Chapter 12 - Down Time IV
...
The next morning I woke up to a text from Nonomi.
Yes. I have a feeling that today is gonna be fun. Have a great day, Sensei! I'll be rooting for you!
Ain't that sweet of her?
You too, Nonomi.
Huh?
Wow!
I didn't think you'd reply back. I'm so happy!
Sensei replied to me! Yup yup! You totally made my day!
Oh, I was just saying hi. I'll text you every now and then.
She then texted me a few more hearts.
Goodness she can type fast...
Looking further, I see Ayane also sent me a text.
Hello, Sensei. This is Ayane. Do you happen to be free this morning?
Yeah, what's up?
Okay, it's nothing serious. but...
There's something I need to discuss. Can we talk?
I'm sorry to bother you!
It's no problem. I'll swing by in a few.
Thank you! I'll be waiting at Abydos!
Huh. Wonder what she needs help with.
I then get up, do my morning routine, and start going to Abydos.
I arrived at Abydos, empty as it was yesterday when I came to see Hoshino yesterday.
I reach the Foreclosure Task Force room, but no sight of Ayane.
"Aaaaagghhh!" I hear a shout from another room. Not thinking about it, I run to the adjacent classroom. Opening the door, I find Ayane buried under a large number of books.
"Ayane? You okay?" I ask.
She looks up at me. "S-Sensei?" She then realizes that it's actually me. "Wha? Aaaaaahhhh!"
"What?! What's wrong?" I ask, confused by her outburst.
"Don't look, Sensei!" She shouts. "I-I don't want you to see me like this..." Ah, she's embarrassed.
"It's fine. Just calm down, and lemme help." I say, beginning to help her up. She kept protesting due to embarrassment., but eventually relented and let me help her up.
When all calmed down, we both sat in the FTF club room. "You okay, Ayane?" I ask.
"Yes, I'm fine, Sensei."
"Good. You had me worried there for a sec." I say, my words surprising her.
"Ah, well... Sorry for worrying you. I'm not hurt or anything." She explains.
"What happened, anyway?"
"I climbed up the shelf to get a book, but I lost my balance and fell... I can't believe you saw me like that... Oh, Sensei! Please forget you saw that!" She cries out.
"Okay, okay. Calm down. It wasn't a big deal, anyway." I placate her. "Still, what did you call me over for?"
"I found this while I was organizing an unused classroom." She says, holding out a large, and rather old, book. "I think a former student must have left it behind. I've heard that some of them had weird hobbies back in the day." She explains, as I open the book. It's in a completely foreign language, not one on earth at all. "Anyway, I was wondering if you would know whether it's valuable or not. What do you think?"
Closing the book, I say "It'd be best to go to a professional for this kinda thing. It's a novel of some kind, clearly, but it's indecipherable. There isn't a language like this back home, either."
"Well, if you don't think it has any value, then it probably isn't worth much." She says, despondent.
"You lookin' for valuable stuff?" I ask.
"Huh?" She says, surprised. "Oh, no. Well, not exactly... I just happened to find it while cleaning up the classroom. Whenever I find anything that looks old or valuable, I can never stop thinking about them." She lets out a sigh. "But, I guess those kind of things don't just land in your lap..."
"Yeah. Well!" I say, standing up, holding the book out to her. As she takes it, I say "Guess you're due for a visit to the antique shop?"
She chuckles. "I guess so. Thanks for your help, Sensei."
"Anytime."
As I left Abydos, Serika texted me.
Sensei!
Senseeeeiiii!
Whaaaaaaaaat?
Do you have time? You do, right?
Uh, yeah? Why?
You don't have a lot going on, right? So do some part-time work with me! I just need someone to assist me! Is that cool with you?
Oh, what the hell? Why not.
Then I'll see you soon!
This girl sure is pushy...
Pocketing my phone, I went to where Serika is, a place in the outskirts of the Hyakkiyako Disctrict.
As I reach the district, I'm taken by the architecture. It's all of oriental Japanese design, and is quite beautiful. Though, this really isn't Hyakkiyako, it's where it and Abydos' districts meet. Technically, Serika's still in Abydos.
As I reach her, she snaps at me. "You're late! I've been waiting forever!"
"Gimme a break, I was on the other side of the district! Besides, I'm right on time." I say, pointing to my watch, showing the time we agreed to meet at.
