Chapter 26 - Down Time IX

...

A few days after my nighttime treasure hunt with Hoshino, Yuuka scheduled a morning meeting with me at Schale.

One problem though...

She's late.

Which is pretty odd, seeing as how she's super punctual, even going so far as to get on my case about being late for stuff.

Instead of worrying about waiting for her, I decide to get some busy work done.

About a half hour before eleven, Yuuka shoots into my office, yelling "I'm here!"

"Mornin', Yuuka." I say, looking over to her. "I was a bit worried when you didn't show."

"I-I'm so sorry, Sensei. I was working late and overslept..." She apologizes.

"Eh, don't worry about it. Want some coffee?" I ask.

"...That would be nice." She admits, still a bit embarrassed.

The two of us ended up going down the street to Angel 24.

"Welcome to- Oh, Sensei. G-Good morning!" Sora greets me from the counter, looking up from her phone as the small bell on the door chimes.

"Mornin', Sora." I greet back.

"Hmm? You know her?" Yuuka asks.

"I come here most mornings to grab some coffee and the like." I explain, walking over to the refrigerator with canned coffee in it, feeling like drinking it cold for a change. Angel 24 actually serves warm coffee in the morning. "Is there still any warm left?" I ask.

"J-Just a little, though it's probably cold by now." Sora timidly explains.

"Reheat that for Yuuka, please." I say.

"Alright, then." The middle schooler then turns in the machine, reheating the last bit of coffee, as I walk to the counter for her to ring up my can.

"I-I've never seen you before. Are you one of Sensei's friends?" The blonde girl asks Yuuka.

"I suppose. We're more like business associates. I'm Hayase Yuuka, from Millennium. Nice to meet you." The purple haired treasurer introduces.

"I-I'm Sora. Nice to meet you as well." The blonde timidly says.

Soon after I pay, Sora hands Yuuka a warm cup of coffee. "Later, Sora." I say, as we leave the convenience store.

"G-Goodbye, Sensei!" She shouts.

Yuuka and I then walked back to my office. As we entered, she idly noticed something, picking it up to inspect it.

"What's that?" I ask, sitting down.

"A board game." She says.

"Seriously? ...I didn't know that was there."

"You didn't?" She asks, surprise clearly shown.

"Half of the stuff here is unknown to me. Most of it was here when I arrived." I explain.

"Well... could I borrow it then?" She asks.

"You like board games?"

"Of course!" She says, sitting down the box containing the game. "I love board games and online games."

"Didn't expect that." I say.

"Well, shows how much you know about me." She huffs.

"Er, sorry."

"No, i-it's fine." She says, a bit surprised at my sudden apology. "But I like games just as much as the other students. Composing different strategies against difficult enemies is just as fun as solving math problems."

"Heh, I agree with that. Not that math problems part, but the strategy part." I say, quickly correcting myself. "Say, after we get done with our little meetin', how about we play a game of something?"

The purple haired girl smiles. "I'd like that."

We finish our business by about noon. "So, whaddya want to play?" I ask Yuuka.

"I'm not sure." She says, thoughtful.

"How about poker?"

"Poker? Where's this coming from?" She asks, surprised. "Though it's not a bad idea."

"Poker it is, then." I say, getting some cards.

The treasurer then chuckles smugly. "You'd better be ready. I've always been good at gambling."

"Oh yeah?" I ask, a bit skeptical.

"Gambling is just a process where you bet on an expected value based on the probability of your hand versus the probability of your opponent's hand. A skilled gambler knows how to control their emotions and objectively analyze the probabilities to minimize risks. In other words, the best gamblers are also those that beat understand math." She lectures, getting a bit smug at the end.

"Hoh? Prove it, then." I challenge, sitting down the deck of cards.

Yuuka, accepting the challenge, chuckles smugly once more. "Then deal the cards and let's play a hand."

"Okay then. Arona?" I call out.

"Yes, Sensei?" The tiny AI girl says, popping up on a nearby screen.

