Professor Naberius looked at his fellow educators as they drew in closer.
"What happened during the flying test?" Professor Balam asked. His mask could not muffle the pain and anger in his voice.
"As I said, I believed he had wings because that's a reasonable assumption, he is a demon after all. He was hanging around, so I pushed him. It's perfectly normal, we all know birds push their young out of the nest to teach them to fly!" Professor Naberius resorted to shouting when it became clear no one was on his side.
"Sometimes, fledglings don't survive the fall, Kalego" Professor Balam pointed out, voice very low, eyes narrowed.
"I should have been told! We as his teachers should have known sooner!" Professor Naberius tried shifting blame and anger.
The other professors stepped back a bit, though none appeared pleased. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and Balam realized he needed to intervene to prevent several staff members from entering a Wicked Phase. "We can discuss this later. The Chairdemon has explicitly instructed us to resume our duties."
"We can talk about it now!" Professor Bars demanded he pointed a finger at Professor Naberius. "The Chairdemon said you nearly blew up Iruma's arm! What reason, what justification could you possibly give for that?!"
Professor Naberius looked down at Professor Bars, he even began to growl, his hands balled into fists, but soon he unfurled his hands, and ceased growling. His head lowered, hanging with shame. "You're right to be angry. I highly overreacted"
He told them the story of how Iruma and Sabro rode the back of The Guardian of Cutthroat Valley. Iruma placed his hand inside the pouch of the Ranking Owl, but instead of a rank badge, he received a golden ring. The ring gave off horrendous howls and had absorbed the power of Sabro and Alice, to the point they both collapsed.
"So you felt it was a necessary evil to keep everyone safe," Professor Morax said trying to come up with a justification. She still had a green tint in her face.
Professor Naberius's head was still bowed low. His hands twitched and clenched.
"We should return to teaching" Professor Balam insisted.
No one said a word. They all put the furniture where it belonged and left it in an orderly manner.
...
"Grandpa, Opera!" Iruma cheered, ran to them, and hugged each one.
"My poor dear boy, you had such a hard day! But Grandpa is here to make it all better!" Lord Sullivan said as he lifted Iruma in the air.
"How was your day Grandpa ?" Iruma asked. He shifted his weight as Lord Sullivan carried him to the sofa.
"A very busy day. As a matter of fact, and I'm sorry to say it, tomorrow I'm going to have to work late tomorrow,"
Iruma frowned but cuddled closer to his Grandpa. "We'll spend extra time on the weekend"
Lord Sullivan was beaming. "I'll make sure it's special for you"
"You don't have to," Iruma said.
Lord Sullivan pulled Iruma even closer. "I want to; you're worth it"
Iruma had lingering doubts in his mind, but he pushed it away and put on a big smile. "As long as I have you and Opera it is always a good day"
Opera joined them on the sofa, flanking Iruma's other side.
The little family enjoyed an evening in front of the TV.
...
After wrapping up his evaluation of the student's assignments, Professor Balam put his pen aside, reclined in his chair, and shut his eyes. His mind immediately drifted back to Iruma, the insights shared by Lord Sullivan, and the confessions made by Kalego.
Kalego is and has been his closest companion. His one and only friend. He just learned that word earlier in the day.
He used his free period to meet up with Kalego. Lord Sullivan said he would pull teachers during their free period to bring them up to date on Iruma. However, as they already knew he correctly assumed Kalego would be free. Just as he was going to enter the Royal One classroom when Clara literally collided with him.
Clara looked up at him from where she lay on the ground. She glared at him, as she picked herself up "Boo, meanie teach took away Iruma"
Before Professor Balam could defend himself, Alice appeared. "Oh, what brings you here Professor Balam?"
"I wish to spend time with Professor Naberius," Professor Balam said pleasantly not minding the curiosity.
Alice and Clara looked at each other, and back to Professor Balam.
"Oh, you're his fri-" Alice began but Clara's louder voice cut through "Eggie has a friend?! Oh, how nice for him!" She meant it kindly.
"Stop calling me that!"Professor Naberius's thunderous footsteps could be heard advancing quickly. He bent low to scold Clara "I am a Professor,-"
"What's a friend?" Professor Balam asked eagerly.
"A friend shares and is shared with!" explained Clara.
"You're eager to spend time together!" Alice shouted excitedly not wanting Clara to overshadow him.
"You know super secret stuff!
"Friends have insight and wisdom-"
"Silence!" Professor Naberius commanded, he turned to Professor Balam, "Don't indulge in these nonsense words Iruma made up. Childish nonsense. 'Companion' is the only word you need. It implies intimacy on more or less equal terms"
A stiff silence formed. It lingered like a miasma.
"Let's go Shichiro," Professor Naberius ordered. Professor Balam obliged and Alice and Clara awkwardly went their own way together. The colleagues had tea, and snacks and watched a live symphony on TV. But Professor Balam's mind often drifted away to the permanently grounded student.
Professor Balam recalled Lord Sullivan saying he adopted Iruma, but he didn't say where. He said, 'I searched for a while, but Iruma, in a way, found me.' What did that mean?! Professor Balam knew he wasn't entitled to Iruma's entire life story, but he was burning with curiosity, and he probably caused too much stress to ask Iruma.
"He had very little education, he wasn't used to even basic decency, he was naïve not because he was sheltered, but because he has little life experience other than work, and I loved him already" ran through Professor Balam's mind on loop. The curiosity was burning him up, but so was the guilt. He almost certainly opened emotional wounds.
As Professor Balam opened his eyes and organized the documents, his mind was solely focused on Iruma. The boy's small body bore many scars. "He doesn't have much life experience besides work," he remembered Lord Sullivan's words. There was no indication that he had ever had wings on his back. "I loved him already" Professor Balam sighed The Chairdemon did indeed love that boy, it could not be denied. It was clear that the Chairdemon had a deep affection for the boy. He had worked tirelessly to change Iruma's circumstances. The boy was gentle and pleasant. Even though their time together had been short, Iruma's kind spirit shone through. Professor Balam hoped that Iruma's goodness and willingness to cooperate would pave the way for forgiveness. He understood that he needed to make a significant apology, which was even more annoying since he had to wait a whole day. However, he took solace in the fact that Iruma was currently safe in a loving home.