"Everyone knows you're supposed to show up a little early for a part-time job. Still, you're the only one who showed up. At least you're the reliable one." Did she ask others to help her to?
"Anyway, what's the agenda?"
"Here, take these." She hands me some...
"Fliers?"
"Top priority today is handing out these fliers. They need to go to passersby or in the mailboxes around the neighborhood. It's one yen per flier." She explains. "Speed is critical for this job! There are a lot of fliers to give, so I could really use the help."
"That's all? Just hand these out?"
"I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not asking you to hand them out. You're the one who's going to be watching over the shop." Failing to see the logic of me not helping out, but okay. "Stay here while I'm out there handing out the fliers. Have another bundle ready to go for when I get back. Then I'll pick them up and hand those out too. Rinse and repeat. Simple, right? I'll give you half of my pay for today, so let's do this!"
"All right." I say, handing her a big-ass stack of fliers. Not much out of the overall pile, though. "How many's this?"
"Five hundred." Before I can get a surprised word out, she says "I'll be back!" and rushes off.
Yeah no, I'm not just gonna sit around waiting for her. I ready a few more stacks, then start handing out fliers as well.
A few minutes later, I hear Serika say "I'm back! Next!"
"Here." I hand her a stack.
"I'll be right back!" And she's gone.
She come back a few minutes later, panting. "Next!" Handing her the fliers, she says "Let's go!" and runs off again. That girl's gonna run herself ragged. Fortunately, I've handed out a fair bit of them as well.
She returns later, even more out of breath. "Shouldn't you take a breather?" I ask.
"I-I'm fine." She protests. "Besides, if I don't go this fast, I won't finish by the end of the day." Shaking my head, I hand her another stack. She sighs, then says "Okay, I'll be back!" and trudges off, slower than before.
The overall pile's quite small now, though, thanks to me handing out some. We should be done soon.
A few minutes later, I hear a tired Serika say "I'm back."
"Way to go."
"How many... do we have left?" She asks.
"None. Look." I point to the now empty place where the fliers were.
"Huh? I could have sworn there were a few more bundles left..."
"Well, you didn't expect me to just sit around waiting for you, did you? Of course I handed some out. Gotta earn my pay, right?"
"Sensei, you..." She begins, surprised, before chuckling. "All right fine. Thanks for your help, Sensei."
"You can thank me by not running yourself so ragged next time. You looked like you were gonna pass out there."
"I'm fine." She still protests.
"Your legs are shaking." I point out.
She sighs in defeat. "Okay, fine. I am at my limit, honestly."
Afterward, the two of us walked through the district, pay in hand.
"I'm always exhausted after a long day of work. Is it the same for you?" She asks.
"Sometimes. You've gotta pace yourself, though." I explain. "Still, what're you savin' for?" I ask.
"Hmm? It's gonna go to the Foreclosure Task Force." She says like it was obvious.
"Ah."
"Yeah. I have to keep making money to pay off the academy's debt... Though, the Task Force wouldn't accept this money if they knw I was earning it through a part-time job." She stays quiet for a moment. "Would you mind working together again from time to time? Your help made a big difference today."
"If it means I can help lighten your load, then of course." I say with a smile.
"Thanks, Sensei. I'll see you around! I need to go home and shower. I should probably grab a bite too. Bye, Sensei!" She says, as we part ways.
"Later, Serika."
What to do with all of this money, though? Schale pays me well...
Maybe the Foreclosure Task Force will get an anonymous donation soon...
As I ponder that, my phone makes a sound. Pulling it out, I find a series of strange texts from Tsurugi.
Kiaaaak!
Kyaak!
Aah!
Kyaaooohhh...
Gyaa...
...What the fuck did I just read...?
Tsurugi? You okay?
Sorry, wrong person.
Sincerely, Tsurugi.
...Huh. Maybe I should go check on her, it's still the afternoon, after all.
Reaching Trinity, I found Tsurugi wandering around like a zombie. Is she okay...?
Deciding to walk over to her, I call out "Yo, Tsurugi!"
She looks over at me. When she realizes it's me, she looks surprised. Then worried, then... "Wh-Whaaaaaa?!" She shouts and runs off.
"Christ, she's fast." I observe, out loud. I should follow her, she looked like she was scared of me or something.
I found her nearby, panting. "You're fast girl! Are you okay?" I ask, politely.