"Be our moderator. Make sure neither of us are cheatin' or anything." I say.

"All right, Sensei!" Arona says, agreeing.

So, the purple haired mathematician and I begin to focus on our cards after I shuffled and dealt them. My AI assistant watches over us intently to make sure we're playing fairly.

"Hmm..." She hums to herself, likely thinking over her strategy. I wonder what she's thinking about.

'I have three of a kind in hand... A hand that appropriately only has a three percent chance of being attained.' She thinks to herself. 'Granted, it's not the strongest hand in the game, but the odds are in my favor to win.'

"Call!" She suddenly says, while holding out her cards. "I have three of a kind."

Smirking, I lay my hand down. "Flush."

"What?! You have five cards of the same suit? The probability of getting that hand is only point-two percent!" She shouts, surprised.

"Wow!" Arona says, surprised. "You're lucky, Sensei!"

"Anythin' can happen on with the cards. All is within the realm of possibility." I lecture.

"That's true, but..." Yuuka trails off. "You got lucky this time! Let's go for another round!"

Shrugging, I shuffle and redistribute the cards.

'Great. I'm definitely going to win this time!' Yuuka thinks to herself.

"Straight!" She says, sitting down her cards which number four to nine, in order.

"Not bad, not bad." I say, smugly as I sit down mine. "Four of a kind."

"Four aces?! I can't believe this!" She shouts, indignant.

"Well, believe it. Hehe~" I chuckle.

"Grr. One more hand!" She growls out.

So, I shuffle and distribute the cards again.

'The probability of getting this hand is only point-zero-zero-fifteen percent... Surely Sensei can't beat THIS hand.' She thinks to herself. ' My victory is assured!'

"Straight flush!" She calls out, putting down the cards. Sure enough, she's placed down a seven to ten, and a jack of hearts.

I look at her cards for a second, a smug grin plastered on Yuuka's face.

That is, until a smug grin grows on my face.

"Royal flush." I say, placing down a ten, jack, queen, king and the ace of diamonds. "Read 'em and weep."

"No way!" The treasurer shouts in disbelief.

"I'm just as surprised as you are." I admit. "I've never even gotten three of a kind before today."

"Really?" Arona asks, which I answer with a nod. "Wow, today must be your lucky day, Sensei."

I shrug, as Yuuka looks stunned. "How did I lose three times in a row...? All three were good hands too! Did I make a miscalculation?"

"Of course you did." I say.

"But the chances of getting certain hands are always set in stone. What am I supposed to rely on if not calculations?" She asks.

"Intuition and instincts... You lost because you tried to associate math with luck based games." I say, deadpan. "Rookie mistake."

"Intuition and... instincts?" She asks slowly, surprised and confused. "How does one use instincts in a game of chance? It doesn't make sense to me, although I can't argue with the results."

"I'd recommend not gambling at all, truth be told." I say, picking up the cards and stacking them together.

"Yes, I can agree with that." Yuuka says.

"Use this lesson well." I say, sagely, as I place the cards back in the box. "Oh, and Yuuka?"

"Yes?"

I then pull out a stack of cards from my sleeve. "Remember what I said, intuition and instincts. Always be aware of everything that's going on. Always."

"Wha?! Sensei!" She shouts upset, as I walk into the other room, chuckling to myself.

I can the heat Arona speak. "...I didn't even see him hide the extra deck. And I'm an AI!" She says, surprised and a bit upset, not that I can blame her.

I've always been a damn good trickster.

Yuuka left not long after, still a bit upset, but more at herself than I.

I then got a few... odd texts from Haruka.

I'm not sure if you remember, but my name is Haruka.

Sorry, I didn't mean that you had to remember me or anything, but I was just asking if you did.

Sorry.

It's okay if you don't remember. I just have something that I really want to give you, so...

It's honestly nothing special, so if you happen to have time today or tomorrow, or whenever...

I'll make sure to drop by. My name is Haruka, by the way.

