Chapter 89 - Down Time XXIII
...
Right after lunch, I made it to the Tea Party's balcony. The guards let me right through without effort.
Walking to the long, food covered table, I found Nagisa sitting there alone, no other guards in sight. As soon as she saw me, the brunette stiffened before letting out a long sigh, likely to calm herself.
"Welcome, Sensei. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me." Nagisa politely says, clearly still a bit afraid of something. Is she afraid I won't accept her apology?
I nod. "You're welcome."
"Please, sit." She offers. I nod again and sit down on a free chair, opposite of her. "I just finished preparing a pot of tea. Would you like some?"
"Please." I say. Nagisa then carefully and elegantly pours me a cup, before handing it to me. "Earl Grey?" I ask, recognizing the taste.
"Indeed. It may not be expensive, but it's always been a favorite of mine, ever since I was little." She explains.
"I've always had a spot for it too." I admit.
A tense silence is encompasses us for a long while, both of us unable to speak a word. Eventually, though...
"Sensei... As for why I called you here... I..." Nagisa begins to struggle. I sit patiently, allowing her all the time she needs. Eventually, she bows her head to me. "I am terribly sorry. I-I did and said many horrible things during your stay here. Things I shouldn't have ever done- not just as a student, but as one of the leaders of Trinity Academy. For that and so much more, I'm sorry, Sensei."
"...Raise your head, Nagisa. I've already forgiven you." I say.
Her head snaps back up, eyes wide as can be. "Wh-What?! You...? How could you have forgiven me so easily?"
"There are things people back home have done to me that neither you nor any student in this city could ever hope to imagine." I say, serious as can be. "I was never mad at you for the stuff you did to me, only what you did to the other girls, which you've already apologized to them for. Thus, you have nothing to apologize for."
"Bu... But..." Nagisa tries, completely baffled.
"I don't blame you for what happened. You were under a terrible amount of stress. I've seen people stronger than you break under that kind of pressure." I say, before pausing to take a sip of tea to wet my drying mouth. "If anything, I should be apologizing. I acted quite immaturely a couple of times, what with the chess set and all. I've had... bad experiences with people in charge of things doing whatever they want. I shouldn'ta treated you like them- you're nothing like those monsters. I'm sorry for that, Nagisa." I say, bowing my head to her.
"Se-Sensei! You don't need to apologize for that." The brunette quickly says, clearly taken aback.
I raise my head. "Well... We've both apologized when not really needing to, so... How about we just drop this tall and let bygones be bygones?"
Nagisa blinks, before smiling an honest smile- not the fake and strained ones she showed me a few weeks ago. "I... would like that."
I smile at her. "This meeting was worryin' you, huh?"
"Very much." She admits. "My nerves have been on edge since I sent you that message."
"I noticed. You sent a couple of partial ones before that one." I say, smirking as I take another sip.
"Eh? I sent those?" Nagisa blinks, looking aghast.
"Hehehe." I laugh, sitting the cup back down. "It's fine."
Nagisa visibly relaxes, before taking a sip of tea, which only calms her down more. "Have you... spoken with Mika since...?"
"No, and that's not for lack of trying." I explain. "The idiot's been turning me away every time. Next time she does, I'm gonna go in and talk to her regardless."
The angel giggles softly. "I'm sure that will surprise her greatly."
I smile in return. "I dunno why she's been turning me away... Maybe she's still blaming herself?"
"Who can say?" She says. "Neither of us can see into her heart."
"Nothing's stopping us from trying, though." I retort.
Nagisa blinks, before smiling again. "I suppose that's one way to look at it... You're such an enigma, Sensei. Even in my paranoia, I couldn't expect what you would do next."
I shrug. "I'm used to brute-forcing through problems if I can. Though, that comes in many forms."
"Such as going to talk with Mika, despite her wishes?"
"Exactly." I nod. "So what's the plan with her anyway?"
She sighs deeply. "There is to be a disciplinary hearing for her after the Eden Treaty is signed. Until then, she is to remain in confinement. But, with the way she's acting..."
"She's trying to avoid going?" I guess.
"Maybe. I can't be certain unless I ask her, and I don't want to take that risk." She explains, taking another sip of her tea.
