Chapter 25 - Down Time VIII
...
Sunday, the day after the Saturday where I slept a lot due to doing a all-night part-time job with Serika.
This morning, a bit after waking up, I was treated to texts from Nonomi and Aru.
Today, we're cleaning the Foreclosure Task Force Room!
The next time you come by, there will be a cleaner club room waiting for you!
Yup yup, so please visit us again!
Hmm, maybe I'll swing by later.
I haven't been by Abydos in a little while, so why not? Now then, for Aru's text.
Sensei, bosses need more than just leadership skills.
Of course, my leadership skills are excellent, but there are many more skills that I can acquire.
Oh? Such as?
Huh, you really wanna know?
Then come by the Gehenna library today, Sensei.
Sure thing. I'll swing by around noon.
Gehenna? I suppose she IS still a Gehenna student, but... Oh well.
First, to Abydos, then Gehenna.
After getting ready and eating breakfast, I made my way to Abydos, where I found Nonomi sweeping the Foreclosure Task Force's club room.
"Huh? Sensei?" She asks, turning around after hearing me.
"Yo. Told you I'd swing by." I say, nonchalant.
"Wow! You really came!" She says happily, propping the broom against the table and rushing over to give me a big hug. "It's been a while!"
I chuckle. "I suppose it has. Glad to see ya doin' alright."
She breaks the hug. "But, um... you came here a bit early. I just started cleaning." She says awkwardly. "You'll have to wait a few hours if you want to see the club room squeaky clean."
"You doin' this all by yourself?" I ask.
"Well, the others all have part-time jobs at the library most weekends, so usually it falls to me." She explains.
"Library? That's surprising." I say.
"Yeah. It's hard making time for studying and working to pay back the academy's debt..." She says sadly. "That's why I'm in charge of cleaning. But, I don't mind." She says, regaining her smile. "Everything works out better this way. This is a space for all of us to share, after all. Keeping the school clean gives the students a healthy environment for them to learn in!"
"Well, that's awful thoughtful, Nonomi." I say, causing the girl to smile even brighter somehow.
"Anyway, do you mind coming back in a few hours, Sensei? I promise the room will be sparkling by then." She says.
I take a moment to look at my watch. It's still pretty early, so... "Why don't I help you?" I ask.
Her green eyes widen in surprise. "But... this should be a student's duty, not yours."
"It ain't my duty, it's just something I want to do." I say.
"...Okay, then. If you insist, Sensei." The blonde girl relents. She walks to the side of the room, grabbing another broom and holding it out to me. "Thanks for the help then. Here's your broom!"
So, Nonomi and I began cleaning the Foreclosure Task Force club room. With the two of us working together, we managed to finish a bit before noon.
And so, Nonomi and I stand back and look at the fruits of our labor.
"Wow!" Nonomi says in awe. "This place is clean enough to eat off of! Plus, we finished in record time since there was two of us!" Suddenly, the girl looks a bit more thoughtful. "I feel a little different than I usually do after cleaning. Maybe it's... pride?"
"Probably." I agree. "We did a damn good job."
"Or maybe... it's because I got to partner up with you, Sensei." She says, looking up at me happily.
I chuckle a bit awkwardly. "Maybe."
"Thanks again, Sensei."
I then left Abydos, just before it became noon. Nonomi texted me after I left.
Thank you for your hard work today!
I still haven't paid you back for last time... What can I do?
I keep owing you more and more.
You don't owe me anything.
I told you, I did this because I wanted to, not for a favor or anything.
...Thank you, Sensei.
Smiling to myself, I begin to my phone to head towards Gehenna, when I receive another text, this one from Chinatsu.
Hello, Sensei. How are you doing?
Just fine, how about you?
Pretty good, thank you.
I wanted to know if we could meet up. I want to repay you for last time.
What's with these girls and wanting to owe me for helping them out a bit?
You don't have to pay me back for anything.
Truth be told, I'm meeting someone at Gehenna in a few minutes, so I'll swing by in the afternoon.
If you're free, that is.
Of course. I'll send you an address for us to meet up at.
-Chinatsu
Huh, guess it was a good thing I was already headed over there!
