…and me and my big fat mouth.
When he was called into Principal Yaga's office a few mornings later, he was not expecting to see that girl standing right in front of his desk.
Qian herself paled upon seeing him once the door opened, immediately turning her face away as she nervously interlaced her fingers.
"Satoru, you're late again." The principal grumbled, rising from his large armchair as he closed a folder opened in front of him.
Satoru gave him a cheeky grin. "You know me, sorry not sorry." He shut the door behind him and approached the desk, placing his hands in his pockets. He pointedly ignored the girl and stared at his old teacher. "So? What did you need me for?"
"There have been recent reports on quite a few disappearances that have been happening in this particular area, both from the local police and our scouts out in the field." The older sorcerer instructed, unfurling a map and tapping his finger to the location in question. "The administration wants you and your students to go check it out and see if it has anything to do with those fusion cursed spirits we've been seeing, if our enemies are back again."
"Okay. So…" He pointed at Qian, who remained downcast and silent during the entire conversation. "Why is she here?"
Masamichi plucked the folder off his desk and handed it to the sorcerer. "More orders from above. They got her information from Shoko and determined she would be a valuable asset as a field medic."
Satoru opened the folder and flipped through the sheets. He furrowed his brow. "With all due respect, she only has basic training."
"Basic 'emergency' training from the looks of it." The principal corrected passively, before he shrugged with indifference. "That's my best guess at least- don't look at me, this is out of my control."
Satoru couldn't help but scoff. "Those fucking geezers are just trying to get me out of the way." He growled, almost inaudibly.
"Satoru…" Masamichi warned, tilting his head towards the poor girl. "Mind your language."
As his old student remained silent, he released a sigh. "And they want you to bring the first years. They think it'll be a good field experience for them."
"Why am I not surprised?" Satoru turned his heel and started heading out the door, raising his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Whatever, alright. I'll grab my team."
As he headed down the hallway, he clenched the folder so tightly it crumpled in his grip. You've got to be shitting me. Of course they are constantly trying to find a way to drag me down. But seriously, this is their best idea? Hiring a watchdog to monitor my every move, a pathetic one who could get killed at any time? He let out a sardonic chuckle. Genius move on their part.
He released his grip on the folder and flipped it open to inspect the pages once more. "Hm… Gunma, huh?" His mind immediately wandered to what sort of delicacies they had there. …Maybe I can take some home as a souvenir…
"U-Um!" He felt a sense of déjà vu as he recognized the voice. Biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from groaning, he turned around to see Qian run up to him, once again out of breath.
"What is it?" He inquired nonchalantly, momentarily acknowledging her before he continued skimming through the pages.
Qian swallowed thickly and unconsciously looked down, remembering all-too-vividly their previous encounter. Her anxiety clawed at her mind and she made herself take a deep breath.
Come on Qian. You can do this. She thought back to the past couple of days, where she had held herself up in her room, unable to stop herself from crying.
"I-I just wanted to tell you that…I did try to talk to Ieiri-sensei, but when I broached the subject, she said that the administration found out about me being here a-and they want to make me a full-time employee." She gripped the hem of her long sweater tightly, forcing herself to raise her head and meet his eyes. "I-I took a lot of time to think about it and…I decided I wanted to stay."
"Full-time? Me?" The girl asked timidly, lifting her glasses to rub her weary eyes.
Shoko smiled kindly from behind her desk. "I know, I wasn't expecting this either but…isn't this great, Qian? I mean- as long as you're okay with it."
"I-I am but…" She thought back to her conversation with the other sorcerer the day prior and tears began to prickle her cheeks once more. "I-I don't know if I should…"
She couldn't help but choke back a sob and Shoko slowly stood from her seat, watching her empathetically. "Qian, I'm sorry that Satoru said that to you but…if you ask me, he's being a huge asshole- more so than usual- and you should just do what makes you happy."
"B-But what if I become a burden…?" She hiccuped, using her sleeves to hide her face.
Shoko sighed softly, walking around the desk to place a warm hand on the girl's shoulder. "I really don't think you will, and even if you do, there's nothing wrong with that. We exist to protect others, that's why we're here."
She rubbed her back gently. "Just be honest and ask yourself: ignoring everything else, do you want to stay here?"
Qian remained silent for a moment. Did I want to stay? She thought back to the work she had been doing, the people she had met, her newfound sense of fulfillment…of purpose.
She finally sniffed, nodding slowly. "I-I do. I-I really do…"
"Then you should!" The doctor patted her shoulder with vigor. "You will always have a place here, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. There is nothing wrong with following your heart."
The girl clutched the front of her own shirt, collapsing on the ground in a fit of sobs, finally able to release the torment of disgrace and pain she had been enduring.
"I-I know I'm being selfish by staying…and I know how important your work is to you. But I feel like I am making a difference and doing what I'm meant to do with my life. I-I promise I'll figure out a way to protect myself, so I won't be in your way!" She bowed her head down to waist level, squeezing her eyes shut. "Please allow me to accompany you on this mission. I won't let you down!"
She heard a shuffle of papers and looked up to see him crossing his arms, with the folder rolled up and stuffed in his back pocket. He was staring at her intently and again, she felt a cold shiver run up her spine.
"You don't have to cover for them." He muttered, suppressed rage seeping into his voice.
Qian peered up at him, eyes wide with confusion. "W-What do you mean?"
"They're offering you full-time employment?" He repeated snarkily, a cruel smirk forming on his face. "Even knowing you have no cursed energy? And this ridiculous mission of having you as a field medic- I know what their game plan is. You don't need to pretend."
The girl shook her head frantically. "I-I'm not pretending! I-I genuinely don't know what you're talking about-"
Satoru turned away, his grin widening sadistically. "Honestly, this works in my favor. If something happens to you, it'll be blood on their hands, not mine."
Qian paled in fear. "B-But-!"
He started walking when suddenly he paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Oh. And if you try to do anything to get in our way, I won't hesitate to do what I need to do to make sure you don't."
She gulped tearfully as he continued his leave, raising his hand in a mocking farewell. "See you at Ueno Station by 8am Saturday. Don't be late or we'll leave you behind!"