An Adult's Responsibility Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

“Sensei?” My return to the waking world was greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon.

“Mrgh?” I grumbled out, sitting up and blinking my eyes open blearily.

To my side was Niko, pulling her hand back from where she had been shaking my shoulder to wake me up. I looked around, rubbing my eyes and slightly stiff from sleeping on the couch. She was already in her uniform from last night, whatever she used to sleep in no longer being worn. On the desk was a spread of plates, eggs, bacon and two steaming cups of coffee.

I adjusted my long-sleeved sleeping shirt, eyes locked onto the food, “I don’t remember all that being in the kitchen.”

“Ah! Good morning Sensei!” She grinned, apparently one of those morning people, “You’re right, I was appalled at the state of your fridge. Luckily the Convenience store downstairs is able to charge directly to your account, so I was able to stock it up for you.”

“Good morning Niko.” I spoke, not wanting to be rude, “Did you then make breakfast for me? Why?”

“Ah, to thank you for giving me the bed Sensei, as well as walking me home later. Here, I also found this!” She proceeded to take a tray and place my plate and the cup of coffee on it, walking over and handing it to me with a wide smile.

I blinked. She had just made me breakfast in bed, just by looking at the spread of food before me I could tell it was done with real care too. All because I didn’t let her walk home last night? Not only that, but she woke me up so gently as well?

“You would be the perfect wife.” My mouth moved before I could stop it.

I froze, mortified at what I had just said.

She stiffened as she turned back to her own plate, ears jolting completely upright in surprise. Slowly, she turned around, revealing her violently blushing face as she fidgeted with her hands.

“Sensei?” Her voice was weak, as if she could believe what she had just heard, “what did you mean by that?”

“Sorry!” I bowed my head to her, careful of the hot objects on my lap, “I didn’t think before speaking! That was completely inappropriate!”

“No, I’m not angry, it’s just…” She trailed off, staring into my blushing face, before smiling as she shook her head, “Nothing, never mind. Enjoy your breakfast.”

Sheepishly, I started to do so, cutting off a piece of perfectly crispy bacon and taking a bite, eyes widening. It’s just bacon. I could make it myself and had done so many times before. How the hell did it taste so much better than all those times though? A small difference I could understand, but this making a mockery of my previous attempts at the dish?

Did the students use Mystic to help them be better cooks or something? Or was this simply the result of a massive gap in skill?

I attacked the rest of the feast before me with enthusiasm, before pausing to sample the coffee, finding that its own quality in no way lagged behind the rest of this buffet.

I wonder if I could hire Niko to be the official SCHALE cook even if SRT declined the merger?

I was brought out of my thoughts by a still blushing Niko asking me a question, “So, Sensei, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?”

“Hmm? Oh, I need to go over to Abydos. I am currently working with their Student Council to root out the source of the armaments that the gangs are using in that area.” I didn’t tell her about the debt of course, the FTF would be mortified if I spread that around.

Besides, it was their story to tell.

“I see.” She spoke, sipping her own cup, ears flopping as she tilted her head, “That’s why you were looking at financial reports when I came in last night?”

“Yes.” I responded, not seeing a reason to deny it.

“Have you figured out that Kaiser basically runs the black market arms trade?” She asked, grinning at me as she did so.

“I have, yes.” I nodded, swallowing another divine bit of bacon, “You knew about that?”

“Everyone knows about it.” She snorted, “It’s an open secret. Unfortunately, they make up a large part of the employment and military manufacturing for the whole of Kivotos. Should they go under, it will have massive ripple effects all over the place.”

“Unacceptable.” She seemed surprised by the heat in my voice, so I took a deep breath before continuing and explaining my position, “A possible, uncertain, future evil is no excuse for ignoring the real, provable one happening right now. Crime should be punished, no matter who commits it.”

She seemed shocked at that, staring at me with wide eyes. Slowly, a wide, genuine smile came over her face as she looked down at her plate.

“I totally agree, Sensei.”

The rest of our breakfast conversation was lighter, before she graciously allowed me to change into my day clothes to walk her back to the SRT barracks.

I didn’t linger, moving to Abydos with renewed purpose, buoyed by the surprisingly nice treat that awoke me.

