It’s a given, but not all the quirky students of Kivotos can mesh well together. This was something the teacher was experiencing firsthand, watching Chise and Wakamo go at each other in real-time.
To be precise, the expression “going at each other” was a bit misleading.
Chise wasn’t really going at Wakamo; it was more like she was swinging a balloon that had rocks inside it.
Wakamo was just testing her limits of patience while taking the hits.
“The leader… um—if I had to choose, a black cat would be nice… the fox is fierce.”
“Mika-san, please protect me…”
Moreover, the issue was that even the teacher got the impression that Chise wasn’t doing it on purpose.
If it were intentional provocation, it was unthinkable that Wakamo would let it slide. And judging by what the Onmyoubu members had gone through, that was a sound judgment.
“So, the reason I’m here with you today is to meet the leader. I came to clear up any misunderstandings with Ms. Reikubyō.”
“The fox is nice. She doesn’t bite—”
“Now that I think about it, what Chise said earlier…”
Still squinting her eyes in mystery, the teacher decided to share her thoughts on the matter, peering at Wakamo.
“Did Wakamo already know she changed her mind?”
“Um—did the leader… tell you?”
“Eh? What are you trying to imply?! I don’t understand at all! So, did you know or not?”
As Shizuko’s eyes spun in confusion, Chise tilted her head as if she couldn’t comprehend.
“Certainly, considering the position of the Onmyoubu, it wouldn’t be strange for me to hear about the leader transferring to SRT. But I don’t think the Student Council President would bother to tell her directly… dealing with the Onmyoubu leader would be rather tricky for sure.”
Understanding the situation, Wakamo concluded that if news of her transfer to SRT spread, it would damage both SRT and the Student Council. It was likely the Onmyoubu leader recognized this and chose to keep quiet.
“Hmm. I don’t need to go out of my way to clear my bad reputation. My original goal was just to inform the head of the Onmyoubu. If they already knew from the start, my business here is done, teacher.”
“Then… back to the important matter! Chise, where’s the leader?”
“The leader… already left for the day.”
“…Left?”
“Went home. See you tomorrow.”
“What?! Abandoned her post? It’s still early afternoon! Why? What’s going on?!”
“…Um, to watch pigeons?”
“What? Pigeons? Why would you go to see… no, more importantly! Of all times, the most inconvenient person is absent… when we need her the most…”
With Shizuko seemingly at her wits’ end, the teacher calmly explained the details to Chise. Surprisingly, Chise gave a rather positive reaction.
Although the Onmyoubu couldn’t help directly, they suggested Chise cooperate with the other club, the Performers, who also wanted to handle the chaos of the festival. This message was conveyed through Chise to the teacher’s group.
“…Understood. I have a lot to say about the Onmyoubu’s attitude of not helping, but first, I’ll check in with the Performers. Chise, if the leader happens to come back later, let me know. Teacher, we’re off—”
“The fox can’t go.”
“Huh?”
“Fluffy fox tail. It exploded.”
“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Maybe she meant that if Wakamo goes with them, the Performers might misunderstand and attack?”
Chise nodded immediately after hearing the teacher’s guess.
“So, Wakamo will…”
“I’ll play with you. Haiku-making fox. I won’t bite.”
“…Heh, uh-huh. A free-spirited, scatterbrained kid. Guess that can’t be helped.”
“Wow…”
How naturally she fit in! The teacher found himself musing that Wakamo might be even nicer than he initially thought.
‘Mika-san would definitely prefer someone with patience over someone who easily blows up… maybe this is an excellent lesson in being a bride.’
If he knew what Wakamo was actually thinking, his reaction might have been a bit different. The fox’s intentions were known only to the fox.
“Alright, teacher. Let’s go!”
“Yes. Have a great time~”
*
What exactly is the Performers’ club?
Sleeping while doing jigsaw puzzles as part of rest exercises?
Becoming a splendid lady by driving off street thugs?
There’s even a member who claims to use mind-reading just to become the best lady…
In search of a club whose existence made no sense from the rumors alone, the teacher walked with Shizuko.
BOOM!!!
Suddenly, in front of him,
“Cough cough, what now?!”
“Bwahahaha! To ruin the festival, our street gang is here!”
“This time for sure! I will destroy everything!”
Once again, a group of street thugs appeared and began to stir chaos in the shopping district.
Naturally, Shizuko couldn’t just stand by and let it happen, so she chose to respond, and with the teacher’s guidance, she managed to defeat dozens of those thugs all by herself.
The problem was that many thugs still remained.
“Hold on! Your mischief ends here! Street thugs…!”
Suddenly, the so-called eccentric Performers’ club trio appeared, exuding strong presence as they quickly cornered the remaining street thugs under the teacher’s command.
However, even such a strong presence pales in comparison to an even stronger one.
“Izuna-style ninjutsu! Smoke ball technique!”
No one could match the undeniable power of the ninja that day.
