After that, the tutoring continued until quite late.
Taking advantage of a gap when no one was asking me questions, I finished a piece of Schale paperwork, then lifted my head and looked toward the girls huddled together, studying hard.
My attention quietly settled on Azusa, who was bent over in concentration, working through the common example problems that Hanako and I had compiled.
The matter I had asked Himari to investigate last night had already shown some results.
Azusa's student records from before transferring into Trinity could be described as flawless. But that was only to ordinary people.
To a super genius beautiful girl hacker, nothing is impossible. When Himari informed me that there were traces of modification in Azusa's records at her previous school, she bragged like that.
At the same time, Himari also discovered that shortly before Azusa transferred, that school, which had originally been in poor financial condition this year, suddenly received a considerable anonymous donation.
From all of this, it was highly likely that Azusa's records were fabricated. If so, her true background became even more suspicious.
For now, Himari was continuing her investigation, trying to trace the original source of that anonymous donation that had changed hands countless times.
Before she found more solid evidence, whether I should prepare in advance, or even strike first, had become the issue that troubled me the most.
Although from Azusa's usual behavior, I could sense that she did not seem like a bad person, I understood one thing clearly.
"Does not seem like" is not the same as "is not."
Moreover, if my guess was correct, Azusa might merely be a pawn, manipulated by the true mastermind behind the scenes, unable to act according to her own will.
From a rational standpoint, informing Nagisa now, resolving the others' expulsion crisis, then secretly monitoring or controlling Azusa while following the clues together would probably be the optimal choice.
However, I still hesitated.
Given what Nagisa had done to Hifumi, I could not be sure whether, after learning this, she would rein herself in, or instead expand her suspicions even further.
For example, if there were problems with Azusa's records, would that mean there might be other insiders within Trinity assisting her? Or if there was already one suspicious person in the Make-Up Work Club, could there not be more traitors?
If I confirmed part of Nagisa's suspicions now, it would not only risk alerting the enemy, but might also implicate more innocent people.
Even if I could justify it by saying that Nagisa was the one who first became overly suspicious, if I was secretly doubting her like this, I probably had no right to criticize her without guilt.
No matter what, to protect my precious students, I had to act as cautiously as possible.
…And even more so for my own greed.
If she was merely being coerced, then why could I not save Azusa as well?
After careful thought, I decided that before the deadline arrived, I would keep this from Nagisa and try to uncover the truth in my own way.
Meanwhile, below, a somewhat delicate scene was unfolding.
"Koharu, a question."
Hearing her name called, Koharu looked up blankly. Meeting Azusa's serious gaze, she asked uncertainly, "Hm? Eh? Me? You're asking me?"
Not only her, even I was briefly startled. But I quickly understood the reason and the corners of my mouth lifted slightly.
"Yes, Koharu. We should have learned the same knowledge point." As Azusa spoke, she shifted her textbook. "This problem…"
"Um, mm…"
After hesitating a little, Koharu braced herself and looked at where Azusa was pointing. Then her eyes lit up. "Ah, this one I know! I remember this. You draw a line here, forming a ninety degree angle with the bottom… then this triangle and this triangle are the same. Got it?"
"…I see. So that is how it works."
Azusa nodded thoughtfully, then smiled at Koharu. "That was a big help. I can indeed acknowledge you as an elite of the Justice Task Force."
Receiving her recognition, Koharu's face flushed slightly as she said happily, "O-of course! I'm an elite after all! I-if there's anything else you don't understand, you can ask me anytime. I'll give Azusa special attention!"
"Thank you. That helped a lot."
Watching their interaction, I confirmed my guess.
Azusa was indeed moving forward alongside her companions in her own way.
And that was precisely why she had value to me as a student.
Hanako, who had also witnessed this scene, remarked thoughtfully,
"Should I say that as partners who have already seen each other naked, your relationship has become quite deep…?"
Koharu immediately protested fiercely, "Wait, what are you saying!? It's not that kind of relationship, okay!?"
Azusa, the other party to the strange joke, asked innocently, "Hm? Does Hanako also want me to help you wash your body?"
Hifumi looked slightly embarrassed, as if she wanted to say something but held back. "U-um…"
From my perspective, this strange combination had indeed achieved a certain peculiar harmony. Perhaps they really could build a deep friendship.
"Ah, Koharu," Azusa suddenly said, flipping through the pages, "there's another question I want to ask."
"Mm? This problem is, um…" Koharu hesitated.
Azusa asked in confusion, "Is it a problem even Koharu does not know?"
"Mm, this one… I think I saw it in a reference book… W-wait a moment. I remember I brought it…"
As she spoke, Koharu reached into her bag and rummaged around. Soon, with a small grunt, she pulled out a red book that clearly did not look like a reference book.
At the very least, reference books do not have an R-18 label printed in the upper right corner, nor do they have a cover silhouette of a man and woman almost kissing.
SAUCE
…Although I had already noticed, Koharu, who constantly says no lewdness allowed, actually carries something like this around?
It was honestly a bit amusing.
Hanako and Hifumi also noticed, and after seeing the cover, both showed surprised expressions. Azusa, pure-minded as ever, seemed not to understand what it meant. "Is it in this reference book?"
"Mm, this reference—" Koharu, who had been smiling, also sensed something was wrong. "…Eh?"
"It's a lewd book," Hanako said with a light laugh.
After a brief silence.
Koharu's face turned red at lightning speed as she let out an ear-piercing wail.
"Uwaaah!? W-why!?"
She hurriedly hid the book behind her back, but it was already too late.
As if she had found a fellow enthusiast like Hifumi had earlier, Hanako pressed on eagerly. "Koharu-chan, that is a lewd book, right? In a certain sense it can be called a reference book. Hiding it is useless, it clearly says R-18 on it."
