"Ugh… I guess I should start wrapping up for the day."
I stretched back in my chair, feeling every knot in my shoulders.
First day in the office, and already buried under a mountain of work. Surely tomorrow wouldn't be this hectic, right?
"Teacher! Thank you for your hard work today!"
"Arona, thank you for helping with everything today."
"Yes Sensei"
Before heading down to the basement lounge, I decided to swing by the convenience store on the first floor. I wanted to greet the clerk I'd be relying on so often.
-Tiring.
"Hello…"
A small, weary voice called out.
Oh… you worked overtime too.
I softened at the sight, and the clerk flinched, readjusting the shoulder strap of their uniform.
"Oh, are you the teacher who came today?"
"Yes, that's right. I just got in this morning."
"Oh! Hello! I'm Sora, a part-time worker at Angel 24."
"Nice to meet you," I said warmly.
Sora's voice held a slight accent, timid but polite.
"T… teacher… over here…"
"Do you have a question?"
"Um… there's a student… who's homeless…"
"Homeless? Sora?"
"Oh… no, it's not me…"
Sora hesitated for a moment, then gently grabbed my sleeve and led me toward a small room marked "Bedroom."
She carefully turned the doorknob and peeked inside.
On the navy-blue bed, soft yellow hair swayed slightly. The child I had seen earlier, the one who had run from me…
It was them.
"I just let them sleep a little while I work," Sora whispered.
"Good thinking. And… their name?"
"Name…? Oh! I didn't ask."
"Shall I wake them?"
"No, Sora. I'll handle it. Don't worry about it anymore."
I bought a can of coffee at the store and returned to the office, the warm cup comforting in my hands.
I pulled out the tablet from my suit and left only the desk lamp on, casting a soft glow across the room.
"Arona."
Arona stirred in her chair, blinking sleepily.
"…Huh? Huh…?"
"Shouldn't you be off work already? Or… is it tomorrow?"
"Not tomorrow. I have something to check before I leave."
"I'll do my best to help you!"
Arona clenched her fists, suddenly alert, and stood up.
"Can you show me the student roster of Kivitos?"
"Student roster? Hmm… just a moment."
Arona hovered her hand over the air, and a file-shaped icon appeared on the tablet screen.
"Here it is. A list of students currently enrolled at the school."
The tablet displayed pages of students, neatly organized by each academy.
"Millennium… no, Abydos?… hmm."
I scrolled and scrolled, yawning as I went, but the student I had seen sleeping in the convenience store bedroom didn't appear anywhere.
"What's missing?" I muttered.
No way this was about age, dyed hair, or any sort of surgery.
"Arona. Can you get me a list of missing children, or perhaps suspended students?"
"Umm… that might take a little while. Is that okay?"
"Yes. Please," I replied.
About ten minutes later, Arona presented a concise list. Seven profiles appeared, including Wakamo—but still, the Girl I was looking for was absent.
"Hmm… she's not listed as missing, but one academy isn't in my database," I murmured.
I focused on Arona's next words.
"The Arius sect… it used to be part of Trinity."
"Arius… Arona, explain this Arius branch to me," I pressed, leaning forward.
"I don't know much, but I'll give a brief explanation. There was a time when Trinity…"
Her words droned softly in the office, and I realized I'd dozed off for a moment. By the time I stirred, the sun was dipping low, casting long shadows across the room.
"I… slept for quite a while," I whispered.
I stashed the tablet in my suit and did some stretches, loosening the stiffness from sitting too long.
Despite the long hours and all-night work, no solid information had surfaced. My best guess: the child might be from the Arius branch, separated from Trinity for some reason.
The fastest way to confirm would be to check with her directly, but from what I'd heard from Arona, a child from that branch wouldn't cooperate easily. That explained why she had avoided me before.
I hurried down to the convenience store on the first floor.
"Welcome!"
Unlike last night, Sora greeted me with a cheerful smile.
"Sora."
