Early the next morning, I brought the inarizushi Niko had asked me to deliver and headed to Rabbit Park.
However, after only a few steps, the completely unsuspecting me suddenly felt the ground disappear beneath my feet. By the time it was too late, I realized what had happened.
I'd fallen into a pitfall concealed beneath a layer of dead leaves.
There was no need to guess who was responsible for something like that appearing in a public park.
Should I at least praise the RABBIT Squad for not putting anything bizarre at the bottom of the pit?
Before I could climb back out, I heard footsteps approaching.
A pair of slender legs entered my field of vision.
I raised my gaze, regrettably passing over a skirt that was far too long by Kivotos student standards and a top that covered far too much, until I was met with a face full of obvious dissatisfaction.
"...What? It's just Sensei."
"I heard something weird and thought it was a suspicious person or maybe a stray dog."
"...Sorai-san."
I sighed.
"That was rather rude."
Though I doubted she was actually trying to insult me indirectly.
"Huh? How was it? And why are you suddenly calling me by my family name..."
Still muttering to herself, Sorai Saki crouched down and reached out to pull me up.
After climbing out of the trap, I brushed the dirt off my clothes.
"Why are you setting traps all over the park?"
Saki explained,
"We couldn't help it. They're to keep intruders out."
But other than me, who would come all the way out here to... visit... a squad of homeless little rabbits for no reason?
Just then, apparently having heard the commotion, Moe wandered over with a lollipop in her mouth and greeted me in what seemed like a friendly manner.
"Oh, Sensei. You'd better watch your step around there, because there's a landmine buried nearby. Though with your strength, I guess stepping on it wouldn't really be a problem."
"...Even if I somehow walked away unharmed, the package I'm carrying and my clothes would still end up filthy, or even torn to pieces."
The moment I said that, I frowned.
Come to think of it, maybe that was exactly what Moe wanted.
According to Himari's theory...
"You're so fussy."
Moe complained.
"You're an adult, yet you still care about such trivial things. Isn't one spectacular explosion worth far more than one or two sets of clothes? Speaking of which, what's in that package?"
"Perhaps."
I decided not to argue with someone whose tastes were this unusual.
"But I should remind you of one thing..."
"Saki, Moe."
A puzzled voice suddenly came from nearby.
"What's going on?"
Turning toward it, I saw a white-haired girl walking over, with a timid black-haired girl following closely behind.
It was Miyako and Miyu.
With that, the entire RABBIT Squad had assembled.
"You came at just the right time."
"Eek... S-Sensei...!?"
The moment Miyu saw me, she immediately became so flustered that she started stammering again.
Miyako greeted me as politely as ever, though still with clear distance between us.
"Good morning. Is there something you needed this early? The deadline for the reflection essays isn't until sunset today."
"Don't be so on guard."
I smiled helplessly.
"I just came to check on you. And I brought you something while I was at it... Though let's put that aside for now. It seems you've set up quite a few... defensive measures around the park?"
I deliberately chose as gentle a description as possible.
After instinctively glancing at the package in my hand, Miyako nodded.
"That's right. Maintaining proper vigilance is a fundamental quality expected of SRT. So, Sensei, what exactly are you here for today...?"
"You haven't forgotten the other part of your punishment besides the reflection essays, have you?"
"Of course. Mandatory assistance in repairing the damage caused during the battle..."
As she reached that point, Miyako and Moe's expressions changed.
They had clearly realized the problem.
Only Saki, who seemed just a little slow on the uptake, replied impatiently,
"We'll work seriously once the reconstruction actually starts."
"Excellent. That's the spirit."
I praised her enthusiastically before changing the subject.
"Then after setting all these up in advance, how exactly are the workers supposed to get in?"
The moment those words fell, the expression on Saki's face froze as well.
Looking around at everyone, I sincerely wished them the best.
"I hope you all still remember where every trap and landmine is."
"...Understood."
Miyako took a deep breath before looking at me coldly.
"We'll dismantle the defensive measures outside the campsite as soon as possible. Sensei, can you now tell us your real reason for coming?"
It seemed she'd begun sulking with me on top of already distrusting me.
"Just as I said."
I replied.
"I came because I was worried about you."
"Thank you for your concern. But as you can see."
The white-haired girl stood proudly.
"Until you arrived, we hadn't encountered any problems whatsoever. After all, SRT Special Academy has long been accustomed to camping."
When facing an outsider like me, the RABBIT Squad moved as one.
Following Miyako's lead, the other three immediately chimed in.
"This is nothing for SRT. It's a basic skill."
"And we can use water freely here. It's actually more comfortable."
"There are lots of trees too. Plenty of places to stay hidden..."
Come to think of it, they all did seem to have adapted quite well to the park.
Miyako nodded with satisfaction.
"So as I said, we have absolutely no problems. You don't need to worry about us. You can take your gift back as well."
Saki enthusiastically added,
"That's right! We absolutely won't be swayed by your sugar-coated..."
Before I could finish collecting this fresh bit of material, a loud rumbling noise suddenly interrupted her.
It had unmistakably come from Saki's stomach.
Deathly silence fell over the group.
The short-haired girl stood frozen in place as an obvious blush spread across her face.
Niko's worries had been completely justified.
Unable to suppress a smile, I asked,
"And this is what you call having no problems?"
"I... It was probably thunder."
Saki forced herself to answer.
"It might start raining soon, so you should hurry home."
Beside her, Moe let out a long sigh.
"...There's no fooling him anymore. Why couldn't you just hold out a little longer..."
Saki immediately protested.
"I couldn't help it! It's a natural bodily reaction!"
Miyako took a deep breath and pretended nothing had happened.
"...I'll say it once more. We have absolutely no problems. So..."
The next instant, however, her own stomach let out a mournful cry of hunger.
Even though I probably shouldn't have...
I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Pfft."
The laugh escaped before I could stop it.
Seeing me laugh only made Saki even more flustered.
"Yeah, yeah, that's right! We haven't eaten anything! Is there a problem with that!?"
In response, I laughed even harder.
The frustration I'd suffered at the hands of their seniors would be repaid in full, with interest, from their juniors instead.