Haah... This girl.

Of course I remember you, dummy.

And I'm not busy right now, so I'll swing by you girls' office.

And feel free to come by anytime. My doors are always open.

Oh.

Thank you so much.

I'll be waiting.

A few minutes later, I arrive at the Problem Solver office, or more specifically, the building's roof. Opening the door, I see Haruka there, waiting for me.

"Oh! I-I'm surprised you came, Sensei." She says, shyly as usual.

"I told ya I was coming." I say, holding out my arms.

"I, uh... thought you might just leave someone like me on read." She admits. "B-But, the reason that I called you here was... I wanted to make it up to you. You know, the last time. I-I know you're always busy, s-so the last thing I want is to take up your time. That's why-!" She rambled off at a breakneck pace, until I stop her.

"Haruka." I say, shutting her up. "Calm down. You don't have to make up anything to me, okay? And I might be busy a lot, but I'll always make time for you, so just calm down and tell me what you want."

Her purple eyes are wide in surprise as she calms herself. "O-Okay, then. Here. I got you this." She says handing me a...

"A flower pot?" I ask.

"Y-Yeah, it's a pot of weeds... that I made. I hope you like it." She says shyly, before locking up and nervously looking away. "N-Never mind! Wh-Why would anyone want worthless weeds as a gift?! Wh-What was I thinking?!" She shouts.

"Haruka." I say, placing my free hand on her shoulder. Her gaze is pulled up to meet my eyes. "It's a wonderful gift."

"Huh...? But, it's..." She trails off.

"I know it's weeds, but a gift isn't about what the gift is, it's about the feelings put behind the gift." I lecture the shy girl. "So thank you for the gift, it's very sweet of you."

"Y-Y-You're welcome!" She shouts, mustering up her courage.

"But, I am curious. Why weeds?" I ask.

"I-I was..." She then giggles cutely. "Raising weeds is my hobby. I have a sort of kinship with weeds. They remind me of myself. They're not good for anything, they're seen as an annoying inconvenience, they're worthless eyesores that keep popping up time and time again. Those characteristics... remind me of myself. So when I look at them, I feel like I'm not alone."

This... This poor girl. What the hell has she been though?

"I suppose you're right, you are similar to a weed. They're pretty, just like you." I say, smiling.

"Huh?!" She shouts, eyes wide. "Wh-What are you trying to say, Sensei?"

"Weeds..." I trail off, gathering my thoughts. "You're only lookin' at the downsides of weeds, but not the upsides. Weeds are persistent, strong. They grow even amongst the harshest climates. Even when they're killed with pesticides and the like, the grow resilient to them and grow back even stronger. Plus, no matter where you go, weeds are always there." I look down at the nervous girl and gently pat her on the head. "Haruka, you definitely are like a weed. You're strong and resilient. I dunno only you think so badly of yourself, but you're an important person to me, and surely a lot more people as well. So stop badmouthing yourself, please?"

Haruka's purple eyes are widened so much, it almost seems like they'll disappear if they get any smaller. Her eyes well up a bit, tears threatening to spill out. "S-Sensei..." She takes a step forward and hugs me. "Th-Th... That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to a worthless person like me."

"I just told you dummy, you ain't worthless." I say, gently rubbing her hair.

After a short while, the purple haired girl breaks the embrace, her eyes dry, unlike the middle of my shirt. "I-I got your shirt wet... I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!"

"It's okay." I say, reassuring her.

"I... Thank you, Sensei." She says with a serene smile.

"No, thank you." I say, holding up the pot of weeds. "I'mma go out this in my office. Like I said in my text, come by anytime."

She looks surprised, before her smile returns. "All right, then."

Thus, I walked back to Schale, leaving behind a happy Haruka.

On my way back, I received a text from Shimiko, the librarian girl I met the other day.

Hello, Sensei! It's Shimiko!

I was sent to the public library and it happens to be near Schale!

Could you drop by, if you have the time?

