Chapter 108 : [Epilogue] Coffee Is an Acquired Taste for Adults

At night, after dinner. The moment when I take my underwear and pajamas out of the closet and head for the bath. This is just my personal opinion, but I think it's when people are most relaxed and least on their guard.
　"Heheheh, hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm..."
　"...That's an unusual tune. What song is that?"
　"Eep! S-Saori!? You heard me...?"
　As a result, Saori had caught me humming. It was my latest little obsession, but having someone else hear me was a bit embarrassing.
　"Been hearing it for a while."
　"Ugh... I've forgotten what song it was... I'm pretty sure it was something... like a blue envelope or something... Ah, ugh...!"
　A sealed memory. Someone had covered my eyes from behind, telling me I didn't need to remember it. My head hurt terribly, so I followed their advice and stopped trying to recall it.
　"A-Are you all right...? I'll go get some water. Just stay there for a moment—"
　"N-No! I'm fine! It doesn't hurt anymore!"
　I reassured Saori, who was fidgeting helplessly, then refolded my clothes and finished getting ready to head to the bathroom.
　"I see. That's good, then... You've been in an unusually good mood tonight."
　"Huh? D-Do I seem that way?"
　"Yes. Even taking into account that it's you, Suou, that's quite unusual."
　What did she mean, even taking into account that it was me? Well, never mind that.
　More importantly, do I really seem that way...?
　"If I'm mistaken, then never mind. Anyway, you have an early start tomorrow, don't you? Sorry for keeping you."
　"Not at all! You're always welcome, Saori!"
　"...I see."
　Mmm. She's as unresponsive as ever... Should I try being a little more forward? No, but if I overdo it, she'll probably get angry.
　"You're thinking about something ridiculous, aren't you?"
　"...You've got me."
　Somehow, Saori's gotten pretty good at reading me... Or maybe I've just gotten easier to read.
　"Rather than wasting time on that, hurry up and take your bath. Others are waiting."
　"Mmm..."
　"And besides..."
　Well, she did have a point. I couldn't afford to be late tomorrow.
　"You finally managed to get accepted for SCHALE's recruitment, didn't you?"
　"Hahaha... You're right."
　It was an important appointment. Very important.

　
　I washed myself with a hot shower, then squeezed some body wash into my hands and worked it into a lather. Apparently, if I didn't lather it up first, I'd end up scrubbing my skin too hard and damaging it.
　Lukewarm water was supposedly better, but... Hot water came out so easily just by turning a tap. I'd been amazed by that at first. Maybe that's why I'd grown so fond of hot showers.
　"...Phew."
　The soft sensation around my chest continued to feel terribly strange. I'd spent seventeen years living in this body, but... I still wasn't used to it. I was better off than before, at least.
　"Heave-ho."
　I gently washed my back with the cotton towel Mika had sent me, then rinsed away the lather right away with a little hot water. Apparently, you weren't supposed to leave it on your skin for too long.
　Just like when washing your face.
　"What a pain..."
　Why couldn't I just spray myself all over with the shower, scrub everything down in one go, and rinse off the foam? That should be enough.
　But, well... Mika had said she'd check up on me the next time we met. She'd even threatened to teach me how to wash myself from scratch if I cut corners... I had a bad feeling about that, so I wanted to do what I could to avoid it.
　"...Still as scrawny as ever."
　With mixed feelings about my little-girl physique, I gathered my hair up with a headband. The thought of having to wash my hair afterward was already making me dread it.
　"Haaah..."
　I lowered myself into the bathtub and stretched my legs out in a V. This was the one moment when nobody could bother me, and I didn't have to worry about anything else. A peaceful time, all to myself.
　But once I settled down, all sorts of things started coming to mind.
　"My SCHALE duty..."
　Student recruitment. SCHALE, an organization under the direct jurisdiction of the General Student Council, had a system that allowed it to freely recruit students to help with its activities.
　For some reason, demand for these positions was enormous, and competition was fierce. That said, they were still just helping out, and most students had their own daily obligations they couldn't neglect, so the competition was generally within reasonable limits.
　And this time, my application had been accepted. I'd officially received a request from the Federal Investigation Club, SCHALE... from Sensei.
　"Hehehe... Huh!?"
　I splashed some water over myself to suppress the strange laugh that had escaped me, then wiped my face with the towel I'd left nearby. It helped clear my head a little. Fortunately, I'd managed not to get my hair wet.
