After learning that Seia had been attacked and fallen into a coma, and of the hidden conspiracy involving Trinity, the life I had outwardly been living in calm leisure gained a lingering shadow that refused to disperse.
But looking at it from another angle, having already secured my footing in Kivotos and having gone quite some time without encountering any real crisis, I had nearly sunk into complacency, ignoring the chaotic nature at the heart of this academy city.
This incident was undoubtedly a wake up call, snapping me back to my senses.
After returning to Schale, I immediately contacted Himari and, through a temporary platform she set up, held an absolutely confidential conversation.
Though I did not wish to recklessly drag unrelated people into this mess, to ensure absolute safety I still needed the indirect assistance of this genius hacker, who stood at the very top of all Kivotos, to help erase my trail.
Although I did not explain the specific reason, with Himari's intelligence and insight she likely guessed something. After confirming that I only needed help at this level, she did not ask further questions and readily agreed.
Once this urgent matter was settled, I temporarily buried the matter of Seia and Trinity deep in my heart.
Perhaps it was just my paranoia, but under the current circumstances where I was completely in the dark, I believed that caution took priority over speed and efficiency.
What is more, whether the possibility I had envisioned could awaken Seia was still an unknown, so it was better to take a long term approach.
As for whether I should inform Nagisa, who was currently acting as the Tea Party's President?
I respected Seia's choice.
As for Mika… there was no need to even mention her.
That was Mika, after all. Better not.
In short, I acted as if nothing had happened and continued with my originally scheduled routine.
The next day, after many days had passed, I headed once again to the long unvisited Abydos Foreclosure Task Force.
Actually, I had come to the Abydos downtown district just the day before yesterday, with the purpose of inviting my cute maid girls from C&C to Master Shiba's joint to enjoy some delicious ramen.
It was just that it was too late that day. After finishing, I still had to return to Millennium to keep my appointment with Himari, and while I was at it, bail out the Game Development Department members who had been locked in the reflection room, so I did not visit the school.
Now that I had work to ask the Foreclosure Task Force for, it was a good chance to see them as well, and ease the longing of those girls who were surely already deeply smitten with me.
The helicopter slowly descended onto the school's athletic field, the gust from landing kicking up sand and dust around it.
A girl waiting not far away jogged over. Looking at me as I stepped off the aircraft, she wore an uncontrollable expression of joy on her face.
"Sensei, you're here."
"Mm, Ayane. You could have just waited in the clubroom. Why did you come all the way here to greet me?"
I glanced to the side and joked, "Don't tell me you couldn't wait to show this off to me?"
Not far away, there was another brand new helicopter parked there, its black paint emblazoned with a large white Abydos school emblem.
"That's not what I meant!" Even as she said that, Ayane's delight only grew stronger. "Thanks to you, Sensei, our debt pressure has become so much lighter, and we finally managed to save up enough to buy an armed helicopter. Oh right, right, this one's name is Water Cloud." (Amegumo-go)
I nodded with a smile. "It looks really cool. If there's a chance later, I'd like to ride it and try it out."
"Really? I'm free anytime!"
"Haha, then thanks. But let's talk about that later. Everyone should be in the clubroom, right?"
"Ah, that's true… then, Sensei, let's go."
After exchanging greetings, Ayane and I headed straight for the Foreclosure Task Force clubroom.
Pulling open the door, in a moment of haziness, I recalled the scene from when I first came here.
Hoshino lay lazily with her head on Nonomi's lap, Serika paced back and forth restlessly inside the room, and Shiroko was maintaining her rifle.
For some reason, a feeling of things having changed beyond return welled up in my heart.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, the girls all turned to look at me at the same time, unconsciously breaking into beautiful smiles that stirred the heart.
Then, Nonomi directly pushed Hoshino, who was waving at me, aside and patted the now empty space on her lap.
"Sensei, please come over here."
Hoshino froze for a moment, blinked, and exclaimed, "Oh my, oh my, Nonomi, are you planning to bear the weight of both Sensei and Oji-san me all by yourself?"
"Of course not. Hoshino-senpai, please find yourself a place to sleep properly."
"Nonomi-chan, what are you saying? Of course I'm going to sleep on Sensei. For an overdeveloped power gorilla like you, this much should be easy, right?"
