OST: Blue Archive: Oriental Drop
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On a spring afternoon, the sunlight was warm and gentle, the weather mild, a perfect time for a nap.
No doubt Hoshino was lazily sprawled across the bed she had pieced together from unused desks, dozing by the sunlit window with her whale pillow in her arms.
Tsubaki was surely doing as always, training diligently on the soft grass beside the little pond.
If possible, I too would have liked to spend a quiet, carefree afternoon like they did.
But reality was that I, much like Yuuka who did not even have time to go on dates with me, was held captive by tasks and had no choice but to work hard.
Just after wrapping up one set of chores and sitting down, a new task arrived.
A cute little girl tugged at my sleeve, lifted her tiny face, and smiled at me with pure innocence.
"Sensei, I want to go up high. Can I?"
"Of course."
I gathered my energy and smiled back at her.
The girl immediately spread her arms in excitement, and I held her under her arms, stood up sharply, lifted her high, and took a few steps into an open space before spinning on the spot.
"Wow, it really feels like flying!" The girl giggled, utterly delighted.
After a few turns, I lowered her back down. Still basking in the sensation, she thanked me with sincere joy.
"Thank you, Sensei!"
Naturally, such eye catching behavior had already drawn attention from the others.
At least a dozen girls noticed and hurried over, forming a circle around me, all voicing the same request.
"Hey, not fair! Sensei, me too! Me too!"
"I want to go up high as well, Sensei!"
So it really did turn out like this.
With a soft sigh in my heart, I put on a gentle smile and spoke in the tone one uses to soothe children.
"Alright, alright. I will do it for everyone. No rushing, line up and take turns."
Which, in truth, was exactly what soothing children meant.
I was currently in Shanhaijing Secondary School, at Plum Blossom Garden.
Plum Blossom Garden was both the name of the club and of the kindergarten. Every child asking to play the up high game was a kindergartener.
And the reason I was here was obvious.
At the request of Plum Blossom Garden's instructor Sunohara Shun, I had come to help look after the children.
To be honest, this job was harder than I had expected.
Whether it was their overflowing energy, their burning curiosity for everything, or their high pitched chatter from still unchanging voices, all of it left me a little exhausted.
Fortunately, none of them were the troublesome kind of child. Quite the opposite, each one was obedient and adorable at least in front of me.
In front of certain people… perhaps not so much.
"Everyone, you must not cling to Sensei like this."
At that moment, someone older than the rest yet still childish in her own right walked over, face tightened in seriousness as she reminded them:
"You will trouble Sensei!"
She had long silver hair tied into twin tails with black ribbons, her bangs streaked with a line of black, and the fur on the fox ears atop her head faded from white to black.
Her red eyes were pure and lively, her round cheeks still held baby softness, her small body was slight, and her voice, soft yet feigning maturity, only made her cuter.
Perhaps because of that, the children of Plum Blossom Garden did not take her words very seriously.
Especially those who had not yet gotten their turn to be lifted high, who began protesting one after another.
"Eeh, Kokona, you are such a killjoy!"
"Yeah, Kokona really does not know how to read the mood."
"If you keep nitpicking like that, Kokona will never become a mature adult."
"Kokona, we are not clinging to Sensei. Sensei is enjoying it too, right?"
The girls, the children called Kokona frowned and sternly corrected them.
"Do not call me Kokona! Call me Instructor Kokona!"
Yes, despite being so young and barely older than the children she supervised, Kokona's official position here at Plum Blossom Garden was indeed an instructor.
In other words, although she should still be in elementary school, Kokona had skipped grades and entered high school early.
Her full name was Sunohara Kokona, and judging from the matching surname and similarity in appearance, she was clearly the younger sister of Sunohara Shun, the one who had requested my help.
Normally, most of the work at Plum Blossom Garden was handled by the sisters.
But recently, Shun had some important duties and could not remain here full time. Worried her younger sister would be overwhelmed alone, she sent me a request.
As for me, from the end of the Cherry Blossom Festival until receiving the request, I had spent nearly a week in relative idleness.
Not in terms of work, but in terms of relationships.
My bonds with the girls I knew were mostly in the slow build up stage, with no major progress possible in the short term.
So it was time to open a new lane.
First, eliminate Red Winter.
A school where coups occurred at least once a week, and where the student council president never forgot to send emergency requests to SCHALE before being ousted, was one I had to avoid.
With Red Winter out of the question, among the major powerful academies in Kivotos, the only one I had yet to establish contact with was Shanhaijing.
Since I received a request from Shanhaijing Secondary School, it was the perfect chance to meet more students.
That was the story behind why I accepted the job.
Returning to the present.
I hesitated a moment before saying,
"Instructor Koko… Kokona, it is alright. I am happy to play with everyone."
My arms would just get a little sore.
But Kokona focused on something else entirely.
"Why are you addressing me like that too, Sensei? Honestly!"
I corrected myself obediently.
"Sorry, Instructor Kokona."
"That is better." Kokona gave a small huff before reminding me, "Sensei, you must not spoil them too much. Besides, it is almost nap time. If they get too excited, they will not be able to fall asleep later."
The children of Plum Blossom Garden were still growing quickly and of course needed midday naps. While they slept carefree, Kokona and I would need to patrol, urge reluctant children to sleep, or cover those who kicked off their blankets.
To be fair, regardless of the likelihood, if some child became too hyper from playing, it would indeed cause trouble.
