The moment I stepped into the Game Development Department, I saw Yuuka noogie Momoi.
More precisely, Momoi, with her forehead and eye sockets flushed red, wore an expression full of suppressed resentment as she buried her head and worked on her practice problems.
Yuuka, meanwhile, sat to the side, seemingly relaxed as she sipped her coffee, though the twitching at the corner of her eye betrayed her unsettled state of mind.
Clearly, Yuuka had flicked Momoi on the forehead.
The only question was what outrageous thing Momoi had done this time to provoke her.
As for Midori and Yuzu, they were also diligently preparing for exams, while Aris was completely absorbed in a game I did not recognize, probably one I had never played before.
The sound of the door opening drew everyone's attention, and they all turned in unison to look at me.
"Ah, sensei, you're here."
Yuuka instantly put on a radiant smile and greeted me in a gentle tone.
Momoi snapped her head up, hope flickering in her eyes, but just as she was about to say something, Yuuka shot her a fierce glare with a stern expression.
"What are you looking at? Focus."
"I know…" Momoi sniffed, reluctantly doing as she was told.
Even Midori, Yuzu, and Aris, who were not being scolded, flinched and hurried back to their own tasks at top speed.
Yuuka switched expressions again at lightning speed, stood up to greet me, and said reproachfully, "Sensei, why didn't you tell me before coming?"
"I wanted to give you a surprise."
"Oh, sensei, honestly."
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Momoi's expression shifting wildly, wonderfully expressive, her body trembling as she struggled to hold back laughter.
"So, what's the situation right now?"
"The progress is pretty good," Yuuka smiled with relief. "As long as they put in a bit more effort reviewing, I won't say they'll get amazing scores, but passing the monthly exam should be easy."
"That's thanks to your help, Yuuka."
"You're exaggerating. I just played a supervisory role. Especially with Momoi."
After the pleasantries, I asked, "Then, what about Momoi?"
At that, Yuuka's expression immediately darkened.
She hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Please take a look at this first."
As she spoke, Yuuka picked up a sign from the nearby desk. "This was hanging on the door when I arrived."
I took it and looked. It read:
[Game in Development, Do Not Disturb]
…No one could be foolish enough to think that hanging up a sign like this would keep Yuuka out, right?
But if it was only this, it should not have raised Yuuka's anger to the point of using violence.
Seeing my puzzled look, Yuuka sighed.
"You're holding it the wrong way. The back is what I saw when I arrived."
I flipped the sign over, and my expression instantly turned strange.
Written on it was a bold line:
Those who do not understand geometry are forbidden to enter. (Note: Sensei excluded.)
First of all, I do not actually understand geometry that well. Second, exactly which math user was this sentence aimed at? I could not say.
Next to the text was a drawing with a strong abstract flair, a pink pig making a goofy face while holding kitchen knives in both hands… no, wait, could this be a pink cat?
At that point, the culprit behind this incident was obvious.
Even I could not help but admire Momoi's courage.
I dare to tease Yuuka and Neru because they likely have feelings for me, and a certain level of joking can be taken as playful banter that helps deepen relationships.
As for Momoi…
All I could say was, very cat like.
I casually put the sign back on the desk and cleared my throat.
"In any case, sorry for the trouble, Yuuka, taking time away from your heavy seminar workload to help them study."
"It's fine. Tutoring first year problems is easy for me. I can even process some simple data that only requires mental math at the same time. Besides…"
Yuuka curled her lips into a relaxed smile. "I handed all the difficult calculation parts to Koyuki. With Noa watching her, she would not dare slack off like last time."
Understood. Then I would split my gratitude and affection for Yuuka in half and give the other half to Noa. I was sure Yuuka would understand.
I nodded. "Thanks. I also wrapped up my work at Schale over the past couple of days, so I could make time to come. I'll take over from here."
"Mm. I understand, then I'll head back."
I glanced over and saw Momoi overjoyed, while Midori and Yuzu also looked visibly relieved. Aris seemed too absorbed in her game to notice what was happening.
However, Yuuka suddenly turned back.
"Listen carefully. While I'm gone, you must keep studying seriously. Do not cause trouble for sensei. If even with both me and sensei taking turns tutoring you still cannot pass, I will not go easy on you. Especially you, Momoi."
"Why single me out like that? This is totally biased against me, isn't it!"
Aside from her courage, Momoi's confidence was also something to behold.
Yuuka's brows shot up as she scolded, "You really do not know the reason yourself? If you think this counts as bias, then go relearn middle school level language arts."