Truth be told, I was headed by there, so sure. I'll see you in a few.

Great! I'll be waiting for you!

Looks like I'll have a detour.

After stopping by Schale to put Haruka's potted weeds in my office, I walked to the library. I found Shimiko pretty quick. Upon seeing me, she gained a bright smile upon her face. "Hiya, Sensei! I'm glad you're here."

"Yo, Shimiko." I greet back.

"Truth be told, even though I invited you here, there isn't much to do." She admits, embarrassed.

"Eh, that's fine. You invited me and I came over. Whatever you wanna do is fine." I say, reassuring the girl.

"All right, then." Her smile reappears. "How about I recommend you something to read? If it's coming from me, then you know you won't regret it."

"I'd like that." I say, agreeing with her.

"What do you like to read? Novels? Essays? Non-fiction? Science magazines...?" She asks, curious.

"Well... Truth be told, I haven't done much reading in a long while, so recommend whatever you want, I suppose." I say, awkwardly.

"Well, all right then! I have just the thing! What you want should be right over here... Wait." She says looking around, before stopping and turning. "Did you hear that?"

"Er, not really?" I ask. She seems to ignore me as she goes to investigate the sound she heard.

As I follow the librarian girl, we find the source of the sound. It's a delinquent-looking girl, reading something while laughing loud as hell, not even trying to be quiet. "Hahahaha! This is hilarious! Heeheehee! Oh, my stomach! No more!" She then stops and looks right at some people staring at her, her face showing that she's suddenly upset. "What, you punks got a problem with me? You own this library or something? Huh?!" The other patrons go back to looking anywhere else.

Typical. People don't wanna interact with others causing a scene. Fucking mob mentality.

The delinquent then goes back to reading and starts... eating chips? In the library? The fuck? She's even chewing super loudly! "These chips are awesome!" She then looks down quickly. "Whoops, I spilled some crumbs. Oh well." She shrugs, before popping another chip into her mouth.

Looking down at Shimiko, she seems ready to fucking blow. She then takes a slow inhale and exhale, before looking up to me. "Would you mind waiting just a moment, Sensei? I can't overlook this as the librarian."

"Go for it." I say, motioning forward.

The twin tailed librarian the walks over to the delinquent girl. "Excuse me. You're causing a disturbance."

"Huh? Who? Me?" The girl asks, while looking up at Shimiko from her seat.

"Yes, you. This is a library. Could you please keep your voice down?" Shimiko asks politely. "Quiet conversations are allowed within the library, but you have to keep your voice down. Food, on the other hand, is strictly forbidden!" She then points to the chips. "You can only bring beverages in sealed containers, and you have to use a straw! Please be considerate to the other visitors!"

The delinquent sighs, intentionally loudly. "Is this a joke? Why's a geek like you trying to tell me what to do? Leave me alone and let me read in peace! Actually, stay where you are." She says menacingly, standing up. "I'm gonna make you regret talking to me like that."

The delinquent girl holds up the book she was reading and-

crinkle

-folds a page, before closing it roughly.

Shimiko recoils, as if struck. "What did you...? D-Did you just fold that page?"

"Huh? Well, duh." The delinquent says, as if it's obvious. "How else am I supposed to keep track of where I was?"

The librarian girl shakes in rage. "Why, you...! You're so... profane!"

In a fit of rage, the tiny librarian girl hits the delinquent girl over the head with a desk lamp.

'Holy shit!' I shouted in my mind.

The delinquent crumbles to the ground, half conscious as the Shimiko continues to rant and rave.

"I could forgive every other rule you broke, but damaging a book cannot go unpunished!" Shimiko says passionately. "Fools that don't understand the value of books needs to be taught a lesson! You'll be paying out of pocket for the book you creased!"

"U-Ugh... My head... What just happened?" The delinquent asks, while standing and holding a hand to her head, still groggy. "I nearly died? Was that a fucking lamp just now?!"