I met Aru at the library not long after arriving there. We sat down at a table, where she looked at me intently and began speaking.
"What do you think is the most important skill an executive can have, Sensei?" The red headed boss asks me.
"Hmm... Charisma, I'd say. The ability to keep their employees motivated and such." I say after thinking over the question for a moment.
"Covering the basics is important. That's true. But there's something even more important." She says cryptically.
"Oh?" I ask, leaning forward, my interest piqued.
"Listen up, Sensei. The skill a leader needs most is..." She pauses for dramatic effect. "...the power of persuasion! The ability to turn any enemy into an ally!"
"Now that's a good point. Conversational skills are pretty important for most anyone, come to think of it." I say, leaning back into my chair. "But, ain't that also one of the basics?"
My question catches her off guard, as her composure slips for a moment. "Simple is best! You can't do anything without mastering the fundamentals!" She calms down and clears her throat. "Anyway, you won't g we anywhere in business if you can't persuade others. The one who strikes first gains the advantage, no matter what realm of business it is."
"Fair points." I say, agreeing with her.
"And since I'm the boss around here, that means I already have a knack for persuading others." She says, pridefully. "You're the one who needs to learn the power of persuasion, Sensei."
Me? Fairly sure I learned that a long, LONG time ago. I don't say that to her, though. I only raise an eyebrow.
"We're business partners, remember?" She asks, poking my chest with her finger. "You need to expand you capabilities as a co-owner. Let's try a hypothetical." She says, before clearing her throat. "Say you were a candidate applying to join Problem Solver, and I'll be the one conducting your interview." She then pushes a book across the table to me. "This book covers all kinds of methods of persuasion. Glean everything you can from it and use what you learn on me. I want you to convince me to hire you at our agency."
Hmm... Is... Is this book literally just titled 'Persuasion for Dummies'?! These books exist in Kivotos too?!
I already know this kinda stuff, but whatever, I'll humor her. Opening the book, I begin to skim through it.
The first method is the 'art of give and take'.
'It takes two to tango. If you want something from your opponent, give them something first so that they feel like they're in your debt.', the book reads.
"Hmm." I hum, lowering the book to look at Aru. "How about we go over to Master Shiba's and I treat you to ramen? We can discuss my contract there."
"L-Lunch with Sensei?!" She shouts, losing all composure in an instant. "Yup! That'll do! You're hired!"
"And you just fell for it." I say.
"Wait, that's not right! You can't just bribe your way into a job with ramen!" She shouts.
"Well, I just did. Heh heh." I say, smugly.
"That's not going to work! Disqualified!" She says.
"Fine, fine." I relent.
Aru seems to growl in frustration at me. "Fool me once, shame on you. Let's see you try again, Sensei."
Shrugging, I return to the book. Next is the 'art of listening'.
The book reads, 'To earn someone's favor, listen to what they have to say and then give your opinion.'
A sound idea...
"Y'know, this reminds me." I say, putting down the book. "You're always so busy, Aru. There must be a lot of responsibilities that come with being a boss."
"I guess that's true." She says, a bit confused. "I resolve our clients' claims every week all by myself."
"Do you need someone to talk to?" I ask.
"I-It wouldn't hurt." She says, still a bit confused.
"Then, you should hire me." I say simply.
"Oh, really?" She asks happily, before catching herself. "Wait, did you really think that I would hire you so easily?! Don't patronize me! It takes a lot more than that to keep me happy!" She shouts in outrage.
"Okay, okay, chill." I say, holding my hands up in a fake surrender.
"Ugh. Where is this convincing aura coming from? It's so strong!" She all but yells.
"Natural talent." I say with a grin.
"Sensei... I can't believe it, but you've already mastered the art of persuasion...!" She says in awe.
'...I think you're just a tad gullible, Aru.' I think to myself, deadpanning internally.
For the rest of the hour, Aru kept giving me mock interviews for me to keep using the methods in the book. By the time lunch was over, I was 'hired' a total of twenty-five times. Coincidentally, the same number as the number of tips in the book...
As I was leaving, she told me something. "Sensei, I didn't expect this to happen. But remember, next time I won't go easy on you."