"Oh, teacher! Hello!" she said brightly.
"And the child?" I asked gently.
"Oh… they just left about ten minutes ago," she replied.
"Didn't you say where they were going?"
Sora hung her head, looking a little sheepish, before thrusting a water bottle toward me like she'd just remembered something important.
"Water!" she exclaimed.
"Water?" I tilted my head.
"I bought a bunch of these," she said, holding up several bottles. "This many!"
she opened an envelope hanging on the counter, blew into it gently, and held it out to me.
"I barely managed to stop him from sleeping in the park," she said with a hint of exasperation.
"Thank you… really. Thanks for your hard work," I replied sincerely.
"Oh… you said you were coming today, but I wasn't sure if you actually would," she added, looking a little unsure.
As I stepped out of the convenience store, I tapped on one of the contacts saved in my tablet.
"Hasumi."
"Yes, sir?"
"I'm planning to visit Trinity today. Is that okay?"
"Hasumi?"
"I'll prepare as quickly as possible," came the prompt reply.
"No need for anything formal. Just keep it simple," I said.
"ok."
"Should I come in person, instead of approaching it from the schale's perspective?"
"If that's the case… even better. Ah, I'll be at schale at exactly 12 o'clock today," she replied.
"Thanks for your help," I said.
"Yes," she murmured back.
There was a faint distance in the air between us, a quiet formality that wasn't entirely comfortable.
"So… from now on, don't go wandering off on your own, got it?!"
Serika's voice cracked sharply as she scolded me for my reckless behavior. Nonomi dusted the sand off my clothes and hair, while Ayane gently closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head in exasperation.
Only after someone checked on my health did the tension finally ease.
And somehow… I found myself sitting on Shiroko's lap, being hugged.
"I want to take care of you," she said softly.
"Shiroko-chan… Praline-chan isn't an abandoned puppy," they teased, taking her hand gently as she looked a little gloomy.
"Mr. Shiroko Okami?" I asked, smiling.
"Hmm… it's Shiroko," he replied, his voice softening.
"Shiroko…?"
"Praline. It's okay to leave it be," I murmured, letting the warmth settle in.
Shiroko, who always seemed the hardest to approach with her quirky, four-dimensional personality, reached out first.
"are you… okay?" she asked quietly.
"Huh… yeah," I whispered, feeling a strange little happiness bloom in my chest.
Is this… the reward of being a teacher?
I felt a wave of comfort wash over me. I could see the corners of the other children's lips twitching upwards, smiling quietly at my laughter.
Except… Hoshino.
she'd been gone for a while now.
"What about Mr. Takanashi?" I asked.
"Hm… Senior Hoshino will come after cleaning," someone replied.
"Cleaning? I'll go too," I said, already moving.
"This isn't normal cleaning, so it might be dangerous for Praline," they warned.
Ah… if it's an unusual and risky cleaning task, maybe Hoshino does part-time cleaning too—like tackling drains or other tricky chores.
But cleaning the sewer wasn't dangerous—just difficult, smelly, and extra troublesome if you were a resident of Kibotos.
"I'm good at that too!" I said cheerfully.
…Wait. What I understand and what Ayane-chan and Nonomi-senpai are saying… are totally different, aren't they?
"…sure," I muttered, shrugging.
"Are you cleaning the roof?" I asked cautiously.
"Oh, oh. Right… that's why it's dangerous," they explained.
Ah… yeah. That sounded dangerous all right. I nodded, accepting the challenge.
It wasn't until the sun was setting that Hoshino returned to the clubroom, covered in dust from head to toe.
"Ugh… I left it for a while, and there was so much to clean…"
"Thank you for your hard work," I said, handing him a wet towel and a water bottle.
"Wow… even our juniors don't bother, but Praline—whom I met today—is doing this for me… this old man, I'm so touched I could cry…" Hoshino pretended to wipe away tears with the back of her hand.
