When I woke up, it was already night.
As I washed my face, I stared at the mirror, at the pale reflection staring back at me, with two heavy dark circles hanging under my eyes. The sight left me shocked.
"I've been wounded by feminine charm, to the point of such exhaustion?!"
You couldn't really tell after pulling an all-nighter, but after a proper sleep, the fatigue and weakness truly settled into my body.
Determined to learn from my mistakes, I decided that from now on, I would—cough* maintain a proper sleep schedule and sufficient rest. Unless, of course, it was truly unavoidable.
After all, it is a Sensei's duty to meet the needs of their students.
Surely there isn't a more responsible teacher in all of Kivotos than me.
Once I filled my empty stomach with the bento I'd bought at noon, I connected to Shittim digi-space. The moment I entered the classroom, I couldn't help but feel a surge of irritation, how is Arona still asleep at this hour?
At your age, how can you possibly sleep this much?
I stood before the peacefully sleeping Arona, speechless for a long while. But when I saw the gentle smile resting on her face, I couldn't bring myself to wake her.
After disconnecting, I began sorting through the new requests in the Schale inbox.
Lately, rumors about Schale had been spreading widely across the network, and each day brought a flood of new requests to the official email.
Most of them were trivial, things like lost-and-found cases, tedious and trivial, the kind of work even the Public Safety Bureau wouldn't accept.
As the old saying goes, "A thousand miles begin with a single step," but requests like these are time-consuming, yield no results, and bring no benefit. I had no plans to take them.
Another category I refused to accept were those too absurd to be real.
For instance, the email I was currently reading came from the Red Winter Academy.
It was the fourth plea for help I'd received from the former president of Red Winter, Cherino. Out of curiosity, I had looked into Red Winter Academy's situation, only to discover that Cherino wasn't persistently sending letters during a single coup. Rather, she sent one every time she was overthrown.
At my meager level of intellect, I doubted I could ever comprehend the inner workings of Red Winter. Best not to get involved.
After some quick sorting, only two emails remained, the ones I'd saved for last.
Both came from Hyakkiyako Alliance Academy, the school without a student council. I'd heard they were preparing for a grand festival soon. Perhaps I could invite someone to join me when the time came.
Before that, though, I could use these requests as an excuse to visit, to experience the atmosphere and culture firsthand.
Opening the first email, I frowned deeply.
In short, the sender dreamed of becoming an exceptional ninja and wanted Schale's assistance with her training. The sender's name: Kuda Izuna.
Ninja training? Completely incomprehensible. Even in a bizarre place like Kivotos, "ninja" should only exist in fiction.
At least, that's what the data suggested.
Even if ninjas did exist, Schale was hardly in a position to assist with such training.
Still, out of courtesy, I replied to request more details.
When no response came, I opened the second email, sent on behalf of a club.
The Inner Discipline Club. The name sounded... delicate, but thankfully the request wasn't another training-related one. They simply wanted help filming a promotional video for their club.
A promotional video for a girls' high school club...
Oh.
After letting my imagination wander for a few seconds, I quickly pulled myself together and drafted a perfectly polite, professional reply. Naturally, I accepted the job.
After all, guiding young students in need is a Sensei's duty.
Though, for the sake of accuracy, I couldn't help but wonder, would the Inner Discipline Club be wearing cheerleader uniforms during the shoot? With an earnest, scientific curiosity, I found myself rather looking forward to it.
After confirming the filming schedule with the club representative, Kuda Izuna finally replied. It was only a brief apology, asking me to forget her request. Any follow-up messages from me went unanswered.
Strange. I'd have to check on her personally once I reached Hyakkiyako.
I made a mental note and added the Inner Discipline Club visit to my schedule, reviewing my plans for the coming days.
That's when I realized, tomorrow was a day off.
Damn it, Hoshino. You've turned my sleep cycle upside down. No wonder my brain's a mess. So, what should I do with this rare day of rest?
