Chapter 68 - Down Time XX
...
One morning in Schale, as I was busy doing menial work around the office, Chihiro texted me.
Sensei, I'm sorry, I know you're busy.
There was a security breach at Schale, so I'd like to take a look at the servers.
This is the first I'm hearing of any breaches. Was it Kotama?
...
The fact you think it was her concerns me.
Long story. I'll explain some time.
Anyway, I need the password for the PC. Can I come to the Schale office?
Come on in.
I am worried that it was Kotama, she's been up to no good lately. Before I could put my phone up, I noticed I got a text from Aru while responding to Chihiro.
Sensei, are you free this afternoon?
I might be, but I can make some time for you.
A-Ahem! Well, o-okay.
I have something important to discuss with you, Sensei.
Come by the Problem Solver Office this afternoon. I'll be waiting.
I'll be there.
More plans, huh? Not like it bothers me.
Not long after our conversation, Chihiro showed up and quickly got to work, her face becoming one of sheer focus as she did the security check. I got some work done while she worked.
After about a half an hour, she leaned back in the chair with a sigh.
"All done?" I ask.
"Yes. Thankfully, the security check itself didn't pose much of a challenge." The blue haired hacker says. "All I had to do was thoroughly examine the logs and clear the cache. Fortunately, I didn't find any traces of the Schale server being hacked or any malware left behind."
"Well that's good." I say, relieved.
"I AM surprised about your PC's password." She praises.
"Oh that? I was friends with a hacker once, he gave me quite a few ideas for passwords that's hard to crack." I explain.
"Hard? This would be incredibly difficult. What was the thought process behind this, anyway?" Chihiro asks, still confused.
"It's literally just 'I am the best teacher.', translated to Japanese, then converted to hexadecimal." I say.
The hacker girl stares at me, silent with wide eyes, for a long while. "...Are... Are you being serious?"
"Yeah, lemme show you." I say, walking over the the computer. "Look here, I'll type in 'I am the best teacher.', which when translated turns into '私は最高の教師です。', then when converted to hex becomes 'e7a781e381afe69c80e9ab98e381aee69599e5b8abe381a7e38199e38082'. Simple."
"That's... actually quite smart, Sensei." She praises, a tad unbelieving. "Though, why 'I am the best teacher.'?"
"It was the first thing I thought of." I say, shrugging. "Still, no problems?"
"None at all." She confirms. "And I hesitate to ask, but why were you worried about it being Kotama?"
I can't help but sigh. "It all started a few days ago when she sent me a text."
While eating, I got a text from Kotama.
Sensei! Sensei!
What? What?
Is there something that you particularly like?
You'll have to be more specific with that.
Like something you collect?
No.
Or something you carry around all day long?
I've already got a wallet. I don't see a need for two.
Really? That might make things difficult...
What will be difficult?
Never mind.
What the hell...?
"Why would she ask that?" Chihiro asks.
"I had the same question, then she showed up the next day with a big-ass teddy bear." I deadpan.
"What." She deadpans.
"So, uh... What's with the bear?" I ask Kotama, who suddenly showed up with the aforementioned object in her hands.
"Well, uh..." Kotama begins, nervously. "It's a gift. A gift for Sensei."
"What for?" I ask.
"Well, we did receive a lot of help from you..." She begins, clearly trying to find an excuse. "I thought about how I could repay you, and decided to give you a gift."
"Well, this is certainly... unexpected. But thanks." I say, taking the bear from her hands.
"Sensei, I'd like for you to keep this teddy bear in Schale's Office if possible." Kotama declares.
"Huh?" I ask.
"I don't have any ulterior motives." She stresses.
"Sure." I say, playing along.
"I just... thought it'd be best for the bear." The blonde hacker says, awkward.
"Suuuuure." I say.
"I'd prefer it to be placed somewhere in the sunlight where it can overlook the entire office." She continues, not helping her case at all. "Don't place anything in front of it which might block it's sight, and be sure to keep it away from water and electromagnetic fields that might be bad for electronics..."
"Mmhm." I hum, examining the bear.
Kotama stills upon noticing my inspection. "S-Sensei? Why are you..." She stops speaking when I pull on one of the buttons a bit and find a strange and very small electronic device hidden behind it.
"Th-That's..." She begins, proving to me that she has a really bad poker face. "I wouldn't worry about that. It's just a simple... It's just a device that records sound!" She exclaims, thinking she's found the perfect excuse.
"Sound?" I ask, not buying it at all. I sigh, before continuing. "I can't accept this gift, Kotama." I say, with all honesty.
The blonde hacker sighs. "Yes... I guess it can't be helped if you don't like it..."
"Then she left with the bear." I finish my story to Chihiro.
"I take it that wasn't the end?" The blue haired hacker asks.
"Oh, not by a long shot." I say. "She showed up the next day, as a matter of fact."
