That night, while patrolling the Abydos District with Hoshino, I received a message from Aru.
Aru: Sensei, please take a look at this.
Aru: [Image]
The image showed a canvas bag, its zipper half-open, revealing bundles of cash stuffed inside.
Aru: This is what Haruka brought back.
Aru: She said Abydos didn't want it and gave it to us.
Aru: We're not sure how to handle it.
Aru: I wanted to ask your advice.
…Why is this girl suddenly talking so formally on Momotalk?
I didn't reply immediately. Instead, I turned to Hoshino curiously. "You guys also grabbed money from the shady bank today?"
"Ah, that. Shiroko said the bank clerk shoved it at us on their own. We just left it lying on the roadside, but one of the girls from Problem Solver picked it up. So we just told her to deal with it however she liked."
I nodded, then replied to Aru: Keep it safe for now. We'll decide what to do with it later.
"Still," I asked, "why toss it in the first place? With that much money, you could pay down some of the debt and ease the pressure, right?"
If I thought about it carefully, I might have been able to guess the answer.
But hearing it directly from Hoshino would be far more satisfying.
"Ahaha~ It's just a silly reason from an adult's point of view~"
That response made me frown.
"…I'd never laugh at you."
Hoshino seemed startled at my sudden seriousness.
"I-I see. Well, this kind of thing... once you do it once, you'll do it again."
"If you start thinking 'it's fine since it's bad guys' money,' and use ill-gotten cash to pay debts, the next time you're in trouble, you'll think of doing the same thing again.
"Sooner or later, you'll tell yourself there's no choice and do something you really shouldn't. This Oji-san doesn't want his cute juniors ending up like that~
"Besides, even if Abydos were really saved that way… what meaning would it have?
"Better to do it the way Nonomi said, with her gold card, right?
"…It's just that kind of stupid thought."
I listened carefully until she finished.
My first burning question was: how much money was actually on Nonomi's gold card?
Then, unable to resist, I reached out and ruffled Hoshino's soft, cherry-pink hair.
Her trademark ahoge bounced stubbornly no matter how I rubbed, making it oddly entertaining.
Hoshino, caught off guard, froze at first. When she realized what I was doing, her eyes narrowed.
"…Sensei~? That's enough, isn't it?"
"Not yet. A foolish student who calls herself an idiot for no reason has to be punished by her Sensei!"
Confident in our friendship, and since Hoshino wasn't really resisting, I ignored her flat tone until her hair was a total mess, only then pulling my hand back with satisfaction.
On impulse, I brought my fingers to my nose. Her hair carried the fragrance of Hoshino's shampoo, mixed faintly with something uniquely her own…
When I realized what I was doing, I quickly covered it up with a cough.
"Ahem! Hoshino, those thoughts of yours are actually really admirable."
"Oh? Really? And what's so admirable about them? Let's hear it."
It was only the second time I'd ever seen Hoshino with such a cold expression.
The first time had been when she pointed a gun at me. Strange how that memory now felt almost nostalgic.
But things were different now. Back then, she only saw me as suspicious. Now, she more or less liked me.
So a little teasing wouldn't hurt!
With that optimistic thought, I shared my view.
"Hoshino, you've been guiding and protecting your juniors, keeping them from straying, passing down the principles they should hold onto. Thanks to you, they're who they are today. That's something to be proud of."
Hoshino was quiet for a moment.
"…Didn't you just rephrase what I said?"
"Not at all! And if it sounds the same, then it just means we think alike!"
"Heh∼ I'll just let it slide then~"
Her expression softened again. "Sensei, don't randomly ruffle girls' hair like that. It's way too childish."
Yes yes, sure sure. I had no intention of stopping.
"To be honest, I also thought maybe it was because you were worried using such a huge sum of shady money would draw the underground bank's attention."
Hoshino chuckled. "That's not entirely wrong either. Uhee~ Too bad, this Oji-san's heart is filthy, Sensei. Sorry to disappoint you."
"That's fine. If anything, it just proves how well we get along."
"Haha, so that's how you see it."
Hoshino didn't say more.
But I felt the air had lightened between us.
Truthfully, I'd only started talking because I noticed she seemed quieter than usual tonight, like something was weighing on her. I just wanted to cheer her up.
And by the looks of it, it worked.
We walked side by side in silence for another ten minutes or so.
"Sensei," Hoshino spoke suddenly, "I really didn't think the Helmet Gang would turn out to be Kaiser's mercenaries."
I shrugged. "Pretty normal, actually. Even if it was suspicious that a Kaiser helicopter was so easily hijacked, because Kaiser Loans is your creditor, no one would normally suspect them."
"Exactly. The real enemies are often the ones easiest to overlook… Ah, listen to me, this Oji-san's spouting weird stuff again."
"How's that weird? It's the truth."
Hoshino turned her head and studied me closely.
"…What, do I have something on my face?"
"Nope~"
She stretched lazily, yawning. "Yaaawn~ I was just thinking, maybe Nonomi had a point."
"…You mean paying off the debt with her gold card?"
"Fufu∼ If she did, then this Oji-san could finally take it easy for a while~"
We were chatting comfortably when my phone buzzed with another notification.
I pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and froze.
Aru again?!
Aru: Sensei…
Aru: Something unexpected happened.
Aru: Our truck broke down on the highway. No matter what, it won't start again.
Aru: We've got one billion yen in cash with us, and there's no way we can camp here in peace…
Aru: And we're all filthy now…
Aru: B-but of course, for the president, this is nothing at all.
Aru: Still, if you could spare a little help… I wouldn't refuse.
Me: Send me your location. I'll come by helicopter.
Aru: Understood.
A new notification popped up, this time from Mutsuki.
A candid photo of Aru, staring blankly at the open hood, her face smeared with engine oil.
Now that was more in line with the Aru I knew.
"Sorry, Hoshino. I'll have to go on ahead."
"Alright. See you tomorrow, then."
Waving goodbye, I left Hoshino behind and went to rescue Problem Solver 68.