Me: Yuuka, are you there?
Yuuka: Mm, Sensei, what is it?
Yuuka: Oh right, thank you for earlier, for helping those kids out of that situation.
As expected of Yuuka-mom, she really worries herself sick over the Game Development Department.
Me: No need to thank me, it was something I should have done anyway.
Me: Also, congratulations, Yuuka.
Me: Your awkward kindness was finally understood by them. Truly something worth celebrating∼
Yuuka: …Se∼n∼sei∼
Yuuka: What do you mean by awkward kindness!
Yuuka: Honestly, please do not say such strange things.
Yuuka: Besides, I do not think there is anything here worth celebrating.
Yuuka: I did not expect the president to come back… but even if the president had not intervened personally, this outcome would have come sooner or later.
Even knowing that, Yuuka still did everything she could to help them, didn't she?
Me: Haha∼
Me: That is exactly what I like about you, Yuuka.
Yuuka: What are you saying!
Seeing that Yuuka seemed on the verge of getting embarrassed and annoyed, I hurriedly sent the next message.
Me: By the way, Momoi said you are a tsundere.
Yuuka: Hah?
Yuuka: …I see.
Watching the seminar's treasurer have her attention diverted so easily, I felt satisfied as I switched to another chat window.
Me: Izuna, I am done with my work. Where are you?
Since the ninja girl had not sent me any messages, I assumed by default that she was still waiting for me in Millennium.
Izuna: My lord! Izuna is in a café right now!
Me: Okay, I will come find you.
Izuna: Okay∼!
Izuna: Ahh… strange… how do I use location sharing again…?
Me: Just tell me the name of the café. I will check the digital map and come over.
Izuna: Ah! As expected of Aruji-dono! Izuna understands, nin nin∼
After a short while, Izuna finally sent me the shop name. I had reason to suspect she had run to the entrance and taken a look herself.
In any case, following the electronic navigation, I quickly found where Izuna was.
But unlike what I had expected, when I spotted Izuna, she was not alone.
Sitting across from her was a blonde girl, and the two of them seemed to be chatting happily. Though it mostly looked like Izuna was doing the talking while the other listened.
Relying on her sharp ninja instincts, Izuna turned her head alertly. When she saw that it was me, she broke into a pure, radiant smile and waved as she called out.
"Ah∼ Aruji-dono∼ over here, over here!"
I shook my head helplessly and walked over to the little fox. "Izuna, and this is?"
"Ah, this is a friend I just met!" Izuna said excitedly. "She is also a fellow ninja enthusiast!"
A fellow ninja enthusiast?
A sense of doubt arose in my heart as I looked over the blonde girl.
Light golden long hair streaked with a few strands of blue, tied into a slightly old-fashioned thick braid, with heavy, dense bangs.
She wore a pair of large round glasses, behind which faintly shone azure eyes. Though I could not see her entire face clearly, she was undoubtedly a striking beauty.
She wore the standard Millennium student uniform, looking like an ordinary student you could find anywhere, though her cool expression still made her stand out somewhat.
Besides, how could it really be that easy to run into a so-called fellow ninja enthusiast?
As I examined the unknown blonde girl, she was also examining me.
"Izuna-san, is this the lord you were talking about?"
"Yes, yes! Toki-san, what do you think!"
The blonde girl looked me up and down once more, then praised me in a flat tone. "Just as you said. At a glance, one can tell that he is a very outstanding adult."
At the very least, she had good taste.
Izuna looked proud of herself and chuckled foolishly. "Ehehe∼ right∼"
I sat down beside Izuna. "Nice to meet you. I am Sensei from Schale. Please take care of me."
"Nn. Asuma Toki. Please take care of me."
The blonde girl named Toki introduced herself.
Although I did harbor suspicions about whether this Millennium student who had suddenly appeared beside Izuna had ulterior motives, I decided to treat her, for now, as I would a normal student.
I did not want to casually ruin my little fox's mood.
Calling over a waiter, I ordered a glass of juice. I noticed that in front of Toki was a cup of coffee that had barely been touched.
"…Because I had heard about coffee before."
Noticing my gaze, Toki took the initiative to explain. "It was my miscalculation. I overestimated the accuracy of the rumors. This is what they call curiosity killing the cat."
In other words, she had never drunk coffee before, ordered it out of curiosity, and did not expect it to taste this bad?
"Then would you like to swap with me?"
Feeling the shocked gaze Izuna cast at me from beside, I thought I should explain to her later that this was how I usually interacted with ordinary students, and that she should not overthink it and trouble herself unnecessarily.
Toki also looked a bit surprised, but she still agreed. "If you do not mind that I have already taken a sip."
That is exactly why it has value to swap!
I declared righteously, "As a Sensei, I cannot allow such waste to happen before my eyes."
"Then I shall accept your kindness."
