The next morning, I woke up holding my waist, dragging myself to wash up.
Seeing the heavy dark circles under my eyes in the mirror, a wave of grief hit me...
Damn these Kivotos residents. What kind of monstrous physical stats do they have?
Their sensitivity is out of this world, yet they also have the unbreakable will to lose, charge back in, lose again, and keep fighting. And the new combo moves they invented overnight were ridiculous. Trying to take on both of them at once… I was way too full of myself.
If someone hadn't been supporting me from behind the scenes, this wouldn't just be a matter of back and waist pain, my pelvis might not have survived.
Thank you, Arona!
Anyway, the exhausting overnight struggle wasn't without its rewards.
Thanks to my noble sacrifice, Hoshino and Shiroko, whose friendship had developed dangerous cracks, were, under overwhelming impact, reunited into a perfectly unified alliance. They were even closer than before. Truly heartwarming.
On the way downstairs to buy breakfast at the convenience store, I noticed Sora had already switched to the smartphone I gave her. She was staring at the screen and giggling at something.
Seeing my adorable student so happy with a gift from me filled me with genuine warmth.
"Good morning, Sora."
"G-Good morning… Sensei!"
Sora was still a bit timid when greeting me, but she was clearly far more open and friendly than before.
"W-What are you buying today? A-And um… did you stay up all night…?"
"Yeah. I worked pretty late."
I recalled the predawn life-or-death wrestling match and nodded without guilt.
Educating students is also part of a teacher's job, after all.
"I… I see…" Sora hesitated, then mustered her courage. "U-Um… it's a bit rude for me to say this, but… please take care of your health…"
"I know. Thank you for worrying about me."
I reached out and patted her head. She looked surprised and flustered, but didn't dodge.
A good sign...
If she lets me pat her head now, surely it won't be long before she lets me touch her forehead, right?
Feeling refreshed, I carried three bento boxes upstairs and returned to the disaster zone that was the master bedroom.
"Welcome back, Sensei."
As soon as I entered, Shiroko, wearing nothing but an oversized dress shirt and white athletic socks, walked calmly toward me.
"Why aren't you wearing your uniform?"
I recognized the shirt as mine and couldn't help asking.
A boyfriend's-shirt situation, huh.
"Because… it smells like you. I like it."
The wolf-eared girl's lips curved faintly, and she tiptoed up to wrap her arms around my shoulders.
I glanced at Hoshino, still snoring loudly on the bed, then tasted the faint flavor of Schale-brand toothpaste.
Though my heart was ready for round two, my waist said absolutely not. I reluctantly abandoned the idea.
A moment later, Shiroko, showing no signs of having survived a grueling battle last night, finally, reluctantly let go.
We took two bentos from the bag and quietly ate together on the edge of the bed. After finishing, I turned to check on Hoshino.
The pink-haired girl had rolled over, kicked her blanket aside, her pajama shirt riding up to expose her stomach. Her head rested to the side, and she had drooled a sizable puddle onto the sheet.
I winced, sighed, and covered her up again, tucking the blanket around her. Staring at her peaceful face, I shook my head helplessly.
"Shiroko, I'll leave this to you. When Hoshino wakes up, make sure she eats."
The wolf-eared girl nodded dutifully.
"Mm. I will."
As expected, Shiroko was the reliable one.
If you ignored the fact that she and Hoshino had conspired to ambush me.
Well… Shiroko was the type who could plan a detailed bank heist, after all. Of course she wasn't a tame, obedient little girl.
I felt like I understood her on a deeper level now.
After giving the wolf-eared girl I loved a deep hug, I left Schale and began a new day of work.
At the invitation of the festival operations committee, I headed to Hyakkiyako for the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Once again, I found myself awed by Kivotos' absurd construction speed. Only three days had passed, and the quiet town I remembered had transformed completely. Celebration energy filled every corner.
Blooming cherry blossoms with their gentle fragrance; bustling crowds and loud cheers…
People and scenery wove together to create the famed Hyakkiyako Spring Cherry Blossom Festival.
But people's joy never syncs perfectly.
I yawned and poked my ear with my little finger. Too loud.
Mostly it was exhaustion from last night's work, and having to wake up early for field duty. All I wanted was to finish quickly and find a quiet corner to nap. I couldn't immerse myself in the festive atmosphere at all.
And since it was festival season, the crowds were too thick to use any transport. After entering the town, I could only walk to the Momoyo Hall.
I just hoped Shizuko herself would be cute, and her problem would be neither too hard nor too easy, just complicated enough for her to be helpless, but easy enough for me to solve instantly and boost her affection.
Thinking all sorts of nonsense, I strolled toward the Momoyo Hall.
Until...
A very cute girl's voice echoed from somewhere.
"Hey, hey! Watch out... !?"
A split second later, a figure dashed out from my side and narrowly avoided crashing into me, only for me, reacting instinctively to her warning, to sidestep directly into her path.
We collided perfectly.
A tremendous force hit me, and the two of us tumbled together onto the ground.
"Owie, owie…"
The unknown cute girl held her forehead, the part that had slammed into my chin, before scrambling off my chest. Her expression shifted, and she hurried to pull me up.
"Oh no, sorry! Um, are you okay!? You're not hurt, right!?"
I got to my feet, rubbing my chin, then the back of my head where it had kissed the pavement. Staring at the apologetic fox-eared girl, I was speechless.
Without Arona, I wouldn't be worrying about injuries, I'd be a corpse.
Which meant…
Time to extort!
No, time to help her understand firsthand the dangers of sprinting through crowds.
"Ahh, ow, my leg… I think I broke it. And I have urgent business too."
I deadpanned, then extended both arms naturally toward the stunned fox-eared girl.
"No helping it. Looks like you'll have to take responsibility and carry me to my destination."
She blinked. Her expression slowly shifted to shock. Her mouth opened wider and wider,
"E-Eeeeeeeh?!"