We go back into silence once more.
"Ah. I almost forgot." She realizes. "I offered food, but neglected to mention it."
I blink. "I had forgotten about it too." I say, looking at the food on the table.
"Have you eaten already, Sensei?" She asks.
"Nah. Went on a little trip with Hifumi and Azusa during lunch." I explain.
"A trip?"
"Azusa came by after Hifumi texted me about a big Peroro blush in a claw machine. Azusa came along with me." I explain.
"Ah, I knew Hifumi was interested in that franchise." She remembers.
"So is Azusa." I say. "I know a bit of how it was for her over at Arius, and those plushies seem to make her inner child break free for once."
"...Is it truly that bad there?" Nagisa hesitantly asks.
"Azusa didn't act over militant for no reason. If anything, she seems to be an outlier of their students, as she hasn't given up hope of living a happy life." I say, causing Nagisa to cringe. "Hey, don't feel bad. You couldn't have known how bad it was for her. I'm pretty sure she's already forgiven you, yeah?"
"She has... That girl has a strong will, but is nicer than I had expected from the supposed 'ice Queen' others described her as." She says, a wistful smile on her face.
"Those people don't even know what her eye color is and they call her an ice queen?" I scoff. "Buncha sheep they are."
Nagisa softly chuckles. "Perhaps."
growwwl
"Ah, I'm hungrier than I thought." I say, hearing my stomach growl at me.
"Let us eat, then." Nagisa smiles.
Our talk devolves into mundane things as we eat. I left the Tea Party's balcony a bit later in the afternoon.
After leaving the main building of Trinity, I decided to go and visit Ui for a while. I was wondering how she'd been during the mess a while back.
Then again, knowing she's a shut-in, I'm sure she didn't even notice it.
Regardless, I arrived at the old library pretty quickly, it being located on/near Trinity's campus. Attempting to open the door was no good, as it was locked.
Dammit.
I then knocked on the door, no answer. Sighing, I knocked again.
"No one's here! Go away!" I hear the magician yell.
"Then who are you? A ghost?" I joke.
I hear her audibly sigh. "I said no one's here! Why can't you just leave?! Get lost!"
"Goodness, I can feel the hospitality, Ui." I joke again.
"...Wait." She says, after a moment. I then hear an almost comical amount of clicks and noises as she unlocks the door. Is there a dozen deadbolts on that thing?
After a moment, the door swings open, revealing Ui, who's shielding her eyes from the sun.
I smile at her. "Do you need some sunglasses?"
"...?!" Ui gasps upon seeing me, her eyes shrinking to pinpricks. "S-Sensei?!"
"That's me!" I smile, holding my arms out.
Ui looks horribly worried. "S-Sorry. I didn't know it was you. I thought you were an outsider..."
"Technically, I am." I raise an eyebrow. "Sorry for the sudden appearance, I wanted to come and see ya."
"I-It's alright." She says, still a bit shaken. "P-Please come in... Wait."
"Hm?" I blink.
"W-Well, the thing is..." Ui starts. "Just a second! Wait here a moment!" She shouts, before rushing back inside and slamming the door shut behind her. I can vaguely hear things being moved at a rapid pace inside the library. After a moment, she comes back out, sighing in relief. "O-Okay, you can come in now."
I smile knowingly. "Thanks."
Her eyes narrow. "What's with that smile? I was NOT cleaning."
"I didn't say ya were." I point out.
"Well, I was, but I wasn't doing it for any particular reason. Moving on!" She says, quickly. "P-Please come in."
I nod, following the recluse inside. The old library hasn't changed a bit since I was here last, and I don't think it will ever. The only differences are some books being in slightly different spots, that's all.
Though, there were some clothes and stuff she clearly just tried to hide poking out from behind some furniture.
"W-Welcome, Sensei." Ui says, sitting down at her desk, before she realizes my proximity to the clothes. "Wait, not over there. I didn't finish cleaning that side!" She sighs. "I'm sorry. I would've asked the others to help me clean if I knew you were coming. This particular library doesn't get very many visitors. Most students go to the Central Library to borrow books, unless they're looking for something very old."