---RERERE---

Sora shook like a leaf. Sensei had a student over. Sensei had a student over that was buying him food, with his account.

Sensei had a student over that was going to cook for him!

Worse than that! The door was locked when she arrived! The student didn’t arrive before her!

That meant… that meant! SHE SLEPT IN SCHALE! WITH SENSEI!

“Awawawawawa!” She gasped, eyes rolling, unable to figure out what to do about this. Should she report it? Was it even illegal? It was certainly shameless!

It’s better to do something than nothing though, right?

Her hand had moved before her head realised it, bringing her phone up to her face.

“H-hello, is this Valkyrie? I-I’m reporting public indecency!” Her hand clenched around the device, as if worried it would vanish.

The rumours around Sensei got even crazier for a while afterwards.

---RERERE---

Blissfully clueless, I moved through the familiar halls of Abydos, arriving at the FTF Clubroom. Sliding the door open, I was greeted by four of the five members waiting for me, in the middle of a conversation that died as they looked at the door.

“Good morning, Sensei!” On the ball as always, Ayane greeted me cheerfully.

“Nn, Morning.” Shiroko grunted, while Nonomi beamed behind and waved.

“Morning, Albrecht-Sensei!” Was her exuberant greeting.

Serika crossed her arms, looking away from me at the board Ayane was sitting beside, grumbling and fidgeting, “Morning, I guess.”

“Good morning girls. I have some news for you.” I smiled at their varied reactions, before I swept the room for the absentee, “Where’s Hoshino?”

“None of us have seen her.” Ayane frowned, getting a chorus of nods from the rest of the girls, “She’s not answering her phone either.”

“She does that sometimes, Sensei. When she’s napping, she can sleep through anything that isn’t her alarm.” Nonomi explained.

“I see.” I spoke, stroking my beard, “In that case, I’ll go look for her.”

“I’ll join you.” Shiroko spoke firmly, moving to stand and stopping as I raised a hand.

“I need to speak to her about something in private. You girls should relax until the meeting starts.” She pouted at that, looking rebellious, but ultimately sat back down.

“Good luck Sensei!” Nonomi called, as I closed the door, “Don’t get lost, or we will have to send Shiroko-chan after you!”

I grinned as I leaned against a wall nearby and closed my eyes to think, trying to puzzle out how to find the missing member.

I wanted to clear the air between us, her obvious distrust something that needed to be dealt with. Things were getting complicated, any vulnerabilities or pressure points would be dangerous.

Aside from that, having one of my students act in such a way was uncomfortable for me.

I thought back to all my interactions with Hoshino, my understanding of her thought process and personality. She’s slept in and been late for meetings before, but this one was important, so I believed she wouldn’t want to risk missing it. If she wasn’t in the clubroom or answering her phone, on top of not napping? Then she wanted some space to think. That meant she wasn’t in any of the rooms that the others would check first, the ones closest to the clubroom.

The only classroom that had been cleaned up and had usable seating was right next door, so she wasn’t likely to be there. The other rooms in the school were in rough shape, full of broken and unmaintained equipment. Such an environment was fine for napping, as I had found her in such positions before, but for thinking the clutter would distract her.

So, she needed a place without clutter, where she could be alone and think. On top of that, she wouldn’t want to miss this discussion, so it had to be either in the school or somewhere close by.

I opened my eyes, my first target decided upon. I moved from the wall, looking for the nearest stairwell before I started to climb it, fairly certain of my choice.

---RERERE---

The door to the roof opened, having been unlocked as I thought it would be. I moved to step onto it, before pausing at the sight that greeted me. Hoshino stood with her back leaning on the fence that ringed the perimeter, her long pink hair flowing in the wind as she looked out at the sand-covered Abydos, her head turned away from me.

It was like something out of a painting, I reflected. Inwardly, I had considered the fact that there were no truly unattractive students in Kivotos, but my position as a teacher stopped me from dwelling on that thought for too long. This view however, hit me in a way I was not prepared for.

I think it was the honesty.

Hoshino wasn’t wearing her mask, her face was completely open. That wasn’t to say it was welcoming, as her first words proved.

“It’s rude to stare, you know.” She spoke, her voice dry as her eyes flicked over to me before returning to where they were originally looking.

