You can't run off like that, young'un. You might trip like last time." I chide.
"Ah, I had almost forgot about that." Ibuki muses.
"Last time?" The red haired girl asks.
"When we met. She had tripped while running and I caught her." I explain.
"Yeah! Sensei was so quick, I couldn't see him move!" The small girl cheerfully explains.
"Quick, huh?" Iroha muses, a 'I know more than you' smile on her face. "Good to know. Still, it's getting late, we oughta go ahead and get our books."
"Oh, I had almost forgot!" Ibuki explains.
"Later, Sensei." Iroha says, walking off.
"Bye-bye, Sensei!" Ibuki adds, waving her arm and causing the loose sleeve of her oversized coat to flap around as she leaves.
Geez, I'm meeting new people all the time it feels.
Not that it's a bad thing, I suppose.
Ruminating on that, I make my way home for the night.
—————
Breakfasts in Schale have certainly been more fun since Arona got her new body. Seeing her face light up everytime I cook something, whether it be something she's never tasted or something I've made for her already, makes my tired, cracked heart swell with joy.
Of course, that joy quickly leaves when I have to get back to the ungodly amounts of paperwork on my desk.
Usually, I get derailed by a student texting me. That that it's a bad thi-
ding
-Oh thank God.
Quickly pulling out my phone to escape this papery hell, I find Yuzu has texted me.
Where do you spend your free time, Sensei?
Sometimes I just chill inside the Residence Hall over here. Recently, I seem to be spending my free time hanging out with others.
A residence hall. It sounds like there would be a lot of places to rest there.
As for me, I prefer dark, shady areas where there aren't too many people around.
A quiet rest spot where no one will bother me...
I feel at peace as long as I'm there, and I can stay as long as I want.
Like your cabinet, yeah?
Exactly.
Huh, seems that's all she wanted to ask.
ding
Ah, another text? This one from... Sumire?
Hello, Sensei.
Er, I mean Trainer.
Do you have some time today?
Sure, what's up?
Well, I've prepared a training schedule for myself.
If possible, I'd like for you to check it out today. Could you please come to the Millennium gym?
Sure, I'll be there.
I'll be waiting.
Guess I'm busy in a different way today, huh?
—————
Back at Millennium once again, I quickly make it to the gym. This being my first time in the place, I find myself taken aback from the massive window of the sprawling room, high above the ground. The place is filled with treadmills, bicycles and weights aplenty.
Sure enough, the black haired girl Sumire is there waiting.
"Oh, Trainer! You're here!" She greets happily.
"Told ya I was comin'." I greet, holding my hands out theatrically.
"It feels a bit odd thinking of having a trainer." She admits.
"Wait, you really wanted me to be your trainer?" I ask, a tad surprised. "I mean I'm willing to help ya out with this stuff, but..."
"Ah! I suppose I was being a bit presumptuous." She says, a bit red faced.
"Nah, like I said, I'd be glad to help ya out." I reassure. "I ain't cut out to be a full time trainer or anything, but I'd be glad to help out."
"A-Anyway-" Sumire changes the subject, taken aback a bit as she holds out her phone. "I put together a training schedule for myself. Would you mind looking over it?"
"Sure." I say, taking the phone from the girl.
"What do you think, Trainer?" She asks after I mull it all over for a moment.
Truth be told, I don't understand much of it. I've never planned out my workouts or anything. Either way, Sumire continues without my input.
"Overhead dumbbells are said to be good for developing triceps and other long head muscles." She explains. "This exercise should add elasticity to my arms, and with the leg extensions, I can-"
"Sumire." I stop her.
"Oh? What is it?" She asks, stopping.
"I'm not gonna lie, I train myself something fierce, but I've never planned out stuff like this. I usually just do what I can for as long as I can." I admit. "I'm actually kinda impressed you're planning this stuff out with so many details and plans involved."
"R-Really?" Sumire asks, her face a bit flush with embarrassment.
"You kidding? I couldn't plan this kinda stuff out so intricately." I praise, causing her to wilt under my compliments. "Admittedly, I usually push myself a fair bit while working out, so lemme ask: I don't know your limits, so are you sure you're able to pull all this off?"