"It's fine. Like I said, I came by on short notice and all." I wave her off.
"A-Anyway, what brings you here today?" The bluette asks.
"I just wanted to visit. It's been a while since I heard from ya." I say, sitting down as well.
"I suppose it has been some time. Over a month, at least." She realizes.
I nod. "Yeah, and what came after was an exhausting mess that kept me busy for a while. I was in the area, so I figured I oughta come by and check on how you were doin'."
Ui looks away shyly, a slight blush on her face. "Y-You don't have to do that, but that's very kind of you regardless. If only some people were as thoughtful as you..." She groans.
"Havin' troubles?" I ask.
"A-Ah, it's nothing to worry about. I-It's in the past. Nothing really happened." She says, looking away nervously. I raise an eyebrow, not believing her at all. "It's just, um... The books that were borrowed... They were in poor condition when they were finally returned." She loses her usual shy demeanor, and looks downright murderous. "The borrowers had folded pages instead of using bookmarks, and the bindings were separated because the books were pressed down too hard when opened." She then sighs.
"Doin' shit like that? I can see why you're pissed." I say.
The librarian nods. "This is yet another reason why I don't enjoy dealing with outsiders. Still, I had to say something about the rentals... My apologies. I'll keep myself in check from now on."
"Why? There's nothing wrong with opening up from time to time." I lecture. "I'm not the type to ignore my students' problems."
"Huh? But... wouldn't that only be an inconvenience to you?" Ui asks.
"Nah." I say, shaking my head. "If I don't listen, who will?"
Ui stares at me for a long while. "I-I don't know how to feel about that... but okay. Thank you, Sensei." She pauses again. "Hold on. I have an idea." She says, before she starts rummaging through her desk's drawers for something. " Ah." She says, before walking over to me and holding her hand out. "Here, Sensei."
"A key?" I ask, looking at the bronze object.
Ui nods. "It's the key to the front door. That way you can show yourself in at any time... even if I'm sleeping and don't answer."
"I... Thanks." I say, taking the key from her. She averts her gaze with a small blush. "Do the other members have a key too?"
She freezes. "N-No, they don't. I didn't make any extra copies."
"Huh? Then this is the only one?" I ask.
"I-I don't leave this place anyway! So I have no use for it." She quickly defends, before awkwardly chuckling. "I'd rather not make the same mistake I made earlier. So if you let yourself in, then I'll know it can only be you and not an outsider."
I stare at the key for a moment, before handing it back to her. "Here. I don't need it."
"Eh...? You're right. Who would want a key to a place like this? I'm sorry..." She says, her face and voice resembling Haruka's suddenly.
"That's not what I mean." I deadpan. "I'll text ya before I swing by from now on. Besides, this is your home, you oughta keep the key to it."
"Sensei..." Ui blinks, calming down yet sporting another faint blush. "All right, then." She says, taking the key from my hand. "That will give me enough time to tidy up before you arrive." She then giggles quietly, yet happily. "Today has been unexpectedly productive. Well, Sensei... Since you're here, how about I reccommend you some books? I know of quite a few that you might be interested in." She says, with a big smile.
Before leaving, Ui was worried I wouldn't be able to carry the books she let me borrow, but I introduced her to the Shittim Chest's storage ability, but not Arona.
Upon arriving back in the DU, I got a weird text from Fubuki.
Report by Fubuki, first-year student from the Public Safety Bureau.
No problems today, I'm working real hard.
I'm sure you are, Fubuki.
Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it.
Like I said: working hard.
What?
I'm not sure what you mean...
Why don't you contact the Security Bureau?
Fubuki, what the hell are you talking about?
Yeah, I think so too.
The fuck? What does...? Oh, does she have a fucking auto-response macro? I guess I oughta go make sure.
A bit later, I arrived at one of the Public Safety Bureau's offices, where I found Fubuki laid back in a chair, giggling in her sleep. "It's raining donuts from the heavens... Hehe... Working at the Public Safety Bureau is the best..."
...What a nemugaki.
I walk over and shake her shoulder.
