Mash Burnedead found himself in a predicament. The reason? A sobbing student clung to him desperately, tears streaming down her face.
"Uh… um, well…" Mash stammered.
"Please… don't hate me!" she cried.
"It's not like that—"
"I'll do better, I promise! Please, don't… don't abandon me!"
"Whoa, slow down, you're pulling too hard—my shirt's gonna tear!"
The weeping figure clutching his clothes was Wakamo Kosaka, one of Kivotos' infamous Seven Prisoners, notorious for her criminal exploits. Mash had confronted her with a lecture, as he often did with delinquents, but the outcome was far beyond his expectations.
"Seriously… what do I do now?" he muttered.
Earlier that morning…
"Shu for choux, ku for cream… nothing beats a choux cream from the Choux Cream Club's shop!"
Mash, having finished his daily training, stopped by his favorite shop to buy a choux cream. Savoring one as he walked back to the Schale clubroom, he mused, "They're launching a new menu soon. Maybe I'll grab some for myself, Abydos, and the others… hm?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion. A group of helmeted delinquents was harassing a citizen—a petite, pug-like beastman in a neat suit, likely targeted for his apparent wealth and meek demeanor.
"Hey, you!" a delinquent barked.
"Eek! W-what is it?" the citizen yelped.
"Your sneeze made my boss drop her ice cream!"
"Pay up for it, or else!"
"B-but it was just a sneeze!"
"Hand over the cash—"
Thwack!
Mash leapt into action, knocking out the delinquents with swift chops to their necks. Turning to the citizen, he apologized, "Sorry about my students."
"N-no, I should thank you!" the citizen replied. "You're so young, yet a teacher… I'm grateful."
"If you need anything, contact Schale. I'll make sure these kids apologize properly."
"You don't have to—"
As the citizen spoke, a sudden sneeze triggered a deafening gunshot. The bullet tore through the air, aimed not at Mash but at the citizen and the fallen delinquents. Mash yanked the citizen behind a pole, scanning for the shooter.
"Sorry!" he said, pulling the citizen close.
"W-what!?"
The shot had targeted the citizen's feet. To avoid any risk, Mash hoisted the citizen onto his right shoulder and the unconscious delinquents onto his left, dodging further attacks. Glancing back, he caught a glimpse of a red-and-black figure slipping away.
"That was…"
"It was just a sneeze!" the citizen protested.
"Get out of here and call Valkyrie to take these kids," Mash instructed.
"And you?"
"I've got something to handle." Whoosh!
The citizen reported the incident, and soon, sirens wailed in the distance. The shadowy figure fled, but Mash pursued, darting toward a crossroads where the figure had vanished.
"Nobody's here… wait, what's this—a flower?"
A plum blossom accessory lay on the ground, clearly placed deliberately. As Mash scanned the area, he spotted a figure watching him from a corner before it disappeared again. He gave chase, heading toward the outskirts of D.U.
"Must've escaped this way…"
"Hey, you! This is our turf!" a delinquent shouted.
"Sorry, but I need to pass through," Mash replied.
"Don't care! Get—"
Before the delinquent could finish, something lunged toward them. Sensing the movement, Mash snatched a carbine from the nearest delinquent and swung it like a bat. The object—a rifle grenade—shot skyward and exploded with a thunderous BOOM!
"What the—?!" the delinquents gasped.
(Not just a grenade… a rifle grenade, like the ones in the seminar textbook,) Mash thought. The weapon was heavier and more powerful than Kivotos' standard 22mm grenades.
"Here, sorry for borrowing it," Mash said, returning the carbine.
(This is a setup. They're luring me. Guess I'll play along.)
The attacker's intent was clear: draw Mash in. He followed the shadow, knowing that as Schale's teacher, he couldn't ignore a student's misdeeds, even if it was a trap. Along the way, explosions marked the path, each site adorned with a plum blossom, as if the culprit knew Mash's inability to ignore others in trouble.
