Chapter 68: An Unforgettable Memory

By the time a little while had passed and the seasons had shifted fully into autumn, it was already early afternoon. Just like always, I was buried in paperwork. Once I wrapped up a section at a clean stopping point, I planned to take a short break.

There was supposed to be a student assigned to help me today, but she apparently ended up with an unavoidable responsibility within her own organization and absolutely couldn’t make it. Well, it couldn’t be helped—so here I was, working alone.

But the workload was anything but light. If possible, I definitely wanted help from a student… but it looked like everyone was busy, so I couldn’t count on assistance. Right when I was thinking that, a notification lit up on my phone. The sender was a student who had checked in on me more times than I could count.

MomoTalk

Aika
"Sensei, may I drop by Schale?"

Sure, but did something happen?

Aika
"No, Nagisa-sama informed me that you were seeking assistance.
And as it happens, I am currently free…"

Got it. That really helps.

Aika
"Yes, then I will head to Schale right away."

I’ll be waiting.

Aika Gion
EP 05 – The Meaning Behind It

Begin Bond Story

Several dozen minutes later, I welcomed Aika as she arrived at Schale.

"Well, I’m counting on you, Aika."

"Of course, Sensei. Let’s finish this quickly."

I nodded at her words and turned back to the paperwork. The main task was a report concerning the recent uproar at Millennium. But the involved parties—especially the Seminar—were too swamped with cleanup work to rely on. Normally I would’ve asked Yuuka first, but she was in the middle of working herself to the bone to settle the chaos within Millennium.

So naturally, the documents Aika was handling contained quite a bit of sensitive Millennium intel. But I wasn’t worried. She was diligent and discreet—I trusted she wouldn’t spread anything around or use it improperly.

A few hours later, we finally began to see the end in sight. The sky outside shifted from blue to orange as I stretched in my seat, loosening up my body.

"Whew… looks like we’ve almost wrapped up. How are things on your side?"

"Yes, I have finished sorting everything as well."

Aika handed me the reports and petitions that had been sent from all over Kivotos to Schale and the General Student Council—neatly organized by district.

"Thanks to you, everything went smoothly. I appreciate it."

"Hehe, you’re most welcome."

When I thanked her, Aika’s large, pure-white wings fluttered happily. Seeing that, a thought slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Come to think of it—do feathers from those wings ever fall out?"

"Feathers, you mean? Yes, occasionally. But they grow back within a few days."

I see—just like bird feathers. Which means…

"So could you, I don’t know—use one to make something?"

Plenty of Trinity students had wings, and I’d been curious for a while. The Justice Task Force and the Tea Party—Aika’s own group—were full of them. Hasumi’s wings were especially huge and impressive. Once, I tried asking to touch them—but she suddenly stood up, announced she was leaving, and walked out, so I still had no idea what wings actually felt like.

"It is possible… but what exactly would you intend to make with it?"

"What to make… oh! How about a quill?"

A quill pen was the first thing that came to mind for feather crafts. Other possibilities were bedding, jackets, accessories—but I couldn’t exactly take multiple feathers. A single feather seemed perfect for a quill.

"S-Sensei… do you truly understand the meaning behind that request?"

Aika looked away, cheeks flushed red. So among Trinity students, giving someone a feather was embarrassing? Normally they would just fall to the ground, be left there, and that was the end of it… Maybe to upper-class Trinity ladies, going out of your way to keep them was improper?

"Sorry—was that a bad thing to ask?"

"No, it is not forbidden… Very well. I shall craft a quill for you from one of my feathers."

Aika retrieved a pouch from her bag resting on a nearby desk, then spread its contents across a workbench that the school had installed at the request of clubs like the Engineering Department and the Crafting Division. Inside were fabric shears, sewing needles, pins, tailor’s chalk, embroidery thread—various tools for needlework and handicrafts. She plucked a single feather from her wing and began to work with practiced, confident hands.