"Hmm...?" She groans, her magenta eyes slowly opening. "Sen... sei...?" Her brows furrow. "Why'd you have to wake me?! I was having the most wonderful dream."
"Raining donuts, huh?" I say.
Fubuki merely groans as she sits upright with a yawn. "So, what brings you to the Public Safety Bureau? If you've got some annoying request to put in, then I suggest you find Kirino or literally anyone else. I've got plenty of sleep to catch up on."
"Oh, so you've been sleeping this whole time? Then explain this." I deadpan, holding out my phone.
"Eh?" She blinks, reading it off. "But I've been sleeping all day. Wait. I wonder..." She then scrolls through some stuff on her computer. "Oh. The macro must have malfunctioned."
"I knew it was a fuckin' macro." I groan.
"Sorry. Looks like the report notification got sent to you by mistake. Don't worry about me." The lazy cop says. "I modified a macro program I bought from Millennium and made an answering machine- so to speak- that can do my job. When I have it turned on, it can automatically handle civil complaints that come in to the Public Safety Bureau." She explains smugly. "For example..." She motions for me to look at the screen.
Fubuki, remember the meeting tomorrow morning? Don't be late!
Yeah, I know. Don't worry.
Fubuki, did you see the patrol log from last week? I have to write a report, but I can't find it.
I don't know... You should Contact the Security Bureau.
"See? Pretty cool, huh?" Fubuki smugly asks me.
"I'd be annoyed, if it wasn't the exact same thing cops back home did." I groan.
"The algorithm isn't perfect, but it can still pass most tasks to other departments." She explains. "In the meantime, I can do something more productive."
"Like sleeping your ass off and eating donuts?" I raise an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Exactly!" She grins, leaning back into her chair.
"And what if somethin' important comes up?" I challenge.
"Don't worry about it. The Public Safety Bureau NEVER has anything important to do." She casually waves me off. "All we ever get is a bunch of annoying complaints that I have to give the same answer for over and over again. Kirino would just take care of it herself even if something big came in that the macro couldn't handle. I don't need to lift a finger." Then, she lets out a big yawn. "Man, I'm sleepy. Maybe it's because my nap got cut short." She says, eyeing me.
"Really living up to that last name of yours, sleepy brat." I deadpan.
"Ha ha ha. Like I haven't heard that one before." Fubuki says, sarcastic as humanly possible, before letting out a tired groan. "I'mma go back to sleep. Keep an eye on thing for me, will ya, Sensei?"
"Oh, no. You made the macro, at least put in enough trust in the thing to let it work for ya." I deny her as much as possible. I'm NOT getting involved in that shit.
"Hmph. That's fine too, I guess." She shrugs, before closing her eyes and leaning further back into her chair.
Not even a minute later, a text for the macro appears.
This is the Security Bureau. How goes work, Cadet Fubuki?
Yeah, I know. Don't worry. I'm working as hard as ever.
...Oh, this is gonna be GOOD. I mean, come on, she didn't even whitelist her superiors on the macro? Rookie mistake.
Excuse me? Mind your manners.
Speaking of your work ethic, we've been finding it to be lacking.
I'm not sure...
Don't pretend to not know what I'm talking about!
You Public Safety Bureau cadets... There's no getting through to you.
I'm contacting you regarding the barricade your bureau borrowed. When will you be returning it?
The Security Bureau would like it back as soon as possible.
Why don't you contact the Security Bureau?
Excuse me? This IS the Security Bureau!
Do you think we're fools?
Yeah, I think so too.
...
This is unacceptable.
Fubuki, I'm on my way to the Public Safety Bureau office now. Don't go anywhere!
By the end, I'm doing everything I can to hold back my laughter. I take a look at the sleeping Fubuki, unsure of what to do.
...Eh, I'll get her a box of donuts next time I see her. She'll be fine.
With that, I leave the Public Safety Bureau's office and head back to Schale. Before that, I got a text from Ui.
Thank you, Sensei. I had fun today.
I'm glad to hear that.
Please let me know the next time you're coming.
I will.
The rest of that evening went about as normal, save for starting to read one of those books Ui lent me. The next morning however...
