Chapter 111: Workplace Experience Survey!
As the holiday passed, the temperature climbed higher. Luke had never handled heat well, so each day became increasingly unbearable.
A refreshing breeze entered through the window as he gazed outside. He wondered what Annie would make for dinner. There should still be a cream pudding in the refrigerator too…
Thud!
A sound from the floor behind him dragged his thoughts back to reality.
Turning around, Luke had to admit that the long legs standing before him remained striking even beneath fitted trousers.
Clothes like those only looked good on someone with an excellent figure. Beautiful legs also benefited from the right accessories, such as stockings or skirts.
The woman before him clearly possessed such legs. The fitted trousers emphasized their length and balanced shape perfectly.
Unfortunately…
Their owner currently wore the furious expression of a wrathful guardian deity. From the perspectives of human anatomy, art, and everything else, she looked terrifying.
"Why do you always drift into your own world whenever I call you to the office?"
After calming her anger, Hiratsuka Shizuka sat on the sofa in the faculty office's reception area and stared helplessly at him.
One corner of the office had been separated into a reception area with black leather sofas and a glass table.
Luke had visited this place many times.
"It proves that I'm a person who enjoys thinking."
He sat directly across from Hiratsuka-sensei and looked at the sheet of paper she had placed on the glass table.
It was his workplace experience survey.
"Heh."
Shizuka sneered, pulled a cigarette and lighter from her pocket, and placed the cigarette between her lips.
She then recreated her wrathful expression, apparently hoping to intimidate him.
"You know why I called you here, don't you?"
"Don't smoke."
As usual, Luke pulled the cigarette directly from Hiratsuka-sensei's mouth and warned her.
"Seriously, I'm not even allowed to bluff? What exactly do you think your teacher is?!"
Shizuka stared speechlessly at the student who had brazenly taken her cigarette. Her thumb remained pressed against the lighter, while the sensation of the filter lingered on her lips.
"Whatever I think of you, it doesn't justify a teacher smoking in front of a student."
"…That's surprisingly reasonable."
Shizuka murmured and nodded.
"I'm never reading The Art of War again."
'Do you really want to smoke that badly?'
Luke could not understand why quitting cigarettes was so difficult.
"Sigh… Anyway, the reason I called you here today…"
Shizuka pushed the survey across the glass table.
Its contents were roughly as follows.
[1. Desired career: None.]
[2. Workplace you wish to visit: None.]
[3. Explain your reasons: I don't want to work. Working is exhausting.]
Along with the paper came Hiratsuka-sensei's roar.
"Are you some modern-day boy with no goals, no dreams, and no motivation?! Why is properly completing one survey so difficult for you?!"
"Sigh."
Luke rubbed his head as well.
He would have liked to answer honestly, but…
He could hardly write "exorcist" and "haunted locations" on the survey. Whether Hiratsuka-sensei believed him or not, either outcome would become troublesome.
She probably would not believe him, though.
As for his third answer, [I don't want to work], Luke refused to admit that it was wrong.
"The final destination will depend on what the other two members of my group choose anyway. I don't particularly care."
He spoke honestly.
"That doesn't justify treating the survey carelessly."
"You have a point."
Luke nodded cooperatively.
Watching him act as though he sincerely agreed, a vein bulged on Shizuka's forehead. Her fingers curled one by one until her hand became a fist.
"When something refuses to work, isn't hitting it the most convenient solution? Televisions, appliances… and everything else."
"…Sensei, that statement sounds dangerous."
"You're the dangerous one! Impact First!"
"Wait. This is for you."
Luke blocked the incoming fist with one hand, then placed the matchmaking item Shiraishi Sen had given him on the glass table.
"What is this?"
Shizuka curiously examined the bracelet woven from colorful cords. Its pattern resembled a flower.
She abandoned the Annihilation Second and picked it up, casting him a questioning look.
"A Flower Omamori. It's a blessed charm for marriage and romance from a shrine… I think 'blessed' is the right word."