“Meow?!”
Unfortunately, mere presence alone doesn’t solve problems, and among those problems was the teacher’s guidance, which acted as a Deus Ex Machina.
“Is Izuna losing again?! I came prepared this time?! Is it impossible to win in a direct confrontation?! Or is it because my training still isn’t enough?!”
“What is Izuna doing with the street thugs?”
“Huh? Well… Izuna is currently working as a hired ninja under a client’s request!”
“The request you mentioned was to disrupt the festival with the street thugs, huh.”
“…?! I only defeat the troublemakers for my employer’s business! Disrupting the festival is… ugh… I mean! Completing any request is a ninja’s path! And as I walk this path, one day I will find my own master…!”
“Is your client the shopping district’s merchant association chairman?”
“Y-yes?! A ninja must never unveil their client, no matter what!”
Seeing Izuna flustered, the teacher pondered that either the merchant association chairman wasn’t the client or that Izuna simply didn’t know their identity at all. Unfortunately, this didn’t yield any conclusive results.
“I won’t lose next time! Ninja!”
As she made a hasty retreat with a line worthy of a third-rate villain, the teacher shook his head in bewilderment. Despite giving his best to understand Kivotos’ students, it continued to be a daunting challenge.
A few hours later.
After a strategy meeting with the Performers and Matsuri club students, the teacher found himself wandering through the night festival streets, having separated from the students who had scattered due to their circumstances.
During his walk, he again encountered a ninja.
“Prepare yourself, teacher!”
“Well, should I take a walk for now?”
“Yes! Sounds good! …Wait?! Izuna just said she came to defeat the teacher!”
“Don’t want a walk?”
“Eheh, um, it’s not that… huh, huh?”
And while they finally had the chance for a one-on-one chat, the teacher’s ability to connect with students was nothing short of astonishing.
Spending time enjoying the festival with Izuna, he was able to understand her better through his expertise in student counseling.
*
After a brief encounter with Kaho, Nagisa and Hina strolled the streets once more.
With their hands full of flowers, they attracted attention, but in the bustling festival atmosphere, there was no need to worry too much about that.
As long as they ensured that Nana and Hina’s identities remained hidden, there were no problems enjoying the festivities.
“Wow, Nagisa-chan! You look cool even when focused!”
“…Mika-san, could you please keep it down a little? I can’t focus.”
“Aha, but don’t you think it’s a bit noisier around us than with me? Like… ugh.”
“I didn’t mean that the noise was preventing me from focusing, you know. Shh.”
Nagisa picked a mini apple candy from the small box in her hand and popped it in her mouth.
As the sugary coating melted away, sweet flavors spread through her mouth while she narrowed her eyes and threw a dart.
“Ah.”
“Oooh… what a pity.”
Nagisa narrowly missed the target labeled “First Prize,” swallowing her disappointment and throwing the dart again, but each one merely landed around the first prize’s zone.
“Hey, Nagisa-chan, why do you look so gloomy? Anyone would think you lost money or something.”
“…Mika, if we’re being honest here, this is losing money, isn’t it?”
“Aha, even if it’s not the first prize, you can still win other prizes! So you haven’t lost anything, right?”
After all, the first prize wasn’t even that exciting. It was just a pretty folding fan; one could easily buy it with money.
“…Yeah, I guess so. What’s the big deal? Let’s check out some other places.”
With that said, Nagisa furiously threw her last dart, her previously focused demeanor replaced with a visible lack of care.
“Whoa… congratulations on winning the first prize!”
“…Huh?”
Of course, that dart happened to be the one that won the first prize, leaving Nagisa with a funny expression, unsure whether to smile or not.
It was the kind of feeling one gets when they bomb a test they studied hard for but accidentally get an answer right on a guess.
“Nagisa-chan, here…!”
“…Huh? You’re giving this to me?”
“Of course. Normally, these things are won to give to someone you like, aren’t they?”
“Heh… thanks, Nagisa-chan!”
Accepting the folding fan, I paused for a moment before unfolding it to cover my mouth and smiled at Nagisa to show my gratitude.
When a lady character does this, it looks super cute. I hoped I could achieve a similar effect, but seeing Nagisa melting like that, it seemed to have worked quite well.
Having spent some time enjoying typical festival games like prize draws and shooting stalls…
When a sudden commotion caught my attention, I spotted familiar troublemakers in the crowd. Not them again, the street thugs…!
“Wow, these guys are getting out of hand… huh?”
Just as I was about to raise my gun at the sight of the chaos unfolding before me, a thug aimed what looked like an RPG-Launcher towards our direction.
Of all places, it was directed right at us. More specifically, at Nagisa.
So my body instinctively acted before I could think.
“Hina-chan, behind!”
“Mika—”
I instinctively scooped Nagisa into my arms and turned away from the explosion point.
BOOM!!!
And at that moment, I had only one thought.
…Self-defense, right?
