Wearing Ayane's glasses, a towel from Shiroko around my neck, Nonomi's phone in my left hand, a thermal bag containing Serika's handmade ramen on the desk behind me, and the board game Mutsuki brought lying on the bed.
The moment Kayoko saw me like this, suspicion already filled her eyes. Once she accepted my warm invitation to come into the room, she understood everything at once.
"Sensei, it seems I've come at a bad time?"
"No, you've come at the perfect time!"
I'd been wanting to have a proper, heart-to-heart with the cool and distant Kayoko for a while now!
Kayoko's expression immediately became a complex chart from thirty percent surprise, thirty percent confusion, thirty percent disdain, and the remaining ten percent quiet resignation. She sighed.
"Well, just in case someone else shows up later, where should I hide?"
Such calm composure, and such quick understanding, as expected of Kayoko.
I asked politely, "Would the balcony be alright?"
Kayoko shrugged, clearly indifferent. "Whatever works."
"So, Kayoko, what brings you here tonight?"
"Nothing special. I was just… a little worried about you. If I'm overstepping, please forgive me."
Just as I thought... despite her delinquent look, Kayoko is really just a kind girl with a warm heart beneath that cold exterior.
Realizing that made me notice how her slightly fierce yet elegant face was actually incredibly cute. Bright and charming in its own way.
"How could it be overstepping?" I said joyfully. "Having someone like you worry about me makes me so happy, Kayoko!"
"…If you still have the energy to think like that, then I suppose you're fine."
Ignoring the implication behind her words, I leaned forward expectantly. "So, how do you plan to comfort this wounded Sensei of yours?"
Kayoko didn't seem used to being stared at like that, though she didn't exactly pull away either.
She took out her phone and a pair of earphones. "I just wanted to share some songs I often listen to. Music can heal the heart."
I took the earphones, placing one in my ear, then offered the other to her.
Kayoko blinked in confusion. "…Huh?"
"Let's listen together!"
"I understand what you mean, but… do you really insist on doing it this way?"
Of course I do.
A chance to listen to Kayoko's favorite songs together, sharing the same pair of earphones... how could I possibly pass up such an opportunity to grow closer?
But instead of blushing, Kayoko frowned. Her eyes sharpened as she gave me a quiet warning:
"Sensei, a piece of advice. If you ever ask another student to do something like this, you'll probably get reported for harassment."
I blinked. "Is that so? Then what about you?"
"As a member of Problem Solver 68, I tend to avoid the police altogether."
She said it so casually as she put in the earphones and pressed play.
A second later, my smile froze.
From the earbuds came an explosion of heavy metal from deafening drums, distorted guitar riffs, and lyrics dripping with violence and blood. Definitely not his kind of thing from yours truly gentle & kind temperament.
This… was healing?
I wanted to say something, but when I saw Kayoko, eyes closed and faintly smiling, completely immersed in the music as her bat-like wings twitching against my back, I decided to just let it be.
It wasn't right to interrupt her.
So I quietly admired her face instead, until the song finally ended.
Then came another knock.
Kayoko stood gracefully, brushing her skirt. "I'll get some air. Call me when it's clear."
As she stepped onto the balcony, I took a deep breath and opened the door again.
Just as expected, it was Haruka. After all, there were only so many people living in the Schale dorms, and at this point, nearly all of them had already visited my room. Only Aru had been unusually quiet.
Haruka looked shyly at me, holding a small flowerpot. Inside was a single, carefully nurtured weed.
"S-Sensei, I'm sorry for disturbing you so late…"
"Come in, Haruka."
"Eh? O-okay."
She stepped in obediently, just like a lamb entering a wolf's den.
We sat down on the bed's edge. I smiled gently. "So, what brings you here?"
"I-I wanted to offer this weed to you."
Her voice trembled with nerves, her words almost incoherent.
"It's useless, just like me, but… if it makes you feel a little better, I'd be happy. I-I was thinking about what you said earlier today, and thought maybe you'd like it. Ah… I'm sorry, I know it's completely pointless as a gift…"
The more she spoke, the more defeated she sounded, her small frame shaking uncontrollably.
I sighed softly, taking the flowerpot and patting her head.
That only made her tremble more.
"Thank you, Haruka. For thinking of me, and for preparing this gift. You're a good kid, I'll treasure it."