"Three texts, huh?" I say, all but groaning. I hope it's not something major... Oh god, I'm sounding like Fubuki. Shaking my head, I open the first one from Ako.
Sensei, come by the Prefect Team HQ this afternoon. I must discuss something important with you.
Is it something bad?
...Ako?
...Ugh, fine. I'll be there.
...
...Don't you ignore me.
Rolling my eyes, I forget about that in favor of checking the next one, which is from... Iroha? Her text was just as candid as Ako's.
I'm gonna play hooky...
No, I mean, I'll be there soon for work.
Uh-huh.
Sighing, I go for the next one. It's from... Haruna? Haven't talked to her and her pals since we fought 'em back at Trinity.
Hello, Sensei. This is Haruna.
Hey again. What's up?
Well, I was planning to continue my gastronomical quest, but...
I encountered a roadblock.
I need to think about how to overcome this.
Gastronomic quest? I take it you mean to be a gourmand?
In layman's terms, yes.
Well, I dunno what's stopping you, but I wish you luck. If you need anything, just ask.
Oh.
I was just about to ask for help.
Hehehe.
Haruna and I eventually came to the agreement for her to come over to Schale at lunch. Iroha in morning, Haruna lunch, and Ako in afternoon- seems like I'm gonna be busy again today.
At least it ain't work.
Iroha showed up a bit later as I sat down and took care of some work. As I did, I was almost overwhelmed by a floral fragrance.
"Y'know you're supposed to spritz a little perfume, not take a bath in it." I say.
Her lips quirk up a bit at the joke, but she forces her mouth neutral as she grabs onto my chair, leaning towards my ear and beginning to whisper in it.
"Sensei... Why don't you take a break? Don't you know working all day isn't good for you?" She whispers sweetly into my ear.
Damn, she'd be great at ASMR, seeing as how I had to stop myself from shivering.
She continues. "I'm just looking out for you. Why do things that make you miserable? To suffer like this, all alone... Is there a need for that...?"
She then leans over and places her hand on my shoulder. "I know, Sensei. How difficult it is for you every day... Unreasonable orders from the General Student Council, incidents taking place all over Kivotos, making Sensei run around all day and night because of it..."
The hand begins to rub my shoulder and back as she presses her smaller torso against my back. "Always stuck between the problem and the troublemakers. Middle managers like us are constantly in a difficult situation. Constantly working yourself to the bone, but few people will know that..."
She leans closer, nearly pressing her lips against my ear as she breathes into the side of my head. "If it's going to be like this, wouldn't you rather ditch it all and come along with me...? Just skip out... and be with me... What do you say... Se~n~se~i~?"
Quick as I can, I grab onto her hand, resting on my shoulder. I pull her around so that our faces nearly slam into one another.
"Your seduction is getting better." I say in a low voice, causing her grey eyes to widen. Seems she hasn't given up. "But what's stopping me from seducing you?"
Iroha blinks as a blush spreads across her face.
"I have a better idea." I smile, before leaning forward and whispering into her ear. "Why don't you join Schale and become my secretary or something? Doesn't that sound more fun than your president making you do stuff like this for her? I promise I'll let you have all the breaks you want, I~ro~ha-chan~."
"O-O-Okay, that's enough...!" The redhead all but shouts as she pulls away from me, her face matching her hair's color.
I smuggle chuckle. "Turnaround is fair play~"
Iroha looks torn between being impressed and annoyed. With a huff, she sits down on the couch. "Honestly, I just wanted to skip work under the guise of seducing you, but... you're better at this than I am." She admits with a sigh.
"If we did skip work, what would we even do?" I ask.
"...Go get something to eat?" She thought that up something on the spot, didn't she...?
"No can do, Haruna's coming over at lunch for my help." I say.
"That gourmet girl?" She asks, earning a nod from me. "Hmm... If she's coming, then..." Iroha then smirks. "Sensei, could you cook us something for lunch?"
"I figured I was gonna end up doing that for her anyway." I raise an eyebrow.
Iroha smiles, pulling out a book. "Then I'll be here until then."
Sighing, I get back to work.
At lunch, I invited Haruna inside the big kitchen we have downstairs of my office.
