By now, the old school building ran like a strict bus schedule: leave at a fixed time, return at a fixed time. Miss it, and you got left behind.
Once everyone gathered and confirmed the timing, Rias moved to activate the teleportation array back to Keystone Gate—
And at the same time…
Inside the infirmary, sealed behind soundproofing and warding barriers, an entire afternoon of "private matters" finally came to an end.
In the back rest room, Chisato lay on the bed, eyes half-lidded, looking thoroughly satisfied. A thin sheet marked with a red cross barely covered her shoulders. One of her hands rested on the pillow, and Bokue's hand covered it from above, fingers tightly interlaced.
"Mm…" Chisato murmured softly.
She turned her face slightly and looked back toward Bokue.
"Hey… what time is it?"
"No idea," Bokue answered without opening his eyes.
He shifted them both with an easy roll, keeping her close behind him in a lazy embrace.
"But at this hour, Rias and everyone probably already got back. Looks like we'll head home on our own."
"Mm… you're right."
Chisato's cheeks—already pink—deepened another shade. She could feel his warmth against her back.
"We should get up soon," she said, voice lower. "An entire afternoon is gone. Nee-san is still out there."
"Mm."
Bokue acknowledged, but didn't move immediately.
They'd spent the entire afternoon in this room, undisturbed. The warding barrier kept students away, and the soundproofing ensured nobody in the corridor heard anything.
The only one who suffered was Raphaeline.
Because while the barrier covered the infirmary as a whole, Raphaeline was still inside it—at the front desk—meaning she'd been stuck there the entire afternoon while the two of them… did whatever they wanted.
"Chisato-sensei," Bokue said, voice dry as he finally opened his eyes, "you're pretty evil."
He exhaled lightly against her neck.
"I said we only needed soundproofing in this room," he continued. "But you insisted Raphaeline should hear everything from outside."
Chisato turned her face enough for Bokue to see her smile—rarely mischievous, almost gleeful.
"Hehehe. I have my reasons."
She traced a finger along his arm as if explaining something obvious.
"I told you I intend to make you Nee-san's man too, didn't I? Then showing her how happy we are together is the best teaching method."
Bokue didn't answer immediately.
Happiness aside, he thought, that was definitely… educational.
Chisato continued in a softer, almost teasing tone.
"Besides, Nee-san is a completely pure maiden goddess," she said. "After listening for hours, she's probably at her limit."
She smiled wider, eyes glittering.
"So if we go out now… we might see something very interesting~"
Bokue's expression flattened.
Your definition of 'interesting' is a little dangerous.
But since Chisato had said it out loud, he finally stopped stalling.
"Fine," Bokue said with a sigh. He sat up, pulling her with him. "Let's get dressed properly before we go home."
"Mm~"
Getting dressed took… longer than it should have.
A few minutes later, Bokue finished first and pulled the curtain aside.
The front half of the infirmary was bathed in sunset light. Raphaeline sat quietly at the desk by the window. The computer screen in front of her was dark—whether it was properly shut down or just asleep was hard to tell.
"Raphaeline-san?" Bokue called.
"It's past five. Work's over. Let's go home."
"Mm…!"
Raphaeline startled at her name. Her shoulders trembled slightly in the orange light, then she turned her head stiffly, very slowly.
"Ah… yes," she said. "Bokue… and Afureia… you're finished…"
"Yeah," Bokue said, casual. "Just finished."
Behind him, Chisato stepped out from the curtain, white coat back on. Compared to her sister's stiff posture, Chisato looked effortlessly composed—as if the afternoon had been a perfectly normal part of her schedule.
Then Chisato's eyes moved to Raphaeline's computer.
"Nee-san, you already shut it down?"
"Eh? Uh…"
Raphaeline stared blankly for a second, then nodded too fast.
"Mm-hm! Yes!"
"I see…" Chisato murmured. "I don't remember teaching you how to shut it down yet…"
She looked puzzled, but didn't press.
Instead, she returned to her own desk to shut down her computer and tidy up.
That's when she noticed something odd.
Under Raphaeline's desk, faintly in the shadow, something seemed… damp. A tiny glint, like a small spill.
Chisato blinked.
Did Nee-san knock over a cup?
But that didn't make sense—when Chisato had come out earlier, the floor had been dry.
Curious, she pulled two napkins from the desk drawer and crouched down, pressing them lightly to the spot.
A faint stain spread.
And an unmistakably familiar scent rose in the enclosed space under the desk.
Chisato's eyes narrowed slightly, understanding clicking into place.
Across the room, Raphaeline's voice came out a touch too tense.
"Afureia… are you… ready?"
Chisato straightened smoothly, as if she hadn't discovered anything at all. Her face remained perfectly innocent.
"No problem," she said lightly. "I'm done."
She didn't comment on the napkins. She didn't comment on the desk. She didn't comment on the "mysterious" shutdown skill.
She just smiled, put the napkins away, and spoke like a professional ending a normal shift.
"Alright. Let's go," Chisato said. "Home time."
"Mm-hm…"
Raphaeline nodded quickly, cheeks faintly pink in the sunset.
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