"I prayed for it at a very effective shrine belonging to a friend's family. I promised you something like this when we last ate ramen."
"Now that you mention it…"
Shizuka's eyes instantly cleared, and she held the bracelet tightly with obvious excitement.
As an unmarried woman growing increasingly anxious about her age, she desperately wanted something like this.
A blessed matchmaking charm from a powerful shrine.
Those words alone made her imagine herself wearing a wedding dress.
"The survey?"
Luke waved the form in front of Hiratsuka-sensei.
Shizuka escaped her fantasy and coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem. We'll leave it like this, then. But as punishment, you'll help me organize the surveys."
"Fine."
The Service Club was unbearably idle every day anyway. Going there would only mean memorizing those damned English words.
He could simply explain the situation to President Yukinoshita later.
Actually, he should send her a message.
Thanks to Yui, Luke now had Yukino's contact information.
At present, its greatest potential use was calling Yukino whenever he encountered a difficult question on a future quiz show.
After sending the message, Luke moved beside Shizuka's desk. He rapidly scanned the surveys and sorted them according to career category.
Shizuka worked beside him and asked, "Do you truly have nowhere you'd like to visit? Opportunities like this are rare~"
"The school placed it after the periodic exams because they want you to do more than score well. They want you to begin planning your futures too… though I doubt it'll accomplish much."
There were many places Luke would enjoy visiting.
He thought for a moment.
"It isn't that I have nowhere in mind. Using workplace research as an excuse to visit would simply make it boring."
"Anything connected to work loses its interesting colors. Work is exhausting, after all. You should understand that better than anyone, Sensei."
"Urgh— I-I understand it very well…"
As though struck by a heavy blow, Shizuka clutched her chest and squeezed her eyes shut.
Seeing her suffering, Luke made a guess.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, don't tell me you came to school during the holiday too?"
"Ah…"
Shizuka began releasing anguished groans.
Luke ignored her and continued working.
With his speed, the pile of surveys was soon completely sorted by occupation.
"Ah, he's over here~"
After finishing, Luke was about to bid farewell to the soulless Hiratsuka-sensei when he heard someone calling out.
"Why are you two here? Didn't I message Yukinoshita?"
Luke looked curiously at Yui and Yukino as they entered the office.
"Yuigahama-san kept insisting that we come."
Yukino spoke with obvious displeasure.
Because the weather had grown warmer, she had tied her normally loose hair into a ponytail, giving her a calm and refreshing appearance.
"Studying math nonstop was exhausting, so I thought we could come help you."
Yui shook the brightly colored hair tied into a bun atop her head.
Due to the heat, she had chosen a lighter version of her uniform, leaving it looking much cooler than usual.
"You're too late. I just finished."
Luke stretched lazily.
"Eh? What happened to Hiratsuka-sensei?"
Yui finally noticed Shizuka slumped lifelessly in her chair, constantly murmuring words like "work," "I hate it," and "I'm exhausted."
"She occasionally shuts down. Didn't I tell you that before?"
Luke spread his palm and waved it before Hiratsuka-sensei's empty eyes.
Mm.
No response.
"Is she really all right?"
Yui looked worriedly at Shizuka.
"She's fine. Adults are like this. Even when they're exhausted inside, they'll eventually drag their tired bodies back into motion after resting for a while."
"That sounds terrifying…"
Yui shuddered and hugged her arms.
Luke stood and spoke to Shizuka.
"Then I'm heading to the clubroom, Hiratsuka-sensei."
She still did not respond.
"I suddenly don't want to do workplace experience anymore…"
Yui treated Luke's back like a wall, placed one hand against it, lowered her head, and released a long sigh.
"Thinking that I might become someone like Hiratsuka-sensei in the future has drained all my strength… Sigh!"
Luke shrugged.
See?
He had not filled out his survey carelessly.
...
The clubroom stood on the eastern side of the special building's fourth floor, overlooking the athletic field.
