What a crisp and clear sound of a head bumping!
That thought flashed through my mind as I hurriedly asked with concern, "Ayane, are you alright?"
"Ah… ugh… I, I'm fine, ugh… I've… already found the problem…"
I silently watched Ayane, who was clearly holding back tears, her eyes already misting over despite her efforts. I really wanted to tell her it was okay to cry.
However, the stubborn black-haired girl forced herself to act fine and continued explaining.
"I-if it were a leak, the water meter should be turning. But… it's not moving at all…"
So that ruled out a leak… but more importantly, wasn't her hitting her head just now the bigger issue?
"Are you really okay…? Do you want to go to the infirmary?"
"I just bumped it a little, I'm really fine…"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ayane sniffled again, her voice trembling despite herself.
"It doesn't… hurt…"
It obviously hurts!
Both halos and the Shittim Chest have their limitations. There is an upper limit to what they can protect against, and a lower limit as well.
Compared to that, while halos do not have energy constraints, even if they nullify most damage, they still leave behind some degree of pain.
I decided to approach from a different angle. "How about I blow on it for you? Like 'pain, go away.'"
This was a special technique I learned from Kokona during my time as a temporary instructor at Plum Blossom Garden, and even improved the technique. The kids there all loved it.
Though, since its effectiveness was so high, I had never used it on students her age. Today, to comfort Ayane, it was time to show off my skills.
Surely Ayane, who harbors a crush on me, would not miss such a good opportunity. I could also take the chance to check her injury.
Rather, in Kivotos, who could resist such temptation?
I felt my plan was flawless.
"P-please don't treat me like a child…!"
But Ayane became a bit annoyed instead, and stubbornly added, "I'm really fine, so please stop saying that… Anyway, since we've found the cause, let's hurry…"
With that, she lowered her head and walked toward the school building, though her steps seemed slightly unsteady compared to usual.
…She is definitely not fine.
Thinking that, I also understood the reason.
Ayane's personality is simply too shy. Even though she has already been conquered by me and has formed an alliance with the rest of the Foreclosure Task Force, she mostly remains passive.
It seems that when interacting with her, I cannot rush things… or perhaps, it is time for me to provide an opportunity for her, and for all of them.
Problem Solver 68 would make a good reference.
As I considered how to pull Nonomi, Ayane, and Serika into it as well, to bring the Foreclosure Task Force into proper alignment, I followed the black-haired girl down to the underground area of Abydos High School.
"This is where all the school's pipelines pass through."
Having recovered, Ayane explained, "Other than the necessary lines, I've shut everything off… Only the ones we usually use, like the showers, toilets, and kitchenette, are still open. Of course, the one for the field should be open too…"
Even I could tell that the valve labeled "Field" was in a different state from the others she mentioned.
"It was turned off by someone."
"Yeah." Ayane nodded. "Though it's just my guess, I don't think it was done to target us. If that were the case, there are more effective methods, like…"
At that point, her voice suddenly dropped very low. I guessed she meant shutting off the shower valve.
In such hot weather, people naturally sweat. If they could not shower, there would definitely be… issues.
I smacked my lips in mild regret. "Actually, I think that might have been better…"
"Huh…?"
Ayane froze, her face turning bright red as she panicked.
"S-sensei!? What are you saying!? Why would shutting off the toilet water be a good thing!?"
"Huh? The toilet?" I was confused too. "Weren't you talking about the shower?"
Silence fell as we looked at each other, both sorting out the misunderstanding in our minds.
"So it was just a misunderstanding…" Ayane sighed in relief, then suddenly became wary again. "Wait, that's still strange, isn't it? And what is that expression on your face, sensei?"
"…I was just thinking about some deep calculus. Don't worry about it."
"I-is that so… ahaha…"
It was clear she didn't believe me, but like me, she just wanted to move on quickly.
"Anyway, this was probably done by someone from the club. I don't know why… but now that we've found the problem, we just need to turn this valve back on… Ah, to do that, we'll need a 12-inch wrench… Let me think… it should be in the third gym storage…"
"Do you want me to go get it?" I paused, then corrected myself. "Or should we go together?"
Even though things had gotten a bit awkward, Ayane probably still wanted to stay with me and enjoy this rare time alone. That was what I thought.
A considerate sensei like me is truly one of a kind in Kivotos, and combined with my handsome looks and outstanding talent, it is only natural that so many students like me.
As expected, Ayane smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes, let's go together, sensei."
As a school, Abydos has indeed declined, but its past glory cannot be denied.
Even the annex currently in use is far more spacious than some smaller schools.
Going from the underground area to the third gym storage took quite some time.
However, since I was chatting happily with Ayane along the way, it did not feel long at all. In fact, when we arrived at the old storage building, it felt like time had passed too quickly.
"We're here before we knew it," I said, reaching out to open the iron door.
But when I applied force, what I felt was an unexpectedly heavy resistance.
Did I pull the wrong way?