"It takes more than that to kill someone." The librarian girl says, waving off her concerns. "I read a book that taught me how to adjust the strength of the blow."

"Wh-What the hell?! What's wrong with you?! You call yourself a librarian?!" The delinquent shouts in outrage. "You little...! If that's how you want to play it, then take this!"

The delinquent winds back her arm, moving to punch the librarian girl. I begin to take a step forward, until I realize something...

She's isn't worried. Why is Shimiko so calm?

As the punch is thrown, Shimiko just catches the delinquent girl's punch with one. Fucking. Hand.

...Okay, what...?

"What in the...?!" The delinquent girl's eyes widen in shock.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover." The librarian says sagely. "Every reader knows that simple rule. Did you think you could push me around just because I'm a librarian? Do you have any idea how many books a librarian has to carry a day?" She says, menacingly, as the delinquent girl tries, and fails, to remove her fist from the twin tailed girl's grasp. "I'm so ripped that taking care of punks like you is a piece of cake!"

'...Okay, what the fuck is this fever dream?!'

That's all I can ask myself as I watch the smaller girl grab the delinquent with her other hand and LIFTS HER OFF THE FLOOR?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!

"Wh-What the hell?!" The delinquent shouts in shock. "L-Let me down!"

"I would throw you out the window, but that would cause an even bigger scene. So, I'll let you off with a warning." The librarian girl says, lowering the delinquent closer to her face. "Next time, I won't be Ms. Nice Librarian, got it?"

"Okay! Okay! Just let me down..." The delinquent says in defeat. Shimiko does so. "I'm sorry..." The taller girl says, as she stands on her feet, before she grabs the book and books it, running off. "...is what you thought I'd say! I'm takin' this book as payback!"

I follow the delinquent with my eyes and suddenly see Shimiko standing in front of her. The delinquent stops with wide eyes. "Wait, when did you get all the way over here?"

Shimiko sighs. "I hate repeating myself. What did I JUST tell you about underestimating a librarian? Do you realize how quickly librarians have to return books to shelves? How far they have to go to do it? I've trained myself to sprint without a sound. No one can outpace me. Regardless, you don't seem like you've learned your lesson." She takes a step forward, as the delinquent takes a step back. "Very well. The hard way it is."

The delinquent laughs nervously. "Yeah, right! You're just bluffing!" Shimiko steps closer. "H-Hang on a second...!"

The small librarian then literally chokes out the taller delinquent girl in a matter of seconds. She then opens the book, un-creasing the page, while sighing. "There's always one that has to be taught to follow the rules." She then walks back over to me. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Sensei. I invited you today to have fun."

"...Well, I'd say it's been plenty fun." I say, still reeling from the Senator Armstrong type shit she just pulled. "I wasn't expecting you to be so tough. You might be strong as me." I say with a quiet chuckle.

She then sighs in defeat. "Honestly, I wanted you to see me as the intellectual type..."

"I already do." I say, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.

"Y-You're.. just trying to make me feel better." She denies, before giggling a bit. "Still, I appreciate hearing that. Thank you, Sensei." She says with a bright smile. "You can read in peace with that finally settled!"

I merely chuckle. "Now, about those books you wanted to recommend."

So, Shimiko got me set up with a library card and gave me a book to check out.

As I left the library, book in hand with the afternoon in full swing, I got a text from Shimiko.

I had so much fun today, Sensei.

I'll be at the library for a while.

So drop by anytime!

All right, then.

I'll be waiting for you!

What a sweet girl.

A sweet girl who could benchpress me,. Not that that's an achievement here in Kivotos, where the girls are all super strong. I guess this was just my first time seeing it.

Shrugging, I begin to walk back to Schale.

As I got back to work, doing this and that, I got a text from Hina.

Sensei.

Regarding the report regarding this month's tactical fire drill...

Okay, she's too damn busy, seemingly all the time. Come to think of it, I've only got the one pair of shoes...

Before that, Hina.

Huh?

Y-Yes? What is it?

