Chapter VI: Aiko-sensei’s Worries
About a month had passed since Hajime and the others had returned from Tortus. It was a cold November afternoon, and Aiko was sitting languidly on her front porch.
“It really hasn’t changed at all,” she said in a lazy voice. She was wearing a blue PE uniform, her legs dangling off the edge of the porch. The uniform had a small tag with her name and class on it, which was how you could tell this was her middle school PE uniform. It was truly saddening, both that she was still wearing her old middle school clothes and that they still fit her. She definitely wouldn’t want to show this side of her to her students, much less her boyfriend.
Fortunately, none of them were around.
“The only thing that’s changed is that mom’s bike finally gave out after twenty years of abuse,” Aiko mumbled, looking out into the familiar yard. There was a small stone fence that had weeds growing out of the cracks, a drying rack, and a rusted steel drum of unknown purpose. Leaning against the wall was a bike with punctured tires and a broken chain. This was the nostalgic backyard Aiko had seen while growing up in her parents’ house. Until just recently, she’d been fighting her way through a battlefield much deadlier than anything she’d faced in Tortus, but now things had finally calmed down enough that she could go visit her parents.
Hajime had forced people to stop flaming her in person and online, and Aiko had already prepared all the teaching materials she’d need for the special class that would be opening in December, so now she was just waiting for the administrators to finish approving everything.
Now that she’d finally secured herself some free time, she’d decided to visit her parents in the countryside. But after a few days of lazing around, Aiko had come to realize she’d been busy for so long that she didn’t even know what to do with her free time.
“I wonder what Hajime-kun’s doing right now...” Aiko muttered absentmindedly, then blushed and covered her face with her hands as she realized what she’d just said.
Incidentally, she’d been back at her parents’ house for three days now, and she’d said those same words dozens of times already.
I’m supposed to be a teacher! And Hajime-kun’s my student...though I guess it’s too late to be saying that now.
Indeed, at this point, everyone knew Hajime and Aiko were dating. They’d already had sex numerous times as well.
It’d be irresponsible to say I just got carried away in the heat of the moment, and anyway, I know that’s not true, but still...
Aiko knew her feelings for Hajime were one hundred percent real. But after the weeks of interviews and spending time preparing the special semester she’d be teaching for all the students who’d been isekaied, she’d been treating Hajime more as a student and less as a boyfriend recently, which had reminded her once again that she was, in fact, his teacher.
I can’t believe I slept with one of my students! I should have at least waited until he graduated! Though honestly, I know I wouldn’t have been able to wait that long...
She wouldn’t have been able to resist the temptations of the devil on her shoulder. The worst part was that she didn’t even have an angel on the other shoulder to be the voice of sanity and reason.
He even invited me to come on the first date he’s taking Yue and the others to in Japan, but I felt so awkward that I refused...
The last time she’d seen Hajime was when she’d been invited to eat dinner at his house. They’d been in constant contact, but they hadn’t met face-to-face since then.
“I bet they’re all having fun on their date...” Aiko muttered, grabbing her knees and letting out a long sigh. She was the one who’d turned down the invitation, but she still couldn’t help but feel jealous that she wasn’t there. She’d become one of those clingy girlfriends who kept claiming that she wanted some space for no real reason.
I’m so lonely...but if word gets out to the public that I’m in a relationship with one of my students, the media would be up in arms again...
Aiko was serious to a fault, so naturally, she wanted to avoid causing trouble for Hajime.
There’s such a big age gap between us too...
Aiko had, of course, completely forgotten that the last time she’d mentioned the age gap Yue had given her an earful, since she was far older.
“Hey, Aiko, stop rolling around in the yard. Imagine what the neighbors will say if they see you!”
“Mrr...”
Aiko rolled over onto her back and looked up at the speaker. It was her mother, Akiko Hatayama. She had her hair in a short bob and had a kind, round face. She was also wearing the same apron that Aiko had made for her back in elementary school in home ec. Right now, she had one hand on her hip and was holding a wooden basket in the other. The basket was filled with freshly picked oranges. The Hatayama family ran a fruit farm, so all of those oranges were home-grown.
“Want some?” Akiko asked.
“Yes, please,” Aiko replied with a nod. Akiko then sat down next to Aiko and Aiko lazily opened up her mouth like a baby bird begging for food.