I pulled Toki's coffee over to my side. Facing Izuna's bewildered expression, I regretfully did not drink from the spot Toki had used.
One must still be mindful of appearances.
The bitterness of the warm coffee jolted my senses awake, and I casually struck up conversation.
"By the way, Toki, do you also like ninjas?"
"I believe so."
Believe so?
Noticing my confusion, Toki added, "According to Izuna-san, a ninja is an existence that, like a maid, can perfectly and elegantly complete any task given by their master. I believe such an existence is very cool."
Izuna nodded solemnly. "It is also recorded in period dramas that some ninjas, aside from carrying out missions, would usually dress as servants, take care of their lord's daily needs, and protect their safety at close range. One could say that maids are also ninjas!"
The two exchanged a look and deeply agreed with each other.
How should I put this… how exactly did these two even reach a consensus? Did it feel like they were not even on the same wavelength? Or was it simply that I was the only one not vibing with them?
Still, Toki's definition of a maid reminded me of one of Millennium's major features.
The maid agents of C&C.
Could it be that Toki was also one of the maid agents? Or was she just an ordinary student who admired maid agents?
If it was the latter, then perhaps it was simply my misunderstanding.
But if it was the former…
After chatting a bit more, I excused myself to go to the restroom. In truth, I reached out for help from the only C&C member I knew.
Me: Neru, Neru!
Neru: Huh? What is it?
Me: That was an instant reply?
Neru: Currently in class. It's kinda boring.
So you are playing with your phone during class!
Neru: So what do you need, Sensei?
Me: I want to learn a bit about your C&C, since there might be business dealings later on, right?
Neru: Ah, that is it.
Neru: Sure, as long as it is not super classified.
Recalling Toki's features, I began questioning Neru.
Me: Does C&C have members who are not very expressive?
Neru: Huh? What kind of question is that?
Neru: There is, though.
I nodded. Good, that matched.
Me: Thanks. Then, does your club have anyone who admires the idea of a perfect maid?
Neru: Of course. Though the others seem to mostly have different goals.
So only one, then? But as long as there is one, that is enough.
Me: Final question.
Me: Any blonde-haired, blue-eyed ones?
Neru: Heh, there actually is.
Everything matched! Asuma Toki really was a member of C&C!
Neru: But none of the traits you asked about have anything to do with business dealings at all!
Neru: Seriously, what are you plotting?
Me: Nothing, nothing. Just treat it as casual chat.
Neru: …You bastard, are you messing with me?
Neru: Watch it, or I will punch you.
Thankfully, I had a method to divert Neru's attention.
Me: In a few days, could you go with me to buy an embroidered jacket? I feel like I might not choose well on my own.
Neru: Ah! You finally have time! You dragged this out for so long, I thought you had forgotten!
Neru: I really can't help you∼ Fine, I will try to make time. Send me your schedule later.
Neru: Crap, the instructor is calling on people. ending chat.
Ending my pleasant conversation with Neru, now armed with sufficient information, I returned to the table, where I saw Toki sipping chilled juice through a straw in small mouthfuls.
Even though I had basically confirmed her identity as a C&C member, in practice, my attitude toward her would not really change.
After all, I still could not rule out the possibility that I was simply being overly suspicious. Maintaining basic caution was enough.
There was absolutely no way it was because I was tempted by Toki's beauty!
And so, Izuna, Toki, and I continued chatting idly. One talked about ninjas, the other about maids, and somehow they got along surprisingly well.
We enjoyed a leisurely time in the café. When our drinks were finished and the sky had grown dark, I finally suggested we part ways.
Izuna, looking rather reluctant, exchanged contact information with Toki and said that the next time she came to Millennium, she would definitely look for her to hang out. Toki happily agreed.
By the way, Toki and I also added each other as friends on Momotalk.
From Toki's attitude toward me, neither close nor distant, polite yet reserved, I began to doubt my own speculation.
Perhaps Toki really was just on a break and happened to run into Izuna?
With that thought in mind, Izuna and I parted with Toki at the café entrance, then headed to the station to take the train bound for D.U.
And at the same time.
Asuma Toki, just like an ordinary Millennium student, walked in the direction of Millennium Tower.
A short while later, inside a sealed room within Millennium Tower, she removed her disguise and respectfully reported the progress of the mission to the master she served.
"Yes. I am confident that I did not reveal any flaws, and my interactions with the Sensei were very pleasant."
"Mm, very good. Continue to deepen your relationship with the Sensei like this."
"Understood, because I am the perfect agent and maid."
Toki's smile was gentle and confident. "I will certainly make the Sensei utterly captivated by me."
"…" Tsukatsuki Rio gazed at Toki and fell silent for a moment. "That might be a bit excessive."
"Yes, I understand. Please rest assured and leave it to me."
Toki answered as such, secretly resolving that, as a perfect maid agent, she would absolutely exceed the mission requirements.
Let the Sensei of Schale sink into her charm.