"Hoshino-senpai, are you introducing yourself? Then you should change the prefix to underdeveloped to match perfectly."
"Ehehe."
"Hmm hmm."
The two looked at each other and smiled, their smiles growing ever sweeter, yet their eyes held not a trace of mirth.
The senior and junior who had just moments ago looked like sisters with a deep bond became sharply antagonistic the moment I appeared.
This scene filled me with deep sorrow, and my heart was also brimming with guilt.
Stop it. Don't fight over me like this anymore. This makes things very difficult for me.
"Sensei, are you smiling?"
Shiroko tilted her head slightly and asked in confusion.
"N-no," I said instinctively. Realizing my expression might have been a bit obvious, I quickly corrected myself. "I just thought of something happy."
"Is that so?"
Shiroko nodded as if she half understood, then her wolf ears swayed as she looked at me with eager anticipation. "I can give you a lap pillow too."
The previously smiling Hoshino and Nonomi immediately united again, turning their spearheads toward Shiroko, who was trying to steal the base.
Hoshino let out a sigh. "Some children seem to lack filial piety."
Nonomi put on a reminiscent expression. "I still remember how heavy the snow was that day."
"Sigh, she was clearly so well behaved back then. We worked so hard to raise her, only to find she turned out to be a white eyed wolf. This Oji-san is almost heartbroken."
"How should I put it? After all, there really is a wolf with one white eye, so it's not that strange, right?"
Faced with their barbed condemnation, Shiroko remained unmoved and simply said calmly, "I suggest we take turns using Sensei."
Wait a second. What do you mean, using?
As soon as those words were spoken, Hoshino and Nonomi exchanged another look.
Then.
Hoshino gave a thumbs up. "Oh my. As expected of my good child."
Nonomi smiled softly. "Fufu, Shiroko really didn't let down our trust."
Hearing this, my outrage only deepened. What about my opinion? Have you already decided that I won't object and will just quietly enjoy… endure it?
Unfortunately, even if I didn't object, there were still people present who would object on my behalf.
SLAM!
"Ah, seriously!" Serika slammed the table hard, gritting her teeth. "You guys, what on earth are you even talking about!"
Ayane also said angrily, "I can't stand it anymore either. Sensei finally managed to make time to come over, he has important business to discuss with us. Can you at least act like proper senpai and stop clinging to Sensei like this. Sensei will be troubled, won't he!"
At that moment, Hoshino suddenly frowned and sniffed.
"Nonomi-chan, Shiroko chan, do you smell that?"
Shiroko cooperated perfectly. "What is Hoshino-senpai referring to?"
"You don't smell it?" The pink haired girl pinched her nose with one hand and waved the air with the other, speaking meaningfully. "This sour smell filling the air, the kind where you don't dare do it yourself but won't let others do it either. Uwah, so sour, so sour."
I had always acknowledged Hoshino's aggressiveness.
Serika and Ayane seemed not to have fully reacted yet, when Nonomi spoke first.
"Hoshino-senpai, how can you be so rude!" Nonomi complained. "Even if it's already so strong that it's impossible to ignore, you shouldn't say it out loud!"
Shiroko nodded in agreement. "That's very mean, Hoshino-senpai."
"Uu, sorry. Oji-san me will try harder next time to pretend I don't smell it, okay?"
Shiroko sighed helplessly. "Alright, just this once."
The three senpai from second and third year sang in harmony, their unhidden implications making the now enlightened Serika and Ayane flush with extreme embarrassment.
Especially Ayane.
"Have you all had enough already!"
She stepped forward in a flash, placed both hands under the edge of the table, and suddenly lifted upward, using her secret table flipping technique.
Normally, if the usually well behaved Ayane were pushed this far, everyone in the Foreclosure Task Force would quickly stop joking around and focus on placating her.
But this time was different. With their core interests under threat, several of them adopted a mindset of enjoying the chaos.
"Oh my, Ayane-chan, don't be so angry."
Hoshino said leisurely, "Our Foreclosure Task Force has always been of one heart, advancing and retreating together."
Shiroko nodded. "That's right."
The two spoke without shame.
"Taking this opportunity, I think it's just right to reach a consensus."
Hoshino stood up and walked in front of Ayane. Though she was clearly nearly half a head shorter, when their eyes met it felt as if she were looking down on her.
