The moment I saw Mutsuki head into the bathroom, I knew things were about to go wrong.
Ayane was still in there.
Then again, judging from Mutsuki's tone earlier, she had probably already guessed as much.
"Sensei? Why aren't you saying anything? Sensei?"
Another round of urgent knocking came from the door.
I hurried over and opened it. Shiroko was still mid-knock, her hand raised.
She was breathing lightly, a towel draped around her neck along with her usual blue scarf.
Her fair skin was flushed a faint pink, dotted with tiny beads of sweat, and her grayish-white hair was still damp.
I couldn't tell if she'd just finished a workout or come straight from the shower.
I leaned in a little and caught the faint scent on her. Gym, definitely.
When she saw me, Shiroko exhaled in relief, but a moment later, a curious look crossed her face.
"Why are you wearing Ayane's glasses, Sensei?"
"To protect my eyesight."
"I see…" Shiroko tilted her head slightly, nodded, and asked politely, "May I come in?"
It would have looked suspicious if I refused.
And besides...
Things were just starting to get interesting.
Without answering directly, I stepped aside to let Shiroko in.
As she passed me, her wolf ears twitched twice. Her eyes flicked toward the bathroom door, but she said nothing.
Then her gaze shifted to the board game still laid out on the bed.
"Sensei, what's this?"
"Oh, that. I was just playing a board game with myself."
I closed the door behind us, keeping my expression calm.
"Hmm…" Shiroko nodded thoughtfully. Since she hadn't showered yet after her workout, she didn't sit on the bed. Instead, she stood in the center of the room.
Her eyes then landed on Hoshino's shotgun leaning against the wall.
"Was there something you needed from me, Shiroko?"
I walked up beside her, slipped an arm around her shoulders, and breathed in the faint scent on her.
By now, Shiroko no longer found my gestures strange. She leaned her head quietly against my chest, letting me hold her.
"Hoshino-senpai is… kind of an idiot."
Her voice was low, a little heavy.
I gently ran my hand along her damp back. The sensation wasn't exactly pleasant, but since it was Shiroko, I felt an odd sort of comfort instead.
"The truth is, I lost my memory."
My hand froze mid-motion, surprise flashing across my face.
Shiroko continued speaking. "When I woke up, I was already in Abydos High School. Though 'High School' isn't really accurate as it had already been abandoned. I didn't remember anything except the name."
Just like me.
I held my breath, feeling a quiet sympathy for her. A deep, aching pity welled up in me.
Suddenly, I understood. Why she always seemed so calm, so strangely detached at times, and why she had so quickly grown fond of me.
Since she regained her memories, the only ones who had truly shown her kindness were the members of the Foreclosure Task Force. Apart from them, there was probably only me.
"This scarf, Hoshino-senpai gave it to me. Back then, when I first met her and Nonomi, I was terrified. I attacked them, but they defeated me easily. Hoshino-senpai saw how lightly I was dressed and wrapped her own scarf around my neck.
"It's… a very precious treasure to me.
"After that, she brought me back to Abydos, gave me a hot meal, helped me bathe, gave me warm clothes, enrolled me in the school, and taught me how to fight.
"Hoshino-senpai was right earlier today.
"She really is like a father to me. I respect her deeply."
I fell silent, my mind a tangle of thoughts.
"Sensei, please bring Hoshino-senpai back."
Shiroko looked up at me, pleading. "Even if she's an idiot who can't be honest and doesn't know how to trust people."
"Yeah."
My gaze drifted toward Hoshino's gun, my expression tightening.
Hoshino, you fool. Look what you've done. Your juniors are all worried sick about you.
No matter how frustrated I was with her, I couldn't ignore that.
"I'll bring her back."
I placed my hands firmly on Shiroko's shoulders, looking straight into her mismatched blue eyes. One dark, one pale and promised her seriously:
"With everything I have."
Shiroko smiled, a gentle and radiant smile.
"I believe you."
I thought that would be the end of our conversation.
But suddenly, the wolf girl straightened up, her tone shifting.
"By the way, Sensei, you're not in a good mood right now, are you?"
"...Huh?"
"Well, you did get pretty upset at Hoshino-senpai earlier. From my experience, when you're in a bad mood, if you exercise until you're completely exhausted, all your worries just disappear!
"So, let's go for a night run! It's best if we make a landmark our goal. Let's say, from Schale to the Sanctum Tower and back!"
I nodded absently. "Oh… yeah…"
Wait, how far was that again?
A round trip of about sixty kilometers, not even counting detours.
I drew in a sharp breath. "Hold on! I have errands tomorrow. If I train too hard tonight and can't move tomorrow, that'd be a disaster!"
As a 100% human, I didn't have the absurd recovery rate of my students.
"Hmm…" Shiroko thought for a moment, then said regretfully, "Then how about some simple bodyweight training indoors?"
"Bodyweight training?"
She nodded. "Yes. Push-ups, squats, crunches, planks... things like that. You don't need any equipment, and you can do them anytime. I really like them."
That didn't sound too bad, actually.
"And if there are two people, we can add resistance training. It's even more effective."
A sense of dread crept up on me. "Resistance… how?"
Shiroko blinked innocently. "I'll sit on you, of course."
Ah.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's do it!"
I grabbed her sweat towel, hung it around my own neck, and clenched my fists with newfound resolve.
"Coach Shiroko! Please train me!"
My sudden burst of enthusiasm caught her off guard, but she seemed amused.
"Then let's start with push-ups, Sensei. Please lie down. And… if I'm too heavy, please tell me."
"No, no, no! Your Sensei's body has been tempered through endless trials!"
Knock, knock, knock.
Serika's voice came from outside. "Sensei? Are you in there?"
Oh no. Not again.
I had just gotten halfway down when I sighed and stood up.
Shiroko asked politely, "Should I hide in the bathroom?"
"Hmm… under the bed, maybe?"
"Alright."
Once Shiroko was safely hidden under the bed, I went to open the door for Serika.