　"Maybe I should just cut my hair..."
　If I went for a very short pixie cut, I wouldn't have to worry about it so much. Probably. I could even dye it, too, so any damage would be easier to explain... Ah, no. My hair probably wouldn't get damaged that easily anyway.
　And Mayumi would probably start saying that throwing away my hair was unthinkable.
　Putting those complaints aside, I'd received a request from SCHALE. In other words, I was going to help Sensei. Apparently, they'd explain exactly what I'd be doing in person tomorrow.
　...It had really been a long time since I'd seen Sensei.
　"No, wait. Half a month ago... That doesn't count. It doesn't count."
　Meeting through a mascot costume was practically the same as not meeting at all. Sensei hadn't recognized me, after all. Getting hugged and everything else... None of that counted. It was completely irrelevant.
　That meant the last time I'd met Sensei was after the discussions with Trinity... So, after I'd fought Beatrice...
　"—I won't let anyone lay a finger on my precious student!!"
　"Ah!? Mmm, phew...!"
　My heart tightened, and I struggled to breathe. Maybe it was the steam. I felt like screaming.
　"Uuuu..."
　As if to hide how hot my face had become, I submerged my mouth and nose in the bathwater and blew bubbles. After repeating that for a few seconds, the tightness in my chest eased, and I felt a little calmer.
　"Haaaah..."
　Maybe I was getting lightheaded. But it hadn't even been that long, had it?
　Back then. In that place, I'd realized something about my own feelings. The truth was, I... admired Sensei.
　The figure I'd seen there was the very embodiment of an ideal I'd never managed to achieve myself.
　"...They were so cool..."
　I didn't mean that in any strange way. I genuinely thought so. I wanted to become someone like that, too. Seeing Sensei had made me feel that way from the bottom of my heart. To put it in simple terms, I respected them.
　But when I thought about how that same feeling had been directed at me... How, in that moment, in that place, it had been for my sake alone...
　"...Uwaah..."
　It made me all tingly and embarrassed.
　"Aaah! Enough! Forget it!"
　I draped my upper body over the side of the bathtub and rested my weight on my arms, using them as a pillow. When I cracked the window open a little, the cool air began drawing the heat out of my body.
　I could feel my overheated head gradually returning to normal. And once it did, a few other things started bothering me.
　"The Card..."
　The black card Sensei had taken out back then. The card that consumed Sensei's life and time...
　"Hoooh..."
　I climbed out of the bathtub and worked shampoo into my scalp, but my thoughts continued to sink deeper.
　The more it was used, the more it consumed. It seemed like an inexhaustible source of power, but it was definitely wearing something away.
　Perhaps that something was the amount of time Sensei could spend in this world... in Kivotos. Or maybe it was something that could only be obtained by sacrificing one's life and time... money, for example. Or perhaps it was life itself... their very lifespan.
　"...I don't want that."
　I didn't want that. If that was what it meant, then... I should... No.
　"That's not it..."
　We should help Sensei so he wouldn't have to use something like that in the first place. I thought that was the least I could do to repay them.
　After all, Sensei had gone so far as to use that power just to save me.
　"Yaaawn..."
　After applying hair oil and finishing with the hair dryer, I gradually began to feel sleepy.
　This sensation was something that used to bring me nothing but pain... Yet somehow, it had become the signal that it was time to go to bed.
　Being able to sleep when you're tired... There's no greater happiness than that. Probably.
　"Misaki, you can take the bath next..."
　"Got it... You look sleepy."
　"Yes. I'm sleepy..."
　I could barely keep my eyes open. Maybe I'd stayed in the bath a little too long.
　"Can you make it back on your own?"
　"I think so..."
　"Okay. Be careful."
　"Yes..."
　I staggered along and threw myself onto the bed. A faint breeze stirred around me. I closed my eyes for a moment. I'd have loved to simply shut down for the night right there and then, but...
　"..."
　For some reason, I took the notebook out of my desk and began flipping through its pages. The very last entry was information about Sensei. I'd read it over and over, until I'd finally concluded that Sensei could be trusted.
　I remembered that information perfectly. So the pages I wanted to look at weren't those... but the ones containing information about the students. Specifically, the parts where Sensei appeared.
　For example, Omagari Hare’s page.
