After carefully reading through the final document, I paused for a brief moment of thought, then picked up my pen and filled in the required signature in the empty space, something I'd already written countless times before. Once the Schale stamp was pressed down, the very last document of the day was finally complete.
I put the stamp away, stacked all the papers neatly, and let out a deep sigh. My right hand ached slightly from the hours of writing. I glanced at the computer screen on my desk.
The golden light filtering through the window told me it was already evening. The digital clock on the monitor read 17:32. Modern technology really was convenient.
When I looked up, Noa was already gazing at me with her usual gentle smile.
"All done with work, Sensei? You've worked hard," she said, bowing her head slightly.
I couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental. Inviting Yuuka and Noa to assist me had been a brilliant decision. Thanks to those two capable girls, everything was processed far more smoothly than I could have imagined.
"Thank you, Noa. And Yuuka, too. You've both been a huge help."
"Hehe~ it's no problem at all. Yuuka and I are both happy to help you, Sensei∼."
Noa scribbled something in her ever-present notebook again before slinging her small, elegant shoulder bag over her arm and standing up. "Well then, it's getting late. I should head back now."
I rose from my seat as well. "You stayed so late to help me, I feel bad about it. How about dinner? My treat, as thanks for all your hard work."
But Noa simply shook her head. "Sorry, Sensei. I still have some Seminar work left to do. Besides… if you only treat me and not Yuuka, she'll be upset, you know?"
I chuckled. "You're right about that."
Though she declined, the outcome wasn't far from what I'd expected. If anything, it only made me like her more.
"Well then, see you next time, Sensei~."
With a small wave, Noa lifted her hand halfway and turned to leave.
I didn't offer to walk her out. Instead, I turned as well, facing the window and the orange-tinged sky beyond.
As the sound of the doorknob turning reached my ears, I spoke without warning:
"The evening glow… such a gorgeous, yet fleeting thing. It appears only for a short while before sunset—beautiful, hazy, and gone in a heartbeat."
We stood on opposite sides of the spacious office, neither of us looking back.
In the stillness that could hear a pin drop, I gazed out toward the horizon and whispered softly, "Look, today's sunset is especially beautiful. The color, just like your eyes."
Noa didn't respond. After a brief silence, the sound of the door opening broke through the air, followed by soft footsteps, and finally, the click of it closing.
But I knew, she had heard me.
After staring at the sunset for a little longer, I turned back to my desk and sat down, looking at the empty seat where she'd just been. Deep down, I knew that for a while, Noa would probably act a little distant around me.
That was fine.
To be honest, it was exactly what I wanted.
I admired Noa's sense of principle, and the friendship she shared with Yuuka. Which is precisely why I couldn't afford to rush things. I had to plan, carefully.
Morning dew, evening light… I wanted them both for myself.
That was my greed. My desire. My... affection.
I picked up the two mugs on the desk, one in each hand, and downed the cold coffee left inside both. Licking the lingering bitterness from my lips, I felt oddly satisfied and decided to reward myself for the day's hard work and for the effort I'd spent laying the groundwork for future "strategy."
Tonight, I'd treat myself to two of the most expensive bento boxes from the convenience store downstairs and maybe even top it off by buying a monthly pass in that mobile game I'd been playing lately.
Since the General Student Council work was finally wrapped up, I figured I'd check if Schale had received any new, simple requests to take on, just something light, to unwind.
When students weren't involved, my life as Schale's Sensei was simple, plain… and honestly, pretty dull.
"Say, Sora," I called out casually as I paid for my bento at the Angel 24 convenience store, "I've been wondering, have you always used a flip phone?"
"Eh? Um… w-well, yeah. Why do you ask?"
Just from her slightly embarrassed expression, I could already guess the answer. She wasn't using it out of preference, she just couldn't afford to replace it.
Which was probably why she was working part-time here in the first place.
"Work's been hectic lately," I sighed, pretending to complain. "It's hard to even find time to come down and buy dinner. But if I buy too many bentos at once, they go bad before I can eat them. And delivery's too expensive. It's kind of a pain, honestly."
"I see… Even someone amazing like you, Sensei, has those kinds of problems, huh…? That'll be 2,580 yen."
Sora nodded in sympathy, scanning the items one by one, completely buying my little story.
After paying, I didn't leave right away. "By the way, Sora... you can't use Momotalk on a flip phone, right?"
"...No, I can't."
"That's a shame," I said, frowning thoughtfully. "I was actually thinking of asking if you could help me out sometimes, like bringing my bentos upstairs when I'm too busy to leave my desk. But if you don't have Momotalk, I guess there's no easy way to contact you."
Sora hesitated. "U-um… even if I did have Momotalk, I can't just leave my shift, you know…"
"Then maybe I could use a small delivery drone. But you'd still need to process the payment, right? And I'd still need some way to know when you're on duty…"
I furrowed my brow as if lost in thought, then suddenly brightened, as though an idea had just struck me.
"Oh! That's right, I actually have a spare smartphone lying around. It runs Momotalk and all the usual apps just fine. If you don't mind, how about you take it? You could help me out once in a while, and I'll cover the phone bill as a thank-you."
Sora's eyes went wide. "I-I couldn't possibly…"
"Come on, please? Just help me out this once!"
After a long back-and-forth of polite resistance, she finally agreed, and my plan succeeded.
Without hurting her pride, I'd found the perfect excuse to give her a proper smartphone, something with a bigger screen and easier on the eyes than that outdated flip phone.
I'd noticed her more than once leaning on the counter, bored, fiddling with that little thing. I'd been planning this for some time now.
All the money I saved from living frugally, it was meant to be used for things like this.
Satisfied, I left the store. Behind me, Sora stood grinning shyly at the new phone in her hands, lost in excitement… until, after a moment, a realization struck her.
Even an old flip phone, one too outdated to install Momotalk, could still make calls.