"Sensei, I brought a new wall clock." Kotama says, having returned to my office. Again with this?
"A wall clock?" I ask.
"You won't find anything strange this time." She reassures.
"Okay, then." I say, taking the clock from her. "You don't mind if I give it a once over, do ya?"
"Go ahead." Kotama says, confident.
A once over of the clock showed nothing, but when I pulled out a small screwdriver, Kotama's face suddenly betrayed a sense of worry. Sure enough, after unscrewing the back plate, I found a strange device tucked away under the clock's hands.
"And this is?" I ask, deadpan.
"Oh, it's just... a clock with a recording device." She admits. "Other than that, there's nothing unique about it.
"Kotama..." I say, warningly.
She lets out a disappointed sigh. "Foiled again..." She mutters, upset.
"She seriously said that?" Chihiro asks.
"I know right? Who says 'foiled again' in this day and age?" I ask, shaking my head. "Anyway, you might expect her to show up with another stuffed animal or nick-nack, but she showed up the next day with food."
"Sensei, I've prepared a meal for you." Kotama announces, coming into my office for the third day in a row. "Please eat it before it gets cold."
"A meal?" I ask, a tad surprised and confused.
As I went to grab the plate, I saw a wiretapping device floating in the food.
"You're messing with me, right?" Chihiro asks.
"That's almost what I said, word for word." I deadpan.
"You're fuckin' with me, right?" I ask Kotama. "Are you trying to spy on my colon now?"
"...It seems you already know." The blonde hacker says.
"Yeah." I say simply.
"I guess even a meal isn't a viable option for eavesdropping." She bemoans. "The teddy bear, clock and meal all failed..." She muses, sitting the plate down.
"Why are you so insistent on wiretapping this place?" I ask, genuinely concerned.
"It's not about wiretapping, I just want to record your voice." Kotama admits.
"Huh?" I ask, caught way off-guard.
"You don't need to be so secretive about it. I can record voice lines if needed, Kotama." I say.
"Well, it's not exactly that. I'm doing this because... I want to know a secret of yours that nobody else knows." She declares. "I thought of I wiretapped the Schale Office, I might be able to record you slipping up here and there..."
"Why would you want to do that? Gonna blackmail me?" I ask, rhetorically.
"No, that's not true!" She vehemently denies the idea. "I just want to have a normal conversation with you..."
"You mean, like we're having right now." I ask, eyebrow raised.
"Sensei." She continues, more serious than before. "In my eyes, you're a perfect adult with zero flaws." I almost scoff at that. "Of course, I've gotten help from you thanks to your perfection, but that just makes it even harder for me to talk to you..." She admits. "I thought I'd be able to finally have a normal conversation with you if I knew a secret of yours others didn't, but... I guess it's not easy to get a wiretapping device past you. I'll give up on trying to uncover your secrets."
"Kotama." I say, softly, her purple eyes meeting mine. "I am NOT a perfect person, let alone a perfect adult. Don't ever think of me as perfect or unapproachable, 'cause that's just incredibly far from who I am..." I pause, moving closer to her and covering my mouth with my hand. "If you must know, I've always been afraid of heights."
"What?" She asks, eyes wide.
"Yeah, I don't know why. I've always pushed past my fears to the point they no longer affect me, but heights always make me tense up." I admit. "Of course, it doesn't bother me in fights or anything, but every now and again, I get a little nervous being so high up. It's rare, but it happens."
"I see... So Sensei is afraid of heights." Kotama muses, before breaking out into a cute smile. "That's funny." She says with a chuckle. "You work in an office in a tall building, and yet you're afraid of heights."
"Yup, like I said, it doesn't always bother me, but that's why it's a secret." I say, matching her smile with a grin. "No one can be truly perfect, everyone has a weakness or a flaw of some sort."
"I think I understand you better now, Sensei." Kotama says, pleased. "Thanks."
"Then she left." I say, finishing my story to Chihiro. "I was bit worried she'd try again, despite our little heart-to-heart."
"Knowing her, she'll try something again." Chihiro says, seriously, causing me to let out a chuckle.
"Oh well..." I shrug.
Chihiro left soon after, then as I was about to get back to work, Chise texted me. I haven't heard from her or a lot of the girls from Hyakkiyako in a while...
Sensei.
I saw some lovely clouds.
Yeah, it's a real pretty day, huh?
Yes.
So today...
I might be able to find them.
At least, I think so.
Sensei, let's go find them.
Find what?
Clouds.
...Clouds?
I'll wait for you in the shopping district.
Chise?
Something's off with that girl... Guess I'm going to Hyakkiyako, then.
After making it to the Hyakkiyako shopping district, I found Chise walking around, completely aimlessly.
"The fuck's she doing...?" I mutter to myself. Shrugging that aside, I walked up to her. "Chise?"
