Even though Hanako did not ask, I still walked her back to the dormitory building. We remained silent the entire way.
Only at the very end did she smile and say, "See you tomorrow." Before I could respond, she turned and stepped lightly through the doors.
On my way back to Schale, it suddenly occurred to me that Hanako might have been replying to what I said to her outside the classroom earlier.
…And my heart skipped a beat.
Just thinking that I may have glimpsed a side of Hanako that is neither the flawless honor student nor the absurd troublemaker, a side of her that no one else has seen, made me feel oddly proud.
So what if she lost her composure after being seen through and acted rebellious? In the end, even Hanako could not resist my charm and revealed such an endearing, girlish side.
Just like Hoshino, once the conflict is resolved, she starts coveting my good looks again.
Ah, pink hair.
Today she asked me to walk her back to the dorm. What will she ask next? I almost dare not imagine it.
Of course, I know very well that this is only the beginning.
I still have not truly broken through Hanako's defenses. She has merely decided to give me a chance, and to give herself a chance, carefully inching closer to where I stand. That is all.
In other words, if I want to bring happiness to this somewhat peculiar girl, I still have a long road ahead.
But with my outstanding looks and unparalleled wisdom, that will hardly be a problem.
The hardest first step has already been taken. As long as I remain true to myself and do not make any mistakes, the rest will follow naturally.
Just imagining the day when Hanako willingly removes her mask and bares her heart to the me she loves fills me with indescribable excitement.
However, I paid a painful price for that.
Because I was distracted by thoughts such as what we might name our child, my work efficiency suffered a devastating blow, and I finished much later than expected.
Fortunately, Rin was also working overtime. The photo she sent, supposedly taken casually but clearly with carefully chosen angles, provided me with considerable psychological comfort.
Unfortunately, when I awoke from my refined post-work sleep, I was greeted by new tasks Rin had sent in the early hours of the morning.
All of a sudden, it felt like the new additions to last night's secret collection were truly soaked with my blood and sweat.
Even so, today's workload was significantly lighter than yesterday's.
Perhaps it was always meant to be so, or perhaps it was Rin's thoughtfulness.
I prefer to believe the latter.
In any case, it only took me half the morning to finish most of my work.
After lunch, there was still some time before I had to head to the tutoring club. But instead of taking a nap or finding some other way to pass the time, I remained in the office.
Leaning back in my chair, the warm afternoon sunlight shone on the back of my head, making me drowsy.
I yawned and narrowed my eyes. I had only meant to rest them briefly, but perhaps because I stayed up late last night and now felt too relaxed, my consciousness drifted uncontrollably into the distance.
Until a knock at the door startled me awake.
I stretched with lingering reluctance, then said, "Come in," and the visitor entered.
"Excuse me."
At a glance, I recognized her.
A petite figure in a uniform that looked slightly too large, messy red curls spilling beneath a military cap, a calm expression, gray eyes that revealed no emotion.
Although I had only met her once half a month ago, her performance while giving the Prefect Team trouble had left an impression. I still remembered her name.
"Iroha, it's been a while."
"So you still remember my name. Since I didn't get the chance last time, I'll follow proper procedure and introduce myself."
One of the Pandemonium Society's council members removed her cap and gave a slight bow.
"Natsume Iroha, second year. I've been sent by Makoto-senpai again to carry out official business."
From her tone, it was not hard to detect a subtle irritation toward Makoto.
Thinking back to last time, when she had been dispatched to audit the Prefect Team's finances in Hina's absence, I seriously suspected that Makoto often assigned her strange tasks.
This time was probably no exception.
A few days ago, in order to ease Hina's burden, I responded to the Pandemonium Society's daily emails and tentatively agreed to meet Makoto in the near future.
Makoto seemed to take this very seriously. Even though the matter could have been settled through email, she insisted on sending someone to discuss it in person.
When a president pursues ceremony, the subordinates pay the price. And clearly, Iroha had become the unlucky one.
Seen that way, her resentment was understandable.
Rather, the fact that she could still maintain such outward composure showed remarkable resilience.
…But thinking more deeply, could a task that allows her to meet me actually be a reward from Makoto for her hard work?
After all, this is a precious opportunity to spend time alone with me under perfectly legitimate circumstances.
"All right, Sensei, your time is valuable. Let's begin."
"Ah, right."
Pulled back from my imagination, I got to the point.
"Then let's confirm the details of this meeting first."
Iroha nodded slightly. "First, I'm here to confirm your schedule and set a time for you to meet Makoto-senpai."
"First?"
"Ah, and then."
She paused, her tone flat.
"If possible, I could also take you back with me right now by other means. Threats, persuasion, hostages, seduction, whatever works. The idea is to use any method necessary to get you to join us."
The more I listened, the more confused I became. When she finished, I could not help but ask, "Is that something you're allowed to tell me?"
Also, regarding the seduction part, I would appreciate further details.
However, Iroha looked me up and down with a puzzled expression, as if observing something incomprehensible.
After a moment, she let out a long sigh.
"You're really troublesome, you know…"
I froze for a second, then barely suppressed a laugh.