I chuckle a bit. "All right, then."
She smiles back at me. "Let's study together again sometime!"
"Lookin' forward to it." I smile in agreement.
Thus, we parted ways as I began to make my way to Chinatsu.
Strangely enough, the place the elf girl decided to meet at was outside of an arcade.
"Yo, Chinatsu." I said, walking to her.
"Oh, there you are Sensei." She says with a cute smile. "Surprised that I asked to meet you at the arcade?"
"A little." I admit with a chuckle.
"Well, I suppose we do usually meet in places less... exciting than this. I had a feeling it might catch you off guard." She says with a slightly smug smile. "Admittedly, I do prefer quieter spaces. Places like reading rooms or the infirmary, but even I have days where I want a change of pace."
"We all do, nothin' wrong with that." I say, smiling.
She smiles, happy that I agree, most likely. "I drop by the arcade sometimes like anyone else, and I often like to go shopping. Especially on a day like this."
"Whaddya mean by that?" I ask, confused.
"A day where I have no Prefect Team duties." She explains.
"Ah." I say simply. "Still, you sure you wanna spend your free time with me?"
"It isn't as though I don't enjoy spending time with the others. It has its charms. But, even so, sometimes I need a break from them as well. They each can be a little hard to wrangle sometimes. It gets tiring when it feels like you're the one babysitting." She admits. "And, truth be told... I can't really think of anyone else, aside from the others, that I would want to spend it with..." She admits duly, blushing and averting her gaze from me.
I'm struck silent for a moment, before chuckling softly. "That means a lot, Chinatsu. I'd be glad to spend the afternoon with you."
The girl's face seems to turn a brighter shade of red as she turns back to me, her glasses not at all hiding her now-wide golden eyes. She then smiles happily while looking up at me. She musters her courage and grabs my hand, leading me off somewhere.
We spent the rest of the afternoon together. First at the arcade, then at a cafe, then we stopped by a hip-hop concert. While it's not usually my thing (same goes for Chinatsu, who told me after the event), I still decided to go with her. Lastly, we went shopping.
The afternoon came and went without any problems. It was nice.
Just a normal day off, I suppose.
While we walked under the setting sun's light together, side by side, Chinatsu suddenly stopped.
"That's it. We cleared the entire schedule I made." She says.
"You made a schedule?" I ask, a bit surprised. I was wondering why she kept pulling a piece of paper from her pocket.
She nods in affirmation. "So... what did you think?" She admits nervously, her face crimson. "Today was special for me, but I could understand if you thought it was mundane."
"Not at all." I shake my head. "Sometimes calm days beat fast-paced ones. Besides, it was pretty special, I'd say."
"Why's that?" She asks.
" 'Cause I got to spend it with you, dummy."
"Wha?!" Her golden eyes widen as she recoils a bit, in shock. Her face is now completely red as a tomato. "Y-You always say things like that... Still... that's good." She says, regaining her composure. "I'm glad you feel that way. I was worried you wouldn't agree to today, to be honest. There's no one else that I can relax with." She then looks away from me once more, nervously. "I-If it's all right with you, I'd like to... go out with you again like this... in the near future." She then catches herself. "O-Only if you're okay with it, of course...! I-If you don't want to, then...!"
"Chinatsu." I say, causing her mouth to clamp shut. "I'd love to hang out with you again." I say, smiling.
She then takes a deep breath, calming herself, before giggling. "You can be such an enigma, Sensei. It would really be fine if I asked you out again?"
"Of course."
"Okay then." She smiles. "Thank you, Sensei. I'll be looking forward to it then. But don't plan on me bothering you too often. Prefect Team members don't get very many days off. This was the best way I could express what's been on my mind to you. So... you must have figured out how I feel by now."
Yeah... it's fairly obvious she has a crush on me, the idiot.
Then again, I suppose she doesn't know I have baggage.
But... do I feel the same...?
Could I...?
...
Jane...
Have I moved on...?
Or have you stuck to me for good...?
As my thoughts swirl, Chinatsu's voice breaks me from them.
"N-Never mind. This is a little too much for me." She says. "But... I'm okay with that. I'm happy with taking it one step at a time."