"Ah, Sensei. You're here." The blue haired oni girl realizes, smiling a bit when she sees me.
"What are you doing?" I ask. "You looked like you were just wanderin' around."
"Well..." She says, slowly. "Uh, I was chasing a cloud."
"A cloud?" I ask.
"Ah, there." She says, pointing in the sky. "It's moving again. Sensei, we have to chase it."
I just smile and shrug, not feeling like arguing with the slow oni. "Lead the way, then."
With that cue, Chise began to slowly walk after the cloud.
After a while, Chise and I leave the shopping district and continue 'chasing' the cloud through a resedential area.
"The cloud..." She idly says.
"That's the one you said you were looking for?" I ask.
"No, it's different." She says, shaking her head. "The cloud I'm looking for is a little... softer. It's light and fluffy, Sensei."
"Hmmm... Clouds, huh?" I muse.
Chise remains silent as she continues after the cloud. What is going on in her head?
Just like how the wind pushed the clouds in the sky along at a slow pace, so too did it push Chise, and I as a result. We walk around the Hyakkiyako district for around an hour, each time we stop, Chise gets disappointed and says 'Not here'.
"Not here, either." Chise says. "Hmm..."
"Say, Chise..." I say, catching her attention.
"Hm? Sensei? What's the matter?" The oni girl asks.
"What kind of cloud are you looking for exactly?" I ask.
"The kind of cloud I'm looking for..." She begins.
"We can find it faster if ya tell me." I assure.
"Ah, good point." Chise says slowly, realizing. "With your help, Sensei... I think we can find it." She says, with a small smile. "So, the kind of cloud I'm looking for... is... Well... It's a soft cloud."
"You mentioned that before. Anything else?" I ask.
"And... It had a great smell to it." She says.
"Smell?" I ask.
"Yup." She confirms. "The scent made me feel like I was floating through the soft clouds in the sky."
"Could you... give me any more details?" I ask, slowly, still very confused.
"More detail..." Chise says, slowly as usual. "Uh." She remembers something. "It smells like the shining sun over our heads."
"...The sun, huh?" I muse. "Anything else?"
"Anything else... Some other characteristic..." She says, thinking. "Ah, there's one other thing. The cloud felt like you."
"Like... me?" I ask, caught off-guard.
"Yup. It was just like you." She says with a smile. "Yeah! It's warm like the sunshine and smells so incredibly good. I feel great just being around it! I liked it a lot."
"I... I see." I say, still confused.
"The weather is so great today. I think we might find it!" She says. "It'd be great if we did."
I ended up wandering around with Chise for most of the day, both of us striking up conversation every now and again.
As we walked though a mercantile street, Chise became dejected. "I don't think we're going to find the cloud."
"Eh, you never know." I say, attempting to reassure her. "Besides, there's always tomorrow, right?"
Chise doesn't respond as she's staring at something.
"Chise?" I ask. "What are you staring at?"
"Cotton candy..." Chise eventually says.
"You want some?"
She continues staring at the sweets, only responding with a nod.
"C'mon then. I'll go buy ya some." I offer.
"How is it?" I ask Chise, who's munching on blue cotton candy as I take a break from eating my pink candy.
"It's good." She says with a small smile.
"Good." I say, returning the smile. "Shame we didn't find the cloud."
"Yeah." She says, continuing to eat.
"Still, why were you looking for that cloud, anyway?" I ask, curious.
"It's hard to explain." She says. "But that's fine... This cloud, I like this one too." She says, looking at the sweet in her hand.
"I'm glad to hear that." I say with a smile.
"The shape and texture is a little different, but... you sure know how to buy the tastiest clouds." Chise says, smiling, before pausing. "Ah. My hand is all sticky, Sensei. I suppose I should wash the rest of the cotton candy so it's not so sticky."
"No, we should go grab some napkins." I say quickly, stopping her. "Washing cotton candy will cause it to dissolve."
After that, I had to wrangle Chise to try and stop her from wiping her hands on my clothes. Thankfully, I found some napkins and got her to use them instead.
But, once again, Chise wandered off, remembering to say farewell first.
And so, I decided to walk back home, but as I passed through the Hyakkiyako district, I noticed a crowd of people in the middle of a plaza, all around something.
As I approached, I saw what they were all fawning over. It was Tsubaki, standing in place with her eyes closed and her breathing light, completely asleep.
...What the fuck?
"Hey, look. Is that...?" One passerby asks, whispering just like the rest of the crowd, likely not wanting to distrub Tsubaki.
"That's the Sleeping Beauty of Hyakkiyako!" Another whisper-shouts.
No, seriously. What the fuck?
"Sleeping Beauty..." A third person mutters. "You mean that pro sleeper who can sleep better than anyone?!"
Pro... sleeper?
"You know, I think I've seen her before." The first person muses. "I saw her do a jigsaw puzzle in her sleep!"