Then Yuuka turned to me, her expression gentle as water. "Well then, sensei, see you next time."
"Yeah, see you."
The seminar's accountant hurried away. Judging by this, she probably was not as free as she claimed.
As soon as Yuuka's footsteps faded, Momoi tossed her pen aside, stood up, and raised her arms high.
"Saiba Momoi, triumphant revival!"
Midori sighed. "Onee-chan… the moment Yuuka leaves, you're like this again…"
Momoi showed a wary expression but still retorted stubbornly, "What do you mean, Midori? I was just busy solving problems and did not have time to argue with her. Even if Yuuka were still here, I would not be afraid of her at all. After all, sensei would back us up, right?"
"Do not casually lump me, Yuzu, and even Aris into this. And sensei would not unconditionally take your side either, right?"
Momoi widened her eyes and looked at me. "I-is that so?"
I smiled and nodded. "That's right."
"Ugh, how frustrating. Is not sensei our ally?"
Yuzu spoke up from the side. "Even if her teaching style is a bit strict, Yuuka is doing it for our sake… we have all learned a lot, right…"
After some serious thought, Momoi delivered her sharp critique. "Feels inferior to sensei."
I nearly lost my composure.
Aris, who had finally paused her game, eagerly joined the discussion. "I affirm Momoi's assessment. Upon seeing sensei, Yuuka displayed abnormal excitement. From her docile attitude, it can be inferred that this is fear arising from awareness of the disparity in strength between both parties."
…Huh?
Momoi let out a knowing sneer. "Heh. So fierce with us, but the instant she sees sensei, she turns into a springtime mother cat. Hayase Yuuka's double faced life… inspiration is overflowing."
I considered whether I should relay Momoi's words to Yuuka.
"So, do you all feel confident about the exam?"
"Of course! After surviving Yuuka's devil training, we will definitely pass."
Midori and Yuzu nodded as well. It seemed there really was not much to worry about.
Seeing this, I also smiled in relief, until I noticed Momoi's movements.
She stretched lazily, hopped over to grab two laptops, then sat down beside Aris.
"Finally free. Come on, Aris, log in, log in."
"I understand." Aris opened her computer. "Is it the dungeon according to the planned strategy? I have already mastered the method, and the dungeon specific equipment has also been obtained."
"Oh. You are well prepared. As expected of Aris."
Just as Momoi's excitement was rising, a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Eh? Sensei, what is it?" Seeing my smiling face, Momoi felt a chill run down her spine. "I studied so hard, sensei will definitely allow me to play a few games to relax, right?"
However, I shook my head. "If I remember correctly, you just said your inspiration was overflowing, right?"
"…Eh?"
"How much of the script have you written?"
Momoi froze, her expression turning mournful. "It is all because of Yuuka's oppression that I could not draw enough inspiration from time itself. A script produced under such circumstances cannot possibly win a competition of the Millennium Club Contest's level. Sensei is so reasonable, you must understand, right?"
After a long string of excuses, she looked at me expectantly.
Unfortunately, even if Momoi harbored some unrealistic fantasies about me, she would still have to face harsh reality.
"Aris, go back to playing single player."
Aris nodded obediently. "Aris understands."
The difference in authority between Momoi and me in her heart was self evident.
Momoi looked at Aris, then at me, a bad feeling rising inside her.
The girl took a deep breath, tears welling in her eyes. "Just one round, not even one?"
I shook my head and said gently, "I think you are very motivated to create right now. Perfect timing, the computer is already on. Since you are confident about passing the exam, do not want to read, and cannot play games, open Word and start happily typing."
"How can this be!"
Momoi was on the verge of tears, but she obediently opened the document she had already written part of and began her painful creative journey, scratching her head in distress.
After dealing with the most troublesome one, I sat down between Midori and Yuzu and tutored the two of them.
Millennium's first year curriculum was mostly within my ability to handle. On the rare occasions I encountered something beyond me or struggled to explain, I could always seek off field guidance from Yuuka and Noa.
An unexpected bonus was that during this process, I received an evaluation from Noa: "Helping the Game Development Department so wholeheartedly, I did not expect sensei to be such a softhearted person."
On the surface, this did not seem particularly remarkable. In reality, it could be seen as a sign that our relationship had eased somewhat.
The day when Noa would become interested in me, lower her guard, and convince herself she could keep her distance while gradually drawing closer, was one step nearer.
In the blink of an eye, afternoon arrived.
"The first draft is finished!" Momoi suddenly cheered, then lifted her laptop and turned the screen toward me. "Sensei, come read it!"