"Dragging others into this isn't cool," Mash muttered.
But a question nagged at him: "If they're after me, why target the citizen and those delinquents instead?"
The attacks never aimed directly at Mash, instead targeting those around him, as if clearing a path. Explosions disrupted delinquent hangouts and traffic, always accompanied by plum blossoms, guiding him forward.
(I can't let this cause more harm. I've got to follow.)
Mash pressed on, avoiding collateral damage, until he reached a sparsely populated area on D.U.'s outskirts. It was nearing 6:40 p.m., and the sun had set.
"Here, huh?"
At a deserted industrial road near an abandoned factory, Mash sensed a presence. As he reached for a choux cream, a bullet whizzed by. He caught it barehanded, feeling a rare sting in his fingers. From the direction of a glowing red tracer, a figure emerged, cheeks flushed and fidgeting nervously.
"This… this sensation…" she giggled.
"You're—"
"Finally… I meet you, my beloved!"
Removing her fox mask, Wakamo Kosaka stood before him—one of Kivotos' most notorious Seven Prisoners, a figure Mash had clashed with on his first day in the city.
"I've longed to meet you… for so long," Wakamo said, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Uh, Wakamo… chan, right?" Mash ventured.
"Y-you'd call me that?!" she gasped.
"Oh, was that rude? Sorry."
"No! Please, say it more!"
"Uh…"
Wakamo approached, her eyes gleaming with heart-shaped pupils, a phenomenon Mash likened to a halo.
"Since we met, I've never forgotten you," she said, drawing closer, her voice soft and fervent. "All I wanted… was for you to hear my feelings."
At arm's length, she leaned in, her voice melting. "Come closer… my beloved."
Mash raised his hand—not to her cheek, but to her head. Tap!
"Bad girl," he said, delivering a light chop.
"Eek!"
"You shouldn't cause trouble for others."
"What… what did I do?" Wakamo stammered.
"If you wanted to talk, you could've come to Schale directly."
"I… I was too shy…" she mumbled, blushing.
"That's no excuse."
"But other girls watch Schale like hawks! If I got reported, I'd have to fight Valkyrie! And I… I couldn't hold back…"
"You went too far. You can't bother others like that."
"But—"
"No buts."
"I just wanted to see you! I knew your kind heart would notice me if I caused a scene! It was the surest way, and I don't regret it!"
"That's not something to brag about… This is tricky," Mash sighed.
Dealing with troubled students was nothing new, but Wakamo's extreme actions—purely to meet him—were unprecedented. Scolding her might not work, and punishment could backfire. Then, an imaginary grandpa's voice whispered in his mind: "Mash, say what hurts you the most."
"Wakamo-chan," Mash began.
"Yes, my beloved?" she beamed.
"If you keep this up… I might end up disliking you."
The words hit like a sledgehammer. To Mash, being disliked—especially by someone like Hoshino or Hina—was unthinkable. He hoped this would resonate.
"Wha…" Wakamo's face froze.
(Oh, that hit hard,) Mash thought.
"No… no…" she whimpered.
"Uh-oh," Mash muttered.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Wakamo wailed, collapsing into tears.
"Oh no," Mash said, realizing he'd gone too far.
Back to the present.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Wakamo sobbed, clinging to Mash. "Please don't hate me!"
"Hey, Wakamo-chan, let's calm down," Mash urged.
"I can't bear you hating me!" she cried.
"Yeah, nobody likes being disliked, right?"
"If you reject me… I'm nothing…"
"Wakamo-chan?"
Suddenly, Wakamo knelt on the ground, discarding her grenade launcher and detaching a bayonet from her rifle, "Crimson Calamity." She pointed the blade at her stomach.
"I have no choice but to die," she declared.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Mash grabbed her arm.
"Let me go!" she sobbed.
"No way, that's not happening!"
Wakamo's attempt at seppuku—a ritual Mash had only heard of in tales—caught him off guard. He wrestled the bayonet away, but she fought to drive it into herself.