Wait, Shizuko wasn't making that up?!
"Is that all?" The second person asks, smugly. "One time, I saw the Sleeping Beauty doze off before building a tower out of playing cards!"
"Haha, that's nothing!" The third person scoffs. "I saw the Sleeping Beauty..."
And on, and on they go, bragging about nonsense. Ignoring them, I decide to go and wake her up, but before I can-
"Here she is! The president of Hyakkiyako's Inner Discipline Club!"
-rocket launcher-carrying mouryo show up, clad in their usual kimonos and long-nosed daitengu masks.
"I heard there was a student sleeping in the street, so I had to know..." One of the goons say. "Sure enough, it turned out the be the Inner Discipline Club's president!"
Tsubaki doesn't react to the goons speaking loudly whatsoever, no even a twitch.
"Don't act like you don't know who we are!" One of them snaps. What does she mean by that? Tsubaki is fucking asleep!
...Or not. Tsubaki's eyes open and she lets out a yawn, then a soft moan, then she closes her eyes and falls asleep again.
"Are you ignoring us?!" The mouryo snaps.
"She's not listening at all!" The other shouts.
"Ugh, whatever!" The first groans. "Last time you wandered around at night, you interrupted our artistic expression of dissatisfaction of this unjust society!"
What.
"What?" The other asks. "I thought we were just scribbling on a wall?"
What?
"Sh-Shut up!" The first says, quickly. "She's sleeping, so now's our chance. Do it!"
"Alrighty!" The other says, kneeling down and aiming her rocket launcher at Tsubaki. The passerbys seem to notice as well.
"A-Are they gonna shoot the sleeping beauty?!" The first passerby from before exclaims.
"Whoa! That's dangerous!" The second exclaims.
fwoosh BOOM
And... nothing. Tsubaki literally tanks a rocket launcher and remains asleep like nothing happened.
"Argh!" The second mouryo shouts, fed up. "I can't believe she's still asleep after taking a rocket head-on! Doesn't she feel anything?"
"It wasn't enough! We need more power!" The first shouts.
"Fine, then." The second smirks, deviously, before pulling out a grenade. "Then take this!"
The grenade rolls over to Tsubaki and explodes, smoke obscuring her form as the mouryo begin to cheer.
"Haha! How was that? Did we finish her off?" The first asks.
"Um... Well, you probably shouldn't get ahead of yourself." The second one says.
Sure enough, once the smoke clears, we see Tsubaki, still asleep and unharmed.
"Wh-What...? She tanked our attacks... while sleeping?" The first mouryo asks, dumbstruck.
"Sh-She's even worse than the rumors! What do we do...?" The second asks, worried.
"Unbelievable!" The first passerby exclaims.
"This must be why everyone fears the Sleeping Beauty of Hyakkiyako!" The second one adds.
"Look at that triumphant look on her face!" The third pipes up.
Triumphant...? She's asleep... Tsubaki even lets out a soft yawn.
"I can't believe she's gloating about her victory in her sleep!" The second exclaims.
Okay... I though Red Winter was filled with crazies, but it seems like they're everywhere in this city.
"Well, in that case..." The first mouryo says, deviously.
"Okay, enough." I call out, gaining everyone's attention.
"Wait, isn't that Schale's Sensei?" The first goon asks.
"What?! I don't want to get involved with Schale!" The second one adds.
"Ugh! Retreat!" The first says, then they run off.
"...Oh well." I say, shrugging, before I walk over to Tsubaki and shake her lightly. "Tsubaki."
"Look, I don't know who you are-" The first passerby says with an almost pitying voice. "-, but the Sleeping Beauty won't wake up just because you call her name..."
"Hm?" Tsubaki says, her eyes opening. "That voice... Oh. It's you, Sensei." She says with a soft smile.
"I don't believe it!" The second passerby exclaims. "After all that, the Sleeping Beauty finally woke up!"
"Just because that man said her name?!" The third shouts.
"Hang on, isn't he the Sensei of Schale?" The first asks. I tune the peanut gallery and their idiocy out and turn back to the panda-eared girl.
"Tsubaki, why in the world were you asleep in the street?" I ask, concerned.
"Hm? What do you mean?" She asks, tilting her head slightly. "I just fell asleep while waiting for something. The sun is so nice and warm today..." She says with a bright smile. "I feel like... I just had a really exciting dream..."
"That right?" I ask, smiling.
"And this gentle breeze..." She muses, as the wind begins to blow a bit. "It's the perfect day to sleep- Uh, I mean train. Don't you agree, Sensei?" She asks, letting out another yawn.
"It IS rather nice out today." I say, agreeing.
"Yup. Allow me to demonstrate." She says. "You just get into position and-"
"No, it's fine." I say quickly, cutting her off. "I saw you in action just a minute ago."