　"Had been drinking too many energy drinks, so Sensei had to stop her."
　Looking at what had happened with Mayumi the other day, I could understand how Sensei must have felt. Energy drinks were terrifying things.
　Anyway, unlike the bare minimum of information I'd written down about Sensei, these entries described actual incidents. I didn't have any particular reason for doing so, but I felt like reading through them again. I decided to look at some of the other pages, too.
　"Had pushed Sensei down. You'd think things would get awkward after that, but apparently neither of them seemed to mind."
　"Oh..."
　That's right. Of course. Sensei would never lay a hand on a student. That would be absolutely unacceptable.
　"Sensei had given her flowers. She calls Sensei her princess, and Sensei might actually be quite the lady-killer."
　That was from Atsuko's page. Her princess... Right, a princess. Royal blood, after all... I see.
　Atsuko had recently developed an interest in gardening, and she'd been stopping by to check on the garden I was growing from time to time. Sensei had paid attention to even little things like her hobbies.
　The more I read, the more I felt that Sensei was... well, Sensei. I couldn't quite put it into words, but this person really was a trustworthy adult.
　"Had scolded Sensei for buying a robot. Apparently, it was a necessity for daily life. As if!"
　"...Hm?"
　...Well, Sensei was only human, too. There was nothing wrong with having one or two hobbies. Spending an entire month's food budget on one might have been a bit much, but things like that happened.
　"Had Sensei sniff her. Poor thing. After going to all the trouble of saving her, that's how she was repaid."
　"...Yeah, well... No, wait."
　Something about this was starting to feel off...
　...No, it was fine. This must have been one of those cases where... Sensei was checking whether the student was feeling well or something. They'd probably do it even if they themselves had collapsed from heatstroke. Probably.
　"Had Sensei lick her feet. She was the one who suggested it, so I suppose she was partly responsible."
　"...This one... Yeah. That's right. I'm pretty sure it was something about saving a student."
　There was nothing wrong with that. If anything, it just showed that Sensei was willing to lick a student's feet to save them. There was no reason to criticize them for it.
　"Lost a bet with Sensei and ended up wearing a collar. Was that what the cowbell was for?"
　"...This one, too. Well, um... It must have been..."
　No, I mean... I-It was fine, right? Sensei wouldn't do anything like that, would they?
　"Had Sensei sniff her scalp. Apparently, it smelled like sunshine."
　"Sensei had bought her a photo album from when she was in elementary school."
　"Sensei called her Fuuka-tan."
　"Was sexually harassed over her measurements."
　"Was accidentally handcuffed, and Sensei took their time looking her over."
　"...Uh... Um..."
　No. No, no, no, no, no... There had to be some explanation. Sensei wouldn't do something like that for no reason. I mean, this was Sensei, right?
　It might look like the behavior of a pervert to anyone else, but I believed there had to be a reason behind it. If I thought of it as underwear rather than a swimsuit, then it was... well, underwear. Wait, wouldn't that still count as sexual harassment...?
　"..."
　I hurriedly flipped through the other pages and eventually reached Hiyori's. I skipped over the huge amount of information there, focusing only on the entries concerning Sensei.
　"Had been showing Sensei her stomach with tears in her eyes."
　"...!!"
　Sensei... You're not lying to me, are you...?

　With my resolve firmly set, I put on my Arius Satellite School uniform and walked through the automatic doors of SCHALE.
　As I stepped inside, a gust of air swept outward, making a white coat flutter. It was almost as though it were embodying the ominous events that lay ahead.
　"Um, take the first path to the left... Follow it down, then the second door..."
　I carefully made my way through the vast building, checking the directions as I went. After a little while, I finally arrived at... SCHALE's office.
　One entire wall was made of glass, allowing the sunlight to stream in from outside. It looked like a wonderful place to take a nap during the day.
　But I couldn't afford to let my guard down.
　"Hey there, Suou. You made it."
　"Wah! Ah, S-Sensei!"
　Someone suddenly spoke from behind me, making my heart leap. It took me a moment to realize the voice belonged to Sensei.
　"Y-Yes! Sorry to keep you waiting, Sensei! Arius Satellite School Squad, Krishna Suou! Reporting for duty at SCHALE!"
　My voice cracked, and the words that came out were nothing like the way I usually spoke. Even I could tell just how nervous I was.
　Considering what might happen from here on, perhaps that was only natural.
