After getting Arisu back to Millennium before curfew and returning alone to Schale, I found myself thinking about a serious issue.
Why had Kei, that cursed thing, suddenly appeared again for no reason? And why did it happen again right in the middle of Arisu's duty shift?
God knows how badly I was startled when those azure-blue eyes, which had been gently closed in pleasure, opened once more only to turn into that cold violet-pink color.
Even now, hours later, Kei's furious and resentful voice still seemed to linger in my ears:
"How dare you do something this lowly to the Princess... wah, wait, let me finish first...!?"
Thankfully, just like last time, she had only hijacked Arisu's body for a brief moment before screaming as I forced her back offline again.
Still, this raised an important question.
That was, what kind of rule governed Kei's reappearance now, despite the fact that forcibly taking control of Arisu's body against her will should have come with a terrible price.
If it happened whenever Arisu was emotionally overwhelmed...
Wouldn't that mean Arisu had to enjoy it every single time too!?
That felt... kinda unsettling.
Using Arisu's body while not being my student, instead being an enemy who harbored ill intent toward my student and practically couldn't coexist with me under the same sky, maybe the first time could count as humiliating and defeating an opponent.
But after it happened over and over, how much satisfaction could really remain?
Still, I couldn't exactly harm Arisu's body. I couldn't cruelly refuse to do duty shifts with Arisu and crush her enthusiasm for contributing to Kivotos just because of the hidden danger called Kei.
So until I found a way to completely eradicate Kei, all I could do was sacrifice myself a little and endure it for now.
And speaking of enduring, that naturally brought to mind a certain loyal little fox who hadn't appeared for quite some time.
Namely Iroha.
Since I had previously promised Iroha that I'd visit her secret base if I got the chance, and I also happened to have an Eden Treaty-related meeting to attend in Gehenna, I arrived a bit earlier than scheduled.
"Honestly, sensei, you really picked your timing," Iroha complained while leading me through the halls. "There's only a few hours left before the meeting, and I still have a mountain of prep work to do. Meanwhile, you suddenly show up wanting to slack off at a time like this..."
Did someone who constantly tempted others into slacking off together with her while they were working seriously have the right to say that?
Still, just as Iroha said, when I arrived at the Pandemonium Society, she was genuinely busy in her role as a council member, showing a capable side completely different from the impression she usually gave me.
So from another angle, did this girl really have the right to tell others not to slack off?
Even so, I still apologized.
"Sorry about that. Then maybe we can wait for another opportunity?"
"No, since you're already here, we might as well do it now. Besides, in weather this hot, I wasn't motivated to begin with, and now I also have to deal with ridiculous demands from my superiors."
As she spoke, the corners of Iroha's lips curled upward into a light smile.
"In that case, I also have a perfectly valid excuse to dump all the troublesome work back onto Makoto-senpai and slack off together with you."
Then what exactly was all that criticism toward me just now!? Was this what people meant by saying one thing while meaning another?
I got it now. She must've become so excited at the thought of getting to spend time alone with the person she secretly loved that she started talking nonsense.
Thinking about it that way, I immediately felt relieved.
"...But seriously, if you leave everything to Makoto, will things really be okay?" I asked worriedly. "The Prefect Team is attending today's meeting too, right?"
I trusted Makoto's abilities.
I just didn't trust her brain whenever anything involving Hina came up.
Although, whenever her astonishing wisdom combined with her original malicious intentions, it somehow ended up producing a double negative that turned positive.
Iroha shrugged.
"Well, you know how it is. The Prefect Team's President is away on business today, so the one attending in her place is Administrator Ako. So Makoto-senpai will probably behave herself somewhat, right? At worst, she'll just be the same as usual. Besides, even if I were there, I'd mostly just follow orders anyway."
But at the very least, she could stop Makoto from doing something completely outrageous.
All things considered, it was no wonder Ako had developed an incurable illness at such a young age.
Namely, paranoia.
There was no helping it. If my beloved dog ended up suffering today because I was fooling around with another woman, then I would take responsibility and properly comfort her afterward in the way she liked most.
That, too, was one of my duties as Schale's sensei!
Cheerfully discarding the small amount of guilt I still had, I followed Iroha until we arrived at a garage.
"This is where the Pandemonium Society's tanks are stored. But right now, it's my personal space."
As the tank commander of the Pandemonium Society, Iroha naturally had enough authority to indulge in a little misuse of power like this.
Then she beckoned me toward an inconspicuous little door tucked away in the corner of the garage. After opening it, what appeared before me was a small but fully furnished lounge room.
Leaving her boots outside the door, Iroha walked across the neatly laid carpet in her black socks, the fabric warmed pleasantly by the sunlight. Then she casually removed her socks as well and tossed them aside before sitting down on a cushion.
With a smug look, she asked me, who had just finished taking off my own shoes and stepped inside:
"Well? Pretty nice place, right?"
Like proudly showing off a treasured collection, she pointed out the items around the lounge.
"These soft cushions, all kinds of snacks. Plus tons of books and games."
As I silently looked around, I added in my heart:
And Iroha's coffee mug, Iroha's gym clothes tossed into the corner after changing out of them, Iroha's freshly removed socks that still carried a warm floral scent, Iroha's pale slender feet...
Flashbacks Pic: Sauce
The red-haired girl asked:
"This is the relaxation space I'm most proud of, one that belongs only to me. So, what do you think?"
I answered honestly:
"It's seriously amazing. This place feels so comfortable I think I could stay here all day."
"Hmph hmph, if you're that moved, it's fine to praise me even more, you know?"
"Really?"
My eyes lit up as I sat down close beside her.
"Iroha, you smell really nice."
She fell silent for a moment and quietly shifted a little farther away from me. Then she put her smile back on as if nothing had happened and continued:
"Well then, now that we're accomplices, let's slack off together today too, sensei."
"Yeah. I'll be in your care."
"Hehe~ since you said that, then let's start by..."
Picking up a book, Iroha lightly leaned against me and spoke lazily.
"Teaching you that you shouldn't casually tell a girl she smells nice."