"Of course! When exercising, it's always best to know your own limits so you can push past them." She says.
"Good thinkin'." I say.
"Besides, I'm sure I'll be fine... I have my trainer, after all." She adds, a bit red faced.
"You sure?" I ask, looking to be certain. "You seem to know way more about this stuff than I."
"Trainer, you have a track record of helping everyone around you!" Sumire argues. "I can count on you to stop me from overworking myself."
"You shouldn't be relying on someone else to stop yourself from overworking." I argue. "I might be a hypocrite sayin' that, since I've pushed myself too far plenty of times, but you said you know your own limits, so you should already know how to not push yourself too far."
"Sensei..." She says happy, before looking determined. "Thank you. I'll be counting on you, Trainer!"
Hearing the incredibly fit girl placing so much trust in me, despite not knowing me much if at all, makes me feel really happy.
I helped Sumire as she worked out by giving her a few tips here and there.
—————
At around noon, I parted ways with Sumire, confident she'd pace herself.
Idly, I figured I'd go say hi to the Game Dev girls since I was near their building, but when I got there, no one was around. I figured I'd wait for 'em for a while, though I had the strange feeling I was being watched. Slowly, I walked to the cabinet and opened it.
"Huh?!"
Sure enough, Yuzu was within, who shrieked upon me opening the door.
"Y-You scared me, Sensei! Please knock before entering the cabinet!" The red haired girl orders, before deflating. "...Oh, even to me, that sounds weird.
"Sorry about that, Yuzu. I just felt like swingin' by." I apologize. "Though, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised I was in there."
"Well, no one notices me while I'm in there. Well, usually..." She says, referring to me. "When I just sit in the club room like normal, people come and talk to me all the time. In particular, Yuuka from Seminar always gets angry, gives me scary looks, and tells me to attend club president meetings... When she comes up to me like that, I just want to run away." She says, really nervous just from thinking about it. "But, no one can find me in here. At least for now, this cabinet is my little sanctuary." She says with a giggle.
It makes me a bit sad to hear she's so scared of stuff she'd hide herself away. Though one thing does make me curious. "Is that cabinet cramped at all?" I ask.
"No, it's actually kind of comfy." Yuzu explains. "Kind of a perfect fit for me. Besides, on a hot day, it's cold metal walls feel cool to the touch. If I could lean against the wall and listen to the sounds coming from outside... Ah, I could just stay here forever."
"Sounds like that little place means a lot to you." I smile.
"It is." Yuzu nervously agrees.
Yuzu and I spent the noon hour speaking with each other. The fact that the timid redhead came out of her shell a bit made me happy.
—————
As I left the Game Development Department's club room as the afternoon began, Shiroko texted me with simple, strange texts.
Sensei.
Today.
What?
You want me to come by?
Yes.
Sure, I'll swing by.
There was something I wanted to talk with you about anyway.
Huh?
What the heck could she want? Sometimes I don't I understand that girl.
Shaking my head, I begin going towards Abydos.
—————
In an Abydos classroom near the Foreclosure Task Force's room, I find Shiroko standing near a desk, a bit nervous.
"Yo." I greet.
"Umm..." The wolf girl mutters. "Well, I..."
She stutters, attempting to find the words. Chuckling, I walk forward and pat the wolf girl on the head. "Take your time." I say softly.
She freezes under my hand, her face red and eyes wide. "When you... pat me on the head like that...!"
"You don't like it?" I ask, a bit awkward as I pull away.
"No. It doesn't bother me." She says, in her usual quiet voice. "What did you want to talk to me about, anyway? Does this have to do with Schale? Or Abydos?"
"Neither. I just wanna know one thing." I interrogate. "What were you doin' last night?"
"Last night?" The wolf girl asks, her head tilting a bit, causing me to remember her small, sky blue earrings on her human ears. "I went for a bike ride, took a shower, and I had some grilled fish for dinner."
"And before?" I ask.
"I... was on top of the KV highway billboard and pretended to hijack a transport van..." She admits. "Did you see that?"
"Schale ain't too far away, y'know?" I ask, eyebrow raised. "I'm worried about ya, Shiroko. Please don't go getting yourself in danger." I stress.
