An Adult's Responsibility Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"Well done girls, that was the last of them."

"Finally!" Serika groaned, stretching her arms up into the air and rolling her shoulders, "These gangs are really stubborn."

"Can't blame them…" I muttered, looking at my notes I compiled about the current social situation in Kivotos, slightly stressing over the looming civil crisis that the academy system was fostering.

Once the girls in the gang's dropped out, there was no path to redemption open to them, catching them in a cycle of crime and peer pressure until they escalated too far and ended up permanently locked away. I wasn't naive enough to believe that all the gangsters could or even should be saved, but the ones who deserved a chance should get the opportunity to work for it.

"Hmm? You say something Sensei?" Hoshino yawned as she walked over from handcuffing the last gangster, shield slung over her shoulder.

"No, it's nothing. Good job everyone! Is anyone hungry? Food's on me." I shook it off, calling out to the rest of the FTF.

"Oh, that sounds great!" Nonomi beamed, while Shiroko nodded with a neutral expression.

"Thank you Sensei!" Ayane bowed, prim and proper as always while Hoshino chuckled.

"This old man is going to have chaperone, isn't she? You better treat us right Sensei~!" The pink haired girl lazily watched me, her awareness remaining fixed on me like it had since we met.

"I can't come with guys, I have an… appointment." Serika replied, steadfastly refusing to look in my direction, "In fact, sorry to do this, do you mind if I leave early?"

"Go ahead." Hoshino waved her off, "We'll handle things here."

"Would you like any help, Serika?" I asked, knowing full well what the response would be.

"Why would I want your help? Mind your own business." Was the predictably harsh response from the cat girl, who whirled around and stalked off.

Ouch.

"It's tough being a guy, ne Sensei?" Hoshino smiled at the interaction.

"It's okay, I'm still basically a stranger to you guys. I'm happy that you've been as welcoming as you have." I grinned, causing the FTF to smile back, "Well, let's clean up here. We can decide what to eat on the way."

---ARARAR---

"Shiba Seki?" I questioned, "Ramen is versatile, we can get any type you would prefer… Has anyone been before?"

A chorus of shaking heads greeted my question, looking up at the sign of the shop that was blinking above us. Nonomi smiled, clasping her hands in front of her face, "Well this place looks delightful! Should we try it out?"

Getting the agreements of the rest of the group, we moved into the small, homely store front. The smell of broth and spices hit us, the cool air conditioning making the transfer from the desert to the comfort inside even more stark.

"Welcome!" The dog man behind the counter shouted warmly, "Have a seat! Our waitress will be around shortly!"

I bowed my head slightly towards him, "Thank you for the hospitality. Where would you like to sit girls?"

"There's space for us all over by that table, Sensei!" Ayane spoke, pointing to one of the tables towards the back of the restaurant.

We moved through the room, sitting around the large table and talking amongst ourselves, relaxing in the cozy atmosphere. The girls started talking about the previous couple of missions they had been on in the area, spirits high. I merely smiles and listened in, occasionally interjecting gently with advice or observations that I had made while watching them.

Our merry air was disrupted by an aghast cry, "What are you doing here?"

We all looked towards the source of the sound, beholding Serika in a modest, adorable waitress outfit.

"Serika?" Nonomi tittered, "This was your appointment?"

"My, this old man shouldn't be surprised like this. I might jump you, you know?" Hoshino teased, slumping over the table, arms outstretched in a grabbing motion towards the cat girl.

Serika crossed her arms, holding her notepad to her chest as she backed away from the table. Noticing my gaze on her, she snapped, "What?!"

"You're working here part time?" I asked, confirming.

"Yeah." She sniffed, "You got a problem with that? Going to make fun of me? Just get it over with."

"Why would I make fun of you?" I replied, "I think its a good thing that you are such a hard worker. There's nothing to be ashamed about."

Her blush went nuclear, causing giggles to break out from the rest of the girls.

"You're really unfair, Sensei!" Nonomi chided me.

"Sorry, sorry." I raised my hands in contrition, "Let's allow Serika to do her job, okay? What do you guys want to order?"

After a chorus of furious discussion, our final orders were locked in and dutifully noted down by Serika, her blush intensifying with every teasing comment made by the others. I stayed silent, merely fondly watching the proceedings. Once Serika left with the orders, our group turned to discussing the cat girl's surprising occupation.

"Man, I never thought Serika would be a waitress." Hoshino stated, face resting on the table.

"She didn't seem to have the temperament for it, true." Ayane concurred.

"You should make sure not to tease her too much for it." I decided to interject, "This is something she decided for herself, you should support that."

"You really are a nice teacher." Ayane smiled gently at my words, a peaceful look directed towards me.

"Nn. Sensei." Shiroko grabbed and pulled on the sleeve of my coat, "Is Serika's uniform cute?"

"Hmm?" I hummed in response, painfully aware of the four sets of eyes that were suddenly locked on me, "It is, but why is that important?"

Shiroko pouted, "I see."

The air around me chilled in a way that had nothing to do with the air-con. It appeared that was the wrong thing to say.

I was saved from the consequences of my poor wording by another group of lively students entering the restaurant. Going by the pattern of what type of students attended which academy, it appeared that these were from Gehenna. Surreptitiously, I manipulated the Chest and searched for the SCHALE requests, seeing if these students were designated by them.

Coming back clear, I watched as they took a seat and argued over the prices vs. how much they had on hand. Catching the eye of the restaurant owner, I indicated the table of students and indicated myself. He caught my meaning and smiled, winking my way.