"Wanting to act spoiled, wanting to be pampered, wanting to do this and that together… everyone in the Foreclosure Task Force harbors similar feelings."
Serika and Ayane both grew flustered, and even Nonomi, who had remained calm until now, showed signs of unease.
I suddenly realized that this small conflict might have been deliberately provoked by Hoshino.
And Shiroko was also an insider and accomplice?
"So, just like what Shiroko suggested, wouldn't that be fine?"
Hoshino spread her hands and said calmly, "Sensei won't refuse. If anything, he'll be even happier. So, Ayane-chan, Serika-chan, let's move forward together like we did in the past."
The two naturally shy girls lowered their flags and fell into silence.
Nonomi looked confused, tinged with uncertain doubt, her previously composed expression becoming somewhat forced.
Then, Hoshino took out a handkerchief from her chest.
It felt vaguely familiar. I then remembered that this seemed to be the handkerchief I once used to wipe the dust from Hoshino's face after fighting the Helmet Gang. She said she would wash it and return it to me, but there had been no follow up ever since.
Thinking carefully, it really did seem like it had been taken by Hoshino.
Damn. She actually kept my handkerchief in private. I strongly suspected that someone had already been secretly in love with me back then, just too embarrassed to say it.
Even her later attitude of dislike and distrust might have just been playing hard to get, a smokescreen to attract my attention.
Something was off. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed possible. I would definitely have to interrogate her about this later.
While my thoughts were spiraling, Hoshino had already handed the handkerchief she had taken from me, an item of considerable commemorative value to her, to the teary eyed Ayane, smiling faintly.
"Here, wipe your face first."
Ayane hesitated slightly, then chose to accept it.
"…What even is all of this…" Serika muttered to herself in a low voice. "I don't get it… I really don't get it…"
For the first time in her life, Serika realized she might truly not be very smart.
"Hmm? Oji-san meaning still isn't obvious?"
Hoshino took a few light steps toward me, took my hand, and guided me to sit in an empty seat. Then she sat down on my lap.
Then, in a matter of course tone, she said, "Sensei was never meant to belong to just one person, but to all of us. So there's no need to fight over Sensei and affect our bond with each other. First it's me, then Nonomi and Shiroko, then you and Ayane. Very fair, right?"
Shiroko echoed, "Very fair."
I finally understood.
Hoshino and Shiroko had indeed joined forces in secret, deliberately stirring up the conflict between the conservative and aggressive factions within the Foreclosure Task Force, all to take the opportunity to lay certain things bare, helping me open my harem more smoothly.
Of course, the primary premise was that everyone already liked me to begin with, just with different personalities, resulting in some being slower to progress.
Seen this way, wasn't this also a reflection of friendship within the Foreclosure Task Force?
That said, for me, going slow also had its own kind of enjoyment.
Especially Nonomi, who looked like she was keeping pace with Hoshino but in reality had not even properly entered the track yet, presented a unique kind of challenge.
"…Sensei," after a long silence, Serika called out to me weakly, her crimson eyes carrying strange emotions. "What do you think?"
Without thinking, I answered, "Of course I want to have close contact with all of you too."
As a human being, one should honestly express their desires in front of someone of the opposite sex they share mutual affection with.
Perhaps because my answer came too quickly, Serika seemed momentarily choked, then glared at me. "Disgusting!"
"So are you voluntarily not participating?" Hoshino teased from my lap.
"Hah!? Why should I! I'm also a member of the Foreclosure Task Force. Don't even think about excluding me!"
And after the tsundere Serika, Ayane spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's. "I… I too…"
Nonomi, who had been silent this whole time, revealed a dazzling, completely unguarded smile.
"Mhm mhm, it's really wonderful that things turned out like this. Then, I should be next, right?"
"No problem."
Hoshino answered on my behalf, then said, "Sorry about that, Sensei, we wasted a lot of time. Let's get to the main topic. What did you come here for today?"
Without any difficulty, I obtained the girls' promise that they would do their best to make time to help me complete a special commission. With the purchase of Water Cloud, even Abydos's transportation inconvenience had been resolved.
And as advance "payment," I spent the rest of the day in Abydos enjoying a rather leisurely and pleasant time.
It was just that Nonomi still had not been conquered, which was rather sigh inducing.