Naturally, Akiko scolded her for her bad manners and Aiko reluctantly sat back up. Her students would have been shocked if they saw her acting so spoiled.
Akiko peeled one of the oranges and handed it to Aiko. Aiko eagerly bit into the orange, enjoying the nostalgic tart taste of her family farm. A childish smile spread across her face, and she certainly didn’t look like a twenty-six-year-old adult. It was hard to tell if it was thanks to her mana or what, but her skin looked more vibrant and youthful than ever, so she definitely still looked like a teenager.
“You look so happy that it’s hard to imagine you were getting blasted by journalists and internet trolls just a few days ago. Though, you also don’t look as cool as you did when you were facing them down.”
“I could hardly show this uncool side of me to Haji—I mean, my students,” Aiko said with a shrug of her shoulders. Of course, Akiko didn’t miss what Aiko had nearly let slip.
“Hey, Aiko.”
“Haumf...what is it?”
“When are you going to introduce us to Hajime Nagumo-kun?”
“Bwagh?!”
Aiko spit out a mouthful of orange, and Akiko exclaimed, “That’s disgusting!”
“Wh-Why do you ask? There’s no—”
“I mean, he’s the one who brought you back, isn’t he? Of course I’d like to meet him and give him my thanks.”
“Oh, yeah, of course. That makes sense.”
Aiko breathed a very obvious sigh of relief and Akiko shook her head.
You’ve always been terrible at hiding things.
Naturally, Aiko’s parents had taken part in the family meetings where everyone got together to look for their missing kids, so they were well-acquainted with Sumire and Shu. However, because they ran a farm in a rural town, they’d met with the other families a lot less frequently. They’d taken over the lease for Aiko’s apartment and gone over every few weeks to keep it clean, but when Hajime and the others had returned, they’d been at home rather than in the city.
“Why not invite him here? Didn’t you say he can create, what was it again—portals? If he can make those portals to warp people around, then distance shouldn’t matter, right?”
“Well, they’re not that easy to make...and he’s pretty busy right now, so...” Aiko trailed off, avoiding Akiko’s gaze.
Akiko thought back to the day Aiko had come home. It had been quite a shock. A circle of light had suddenly appeared in the living room and Aiko had popped out of it. It seemed Hajime had created a portal on the school rooftop that connected to her family’s house so that she could see them right away.
Of course, Aiko’s mother, father, and grandparents had been flabbergasted by both her sudden reappearance and the way in which she’d appeared. Akiko had merely frozen, but Aiko’s grandfather had choked on his snacks, her grandmother had straight up fainted, and her father had dropped his teacup and spilled steaming hot tea all over his crotch.
Aiko had screamed, “Why did you connect it to my living room?!” to the disappearing portal, but of course she’d gotten no reply.
“In that case, I suppose we should go to him. We’ll follow you to the city when you return home.”
“Wait, really?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem, right? You said things have settled down now, after all.”
“Th-That’s true, but...”
After Aiko had told her family everything that had happened, she’d been forced to return to the city the next day. As the sole adult who’d gone missing during the mass disappearance, she knew it was her responsibility to explain things to the police and the mass media. Her family had begged her to stay, but she’d been resolute in her decision.
Her parents had, of course, worried about her constantly as they watched the internet and the various news outlets bash her constantly, but Aiko continually told them not to come visit her until things settled down. She hadn’t wanted to get them wrapped up in this mess.
Had it looked like Aiko couldn’t handle things, Akiko would have immediately rushed to her aid. But after hearing how resolute Aiko sounded on the phone, and seeing how firmly she held her ground on national television, Akiko realized that wouldn’t be necessary.
Honestly, she was amazed at how strong her daughter had grown. She’d become a model adult...and a model teacher to boot. And so, Akiko had decided to wait until Aiko deemed it safe for everyone to come visit her. In the meantime, she’d protect this home so that Aiko could always have a place to return to. And as a result, she had yet to meet Hajime.
However, after learning that Hajime had saved Aiko’s life, brought her back to them, and had also somehow done something to protect Aiko from the worst of the public’s insults, she was dying to meet him. Not just because he was Aiko’s savior, though. Akiko could clearly tell there was something more going on between her daughter and Hajime, so she wanted to know what.