I was planning to go to the mall this evening. Do you want to come with?

...Huh?

Mall?

Why there?

I've only got one pair of shoes and could use a backup.

Plus, you need a break.

But a mall would be closed at night. Unless it's one of those twenty-four hour places.

...

Oh.

I-I get what you're saying.

Okay, then. I did promise to meet with you in the day.

I'll make some time.

That's all I'm asking.

We'll go after I get done with Schale stuff.

And after I help you with that report you were talking about.

So, Hina and I met up at the mall near Schale. When I arrived, outside the mall, Hina was constantly looking over her shoulder, nervous as hell. As I walk up to her, it takes a moment for her to notice me.

"Oh... Hello, Sensei." She greets, her voice a bit strained.

"Why're you so nervous? I told you I don't mind people seein' us together, and neither should you." I say. "So relax, dummy."

"I-I will try." She says, obviously trying to calm down.

"Was it tough makin' time?" I ask.

"It's not as though I have to work constantly. I can spare three hours by rearranging my schedule." She says.

"Three hours?" I say, scoffing. "And you say you aren't that busy."

"Huh...? I-Is that not enough?" She asks, stuttering a bit with slightly wide eyes. "Th-That should be plenty of time for us... to go shopping."

"Eh, we'll figure it out. C'mon." I say, as I start walking toward the mall across the street from us, the short white haired girl in tow.

'Seems I was right, it ain't to busy today.' I think to myself, not wanting to make Hina too nervous by walking into a crowded mall.

"So? Didn't you say you wanted to buy something? Shoes, right?" She asks, looking up at me.

"Yeah, but it was more an excuse to let you have a break." I admit.

She looks a bit upset for a moment, before she sighs. "I should have known."

"Hina. Every time I've talked with you, you've mentioned how busy you are." I say, serious as can be. "You work really hard and deserve a break, so here we are."

"You..." She begins, but struggles to find the words, before relenting and looking up at me with a small smile. "Very well."

Thus we begin to look through the mall, with me planning on buying shoes later. Hina's eyes are drawn to an accessory shop. She begins looking through the many shelves and racks with curiosity. "This place certainly stocks a lot of accessories. A lot of them appear to be strange characters, though..."

Huh, a lot of this looks like Momo Friends stuff. Maybe I should take Hifumi here sometime.

"You wanna buy one of 'em?" I ask.

"N-No. I don't care for these kinds of things." She says, a bit caught off-guard. "I know a lot of students find these adorable, but I've never understood the appeal. I don't even know these character's names. Why don't we go somewhere else?"

"All right, then." I say, a bit disgruntled.

Next, we stop by an arcade.

"This is... an arcade?" She asks.

"You ever been in one?" I ask.

"No, I've never been to one before. They don't interest me." She says, simply.

I should be surprised, but after finding out Yuuka likes gambling, I've lost my sense of shock.

"It's an affront to the senses. And crowded too." She says.

"Sounds like nitpicking to me." I tease.

"I understand that's what some want, but it's not my cup of tea." She argues sternly.

"Fair enough." I say. "Let's go someplace else."

Next, we enter a clothing store. After quickly buying myself some shoes, we go into another clothing store nearby, out of curiosity.

"So this store specializes in street-style clothing..." Hina observes.

"Seems that'a way." I observe. "Not my cup of tea, but I'll admit, some of the stuff here does look pretty cool."

"Quite a few students wear this kind of style when they go out on the weekends." The Prefect Leader says.

"You like the style at all?" I ask.

"No, not especially." She says. "What's the purpose of buying outfits I don't need? I have my school uniform, and that's enough."

"Yeah, but even though I've got multiple suits, I still wear casual stuff. Even if you wear copies of your uniform every day, doesn't it get a bit... samey?" I ask. "We're all creatures of change and all that."

"...Well..." She says, trying to form a response.

"Does any of this stuff look interesting to you at all?" I ask.