"Gah." She notices me. "Haaaaaa?!" She shouts and runs.
Is this some kinda comedy gag?
I try to follow her, but every time I reach her, she runs off again.
As I reach her for the tenth time or so, I call out "Tsurugi!"
Nearing a train track, she calls out "Sorry about that!" as she runs right in front of the train, honking it's horn.
Shit! She's gonna get hit! Pushing my legs as hard as I could, I tackle her, both of us avoiding the train narrowly.
As I watch it pass, I look at Tsurugi, on the ground next to me. She's embarrassed, but doesn't look hurt. Standing up, I ask "Are you okay, Tsurugi?" as I help her up.
She stands up, but apologizes. "S-Sorry about that, Sensei..."
"I'm just glad you're okay. You had me worried, running off like that." I say, happy she's alright.
"A-About that message... I'm not sure what to say..." She tries to explain. "I was working on that for... five hours or so..."
We then stopped by a cafe and got some food as she explained what happened. She accidentally sent a voice recorded text, instead of what she wanted to send.
"So that's what happened." I conclude.
"I-I'm sorry about all of that!" She shouts.
"Tsurugi, it's fine. I'm just glad you running from me wasn't 'cause I upset you or anything." I say.
"A-Are you sure?" She asks, surprised. "But, that weird message I sent..."
Sighing, I get up and pat the nervous girl on the head. "It's fine, like I said. You can text me whatever you want whenever. I don't mind."
She gains a massive crimson blush on her pale face. "Oh... okay... G-Got it..."
"Promise me you'll look both ways next time you cross a railroad, though." I say, seriously. "I wouldn't want ya to get hurt."
"I-I'll keep that in mind..." She stutters out, still embarrassed.
She politely spoke as we finished our food, then went our separate ways.
As I neared Schale, I heard footsteps behind me, closing in. Oddly enough, they were almost intentionally loud, or perhaps the person didn't know their footsteps were loud.
"Hap!" A feminine voice says, as a hand is planted on my shoulder.
Turning around, I see Nonomi.
"Ta-da! Did I get'cha?" She asked with a smile.
"Nope." I say, popping the 'p'. "Your footsteps were to loud."
"Aww." She pouts.
"Anyway, what's up?" I ask, curious of what she's doing.
"Well, I spotted you from the street and got so excited that I ran over to see you." She explains happily.
"Ah, I see. So what brings you 'round these parts?" I ask.
"Huh? Well there was something I had to buy. Remember? A lot of the shops in Abydos closed down..." She trails off, a bit upset now. "So buying necessities means traveling a little further away. Not that I mind." She says, smiling again. "It's worth it if it means more chance meetings like this."
"Why leave it to chance?" I ask. "You know you're welcome at Schale anytime."
This surprises her. "Oh? Well thanks, Sensei! Say, wanna go for parfaits together?" She asks, getting closer to me. "I know a famous shop nearby."
"Oh, why not? Lead the way." I say.
"Alrighty then!" She says, grabbing my arm, holding it to her torso. I force myself to ignore that she's pressing her rather sizable... assets against my arm. "Let's go!"
We both ended up eating big-ass parfaits. She wanted to pay, but it was my treat. After we ate, we bid each other farewell.
Though I was set to return to Schale, I got a series of texts from Haruka.
Umm...
By any chance...
If you happen to have the time...
Can you help me with something?
It's nothing to crazy.
Or maybe I can just...
Never mind.
No.
I'll be right there.
I dunno what's got her so worked up, but I oughta help her out.
Oh...
Okay.
Thank you.
It was dark by the time I arrived where Haruka was, a seemingly random building near Schale and Gehenna.
She must have heard me approach. "There you are. Thanks for coming. So I installed the bomb here..."
"Bomb?" I ask, a bit surprised. She has bombs? Why?
"I'm worried it's on the small side." She continues. "I wanted your opinion." She finally turns around and sees me. "Sensei?"
"Well, I dunno why you're planting a bomb here, but it all depends on what exactly you wanna blow up." I rattle off. She keeps looking at me, confused. "What?"
"S-S-Sensei?! What are you doing here?!" She shouts.
"Whaddya mean? You texted me."
She suddenly looks like her stomach dropped. "I-I-I've made a big mistake! Huge mistake!"
"Ah, you meant to text someone else, huh?" I guess.
"What do I do what do I do?!" She says, scared and worried. "You're wasting your precious time on me of all people because of my screw up! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!"
