Among the three great academies of Kivotos, if one were to rank them by discipline, there would be no doubt that Gehenna would come in dead last.
Most students enrolled there were carefree and unruly, each with strong personalities and an aversion to rules. The academy was infamous across Kivotos for producing more "problem children" than any other.
And yet, even in a place like Gehenna, there were exceptions.
The most notable of them was the Prefect Team, the group responsible for upholding order within chaos.
And within that committee, standing just below its president, Sorasaki Hina, was the Administrative Officer, Amau Ako, an exceptional exception.
Ako was known for her uncompromising stance on rule violations and her strict, responsible attitude. She had always worked diligently alongside Hina, handling every task with precision. Aside from the occasional bout of impulsive foolishness, she had never once been careless.
At least, not until recently.
For some reason, Ako had begun spacing out during work. Her eyes would wander, unfocused, as if lost in thought. So noticeably that even the least perceptive could tell something was off.
It only happened during dull clerical work, and for most members, daydreaming occasionally would be nothing unusual. But for Ako, it was.
Hina glanced up at her trusted aide, who had once again drifted off into space first thing in the morning. With a quiet sigh, she tapped her fingers on the wooden desk.
"Ako. Wake up."
"Ah!" Ako snapped back to reality, face pale with panic. "I—I'm so sorry, President Hina! I lost focus again…"
Shame flushed through her. A mistake like this, during work, was unthinkable for her.
"It's fine."
Unlike the fearsome commander known on the battlefield, Hina was a far more understanding girl.
"I won't pry into what's bothering you, Ako. I know how hard you work. But if you're not feeling well, don't push yourself. Take a few days off if you need them."
Moved by her kindness, Ako's eyes grew misty. "Thank you for your concern, President Hina! But I'm perfectly fine! Really!"
"…Alright. I'll take your word for it."
If Ako insisted she was fine, Hina saw no reason to press further. After all, Ako had always been a bit… peculiar.
A few minutes later, Ako excused herself under the pretense of going to the restroom.
The moment she stepped outside the office, the polite smile she'd been maintaining to avoid worrying Hina vanished, replaced by a storm of frustration.
Striding down the empty corridor, cheeks flushed with irritation, she seethed inwardly at a certain man who had clearly never heard of gentlemanly behavior. It was his fault she'd embarrassed herself in front of President Hina!
And more importantly—!
After that day… he hadn't reached out once!
Who did he think she was?!
Fuming with indignation, Ako decided she would never see that infuriating man again.
Until, that is, she rounded a corner—
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!"
The voice was sharp, flustered, and all too familiar. Ako instantly recognized it... it was Iori's.
That tone… could it be... An ambush?! Someone opposing the Prefect Team had attacked?!
Her expression hardened, and she quickened her pace around the corner—
Only to find Iori standing in the hallway, facing off against a man Ako could recognize even if he were reduced to ashes.
Her hurried footsteps drew both their attention.
"…What exactly is going on here?" Ako frowned.
—
"Oh, morning, Ako~"
Though I hadn't expected her to show up right then, I still greeted her cheerfully.
"Ako! Perfect timing!"
Iori, looking utterly relieved, bolted to Ako's side. "I've got patrol duty to finish! I'll leave this to you!"
"Eh?"
Passing the problem off to her friend, Iori shot me one last glare before dashing away, her face turning red as she caught sight of my pleasant smile. And just like that, she fled.
I stroked my chin thoughtfully. Iori really was adorably pure-hearted.
All I'd done was, after a touching reunion, jokingly question her, asking whether she'd stopped me just to humiliate me again, while crouching down and pretending to reach for her boots.
Was that really so terrifying? It's not like I'm a bad guy. And even if I had gone through with it, I wouldn't have done it for long! Gehenna's hospitality standards truly needed work.
Still musing on how harmful stereotypes could be, I turned my gaze to Ako, whose cheeks were flushed with anger as she glared at me. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I'd done this time.
Well, whatever.
I stepped closer, looming slightly over her, and asked as if it were the most natural question in the world, "Is there somewhere private nearby?"
Ako's face turned a deeper shade of red. She glared daggers at me.
—A few minutes later—
In a secluded corner with no cameras and few passersby, I finally released her hand, savoring the lingering sweetness on my lips.
Wiping her mouth, Ako glared at me fiercely. "What exactly did you come here for?"
"Why, to see you, of course."
I said it without hesitation. Though, to be fair, I'd said the same thing to Iori earlier.
Ako's tone softened, though she still tried to sound stern. "I don't believe you. And even if that were true, was this your reason? You're disgusting."
I sighed. "But you were the one who got really into it, weren't you?"
Clearly, I was the victim here! The one forced to comply with Ako's… enthusiasm.
"Shut up!"
She tried to glare at me with fury, but the mix of emotions in her eyes made it hard to take her seriously. Combined with her words, it was hard not to think she wanted me to silence her again.
In this relationship, it seemed I had absolutely no say at all. Tragic.
Anyway, after another "educational" moment with my fiery partner, Ako finally pushed me away.
"That's enough already! President Hina's still waiting for me to return!"
Regretfully, I let her go and watched her retreat. Heading, as far as I could tell, in the direction of the restroom.
After thinking for a moment, I made up my mind with a cheerful grin.
◇
"Morning, Hina."
Taking advantage of Ako's absence, I went straight to the Chairwoman's office and greeted the long-unseen Hina with my warmest smile.
She looked up from the mountain of paperwork on her desk, surprise flickering across her usually composed face.
"…Sensei? What brings you here?"
With no shame whatsoever, I used the same line for the third time that morning. "Why, I came here just to see you!"
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have much effect on Hina.
Her expression darkened. She stared at me silently for several seconds, long enough for me to start feeling nervous, before lowering her head again and continuing her work. Her voice was cool and polite:
"Please don't joke with me, Sensei. I have a great deal of work to finish. If there's nothing urgent, I'd appreciate it if you'd excuse me."
"…Sorry. I really just wanted to check on you, that's all. Since you're busy, I'll get out of your way."
And that was the truth.
I'd only come to see how she was doing. Seeing that she was still the same reliable Hina put my mind at ease.
Leaving the office, I wandered idly through the Prefect Team building until I found the person I'd actually come for.
"Hey there, Chinatsu," I greeted the girl struggling with a tower of papers nearly as tall as she was. "That looks heavy. Need a hand?"
"Se—Sensei?!"
Chinatsu stared at me, wide-eyed. "Why are you here…?"
"Of course I came just to see you," I said, full of sincerity.
It was, admittedly, the fourth time that day I'd said those same words to Hina, Ako, Iori, and now Chinatsu, but as I felt a small surge of pride, I realized I had nothing to be ashamed of.
After all, it was the truth.
I had come here just to see all the lovely members of the Prefect Team.
My conscience was clear.