And so, everyone began preparing for the next day's cultural festival... The campus was filled with a busy, lively atmosphere. Every booth had already been set up, including the performance stage and the so-called maid café.
Naturally, the student council members were involved as well. Arisa patrolled the grounds, occasionally stopping to lend a hand. As she had mentioned before, Kanon was distributing the supplies needed for the festivities. Inori was rehearsing onstage, while Hare... had not appeared at all.
The day flew by just like that, and soon it was around ten o'clock at night—
Even the campus, which had bustled with activity all day, gradually quieted down, although some people were still preparing for tomorrow's events. The lights came on one after another, bathing the dim campus in a warm, comforting glow.
Slide...
"I heard you threw a tantrum today?"
Ayase, whom she had not seen all day, slid open the classroom door and wheeled herself inside. She asked the Shogun teasingly as the latter sat in a chair, propping her cheek against one hand on the desk and staring blankly into space.
"...Who told you that?"
She snapped back to her senses and looked at Ayase as she wheeled herself over. The girl was currently wearing the same school uniform as her.
"Inori."
Ayase answered.
"Haa... I guessed as much."
She sighed.
"So~? What happened?"
Ayase was now looking at her as though she were a younger sister, smiling brightly.
"It wasn't that serious... We merely had a difference of opinion."
"About the cultural festival?"
"...More or less."
She answered gloomily.
"True... Holding a cultural festival at a time like this is somewhat inappropriate, but it can't be helped. Everyone is under a great deal of stress. They really do need a chance to relax."
Ayase wheeled herself to the window and gazed at the night scenery outside.
"..."
She looked up at the wheelchair-bound girl. She did not know why Ayase had joined Funeral Parlor, but she firmly believed that Ayase was strong.
"Did you go see Gai?"
"Mm... He's still the same. There are no signs of him waking up."
Ayase nodded.
"Ayase..."
"Mm?"
Ayase did not turn around.
"Do you... like him?"
She asked bluntly.
"...///"
The girl's ears visibly turned red, though her face remained hidden.
"Haa... Isn't it obvious?"
Ayase smiled, turning her wheelchair slightly as she asked with a faint blush on her face.
"Mm... You're always extremely proactive whenever something concerns him."
She nodded.
"...Gai gave me a pair of 'legs'—'legs' that could run fast, leap high, and move freely. He gave my life meaning. I love him, but... I wasn't able to protect him."
Ayase lowered her head and stared at the hands resting on her legs, her voice beginning to tremble.
"But he's still alive. You still have a chance, don't you?"
"...Mm, you're right... He's still alive, thanks to you, Mio, and Menjou... I'm truly glad you joined Funeral Parlor. You're our savior."
"You're flattering me. I'm not that—"
"No~ being~ modest~"
Ayase lightly poked her cheek, teasing her like an older sister.
"Mio... You really are strong... incredibly capable. That's something we've all witnessed for ourselves. Thank you."
Ayase smiled at her, then inadvertently noticed a tuft of hair peeking out from beyond the doorway. The moment its owner saw her looking, it adorably withdrew. Understanding immediately, Ayase smiled and tactfully turned her wheelchair toward the classroom door.
"Where are you going?"
She asked.
"Out for a stroll."
Ayase waved a hand.
"Do you need me to push you?"
She began to rise.
"No need. I'm not that delicate. I'll come back when it's time to sleep."
Ayase turned her face aside and replied coyly before leaving. Upon reaching the hallway, she spotted Hare hiding nearby. Smiling, Ayase raised a hand as she passed and gave Hare's bottom a firm smack.
Smack~
"Eek///~!"
Hare cried out sweetly with a flushed face. Covering her bottom, she instinctively stumbled several steps forward into the classroom, attracting the attention of the purple-haired beauty ahead.
"Pfft~"
Satisfied, Ayase left.
"...?"
The Shogun silently stared at Hare.
The girl had been nowhere to be seen all day, yet now she had suddenly come darting out of nowhere.
"Umm...///"
Upon realizing she had been exposed, Hare's pretty face instantly reddened. She adorably rubbed the bottom Ayase had just smacked. Under the woman's gaze, she looked as though she wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor. She did not even dare meet her eyes, merely standing frozen in place without speaking or approaching.