The children who had not yet played expressed their disappointment.
"Eeh, so harsh!"
"It is just once or twice, it is fine, right?"
"Sensei said yes, so why is Kokona—"
Before they could finish, Kokona firmly shook her head.
"No means no. If you keep insisting, you will trouble Sensei!"
The children did not follow Kokona's lead. Instead, as if realizing something, they began questioning her.
"Kokona, you are the one being stubborn."
"If we do not get to play and have to go nap immediately, we definitely will not be able to sleep."
"Actually, Kokona, do you secretly want to play the up-up high game too, but you are too embarrassed to say so?"
It sounded… surprisingly plausible.
"I-I do not!" Kokona denied, clearly flustered. "I am not a little kid. I would never want to play such a childish game!"
Judging from her reaction, the children had probably hit the mark.
I could not help a quiet laugh. Kokona truly was adorable.
In the end, after the children refused to listen, Kokona reluctantly yielded, saying she would allow it only once, grumbling that if Shun were here, things would not be so lenient.
So I spent some time fulfilling my earlier promise, lifting every child in the class once.
Not long after finishing, nap time officially arrived.
Kokona and I guided the children to their beds and checked on their conditions, and only then did we finally get a moment of rest.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sensei."
In the staff room of Plum Blossom Garden, Kokona greeted me, then fell quiet, though her eyes kept drifting toward me.
Fortunately, after earlier events, I already had a good guess at what she wanted.
I asked politely, "Would you like to play?"
"I-I am a mature lady. I am not interested in childish games like that."
"Of course, Instructor Kokona is a reliable instructor."
I praised her as she liked to hear, then smoothly added,
"But even mature adults have a few childish hobbies."
"Eh?" Kokona blinked, gradually understanding. "Is that so? If Sensei says so… I see. Just like how disliking carrots and green peppers does not mean I am not a dependable instructor!"
No, that is just a child's sensitive palate being picky.
Suppressing my laugh, finding her even cuter, I invited her again.
"So, would you like to try?"
"Uu… F-fine. You really leave me with no choice."
Kokona hesitated, but still insisted, "Then, I will do it from an instructor's perspective, to experience firsthand what the children feel during this game, and confirm it is safe. That is what an excellent instructor should do."
Saying that, the silver haired girl stretched out her arms, looking at me with equal parts shyness and anticipation.
Since her outfit was a sleeveless qipao, when I lifted her, my hands naturally touched the smooth warmth of her bare skin.
Kokona seemed ticklish and wriggled lightly.
But the moment I lifted her high and began to spin, she forgot everything else.
"Sensei, faster, faster!"
Kokona completely abandoned her mature instructor persona and urged me on with bright laughter, fully enjoying herself.
She looked nothing like someone uninterested in the game.
Keeping my balance, I increased my speed as much as I could. Her bell like laughter echoed by my ears, and I could not help smiling too, though I was starting to feel dizzy and my arms were growing tired.
Seeing Kokona show a pure smile fitting her age made it entirely worthwhile.
And with this, our relationship would surely improve too.
Do not misunderstand. Even though Kokona will make a wonderful wife someday, I am not so depraved as to pursue children.
My true aim…
Let us just say that from the moment I saw Kokona's older sister, I knew this younger sister was someone I had to befriend.
Kokona, your sister is amazing.
But while I was lifting the carefree laughing Kokona and spinning, the door creaked open, and her laughter stopped instantly.
Instinctively, Kokona tried to break free, but I was still spinning, and the two of us tumbled to the floor.
"Oh my, Kokona, Sensei, are you alright?"
"Ow ow ow…" Kokona rubbed her backside, glaring at the person who had suddenly entered. "Why did you open the door like that!"
"Well, because it has been so long since I heard Kokona laugh so happily, so I wanted to come see what was going on."
The woman resembled Kokona, only more mature and alluring. Her green eyes were gentle, her black hair faded to teal at the tips and tied in an elegant high ponytail.
There was no doubt she was Kokona's older sister, Sunohara Shun.
Shun wore a black qipao with white patterns, a pure black fur cape over her shoulders, and tall open toed platform heels.
Her outfit displayed her tall, voluptuous figure effortlessly.
"Good afternoon, Shun." I got up and greeted her. "You are back early."
"Yes, once I finished my work, I rushed over without delay."
Her soft gaze landed on me.
"Sensei, thank you for your hard work. While I was away, the children did not trouble you, did they?"
I shook my head.
"Of course not. They were very well behaved."
"Hehe, that is good. And Sensei worked very hard too. Pat pat."
Shun smiled with gentle affection as she reached toward me.
Kokona, that wicked girl, ruined it.
"Sis, treating Sensei like that is way too rude!"
Hearing this, Shun withdrew her hand in alarm and apologized.
"I am sorry, Sensei. I reflexively treated you the same way I treat the children."
"It is alright," I said softly.
In fact, please continue treating me that way.
To be honest, Shun was the least studentlike student I had ever met.
With her mature, soothing, maternal aura, I had thought she was an adult when I first met her.
Being treated like a child by a student should have been humiliating.
But if it was Shun… I could accept it. No, it even thrilled me.
I wanted to be doted on by her, and I wanted to dote on her in return.
In short, I had completely fallen.
But this could not be rushed. It needed careful planning.
"Well then, I will take my leave for today."
With the job complete, I said goodbye to the instructor sisters of Plum Blossom Garden.