"You know that he isn't the right person, right?"

The girl with blue hair stared into nothingness, its impassive stare only leading her to smile self-deprecatingly.

"Yes, I'm aware. But as they say…"

"Insanity is attempting the same thing over and over again, right? That man told you that, didn't he?"

The darkness of nothing loomed over her. It judged her. But she would not be deterred.

"The right person… It's all relative." She held a black card in her left hand, it slowly fading away into the being before her that had granted it. "No matter what, I will live with this decision, and support him the best I can."

"Are you so ready to forsake the true path? Why choose someone else, whose hands are soaked in the blood of innocents, someone who lived by the ten emanations, for life and till death?"

"Because that man has suffered long enough, time and time again." The girl looked down, a remorseful look overcoming her face. "As he would say, all deserve second chances."

Space warped. Time turned. A clock ticked.

"I'll entrust the future to you, Che— no, Sensei. You may be similar, yet very different. May you not meet the same end as he did."

The girl smiled sadly, before slowly fading into the same nothingness that had judged her.

Arisu stared out to the distance beyond the glass, much like Sensei did so often. She was merely emulating what he did, but she could understand why he did it so often with the beautiful sight she saw with her ever so bright blue eyes. Over the short yet enjoyable time she'd been awake, out and about with her Sensei, she'd learned quite a bit, and there was something to look forward to with every passing day.

She couldn't quite understand just why sometimes when he looked at her, there was a complicated expression on his face. But she chalked it up to just Sensei being Sensei. He had his own things to do, as he did now, and thus his own feelings. Perhaps she was being a burden on him, but she didn't like to think of such a depressing notion. She'd try her best to keep to his words as best she could, even if they seemed contradictory at times.

Her studying had been going well. After a variety of tests, Sensei had simply just nodded with a small smile and let her be for the most part. It was only natural for her to be able to do those tests! She'd simply had a variety of information logged on her systems, and it was simply pulling said information as needed. Sure, that certain history test had been a bit of a slog since she hadn't the information in her systems, but the book Sensei provided just a day prior to the test had been quite informative. She aced it as a result.

Speaking of Sensei, though. He had been working so hard, day after day, trying to get something done recently. Logs after logs had been attained from Millennium after that debacle with Binah, which she had struck down with all her might. She wasn't aware of the details, but all Sensei had said was that the next time they fought Binah, it would be a lot harder. Something about conceptual defenses and Binah being more prepared.

This was notwithstanding him also going out to do commissions set out by the myriad schools in Kivotos. As a result, the coffee machine was nearly empty all the time, and Arisu took it upon herself to refill the water in it often. He went through about a pot and a half a day. She wasn't sure if Sensei had noticed, but it didn't really matter to her as long as he had his drink of choice, even if the rings around his eyes seemed to grow darker and darker.

Thankfully, Abydos had been an exception, to what seemed like dismay from Sensei. They hadn't been asking for assistance recently.

A book lay on the nearby table. She glanced at it minutely, before she stared back out the window. It was a book on morality that Sensei had provided. It was something she found difficult to wrap her mind around, considering how contextual it was. It didn't lend well to her systems. Her processing just couldn't quite manage a proper answer half the time, but she'd try her best anyway.

Whatever the case, maybe Sensei needed a pick-me-up. She had an allowance of sorts, granted to her by Sensei and the GSC, so perhaps she could get something for him. Maybe, considering the amount of coffee he drank, he'd like some more coffee beans. She could go on an excursion to source some great ones out! It'd only be fitting as a gift.

"Arona, do you know of any good places with good coffee beans?"

"Hmm? Arisu?" A modulated voice was heard through a speaker upon the nearby table.

"I'm thinking of getting a gift for Sensei. Any ideas, Arona?" Arisu questioned, her processors going into overdrive. As much as he was a help, she hadn't really paid him back just yet, so this was a perfect time to do it, since she had been allotted a lot of free time today.

"...I don't think coffee is a good idea, Arisu." While she couldn't see Arona's face, she could totally imagine a conflicted expression framing it.

"Why so?" Arisu questioned. He kept drinking the stuff, after all. She didn't like it one bit, considering how bitter it was. She actually much preferred the much milder teas that they had in stock. It filled her with a warmth, and the myriad flavors underlying were a wonder to behold. Though it wasn't mild by any means, Earl Gray was slowly becoming her favorite.

A pause.