Maybe I could pick up a few of the simpler requests I'd just filtered out, ones that could be completed in a day. Or perhaps visit the Great Chapel at Trinity to confess my sins before the lovely Sister Mari?
Speaking of Trinity…
Just as my inner workaholic was awakening, I remembered that I still hadn't picked a thank-you gift for Nagisa. Something vintage, elegant, and cute would be perfect. Maybe I could go shopping with Kaya while I was at it.
I just wasn't sure if Kaya would be free tomorrow.
With that thought, I opened MomoTalk and messaged her.
Me: You there?
Kaya: I'm here, Sensei. What's up?
Me: Are you free tomorrow? Want to hang out?
Kaya: Tomorrow, huh…
About a minute later.
Kaya: I'm free! When and where shall we meet?
This bureaucratic parasite from the General Student Council probably just gave herself a day off, didn't she?
And she didn't even suggest a time or place. What exactly is she planning?
Pondering Kaya's motives, I sent her the details. She agreed immediately. In just a few short messages, the date was set.
And yet, I suddenly found myself uneasy.
At that moment, another message arrived from a girl I hadn't heard from in a while.
Yukino: Sensei, this is Shichido Yukino.
Yukino: Do you have time tomorrow?
Me: What's wrong? I can make time.
Yukino: The combat training scheduled for tomorrow was canceled, so I have the whole day off.
Yukino: May I see you? I want to see you.
Me: Of course. In that case, let's go on a date!
Yukino: Okay.
Without hesitation, I abandoned Kaya and chose Yukino.
After all, Kaya is easy to invite anytime, but Yukino's schedule is far stricter. Besides, it's not like I can't pick out Nagi's gift during the date with Yukino.
But truthfully, in my heart, there was no comparison between the two.
Every student is equally important to me, of course, but some are… slightly less equal. Especially a certain scheming Defense Office Chief.
So I sent Kaya a message.
Me: Sorry, an urgent mission came up. I might have to cancel tomorrow.
Kaya: Eh? Really…?
Me: I'm truly sorry. I'll make it up to you later.
Kaya: …Alright then.
Moments later~
Yukino: …Sensei, Chief Shiranui just informed me the training has been reinstated.
I blinked, piecing things together. So that's how it is...
The training Yukino was supposed to attend was originally Kaya's responsibility. But Kaya, shirking her duty for our date, canceled it. Yukino got her day off as a result.
Then the moment I canceled on Kaya, she reinstated it, thus ruining my date with Yukino!
Damn you, Kaya. To go back on your word and ruin my plans!
Left with no choice, I messaged her again~ mission canceled, date back on. Sure enough, Yukino got her day off again. My theory confirmed.
Still, the fact that the Defense Office Chief is now meddling in SRT Special Academy's affairs… it seems SRT's situation is becoming dire.
Not that it mattered at the moment.
Looking at my screen, where Yukino was no doubt waiting quietly and hopefully, I decided to be honest with her.
Me: The cancellation might have been because I asked Kaya out.
Yukino: …You? With her?
Me: It was just for show. You have to trust me.
Yukino: Okay.
From that brief reply, I could feel her deep trust in me, and I was both touched and uneasy.
Could it be that Yukino, who should have been marked as "route complete" had pinned all her hopes of rebuilding her academy and achieving justice on me?
Was that really love? I didn't know.
But before I could stop myself, I sent another message.
Me: Want to come along tomorrow?
Yukino: …Huh?
Of course, I didn't mean a "threesome." My relationship with Yukino was still a secret. And bringing her along as a third wheel while on a date with Kaya? That would be torture.
No, this was strategic. I didn't trust Kaya or her intentions. She'd schemed against me once before, so she was clearly up to something.
Inviting Yukino was purely for tactical backup. Should Kaya have any hidden plans, Yukino would be there to intervene. With her skills, Kaya would never notice.
Once I explained everything, Yukino agreed immediately. I promised that afterward, if we had time, we'd go on our own date. Even through the screen, I could almost see her fox ears and tail twitching in excitement.
