The differences in the personalities of the Make-Up Work Club members could also be glimpsed through the momotalk messages they sent.
Koharu started off by lashing me relentlessly, but once I bundled up the chat logs and, half joking and half threatening, asked whether she wanted me to show them to Hasumi, she immediately fell silent.
Hifumi, on the other hand, earnestly thanked me, saying that without me she definitely would not have been able to serve properly as club president. I refuted her modesty and praised her at length until she became so embarrassed that she begged me to stop.
Azusa messaging me was somewhat unexpected. Although her choice of words was still a bit difficult to read, the content was simply to reconfirm tomorrow's schedule, which was commendable.
And the one that surprised me the most, leaving me oddly disappointed after relaxing a bit…
Was Hanako, who was the only one who did not contact me privately at all.
At first, I was worried she might send me some selfies, or say something that could easily cause misunderstandings, or try to harass and tempt me.
I had even already prepared what I would say to politely refuse her and temporarily put a stop to what would likely be her uncontrollable designs on me.
Yet nothing happened.
This left me feeling strange, and I also wondered whether she was playing hard to get. Her striking hair color and contrasting attitude even reminded me of a certain unnamed student from the Garden.
In any case, regardless of all that, the Make-Up Work Club's daily after school lessons were about to officially begin.
For at least one week, and at most three weeks, I would be spending my afternoons at Trinity.
So I did not linger any longer and returned straight to Schale, preparing to enjoy alone the final night before this long term request began.
For dinner I had a high end bento bought from Angel 24. Having already finished today's work before departing for Trinity earlier in the day, I lay back in the lounge's massage chair. While reminiscing about Wakamo's soft, boneless slender hands and the perfectly calibrated force after triggering Arona's defense, I read with great interest an encyclopedia corresponding to Arisu's authority.
Ever since the last time Arisu stayed overnight at Schale, because we've got things attend to, that was our last meeting towards each other.
However, we still chatted casually through social apps, so I knew how they were doing.
As the deadline for the Millennium Club Competition drew closer, the girls who vowed to create a masterpiece worthy of everyone's recognition, to overturn the reputation of the Myth Legend Chronicle series in one fell swoop, and to protect the club they cherished, were pushing forward with all their strength toward that goal.
Under such circumstances, since I could not offer much more help for the time being, it was better not to disturb them.
Unless they worked themselves to the point of exhaustion and urgently needed to return to this warm harbor of mine to draw strength to continue forward, in which case I would naturally make as much time as possible to accompany them.
…Besides, I thought this arrangement was quite nice.
As the number of beautiful girls with whom I had formed deep bonds increased, I inevitably faced a difficult problem. If none of them had lives of their own and wanted to cling to me all day long, would I not be stretched too thin, with no chance to meet new students?
Busy is good. Busy is good.
Of course, it was not entirely like that.
Some students who were introverted, whose relationships with me were still shallow, or who were usually busy with work and rarely had chances to meet, required me to take the initiative instead.
For example…
Just then, I suddenly received a new message.
After seeing the sender and content clearly, I was briefly surprised, then happily replied.
Hina: "Sensei. May I ask if you are free tonight?"
Hina: "My work should finish around the same time as last time."
Hina: "If it is inconvenient, that is fine too."
Me: "Of course I am free!"
Hina: "Mm. I will send you the meeting location for this time."
Receiving an address different from last time, and thinking about being able to meet the adorable Hina again soon, I could not suppress my excitement.
Glancing at the current time, I thought that since I was idle at Schale anyway, I might as well set out a bit earlier.
What if she got off work earlier than usual today and arrived at the destination ahead of time to wait?
Although I knew the likelihood of that happening was low, I still put on my coat and headed out.
Taking an unmanned bus, I went to the Shiratori District thirty kilometers away, preparing to board the late night train bound for Gehenna.
Unlike the relatively remote and tranquil suburbs, the Shiratori District at night was still bustling and noisy.
Looking into the distance, the Sanctum Tower was brightly lit. Listening carefully, gunfire could also be heard without end.
Whether they were General Student Council officials, officials other than Kaya and Momoka, or idle delinquent students, even at night they were repeating the same actions as during the day.
Come to think of it, there was probably no need to exclude certain people who were idle even during the daytime.
Perhaps this was just one aspect of the chaos of Kivotos.
Muttering this to myself, already accustomed to Kivotos's game like attitude toward gunfights, I chose a route that would avoid conflict and headed toward the station.
However, when passing by the entrance to an alley, I heard a somewhat familiar, clear female voice tinged with anger.
"I already told you, I didn't do anything."
"Stop lying. You look so suspicious, and wandering around a place like this, you must be up to something strange."
Hearing the argument, I stopped and looked into the dim alley.
Inside, a Valkyrie student who appeared to be from Public Safety was blocking a girl in a hoodie, sharply interrogating her.
With white hair dyed black at the bangs and ponytail, and a face that looked frightening at first glance but actually carried a dignified air, I recognized her immediately.
Was that not Kayoko?
"That's because…" Kayoko hesitated, then only shook her head in the end. "It's nothing."
"See, you clearly have something to hide. Just take out your student ID and let me see it."
Facing the Public Safety officer's relentless pressure, Kayoko furrowed her brows and pressed her lips together.
"Please wait a moment."
Seeing her troubled expression, I quickly spoke up and stepped forward, naturally placing myself between Kayoko and the officer. "May I ask what business you have with my student?"
The Public Safety officer warily sized me up, her hand instinctively resting on her waist. "You are…?"
"I am Sensei from Schale. Here is my identification."
"Sensei from Schale?" After confirming my identity, the officer hesitated, then forced herself to adopt a stern attitude. "This incident should have nothing to do with you, correct? Please do not interfere with my lawful duties."