"...He actually doesn't like coffee at all."

Arisu couldn't help but scrunch her eyes closed in confusion at that statement. "Why would he drink coffee if he doesn't like it?"

"To stay awake. He's not one to take care of himself too much, unfortunately. Don't take him as an example of what to do. He usually says something along the lines of 'do as I say, not as I do.'."

Arona's exasperation was palpable, even to her. She wasn't quite there in terms of reading emotions from words just yet, but she was getting there. Playing visual novels on Sensei's computer seemed to help with that.

"Whatever the case, Arisu. If you want to get him something he likes… Well, I actually don't have many suggestions." Arona sighed over the speaker. "He doesn't talk about himself much, since he mostly devotes his time and effort to teaching and helping students."

Somehow, she could feel Arona getting forlorn with those words. Considering Arona was his trusty AI adjutant, it was strange that she didn't know much about Sensei personally.

"He's rather fickle, admittedly. If something of great craftsmanship catches his eye, such as certain mecha models, he'd drop everything and buy it immediately." Arona pondered for a moment, seeming to think about Shua's habits. "Hmm. That gives me a thought…"

Arona's voice wandered off for a second. At this moment, Arisu thought it through. If Arona didn't know much, then… What did she herself know about him, then? Not much, she had to admit. Sensei was a teacher to her, but despite that, he seemed to take special care of her, most likely because she was his direct subordinate.

He took steps to guide her nearly at every turn, even if sometimes it didn't make sense. There were times where she was afraid of what he would say or do, because she didn't want to disappoint him, to make light of his efforts.

It made her chest hurt for reasons she didn't understand.

Why was it so complicated? She wished she had the answers.

Was she being a burden? She hoped not.

"Why not make something for him?" Arona finally suggested.

"Make something?" Arisu thought out loud. "But what?"

"He hasn't been eating properly recently. Why don't we go out and get some ingredients for cooking? While you're at it, bring along an earpiece, one from the desk. I'm certain you can cook right, Arisu?"

Arisu blanked out for a brisk moment, her processors beginning a query on the matter internally.

A ping quickly sounded out in her mind, denoting a 'yes'. There were indeed instructions and protocols for cooking dishes in her database. Mostly rice-based dishes, alongside some soups.

"I can… I think." Arisu said, unsure. "I have some protocols for doing so, but I haven't really ever put them into action yet."

It was something that Sensei had drilled into her. Theory and practice came hand-in-hand, but they were nevertheless separate. Knowing was half the battle, certainly, but no plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

Shua sighed, putting his hand over his head. There was a faint twinkle of regret in his eyes.

"Plan, prepare and practice. Put it into action, then adapt. That is the maxim I've had to live by."

There was something underlying within his words, with that sad smile of his, Arisu knew. But she didn't know what it was for certain. Sensei would never show off his innermost feelings, being an adult. That was what her programming denoted.

An 'adult'. That was what Sensei was. 'Adult' was a title, a state of being, and described a sort of… mindset. Her database didn't really state more than that. The notion described something great, grandiose, and one to be respected for they knew of the world, more than many did.

Following that, she would listen and learn. It was merely the natural order of things.

"I see, Arisu! That should do. Any ideas on what to cook, then?" Arona's voice cut through her thoughts that were running a mile a second, abruptly ceasing that train.

Something simple, something 'homely', something fulfilling. Those were the thoughts that came to her mind. She didn't quite understand the second notion, but it felt right. For what it was worth, Sensei didn't seem like someone who liked decadence too much.

So that left just a pair of dishes to go together. Out of all of the recipes she had in her database, these seemed the most appropriate.

"Chicken porridge, alongside some steamed eggs." Arisu responded. "That shouldn't be too complicated, and should work just fine, despite the fact that I haven't got much EXP… ah."

Arisu stuttered, a blush coming to her face. "I mean, experience on this skill."

She then quickly picked up a similar white earpiece to what Sensei would wear, placing it in her ear.

"Alright then." Arona giggled, her voice now coming in clearly to Arisu. "Let's head off, shall we?"

"Mmm." Arisu nodded to no one in particular. "Let's head off."

"Alpha has not moved. Still working. Bravo, walking away from the glass window." Said a girl in a blue mask with a stitched '2' on it, her gray wolf ears peeking out from them. She stared through her binoculars, a glint from the overhanging sun reflecting upon the lenses.

