I never expected Kasumi to appear here at this moment.
Wasn't the Hot Spring Development Club supposed to be fighting the Prefect Team?
Could it be… that as the club president, Kasumi couldn't resist her feelings for me and, leaving her own members behind, came all this way just to see me?
I was willing to accept her sincere feelings, but couldn't she at least give Hina some space!
At that moment, Kasumi greeted us with an inscrutable smile:
"Oh my, isn't this sensei and the Prefect Team president? You two… hey, wait—!?"
Her face instantly changed. The calm composure from before vanished, replaced by panic as she stumbled back several steps.
It was because Hina, standing beside me with a dark expression, had taken a deep breath, clenched her fists, and charged forward with overwhelming force.
"Eh? Eh eh eh?! Wait! P-Prefect Team President, don't come any closer! I—I haven't done anything this time!? Waaa, don't hit me, sensei, save me, EEEKK—"
Before Hina's fist could even reach Kasumi, the Hot Spring Development Club president, who had left me with the impression of being quite scheming, began trembling, her voice breaking into sobs…
No, her footing slipped, and she fell hard onto the ground, then truly began to sob loudly.
SAUCE
"…Kasumi, you, a wanted troublemaker, came all the way to our Prefect Team's summer training hotel. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Hina walked up to Kasumi, looking down at her, and asked coldly.
I suddenly remembered that I had told Hina the reason we had to cut the walk short that she would find out once we returned to the hotel.
"You may have misunderstood," Kasumi said. "Although I don't know your relationship with the Prefect Team…"
At that moment, the hotel manager stepped forward: "This is Kinugawa Kasumi, who came all the way to offer many helpful suggestions for the hot spring we're opening soon!"
Hina looked surprised. "Hot spring…?"
"Yes!" The manager nodded firmly, smiling. "And we owe a lot of thanks to the Prefect Team as well…"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
I quickly interrupted the manager, taking on the role of peacemaker: "Hina, since Kasumi isn't here to cause trouble, let's not make this more complicated during our training camp, okay?"
Speaking for Kasumi wasn't about her feelings for me, it was to prevent her from feeling trapped and causing a scene that might reveal what the Prefect Team and I had been carefully hiding from Hina.
She surely knew her club was clashing with the other Prefect Team members, and likely suspected I hadn't told Hina, though she didn't know why.
Perhaps she wanted to gain my favor, hoping to someday develop the hot spring!
That would explain why she instinctively turned to me for help before.
"Hmm, sensei, you're right."
Kasumi, who had been sobbing just moments ago and still had tears on her cheeks, now wore a confident, knowing smile:
"Even if you threw me in jail right now, it would be easy to escape as long as you're not at school. Or are you planning to lock me up in this hotel? My club members wouldn't agree, you know. Prefect Team President, how about just pretending you didn't see me this time?"
"…You're quite the schemer, Kasumi."
That was Hina's comment, and I wholeheartedly agreed.
"Hahaha! Is that praise for me? Then I'll gladly accept it!"
"However," Hina's face darkened. "Although it's inconvenient to arrest you now, it's still fine to punch you a little to vent some frustration."
... Now I understood why Kasumi was so afraid of Hina.
Considering the Hot Spring Club president's frequency of causing trouble in Gehenna territory, and the Prefect Team president's unparalleled combat ability, even though both were third-year students, it was easy to imagine how many beatings Kasumi must have taken over the years.
Sweating coldly, Kasumi stammered: "T-This is in front of sensei… Prefect Team President, you wouldn't want to leave the impression of a violent person in sensei's mind, right?"
Hina paused, her tone flat: "…A clumsy attempt to provoke. Sensei wouldn't think that… Besides, I'm not close to sensei."
After casting me a cold glance, she continued toward Kasumi: "…And I was only joking. No need to take it seriously."
Kasumi, finally exhaling in relief, patted her chest, still shaken.
"But Kasumi," Hina added, "you'd better leave this hotel before the other Prefect Team members return from tactical training."
"Hahaha, understood, understood. I won't cause too much trouble. I didn't even know your committee was doing tactical training here. Don't worry, I'll discuss the hot spring development details with the manager and leave on my own!"
"Alright. Sensei, let's go." Hina said calmly. "There are still some details about this training camp we need to discuss."
"Got it." I looked back at the black-haired girl with dragon horns and a swaying tail, her expression full of interest. "Then, Kasumi, I'll be going first."
Kasumi placed her hands on her hips and laughed loudly: "Hahaha, got it! Farewell, sensei, and the Prefect Team president!"
Hina ignored her and walked ahead, and I hurried to follow.
We remained silent until we returned to our room and closed the door. The white-haired girl finally relaxed, then immediately looked apologetic:
"Sensei, I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?"
"Because I said I wasn't close to you…" Hina explained. "The Hot Spring Development Club president… you may know her by chance. But she's the type I said must never know about my relationship with you. Among all of Gehenna, she's one of the most dangerous and willful. Of course, I don't mean to interfere with your social relationships…"
Seeing her get increasingly nervous and flustered, I couldn't help but chuckle, patting her head:
"Don't worry, I understand everything. Could it be that you were the one falling for that clumsy provocation?"
"…Sigh, sorry. I lost my composure."
Hina was silent for a moment, then nodded lightly, looking reassured: "Yes, with sensei, there's no need to worry about this."
Then she said cheerfully: "Well, now that we're back at the hotel, and can't go out for a while, let's—"
"Ah, about that," I interrupted, holding my stomach embarrassedly, "can I go to the bathroom first?"
"Sure, I'll wait for you."
So I quickly left, but didn't go to the bathroom.
Instead, I went to another floor and knocked on a door.
"Hahaha!" The dragon-horned, dragon-tailed, black-haired, gold-eyed girl laughed loudly from the center of the room. "Sensei, I've been waiting for you!"