Serika, looking completely dumbfounded, handed him another towel.
"What are you talking about?! Who didn't take care of it?!"
"Today is a special meal. I'm already full," Shiriko said, staring blankly. Then she extended her hand toward me.
"Praline… me too."
"Here," I said.
she pulled a water bottle out of a plastic bag and handed it to me.
"Not this one," I replied.
Well… other than that, my mouth was the only thing I had left to worry about. Gender wasn't really a concern anymore, and these students hardly seemed rational to begin with.
I swapped the half-empty water bottle for the one Shiriko had been holding.
There. That should do it.
Shiriko's expression, already chubby-cheeked, seemed even rounder than before, and I felt a blush creep up my face.
I recalled the little situation from before and wondered exactly what Shiriko wanted. Was she… really serious?
I slid down from my chair, picked up the towel left on the table, and glanced at Shiroko. She pretended not to notice and took a sip of water.
I placed the unopened water bottle in Shiriko's hands, climbed back onto the chair, and gently draped the towel around her neck.
It was a strange sight, a towel draped over Sirocco like a scarf, yet the corners of her mouth lifted just a little more.
"For today… let's stop here," she murmured.
Hoshino folded up her unfolded shield and scanned the empty street.
"Ayane-chan, everyone's gone, right?"
"Yes, Senior. Everyone has retreated. There's no one else left."
"Ah… good job."
"Thank you for your hard work," I added quietly.
The helmeted group that had dared rush the school gate was long gone, driven out by Hoshino's command. Normally, I would've just stayed out of trouble—but today, I had pushed myself a little too far.
"There's nothing wrong with Praline," Hoshino said.
"Hmm… that's a relief. I almost caused trouble for the guest I brought," Ayane muttered.
How did a child like that end up in such a remote place? The document, brought as the only public notice, was just a subsidiary of Kaiser Corporation disguised as a private security firm.
And really… how could someone so small act as a bodyguard without even a gun?
I laughed quietly at the thought.
But aside from age, this child carried so many secrets—an elaborately crafted student ID, an appearance that defied expectation, even pretending to be hurt when shot. Curiosity had led me to offer my favor, and the child accepted without question.
An innocent soul, untouched by the bitterness of adulthood…
I just felt a little… protective.
After a brief return to the school to freshen up, I walked Praline to the edge of the grounds to see them off. Thanks to the morning cleaning, the helmeted squad wasn't in sight.
It was too far to take Praline all the way to the subway, so we parted ways here. I handed over a note with the phone number and location of the store I'd been told to investigate.
"Thank you for all your help today. You guided me safely, even helping me find safer alternatives… I don't know how to repay you."
"What kind of repayment is that? Next time, do your research and choose carefully—there's a reason why vacancies stay unfilled for months," I teased gently.
"But… when I see someone in trouble, I'll extend a helping hand, just like Takanashi -san," Praline replied softly.
The faint scent of someone I longed for lingered around them, making the moment feel tender and surreal.
I glanced at the sunset casting its warm glow over the desert hills, a quiet serenity settling over both of us.
"Ms. Takanashi…?"
"Praline. From now on, just call me Hoshino."
The child's face lit up at my words, and the shaggy hair that had been swaying gently bounced even more.
"Yeah! Let's get along, Hoshino!"
Praline held out a hand for a handshake—and it felt like a little splash of icy water had hit mine.
"No, just the name," I said with a small smile.
"… … … … … … I'm sorry", Praline muttered, scratching the back of their neck and looking away.
"Well then, Hoshino-san, see you tomorrow," I said.
"Hey, you're coming tomorrow too? This guy's back is all bent," Praline exclaimed.
"Huh? Uh… um…"
"See you later!"
Praline dashed forward, waving both hands—and their fur—excitedly.
But… that wasn't the right way.
"Praline. Not over there, over here," I called gently.
"This way! Got it! Thank you!"
I chuckled quietly, feeling a little lighter than I had all day.