I say nothing, just offering a smile to Chinatsu, which she returned.
Afterwards, we bid each other farewell, as I began to go back home.
A few minutes after leaving the Gehenna district, I got a text from Hoshino.
Hey, Sensei. Did you know some fish that live in the deepest oceans create their own light to protect themselves?
Yup. I wonder if you know about anglerfish? They have antennas with light-emitting bulbs on the end to attract prey.
Whoa. Really?
That sounds so cool.
So what are you up to?
Oh, I'm gonna do another treasure hunt this evening. Do you want to join me?
Sure. Might be fun.
And so, I plot course for Abydos!
...For the second time today.
When I reach the Foreclosure Task Force club room, night has fallen. Once there, Hoshino began to talk to me about deep-sea fish that make light.
"Not only does it produce its own light, but it uses it to protect itself too. Isn't that interesting?" The pink haired girl asks me. "You would think that being the only light source in a dark sea would attract predators, but if done as a school, then it can be intimidating instead."
"You really like fish, don'tcha?" I ask with a smile.
"Hmm. I suppose so." She says, suddenly thoughtful. "Still, how do you imagine all the lights would look like? I bet it would be spectacular."
Chuckling, I ask her, "Still, you didn't just call me here to talk about fish, did ya?"
Hoshino just giggles smugly. "No need to be so hasty, Sensei. Or is that your treasure hunter's spirit talking? That's a good sign. The Abydos school has a storied history, so it's fun to find all its hidden secrets!"
"This place IS pretty big. Where are we digging though this time?" I ask, standing up.
"Well, we checked out the storage last time, so this time... let's head for the old school building!" She says, standing suddenly.
"...Didn't we dig up the weeds last time?" I ask.
"Oh, hush. Now come on!" She says, grabbing my hand while running.
Not long after, we reach an especially cluttered and especially dusty hallway in the Abydos campus.
Sure enough, the vast amount of dust causes Hoshino to cough a bit. "This place could use a hefty dusting too."
"Well, at least the club room stays clean." I say.
"That's true." She says, nodding. "Nonomi does a great job cleaning the room."
"Heh, truth be told, I helped her this morning."
Her head whirls around, her heterochromatic eyes, wide in surprise, meet mine. "Really? Heehee. Sensei, you sly dog." She says, smugly.
"Oh, hush." I say, laughing, Hoshino following suit.
She then scans the room, her laughter having ceased. "There's so much junk everywhere. Most of it looks like it was just dumped here, so I doubt we'll find anything useful."
"You never know with stuff like this." I say.
"Be careful, Sensei. It would be easy to trip and fall in here." She warns.
"It IS rather dark." I say, pointing out that the hallways is illuminated only be moonlight. "You sure you don't wanna do this in the day?"
"Heehee. But treasure hunting at night is more romantic, don't you think? Better yet, no one can catch us at this hour." She says.
"Why are you talkin' like we're doing somethin' bad...?" I ask, deadpan.
"Are you ready to go further in?" She ask, ignoring my question.
I just shrug in defeat. "Sure."
"Make sure to pick up anything good you find." She says, pointing at me. "Finders keepers is the way of the land in the world of treasure hunting.
And so, the two of us move through he moonlit, dusty, cluttered hallway of Abydos, looking for treasures of any and all shapes and sizes.
"Ugh. We've been at this for a while, but I still haven't come across anything good." The short girl whines.
"Yeah, same here." I say, crossing my arms.
She sighs. "All of the good stuff must have been taken already." Looking to the side, she sees a door and goes inside. Following her, we enter a dusty, cluttered classroom. "This building was used by the students before my day, so I don't know that much about it." She says, nostalgic.
Suddenly, we hear a rustle.
"Did you hear something?" She asks, a bit cautious.
"Yeah..." I say, observing the room intently. "Might've just been a loose item in all this clutter."
"It came from over there." She says, moving slowly towards the sounds origin.
Suddenly, something moves, causing a pile of junk to fall over.
"Aaarrrgh?!" Hoshino shrieks in fright with a high pitch, leaping backwards while wrapping her arms around my torso tightly.