“Your dad and grandpa really want to meet him too.”
“I know...”
“They said they wanted to meet Aiko’s prince.”
“I—Wait, what?! He’s not my prince! He’s the Demon Lord! That’s what everyone calls Hajime-kun!”
It was obvious from Aiko’s reactions to her mother’s leading questions what she really thought. Akiko was amazed that this was the same woman who’d steadfastly faced down a sea of reporters without flinching.
“He even messed with the perception of the entire world just for my sake! He’s such a troublemaker... I can’t believe him!”
As she said that, Aiko smiled softly. It was a smile her family had never seen her make before, and the fact that she was blushing slightly as well made it clear what she thought of Hajime.
“He he he, he even said ‘I won’t let the ignorant masses drive you away from us.’”
Initially, Aiko had intended to scold him for brainwashing the entire world, but when he’d said that suddenly all the anger had faded away.
Her blush grew brighter as she thought back to the determined expression he’d had when he said that. She didn’t even notice that her mom was smiling knowingly at her.
Everyone in the Hatayama family had already figured out what kind of relationship Aiko had with Hajime, as well as why she was so reluctant to introduce him to them. They’d realized on day one when Aiko had told them everything that had happened. Her expression whenever she’d mentioned his name had been so full of love that it would have been harder not to notice. Plus, in the three days she’d been here, they’d spotted her grinning countless times at the ring Hajime had given her, and heard her laughing happily every time she called him. Sometimes she’d just start blushing at the mere thought of him. They also knew the only reason she wasn’t bringing him home was because she was worried about what society would think about their relationship.
“I can’t believe my daughter’s such a pain in the ass,” Akiko said with a shake of her head.
“Hmm, did you say something?” Aiko asked absentmindedly.
In truth, Akiko and the others had been worried their daughter would never find a husband. She’d stopped growing in middle school, and as far as they knew, she’d never had a boyfriend. But now it seemed she’d finally found someone she loved, so naturally, they wanted to meet him. They were also getting tired of her wishy-washy attitude with regards to whether or not she’d commit to the relationship regardless of what others said.
“If you keep being so noncommittal, he’ll eventually get tired of you, you know?” Akiko said bluntly.
“What?!” Aiko exclaimed, pressing her hands against her chest.
“Very well, I’ll let you choose the timing, but you better introduce us to him soon, lest he start to think we’re ungrateful parents.”
“Okay...”
“Besides, if he’s someone you love, I’m sure we’ll all accept him.”
“Okay—Wait, what?!”
Aiko finally realized her mother had seen through everything, so she blushed in embarrassment. Akiko was tired of hearing her daughter’s excuses, so she changed the subject before Aiko could protest that their relationship wasn’t like that.
“By the way, now that you’re back, why don’t you stay for the harvest festival? You haven’t been able to come the last few years, after all. You used to love Old Man Yamashiro’s cotton candy, remember?”
“Oh yeah, I guess it’s almost that time of year again...”
Her face still red, Aiko gladly jumped onto this new topic.
“I can’t believe Yamashiro’s still alive...” she muttered.
“Don’t be rude.”
“He was ninety back when I was in high school, wasn’t he?”
“Yep, he’s going to be turning a hundred and two this year.”
“And he still runs a stall during the festival? Is that a good idea? What if he dies in the middle of making cotton candy?”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to be rude? Besides, he’s still in great shape for his age. He even said he could keep going for another thirty years.”
“Is he trying to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records?”
As she chatted with her mother, Aiko’s thoughts remained on Hajime. She wasn’t sure what she wanted her relationship with him to be, or how she should introduce him to her parents. She hoped the festival would at least make for a nice change of pace and perhaps grant her the opportunity to properly organize her thoughts.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
As the sun was beginning to set, Aiko walked down the streets of the small town she grew up in. She was wearing a light pink yukata and had her purse dangling from one hand.
It was chilly at night this time of year, but she was excited enough about the festival that she didn’t mind the cold. She’d even decided to wear a traditional pair of sandals rather than warmer sneakers. They matched her yukata quite nicely, and she looked positively stunning.
“I wonder if he’d think I look pretty,” Aiko muttered to herself, her thoughts as centered around Hajime as always. She thought back to everything that had happened in Tortus, of how they’d reunited in that lakeside town when she’d thought he was dead and how he’d saved her life with a kiss.
