How did Koyuki get in? And without triggering the alarm?
That was the first question that flashed through my mind after the shock, when I saw Koyuki sitting on my desk, her legs swinging back and forth, looking completely at ease.
But the next moment, recalling Koyuki's talent for cracking passwords that could practically be called a supernatural ability, I realized it was not really a question at all.
For Kurosaki Koyuki, any kind of digital security might as well be nonexistent.
All I could do was sigh. No matter how tight the security measures were, they could never truly stop someone with intent.
For example, if the Ministry of Truth in charge of software, or the engineering department responsible for hardware, were secretly coveting my looks, they could probably sneak into Schale just as easily and launch a merciless nighttime assault on me…
The more I thought about it, the more I felt that Kivotos was a place full of hidden dangers.
I raised a hand and greeted her. "Long time no see, Koyuki."
"Sensei, where did you go? You came back so late, I've been waiting for you forever!"
Before I could even ask why she was here, Koyuki tilted her head and curiously asked about my whereabouts instead.
"Work," I replied without changing my expression.
As a Sensei at Schale, meeting people over dinner to discuss business with the seminar's accounting side was just part of the job. Even someone as strict as Aoi would have to pinch her nose and allow me to reimburse tonight's expenses through official channels.
The moment she heard it was work, Koyuki lost interest. "That's it? How boring."
I would bet that if Koyuki knew what my "work" actually involved, she would not be reacting like this.
"So then, why did you suddenly come to Schale today?"
Carrying the briefcase with the Shittim Chest inside, I walked toward the fridge. "Want something to drink?"
"Ah, I already grabbed one myself."
As she spoke, Koyuki lifted up a bottle of red tea that was already almost half gone.
…This girl really does not treat herself like an outsider at all.
I took one for myself and sat down in the chair behind the desk.
Koyuki let out a little "heave" as she lightly hopped down to the floor like a rabbit, then jogged over and squatted beside me. Her pink eyes with star-shaped pupils looked up at me, her expression a mix of flattery and foolishness. She grabbed my forearm with both hands and shook it gently as she spoke in a spoiled tone.
"Sensei, please let me stay over at Schale tonight∼"
Oh no. Could it be that Koyuki actually has designs on me?
Of course, it was more likely that she had gotten into some kind of trouble and wanted to hide out here for a bit.
Putting it all together, it seemed she was trying to kill two birds with one stone. What a greedy woman. I really had underestimated her before.
Jokes aside, after only a moment of thought, I made my decision.
After all, I had promised Yuuka that if I ever ran into Koyuki, I would notify her immediately. I could not break that promise lightly.
But first, we had to define what "immediately" meant.
Obviously, it meant when I could free up my hands. As for exactly when that would be, it depended on what Koyuki had actually done to warrant running here for shelter.
So I pondered for a moment and said, "I suppose that would be fine…"
"That's great!" Koyuki cheered as she jumped up. "I knew Sensei would agree∼ Then where's the shower? And where am I sleeping tonight? I really want to take a hot shower and then sleep comfortably∼ Schale is decorated so nicely, the bedding must be super high-end too, right?"
That was true, especially the master bedroom.
With Koyuki interrupting me like this, I felt it would not hurt to wait until after she finished bathing to ask further questions.
I led her to the bathroom. Not long after she went in, an exclamation came from behind the door.
"Wow, Sensei, you have so many kinds of shampoo in here."
After that came the sound of running water and humming. Once I confirmed that Koyuki had started showering, I took the opportunity to sink my consciousness into the interior of the Shittim Chest.
Originally, I had planned to sternly question Arona about why she would pull such a pointless prank. But when Arona indignantly asked me why I had assumed she would not slack off, I was left speechless.
Even if the main responsibility really did lie with Arona, somehow it felt like I was also at fault for believing she was reliable.
Returning to reality, I sat down on the sofa and fell into deep thought.
About an hour later.
"Nihahaha∼ Lord Koyuki has returned in glorious revival∼"
Koyuki walked over to me, dressed in a bathrobe, her hair loose and steam still rising from her body.
I looked her over briefly. Even though she always gave off an air of foolishness no matter what, I had to admit that Koyuki was undeniably a beautiful girl.
That said, when it came to physique, to a certain extent, one could say that no one in the seminar could rival them.
"Sensei, can you take me to where I'm sleeping tonight now?"
"Of course. But before that, Koyuki."
I crossed one leg over the other, interlaced my fingers, and spoke in a low voice. "Shouldn't you first tell me exactly what kind of trouble you got into?"
Koyuki blinked her innocent, wide eyes and stood there dazed for a long time before murmuring, "…How did you know, Sensei? Could it be that I fell into a trap?"
"What are you thinking? Besides, even if that were true, with your current situation, you would not be able to get away anyway."
She was relaxed, dressed in clothes that made movement inconvenient, and most importantly, she did not have her firearm with her.
Even I was confident that I could subdue Koyuki under these conditions.
"Ugh…" Koyuki struggled internally for quite a while. "Actually, it's not anything that serious this time. Otherwise, Yuuka-senpai would have already called in the seniors from C&C!"
As for how true that was, I felt it still needed further verification.
Koyuki pressed her index fingers together and said pitifully, "It's just that Yuuka-senpai told me to work. I mean, those calculation problems were really easy, but I just don't like doing such boring things."
I added, "So you ditched your work and ran away?"
That would indeed be rather malicious, especially when everyone else was working hard.
However, Koyuki's next sentence completely overturned my conclusion.
"Ah, no, because there were seniors watching at the time, so I didn't."
She showed an innocent smile and said in a rather proud tone, "I just deliberately calculated part of the results wrong. Yuuka-senpai was really busy then and didn't notice anything at all∼ Nihahaha!"
…So in Koyuki's eyes, this still fell into the category of not serious.
I took a deep breath, stood up, and placed my hands on Koyuki's shoulders.
"Eh? S-Sensei?"
Koyuki was pressed down into her seat by me, her expression restless and uneasy. "D-Did I do something wrong? Why are you making that face… It's scary…"
I knew that I should not be showing my emotions so blatantly right now.
But even if it lowered Koyuki's favorability toward me, some things simply had to be done.
"Now, it's time for a lecture."
I stared into her panicked eyes and said coldly, "Do not think for a moment that it will end quickly."