"Alright, alright, no need to beat yourself up over it." I say, patting her head. "It's time well spent if I can help a student of mine." I reassure her. "What were you up to, anyway?" I ask, curious.
"I-I was... I was secretly planting bombs." She explains, shyly.
"...why?" I ask, slowly.
"It's for a contract we took. There's someone... who needs to leave early tomorrow. Since the target passes by here, I was going to detonate them as they go by." She explains, before smiling a... very unsettling smile, one I wouldn't expect from her of all people. "That would ensure the target left early... and for good..."
"Haruka. No killing people." I say, sternly.
She loses her creepy smile, and instead looks scared again. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..."
"Enough of that." I chide lightly. "Anyway, I don't mind you textin' me anytime."
"R-Really?" She asks hopeful, before looking about down. "I... have to remove all of the bombs, don't I?"
"Yup. I'll help, though."
"Alright then, Sensei. Whatever you say!" She says with a bright smile.
We ended picking up at least a dozen bombs.
"All done... it's a shame I did all that work for nothing." She says, sadly.
"That all of them?" I ask.
"Not exactly. I had to plant enough to ensure the target would leave the mortal plane early..." She says something... rather ridiculous.
What the fuck...?
"You didn't hafta take it that far. Now c'mon, let's get the rest of them." I say. "Where's the rest?"
"Umm... the basement, the fitness club, the park..."
"Well... I can't say you aren't thorough."
"W-Wait!" She shouts. "I can do it by myself! Honest! Y-You don't have to go out of your way to escort someone like me!"
"Of course I do, it's what I wanna do, after all." I say, causing her to blush a bit.
"But why would you want to walk with me...?"
"Why not?" I ask, causing her head to shoot over to me. Quite fast, might I add.
"You're really okay with this...? W-Well, if you say so..."
Haruka and I kept going around, disarming bombs for a few hours.
We eventually reached a park. "A disappointment like me is making you stay up and work..." she says.
"Haruka." I say, a bit annoyed at this point. "Stop saying you're a disappointment. You aren't, okay?"
"R-Really?" She asks, surprised.
"Really." I say, smiling. Poor girl needs more self esteem. "Stop sellin' yourself short."
"O-Okay, then." She smiles a bright smile. "Th-Thank you, Sensei. You're a really nice person. It amazes me that you'd want to spend time with and give advice to someone like me. So... thank you, really."
"You're welcome." I smile.
"If it's for you, Sensei... then I can..." She then smiles that creepy smile again. "I can get rid of everything that stands in our way." She then chuckles creepily.
I just shake my head and pat her on the head once more.
I returned back to Schale a bit later, receiving a text from Haruka before I entered the building.
Thank you so much, Sensei. I'll never forget this.
I'll always be here for you, please believe me.
...this girl.
I've been burned to many damn times, but...
She really doesn't seem the kind to betray...
Unlike some people...
I sigh to myself. They're in the past now. I decide to respond to her.
I will. Thank you, Haruka.
"Welcome back, Sensei!" Arona greets me when I enter the club room, as always.
"Thanks, Arona." I say, grateful. It's nice having someone waiting for you, especially after being so lonely for so long.
The past two days were pretty fun, but... I don't remember giving a lot of the girls I've hung out with my number.
"Say, Arona?" I catch the small AI's attention, as I lean back in my chair.
"Yes, Sensei?"
"A lot of girls have gotten my number, even though I haven't given it. Know anything?"
"Ehehe..." She awkwardly chuckles. "Well, miss Rin placed your phone number on the Schale website after you started working here."
I can practically feel my eye twitch. Sighing, I say "Well, that's fine. I suppose. Might hafta thank her later." I joke at the end.
Arona giggles in response. "Tomorrow, it's back to helping the Abydos girls, right?"
"Yup." I say, looking at the time. "Guess I should start cookin'." I say, picking myself up.
"Oh! Can I watch?" My tiny AI secretary asks.
"Sure. Who knows, you might learn a thing or two." I say, walking to the kitchen.
I cook myself some food as Arona watched r intensely.
Tomorrow, it's back to work. I can only hope things go better this week.
I'm still worried about Kaiser and all that, after all.
It'll be fine.
I know it will.
AN
Just another chill chapter.
Haruka is very cute. Very underrated.
Next time, we'll continue Volume 1.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!