"Ah, this is much nicer than I expected. This just might be the perfect spot for a little epicurean research. No one will bother us here!" The silverette smiles, before eyeing Iroha. "Except for..."
"Hey, don't look at me. I was trying to take Sensei out for lunch before you came." Iroha shrugs.
Haruna just sighs. "Fine, I suppose I can tolerate your presence."
I shake my head at the two girls. "So why did you need my help, Haruna?"
Haruna happily giggles. "Getting right down to business? Very well. Today's epicurean subject is coq au vin!"
I smile. "You certainly don't do anything in half measures." Haruna preens under the praise.
"The heck is cock-u-vein?" The redhead asks.
Haruna gives her the stink eye again. "Coq au vin is an easy stew made by boiling chicken and vegetables. You just put the ingredients in the pot and boil it all together."
"If it's so simple, then why do you need Sensei's help?" Iroha asks.
"Because, unlike normal stews, wine is used to boil the chicken in favor of water." The gourmet explains to the uneducated. "Naturally, it's off limits. No student in Kivotos can buy wine."
Yup. That's Kivotos- where you can sell guns to a kid, but have to be twenty-one to get cigarettes and alcohol. It's still a bit strange to me... Or is it? I think I'm finally getting used to this weird world.
"Additionally, the upscale restaurant that serves this dish doesn't let students inside, so there's no way for me to try it for myself."
"Ah, I get it. You wanna try making it while substituting the wine for something else." I realize.
Haruna smiles brightly. "Indeed." She then sits down the big bag she brought with her, before pulling something out. "Which is why I brought ethyl alcohol and grape juice!"
"Oh, no." I say, snatching the ethanol from her hand. "You said you wanted to substitute wine. Grape juice and ethanol is basically the same thing as wine. Besides, what you want is pomegranate or cranberry juice. Alcohol-free red wine if you need to be as close as possible."
Red and grey eyes blink at me, before Haruna speaks up first. "I'm surprised you know so much about this."
"I do some cooking." I smile, putting the ethanol in a high cabinet. "I... actually think I might have some cranberry juice around here. Lemme find it and we can cook."
Haruna smiles as Iroha looks interested.
Thus, we get to cooking. Or rather, Haruna did. I was eager to see how well she would do, and she was eager to show off her skills, so I let her cook the French dish.
Hmm... Is there a French school in Kivotos? The closest things we have are Trinity being British and Gehenna being German.
"First, grill the bacon in the frying pan. Next, fry the breaded chicken in the bacon grease. After that, put the cooked chicken, mushrooms, carrots, and onions in the pot. Then, pour the cranberry juice."
Iroha and I watched the Gehenna student cook- the former in slight interest, and the latter in fascination.
"I'm impressed." I say as Haruna lets the food cook. "I didn't expect you to be this good at cooking, Haruna."
"But of course." The silverette grins. "Only the best gourmands know the ins and outs of cooking."
A bit later, once we finished setting the table, Arona popped up. "I smell something good!" The tiny AI chirped.
"I was just about to call you." I smirk.
"Oh? If it isn't little Arona! Long time no see." Haruna smiles at the new arrival.
"Ah, hello again, Haruna." Arona smiles as she and the gourmet get to talking.
"Hey, Sensei. Who's that?" Iroha asks me.
"Arona. She's my... secretary of sorts." I say. "She's also an AI."
Grey eyes blink. "An AI? Then... why does she...?"
"I got some girls at Millennium to make her a body." I explain quickly. "She was pretty lonely stuck in that tablet."
Iroha nods in understanding.
Lunch went about as smooth as can be. I'd never had coq au vin, but it turned out pretty damn good. All of us complimented Haruna's cooking skills (including herself). And the silverette made plenty, so I decided to bring some over to Hina and Chinatsu.
Ako gets none for not answering my texts. Maybe Iori can have some.
Iroha opted to laze around Schale for a bit longer, whereas Haruna left beaming from my praise. I, on the other hand, started making my way over to Gehenna.
AN
A part of the Iroha bit was form a post on the Blue Archive subreddit titled 'Just skip out and be with me, Sensei...', which was a translated version of a comic by sin_seishun on Twitter.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!