Even on the weekend, Plum Blossom Garden was as lively as ever.
Even though the children were still far too young to develop that sort of awareness, they would unconsciously be drawn to my outstanding charm.
At the same time, precisely because of their age, they still didn't know how to hide their thoughts, so they tended to express their likes and dislikes more directly.
As a result, the moment I arrived, the children all crowded around me again, each one trying to act spoiled toward me.
But even while being surrounded nearly airtight, I could still clearly feel a certain disharmony pressing against my back like needles.
It was a gaze filled with grievance, one that seemed rooted firmly onto me.
Turning around, I saw a petite and adorable white-haired girl staring over here with her lips puffed up high in displeasure.
"Kokona-chan, what's wrong?" I asked with concern before suddenly realizing. "I get it! Kokona-chan can spoil herself with me too, you know!"
"Eh? Really, I can...? ... WAIT! That's not it at all!"
The tiny instructor stomped her foot angrily, the smile that had briefly appeared vanishing instantly.
"Please stop calling me Kokona-chan. I'm not a child, how many times do I have to say it!? As a mature lady, I would never casually act spoiled like a child in front of sensei!"
Got it. So she only acted spoiled under special circumstances.
At that moment, one of the children shook her head and spoke with exaggerated maturity.
"Sigh, if Kokona-chan keeps acting stubborn like this, one day you'll end up as the losing heroine."
That comment immediately earned nods of agreement from the other children, me desperately holding back laughter, and Kokona's dissatisfied rebuttal.
"Call me Instructor Kokona properly! More importantly, what does 'losing heroine' even mean...?"
She looked confused for a moment before continuing.
"A-Anyway! Sensei, don't you have something you should say to me!?"
Faced with her abrupt accusation, I pretended to think for a moment.
"Understood, Instructor Kokona."
"That's exact... no, no, not that!"
Kokona shook her head vigorously and glared at me with puffed cheeks.
"Sensei! Last time, you definitely tattled to Shun-oneesan about me, didn't you!?"
I asked in both shock and sadness.
"Kokona-chan, how could you think something like that?"
All I did was share my chat history with Kokona for Shun's appreciation.
How could that possibly count as tattling?
"Then who else could it have been!?" The white-haired girl's youthful face flushed red, making her already crimson eyes seem even brighter. "I already apologized to Shun-oneesan, but she still said I wasn't sincere enough, and then she ate the grilled pancakes she originally planned to give me right in front of me! Sensei definitely sold me out!"
Tsk, what a sharp little brat.
I sighed dramatically.
"Kokona-chan, so you're saying you have absolutely no evidence and are accusing me purely based on suspicion? I'm so hurt..."
"Ugh...! T-This is logical deduction!" Kokona stubbornly insisted, though perhaps realizing she lacked confidence in her argument, she immediately shifted the target of blame. "Seriously, oneesan is so petty. She eats so many sweets too, so when her weight shoots up she'd better not come crying to me..."
"Kokona-chan."
Suddenly, a gentle female voice filled with warmth and danger at the same time sounded from behind Kokona, making her entire body stiffen.
"I think I just heard you saying something very bad?"
"...O-Oneesan? N-No, nothing like that!"
The guilty Kokona hurriedly turned around and scrambled for an excuse.
"It's because oneesan is getting old and your hearing and eyesight are failing!"
The instant those words left her mouth, the atmosphere around us became many times heavier than before.
The children who had been whispering moments ago now fell completely silent.
Even I couldn't help admiring Kokona's bravery.
Though perhaps it was because, as an eleven-year-old desperately wanting to grow up, she had always looked down on Shun's sensitivity regarding age, allowing her to casually blunder straight into a minefield like this.
As for Shun herself, who had just been called old to her face, the corner of her lips twitched ever so slightly before she smiled faintly.
"Kokona who lies and refuses to admit her mistakes won't be getting snacks today either."
"Eh!? H-How could you, uuu..."
"And also," Shun added with a smile, "Kokona-chan already knows this, right? Today's snacks are extra sweet fruits sent over by the trading company∼"
Kokona's eyes widened, her expression turning even more tragic. Her lips trembled before she squeezed out a pleading form of address.
"Oneesaaaan∼!"
"Hehe. Whether I forgive Kokona-chan for doing bad things will depend on how you behave from here on, alright?"
Then Shun turned toward the children still gathered around me.
"Everyone, may I borrow sensei for a little while? Could you play a game together with Kokona-chan first?"
Though they looked somewhat reluctant, the children still answered together.
"Yes!"
Once the children of Plum Blossom Garden had all gathered around Kokona, Shun finally walked gracefully over and apologized awkwardly.
"Sorry, sensei. While I was handling the exchange with the Black Tortoise Promenade, I asked you to look after the children. Thank you for taking the trouble."
"It's no problem. It was only a small favor."
"Hehe∼ good boy, good boy∼"
Out of occupational habit, Shun smiled as she praised me, even reaching out to pat my head.
This sort of maternal, treating-others-like-children behavior might annoy Kokona, but for me it was practically perfect!
"Actually, there was another thing I wanted to ask of you, but..."
At this point, Shun looked at me with concern.
"Sensei, you look rather exhausted... have you been overworking yourself?"
I laughed awkwardly.
"No, not at all. I'm in great shape right now."
I had merely stayed up all night patrolling with the Foreclosure Task Force yesterday.
To my regret, by the very end, the remaining two items I had on hand still failed to encounter their destined owners.
Though thinking about it, that was perfectly normal. The well-behaved Ayane always followed curfew conscientiously, while Nonomi simply didn't live in Abydos to begin with.
The only members of the Foreclosure Task Force likely to appear in the city late at night had all already been caught in one sweep this time.
And unlike the other two who already had similar experience, Serika, the newest addition and also the thinnest-skinned and most short-tempered of the group, though clearly very happy, still generally behaved in a half-resistant, half-welcoming manner.
Not just during patrols, but even in later group activities during daily life as well.
Before I even needed to say anything, Hoshino and Shiroko thoughtfully took the initiative to invite Serika to join, unexpectedly displaying a degree of generosity worthy of proper seniors.
Most likely, the two of them were still worried Serika might let something slip, so they simply decided to drag her into it too.
As a result, all three girls obtained relatively satisfying outcomes, while only I, powerless to resist and forced to satisfy one additional beastly desire, quietly mourned my fate.
After being tossed around until dawn, I was immediately summoned by Shun and hurried over to Shanghaijing without even having the chance for a short nap.
Still, just as I said, my condition was fairly alright. I was indeed a little sleepy, but it was entirely bearable.
"So if there's anything you need help with, feel free to ask me."
I declared confidently.