“Awawawa...”
There was also the time he’d rescued her when she’d been trapped in that tower. Back then, he’d really seemed like a prince charming right out of a fairy tale. That was what had inspired her to do whatever she could to support him, and why she’d gone crying to him after killing so many people.
“Haaah...”
Of course, she’d never forget the words he’d told her in front of that monument either. It was then that she’d realized she could no longer deny her feelings for him.
“Awawawa...”
After she’d survived the final battle, she’d once again been reminded of the fact that no matter how socially taboo it was, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Even if it was only as one of his many lovers, she still wanted to be with him. Back then, she’d decided that she’d go through any hardship to be with him. And after that, she’d been so eager to win him over that she’d surprised even herself, and in the end, he’d given in and agreed to spend the rest of his life with her.
Aiko pressed a hand to her chest and felt the cold, hard metal of a small ring dangling from a necklace. That ring denoted that she was one of the Demon Lord’s wives. She thought back to when she’d been younger and spent countless nights worrying that she might never find someone who’d love her for who she was. She’d been desperate back then, and honestly, she was ashamed of how she’d acted.
“Awawawawa...”
She blushed brightly as she recalled those memories. The fact that she was still worrying this much about whether or not to make her relationship with Hajime public after all they’d been through was truly mind-boggling. It was hardly surprising that her family was sick and tired of her wishy-washy attitude.
Aiko had stirred the world to rebellion, fought nations and the all-powerful church, and even been hailed as a goddess, but when it came to love she was a pathetic little girl.
Just then, someone called out to her.
“Ai, what are you doing?”
“Bwegh?!” Aiko shouted, jumping into the air.
She turned bashfully around and saw a tall young man standing behind her.
“T-Taishi-kun, don’t scare me like that...”
“I was just worried, since you were making all sorts of weird faces while walking down the street alone.”
The man was Taishi Furukawa, a childhood friend of Aiko’s who’d gone to the same elementary, middle, and high school as her. Their houses had been right next to each other too, and his family knew hers well. In middle and high school, Taishi had started keeping his distance from Aiko, but that had just been the awkwardness of puberty. They were both adults now, and close enough that Aiko had told him and his family most of what had happened as well.
Seeing his worried expression, Aiko smiled weakly and said, “I-It’s nothing, don’t worry. Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, uh, I dunno if anyone told you, but I’m helping out with the festival. I heard you’d be coming, and I figured being part of the organizing committee would help me keep an eye on things. You know how weirdos always show up on days like this, right?”
Aiko’s sudden disappearance had been quite a shock to the Furukawa family as well and they’d taken the news hard. They’d offered to look after the Hatayama farm whenever Aiko’s family was away searching for her.
Thinking that Taishi’s mother had probably just asked him to check up on her, Aiko’s expression softened and she said, “Thanks for looking out for me.”
She smiled at Taishi, and he suddenly covered his mouth with one hand and averted his gaze. It was too dark to see, but he was blushing.
“B-By the way, that yukata looks really good on you,” he said, guiding Aiko down the path to the shrine.
“Thanks,” Aiko said with a friendly smile.
She didn’t really get flustered around Taishi; they’d known each other for too long. If Hajime had complimented her, though, she would have blushed to the tips of her ears. Indeed, she’d just been wondering whether or not he’d think she looked pretty in this yukata.
Aiko didn’t notice Taishi’s shoulders droop slightly, and they kept making small talk as they made their way to the shrine. The sound of the crowd reached them as they neared the entrance.
“Ha ha ha, there sure are a lot of familiar faces here,” Aiko said, basking in the nostalgia. Taishi smiled, glad to see Aiko at the local harvest festival again.
They passed by plenty of people who recognized them, and while most of them were just happy and relieved to see Aiko again, a few of the older ladies poked fun at Aiko and Taishi, insinuating that they were going out. Taishi got flustered every time that happened, but Aiko just said they weren’t dating with a smile any time someone asked. The way she so casually denied it caused Taishi’s face to fall each time.
Some of Aiko’s old classmates who had kids now asked her if she’d found anyone she was interested in marrying, which caused her to get far more flustered. Seeing her reaction, they realized there might really be someone she was into, and their gazes naturally turned to Taishi, since he’d come to the festival with her.