　"Suou, you've already got so much to deal with, so thank you for coming."
　"...It's no trouble. We all help each other, so it's not that difficult."
　"...I see."
　I heard a quiet murmur of acknowledgment. When I looked toward the adult, I saw a gentle expression. Sensei's eyes were closed, and they were smiling.
　"...!"
　I hadn't expected them to make that expression, so I was a little surprised.
　Seeing Sensei like this... They really were Sensei, weren't they?
　"W-Well... First of all..."
　"Ah, sorry. Just give me a moment. I'll briefly explain what we'll be doing today—"
　"No, that's not what I mean."
　I'd been using my Mystics to enhance my hearing for a while now, while also carefully observing the room. There were several places that seemed suspicious. I chose one of them and took Sensei by the hand.
　"It's here. Please take a look."
　"...An extension cord?"
　"Yes. At first glance, that's exactly what it looks like."
　I took hold of the connection on the extension cord and forcibly snapped it open. Inside was a small silver device with a wire attached.
　It was clearly a component that had nothing to do with an extension cord. Just as I suspected.
　"This is a bug."
　"...!?"
　"Sensei, cover your ears."
　I waited until the momentary confusion had passed and Sensei hurriedly covered their ears. Then I took a deep breath.
　"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
　I cupped the bug in my hand and screamed into it as loudly as I could.
　When I opened my palm, I found a bug that had completely stopped functioning, presumably because one of its components had broken.
　"Good. Two more to go."
　Leaving the bewildered Sensei aside, I quickly found the remaining two bugs and destroyed them in exactly the same way.
　I didn't know whether the people on the other end would hear that noise, but if they did, I hoped they'd learned their lesson.
　"Ahem, ahem... All right. That should take care of everything."
　"What... exactly did you just do?"
　"Someone had planted bugs in here, so I destroyed all of them. I can't believe they actually managed to get in..."
　I had a suspicion about who might have done it, but when I'd reread the records of Sensei's past encounters the night before, those attempts had all failed miserably... Well, considering they'd only managed to plant three, most of their efforts must have been thwarted.
　Good thing I'd checked for bugs out of habit. Their locations had been a little easier to identify than they were back at Arius, too.
　"Anyway... Sensei, thank you for having me today. I'm looking forward to working with you. I know I'm a little late in saying this, but you've really done so much for us..."
　"No, thank you for finding those. I'll dispose of them myself."
　Sensei smoothly took the broken bugs from me and placed them in a small plastic bag. Come to think of it, what category of trash did those count as?
　No, more importantly...
　"Those are broken now, so they can't be used anymore, okay?"
　"...Hm?"
　"Please don't misuse them."
　"I-I won't!"
　...Well, for now, I'd take their word for it.
　"Anyway, let me explain what you'll be helping me with."
　"Ah, yes."
　...Last night. After that, my sleepiness had vanished completely. I'd flipped through the notebook again and again, carefully rereading it and extracting every bit of information related to Sensei.
　"The main job at SCHALE is resolving people's problems, so I'd like you to start by organizing the requests we receive. Once that's done, we'll work through them one at a time. There'll probably be things you don't understand at first, so just ask me whenever something comes up."
　"I see."
　And as a result... Well, honestly, I wasn't sure what to make of it.
　Sometimes Sensei was exactly as I'd seen them in this world. Other times, they weren't. They had quite a few shortcomings, too. But when the situation called for it, they really were dependable.
　"There may also be times when we need to go out and handle something in person. In that case... Suou?"
　"Yes? What is it?"
　"Unless I'm imagining things, you're staring at me..."
　So I was going to make my own judgment here. I believed that Sensei wasn't the kind of person who would abuse their position to do things resembling sexual harassment to their students.
　But if I was wrong...
　"...!"
　"You're making me a little nervous..."
　I'd take responsibility myself... Before my little sisters fell victim to that person's predations, before there were any more victims, I'd cut off Sensei's... well, Sensei.
　I'd have to stop them myself.
　"Ugh...? Why do I suddenly feel a chill?"
　"A-A chill?"
　That said, Sensei wasn't likely to let their guard down so easily. Apparently, SCHALE had some unsavory rumors surrounding it, but they'd managed to go nearly a year without being found out.
　"S-So!"
　That's why, even though I was embarrassed. Even though I really, really didn't want to...