"Ah, sensei…"
Just as I tried the opposite direction and was about to use both hands, Ayane finally spoke up awkwardly.
"I forgot to mention, this is one of the few iron doors… I think the third gym storage was originally designed to double as an air-raid shelter… and because of aging, opening it is always a big task… It might be stuck somewhere… Should I try?"
A door even students found hard to open…
I silently stepped aside.
Ayane grabbed the handle with both hands, took a deep breath, and braced herself properly.
With a grating creak, the door slowly opened, and a stale smell rushed out.
After finally opening it with great effort, Ayane wiped her forehead. She coughed after inhaling dust, then smiled brightly at me.
"Sensei, see? It's open."
…Honestly, even if I have to pay out of my own pocket, I am getting a construction team to renovate this broken school.
No other reason, just that having students struggle with something as simple as opening a door damages my image as a sensei.
That reason should be convincing enough for the Foreclosure Task Force.
As we walked into the storage room, Ayane also mentioned it.
"With such a heavy door, if it breaks, it would definitely be impossible to open from the inside. I think we should fix it before that happens—"
Before she could finish, a dull, unsettling sound came from behind us.
At the same time, the light streaming in from the entrance rapidly disappeared.
When we turned back, the iron door she had just described as "impossible to open from the inside" had already slammed shut.
"The door!? N-no, this is bad!" Ayane rushed forward and tried frantically. "It won't open? Wh-what do we do…!?"
Such a strong reaction… could it be that she wasn't deliberately creating a closed space for just the two of us?
I remained skeptical.
"Ayane, calm down." I took out my phone. "If we contact the others, someone will come rescue us soon, right?"
But she immediately refused. "No! If they ask, 'Ayane-chan, why are you alone in a deserted storage room with sensei,' how am I supposed to answer!? We've already seen what happened with Hoshino-senpai, Shiroko-senpai, and Serika! They'll definitely take the chance to tease me!"
…That was actually very reasonable. I had no rebuttal.
Though honestly, wasn't this partly her own doing?
Tracing it back, I felt it was all Hoshino's fault for starting this trend.
Sigh… pink hair.
"It's fine," I reassured her. "Look at it this way, it's already an unspoken consensus that you all like me, so even if people misunderstand, it's not a big deal, right?"
"…If it's an unspoken consensus, why are you saying it out loud!?"
"But it's just the two of us here."
"E-even so, don't you think saying that in this situation is too sudden!?"
Wrong. In the kind of books Koharu likes to read, a deserted gym storage room is actually one of the most suitable locations. Ayane really isn't—
Huh? Why did she suddenly go quiet? And her face got even redder?
It seems that the books Ayane has been reading lately might not be so pure after all.
Still, fiction and reality are not the same.
Looking around, the dust here is far too thick. It is definitely not a suitable place for anything like that.
An idea struck me, and I said solemnly, "Does Ayane dislike it that much, being misunderstood as having something happen with me?"
"Huh? Th-that's not what I meant… If it's with sensei, I wouldn't dislike it even if people misunderstood… I might even feel a little happy… But if everyone starts saying things like 'I always thought Ayane-chan was such a proper girl, you're quite capable, huh? I didn't expect you to be so bold,' and then look at me with those kinds of eyes…"
The more she thought about it, the more flustered she became, tears forming again.
She seemed to enjoy teasing others together with everyone else, but when it came to herself, she lost her nerve.
I shook my head in exasperation, though I had no intention of pushing her further. Looking around, I noticed something.
"Ayane, look, there's a window on the wall behind you."
She froze, then quickly turned around. After a moment of silence, she gave me an awkward but polite smile.
"Ah, now that you mention it, there is a window…"
Otherwise, when the door closed, the room would have gone completely dark, the perfect setting for someone to pretend to be scared and jump into my arms.
Honestly, I still had not completely dismissed my suspicion about whether this was intentional. Unfortunately, there was no suspiciously clean mat lying around.
"It looks like a person could fit through there, but it's a bit high…"
Ayane looked up at the window and murmured.
Meanwhile, I wondered if a wallpapered wall counted as a kind of tree.
The ability the Card gave me was really hard to judge.
But after estimating, I realized that while Ayane might be able to fit through, given her small frame, I definitely could not.
Even if I climbed up using that questionable ability, I would not be able to squeeze through.
In other words, without using any life-costing abilities, there was only one way for the two of us to get out.
"Ayane," I bent down, "climb on."
"…Huh?"
"Sit on my shoulders, climb up, go out through the window, then open the door from outside."
"I-I know where you mean, but… but…"
Hesitating, her face flushed red as she instinctively tugged at her skirt.
…Wait, aside from shoulders, where else would she even sit?
I was increasingly convinced something was off with Ayane.
"At this point, this is the only option, right? Otherwise, we'll have to call the others…"
As I said that, my gaze naturally drifted to her legs, which would soon rest on my shoulders, smooth and well-shaped.
Finally, perhaps weighing the options, or perhaps because she also wanted a closer interaction with me,
Ayane gently nodded.