"Pfft~ What's wrong with you?"
Seeing her like this, the Shogun could not help chuckling. Tilting her head, she rested her cheek against the back of her hand and asked in a playful tone.
"Huh? I... Um... S-Sleeping///"
Whether her brain had overheated or something else had happened, she blurted out a nonsensical excuse.
"...What?"
The Shogun looked utterly confused.
Sleeping? Now?
Ah, now that she mentions it, it is rather late. But no one else has gone to sleep yet.
"Are you tired?"
She glanced at the clock and asked.
"N-No..."
Hare answered blankly.
"Hehe... You... Haa..."
Hare's reaction made her laugh. She pulled a nearby chair beside her and patted it.
"Come sit down. Stop standing there like a post. Aren't you tired?"
"Y-Yes—Eek~!"
Hare obediently smoothed down her skirt and sat beside her, only to be poked immediately.
"What do you mean, 'yes'? Are you treating me like a teacher?"
She teased her with a smile.
"N-No... It's just that Mio is... Um..."
"A god?"
She finished the sentence for her.
"Mm... When I think about it, acting like that seems disrespectful..."
Hare explained quietly.
"How is that disrespectful? I don't care about such things. Besides, you never used to worry about any of this, did you?"
She tilted her head, propped up her pretty face, and chatted with her leisurely.
"Mio..."
Hare bit her lip, then straightened herself and called her name.
"Mm?"
She responded.
"I'm sorry!"
Hare immediately bowed to her, the hair atop her head brushing against the Shogun's clothes.
"...Stop—what are you apologizing for?"
She hurriedly stopped her and asked in confusion.
"Because earlier today, I didn't take your side... After watching you leave, my heart hurt so much. The longer I thought about it, the more I regretted it. You've helped me so much, Mio. You saved my life. I like you, but... when it truly mattered, I failed to repay you as I should have. I'm sorry."
"Haa... You silly girl."
She helplessly scolded her.
"Huh?"
Hare froze.
"Who said you had to agree with my opinion? My judgment isn't always completely correct. On the contrary, I can be rather impulsive at times. Wouldn't it be even worse if you agreed with me at moments like that?"
She brushed aside her bangs as she asked rhetorically.
"Mio..."
Hare instinctively covered her mouth, looking astonished by the answer.
"Of course it's good that you have your own opinions. I don't want to become someone you depend on so completely that you lose yourself. That would only harm you. Besides, I don't expect you to repay me. All I ask is that, whether now or in the future, you remain safe. Even when you're living alone, I hope you'll be able to find hope again. And should you reunite with your parents, I hope you'll live happily with them. That's enough for me."
She gently tucked Hare's loose hair behind her ear.
"—!"
Hare's nose stung, and the Shogun's words nearly made her cry. She covered her mouth and nose with the back of her hand, her eyes reddening.
"Hare, do you know how old I—no, it would be better to say 'this body.' Do you know how old this body is?"
Her eyes flickered as she asked.
"Mio... One—"
"Three digits."
She offered a hint.
"...One hundred—"
"Higher..."
"Two hundred—"
"Up~"
She prompted her again.
"Th-Three hundred—!"
"I'm almost five hundred years old."
"Huh? Five hundred...?"
However, considering that Mio was a god, it was not that strange. Hare had been about to express surprise, but after thinking about it, she accepted the revelation. Still, Mio looked no older than seventeen or eighteen. At most, she appeared to be around twenty, roughly the same age as them.
"Doesn't that sound outrageous?"
She asked.
"..."
Hare nodded, then felt that doing so might be offensive and hurriedly shook her head instead.
"Among long-lived races like ours, anyone under five hundred is equivalent to your current age group. Perhaps even younger than seventeen or eighteen by human standards."
"Huh? So you're a high school student among gods?"
Hare asked adorably, interpreting it in her own way.
"Pfft, more or less... I told you before that I've never attended school because there were no schools in my homeland, and I had no need to attend one."
So... So that was why.
"But even so, in my eyes, all of you—you... are still children. Yet... in certain respects, you're sometimes far more mature than I am. And not only you. The two back home are the same."
By "the two," she meant a certain white heron and a certain fish. They were clearly only seventeen or eighteen years old, yet sometimes they were far more mature than she was.
"..."
