Qian trotted to the vending machine in her slippers and stood on her tiptoes, tapping her chin in deep thought as she stared at the options.
Kugisaki-san seemed to like the juice I bought, so maybe fruit juice? After another moment of hesitation, she slipped in a couple coins and selected the watermelon juice on display.
"E-EH?! HE'S DEAD?!"
She whipped her head towards the voice and saw two middle-aged women hunched over on a couch in the lounging area. One of them wore a blue cloud-patterned kimono and the other wore a purple one with floral prints. The latter immediately slapped the first's arm, raising her finger to shush her friend.
"SHH! Do you want to cause a panic!?" She hissed as she quickly turned her head around to check her surroundings. Qian had been far enough away that one quick step behind the machine hid her from view.
Curiously, she shuffled closer and ducked behind a nearby pillar.
"Sorry, sorry, it's just– I can't believe it!" The one in the blue kimono gasped in hushed whispers. "You said there was nothing left but his skeleton…? By Yugama Crater Lake?"
Her friend nodded solemnly. "Honestly, I'm not surprised. He was a notorious gambler you know- probably found himself too much in debt and his loan sharks didn't want to keep dealing with him anymore."
"B-But still! Just leaving behind his bones…" She shuddered. "That's cruel and terrifying…poor Kurito-san!"
Kurito… Qian furrowed her brow in deep thought. Why does that name sound so familiar…
She gasped silently. The file! She took out her phone and scrolled through the pictures she took of the mission folder Principal Yaga had shown her back in his office. One of the pages was a photocopy of Gunma's local newspaper. In bold letters across the top read: Candy-shop Owner Missing. Possibility of Curfew Implementation in Town Hall Discussions for Resident Safety.
Qian's eyes traveled to the small missing persons photo in the top left corner, which displayed a middle-aged balding man. An angry frown spread across his withered lips as his lifeless eyes stared at the camera, his receding hairline revealed a blotchy scalp.
"K-Kurito Nagi, 45, owner of the local children's beloved 'Sugar Pop Shop', has been reported missing after neighbors claim to have not seen him for 3 weeks…" She murmured as she read the article. So he's one of the people missing, and they found him in that state…it can't be a coincidence.
"What the hell are you doing?"
She leapt up with a squeak and smacked her head against the wooden frame of the pillar.
"O-Ow!" She groaned as she turned to see Satoru standing behind her, his arms folded across his chest. She managed to give a small bow as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead. "O-Oh…hello, Gojo-sensei. I was-"
"Were you in the baths?" He queried, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized her clothes.
She peered down at her attire and nodded affirmatively. "A-Ah yes, Kugisaki-san was feeling tired so I went with her to the spa outside-"
He released an angry sigh, causing her to shoot her face up to face him quizzically. Her eyes widened in confusion upon seeing his furrowed brow.
"You do realize we're not here to play, right?" He snapped, his lips drawn in a taut line. She flinched in surprise, inadvertently flickering her gaze back down to her feet.
"W-Well yes but she was tired-"
"That's not up to you to distract her from the mission." He growled, raking a hand through his hair in sheer annoyance. "Didn't I tell you that if you tried anything to disrupt this, there would be consequences?"
She grimaced as she clenched the hem of her robe, eyes still facing the floor. "Y-Yes but-"
"And here you are, playing on your phone, when we should be scouting the area by now." He scoffed incredulously. "Unbelievable. Those old geezers know exactly how to piss me off."
Her fingers squeezed the cloth. Qian began to feel an unfamiliar heat pooling in her gut. "C-Could you please let me speak-"
"Leave." He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away. "You're done here. If I still see you around by the end of tonight, I'll kill you myself."
He began to walk away and the girl swallowed thickly, the heat building up in her stomach soon reaching her face. She bit her quivering lip, her fists clutching the fabric so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white.
She raised her head and took a deep breath.
—-
"Excuse me."
Satoru faltered in his step, hearing a familiar, yet oddly resolute, voice from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and raised his brows in surprise as she moved to step in front of him instead.
Nonetheless, he closed his eyes and adjusted his sunglasses, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "I just said-"
"Your students are mentally and physically exhausted." His eyes shot open and was shocked to see her enraged green irises staring directly right into his own. "They needed a break."
He placed a hand on his hip, regarding her carefully. "That's not up to you-"
"It's not. But it is your responsibility to care for them. Aren't you their teacher?" Her stutter was gone, her voice slowly rising in volume as she continued speaking with suppressed rage.