"What? You already saw me...?" Tsubaki asks, surprised.
"You WERE in the middle of the street, after all." I point out.
"Hm... That's no good!" She pouts. "I wanted to show you how I train..."
"There's always next time, Tsubaki." I reassure. "Still, we haven't seen each other in a while. You wanna grab some lunch?"
"Lunch...?" She asks, cutely tilting her head, before she breaks out into a bright smile and lets out a soft giggle. "Lunch with Sensei as soon as I wake up? Am I still dreaming?"
"Not this time." I say, returning her smile.
"Okay, Sensei! Then let's..." She trails off, her eyes slowly closing.
"O-Oi! Don't fall asleep again!" I shout.
Thankfully, I managed to keep Tsubaki awake long enough for us to eat a late lunch. Afterwards, I returned to Schale and continued working, doing this and that.
After a while, I finished doing what needed to be done and made my way over to the Problem Solver office. The door was left slightly open, so I knocked while entering and found Aru sitting at her desk.
"Ah, there you are, Sensei. Please, sit." Aru says, holding a pen in her hand. The way she said that kinda seems as though she practiced this meeting.
"So, what did ya wanna talk about?" I ask, sitting on the black couch.
"Oh, nothing special. I just came up with a new business plan recently." She explains. "Part of being a great boss is also recognizing my own weakness. No one is perfect, after all. So getting outside help to cover my weakness is best for business."
"I get what you're saying, but where are you going with this?" I ask, confused.
"If there's one thing I lack more than anything, it's leadership experience. And then I realized... I don't know anyone with more of it than you." She explains. "After all, you're the adult here. Y-You must have plenty of experience in things I don't know about..."
"That's a fair point." I comment.
"S-Sure, I'm going to catch up someday, but for now... I mean..." She pauses, clearing her throat. "What I'm trying to say is, I'd like to formally recruit you as a management consultant at our company."
"Management consultant?" I ask, taken aback.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not asking you to decide right away." Aru says, waving off my concern with a proud laugh. "We have plenty of time. Take as long as you need until you're sure you know what your heart wants. The same way I'm sure I'm the best leader in Gehenna, no matter what anyone says."
Little did Joshua know, but this all really WAS planned by Aru.
'Heh heh. I pulled it off.' Aru mentally cheers. 'I sounded so mature! Now I just have to land the closing!'
She's really trying to impress me, huh? I figured it'd be just the greeting, but I think she actually might have planned this whole pitch out.
Before I could say anything else, the phone rings.
brrrring brrrring
Specifically, the phone on Aru's desk. It's a black, rotary phone, which looks well-kept.
"Oh, give me a minute." Aru says, excusing herself as she reaches to pick up the phone. "It's business. We can finish our talk after this."
'What perfect timing!' Aru thinks to herself happily. 'All I have to do now is show Sensei how competently I can handle business matters and it'll be mission complete!'
Aru leans back in her chair, crossing her rather attractive legs as she gracefully picks up the phone and puts it to her ear as she flashes me a confident grin, while the pen in her other hand is spun around with ease.
"Hello. This is Problem Solver Sixty-Eight, Rikuhachima Aru." She professionally says, over the phone.
Aru looks at Sensei with nothing but pure confidence. 'Heh. One look at my professional side and you'll fall in love. I hope you're ready!'
But she cringes, hearing the speaker on the other side of the line. 'Wait, did they call the wrong number?! We're not a damned sushi restaurant!'
Huh, Aru looked kinda pissed for a second there... She schooled her features quickly, but I noticed it.
"Hmm. That might not be doable. We have our hands full right now." Aru says over the phone.
'Delivery? This is getting ridiculous...' Aru mentally scoffs.
An annoyed expression came on her face this time. Who the hell's calling?
"Uh-huh... Right... Of course. I understand." The red haired girl continues.
'Why won't this idiot just HANG UP?!' Aru seethes mentally. "Why are we STILL talking?!'
She looks kinda pissed, but only for a moment.
"Hmm... That will be a challenge." Aru continues. "Looking at this quarter's forecast, the current interest rate is..."
Interest rate? Is she just making up shit now?
'How much is our sushi...? WE DON'T EVEN DO THAT!' Aru seethes. 'Are you kidding me? How stupid is this person?!'
"Oh, yes. That's been confirmed... I see..." She continues speaking over the phone, doing her damndest to keep her composure.
'Who cares what your favorite sushi is? Ugh... What's wrong with this lunatic?!' Aru shouts mentally.
She looks pissed again.
"Huh? You think I have the wrong number?" She asks, looking caught completely off-guard, before she awkwardly chuckles. "Wh-What are you talking about? You called me!" After a moment of silence, she groans and places the phone back down.
Aru looks at me nervously. "S-So, you heard all of that... right?"
"I did." I say simply with a knowing smile.
