Late one more night, I arrived at the safe house where Mine and Seia were hiding.
Seeing that it was me rather than some suspicious intruder, the blue-haired girl's wary, guarded expression instantly softened into quiet, genuine joy.
Although it was clear that Mine was a little excited by my visit, the very first thing she did after welcoming me inside was still to take me to Seia's bedside and briefly update me on the fox-eared girl's condition.
"Since the last time sensei came here, she seems to have shown signs of waking up."
Mine looked at Seia sleeping peacefully on the bed with relief.
"Occasionally, when she is unconscious, she makes expressions as if she is having a nightmare."
I fell silent for a moment.
"…Is that a good sign?"
"Of course. Compared to only having unconscious physiological activity."
"I see."
I nodded vaguely, half understanding.
"By the way, if that's the case, Mine, have you considered taking Seia back earlier?"
The traitor of Trinity, Mika, had already been arrested and imprisoned. Seia's condition was also improving. There no longer seemed to be any need for Mine to continue enduring loneliness in this isolated refuge.
"No."
Mine rejected me firmly.
"I promised Seia that while she is asleep, I will keep her hidden in a completely safe place and protect her personally. So until she wakes up, I will not take her back to Trinity."
As the leader of the Remedial Knights, the girl was upright and unwavering in will.
That was exactly why Seia chose her as her guardian.
"I understand."
As expected, I switched tactics.
"Then, at least consider slightly relaxing the use of communication tools?"
Mine frowned slightly.
"Why? I don't see any need for that."
"Of course it's because…"
I took a deep breath.
"I want to chat with Mine anytime, anywhere!"
Hearing that, the blue-haired girl, who seemed to expect some grand philosophical argument, blinked in confusion.
"Sensei means… there might be situations where you need me for medical rescue? In that case, contacting Serina might be better…"
"But the one who needs rescuing… is my heart."
"…Please allow me to restart that sentence."
Even I felt like my words were starting to get infected by certain students and becoming somewhat questionable. After adjusting my phrasing, I carefully presented my argument from multiple angles, explaining why she should reinstall Momotalk and chat with me occasionally.
Mine listened without rebuttal, only nodding thoughtfully from time to time.
When I finished, she thought for a moment, then said with a meaningful look in her emerald eyes:
"So what sensei is saying… is that you want to, in turn, rescue my loneliness?"
…What was the point of everything I just carefully prepared?
"More or less, yes."
I admitted defeat.
At that moment, Mine suddenly showed a gentle, beautiful smile that instantly lifted my spirits.
"Thank you very much, sensei. To care so much about my feelings, and try so hard to persuade me… I'm very happy. I've thought about it. You're right. At this point, there's no need to be as strict as before. At least, just chatting with you alone on Momotalk…"
She paused and looked at Seia on the bed.
"Perhaps this is also for better protecting Seia, the school, and Kivotos, in order to fulfill my promise."
I was slightly startled.
The Mine I always thought of as rigid and upright had actually learned to be flexible?
She must have accumulated so much longing from not seeing me for so long that even she could no longer suppress it, and combined with how reasonable my words were, she was finally persuaded.
Unable to contain myself, I grabbed both of her hands.
"Exactly! You should have done this earlier!"
"Hehe~ To be so moved just from the idea of rescuing others… as expected of sensei, your compassion is truly admirable."
After stating the obvious, Mine suddenly seemed a little embarrassed.
"Um, sensei, I understand your feelings, but could you please let go of my hands? Being like this in front of Seia gives me a strange feeling for some reason…"
"It's fine."
I held on even tighter.
"Seia doesn't mind at all!"
After all, if she really had objections, wouldn't she say something even while sleeping?
In any case, after chatting warmly with the slightly flushed Mine about how to take care of Seia, I lay down beside the fox-eared girl, whose brow was faintly furrowed for some reason. I used the pill, activated my authority, and entered Seia's dream, into that quiet night tea party.
Just like before, the small blonde girl was sitting calmly across from me, leisurely drinking tea.
"Yo!" I greeted her enthusiastically as I sat down.
"Wife!"
"Yo."
She set down her teacup calmly.
"Husband."
"…Wait, what did you just call me?"
I wondered if I had misheard something.
Her fair ear tips were already turning red. Seia sighed softly.
"Since I can't resist anyway, I can only go along with you. Well, it was going to happen sooner or later, so I might as well get used to it early."
I hesitated for a moment.
"…Then when are you going to awaken your authority?"
"Unfortunately, that's not something I can just decide to do."
Seia smiled gently.
"So let's work on it together."
"Uh… okay…"
What is with this sudden change in her?
Flustered by her unexpected counterattack, I calmed myself before speaking again.
"Anyway, Mine said you've been having nightmares recently. Did you foresee something bad?"
At that, Seia's expression turned troubled, and she gave me a somewhat resentful look.
"It's not related to prophetic dreams. Rather, it's precisely because even prophetic dreams cannot account for everything that this happened…"
I thought about it, then remembered Mine saying this started after my last visit. It suddenly clicked.
So it was the pink-haired one's influence. That explains everything.
Silently lamenting Mika's impact on Seia, I asked if she needed any help while she was in the dream.
After a moment of thought, Seia spoke.
"There is something I would like to ask of you. However, this is a personal request, so I'm not sure if I should trouble you."
"You're being too polite."
I patted my chest confidently.
"If it's you, just ask anything. As long as I can do it, I'll help."
"Hehe, thank you."
Seia smiled and became serious.
"Sensei, what I want to talk about… is Mika."
"Oh?"
I straightened my posture.
"Go on."
In truth, I had already prepared for this.
Ever since Mika used Arius to attack Seia, their once ambiguous friendship may have already been irreparably damaged.
As the victim, Seia had every right not only to forgive, but also to pursue accountability.
For example, asking me to distance myself from Mika for a while.
At first glance it seemed harmless, but in the long run it would be a cruel punishment that would make Mika regret deeply.
If Seia really asked me to do that, I would feel a bit reluctant, but I would probably agree.
After all, I also wanted to see Mika suffer a bit.
However, Seia began with a well-known fact.
"First of all, without a doubt, Mika is an idiot who relies more on emotions and instincts than on rational thinking."
At that point, I already sensed things might be different from what I expected. And her next words confirmed it.
"Mika has indeed done many wrong things. Trusting Arius, conspiring with those ill-intentioned people to overthrow Trinity, deceiving her childhood friend Nagisa, and even committing such violence against you… but I hope that even so, you will not look at her with prejudice. No matter what, she is still your student."
I felt a bit ashamed of my earlier assumptions, and also moved by Seia's sincerity and the genuine, if unusual, friendship between her and Mika.
Just as I was about to agree, Seia added meaningfully:
"So… please treat Mika the same way you treat me."
Wait, what does that mean?
Before I could even process it, the fox-eared girl added slowly:
"Right now. And please record Mika's reaction as well."
Only then did I fully understand her intent, and my mouth felt oddly warm.
Seia narrowed her eyes with a gentle smile.
"After I wake up, please make sure to give me a copy of all the recordings. I have a very important use for them."
Then she exhaled softly.
"Of course, only if you're willing. If it causes trouble, just forget I said anything."
"How could that be trouble?"
This is clearly peak entertainment-o.
As someone who enjoys watching students compete in reasonable ways, I immediately agreed with full confidence.
"Leave it to me!"
"Hehe. Then I'll be looking forward to it."
With a faint smile and shimmering eyes, Seia sipped her tea, as if everything was already within her expectations.
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