"How could this happen… how could this happen…"
The blonde girl walking beside me kept muttering to herself, tears welling up in her eyes from sheer panic.
I remained silent, yet in my heart I felt the same regret for her.
Why did something have to go wrong at such a critical moment?
"I checked it several times… I was sure the exam was tomorrow… why is it today…"
Even though Hifumi still could not quite accept reality, the truth was the truth. Nothing would change just because it was supposed to be otherwise.
When she invited me to attend the temporary performance held by momofriends, Hifumi had confidently assured me that she had confirmed the schedule and there would be no problem. And yet, she had completely missed an important school exam.
It was not until just a moment ago, when a message arrived from one of her friends saying they had finally finished the exam and asking if she wanted to go out and have fun together, that she finally realized the truth.
No wonder. In the Peroro performance venue, there were quite a few students wearing uniforms from other schools.
But aside from Hifumi, there was not a single Trinity student in sight.
I had thought everyone was staying home to study for exams. Turns out they were all actually taking them.
Well… how should I put this…
Although the momofriends did not have the intended effect of blessing her exam with good luck, it did at least help Hifumi receive some relevant information.
Ahahaha, that really is a joke that is not funny at all.
In any case, I was now accompanying Hifumi on the way back to Trinity.
"Don't stress about it so much," I said to comfort her. "Missing the exam is already a settled fact. What we need to think about now is how to fix it."
"…You are right."
She forced a smile, but it quickly faded away.
Hifumi sighed and nodded heavily, her gloom obvious to the naked eye. "If I missed this exam, there is a risk of repeating a year. I can only hope the Tea Party will arrange a makeup exam… sob. A student like me who did not even attend the exam, there definitely will not be a second one… maybe I am the only one in the entire school who failed…"
As she spoke, Hifumi's eyes reddened again.
Such an honest child. Aside from her unexpected boldness when it came to Peroro, she was honest and well behaved in every other regard. She probably had never skipped such an important exam in her entire life.
I could only try to comfort her from another angle. "Don't be so pessimistic. Trinity has so many students, there must be more than just you who ran into trouble and need a makeup exam."
"No."
Unexpectedly, Hifumi shook her head and rejected the idea outright. "You cannot place your hopes on bad things happening to other people."
I froze for a moment, thought about it, then laughed helplessly.
"Sorry, that was my mistake."
To think I would be the one being taught the right lesson by Hifumi. How embarrassing.
Hifumi blushed and hurriedly said, "I, I did not mean it like that… I was just…"
"All right, all right, I know."
I could not help reaching out to pat her head, interrupting her unnecessary explanation. The more I looked at her, the more adorable she seemed.
"There is no helping it. We will just have to take it one step at a time," I said. "Go back to school first and ask the person in charge of exam matters at the Tea Party if there is any chance to make up for it."
"Yes… that is all we can do…"
This was something Hifumi really had to handle herself first.
After all, it was her own carelessness that caused the mistake, and it was an internal Trinity matter. Before there was any preliminary result, it would not be appropriate for me to step in rashly.
Taking this opportunity to let Hifumi learn a lesson was not a bad thing either.
If it truly came down to it…
Then I would have no choice but to personally go ask Nagisa for a favor.
Even if Nagisa did not consider my position or her friendship with Hifumi, just for the sake of my good looks alone, surely she would not refuse to give me some face.
I escorted the dejected Hifumi all the way to the gates of Trinity. The young and beautiful students who had finished their exams were wearing relaxed, joyful expressions, laughing and chatting with their friends inside and outside the school gates. It formed a stark contrast with the demeanor of one student who had directly missed her exam.
The cheerful atmosphere among the students made Hifumi lower her head even further.
On the other hand, Hifumi's appearance also attracted quite a bit of attention.
Naturally, the key reason was that beside her walked a handsome young man who clearly looked promising at first glance, namely me.
It was only natural to draw eyes.
I unconsciously straightened my chest a little more and put on a smile that was sure to captivate countless young girls.
"Ah, Sensei, thank you for walking me this far. I can go on by myself from here."
Hifumi stopped and steadied her expression. "No matter what consequences I have to face, I am already mentally prepared."
I nodded. "Mm, I understand. Then I will head back for today. Once there is a result, do not forget to tell me."
Like the afternoon sunlight, a gentle and warm smile returned to the angelic face of the girl.
"Mm! Thank you! Then I will see you nex—"
"Hey! Hifumi!"
Suddenly, a female voice cut in from the side.
Following the sound, I saw a fairly cute girl waving and running toward us.
I clearly saw that the girl who was calling out Hifumi's name gradually turned shocked, her steps slowing until she stopped several meters away.
Then, wide eyed and dumbfounded, she pointed at me and Hifumi and let out an incredulous cry that overwhelmed all the surrounding noise.
"Hifumi! The reason you skipped the exam! Was it actually because you went on a date with this adult!"
…What?
In an instant, at the school gate during the busiest time after noon classes, the area suddenly fell dead silent.
At the same time, countless probing, astonished, and amused gazes were cast upon me and the stunned Hifumi beside me, her eyes wide open.
The silence lasted only a brief moment. What followed was an even louder eruption of chatter than before.
"Th, that…" Hifumi's face turned bright red as she denied it to her friend. "What are you saying, this is Sensei…"
"What?" Hifumi's friend lowered her voice and asked. "So you still went on a date with a Sensei from Schale?"
"There is no such thing!"
Hifumi glanced at me, then quickly lowered her gaze, burying her head very low. "S-sorry for causing you trouble. See you next time."
With that, she grabbed her shoulder strap with one hand and pulled her friend with the other, lowered her head, and fled into the school grounds.
I scratched my head, looked at the situation around me, and felt that it was not wise to linger here either.
What a pity. I had originally wanted to meet some other Trinity students, but given the current circumstances, it would probably lead to even more gossip that would damage my reputation.
I did my best to keep my expression calm and walked a long distance toward the station before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
And just at that moment, my phone rang.