The thud of baseballs and passionate shouts drifted inside.
Meanwhile, the three members of the Service Club each endured their own form of suffering.
"This is so painful~"
Yuigahama Yui squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her head with both hands, nearly burying her face in the math problems.
Luke was no better.
He could not understand why, despite his high Spirit stat, he still forgot twenty out of every fifty vocabulary words he memorized.
Did this language have any rules at all?
Why did every word insist on being unique?
As for Yukino, she naturally would not exercise in front of them.
However…
She rubbed her legs, which remained painfully sore after exercising while watching cat videos the previous night.
Unable to endure the boredom, Yui turned her back toward Yukino and secretly pulled out her phone.
She planned to look at it for only a moment.
"Yuigahama-san…"
Yukino's quiet voice sounded.
"Eh?! Ahhh—I was only checking a message! I'll continue immediately!"
Hearing Yukino, Yui nearly threw her phone into the air. She jumped in fright, then hurriedly buried herself in the math problems again.
"…Sigh."
Yukino released a long breath.
"Yuigahama-san, I was going to ask you to boil some water. My legs are rather tired…"
"Oh!"
Yui breathed a sigh of relief.
'She actually asked someone for help?'
Luke stared at Yukino.
"Do you need something?"
Yukino stared back at him.
"Yukinoshita, how many sit-ups… can you do now?"
"Why must I tell you something like that?"
Yukino immediately turned her face toward the window on the left, clearly refusing to answer.
"Eh? But I want to know too~"
Yui hurriedly turned around while filling the kettle.
"Tell us, tell us!"
Unable to resist Yui's pleading, Yukino reluctantly raised three fingers.
"Thirty? That's amazing progress!"
Yui exclaimed.
Thirty was probably enough to pass, right?
Luke did not know the girls' physical fitness standards.
However, the three fingers Yukino held up were her index finger, middle finger, and little finger.
"It's thirteen, isn't it?"
Luke spoke suspiciously.
He refused to believe that someone who could be lapped by an ordinary girl during a thousand-meter run had reached thirty sit-ups so quickly.
Yukino instantly shifted her gaze toward him and spoke in a rapid, icy tone.
"If you have nothing useful to do, stop talking and continue studying. There isn't much time left before the periodic exams."
"…Eh? So it really is thirteen."
After a brief silence, Yui said exactly what Luke had been thinking.
Yukino turned the same frozen gaze toward her.
"But thirteen is still impressive."
Yui placed the electric kettle on its base and began boiling the water.
"I don't think I've changed much since the beginning. Studying is exhausting~"
"Working is even more exhausting," Luke said.
"Exactly. Doesn't that make studying feel pointless? We won't even use most of this once we start working."
Yui sighed helplessly.
"We might as well enjoy ourselves properly now. High school is so short, and we only get one life!"
"That's why you're an idiot."
"Ah! I am not!"
Arguing with Yui helped Luke pass some of the boring vocabulary study time.
"This is so boring~"
Yui had already abandoned studying. She leaned back in her chair, raised her head, and looked at her phone.
Then she released an extremely faint yet strangely heavy sigh.
"What's wrong?"
Only the bubbling kettle disturbed the silence, so Yukino noticed the sigh and asked.
"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing. I just received a strange message."
"A strange message?"
Yukino's fingers paused while turning a page.
"Harassment?"
"N-no. It's only something about rumors in our class~"
Yui quickly closed her phone and denied it.
"Classroom rumors?"
Luke, who was technically in the same class as Yui, opened his phone and checked.
Mm.
Nothing.
His contact list was exceptionally clean. He did not belong to any social group within the class, and most messages in his inbox were advertisements for the exorcists' side businesses.
Yui took a deep breath and slipped her phone into her pocket.
"Don't worry about something like that…"
Then she changed the subject.
"Say… after we graduate, do you think we'll still be able to meet like this?"
…
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