Hare was probably somewhat dazed, so she failed to notice the phrase "back home."
"So... that's also one of the reasons I came here. There is much I can learn from all of you."
She took the girl's hand and gave her a breathtaking smile.
"Mio..."
"So... don't think about things like that anymore. Don't assume everything I do is right. What matters most is that you make your own judgments. The same applies to your daily life. You must have your own opinions."
She released the girl's hand.
"Mio..."
"Mm?"
"Were you truly not angry earlier?"
Hare asked.
"...No. It wasn't enough to make me angry. I was merely—"
She shook her head, then remembered something and became slightly embarrassed.
"Merely what?"
"I-My princess syndrome flared up at the time. I got a little sulky, that's all. It's fine. I got over it long ago."
"Ah... S-So that was it... Mm."
Hare smiled awkwardly as well.
This is the first time I've learned Mio has princess syndrome. Come to think of it, that makes her even cuter.
Hare murmured inwardly.
"So, you have no reason to apologize. I don't dislike you. You're overthinking it."
She shrugged.
"Mm..."
Hare nodded quietly, finally breathing a sigh of relief, though she did not know what else to say.
"So you've been avoiding me all day because of that?"
Remembering that she had not seen Hare once the entire day, the Shogun asked with concern.
"Umm...///"
Hare's face immediately turned red.
So that was it... This girl is remarkably easy to read.
"Have you eaten?"
She asked with concern.
"Y-Yes, I have."
Hare nodded obediently.
"That's good..."
Had she not eaten, the Shogun would have cooked something for her.
"It's getting late."
She glanced at the clock. It was already around eleven.
The lights outside the campus were gradually being switched off. Of course, many classrooms in the school building were still illuminated. Most of the students had probably returned by now. Since they were not allowed to leave, they could only sleep in the classrooms. Each classroom could accommodate many people. This one happened to be an unused spare classroom, so fewer people slept here.
Slide—
"Ah~ I'm exhausted, I'm exhausted~!"
Tsugumi slid open the classroom door. She was dressed in her maid outfit, her shoulders drooping and her face weary.
"Welcome back, Tsugumi."
Hare turned around and greeted her.
"Ah... Mm? It's you two. What~? Were you flirting in the classroom~?"
Tsugumi wore an expression that said she understood everything.
"N-No, we weren't///"
Hare immediately blushed and shook her head.
"What's with that outfit?"
The Shogun gestured toward the black-and-white clothing she wore.
"The maid café. I signed up to work as a maid waitress. Ugh~ My feet are killing me."
Tsugumi dropped onto the bedding spread across the floor. She removed her Mary Jane shoes, exposing the white-stockinged feet that had been trapped inside all day. She kneaded her toes and soles, looking utterly comfortable.
"Hehe..."
Hare smiled at the sight.
"By the way, Hare... Where were you today? Mio was looking for you the entire time."
Remembering something, Tsugumi asked in confusion.
"Ah... Mm... I'm sorry. I had something to deal with..."
Hare immediately smiled apologetically. So Mio had been looking for me all day. I'm sorry~!
The Shogun glanced at the time again, then rose and closed the curtains by the windows. The formerly ordinary classroom instantly gained the cozy atmosphere of a bedroom. Of course, they had also specially arranged the surroundings. All the desks had been moved away, and there was even a table lamp.
"Are you participating in any activities, Mio?"
After removing her shoes, stockings, and clothes and folding them together, Tsugumi looked at the Shogun as she closed the curtains and asked.
"No... I'm not interested."
She answered.
"Ah, I suppose that makes sense... But you should participate once in a while. After all, we're all sweet young beauties in the prime of our youth~"
Tsugumi flicked her long hair, which was in the same purple color family as the Shogun's.
"You're a beauty. I'm not necessarily one."
She smiled as she answered, removing her school uniform jacket and revealing the pristine white blouse and bow beneath it.
"No way, Mio~ Don't tell me you have no self-awareness. Your looks are completely off the charts, okay? I was wandering around the school earlier, and I heard a whole bunch of boys whispering about pursuing you."
Tsugumi looked astonished.
"Uh, hehe... Mio really is beautiful..."
Hare smiled wryly.
"Haa..."
She sighed speechlessly. They were talking about her face again. Whatever... She was used to it.