"T-Treasure… my gift? Sensei, you really are so kind…"
Haruka looked up at me with a trembling smile. Gentle, blissful… and somehow, a little unsettling.
With a child this fragile and self-conscious, I really couldn't push too far. She was already at her limit.
Just as I was about to send her home to rest, the final knock came, loud and frantic.
"Sensei! Sensei! It's terrible! Everyone's gone missing!"
Haruka flinched. "Eh? Could it be… an enemy attack? I-I'll go eliminate them all right now!"
"It's fine, no problem. Just…" I paused, scanning the room.
Where could I possibly hide her?
After a quick look around, I found the only remaining option.
"Haruka, could you crouch under the desk for a bit?"
"Y-Yes!"
Once she was hidden, I opened the door. Aru immediately burst in.
"This is bad, Sensei! I think the Kaiser Corporation sent assassins to kill us all!"
"Why is your imagination so good, Aru? Calm down."
I gently guided her to sit on the bed. "Now then, after all I've been through today, don't you have something to say to me?"
Aru hesitated. "Uh… good work today?"
"…And then?"
"And then… uh…" She fumbled for a while before blurting, "My condolences?"
I sighed. Truly, Aru never disappoints when it comes to being disappointing.
"Sensei! Forget that, where is everyone else!?"
I smiled knowingly. "They're everywhere. Alright, everyone, no point hiding anymore. Come out."
The bathroom door opened first as Mutsuki stepped out, brimming with excitement, followed by Ayane, whose expression was somewhere between shock and resignation.
"Hellooo~ Aru-chan~ Good evening!"
"Huh!? Mutsuki, what were you doing in Sensei's bathroom!?"
Next, Shiroko crawled out from under the bed, dusting herself off.
"Sensei, I feel all sticky. Can I take a shower first?"
Then Serika dropped down from the ceiling beam, her expression like the end of the world.
"Shiroko-senpai… and Ayane… when did you get here…"
Shiroko patted her shoulder reassuringly. "It's fine. I barely heard that 'Prince' thing, and Ayane was too far to catch it."
"AHHHHHH! Stop talking about it already!" Serika screamed, face red.
The wardrobe opened next, revealing Nonomi, who curiously peeked out while hugging Serika gently.
"Can I come out now?" Kayoko returned from the balcony, rubbing her arms. "It's freezing out there."
Finally, Haruka timidly crawled out from under the desk.
Aru stood frozen, staring at all of them. "Why… why is everyone in Sensei's room!?"
"Silly Aru," I said kindly. "We were throwing you a surprise party."
"Eh? A party?"
"Never mind that. Just tell me, surprised or not?"
"Not really…"
"Forget surprise, how about shocked?"
Aru's mind visibly crashed trying to process everything.
Satisfied, I clapped my hands. "Good. Surprise party: a complete success! That's all for tonight, everyone can head home now!"
"Okay∼ Dispersing~ Bye, Sensei∼"
"W-wait! What was even going on!?"
Still utterly confused, Aru was herded out by Mutsuki. The others followed one by one, each bidding me goodnight with their own expressions.
I sat there, eating the soggy ramen Serika had made. Despite the texture, the taste wasn't bad at all.
Kind of like how I felt right now.
My eyes drifted to the corner to Hoshino's shotgun resting silently there.
I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing at this very moment.
——
[Abydos Desert]
A hundred and fifty kilometers from the city.
Under the pale moonlight, a lone figure leapt high into the air, raising a massive shield the size of her body and bringing it down on a rogue drone that failed to dodge in time.
Both she and the wreckage crashed into the sand. In the moonlight, Hoshino's eyes gleamed, sharp and fierce like a hawk's.
"Tch. Not having a gun really is a pain."
She muttered as she frowned.
The rifles carried by mechanical guards and androids were junk, her shield worked better than any of them.
But that didn't matter.
A mere two-hundred-kilometer trek through the desert without food or water, under temperature swings of forty degrees and surrounded by rogue machines, such things weren't worth mentioning.
For her, this was nothing. Even without her weapon, even barehanded, it wouldn't stop her.
Hoshino looked toward the horizon. A few familiar faces flashed through her mind, people she still couldn't stop worrying about.
"…Uhee. Better pick up the pace."
With a long yawn, she stretched her arms wide and continued forward, guided by the stars, toward the Abydos Autonomous District.