"U-Uh..." Shiroko struggles to for a response, taken aback by my genuine concern. "I know where you're coming from... but like I said, this is just a silly hobby of mine. I know anything I say will just sound like an excuse."
"I know. I'm just worried... Though, you girls have a lot of trust placed in me, so..." I pause, sighing. "I'll trust that you won't go too far with this stuff."
"Sensei...!" Shiroko gasps, her voice quiet. "...Thanks." She says, her face a bright crimson.
Looking at her eyes close up, I find myself a bit entranced by her mismatched pupils.
Shiroko left a moment after, looking quite happy.
Though her face was still a bright red.
—————
Walking through the halls to leave the school, I turn the corner and-
"Ah."
"Eh?"
-run into Hoshino.
"Hey." I smile.
"Hey, Josh." The both of us blush a bit as she says that. "What're you doing 'round these parts?"
"I was comin' to ask Shiroko something. I should've gave you a heads up, huh?" I ask, feeling a bit guilty.
"Eh, it's fine." She waves me off.
Idly, I note she's carrying a wrench in her hand. "You workin' on something?"
"Yeah, just doing some maintenance on my shield." She says.
"Mind if I watch?" I ask.
"Eh?" Her multicolored eyes widen. "Well, sure. It'll be boring, though."
"I don't mind." I smile.
My girlfriend returns my smile as we walk down the hallway.
I was surprised to find Hoshino had a pistol inside her shield, the 'Iron Horus'. Geez, these mythology references are getting a bit tired nowadays.
—————
A wolf girl walks though the halls of her desert school, surprised to see her cat eared friend emerge from another classroom.
"Ah, Shiroko." Serika greets. "Have you seen Hoshino anywhere?"
"No." Shiroko says simply.
"Damn. Where could she have gone off to?" The cat girl curses.
"Want me to help?" The wolf girl offers.
"Eh? Sure." Serika smiles at her friend as the two of them begin to walk together through the hallways.
After a few minutes, the pair enter a classroom and freeze, their eyes widening in shock.
The table of the room has multiple tools, as well as Hoshino's shield and the extra shells and pistol it holds within on top.
What what really stops them is what's on the old couch. It's Hoshino and their Sensei, asleep peacefully.
"Huuuu..." The man inhales and exhales softly.
"Heeee..." The girl inhales and exhales softly.
The small, pink haired girl is snuggled up against the man's chest, a pleased smile on her sleeping face.
The tall, handsome man has his arm wrapped around the girl, holding her tight, a please smile on his face as well.
"I know she said they were dating, but..." Serika says, quietly, still frozen a bit.
"Nn." Shiroko lets out a sound of agreement, before they leave the room.
"Oh well. I guess I'll ask her later." The cat girl groans as the two go their separate ways, their minds and hearts racing.
Both of them feel great spikes of jealousy stab into them after witnessing that scene.
Perhaps this will serve as a motivator of sorts, perhaps a deterrent, but they surely won't stop thinking about those two for a while.
—————
After Hoshino and I ended up napping for the whole afternoon, we went out separate ways. Once back home, Shiroko texted me again.
Sensei.
This is gonna sound weird.
If you ever feel the need to correct me again in the future, please do so.
Erm, sure. Where's this coming from?
Well, it's just...
Having an adult who cares about me...
That's...
...kind of nice.
That's...
Thanks for saying something so nice, Shiroko.
Shiroko's words hit me in the heart with quite a bit of force.
One thing that's always confounded me during my stay in Kivotos thus far is...
Where are these girls' parents? There are siblings like Midori and Momoi, but no parents or anything.
I don't think I'll ever get an answer, not that it matters, I guess.
With that in mind, I oughta get dinner ready. I hope Arona likes rigatoni!
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AN
Haruka is a cinnamon roll and I KILL THOSE WHO DARE TO HARM HER!
Also, I don't actually know WHERE Iroha keeps her pistol. I just kinda guessed it'd be poking out from her coat pocket. You can't see, but I'm shrugging.
Also, there's at least one more Down Time before we get to the next event.
Also, I went back and changed/fixed some stuff in some of the earlier chapters. Mostly typos and the like. Be sure to check the AN at the end of chapters to see the update logs.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!