On a quiet morning in the park, deserted despite being only a few streets away from a more urban area, the air felt particularly fresh.
I had woken up early and arrived leisurely, yet still ahead of schedule. Checking the time on my phone, unease began to creep in. My meeting partner hadn't shown up yet.
But just a minute past the appointed time, a familiar figure appeared, wobbling into my view.
"Ah, Sensei." The cat-eared girl, her face etched with exhaustion, weakly raised a hand in greeting. "You're… so early."
She was none other than Kuromi Serika, the accountant of the Abydos Foreclosure Task Force. A tsundere workaholic with a soft heart and a tendency to get tricked, and a veteran part-time worker.
Today, just like a few days ago, we had agreed to work together, cleaning weeds and trash around the park.
It had only been a day since we last met, yet she looked so worn out.
Could it be… that last night, when I stood her up, she was so worried she became ill?
But I had my reasons, completely unavoidable ones.
Because I had secretly taken a photo of Azusa's sleeping face and got caught, I had to regretfully cancel the night's planned part-time work to console Azusa instead.
We chatted until Trinity was about to impose curfew, and only then did Azusa reluctantly agree to let me keep the photo that made her a little embarrassed.
Incidentally, if I hadn't wanted to add it to my collection, Azusa probably would have forgiven me in just a few minutes.
Filled with some guilt, I hurried forward and asked the cat-eared girl with concern: "Serika, are you okay?"
"I'm fine… this is nothing at all…"
No sooner had she said that than she truly seemed to regain some energy, albeit passively.
Because the ground was uneven, just as she was stepping toward me, she tripped over something, let out a startled cry, and fell backward.
Fortunately, my reflexes were quick, and I caught her slender waist in time, saving her from hitting her head on the ground.
"Th-thank you, Sensei… I almost fell…" In my arms, Serika's initial shock faded quickly once she realized how close we were, and her cheeks flushed red. "I-it's okay. You can let go now."
I thought this really highlighted the biggest difference between Abydos' underclass students and their seniors.
If it had been Shiroko Hoshino, she might have leaned into the situation and done something to make my heart race.
As for Serika and Ayane… one tsundere, one shy—without the right opportunity, it would probably be a long time before either expressed their feelings openly.
Once the black-haired girl stood steadily, I scrutinized her carefully. "Serika, what happened to you?"
"It's nothing… I just didn't sleep at all yesterday…"
"All day yesterday?" My gaze sharpened. "I remember we agreed to work at the restaurant last night, right?"
Even if I hadn't gone, it shouldn't have turned into an all-nighter just because I wasn't there, right?
"Ah…" Serika stammered. "I… I took a night shift doing patrol work afterward…"
Apparently, she had already taken this job in advance.
"All-nighter…" I repeated the word.
A few days ago, I had done an all-nighter with Serika for part-time work, but she would normally have taken a nap afterward.
Could it be… she was so eager to meet me that she couldn't sleep at all?
Then she added hesitantly, "…After that, I also did the morning milk delivery…"
"Even in the morning!?"
Serika's pale, embarrassed face nearly buried itself in her chest.
My expression darkened, and I said firmly, "Serika, Abydos' financial situation has improved a lot. There's no need to push yourself so hard. You need to take care of your health."
"I-I know…" Serika said weakly, then awkwardly tried to change the subject. "M-more importantly! We have to clean this area quickly… otherwise, we won't make it…"
As she spoke, her voice grew lower, and she staggered, almost falling again.
I caught her just as before, but this time, she didn't open her eyes.
Judging by her steady breathing and faint murmurs, she had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion.
I paused, looked around, and made a decision.
Hours later, in the afternoon with the sun already beginning to set, Serika had slept soundly on a park bench for eight full hours.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Immediately, her unfocused gaze sharpened, and she sat upright with a start, exclaiming as she looked around frantically, finally focusing on me standing nearby:
"Se-sensei!? Why didn't you wake me!? What about work!? What time is it!?"
She was genuinely panicked, even asking questions that could be roughly answered by observing the sunset.
But soon she realized the situation: "How long… did I sleep!? It's already afternoon!?"