"Well, what did you think?" She asks, smugly. "Sensei, I hope you're not TOO impressed by my professionalism. Just be careful not to stand too close to me. I wouldn't want you to get singed by my burning passion!"
...How can she say that with a straight face?
"Say, you had anythin' to eat yet?" I ask.
"Wh-Huh?" Aru asks, being caught-off guard.
"Well, I'm feeling kinda hungry. Whaddya say? My treat." I offer.
Aru stares at me, blinking in surprise for a moment. "Well... If you're offering, who am I to turn you down?" She asks, schooling her features.
Before another word can be spoken, the door to the office swings open as the other three members of the Problem Solver business enter.
"Hey, Aru! We're-" Mutsuki begins to call out, stopping as her eyes fall on me. "Ah, Sensei!" She chirps, running over and plopping down on the couch, pressing herself against me as much as she can. "Long time no see!"
"Really? That's the first thing you do, Mutsuki?" Kayoko dryly asks as she and Haruka come in, closing the door behind themselves.
"Why not? It's important to properly greet our guests." The imp says, before turning to me with her trademarked smug grin. "Right, Sensei?"
"I suppose so." I say, returning the grin. "Though I suppose, as y'all's new management consultant, I oughta get to know my fellows a bit better."
"Management consultant?" The punk girl asks.
"Eh? You're agreeing to my proposition?" Aru asks, shocked.
"You convinced me." I say, shrugging. "Besides, I've already been consulting you with management-related things, this just makes it official."
"D-Does that mean Sensei will be spending more time with us?" Haruka asks shyly.
"I hope so, Sensei's been neglecting us, after all." Mutsuki fake-whines.
"Well, it's true I haven't seen y'all in a while." I muse, before moving my face closer to Mutsuki's.
"Eek." The imp's smile immediately disappears as she lets out a squeak from the sudden closeness, her eyes wide as can be.
"I suppose we should spend some time and get to know each other a bit more... intimately. What do you say, Mu~ tsu~ ki~ chan~?" I say, lowering my voice a bit.
"U... Wha... W-Well..." Mustuki reels back, stuttering with a red face.
"Holy crap." Kayoko breathes, eyes wide. "I think this is the first time someone's counter-teased Mutsuki."
"And if you girls hang around me more, it certainly won't be the last." I add, confidently.
The girls all make a small smile at my words.
"Anyway, I was offering to bring Aru with me to eat some dinner before y'all came in. You three are free to join too." I offer.
"I-If Lady Aru is going, then I will too." Haruka declares.
"If you're offering." Kayoko says, smiling.
"Spending more time with Sensei? Count me in!" Mutsuki cheers, having recovered from my counter.
We all turn and look at Aru, who shrinks under our gaze. "W-Well, if my employees are interested, it would behoove me to agree as well. I would love to go and eat something with you, Sensei."
"Great." I say, standing up. "I'm thinkin' sushi."
Aru flinches. Hard.
"Sensei?" The horned boss asks, slowly.
"Yes?"
"Did you hear what the person on the other line said?"
"I have very good hearing, Aru."
She flinches again.
After an evening spent spending time with the Problem Solver girls (and cheering up Aru with as much sushi as she wanted), I returned to Schale, leftovers in hand for Arona, who happily and greedily devoured them in record pace. The rest of the evening was quiet, allowing me to get some more work done.
I really curse whoever invented paperwork. Fuck bureaucracy.
The next morning, the pattern repeated. I got to work, then got a text. Go figure. Though, the rhythm was thrown off by getting a text from Iroha, and not someone I've already spent some time with.
Sensei, are you at Schale?
Yeah. Why?
Okay, then.
I'm coming.
What?
Why?
Fuck it, I'll figure out why when she gets here...
After working for a long while, I grabbed a big cup of coffee and plopped down on the couch in the Rec Room.
"Excuse me, Sensei." A voice calls out from the top of the stairs.
"Yo, Iroha." I say, waving at the redhead who's suddenly appeared. "Why've you swung by?"
"No reason." She shrugs, walking downstairs. "I asked you on Momo Talk and you said you were at Schale. So, I came to see you."
"Ah." I say, in realization.
"We received a mission from the Pandemonium Society. It was an order to lure you out, by any means possible." Iroha admits. "We've been given clearance to threaten you, negotiate, hold you hostage, or even..." She pauses, flashing me a Mustuki-like grin. "Even seduce you and turn you into an ally. That's pretty much it."
"Sorry, but Schale's always going to be a neutral group." I say, with a tone of finality. "Though I have to admit, you've certainly got guts telling me your mission straight-up like that."
Iroha just sighs. "I thought it would be pointless to make something up. Based on my intel, you're not the type to fall for sketchy tricks. I figured my best bet would be to lay out all my cards from the start and just stick by you. At least then you wouldn't think badly of me."
"Eh, fair enough." I say, shrugging.