"Sensei—do you have any requests or preferences?
– Like, ‘I’d love decorations like this.’
– Or, ‘I want this wording written here.’
– I can fulfill requests like that to a certain degree.
– I’ve practiced since childhood, just like with piano."

"I’ll leave it to you, Aika."

"– Yes, understood.
– Then I shall follow my own inspiration.
– Still… being here with you like this… it really puts me at ease, y’know…
– Ah—umm… that was…
– Yes, that was the dialect I used back home…
– I only ever spoke that way in a place reserved for family…
– But in front of you, Sensei, my heart relaxes… without me realizing."

"Just do it however you want, Aika."

"– Okay… then… how’s this sound?
– Ehehe… Sensei really is amazing."

After another thirty-odd minutes, Aika’s quill pen was finally complete.

"Please—try using it right away."

"Oh—back to your usual speech style, huh? I thought the dialect was cute."

Looking a bit put off by how disappointed I sounded, Aika puffed her cheeks slightly, her face tinged pink.

"Good grief… it’s embarrassing. Please do not go spreading the fact that my natural speech is like that, understood?"

"Of course—if that’s what you want, Aika."

I accepted the quill, dipped the nib into ink, and tried signing a name. She’d wrapped cloth around the shaft, secured with metal fittings so the grip was thicker and easier to hold. It couldn’t compete with a ballpoint pen, but it felt better than I expected. And the writing had subtle line-width variations—a little personality, I guess.

"…Well? How is it?"

"I think it’s pretty good. Maybe I’ll start signing Rin-chan’s paperwork with this."

"I—I see… A-and if you continue to use it as-is, it will become difficult to write with. So please shave the tip with a penknife from time to time."

So those penknives I saw in stationery shops were for quills… huh.

"And once it wears out completely, I shall make another—so just call me."

"Alright. See you around."

Since work was done, I saw Aika off as she headed back to Trinity. After that, I returned to my room and spent a while just looking at the freshly made quill.

MomoTalk

Aika
"Sensei
If you ever need more feathers, I shall give them to you.
So please do not try to receive them from other students."

I don’t mind, but… why?

Aika
"…I simply insist."

Uh…?

Aika
"T-then, excuse me."

Some time after returning from the incident at Hyakki Yakou, nothing had changed—the mountain of work stayed the same even past New Year. No matter how much I processed, even more paperwork piled on. I felt like I was going to pass out.

It couldn’t be helped. I’d have to borrow someone’s hands. Right as I thought that, a notification came in. Perfect timing—if she could come, I’d ask her to help. I checked the sender and—

MomoTalk

Aika
"Good day, Sensei.
…Could it be that you are working right now?"

Bingo. Nice guess.

Aika
"That was not a ‘nice guess’…
I am coming to help you.
We will finish quickly."

Thank you!

Aika
"Then, until later."

Aika Gion
EP 06 – A Miracle in the Making

Begin Bond Story

After a short while, Aika arrived. Just as we were about to dive into the work, she handed me a small bag of cookies.

"Are these by any chance—Maiha’s?"

"Yes, they’re handmade by Maiha. She even used some dried fruit from my family estate as ingredients."

Looking more closely after she said that, I noticed pieces of what looked like dried strawberry and mandarin on the surface of the cookies.

"When I told her I’d be visiting Schale, she insisted I take them. First, let’s take a short break and refresh ourselves before we continue."

Brain work burns sugar, so I appreciated the thought. I opened the bag and did as she suggested—taking a short rest.

"Aika, want some too? I’m having coffee, but would you prefer tea?"

"I… yes, please. I have no particular preference for the brand."

Hearing her answer, I nodded and started boiling water in the pot, preparing drinks for both of us. For Aika, I used some rather expensive loose-leaf tea Nagisa sends her periodically; for myself, the usual instant coffee I always keep around.

"Ahh… taking a breather like this really clears my head. Makes it easier to focus again."