"Being hated by you, my beloved teacher… I can't live with that despair!"
"I only said I might dislike you, not that I do! And… did you just say you love me?"
"Ah!" Wakamo flushed, mortified.
"Sorry, that was insensitive. Put the weapon away."
"Ugh…"
Minutes later, Mash brought Wakamo to a nearby park. Exhausted, he sipped a canned drink on a bench while Wakamo sat meekly beside him.
"I'm so sorry…" she murmured.
"No, I messed up too," Mash said.
"No! I was just… hysterical."
"I should've known better. Sorry."
Wakamo clenched her fists, her face contorted with guilt. Mash pondered her situation. As Schale's advisor, he had to guide wayward students, but Wakamo's penchant for destruction and theft made reform seem impossible. Her earlier suicide attempt suggested she might not survive rejection. She reminded him of a "yandere" he'd heard about, but no clear solution emerged.
"So, about you saying you love me…" Mash began.
"Y-yes! I do love you!"
"I love you too," he replied.
"…What?"
"As a teacher, I love all my students."
"Oh… that's what you meant," she said, deflating.
"It's great knowing my students care about me."
Wakamo edged closer. "You… love me?"
"Yup. Students are meant to be loved."
"Even a troublemaker like me?"
"I've dealt with plenty of troublemakers."
"Even after I hurt others to reach you?"
"I'm still mad about that, but I'm glad you came to see me."
"Even though I attacked those around you to protect you?"
"That's news to me… Wait, you shot at the citizen and delinquents for that?"
"Yes… I meant to scare the dog so he wouldn't get you sick. And the delinquents… they were so rude, I lost control."
"Those were some powerful shots."
"You love… even someone like me?"
"Troubled kids are often the most endearing," Mash said. "You went too far, and involving others was wrong. Let's work on that. But your feelings came through. I realize I haven't made time for you. I'm sorry for leaving you out."
"You're… too kind," Wakamo whispered.
"I get that a lot. Sometimes it gets me in trouble."
"You love me… you don't reject me…"
"I can't condone your crimes, but I'll never reject you as a person. You're my student, just as precious as everyone in Kivotos."
Wakamo's face flushed, her tail wagging and ears twitching. "I'm more embarrassed than happy…"
"I'm the 'praise and nurture' type. So, Wakamo-chan, I have a proposal."
"Yes?"
"I want to stop your crimes, but that'd take away what you enjoy. So, I thought…"
Mash's idea was radical: "Why not join Schale? Like an assistant or partner."
"What…?"
"I've been lonely at Schale. It's usually just me."
Wakamo hesitated. "Me, a Seven Prisoner, at Schale? The Federal Student Council would never—"
"Not sheltering you, but keeping you under my watch. Living together, sort of."
"You'd…"
"I'm guessing you've been alone since your escape. That makes me want to be with you even more."
Wakamo saw the sincerity in his eyes—a rare, genuine kindness. She understood why she'd fallen for him.
"So, what do you say? No pressure."
"Absolutely!" she exclaimed.
"Whoa, that was loud."
"I, Wakamo Kosaka, the Calamitous Fox, will be your assistant! I need no pay or breaks—24/7, I'll serve you!"
"I'll give you a salary and days off. It's not that intense. So, you're in?"
"Yes!"
"Great. That makes me happy."
Mash stood, crushed his can, and tossed it into a bin, extending his hand. "Here's to working together, Wakamo-chan."
"Yes!" She grasped his hand, beaming.
Living under the same roof as her beloved was pure bliss for Wakamo.
"I could die happy now…"
"Please don't."
"And that's the deal," Mash reported to Rin over the phone.
Thud!
"Rin-san?"
"My beloved~! The choux creams are ready~!" Wakamo called.
"Be right there!"
Rin, reeling from the news, clutched her stomach, already dreading the explanations she'd owe Valkyrie and her colleagues.
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