"Hmm..." She lets out a hum, looking at the clothes. "Hmm..." She moves to another rack of clothes, observing them. "Hmm..." And another. "I-I'm not really sure." She eventually says. "S-Sorry."

"Don't worry 'bout it. It IS a bit out of your comfort zone, I suppose." I say with a shrug.

The two of us then look a break at a nearby diner. Interestingly, it was inside the mall. INSIDE. Like those McDonald's you see in Walmarts or something.

As we sit down at a booth, I notice Hina averting her purple eyes from mine, nervously. Oddly enough, she then tries to look at me for a moment, before looking away again.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Huh...?" She asks, her eyes widening.

"Your eyes have been darting around like crazy." I say, concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing... I was just thinking that you must have been disappointed with today." She admits, embarrassed. "It feels like... all I did was ruin the things you wanted to do. I know I'm not a very fun person to be around." She then lets out a sigh. "I never have been." She says, sadly and quietly.

"Today wasn't about me wanting to get you to do stuff, I was more... me wanting to know more about you, I suppose." I say, causing her eyes to widen a bit. "Besides, all that stuff just makes you, you."

Her eyes remain widened for a long moment as a faint blush appears on her face. She remains silent as she averts her eyes once more, her thoughts likely racing.

"Are you ready to order?" A robotic waiter man asks, standing next to out table.

Hina snaps out of her stupor. "Oh... Y-Yes. I'll have a black coffee. No cream or sugar." She then turns to me. "What would you like, Sensei?"

"I'll have a black coffee with just a bit of cream, please." I order.

"Very well." The man nods and walks off.

"Huh." I say out loud, mostly to myself.

"What is it?" The white haired girl asks.

"Well, I was just thinkin' that you're pretty mature to get straight black coffee.." I say, surprised about her order.

"Me? M-Mature?" She asks, quite surprised. She then lets out a laugh and makes an incredibly pretty smile on her face while saying, "Would you listen to yourself? You're the adult here." Her smile, unfortunately, fades. "I'm still just a child. Short, scrawny, grouchy, and anything but cute."

'But even if I am immature...' Hina thinks to herself. 'I still admire how mature YOU can be.'

"You can be honest, I'm sure I sucked all the fun out of today..." She says.

"Nah, today was well spent. I was nice to hear ya laugh and see ya smile, after all." I say with a grin, causing her eyes to widen once more. "It makes me happy to see that you're having a nice, well-deserved break, even if you think you've ruined it."

"...I-If you say so." She says, after a moment, a blush reappearing on her face.

A few moments later, our waiter returns, drinks in hand. Hina and I then spend a while talking about this and that.

Upon leaving the mall, Hina turns to me. "Sensei?"

"Yeah?" I ask, looking down at her.

"Th-Thanks for today." She says, shyly.

"...You're welcome, Hina. We should do this again sometime." I say.

"I-If you're okay with that, then... okay." She says, making a small smile.

The two of us then went separate ways. I returned to Schale, new shoes in hand.

That night, I laid down in bed, and found myself unable to sleep. Annoyed, I decide to take a late-night walk.

Getting dressed and walking past my office, I see Arona on a screen, deep asleep while laying her head on a desk in her virtual classroom.

"Mmm... Banana cake..." She mutters.

I shake my head with a smile on my face as I descend the building.

And so, I walk through the streetlight-lit city of Kivotos. The cool night air blowing on me as the moon, too, shines down.

There's next to no-one outside, it's nice.

Thus, I walked, not in any particular direction.

After about an hour or so of walking, I reached a corner, where Hoshino stepped out from around the corner.

"Hoshino?" I ask, eyes wide in surprise.

"Huh? Sensei?" She asks, her heterochromatic eyes wide. "What's up? What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Couldn't sleep, so I took a walk. I... didn't expect to end up at Abydos, though." I admit, still a bit surprised at running into her.

"Abydos can be scary at night, Sensei. Though... considering how tough you are, I shouldn't be worried." She says with a small smile.