"Calm down, Serika. I've taken care of the work, so don't worry."
"Huh?" The black-haired girl froze, her cat ears twitching. "B-but… b-but…"
"I told you not to overexert yourself. You haven't had proper rest these past few days, right?" I said seriously. "If you keep this up, something serious could happen."
Serika went silent for a moment, then her focus shifted in a peculiar direction:
"…You… saw me sleeping?"
"Yes," I nodded sincerely, waving my phone. "And I even took a photo."
In an instant, Serika's pupils shrank, her face flushed red, and she scolded me like a hissing cat:
"P-Pervert! Idiot! What were you thinking!? Trying to embarrass a female student, huh!? You even took a photo! What were you planning to do with it!? Unbelievable! Terrible, just terrible!"
Even as she scolded me so passionately, she didn't once ask me to delete the photo.
Why was that? I couldn't say.
After a long moment, Serika slowly calmed down, sitting slumped on the bench, full of thoughts.
Sitting beside her, intending only to quietly keep her company, I couldn't help but offer a few words of comfort: "Actually…"
"I know," she cut me off before I could speak, as if she anticipated my words. "If it affects my health, it's just not worth it and will trouble everyone else. I'll be more careful from now on."
I was genuinely impressed. "I didn't know Serika could be so sensible!"
"Hey! Stop teasing me! I'll really get mad, you know! What kind of image do you have of me in your mind, huh!?"
"Of course, my cute little princess."
"…You really are something," she said, but a small smile betrayed her joy. Her gaze drifted from me and landed on a mundane object, her ruby-red eyes lighting up.
"The swing."
The black-haired girl stood and walked toward the swing, speaking excitedly as if introducing it, or perhaps reminiscing:
"I used to play here a lot… When was the last time I swung here, I wonder…"
She sat gently on the swing, rocking back and forth.
Under the setting sun, her face glowed with the light of the evening.
"Now… I have adults I can really trust…"
She murmured softly, her cat ears twitching as she looked at me and smiled: "Sensei, come here. Sit with me?"
Before I could answer, she laughed and answered herself: "Ahaha, just kidding. Of course, that's impossible."
At this moment, the girl who had been working tirelessly for the school probably hoped for a very different answer.
I imagined it wouldn't be this one—
"Uhee~"
A familiar lazy, teasing voice interrupted, making Serika's body tense instantly.
"Feels nice here, huh? Maybe it's a bit late for us, oji-san, to join you?"
A loli with Heterochromia, pink-haired girl hopped onto the empty swing next to Serika, eagerly testing it: "Mm~ With my size, it'd be fine to sit with Sensei, no problem at all!"
Then came a calmer voice: "Hoshino-senpai, are you seriously going to take the swing from a kouhai?"
Another soft, delicate voice added: "I think that's not very nice either~ Even if we're greedy, we should show some manners, right?"
"Haha~ Shiroko, Nonomi, remember when you tried to join at the aquarium a few days ago? You weren't like this then, huh?"
Hoshino jumped off the swing with a gentle smile. "And even if we go by your reasoning, Ayane should go first, right?"
A quiet, slightly shy female voice: "Eh? M-me?"
Finally, Serika, like a stuck puppet, turned her head in jerks and saw the other members of the Foreclosure Task Force, all gathered nearby.
"E-everyone?" Still in shock, Serika stammered. "Why… why are you here?"
"Well," Ayane said cautiously, "Sensei informed us. After what happened…"
Shiroko nodded. "Actually, we were here a while ago. We helped with your work too."
Nonomi smiled gently: "Serika-chan, you need to take care of your body! Health comes first!"
If one hadn't heard their words earlier, it would seem like a very warm, wholesome scene.
"All right."
Hoshino, the next most authoritative voice present after me, yawned. "If everyone wants to swing with Sensei, we'll take turns. There's plenty of time anyway."
Shiroko, Nonomi, and Ayane exchanged glances and silently agreed.
Serika's lips moved, but in the end, she did not object.
I, of course, had no objection either.
And so, I spent a leisurely evening swinging in the park with the members of the Foreclosure Task Force.