“Sorry.” I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck, “You just looked very striking for a second there.”

“Hehe.” She grinned, a small, fleeting thing, “Never thought I was the cool, striking type. To be struck dumb by someone like me, your tastes must be pretty weird Sensei.”

“I don’t think there is any way I can safely respond to that.” I remarked, moving over to the same portion of fence and leaning on it beside her, taking in the view, “But you shouldn’t put yourself down. I think you are pretty cool.”

“Hmm, I will take your word for it.” She spoke not acknowledging my movement, By the way Sensei, you give advice to students who ask you, right?”

“Where I can. I think my job is to guide, not make decisions for them.” I responded, watching her carefully, “You can only help people if they let you.”

“Interesting perspective.” Her voice was calm, “Then let me ask you this, Sensei. If you were against an insurmountable enemy, one who had all the advantages, how would you fight them?”

I slumped as she asked the question, my suspicions confirmed.

“You figured it out. I was trying to work out how to tell you all.” I sighed.

“As soon as we worked out where the tanks came from. I thought something was fishy, but you only properly confirmed it for me now.” She didn’t turn as she spoke, eyes locked onto the skyline.

“I was going to tell you all during the meeting. I only recently managed to find proof of who was behind the attacks. It’s nothing concrete, but…” I trailed off, watching as she had no reaction to my words, her posture controlled, “The rest of the girls have already arrived, by the way.”

“I know.” She nodded her head towards the courtyard that marked the entrance to the school of which she had a clear view.

There was a beat of silence, our words fading and leaving us with our own thoughts. We both knew what the other was talking about, of course, but it seemed neither of us wanted to confirm it. The ones funding the gangs and the mercenaries, outfitting them all with weapons?

Kaiser Corporation. The same Kaiser that held all of Abydos’ debt.

An enemy with all the advantages, indeed.

Still, Hoshino had asked for my advice. I should give it to her.

“Organisations are not single entities. They don’t exist as one being, they are made up of several interlocking pieces.” I spoke, getting her attention, as she nodded but didn’t look towards me, “Think of them like a chain. You can pull them and the whole chain moves as one solid object in a single direction, but they are still made up of smaller parts.”

“So, if you need to break an organisation, you look for weaknesses. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Once you identify that, you hit it as hard as you can, then search for the next weakest one and hit that. Eventually, the links give in and the chains snap.” I finished, the girl I was speaking to having no reaction to my words as she thought them over.

Eventually her shoulders dropped, a small voice coming from her, “I have no idea where to even begin looking, to do something like that.”

“Dealing with the Black Market is illegal for corporations. If we can find evidence linking them to there, it will be an exploitable weakness. Hit them with that, then find the next one. Step by step.” I had an answer ready for her, made even more clear by my conversation with Niko earlier this morning.

“You make it sound so easy.” She turned towards me at that, her mismatched eyes staring into my own, “Who are you, Sensei? You are far too knowledgeable about things like this, too comfortable in combat. You wear heavy clothes, even in the middle of a desert. You are willing to go up against the biggest corporation around, for no gain. You’re not just a teacher, are you?”

I shook my head, “I am a teacher, Hoshino. The safety, happiness and education of my students is my only goal, the thing I am striving for.”

She snorted at that, about to turn away, “Sure, if you say so.”

“However.” My words stopped her, “I was not always a teacher. Just like you have things you would rather not share about your past, I have my own secrets. The things I learned earlier are coming in handy here, to help you girls, but I am serious that this is my duty as a teacher.”

“But why go so far for us? Just helping us with the debt and the gangs is enough. Going any further than this…” She was searching for something in my gaze.

“Hoshino. Please believe me when I say this.” I made sure to display my earnestness as much as I could, “I want to help you. I will not abandon you girls to taken advantage of like this. For as long as you need me, I will always be winning to help. Even if I have to go against the GSC itself, my students are more important than me or my position.”

I didn’t know if she found what she was searching for, but she smiled and kicked off of the fence, causing the whole thing to shake.

“If you say so, Sensei.” She turned towards the door, “I’ll trust in those words for now. Lets go catch the others up, neh?”

I kicked off the fence myself, chasing after my most troublesome student so far.