"What are you up to?" I ask.

"Me?" She asks, her eyes widening a bit. She hiding something? "Well, I, uh... was on patrol... I mean, just taking a walk, I guess..."

"Oh, there you are!" A voice says. Looking to the side, I see a short dog man, likely a pug, wearing a suit and holding a briefcase, run up to Hoshino.

"Huh? What?" The pink haired girl asks.

"You're the student who saved me from those thugs! I wanted to say thanks, but you left so suddenly..." He says, before bowing at her. "Thank you. I wouldn't be able to afford this month's rent if not for you."

Hoshino's eyes widen, likely due to her being caught on the spot. "Oh, I... That was just..."

"Oh, you're a student from Abydos." He observes, seeing her school badge clipped to her shirt. "I heard you go on patrol every night, but I didn't expect to meet you like this, Thank you!"

The pug man then bows once more, before leaving Hoshino and I alone on the moonlit street corner in Abydos.

Hoshino sighs to herself, muttering, "Geez..."

"You've been patrolin' late at night?" I ask, surprised by this development.

"It was just a coincidence... Um..." She tries to deny, but I merely raise an eyebrow. "I feel like the more I say, the more convoluted this is going to get..." She then looks up at me intently. "Sensei... can you just pretend like you didn't see anything? This is so embarrassing. I really don't know what to do right now..."

"I... wasn't planning on tellin' anyone." I say slowly. "What's there to be embarrassed about, anyway?"

"Argh! Do you like teasing me or something?!" She shouts, upset.

"What? No!" I deny. "I was just wondering why you're bein' so serious about this. If anything, it's making me worried about how much sleep you're getting and..." Hang on a sec.

"...Hoshino." I say, seriously and slowly. "...Is this why you sleep all the time? 'Cause you're patrolling at night...?"

She just awkwardly chuckles. "I do like to sleep a lot, don't I? It's one of my hobbies. So trust me, I'm not pushing myself too hard." She then smiles a cute smile. "...You were worried about me, weren't you? No one cares as much as you do, you know."

"Wha-?" I let out a surprised sound as the pink haired girl grasps my arm tightly, wrapping it with both arms and holding it against her body.

"Oh, I'm feeling dizzy all of a sudden! I'm so lightheaded..." She whines, jokingly. "I think I need you to hold my arm on the way home. I'm so dizzy." She says smugly, before looking up at me with a smug smile and a faint blush across her cheeks. "Come on, let's go. You wouldn't deny an innocent young maiden's request, would you?"

I let out a bark of laughter. "All right, then. I shall escort Milady home." I say with a smile, pulling the shorter girl closer, eliciting a stronger blush from her.

As we began to walk, the short girl's smile grew three times.

The two of us then walked to an apartment complex near Abydos High School, and Hoshino went inside. I walked back to Schale, getting a text from Hoshino as I reached the building's entrance.

Sensei, can you please not tell anyone about tonight? I know you can keep a secret.

Um... I just feel so embarrassed.

What's to be embarrassed about?

You got sleepy and I walked you home. That's all there is.

Heehee! Thanks, Sensei. See you later, then.

Heh. Sweet dreams, Hoshino.

Speaking of, I need some damn sleep. Hope I can actually fall asleep this time.

In an apartment in Abydos, a familiar pink haired girl sits on her bed, looking at her phone.

Heh. Sweet dreams, Hoshino.

'...This guy...' She thinks to herself, a serene smile and a blush creeping their way onto her face.

The short girl then puts her phone down and gets into bed.

'Sweet dreams, Sensei...'

AN

A pretty long chapter, huh?

Matter of fact, this is the longest chapter I've written thus far, a few hundred words more than Chapters 8 and 15 of this story.

Also, Haruka is a fucking cinnamon roll that deserves more love and fanart. MORE I SAY! MORE!

ANY WHO DARE TO INSULT HER SHALL FACE MY WRATH!

Ahem... next time, Sensei goes to Russia.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!