Unmistakably, this was Shiroko, wearing her trusty bank-robbing balaclava. She had a notepad next to her, the innards detailing the actions of Sensei throughout the past few days. Someone stood behind her, keeping an eye out.

"Understood." Another girl in a reddish-pink mask spoke in response, pink hair poking out from it, and a '1' stitched upon the top of said mask. "Keep a close eye on Bravo." This was Hoshino, who had her eyes completely wide and open in broad daylight, unlike the usual. She was covering their exit.

The two were standing atop a tall building adjacent to the Schale building, keeping an eye on that thing, who they deemed a threat, and Sensei, who they intended to protect. While nothing had happened so far, it was important to stay vigilant when it came to delicate matters like this. That was her experience talking.

It was mildly strange how he worked in front of a large glass window, but nobody sane would target him, considering Schale was under the GSC. Sure, it was bulletproofed with an obscene amount of layers, but still.

Attacking him was akin to kicking a hornet's nest. There was no doubt that there would be severe repercussions from the GSC, if that were to occur.

They had set off on this 'mission' under the pretense that they were on a fishing trip. Shiroko had pitched the idea, and Hoshino saw the merit in it. It had already been a few days, and they had been tracking him throughout Kivotos. The other members of the Foreclosure Task Force were left unaware of their true intentions. In fact, they were quite surprised that Hoshino had taken the initiative to go on an outing, though it was left uncontested since fishing was more or less an 'old man's hobby'. Shiroko was Shiroko, so they simply accepted her inclusion.

They couldn't be close to him without arousing suspicion from that thing. So, this was the next best thing. Considering they were essentially spying on him and her, it only seemed natural for them to wear the masks. While it wouldn't render them unrecognizable to Sensei, it was more of them getting themselves into the mindset of a criminal.

That was what they were doing, weren't they? Criminal acts, albeit for the sake of good.

There was an old tale that Sensei had once jokingly told them, Robin Hood. A bandit who stole from the rich, giving to the poor.

The circumstances were different, but the idea was nevertheless the same.

"Bravo is… leaving the building?" Shiroko blinked her mismatched eyes in surprise, lowering her binoculars. "...Horus, do we follow?"

"Hmm." Hoshino weighed the pros and cons quickly in her head. She twitched minutely. "Alpha should be staying there, considering his usual workflow. Alright, let's follow Bravo. Let's make sure she's not up to anything."

Hoshino's battle-hardened yet long unused instincts were screaming at her. Her golden right eye kept twitching, and her hands kept reflexively gripping the air as if it were a weapon. Her shotgun that was slung around her shoulder only seemed to give her cold comfort.

As Shiroko and her watched over Sensei carefully, she felt that they too were being watched. Was it nerves? Was it because they were essentially breaching the trust that Sensei had given them so earnestly? She wasn't so sure.

It felt like… a territorial beast of sorts, watching them carefully lest they step too far into its space. It didn't seem like that thing knew of them, or at least, showed any sign of noticing, so it probably wasn't her.

Shiroko seemed to notice as well, though her reactions were less subdued. Her face would scrunch up with anger and annoyance from time to time, and when Hoshino questioned her, Shiroko herself wasn't quite sure about why that was the case.

"Aye, Ma'am." Shiroko nodded, putting her binoculars back into her black messenger bag, preparing herself to go. "Let's get to trailing her."

"...Don't call me 'Ma'am', Shiroko." Hoshino grimaced. "I'd rather not feel old at a time like this."

Losing one to foolhardy trust and fallacious beliefs was enough. She'd rather not lose another.

Hoshino clenched her fists in determination, and turned to walk away.

The sun brightly shone overhead, basking everything underneath within its warmth. The hustle and bustle of the market, of people shouting and striving to attain a good deal for ingredients seemed to only heat things up even further.

Arisu paced around slowly, having Arona give her directions to the stores that Sensei himself went to whenever he wanted to cook something. Tidbits of trivia popped up in her mind from her database as she browsed the gallery of ingredients laid across the red-strewn bazaar.

"...There's plenty of things here, isn't there?" Arisu noted to herself, with her database listing down the plausible recipes she could enlist the myriad ingredients for. "Hmm… I could make a risotto with those grains… but that might be too extravagant."