"Besides, I'm too lazy to come up with some elaborate strategy." She freely admits. "Plus, you wouldn't want a liar for an ally, right?"
"Once again, fair enough." I reiterate with a smile.
"I took the route with the least effort and most efficiency." She continues.
"I don't care if you wanna hide something. Being honest is one thing, but we've all got our secrets." I say, nonchalant.
"...What?" Iroha asks, dumbfounded. "Are you really okay with someone pretending to like you, when all they want is to take advantage of you? You're making me almost as mad as those Trinity morons do."
"It certainly wouldn't be the first time, Iroha." I say with seriousness, her grey eyes widening a bit from my tone shift. "If people want to come and act all buddy-buddy with me just to use me, they're more than welcome to TRY."
The tank commander stares at me for a long moment, her eyes meeting mine the whole time, before she averts them and sighs.
"I did my research before speaking to you, but you've exceeded my expectations... But, if that's the case, I might have to change my strategy a bit. So let me explain, even though I really don't want to." She pauses, her face becoming more serious. "Sensei, please lend Schale's power to the Pandemonium Society. If that's not possible, please just help us. And if THAT'S too much... just think of us as a contractor. If you can help us, we'll make to worth your while. I think President Makoto said something like, 'On the day we dominate Kivotos, we'll give you half!'..."
I have to hold back a scoff at that.
"Well, the stuff they promise in contracts is always exaggerated, right?" Iroha says, nonchalant. "Why don't we leave it at, 'You may get less than half, but what is half, anyway? It's all subjective'. It's different interpretations. What do you say?" She asks, grinning. "You want to make an exclusive contract with the Pandemonium Society?"
"Remember, completely neutral, Iroha." I deadpan. "Besides, why would I want to help someone who openly says they want to take over the city?" I pause, before smiling. "Though I will give you credit for the 'less than half' bit. You could take over the whole city, own everything and could have only accomplished it with my help, and still fulfill the contract by giving me a single yen. It's still less than half, right?"
"Fair point." She says, smiling. "Though, you turning me down is certainly a relief."
"How's that?" I ask, but all she does is quietly plop down on the couch next to me. She rotates, laying down instead of sitting, her knees raised so that she can occupy only two of the three seats.
"Makin' yourself at home, huh?" I joke.
"Yeah. Give me a second, I'm trying to get comfortable." Iroha says, earning a bark of laughter from me. "This is much better." She says, after repositioning a bit. Then she pulls a book out from her coat and begins to read.
"Really?" I deadpan.
"Oh, right." She says, eyeing my cup. "You have coffee here, right? Can you get me a shot of espresso? I want to finish this book today, so..."
I groan, close my eyes, and sigh. "Fuck it, fine." I say, standing up. "You can hang out here, but don't go snooping around or breakin' anything."
She waves me off, not looking at her book as she straightens her legs, occupying the entire couch.
This girl is something else...
Iroha stuck around while I got back to work. Thankfully, Arona was glad to keep an eye on the lazy girl due to being a literal ghost in the machine. As the day progressed towards noon, I got a text from Izuna. Haven't seen her in a while.
Or maybe I have, and just haven't noticed.
Nah, that presence has been around off and on from before I first went to Hyakkiyako.
Aruji-dono! Aruji-dono!
What? What?
Breaking news! This is bad!
What is?
I got my hands on a ninja-themed historical drama series! It's one of my favorites!
Oh? That sounds like good news instead of bad.
Well...
It was really hard to get, you know?
Would you be willing to watch it with me? Please?
I'm going to have a viewing at my house!
Sure, I'll swing by after lunch.
Really?
Heehee! I'll be waiting!
That girl... I suppress the chuckle that usually attempts to escape me when I speak with Izuna. She's way too sweet.
"Arona." I call out.
"Yes?" My AI pal asks, popping up on a screen.
"I'm gonna go hang out with Izuna this afternoon. Don't let our... ugh, 'guest' stay too long." I say, pausing to groan.
Arona lets out a soft giggle at my words. "Will do, Sensei."
And so, I made my way to Hyakkiyako and knocked on Izuna's door.
"Ah! Aruji-dono! You're here!" Izuna cheers, dashing forward to glomp me in a big hug right after opening the door. "Did you find your way okay?"
"Yup." I grin, patting the girl on the head, in between her fox ears.
"Then, come in, please." She says, letting me go as I follow her inside. Her house is small, but the place is decorated quite wildly. Various ninja-themed paraphernalia are scattered everywhere, but are placed neatly. The sheer number of nick-nacks is quite staggering.
"Ran outta space in your room?" I ask.
"Ah, yes." She admits. "Izuna had only so much room, but there have been so many different ninja-related items she's bought so..." She trails off, awkwardly giggling. "Would you like some tea?"
"If you've got some made, sure." I say.