　"W-Would you like me to warm you up...? J-Just kidding..."
　I'd use my pitiful little body to... well, seduce Sensei, so to speak. A honey trap. That was the only thing I could do.
　Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—I'd heard that Sensei had been begging Arona for a black bikini... So there was a chance that someone like me would catch their eye, too.
　The rest was a matter of execution. If I put on the best performance I could...
　"..."
　I spread my arms toward Sensei and somehow managed to force a smile. My whole body was burning hot, and sweat began to bead on my forehead. Not just there, either. It was covering my entire body.
　My heart was pounding so hard it was unbearable. My throat felt constricted, and I was so nauseated I could barely breathe. The silence was unbearable.
　"S-Say something..."
　I wanted to add, Please say something. I meant to say it jokingly, but the words wouldn't come out properly. My tiny voice simply trailed off.
　"It's okay. I guess it was just my imagination."
　After that, a brief pause. At long last, the seemingly eternal moment came to an end. I'd only managed to do this once, and it had already taken so much out of me. But I had to keep going.
　I took off my coat and draped it over my wrist.
　"I-I'm glad! B-But, um, I... I think I'm getting a little hot..."
　I undid one button at the collar.
　"...!"
　It was fine. As long as I only exposed my upper body, it wasn't that embarrassing. I didn't have much of a chest to begin with, and my body wasn't all that different from when I was a boy. It hadn't changed. It hadn't... or so I hoped.
　"Ugh...!"
　Boldly, I undid a second button, opening it up to a rather precarious point. If I spread the fabric apart any further with my hands, my undergarment... my camisole, would be visible.
　And yet Sensei didn't react at all. This wasn't enough.
　"Hah... Hah...!"
　I forced myself to breathe, exhaling the heavy air that had gathered in the back of my throat. Then I reached for the third button.
　At that very moment, I heard a beep.
　"You're right. It is a little warm today. I'll leave the remote here, so feel free to adjust the temperature if you get too hot or cold. You can hang your coat here. Your gun can go over there."
　Sensei moved a little closer. They asked, "May I?" and I couldn't manage a proper response. All I could do was give a tiny nod and hand over my coat.
　Come to think of it, Sensei wasn't wearing their coat today. They looked a little more casual than usual. As I was thinking about that, I heard the faintest rustle as the coat I'd been wearing was hung beside the larger one.
　The white coat that belonged to Sensei.
　Now that I thought about it, we'd been matching... Had I unconsciously done that...? No, it was just a coincidence. I had to believe that, or it would be far too embarrassing.
　"..."
　The remote was set to twenty-five degrees. I didn't want to get chilled, so I turned the temperature up a little. I buttoned my shirt again. As the sweat evaporated, my body began to feel sluggish.
　"Were you cold?"
　"Y-Yes, a little."
　"I see. I only have coffee, but would you like some?"
　Would I like some what? I wondered for a moment, then immediately realized Sensei was offering me coffee. They intended to make some for me.
　"Thank you..."
　"Don't mention it. Wait here for a moment."
　With a gentle touch, so light it seemed they couldn't even push aside a curtain, Sensei lightly guided me by the back while taking my hand, leading me over to the sofa. I felt a little uncomfortable being treated like a child.
　"...Haaah... What am I even doing?"
　My heart was still racing. In the quiet room, its beating seemed unbearably loud. I shouldn't have tried doing something I wasn't used to.
　Trying to calm myself down, I took out my phone. My search history from looking up SCHALE the night before was still there: rumors about how Sensei brought female students in and did suspicious things with them, or how they'd made a student strip naked in a park before setting her on fire... Some of it sounded downright unbelievable, but...
　"Sorry to keep you waiting."
　"Wah!?"
　Once again, a voice came from behind me. Did Sensei have some sort of technique for concealing their presence? I never noticed them approaching.
　"It's still a little hot, so be careful."
　"...Yes."
　The more I talked with Sensei, the farther they seemed from the person I thought I knew. Were the rumors really just rumors...? But then, what exactly were all those entries in the notebook...?
　"...Ugh."
　Lost in thought, I took a sip of my coffee. The bitterness was so overwhelming that an odd groan escaped me. A moment later, a sharp acidity pierced the back of my throat.
　"Bitter..."
　What was I supposed to do? Sensei had gone to the trouble of making it for me, but it didn't taste good at all. I wanted to spit it out.