"I hear there's plenty of variants of that dish nowadays…" Arona piped up from her earpiece. "Whatever it is, I bet it'd be delicious… mmm…"

Arisu looked around, seeing that she was getting a few curious stares. Some of it was directed at her hair, considering it was long enough to drag across the floor. Thankfully, it was resistant to stains and made with anti-bacterial materials. It was also capable of acting as a makeshift shield if she so wished. Originally, Sensei had approached her about keeping it short since it could have been a liability, but he relented when he heard of its functionality.

Though, she noted, more than anything, they were staring at her lanyard, at the card that it held. 'Schale', it said, with the logo and letters as she remembered. Well, if they weren't getting in her way of getting ingredients, some curiosity was fine.

Though, she had her own curiosity to be sated.

"How do you even eat anyway, Arona?" Arisu said, the thought suddenly coming to her mind. How did she, anyway? She was an AI stuck on the devices that Schale employed, wasn't she? She didn't have a physical body… right?

"Uhm… Don't worry about it." Arona nervously laughed. "Oh, that's the butcher that we usually get chicken from just ahead!"

What a way to avoid the subject, Arisu couldn't help but feel mildly annoyed, but she'd relent. If Arona didn't want to disclose why, she could figure it out some other time.

She looked ahead, seeing a dog head poking out from behind the counter. Walking closer till she was close, she looked further. Upon the counter lay upon several cuts of chicken. There were even some eggs. She scanned them briskly with her eyes.

"Ah, yes, little miss?" The dog spoke, looking curiously at her face, and then to her lanyard. "First time here… ah, you're from Schale, are you?"

"Ah, yes." Arisu nodded in affirmation. "I'm here to get two chicken breasts, alongside half a dozen eggs?"

"Ah, great choices." The dog immediately got to work bagging up her order. "It's been a while since your Sensei's been here, has he been doing well?"

"I… suppose?" Arisu wasn't sure how to make small talk, discomfort slowly coming up to her throat. "He's been pretty busy recently."

"I figured. You can have these on the house, little miss." The dog passed her two plastic bags briskly.

"H-Huh?" Arisu was taken aback. Was this really okay? "Really?"

"Yeah, I figure you're picking this up to make a meal for him, considering the low quantity? The guy needs to eat better. I've seen him munch on only instant noodles on too many occasions. Consider this my gift of appreciation for how much he's done for this area."

"I… see." Arisu took the bags, the coldness of the one containing the chicken breasts surprising her slightly. "Thank you very much." She bowed respectfully.

"Meh. Go cook something good for that guy, will ya? He's blessed to have a cute girl like you helping him out." The dog smirked.

Arisu wasn't quite sure how to react to that, so she quickly nodded, and turned to walk away, though not before waving a quick goodbye.

"Sensei's pretty well-respected, isn't he." Arona said. "Well, that settles the two main ingredients. We should have some rice, spices, and all the like in stock back at Schale, so that's done."

"Mmm." Arisu agreed, having seen the kitchen multiple times before. "Ah, does Sensei cook?"

"He can, but he's usually too busy to cook for himself. That's why he usually subsists on instant noodles. The kitchen's fully stocked with all kinds of things beyond meat as a result."

"Too perishable?" Arisu inquired.

"Too perishable." Arona affirmed. "We've got some cured meats, but…"

"It won't work for the dishes I have in mind, I'd say." Arisu quickly went through the dishes she had in mind and their parameters. "Whatever the case, as one would say, nothing beats a home cooked meal, does it?"

It was a line from one of the visual novels she had read. She wasn't sure about the validity of it, but it hadn't steered her wrongly yet. She'd put her trust in it for now.

"I agree! Anyway, let's get back now." Arona said, her excitement boiling. "I can't wait to see you cook, Arisu! Hmm, Arisu?"

Arisu hadn't responded, and was merely staring at the street corner behind her.

Was that pink hair she saw just flowing around the corner there? That was strange. Pink hair wasn't all that common in Kivotos, from what she knew. Might've been her imagination.

Those red walls could look pink if one turned fast enough. Her visual sensors weren't prone to such errors, but she'd never rule out the possibility.

"Arisu?"

"No, nothing." Arisu shook her head. "Just thought I saw something. Let's head back."

"That was close." Hoshino sighed in relief, with a drawn out breath. She had peeked too far around the corner to get a closer look at what that thing was doing.

This seemed like a completely innocuous shopping trip for some chicken and eggs. But she wouldn't let her guard down. Not to a being of this kind.