Her short replies were just a few "Mm"s and "Ah"s, couldn't hide the truth. My instincts were never wrong.
Any doubts I'd had vanished. Yukino must already be deeply in love with me.
Sleepiness washed over me again. Setting the alarm, I went back to my room and fell asleep.
When morning came, I arrived at the station early, only to find that someone had beaten me there.
Standing at our meeting spot was Kaya, no longer in her usual General Student Council uniform, but in a white dress. She'd gone with a natural look, deliberately styled, of course. Her already cute face looked even softer, her finger twirling a strand of hair as she waited absentmindedly.
So, you've dressed up to make me drop my guard? Too bad, I won't be swayed by beauty alone.
I hid the sharpness in my eyes, smiled, and waved. Time to play along with this schemer.
—By afternoon—
"Sensei, I had so much fun today~"
Kaya lifted her skirt slightly in a graceful curtsy, her smile radiant. "Well then~ I'll look forward to next time∼"
With that, she picked up her shopping bags and left, light on her feet, clearly in high spirits.
I watched her go, frowning slightly. Kaya… what happened to your grand plan?
Remembering the genuine smile she'd shown throughout the day, I faltered.
Surely someone like Kaya couldn't act that well, could she?
Don't tell me… could it be that she's actually been moved by my charm?
I sighed, brushing a hand along my cheek, mourning how my brilliance was once again overshadowed by my looks.
Then Yukino appeared silently beside me. "Sensei, Chief Shiranui has boarded the train. Please issue further instructions."
Today, Yukino was in casual wear. Her slender legs, wrapped in black stockings, drew the eye immediately.
Already part of my secret collection.
"Good work, Yukino." I reached out to pat her fox ears, unconsciously comparing them to Wakamo's.
Yukino's were softer, with thicker inner fur. Though Wakamo's were smoother, both had their charm.
"Now then, let's just enjoy our date."
Yukino's usually blank expression softened into a faint smile. "Understood."
We spent the rest of the day together until the sun began to set.
On a bench in a quiet park, Yukino straightened up, wiped the corner of her lips with the back of her hand, and said, a little flustered, "Please… excuse me. It's almost curfew."
I licked the sweetness lingering on my lips, watching her leave with faint regret. Even the air seemed to hold her scent.
"Fresh, fragrant, try our inari sushi~"
A food cart, carrying three students, wobbled past.
One of them, a pink-haired fox girl, met my gaze. She quickly stopped the cart and called out cheerfully, "Hey there! Haven't had dinner yet? Want to give ours a try?"
I froze.
Feigning casual hunger, I approached and confirmed the faces of the three fox-eared girls: a soft-faced pink-haired one, a gray-haired one with braided pigtails and drooping eyes, and a proud-looking blonde with her arms crossed.
Yes. Yukino's Fox Platoon teammates. I couldn't remember their names, but seriously... what were they doing here? Had they forgotten they made the news once?
Wait! How long had they been watching? Did they see Yukino and me together? No, impossible. With Yukino's awareness, they must have tailed us from far away.
The pink-haired one beamed, still pitching enthusiastically. "Not gonna lie, these are my finest creations today! Freshly made, at peak flavor right now!"
The aroma was tempting, and I was hungry anyway. I bought two.
"Thank you kindly~" she said, handing me the change. "By the way, what brings you here alone at this hour? It's not really safe around here lately!"
"I'm with a friend. She just left ahead of me."
"Ohh? Just the two of you? Out here?"
Her eyes sparkled. "Don't tell me... it was a date?"
So that's it. You came just to pry into your captain's private life, didn't you?
I bit into the inari sushi. It was delicious beyond expectation.
"The sushi's great. Goodbye."
Leaving her surprised, I turned and walked away.
There's no rule saying I have to answer random strangers' questions, is there? You want to know? Then you'll just have to edge for now.
Such is the unspoken privilege of adulthood.