"The hell did you say-"
"You heard me. And I get that you don't like me. I don't know why, but honestly, at this point, I don't care." She took another step forward, unable to quell the emotions surging inside of her. "You can hate me all you want- but don't ignore your students' welfare because of it. I was placed on your team to help you guys. And I…"
She squeezed her eyes shut upon feeling them burn with angry tears. Struggling to form the right words, she thought back to their train ride; the conversations they shared, their relieved and satisfied expressions as they ate her food happily…
Having someone like you on the team has been surprisingly super helpful. We're all so busy focusing on fighting, we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves…Nobara's grateful smile flashed in her mind. So, thanks.
"I…" Qian gritted her teeth as she opened her eyes to meet his once more. "And I think I've been doing a damn good job of it!" She cried furiously, glaring up at the man before her.
There was a tense silence as the girl inhaled, catching her breath from her uncharacteristic outburst. As soon as she noticed his expression remained indifferent, she suddenly realized who she was talking to and took a step back in mortification.
"I-I think I am at least… I-" She gulped, tucking her hair back behind her ears with trembling fingers.
There was a quiet chuckle and she turned around to see Nobara standing by the hallway, her hand slapped over her mouth to silence her laughter.
"She got you there, sensei." Nobara chortled, unable to suppress her giggles any longer.
Beside her was Yuji and Megumi, who were also ironically dressed in their spa robes. The former had a wide grin on his face.
"I knew you were a bad-ass!" Yuji cried, rushing over and hooking an arm around the poor girl's shoulder. "Way to go!"
Megumi couldn't help but smirk, crossing his arms in amusement. "I have to admit, didn't think you had it in you."
"I-I-I-" The poor girl's eyes welled with tears in humiliation of her actions and she bowed deeply at the man. "I-I apologize for my rudeness!"
The boy continued to pat her shoulders, spouting words of encouragement as Satoru chewed the inside of his cheek. He couldn't help but recall the delicious onigiri he ate. Admittedly, even if she was sent by the higher-ups to obstruct him, she did not have to make food for them. Yet she did, at the expense of her own time and effort.
He released a sigh in defeat.
"No…my bad." He muttered. The four of them regarded him in surprise. He pushed his sunglasses further up on his nose and coughed uncomfortably, shifting his eyes away from the girl standing before him.. "I was…a bit harsh."
"A bit?" Megumi drawled, staring at his teacher with a knowing look.
The man rolled his eyes. "Okay, maybe more than a bit. Just…" He paused, trying to phrase his next words carefully. "...be a bit more mindful of where we are."
Qian peered at him through her hair anxiously, slowly straightening her back. "I-I will…thank you…"
The five of them stood around awkwardly for a few more minutes before Yuji patted her back heartily. "Well on that note, Fushiguro- let's finish that ping-pong game we were playing! Loser has to buy juice!"
Megumi grinned maniacally. "You're on."
"W-Wait!" But the two of them already ran off. Qian stared at Nobara with a pleading look and she shrugged. "I still need my beauty sleep so I'm going to take a nap in the sauna."
As she skipped down the hall out of sight, only the two of them remained, with the poor girl rendered completely speechless. The birds chirped noisily outside as they stood in silence, the recent casual exchange between the students replayed in her mind. Qian felt her blood run cold, realizing she completely misunderstood the relationship between them.
"...T-They're not overworked at all…are they…?" She stammered in chagrin.
"Well, they are but…they know what they need and I never hesitate to let them take as much time as they need." He couldn't help but smirk as he noticed her face began to redden in embarrassment from the corner of his eye.
She covered her face in shame. "I-I'm so sorry. I completely overstepped my boundaries."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's whatever. I also admit, I wasn't expecting you to actually have a backbone. Anyways- I'm going to head out to do some scouting while they relax. Try to keep an eye on them if you can."
"O-Oh wait!" She pulled out her phone and clicked on the picture she was scrutinizing. "U-Um…I wanted to show you this. I overheard some people saying that they found this man's body by Yugama Crater Lake and… I-I think it might be worth taking a look."
She lifted her head to hand the phone over to him, only to see that he had already begun to lean over her shoulder. Even though he wore sunglasses, she noted his lashes were long and she held her breath timidly as his eyes scanned the page.
She unconsciously tilted her head, trying to get a glimpse of his irises…
However, as she moved closer, she smelled the sweet fragrance of floral perfume and felt another weird feeling in her stomach.
"Hm…only his bones remained?" His low voice shook her out of her reverie and he pulled away, taking his own phone out. "It's only been a few weeks since he disappeared. That's way too soon for full decay to happen to a human body naturally."
He tapped a few keys on the screen before placing the device back in his pockets. "Alright, I'll go take a look."
"W-Wait. Let me go with you." Qian offered, trailing after his retreating figure. "I-I think they'll be fine without me here and- it seems dangerous." She muttered the last few words almost inaudibly.
He snorted. She has no idea who she's talking to. "I'll be fine. Just stay here." In an instant, he was gone.