"Yes—and, um… that reminds me. There’s something I’ve been thinking of showing you, Sensei."

While we rested and picked at cookies, Aika spoke up. Something she wanted to show me? I wondered what it could be and watched her next move. She reached into her bag and took out something that looked like an electronic dictionary with a pale blue cover.

"An electronic dictionary?"

"No, not quite. It is an electronic organizer."

She added with a small laugh, saying it did have a dictionary function, so it was practically the same. Aika opened the organizer with practiced ease, passed fingerprint authentication, entered a password, and booted it up.

"Something important?"

"…Yes. Very."

She brushed her hand over the outside of the organizer with a gentle, nostalgic expression. Just watching her made it obvious how precious it was to her.

"It contains a great deal of information about me. Thoughts that occur to me in daily life, notes recording memories of my previous life… Since it can store images, I keep photos from moments with my parents and friends… countless irreplaceable memories packed inside."

She turned the screen toward me. "There are photos you secretly took as well, Sensei." What she showed was an image from when we went to the beach with Tsurugi and the others—pictures I’d snapped in between everything, capturing the officer cadets enjoying the sea.

Since we took them anyway, I’d sent each of the three girls their photos later—but it seemed Aika had transferred some of hers into this organizer.

"It is extremely important to me… but at the same time, if the contents were exposed, it would be terribly embarrassing."

"And you’re showing this to me?"

"You already know every one of my secrets, Sensei. There is nothing left to hide from you."

A blush spread across her cheeks. In the incident at Sanctum Tower, I’d drawn out a great many of the secrets she carried.

"…You must take responsibility for that."

"R—right, that organizer—where did you buy it?"

Aika’s atmosphere was getting dangerous, so I redirected the topic. Asked like that, Aika lowered her gaze toward the organizer with a faraway expression.

"It was a birthday present from my parents seven years ago, when I turned eight. A precious gift from the parents I love dearly."

She closed her eyes, surely remembering days spent with them. Her expression was utterly peaceful—telling of how deeply she’d been loved.

"…Well then, I believe we have rested enough. Sensei, let us finish your work."

"Y-yeah!"

With that, we got back to it. Maybe the break really helped, because our efficiency clearly improved compared to before Aika arrived, and we managed to finish before it fully turned dark.

"Alright…! We’re done…!"

"Yes, well done. …Sensei, before things pile up this badly, please try asking someone for help."

"But it really does seem like everyone’s busy around this time, so there aren’t many students who can come right away."

Because this is when third–years start preparing for next year’s handover, they rarely show up. The second–years are preparing to become the highest grade, and very few first–years have much free time either. That means it’s simply hard to secure anyone for duty.

Sigh… Aika pressed a hand to her forehead. "I do have a few connections, so I’ll try to find someone who can help you."

"Aika, you won’t help me?"

When I said that, Aika’s cheeks flushed again, but her expression turned apologetic.

"I would love nothing more than to come and help you, but… today just happened to be free. I’m receiving handover training from Nagisa-sama, so it isn’t guaranteed that I can be here."

"I see. Good luck."

"Yes. I’ve caused Nagisa-sama trouble more than once—at the very least, I want to meet her expectations in the end."

That said—when Nagisa came for duty before, she told me Aika is serious, capable, and that the previous incident was probably just a momentary lapse. She really didn’t seem bothered. I think the people around Aika value her far more than she believes.

"Alright, see you later then."

"Yes—and Sensei, please take good care of yourself."

I saw Aika off as she walked into the orange–colored evening outside, then took a relaxing sip of coffee. Facing the night with no unfinished work—it’s hard to believe it could feel this refreshing. I gazed out over the darkening D.U. Zone.

MomoTalk

Aika
"Sensei, are you confident in your stamina?"

Nope.

Aika
"Instant reply… at that point, it’s almost admirable."

More importantly, why bring that up out of nowhere?

Aika
"Ufufu… that is a secret."