　In my previous life, I was pretty sure I'd drunk coffee often. When studying with friends before exams, for example... We'd sneak off and use my father's coffee machine, then drink whatever it made. Once I'd gotten used to the bitterness, it became a nice accent to the flavor. Rich and fragrant.
　But now, it wasn't like that at all. There was a term for someone with a child's palate, and I was probably the perfect example of one.
　"..."
　Again and again and again and again. I was constantly being reminded of it. The body I'd had in my previous life and the one I had now were two different things.
　"Don't you want to add some sugar?"
　"...Huh?"
　As though following the detour my thoughts had taken, Sensei's voice reached me. I looked down at the saucer beneath the cup and saw an empty sugar stick and a little creamer. The same things had been placed on my saucer, too.
　"Isn't it bitter?"
　"...Sensei."
　"...Hm?"
　"Don't you drink yours black?"
　The question slipped out of my mouth before I realized it. I hadn't even intended to ask. The moment I heard myself say it, I regretted it.
　"...Hmm... It's not really something I'm embarrassed about, but I actually prefer sweet coffee."
　"..."
　"When I have to drink it, I'll have it black, though."
　That surprised me. I was surprised that I found it surprising.
　I'd known nothing about Sensei's preferences, and yet, for some reason, I'd assumed they drank their coffee black.
　"You're able to drink it, Suou. I'm a little jealous."
　"N-No, I... I don't like bitter things either."
　"I see. Then we're both sweet-tooths."
　For some reason, I couldn't quite bring myself to take another sip. I stared blankly at my reflection, distorted in the dark coffee, while Sensei's reflection seemed to grow paler. Apparently, quite a bit of time had passed.
　"Are you not going to drink it?"
　"Ah! N-No, I will."
　Reflexively, I took another sip. Even with the milk and sugar I'd added, it was still bitter. I choked a little.
　"Are you okay?"
　"Y-Yes..."
　"Oh, right. I bought some cake with Airi. Would you like a piece?"
　"Eh...? But I haven't done anything yet..."
　I was supposed to be here to help out, wasn't I?
　"I haven't done much of anything yet, either, so it's fine."
　"That's not fine, is it?"
　It had already been more than ten minutes since SCHALE's workday started. We were reaching the point where there was no excuse for it.
　"We don't have that many requests today, anyway... Would it be so bad to take things easy?"
　"N-No. We can't. Let's do that after we take a break."
　"Aw..."
　That was close. I'd almost reflexively agreed.
　Still, I hadn't expected Sensei to slack off, too. Come to think of it, Yuuka had to do the bookkeeping for them, and Rin had scolded them for writing reports in an overly conversational style. Sensei did have a fair number of shortcomings.
　But did that mean the Sensei I knew was a fake? No, that couldn't be right.
　"...Sensei. I want to try drinking from your cup, too."
　"Huh? It's the same coffee."
　"Just let me, okay?"
　I hadn't forgotten what I'd been trying to do. It was as though I were making an excuse, trying to steer the atmosphere back in that direction.
　First, I'd tried to provoke physical contact. Then I'd exposed part of my body. Now it was just an indirect kiss. It felt a little weak, but there were people who preferred that sort of thing, too.
　"..."
　The problem was that, for some reason, I was hesitating more than ever myself. Calm down. It wasn't any different from sharing a drink with a friend. I did it with Hiyori all the time, too.
　"Ah..."
　"...Hmm. Still bitter."
　It was sweet. There had to be an absurd amount of sugar in it. I was worried about Sensei's health.
　But I liked this taste.
　People talked about experiencing both the bitter and the sweet sides of life. But for now, I was happy with just the sweet.
　"We should probably get started soon, or Rin-chan might get mad at us later."
　"Rin-chan...? Chan?"
　"All right. Let me explain the rest properly."
　Sensei stood up, and I followed. They sat down at the desk and opened their computer.
　"Do you know how to use a computer?"
　"...I vaguely remember how, at best."
　"Then I'll explain it one step at a time."
　Whatever had happened to that gentle atmosphere from earlier? Before I knew it, we'd properly started the work at SCHALE.
　"Next, your work email address is... Suou?"
　"I'm sorry. I can't see the screen very well."
　"I see. I'll make it a little brighter."
　In the meantime, I moved considerably closer... so close that Sensei's face was practically right beside mine. But it didn't seem to have much effect.