Despite her words, it was not hard to sense the weakness behind her bluster.
Normally, I would have had plenty of time to persuade her with reason and emotion.
Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a hurry, so I decided to use the fastest, and perhaps most entertaining, method to resolve this.
"Of course it has something to do with me. I heard everything just now. You think it is suspicious that she is wandering around a place like this late at night, right? But actually, there is a reason for it."
Kayoko froze for a moment, then frowned deeply, looking at me with surprise and suspicion.
I took a deep breath, pointed at Kayoko, and lied shamelessly.
"Actually, she had an appointment with me to meet here."
"…What!?"
The Valkyrie student reacted, her cheeks quickly flushing red as she exclaimed in disbelief.
"Could it be a date? With someone who looks this scary?"
At those words, Kayoko, who had been stunned, simply turned her gaze away in silence.
I was a bit dissatisfied with the Valkyrie student's wording and protested loudly.
"What are you talking about? She is obviously very cute, okay?"
"S-sorry…"
Realizing her slip of the tongue, the officer apologized awkwardly. "There is also no need for a Schale Sensei to damage his own reputation. Since you have gone this far, I completely understand. My apologies for the rudeness."
After saying that, she glanced at Kayoko, then turned her gaze back to me and spoke politely.
"Then I will be leaving now. I wish you a pleasant date."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
Finally seeing the Public Safety officer off, I let out a sigh of relief and turned back to Kayoko with a gentle smile.
However, Kayoko just stared at me. After a long while, until I began to feel uneasy, she quietly asked,
"Why is Sensei here?"
"I'm sorry, I was just passing by," I explained apologetically. "Did I cause you trouble?"
"…Of course not."
Kayoko closed her eyes and bowed slightly in thanks. "Although I am already used to being stopped and questioned by Public Safety because of this frightening appearance, today I was spared that trouble thanks to your help."
Then she opened her crimson eyes and stared at me coldly.
"So why did you tell that kind of lie?"
I thought, this is bad.
"Uh… I just thought that saying you were with me would save a lot of unnecessary explanations…"
"That's not it. I know it was just a convenient excuse."
Kayoko reminded me, "Did I not just say it? I know my face looks terrifying. Because of this appearance, I have basically never encountered anything good. Why are you able to so casually say something like 'cute,' which sounds obviously like a lie?"
…That was the part she cared about?
I did know that Kayoko seemed to feel somewhat troubled about her appearance.
But I had not expected that a thoughtless compliment from me would touch on such a sensitive point for her.
That just made her even more adorable.
I shook my head and spoke earnestly to the girl who did not know her own charm. "That wasn't a lie. I truly think Kayoko is very cute."
"…Don't joke around, Sensei." Kayoko narrowed her eyes in displeasure. "Do you usually use words like that to make other girls happy? Unfortunately, that will not work on me."
I glanced at her bat wings fluttering unconsciously and decided to not to comment that her body says otherwise.
"Alright, but please allow me to state again that I sincerely think Kayoko is very cute, without the slightest falsehood."
"If you say that, it just makes it seem like I am the one being unreasonable."
After complaining, Kayoko rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Sigh, fine. You can say whatever you like. In any case, I should thank you for helping me out."
"You are welcome."
Feeling that the atmosphere was still a bit awkward, I asked, "By the way, I still don't know what you were actually doing here."
However, my attempt to change the subject seemed to step right on one of Kayoko's landmines, and she glared at me, replying curtly.
"What I am doing here has nothing to do with you, does it?"
"Ah, that…"
I suddenly felt that I still did not understand Kayoko well enough, and that I might indeed have been too presumptuous.
Just as I was reflecting and regretting it, Kayoko hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed helplessly.
"There is nothing special. I was just feeding stray cats, but when Public Safety showed up, they ran away... Please stop making that abandoned kitten like expression."
What a strange metaphor.
A vague suspicion arose in my mind, and I perked up, tentatively asking, "Do you like cats?"
"Well, I am aware that this kind of thing doesn't suit me. Taking care of cats with such a fierce expression would definitely attract strange looks, I am well aware of that. That is why I did not tell the truth earlier when they gave me trouble. Even if I did, they would not believe me anyway."
As if a dam had burst, Kayoko complained at length, perhaps finally having the chance to vent the long accumulated frustrations in her heart.
What I needed to apologize for was that my attention at that moment was almost entirely elsewhere.
Although Kayoko did not answer directly, it was clear from everything she said.
She definitely liked cats.
And she compared me to a cat.
There was no mistake.
Kayoko definitely liked me.
Looking at the girl twirling a strand of hair at her side, eyes lowered and mood dejected, my head heated up and I blurted out,
"I like you too, Kayoko!"
Suddenly, Kayoko's movements stopped.
After a long pause, she slowly raised her bewildered eyes. "…Hah?"
Only then did I realize just how abrupt and outrageous what I had said was.
But faced with such a cute girl, who could hold back?
At this point, since the words were already out, I could only try my best to salvage the situation.
"Um… what I mean is…" I spoke vaguely. "Um… Kayoko is also a cat."
"…What kind of strange comparison is that?"
Kayoko complained like that, yet unconsciously, a faint smile appeared on her refined but cool face, like the first thaw of spring snow.
"So that is how it looks to you? Then that means what you said earlier really was sincere."
I immediately patted my chest and assured her. "Of course!"
"Mm, you are truly a strange adult."
Kayoko shook her head. "Alright then, I will tentatively accept that is how I look in your eyes. Thank you."
As she said this, her good mood was plainly visible.
It felt like my relationship with Kayoko had taken another step forward.