Looking down, I hear a sound and see a mouse scurry away, right through the classroom's door.
Looking down, Hoshino still has a viselike grip on me. "You, uh... You okay?" I ask.
The girl opens her heterochromatic eyes, and scans the room, before they land on me. Upon noticing her position, her eyes widen and she releases me while hopping back, her face sporting a crimson blush. She clears her throat while calming her quick breathing.
"Th-That mouse nearly scared me to death." She says, stuttering. "It knocked over that pile of junk."
"But are you okay?" I ask.
"Y-Yeah... I'm fine." She says, averting her gaze from me, her face still red. "Hmm. What are you thinking, Sensei?" She asks, moving close to me while inspecting my face. "You want to poke fun at me and say something like 'I've never heard you so scared before, Hoshino', don't you?"
"Huh? Of course not. I'm not THAT mean." I say, a bit upset she'd think I'd say something like that.
"W-Well..." She says shyly, averting her gaze once more. She just so happens to look over at the knocked over pile of junk. "Look, Sensei. Something stinky got knocked out of that pile of junk."
Walking over to it, it appears to be a piece of paper. I pick it up to inspect it.
"Is this a... glow in the dark sticker?" Hoshino asks.
Sure enough, there's a glow in the dark sticker on the paper. But not just one, there's quite a few of them. It's a whole sheet of them, ready to be peeled off.
"Oh, look! They're fish stickers!" She says happily. "This is a tropical fish... This one is a conch... There are also squid, sunfish and... jellyfish! Heehee."
"Huh... We'll, you wanted to know what a school of glowing fish looked like, didn't you?" I ask rhetorically.
"I... I guess so. Well, looks like you hit the treasure jackpot, Sensei!" She praises me, slapping me on the back.
"Still, how old must these be if their glow is so dim...?" I ask, mostly to myself, but Hoshino seems to hear.
"Isn't that cool to think about? I can't put my finger on why, though. But... it's like they've always been glowing like this, even when nobody's watching." She says quietly.
"If a tree falls in the forest and no-one hears it sort of scenario, I suppose." I say, chuckling a bit. "Well, you can have 'em."
Her eyes widen a bit at the paper I'm holding out towards her. "Huh...? You're giving them to me? But, you're the one who found them... and finders keepers is the rule of treasure hunting."
"Then think of them as a gift." I say. "Besides, I'm sure you'd appreciate them more than I."
Slowly, Hoshino takes the paper with her small hands and stares at it, a faint blush on her face. "Oh... Wow. Th-Thanks, Sensei." Her surprised look wears off, as a smile grows on her face. "Aren't they all so adorable? I'm gonna put them on my ceiling! That way I can look up at them when I'm lying in bed at night."
"Now that's a good idea." I say, agreeing with her.
"Heehee. Let's get going, Sensei." She says, walking towards the door.
I and an excited Hoshino walked back to the Foreclosure Task Force room, before saying good night to one another.
After returning home, I ate while telling Arona about my day.
After taking a shower, I changed into sleepwear and laid in bed. As I laid down, I received a text from Hoshino.
Sensei, Sensei! Look!
Along with her text was a picture of, what I can only assume is, her ceiling. The dark ceiling is now illuminated by various fish stickers, all emanating a soft, green-blue glow.
Wow. It looks real pretty.
Heehee. Isn't it cool? It looks amazing when I lie down.
I had so much fun today. Thanks again for the gift!
Let's hang out again sometime.
Yeah, let's. Good night. Sweet dreams, Hoshino.
You too, Sensei.
Haah...
What a nice day today was.
I wonder what shenanigans I'll end up getting dragged into tomorrow...
With that, my eyes flutter closes as I drift off to sleep.
AN
With this chapter, we've hit 100k words...
Welp, I didn't expect that. I just kept writing and writing and... I suppose it made time get away from me. That and the word count lol.
Also, looks like we're getting a Chapter 2 for Volume 2 of the main story, at least in JP.
When I get to Volume 2, I'll be sure to add that new part, though the dialogue may be... off. This, being due to me having to use a translation, when the time comes, of course.
Next time might be another Down Time, or it might be the start of more story.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!