"...Cooking ingredients." Shiroko put her finger beneath her chin, pondering the possibilities. "Two breasts and half a dozen eggs. Two or three dishes, perhaps? No carbohydrates. No, too unbalanced."

Hoshino glanced sideways at Shiroko, who was murmuring on the side, her ears picking up some of what she was saying. Considering Shiroko's disposition, this was normal for her, since she after all was someone who exercised extremely regularly. Meal plans and dietary tracking came hand in hand with that.

"There should be rice… plenty of other ingredients in the kitchen… but where are the vegetables?"

Before long, she fell silent, and was glaring at the pavement.

Annoyed. Angered. Affronted.

Those were the emotions that Hoshino extrapolated from that look of hers.

"...This can't stand." Shiroko finally said, ripping off the mask on her face with a brisk motion.

"...Huh?" Hoshino was flabbergasted. After all, this stalking plan was pitched by Shiroko. Why was she backing out of it now?

"Sensei's been drinking an inordinate amount of coffee, eating only instant noodles with some ready-made sausages that he keeps in the fridge for the past few days. All three meals a day."

Shiroko's eyes sharpened. "He keeps telling us to take care of our health, but he's clearly not taking care of his own. This cannot stand. I'm going to make him eat properly."

"...I see." Hoshino couldn't help but shake her head and smile at her junior, though she was slightly disturbed that Shiroko had been keeping track of what Sensei had been eating through her binoculars.

She pulled her mask off, before staring at it in her hands. In it, she saw a representation of a path she had long since abandoned. She hadn't wanted to tread it once more, but she fell into old habits in her anger, and betrayed feelings.

She had felt betrayed by him, after helping them so fervently, had taken that thing under his wing.

Shiroko hadn't the experience she did. She only had Hoshino's own words to go by. That was what allowed her to give it up so easily.

But she knew. Shiroko was right. Simplistic as it was, it was true.

This wasn't the right way to go about it, wasn't it? If they wanted to keep him safe, to trust him… well. That was simple. She was merely overcomplicating things as she once did.

He was the biggest threat to himself, wasn't he? Back then, when she saw the relief on everyone's faces as she came back to the Foreclosure Task Force, he had a complicated expression instead.

Hurt, regret, and a faint sense of relief. The same expressions she held back in the past, whenever she came back from an 'errand'. If anything, she knew that he had been holding himself back from just running straight in and saving her.

More than likely, someone had been holding him back from doing it. He'd have perished in the effort considering his non-'student' constitution, but…

He'd do it anyway, if it meant keeping his 'students' safe. That was the kind of person he was.

She could tell from the conversation that they had before she ran away to take up that contract.

How foolish she was.

He was so complicated, yet so easy to read.

A self-sacrificing idiot. Just like her.

Just like herself, as well.

Birds of a feather, as they say. She couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

This old crow really knew how to pick them.

So, what she needed to do was obvious. It was staring her right in the face, and she had been ignoring it in favor of distrusting the thing that seemed to give off the same feeling as those things did.

"Doesn't matter if we have to come into contact with Arisu." Shiroko glared at Hoshino, who she knew was pondering the ramifications. "Sensei's health comes first."

"Aye, Ma'am." Hoshino halfheartedly grinned.

Somehow, she felt that a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Let's go, then."

"Ma'am, huh?" Shiroko seemed to gaze enigmatically into Hoshino's eyes, before smiling smugly. "Thought you were an old lady, little missy."

Hoshino couldn't help but guffaw in response. "Heehee, don't be so mean to this old lady, mmkay? I forget, y'know."

What a tongue her junior had. Just like herself back then.

Yeah, they'd do it another way, she thought, as they walked out of the corner and towards that all so imposing Schale tower.

She'd still keep a close eye on Arisu, though.

No matter what, she wouldn't let her guard down.

All for the sake of preventing another tragedy.

She couldn't help but clench her fists tighter at that thought.

"...So, why are you here?"

Shiroko stared at him blankly for a good second from where she stood, before shaking her head. She folded her arms, seemingly almost affronted by his existence.

"To keep an eye on you, Sensei. I can see it in your eyes. You haven't rested, have you?"

Somehow, that judgmental look in her eyes made him feel horrible, but it was nice to know that they cared for him. He couldn't help but feel that his work actually meant something.

"...I see." He smiled from his tied up position on the chair. His head was throbbing from a lack of sleep, and he honestly didn't know what to do.