"N-no! You saw wrong! Anyway, it's not! Absolutely not!"
But that was nothing more than a dying struggle.
"You cannot fool my eyes," Hanako said in a professional tone. "It must be the kind of book about doing that sort of thing. And a rather high-level one at that. Even in Trinity, no, even across all of Kivotos, it is not something you can easily come across. It must be…"
She then launched into a long description that even made my blood stir a little.
After finally stopping, Hanako continued to scrutinize Koharu, who looked like she wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
"Why would you have a book like that? I remember the school rules explicitly forbid it…?"
Koharu stammered, "N-no, that is… Th-this is not mine, it is…"
But Hanako would not let up. "But it was taken out of Koharu-chan's bag, right? And you even brought it to the training camp… Is it your treasured collection? I never expected that Koharu-chan, who is always so serious, would read this kind of lewd book…"
I felt that when Koharu almost always understood Hanako's subtle dirty jokes and reacted so intensely, it should have been clear that she was not as purely serious as she claimed.
Perhaps Hanako's threshold was simply too high.
However, watching this unfold, I frowned slightly, worried about one thing.
"…No. I see, so that is how it is." After pondering for a moment, Hanako looked enlightened. "If you think about it carefully, it is not that strange."
Just as I thought my concern was unnecessary, Hanako happily continued, "Perfect for advance practice… In other words, this is…"
"Ahem."
I could not endure it any longer and coughed heavily. "Sorry. Actually, I brought that book."
"…Oh?"
"…Eh?"
Upon hearing this, the two pink-haired girls both turned puzzled gazes toward me, though the emotion in one of them quickly changed.
"I see. Sorry, Koharu-chan, I misunderstood you." Hanako gave Koharu, who had almost been reduced to tears, an apologetic smile. "As a member of the Justice Task Force, you must have thought that such a book appearing during the training camp might affect everyone, so you confiscated it from Sensei, right?"
Her reaction speed was impressive.
Though being quick-witted did not contradict being easily carried away and making excessive jokes at inappropriate times.
Was that also a protective layer she had put on herself, one that had already become a habit?
Koharu hesitated for quite a while, glancing at me uneasily, as if she could not understand why I had claimed the book was mine, and seemed unsure whether to go along with it.
"That is indeed the case." Adhering to the principle of helping someone to the end, and somewhat moved by Koharu's attitude, I answered calmly, "Sorry. Although as an adult it is completely legal for me to purchase such books, accidentally bringing it here was indeed inappropriate."
"Oh my, Sensei really is something, doing this sort of thing. Could it be you were planning to make a move on us?"
"Haha, Hanako, what are you saying? If I had that kind of intention, I would be even less likely to bring a book like this."
"Hehe, that is true. Sensei is an adult with normal needs after all. Surrounded by cute girls all day, if you did not relieve yourself, perhaps one day everyone would be attacked."
The corner of my mouth twitched. "Don't worry. If that day ever comes, I will definitely look for you, Hanako."
Hanako narrowed her eyes. "You really would?"
Seeing her meaningful smile, I fell silent.
At that moment, after an intense inner struggle, Koharu answered vaguely,
"…I am in charge of confiscated items, and things like that… So since it was confiscated, that is why it was in my bag…"
That might truly have been the case.
With Koharu's earnest personality, she did not seem like the type to put such a book in her bag without a proper reason.
"I see." Hanako pondered for a moment, then suggested seriously, "If possible, I think confiscated items should be returned to the Justice Task Force as soon as possible. What do you think?"
Koharu nodded hesitantly. "T-that is true…"
Hifumi also added, "Before a mismatch in quantity causes a commotion, it might be better to return it…"
"Eh?" Azusa caught the inconsistency. "Was this not just confiscated from Sensei by Koharu? If you bring it to the Justice Task Force, would that not cause a mismatch in quantity?"
"Ah, um…" Hifumi looked embarrassed and quietly tugged at Azusa's sleeve. Although Azusa still looked confused, she did not continue.
It seemed the Make-Up Work Club president had more or less guessed the truth and was tacitly protecting Koharu's feelings.
That said, my superb acting had not been very effective. Most likely, in Hifumi's heart, my tall and radiant image was simply too deeply rooted.
No, not just Hifumi. It was probably the same in the hearts of all my students.
I felt that in this regard, I should at least have some self-awareness.
Before the atmosphere grew awkward, Hanako said to Koharu,
"In any case, why not quietly go now and put it back at the Justice Task Force without being noticed?"
Koharu was startled. "Eh, now?"
Everyone knew that during the training camp, unless there were special circumstances, the Make-Up Work Club was not allowed to leave this annex.
At the very least, one could not leave alone under the pretext of returning confiscated contraband without my accompaniment. And since the reason was to return it to the school, it was not something that could be done loudly as a group.
Thinking of this, I could not help glancing at Hanako.
But I quickly dismissed my suspicion. "Koharu, let's go together."
Koharu looked at me. "W-with Sensei…?"
"…That is true. If Sensei goes along, even if Hasumi and the others discover it, they probably will not be too angry…"
Hanako gave me an approving look, then leaned closer to Koharu and whispered mysteriously, "By the way, Koharu-chan, that is that, but if you have any other recommendations, please be sure to—"
In an instant, Koharu's face turned red again as she shouted,
"Sh-shut up! Idiot!"
The compatibility between those two, was it good or bad?
Either way, I was looking forward to them becoming good friends.
With that in mind, after instructing Hifumi and Hanako to continue tutoring Azusa, I headed to the Justice Task Force headquarters together with Koharu.