Iroha's personality might actually be quite interesting.
Although this was our first proper meeting and my initial impression had been average at best, in just a few exchanges I found myself growing fond of this girl with her peculiar aura.
"What's with that expression? You don't get it? I mean, wouldn't that just make things more troublesome…"
Iroha narrowed her eyes and sighed again. "Forget it. I'll explain."
After a brief pause to gather her thoughts, she continued.
"Honestly, I just think there's no point in trying to cut off your options or devise elaborate schemes to probe you. Based on the intelligence the Pandemonium Society has, you're not likely to fall for tricks at that level."
Hearing that, I felt a bit curious about how I was perceived by the Pandemonium Society.
Still, I decided to accept Iroha's assessment as a compliment.
"So instead of playing clever little games, it's better to lay everything out openly from the start…" She smiled slyly. "That way we won't provoke hostility. I don't see any downside."
The more she spoke, the more I appreciated her honesty.
But her next sentence finally made me laugh.
"And it's less trouble."
"That's the main reason, isn't it?"
Iroha shrugged noncommittally. "Besides, no one likes dealing with someone who has hidden motives, right? So rather than scheming, it's better to be straightforward."
I completely agreed.
But recalling what happened with Hanako earlier, I found myself saying,
"Actually, even if you did hide something, I wouldn't mind."
The moment I said it, Iroha looked at me in disbelief.
Surely she was moved by my magnanimity and about to unleash some hidden power.
"What are you talking about?"
She frowned. "If someone with ulterior motives approaches you, shouldn't you feel disgusted? Wouldn't you think you're being used? Don't you find that kind of Trinity-style behavior repulsive?"
What does that even mean, Trinity-style behavior?
I almost laughed again.
Suppressing my smile, I replied, "I deal with people like that all the time. I'm used to it."
Privately, I reflected that in Kivotos, it would be stranger to find a student who had absolutely no ulterior motive toward me.
"And besides, if it's you, Iroha, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."
Iroha fell silent again, then sighed in what seemed to be a habitual gesture.
"…We already knew from the investigation, but I didn't expect you to really be this kind of person."
"There's nothing wrong with that. Otherwise, life would be exhausting."
"Hm."
She studied me again, her expression turning serious.
"Since you say so, I won't worry about that aspect… In that case, I'll try asking you directly once more."
Before I could respond, she looked at me intently and said in a low voice,
"Sensei, please lend the Pandemonium Society your strength. Even partial support is fine. Of course, we will offer you generous compensation. You've heard Makoto-senpai's proposal."
"Which one?"
"After we conquer Kivotos together, we'll share half the land and authority with you. Well, normally that would just be rhetorical exaggeration. But if you were to become engaged to Makoto-senpai, it wouldn't be entirely impossible."
It certainly sounded sincere, assuming they could achieve it.
More importantly, I do not have such an overwhelming thirst for power.
Or rather, wouldn't it be far more convenient and feasible to simply have those in power fall for me?
"So, what do you think?"
Faced with Iroha's proposal, there was only one answer I could give.
"I'm sorry."
She did not seem surprised. She nodded.
"I see. Understood."
To my surprise, the petite red-haired girl then walked over to the sofa.
She took off her boots, revealing her feet in black ankle socks, then lay down and curled up on the sofa like a cat, wriggling slightly.
"Iroha?"
I could not help calling her name.
"Please wait a moment. I'm finding the best position."
Soon, she stopped moving and smiled in satisfaction.
"…Yes, this feels about right."
Then she casually opened the book she had brought and began reading with interest.
"Wait a second!?"
This sudden development left me stunned, though I also felt an odd sense of amusement.
"As for the meeting time, just pick a slot. Makoto-senpai will make time for you. Oh, right."
Iroha lazily turned a page, then glanced at me.
"There's coffee here at Schale, right? I'll have a hot, strong one. Thanks."
…Isn't she a little too comfortable ordering me around?
Still, I had nothing better to do, and I quite liked her personality. If she wanted to order me around, so be it.
So I made her a cup of coffee at the machine, set out milk and sugar beside it, and placed everything on the coffee table next to the sofa.
"You actually made it?"
Her tone was surprised, though her eyes held a smile. She sat up and lifted the cup, gently blowing on the steam.
I sat down beside her.
She glanced sideways at me. "Hmm? Does this mean I can lie on you later?"
"If you want, I don't mind. But since you're slacking off at Schale and making me brew coffee, could you help me think through something first?"
"…You sly adult. I feel like I'm the one losing out."
She clicked her tongue. "Well, as long as it's not too troublesome. Go ahead."
"I'll be straightforward. I'm meeting Makoto this time because I want to lighten Hina's burden."
"…Is that something you're allowed to tell me?" Iroha teased, then blinked and smiled brightly. "Hehe, maybe we're not completely out of sync after all."
Perhaps that was true.
I found myself smiling as well.
"Still, you seem to have some misunderstanding about Makoto-senpai… though she did bring it on herself."
Iroha took a small sip of coffee and looked at me with playful interest.
"You and Makoto-senpai might end up surprisingly compatible."
At that, my brow lifted slightly.