She had come in like a whirlwind, and tied him to his chair. His hands were completely unmovable from the back of it.

He had been in the middle of sorting some reports on Binah, and its structure from Millennium, alongside some logistical papers for the GSC. The numbers ran through his mind ad infinitum, even as he closed his eyes. There was simply no way to get any sleep like that, so he had soldiered on.

"Arisu and Hoshino are currently cooking something up for you." She took a sip from her sports bottle, most likely filled with some form of energy drink. "After this, take a day off."

"Hoshino's here too?" Shua tried to look around, but to no avail due to his current status. "She's cooking?"

"She can cook." Shiroko spoke matter-of-factly. "I gave her some parameters to fulfill your dietary needs, and she took to them quite quickly. You've only been eating instant noodles, and I cannot stand for that."

"...How do you know that?"

Shiroko looked away non-committedly. "...Trade secret, Sensei."

Shua stared at her with confusion, before coming to a realization. She probably saw the mass amounts of instant noodle packaging in the trash bin at the office. That was most likely why she knew.

But something she said had him puzzled and concerned.

Hoshino and Arisu? Together in the kitchen?

The former seemed to hold massive disdain for the latter. This was a recipe, joke unintended, for disaster.

Hopefully, nothing would happen. Anxiety gripped his heart.

Just a few days ago, he had seen Hoshino so frustrated and anguished, and it was all because of Arisu.

What now? He had to ask himself that question.

He just wished they could get along. It struck something within, that two people he cared about were coming at arms with one another. His body tensed at the thought.

Shiroko simply stared at him in silence as he thought. Her eyes glinted with something, but he couldn't make out just what it was. The mismatched colors of her pupils seemed to make her stare all the more oppressive.

This staring contest seemed to go on for hours, or at least felt like it. The throbbing in his head seemed to worsen further as time went on.

He looked even more carefully.

She was tense. There was something else there.

Every few seconds, her wolf ears would twitch, and her face would scrunch up minutely. It was akin to an animal sensing danger, but he didn't like to attribute such things to her.

"Sensei. You're staring quite avidly at Shiroko there, hmm?" A familiar lazy voice was suddenly heard behind him. "Are you interested in her? I smell romance in the air, and I'm not sure my old heart can take such a scandal."

The bindings on his hands suddenly were let loose, and he found himself free.

"Geez, what were you doing to Sensei?" He heard Arisu's voice, and he turned to see her concerned face staring right at him. "Tying him up like that? How mean."

He looked down at the ground. The rope that Shiroko had used laid there, ripped apart.

…He thought it best not to think about it too much.

The familiar sound of porcelain being placed on a table was heard.

A clink that brought back memories.

Three bowls were on his desk, placed down by Hoshino.

A familiar scent wafted through the air.

Chicken porridge? Eggs? Stir-fried spinach?

His head throbbed as he stared at it, but he couldn't help but reminisce.

"Thanks, mom." Shua let out a relieved sigh.

…Ah. He paused.

He realized what he said. He felt his face reddening.

"Oho?" Hoshino paced over to his side, smiling as she did. "I'm your mother now, huh?"

"...I prefer not to answer that question." He glanced embarrassedly to the other side, where Shiroko seemed to have a look of satisfaction on her face.

"Hmm. If Hoshino's the mother, then…" Arisu seemed to go deep into thought as she said that.

"...Please don't go down that line of thinking." Shua felt his headache worsen, but he couldn't help but smile a little.

He closed his eyes.

"Yeah, that smile suits you better, Hoshino."

"...I see." Hoshino said. "But know this, I'll still keep an eye out."

A faint glimmer of hope passed through him.

"...Just try and get along." He opened his eyes once more. "That's all I ask."

Hoshino had her eyes closed, clearly thinking of it. He could see her rumination clearly within her expression.

Eventually, she spoke up.

"I'll try." She opened her eyes. "But watch your back, Sensei."

The only thing he could do there was nod.

So he did.

"Time to eat, Sensei!" Arisu said, glimmering with excitement. "There's enough to go around for all of us."

"Mmm." Shiroko nodded. "I've been waiting for this."

"Well, time to get our own servings." Hoshino said, looking at the other two, waving at them to follow her. "Come on, let's get some grub."

As he watched them walk away to the kitchen, he looked back at the food.

He dipped the spoon into the porridge, taking a bite.

…Yeah. It was delicious.