The next day.
The first thing Tatsuki did after waking up was help Benio call in sick.
"What are you up to so early this time?"
Facing Tatsuki in person, Shizuka Hiratsuka would get flustered and awkward, but over the phone she could at least sound normal.
Tatsuki: "Calling in."
"You're skipping again?"
Tatsuki: "Is that not allowed, my Shizuka-sensei?"
My Shizuka-sensei… Hiratsuka's head went fuzzy. What the hell was this brat saying?!
Her face went red and putting on some fake authority, she scolded, "You little punk! Just because you've got something on your teacher doesn't mean you can say whatever you want!"
Tatsuki grumbled internally. That counts as 'saying whatever I want'?
He hadn't even used the real killer line yet—like, "Sensei, you also wouldn't want other people to find out about that, right…" Ahem. That would've had the right flavor.
"Ahem. Anyway, you took my card, Sensei."
"…"
Hiratsuka instinctively glanced at her nightstand drawer. She'd carefully tucked that business card away inside it.
"Ahem, back to the point! Your grades are good, so skipping a day is fine. Don't tell me our resident esper is off busy saving the world again?"
Tatsuki said casually, "I'm done saving it."
"Huh? More monsters?"
"Yeah. Real monsters. Ghouls. You should be pretty familiar with those."
Ghouls… Those she remembered all too vividly.
"Tch. Those man-eating monsters are still around?"
"But I picked up a little bonus, too. Something that can parasitize people and take over their bodies—and also eats humans."
"Hey, hey, hey! That's way too dangerous! You're saying they can blend in with normal crowds?" Hiratsuka tensed up immediately.
One human-looking, man-eating ghoul was already terrifying enough.
Now there was some parasite monster that could hijack a human body and eat people?
Just imagining it was enough to send a chill down her spine.
Luckily, what Tatsuki said next let her relax a little.
"Don't worry. I've already taken care of the Parasytes."
"That's good then… Whatever you're off doing, I approve your leave. That all?"
"Shizuka-sensei, you got it wrong. I'm not the one calling in."
"Not you?"
"I'm calling in for Benio."
"Huh? Benio?"
Hiratsuka wondered if she'd misheard. "What does her absence have to do with you?"
"I'm at her place. She's not feeling well, so I'm calling for her."
"Ah?"
Now she was even more confused. Tatsuki was… at Benio's place?
"She's my girlfriend. Get it?"
Oh, so she's his girlfri— Wait, like hell that was fine!
"Isn't your girlfriend Sawamura?"
"Her too. Don't dig into it, Sensei. So, is the leave okay?"
"Uh… o-okay…"
"I'm hanging up then."
"…"
The call ended.
Sitting up in bed, her brain a mess of mush, Shizuka Hiratsuka was full of question marks.
"Two girlfriends? That's textbook scumbag behavior!"
She never would've guessed that this insanely outstanding student of hers… was a guy riding two boats at once.
After a moment she remembered his bizarre, unfathomable esper identity, and the corner of her mouth twisted into a wry smile.
"Maybe espers just have different values from normal people…"
She didn't even notice that, instinctively, she was already making excuses for him.
Very quickly, though, her thoughts shifted.
She started thinking about the way he'd phrased that call.
He was at Benio's place. She was his girlfriend. Plus not feeling well and calling in sick…
"..."
Hiratsuka's gears finally clicked into place.
Oh, come on. Isn't that just… that thing?
But would a normal person really be that wiped out from it that they couldn't even come to school?
Suddenly, she remembered that weapon of Tatsuki's that had been drawn in perfect scale in that doujinshi.
"Oh god—"
She sucked in a sharp breath.
If it was that, then yeah, maybe not being able to attend class was within the realm of possibility.
Come to think of it, he'd called in sick for Eriri before, too. So did that mean Eriri was in the same condition back then?
Before she realized it, her imagination had started running wild all on its own.
Once she caught herself, Hiratsuka shifted slightly where she sat. The corner of her mouth twitched.