"You really are too nice." Came a grumble from the FTF, Hoshino staring a hole into me.

"Hmm? I don't think that's a thing." I responded.

"You'll get taken advantage of, Sensei." Nonomi seemed to agree with her senpai.

"No no, I'm not nice enough for that. You just haven't seen my bad side… I'm doing what a teacher should."

Hoshino leaned backwards, flopping across her chair to rest her head in Nonomi's lap, "You have some weird ideas of what a teacher is."

"Maybe…" I allowed, before we were interrupted by Serika coming out with a tray full of bowls, putting our ramen down in front of us.

It was the best bowl of ramen I ever had.

"Uhm, excuse me…? This is too much. We can't pay for this…" The small purple haired girl from the Gehenna group flagged down Serika before she could return the tray.

"Oh…" The Cat girl replied, "That's…"

"It's on the house!" the shop owner covered her, "Hard working students like yourselves deserve a treat!"

"Really?" The red haired girl with horns replied, surprised, "Is this normal…?"

"We can really eat all this...?" The purple haired girl who had first spoke looked shocked by the idea.

"Well, itadakimasu!" The petite imp with white hair clapped her hands together, then quickly picked up her chopsticks and slurped a spool of the noodles.

"What?" She looked at the others staring at her incredulously, "Refusing kindness is being rude too, ya know?"

"Itadakimasu." The older white haired girl seemed to agree, quietly sipping her noodles before her eyes widened at the flavour.

"Mmhmm!" The imp vocalized, "This is delicious!"

The purple and red haired girls slowly followed them, "This is excellent!"

"Yes Aru-sama, this is great." The purple haired girl agreed.

"I know right?!" Nonomi bounced to their table excitedly, dragging the rest of us along with her.

"Oh! You eat here too?" Aru (the red haired girl) seemed happy to speak, but I noticed that the two white haired girls reacted somewhat wearily to the Abydos symbols the FTF were wearing.

Feeling a gaze to my side, I met Hoshino's eyes, who was giving me a knowing look. Subtly, she shook her head, so I decided to ignore the signs of trouble for now.

"And who's this? I haven't seen someone like this around before!" Aru's voice made me turn back towards her, seeing that the table was gazing at me with interest.

"Hey there." I introduced myself with a smile, "I am Carl Albrecht, the Sensei of SCHALE."

"SCHALE? That new club from the GSC?" Aru asked happily, and at my nod said, "It's great to met you, Sensei! These are my clubmates, Haruka, Mutsuki and Kayoko!"

"It's good to meet you all too." I bowed slightly to them, before Aru excitedly invited the FTF to sit with them, causing Mutsuki and Kayoko to shuffle awkwardly.

Haruka, by contrast, seemed to be happy to speak with the friendly bunch, but seemed to have an issue of apologising too easily. Aru was gregarious, talking excitedly in a way that oozed enthusiasm. Rather than being exhausting, she seemed to carry herself in a way that made it endearing instead.

Noticing the hesitance of the two girls, I turned to them from my side of the table, "Eating with good conversation should always be appreciated, when the chance arises."

They looked at each other, silently communicating before the smaller impish girl turned back to me, "Oh, trying to act all wise? That's rather cute, Sensei!"

"Sensei doesn't need to act." Shiroko's cold voice surprised her from the wolf girl's place at my side, "He is wise."

"Wow Sensei." The imp rallied quickly, "I need to keep an eye on you, already seducing one of your students!"

I remained calm, "Anytime you want me to seduce you, just let me know."

She stopped, eyes wide and mouth open, not expecting such a counter, causing the girl besides her to start giggling softly.

"Kayoko!" She whined, causing the taller girl to stifle her laughter and shake her head.

"That's the first time I've seen her stumped like that. Well done." She smiled a small smile, before joining in with the conversation.

Ice successfully broken, the rest of the meal passed with good cheer.

---ARARAR---

"The debt is all legally sourced, Sensei. Or at least the documentation is." Arona spoke from her place on my desk, causing me to sigh as I looked out of the window.

"I suppose it was too much to ask that it was so easy." I turned around and sat in my chair, leaning back to stare at the ceiling.

"Has any other Academy or Club responded to my message?" I asked.

"Not yet Sensei." Came the predicted response.

"Getting the trust of the students was always going to be an uphill battle…" I slumped forward, elbows on the table as I crossed my hands in thought.

I looked at the report that was opened on the Chest, staring at the words. The issues facing me were numerous, I was supposed to act like a peacekeeper or mediator between the Academies but unfortunately the only Academies that allowed me to operate in their jurisdictions were Trinity and Abydos. Nothing but radio silence from the rest of them.

I could understand it, after the GSC President disappeared it seemed the Council itself was just flip flopping from failure to failure. Of course, with my access, I could see that the GSC was genuinely trying it's best in the circumstances, but intentions were leaves in the wind without results.

The same was true for me of course.

My work with the JTF and Abydos girls would eventually start paying dividends, but I needed to be proactive as well. The City may seem stable on the surface, however looking a bit deeper showed that things were balanced precariously.

"Arona." I started. I needed to get some hard power to back myself up, otherwise no one would listen to me, "Draft a letter to Rin."

"Of course Sensei, what should be the subject?"

I let my hands drop, staring at the symbol that was proudly emblazoned on the report on the screen, "Regarding the Planned Closure of the SRT Special Academy: A Proposal."