When I arrived at the Seminar Data Management Center, what I saw was, unsurprisingly, a scene of intense activity.
A large number of Seminar students had gathered there, all bustling about under Yuuka's direction. They were so busy that they did not even notice my arrival, despite how handsome and eye-catching I was, like a torch in the middle of the night.
The first to notice me, however, was a girl with white hair and purple eyes.
Noa gave me a polite smile that felt slightly distant, then turned her head and called out:
"Yuuka-chan, guess who's here?"
Only then did the overwhelmed accountant finally notice me. Her eyes lit up, and after giving a few more instructions to another student, she hurried over. As usual, her tone unconsciously rose by several degrees.
"Sensei, you finally made it. I'm really sorry for troubling you to come all the way here while you were still working."
"It's fine, the work over there isn't urgent for now."
After a pause, I glanced around the crowd a few more times and could not help asking,
"Speaking of which, Rio isn't here?"
Yuuka nodded helplessly.
"That's right. It seems the President has other urgent matters, so she handed full responsibility for this issue over to me."
Something even more important than the survival of the Seminar?
Moreover, if this matter was not resolved quickly, they would not even be able to secure funding for the Special Phenomenon Investigation Department. By Rio's own words, that could even affect the safety of all Kivotos.
Of course, it could also be interpreted as Rio trusting that Yuuka's abilities were enough to handle the trouble Koyuki caused.
But it was also possible that she was still deliberately avoiding me.
I had thought perhaps this would be a chance to truly reconcile with her, so I could not help feeling a little disappointed.
"In any case, I still have a few things to arrange…"
Yuuka turned back around.
"Sensei, please head to the meeting room first. I'll be there shortly."
Then she looked toward Noa.
"Noa, could I trouble you to keep Sensei company?"
She was actually taking the initiative to create a chance for me and Noa to be alone together?
Such broad-mindedness was truly touching.
But for a certain girl who had deliberately kept her distance from me for the sake of preserving her friendship with Yuuka, this request probably did not feel all that considerate.
"Eh? Me?"
A trace of surprise appeared on Noa's face, though she quickly returned to smiling.
"Of course. It just so happens I'm not particularly helpful here right now anyway. Then, Sensei, please follow me."
Thus, the white-haired girl led me away from the Data Management Center, and the two of us headed one after the other toward the meeting room.
"I never expected something like this to happen."
After walking some distance, I quickened my pace to walk beside Noa and spoke to her with a sigh.
"That's true," Noa agreed. "Although Koyuki has caused many disturbances before, enough that she would have been sent to the Correction Bureau already if she had not come into contact with so many Millennium secrets, she has never gone this far before."
I could not help letting out a sigh, and even my desire to chat with Noa weakened somewhat.
That silly child Koyuki, how did she manage to cause such an enormous disaster after only not seeing her for a while?
Issuing massive amounts of bonds to the outside world in the Seminar's name was undoubtedly causing damage on an immeasurable scale.
Even I could not possibly plead too much on Koyuki's behalf over this matter. The only thing I could do now was help the Seminar capture her as quickly as possible, in hopes of reducing both the losses and the punishment she would face.
"Do you have any clues about Koyuki's current whereabouts?"
"Eh? Yuuka-chan hasn't told you yet?"
"Not yet."
"I see… Hehe, I suppose there's no problem telling you in advance."
Noa opened the notebook she used for records, cleared her throat, and put on a serious expression, almost as though she were imitating someone.
"The previous two times, after causing trouble, Koyuki fled to Schale. According to my calculations, this time as well, Koyuki will likely attempt to seek Sensei's protection! Of course, Sensei is on my… our side. So I think we should seek Sensei's help."
At that point, Noa's smile returned and her tone became normal again.
"That's what Yuuka-chan said at the time. Incidentally, after hearing Yuuka-chan's deduction during the meeting, President Rio also expressed strong approval."
By "strong approval," did she perhaps mean that after realizing Yuuka was determined to seek my help, she immediately shoved every task that might involve running into me onto someone else?
So she really was deliberately avoiding me.
"But after causing this much trouble, Koyuki probably won't come to Schale again this time."
"That...." Noa narrowed her eyes slightly, "is hard to say."
"Ever since Koyuki escaped last time and spent the night at Schale, the frequency at which she zones out during work has increased by another twenty percent compared to before. Also, whenever Yuuka-chan mentions Sensei, her reactions become a little strange."
The white-haired girl looked directly at me. Her eyes seemed to flicker with curiosity.
"Sensei, if this question is too rude, please pretend I never asked it. But that night… did something happen between you and Koyuki?"
Since she already knew it might touch on something private, why ask in the first place?
Could it be, once again, for Yuuka's sake?
After thinking for a moment, I answered sincerely:
"Although nothing particularly special happened, perhaps it was just some tiny opportunity that finally made her realize the feelings of affection she had suppressed toward me for a long time, which is why she asked… which is why she started acting a little strangely."
"…Hehe~ Sensei can be rather humorous sometimes. But I don't think that's the case."
"Is that so? Hehe, it really was just a joke."
I shrugged like it was nothing.
Perhaps it still had not reached the point where it could truly be called "love."
But when those feelings of fondness and concern, feelings I knew existed yet had been forcibly suppressed with no outlet, finally broke through some self-imposed restriction, what kind of emotions would emerge from them?
And how fierce would they become?
I was looking forward to the day that arrived.
At that moment, Noa suddenly stopped walking and smiled at me.
"Sensei, the meeting room is just ahead. Since I still need to go back and help, please excuse me for leaving first."
Ignoring the slight contradiction between her words now and earlier, I nodded.
"Mm, thanks for your hard work."
Noa's departing footsteps were calm and unhurried, yet in my eyes, it looked very much like she was fleeing.
After entering the meeting room, I waited alone for a while before Yuuka finally arrived.
"Sensei, sorry for making you wait… Hm? Where's Noa?"
And alongside her was another girl I had fully expected to see.
"My, Master?"
Akane from C&C looked at me in surprise.