　I'd even put on makeup, despite not being good at it, and borrowed perfume from Mayumi for this very occasion... Yet Sensei didn't react at all. For some reason, that made me frustrated. My feelings were all tangled up.
　"...Are you okay?"
　"Sensei."
　Before I knew it, I was standing in front of Sensei's chair. I placed both hands on their shoulders so they couldn't get away, leaning in as though to push them down.
　"...What's wrong?"
　"Sensei... I... Um, Sensei... Are you...?"
　I couldn't even put my words together. My breathing grew faster, and my thoughts scattered.
　"Because, Sensei... What is Sensei...? Who are you, really?"
　It was a nonsensical question. Even I didn't understand what I was asking. I couldn't understand myself.
　"...I'm a teacher who exists for the sake of my students."
　Of course. That was exactly the sort of answer Sensei would give. Just as I'd expected. But then, why...?
　"So... I'm just an ordinary person, one among many. I'm nobody special. The person standing here, right now, is simply me."
　"...!"
　An ordinary person. Sensei, of all people, was saying that.
　"Ah..."
　I felt like I'd begun to understand, just a little.
　"...I'm sorry, Sensei."
　I'd certainly admired this person. And the person I'd admired wasn't wrong, either.
　"Actually, um..."
　But this person... had shortcomings, too. And it was still true that they'd saved me. Taking all of that together, perhaps that was what made Sensei who they were. Maybe that was why they could relax and rely on other people.
　I'd simply never tried to see it that way. Or rather, I'd never had to. Sensei didn't only drink coffee black. They liked sweet coffee, too.

　"So, in other words... The Sensei you knew had engaged in questionable behavior with students..."
　"Yeees...!! I'm so sorry...!!"
　In the end, Sensei hadn't made a move on me at all... Which meant I'd been completely mistaken. I felt absolutely terrible.
　"...I don't have that kind of relationship with my students."
　"Yes. I think that's exactly right..."
　Honestly, everything about this was embarrassing now. Thinking back on it, I'd done some pretty outrageous things... No, it was fine. Everything was fine. It might have looked criminal from the outside, but Sensei didn't seem to have thought anything of it. They really didn't seem to have thought anything of it...
　"So, to make sure you wouldn't make a move on my little sisters... I, um... tried to set a honey trap..."
　"I see..."
　What kind of humiliating ordeal was this? Having to say all of that out loud myself... Ah, I wanted to dig a hole and crawl inside. I wanted to disappear...
　"I'm truly sorry for my behavior..."
　"No, it's all right. You had the wrong impression, so it's understandable."
　This generosity. Sensei might have called themselves an ordinary person, and I could understand that a little, too...
　"But there's something else."
　"...?"
　But in the end, they really were different.
　"I'm still far from perfect, too. I make mistakes. So I think it was a good thing that you didn't trust me too much."
　"...!"
　"If you ever think I'm doing something wrong, I'd be happy if you spoke to me properly, just as you did today."
　"...I see."
　This person was different from me.
　They accepted their own shortcomings. They simply tried not to let others notice them too much, but sometimes those flaws were obvious anyway. And yet, there were other ways in which they seemed almost complete.
　"Then, let me say one thing right away."
　"...?"
　"Sensei... I think you're a truly good person. A good adult."
　"...I see. Thank you."
　An adult I could trust. That much, at least, hadn't changed in the seventeen years I'd known of them. Not even after everything that had happened today.
　"But what a relief... So all those bizarre incidents were just misunderstandings, then."
　As for those, Sensei had said they weren't true, so it was probably fine. There must have been some reason behind them, just like there had been for Iori having her feet licked. I'd probably just left out the context when I wrote them down.
　"By the way, what sort of things was I supposedly doing?"
　"Let's see... Sniffing students' underwear, taking baths with them, watching them after they'd fallen into pits..."
　"..."
　Yeah. Looking back, it was pretty ridiculous of me to believe any of that... The first two were completely out of the question. They had to be mistakes. Sensei hadn't done anything like that to me, so there was no way they'd do those things to other students, right?
　"But they're all misunderstandings, after all!"
　"...That's right."
　"Then look me in the eye and say it!"
　...It seemed Sensei really did have their shortcomings, too. It left me feeling a little unsettled. Even so, I still respected them. There were plenty of things I didn't understand, but for now, I supposed that was enough.