At the agreed time, I arrived at the activity room reserved for the Make-Up Work Club.
From the outside, it was just an ordinary empty classroom tucked away in a remote corner, somewhat old, with nothing remarkable about it. Even so, the right to use this already idle classroom had only been approved yesterday.
I could only say that Trinity has its own circumstances. Even as the Tea Party's host, one must still follow the rules and proceed according to established procedures.
That was why, in order to open the Make-Up Work Club as quickly as possible and save students with poor grades, Nagisa and Mika had to seek my help.
This was probably their kindness toward their juniors.
Although it was not what I initially imagined, such as revealing Seia's situation to me or asking me to search for a possible mastermind hiding within Trinity, this request still helped ease the Tea Party's burdens.
Whether out of selfish motives to earn the goodwill and trust of young girls, or from a genuine desire to help them through their difficulties, I would give it my all and not disappoint their expectations.
And inside the empty classroom that the Make-Up Work Club would be using every day after school for the foreseeable future, a cute girl with blond hair and golden eyes, carrying a Peroro backpack and wearing an honest, gentle expression, was already seated behind a desk. She held a textbook in her hands, reviewing her lessons while waiting.
Sunlight from outside the window fell upon her focused profile and slightly trembling eyelashes, adding a few touches of quiet elegance to her already youthful yet charming beauty.
Hearing my footsteps, Hifumi looked up, then stood and showed me a heart-fluttering sweet smile.
"Sensei, you are here."
"Hifumi, you have been studying hard."
Hearing my praise, Hifumi's expression turned troubled.
"Ah, I already failed the last exam. If I don't work harder, then it will really… it will really be bad."
Seeing a cute girl like this, I could not help teasing her. "But was that not because you skipped the exam to go on a date with me?"
"Se-sensei! Why are you saying something like that too!" Hifumi waved her hands in panic. "I spent so long explaining it to my friends back then…"
"Ahahaha, sorry, sorry, just a joke."
Hifumi's reaction was just as adorable as I expected, giving me a pleasant mood early in the day.
Puffing out her cheeks slightly, Hifumi calmed herself, then smiled at me again.
"Well… anyway, Nagisa-sama asked me to assist with sensei's work… and she also appointed me as the Make-Up Work Club's president…"
I rubbed my chin and nodded thoughtfully. "Mm hmm, President? Nagisa really has a sharp eye. I also thought from the start that such an important role had to be entrusted to Hifumi."
"Ugh, sensei, you are doing it again…" Hifumi sighed, as if she had already grown used to my praise. "It is only temporary… after all, the Make-Up Work Club is just a club formed temporarily through special arrangements… if everyone passes their exams, it should naturally disband."
Just as Hifumi said, as long as the students of the Make-Up Work Club put in some effort during this period and passed the makeup exams arranged by the Tea Party, the Make-Up Work Club would lose its purpose and be sealed away in a corner once more.
From the exam papers I had previously seen at the After-School Sweets Club, it was obvious that they were designed to let students pass smoothly. The difficulty of the regular exams was not high to begin with, let alone makeup exams created specifically for a handful of failing students.
With the Eden Treaty approaching and keeping them extremely busy, Nagisa and Mika probably did not want any extra complications, which was why they specifically asked me to help. Even without deliberately lowering the bar, they likely would not increase the difficulty beyond the original level.
In other words, if someone still could not pass even under these conditions, it could only mean that their attitude toward studying was seriously flawed. Even being expelled would probably leave nothing to argue about.
I did not know the exact situation of the others, but at least with Hifumi's personality, she would pass without trouble even if I were not around.
Nagisa, who was close to her and could be considered a good personal friend, naturally knew this as well. Asking Hifumi to be president was indeed a wise choice.
"So, so um…" The girl who had missed her exam due to bad luck and resolved to make up for it spoke to me seriously. "During this time, please take good care of us, sensei."
In response, I also put away my smile and answered properly. "Yes, please take care of me too, Hifumi."
The girl smiled at me shyly, put her textbook into her Peroro backpack, then slung it over her shoulders and spoke as she did so.
"Then, sensei, let us head out now to meet the rest of the Make-Up Work Club members. First, we need to discuss things with everyone and come up with a plan to avoid repeating a year…"
With that, Hifumi briskly led me outside.
However, just as we were walking along the school path toward our next destination, the girl walking in front of me suddenly stopped, then quickly turned around and, looking flustered, grabbed me and tried to pull me away.
Before I could react, I saw that among the Trinity students approaching us head-on, one who looked somewhat familiar gradually showed a shocked expression.
"Hifumi! Was going on dates with sensei outside school not enough for you, that you even brought him into the school to date?"
Only then did I recall that the other party seemed to be Hifumi's friend.
Unable to avoid it, Hifumi's face flushed red as she turned back around.
"It's not like that at all! Sensei was invited by Nagisa-sama to serve as the Make-Up Work Club's advisor!"
"What!? You actually went as far as using your personal connection with Nagisa-sama just so you could date sensei at school?"
Hifumi could not help staring in shock as the companions of her friend began whispering among themselves.
I too was deeply shaken by this friend of Hifumi's outstanding ability to leap to conclusions.
But once the initial emotion faded, I suddenly felt that it was not unreasonable.
Why would seeing Hifumi and me simply walking together lead to the assumption that we had a special relationship?
Either Hifumi had explained things unclearly, intentionally or not, or this friend of hers was projecting herself into Hifumi's position, subconsciously wanting something to happen with me.
In the end, it was all because I was simply too attractive.
Setting aside the reasons and looking only at the result.
That girl was such a great wingman.
Hifumi's ears had already turned bright red, yet she tried her best to keep her tone calm.
"There's really nothing like that, so stop guessing. Sensei and I… anyway, it is not like that."
Hifumi's friend scratched her head. "Ah, s-so I misunderstood?"
"I will explain it to you later." Hifumi turned back, but deliberately avoided my gaze, not daring to look me in the eyes. "Sensei, let us keep going."
I replied with a quiet acknowledgment. After that, we walked on in silence.
Until we reached the first destination.
The Justice Task Force activity room.