She should probably go take a shower.
…
Maybe girls with a delicate heart really are more sentimental.
Just like Yui, Yukino, and Eriri, Benio had wanted to carve the feeling into her memory.
Left with no choice, Tatsuki had to give up on healing her body and turning her into a Redemption Angel—for now.
The phone call had naturally woken Benio up too.
"Mm…"
Through hazy eyes she saw Tatsuki's face.
Memories from the night before slowly surfaced in her head.
Benio immediately turned into a little steam engine. She clung to Tatsuki's firm arm, curling herself into a ball beneath the covers.
She dragged the blanket up over her face in embarrassment… leaving only two big, watery eyes peeking out.
Tatsuki chuckled and reached over to gently pat her head.
What she said next, though, made him laugh and cry at the same time.
Her shy gaze held a tiny sliver of resolve as she asked in a soft, cute voice, "Tatsuki-kun… did I do a good enough job…?"
"…"
Even now she was still thinking about him. How could he not feel a rush of fondness?
He leaned down, brushed aside the damp hair clinging to her sweaty forehead, and pressed a kiss there with a smile.
"What are you talking about 'job' for? That was both of us, okay? I'm very satisfied. You did great, Benio."
"That's good…"
Hearing his answer, Benio's eyes curved in a happy squint.
Tatsuki asked, "Are you hungry? I can go make you some breakfast…"
It was meant as a warm, caring question—but it only made Benio's face flare an even deeper shade of red, leaving her looking mortified.
"N-not hungry…"
Not only was she not hungry, she was… very full.
"Okay then. Just rest well today. Want me to keep you company? I can take the day off any time."
When it came to taking care of his women, Tatsuki truly didn't mind being meticulous.
"No need, it's okay. I can rest by myself. Tatsuki-kun should go to school. I am an onmyoji, you know."
"…Fair point." Tatsuki nodded.
Benio was an onmyoji; he really didn't need to worry too much about her safety.
After placing another kiss on her smooth forehead, Tatsuki finally got out of bed and—under Benio's wide, watery eyes—calmly put on his clothes.
Noticing a big thing in the process, Benio shrank back under the blankets again.
Once he'd finished dressing…
"Then I'm off. If anything happens, call me right away."
"Okay."
Tatsuki left the bedroom, crossed the entryway, and opened the door.
And… locked eyes with Utaha.
She had also just stepped out, getting ready to head to school.
"..."
So he had spent the night at Benio's place. Utaha's expression went stiff as she forced out a greeting. "G-good morning."
"Mm. Morning. Want to walk together?" Tatsuki replied naturally, inviting her along.
"O-okay…"
They were both headed for school anyway, so Utaha didn't think too hard about it and agreed.
But when she saw him turn to lock Benio's door, she couldn't hold back a question.
"What about Adashino-san?"
They were neighbors, after all. She knew Benio lived there, so it was no surprise to Tatsuki. He simply answered, "She's not feeling well, so she called in sick."
"..."
Utaha's eyes widened just a fraction.
Not feeling well… at a time like this. That timing said more than enough all on its own.
Tatsuki had only spent one night there and Benio was already "under the weather."
You didn't need much imagination to guess what had happened. Utaha had tossed and turned all night over this exact topic.
Who would've thought it would turn out to be true the very next morning. As someone with zero experience, she felt awkward to her core.
It was hard to even picture what must've happened for Benio to be in no condition to go to school today.
In the heavy silence, the two of them headed downstairs.
Tatsuki simply didn't feel like forcing small talk, while Utaha was too embarrassed to open her mouth.
It wasn't until they'd walked a fair distance from the building that Utaha managed to shove the… biological side of things out of her mind and boldly start a conversation.
"Tatsuki-kun, you can teleport instantly. Do you still have to walk to school?"
What an insanely convenient ability.
With it, you could sleep in forever and never worry about being late for homeroom.
She was honestly, deeply jealous.
....
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