A minute later, the fox girl emerges from the kitchen with a plate holding two cups of tea, steam wafting from the rims and... "Manju?" I ask.
"Yup! Popcorn flavored manju!" She chirps.
"I didn't know they made those..." I muse. "Then again, I didn't know popcorn flavored jellybeans existed for a long time, either."
"Popcorn flavored jellybeans?" She asks with a cute head tilt.
I just chuckle at the ninja girl's antics and take a cup of tea from the plate. She sits said plate down on a small table next to the couch. "Still, you really went all-out with this, huh?"
Izuna happily and proudly giggles, her tail swishing behind her. She then hops on the couch and motions me to do the same.
As I sit down, she begins to explain. "The series we're going to watch is one of Izuna's favorites. Izuna is sure you'll have a newfound appreciation for these kinds of stories once you see it."
"High praise." I comment.
"Izuna can hardly sit still...!" She says, her tail swishing behind her back. "Ever since Izuna sent you that Momo Talk, Izuna has felt like she's about to explode!"
"We won't be able to watch the show together if you blow up, dummy." I joke, eliciting a laugh from us both. "Anyway, what ARE we watchin'?"
"It's a deluxe set of Shiba Dog Wang Wang's masterpiece, 'The Lonely Seventy-Seven Wandering Ninjas'!" She happily explains.
"I dunno why they'd be lonely if there's seventy-seven of 'em." I point out.
Izuna continues her explanation, despite smiling at my observation. "There are eight episodes that run for an hour each!"
"With or without commercials?" I ask, eyes narrow.
"They were originally aired with less commercials than normal, so Izuna would say they're all around fifty minutes each." She explains, before smiling brightly. "Izuna hopes you didn't have plans for the next eight hours!"
"I don't, but next time make sure I don't beforehand." I chide.
She awkwardly chuckles. "A-Anyway, this is a must-watch if you want to understand the true value of ninja historical dramas."
"Well, we might as well stop wastin' time, then." I say, causing her to smile once more and quickly stand up, before dashing towards a small box, and taking out... "Is that a VHS tape?" I ask, eyes wide.
"Yup yup!" The fox girl chirps. "The show hasn't been aired in a long, long time, but Izuna managed to get her hands on an original release of the tape."
I nod, an appreciative look on my face as Izuna places the VHS tape in the player. I wonder how old VHS is here compared to Earth, seeing as how the tech is leaps and bounds beyond the stuff back home.
"Ooh! It's starting!" She cheers, plopping back down on the couch.
Then, Izuna and I spent the rest of the day watching the show. And I mean that. It was night when it ended.
"Wow! That was so much fun!" The ninja fox girl cheered as the credits began to roll on the final episode.
"Yeah, it was pretty-"
"Loyalty to a lord!" She shouts, interrupting my musings. "Ninjas forced to cross blades just to survive. Desperate struggles! Betrayal! And the friendship and love that bloom in the ashes... Wasn't it amazing, Aruji-dono?" She asks, happily, her tail swishing once again.
"Yeah, I didn't know whether or not I'd like it, but it ended up being pretty good." I praise, and honestly at that.
"When Izuna looks at it, she can't help but think to herself, 'Oh, that's cool!'. Ninjas are the best!" She cheers.
"Yeah. I'd definitely say I've gleaned a bit from it. I can see where you love of ninjas is comin' from a bit better now." I admit.
Izuna gasps in shock. "You finally understand!" She exclaims, leaping forward and happily hugging me, wrapping her arms around my neck, causing the unfortunate side-effect of my face impacting her chest. She pulls back after a moment, smiling brightly. "Hehe, Aruji-dono... That really makes me so happy!"
Unable to resist, I place my hand on her head and pat it. Izuna just giggles under my hand.
"Aruji-dono, Aruji-dono!" She chips rubbing her head against my hand like a cat, before her eyes open. "Oh, Izuna almost forgot." I remove my hand from her head. "This one's great, but Izuna has a new series to recommend!"
"Well, let's watch it together sometime, then." I offer. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask, but did you ever get into that Ninjitsu Research Club?"
"Yup! Izuna did, she made two new friends there as well!" Izuna chirps.
"Then maybe you can invite them as well." I offer, smiling.
"Ooh!" She exclaims. "You're right! Michiru and Tsukuyo have already seen the show we've watched, but they haven't seen this one! Izuna will surely invite them next time!"
"Great. I can meet your friends and get to hang out with ya." I smile.
Izuna just giggles happily.
After getting home, I made a late dinner and ate with Arona. Apparently, Iroha took a nap and then left in the evening. While we ate, I got a text from Izuna.
I'm so happy I got to learn more about you AND ninjas!
I'm going to become a better ninja every day!
I'll be rooting for ya.
Hehehe. That girl...
AN
There should be one more chapter after this before we begin Volume 3. Don't quote me on that, though.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!