The next morning.
I stepped out of the new office of Problem Solver 68, rubbing my lower back.
Squinting against the harsh sunlight, I felt a strange sense of being in another world, as if everything had changed while I remained the same.
If it hadn't been for that strangely impulsive question the day before, maybe things wouldn't have escalated this far…
Tracing back to yesterday morning, Aru, Mutsuki, and I had been completely absorbed in our lil game, almost losing ourselves in it, when Kayoko suddenly returned and caught us red-handed.
The scene was, to put it mildly, extremely awkward.
Even Mutsuki, usually confident and playful, fell silent, unsure what to do. Aru felt a sudden tension in her chest, and sensing this, I shivered slightly as well.
Kayoko was first shocked, then opened her mouth to speak, but after hesitating for a while, she finally managed:
"…You guys really should pick a better time and place."
The little devil Mutsuki forced a laugh:
"Ahaha… well, we didn't really plan for it to get this far…"
I instinctively looked up at the ceiling, thinking this wasn't entirely my responsibility.
Even if it was partly because I had used that strange ability, is Aru, who gave me that ability, blameless? Or the card, which was written so badly, isn't at fault? Or Mutsuki, who had already planned ahead with her own "gun holster," isn't to blame?
All things considered, this was truly just an accident, a happy one.
The black-and-white streaked girl scratched her head, hesitated, then with a long sigh full of mixed feelings, finally said in a low voice:
"Just pretend I didn't see anything. I'll go for a walk, call me when you're done."
With that, Kayoko turned to leave.
But for some reason, perhaps my judgment was still clouded, looking at her somewhat lonely back, I blurted out:
"Want to come with me?"
Kayoko, who had just taken a step, froze, then turned sharply. Her normally composed and mature face showed a rare look of astonishment:
"Huh!?"
I had a feeling this might be her overwhelmed joy at receiving an invitation from the one she secretly liked…?
I felt a bit guilty for some reason.
"Se-Sensei!?" Aru, just coming out of her daze and slightly relieved, called out anxiously, "This is way too forward, isn't it!?"
Mutsuki, after a brief moment of surprise, teased:
"Ku fufu∼ Aru-chan, feeling shy? So cute∼ But if it's Kayoko, I guess it's fine, right? Or does Aru-chan think she's not close enough to Kayoko for this?"
Aru vehemently denied it:
"No! That's not what I mean! Kayoko is also an important friend… No, isn't her own opinion more important?"
"Ah∼ about that… isn't it obvious already∼?"
As Mutsuki said.
If Kayoko had any real resentment, she would have slammed the door and left long ago. Instead, she stood there, studying me with a peculiar expression.
Finally, she hesitated and said:
"…I thought maybe I was overthinking. So you really do look at me like that, Sensei?"
How was one supposed to answer a question like that?
"So… even I'm allowed…?" Kayoko teased, face slightly flushed. "Sensei, should I say you really don't discriminate?"
I retorted indignantly:
"What are you talking about!? Anyone who can't see Kayoko's charm is the one lacking perspective!"
"Hm… I think I get it. That's… pretty rock 'n' roll… I mean, really a bit too rock 'n' roll."
Kayoko muttered in wonder, shook her head, and sighed lightly:
"Alright then. I got a bit sweaty, so I'll go take a shower first. You guys continue."
She put down her bag, took off her shoes and socks, and walked to the washroom as if no one else existed.
…Honestly, I thought Kayoko herself was pretty rock 'n' roll.
After her shower, she raised a constructive question:
"Just to clarify, what are you planning with Haruka? Let her see what we're doing on purpose, then drag her into it too?"
I thought her choice of "we" was spot on. But the problem was…
I protested:
"What do you mean 'too'!?"
Kayoko rolled her eyes in a perfect gesture:
"At this point, don't pretend. Aru, sure, but Sensei, how could you not have thought of it with Mutsuki?"
From her attitude, it seemed she was merely asking casually. No matter where, it didn't matter much, just give a reasonable excuse.
"…Actually," I carefully said, "Haruka probably likes me too?"
A strange silence fell.
Kayoko's mouth twitched, she seemed kinda speechless.
"Eh?" Aru said dumbfounded. "R-Really?"
"Y-Yeah?"
Blame Aru, she made me even doubt myself.
"Ku fufu∼" Mutsuki laughed. "We'll know when Haruka comes back∼ Besides, leaving just Haruka alone now would be so lonely!"
I nodded quickly:
"Exactly. Problem Solver 68 always moves together! Besides, Haruka and I share mutual feelings…"
"…Fine, whatever you guys want." Kayoko said, pausing, then nodded slightly:
"That's alright. Haruka… she tends to bottle things up, not very proactive."
Mutsuki smiled sweetly:
"See∼ From another perspective, we're helping her too∼"
I nodded along, nearly moved to tears by the sincere friendship at Problem Solver 68.
Only Aru hesitated:
"Well… isn't this a little… hmm."
I covered her mouth to silence her. With tongue, of course.
That afternoon, Haruka returned to the office, nearly fainting at the scene before her.
Once she recovered, tears in her eyes, she repeatedly apologized for barging in without checking the atmosphere.
As I expected, when I asked if she wanted to join, she admitted timidly that she didn't dare.
With encouragement and reassurance from the rest of us, she finally confessed her true feelings:
"Ac-Actually… I've always wanted to do this with Sensei… I was just afraid you'd hate me…"
See? Haruka and I are mutual.
…Although from her strangely anxious smile, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was a bit off.
But it didn't matter.
In short, I ended up spending the entire day, playing 'games' with everyone from Problem Solver 68.
Even I, wronged by Yoke Fiasco earlier, nearly couldn't keep up. Still, getting to deepen my relationship with these cute girls was incredibly rewarding.
Except… I still had one small problem.
Retreating to a quiet corner, I took out a card and fell into deep thought.