With the exception of the probing questions, Aiko had a delightful time at the festival. Yamashiro’s cotton candy was as delicious as always, and honestly, it was amazing how his skills had only improved as he’d advanced in age. When Aiko had learned that all of the sculptures next to his stall were ones he’d made out of cotton candy, her jaw had dropped open. He’d handed all of them to her without a word too, and while she’d wanted to pay, she’d known this was his way of celebrating her safe return, so she’d gratefully accepted them.
“Is it really okay to eat something this beautiful, though?” Aiko asked as she looked at the cotton candy sculpture.
“It’d be a waste not to,” Taishi replied. The two of them had gone a short distance away from the center of the festival and were resting on a bench.
There was no one else around, and while Aiko wasn’t tired, she let out a long sigh anyway.
“I’m glad we ran into dad along the way. I was able to off-load all the other cotton candy sculptures onto him, so I’ll be able to eat them at home whenever I want a snack.”
Aiko’s father, Souhei Hatayama, was also running a stall at the festival. He was serving candy oranges instead of candy apples, since his farm grew oranges. When they’d met up with Souhei, he’d given Taishi a pitying look, but Aiko hadn’t been able to figure out why. She’d decided not to dwell on it, though.
Now that I think about it, if Taishi’s supposed to be helping out with the festival, then he shouldn’t be hanging out with me all night, right?
“Don’t you need to help run the festival, Taishi?”
“Oh, uh, no, they should be fine without me.”
Is he nervous or something? He’s not talking as much as he normally does. Well, whatever, it’s no big deal.
Aiko was having too much fun to care about the change in her friend’s behavior. She used to come to this shrine a lot when she lived here. Whenever she’d had an exam or an important life event coming up, she’d always come here to pray. Though she’d only been away for a year, everything seemed so nostalgic.
Aiko had taken her hometown for granted before she’d been whisked away to Tortus. In fact, she’d even felt it was kind of stifling after having moved to the big city, but now she was glad to be home. After her time in Tortus, she’d come to learn that nothing so comforting should be overlooked. She looked down at the festival grounds, her eyes taking it all in.
Taishi stared at her for a few seconds, enraptured, before suddenly coming to his senses and slapping his cheeks. The loud noise caught Aiko’s attention and she turned to him.
In a hesitant voice, Taishi asked, “Hey, Ai, why not return home?”
“That’s literally what I’m doing right now, isn’t it?”
“I mean permanently... Why don’t you quit your job and come live here again?”
Aiko stared at him in surprise. Taishi looked into her eyes, his expression serious.
“I saw what they were saying about you on TV. It must have been awful. I know your students aren’t to blame for this, but as long as you’re with them, you might have to deal with society criticizing you again.”
“So what? I’m a teacher. It’s only natural for me to protect my students.”
“You’ve done more than enough for them already. I’m not even saying you need to quit being a teacher, you can get another teaching job here. Besides, even if you think it’s natural for teachers to protect their students, most other teachers wouldn’t go that far for them.”
Taishi had a point. Teachers had their own lives to live as well, after all. From most other teachers’ perspectives, Aiko was a bit too obsessed with her job. But even after being summoned to Tortus, Aiko’s convictions hadn’t changed. There was no way she’d be persuaded to abandon her students now.
“I won’t quit. Unless the school fires me, I’m going to keep teaching there. I want to be there for those kids until they graduate.”
As she said that, Aiko rose to her feet. There was a fierce determination burning in her eyes. It was clear from her expression that she wasn’t interested in discussing this topic any further. However, Taishi hurriedly stepped in front of her to block her way, and his irritation caused him to say something he thought he wouldn’t.
“Is that really why you don’t want to quit?”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t the real reason you want to stay because of your...boyfriend?”
“Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you talking about?!” Aiko stammered, her determined expression vanishing in an instant. Seeing her so flustered, Taishi smiled a little. However, he had no intention of letting this topic rest.
“You’re the only one who thinks you’re still hiding it, Ai. Everyone in the village knows. While you were gone, you fell in love with one of your students.”
“Asfaslkgjlgs?!”
It was obvious from her reaction that Taishi was spot-on, and that Aiko hadn’t realized everyone had figured it out.
“Come on, you’ve always been terrible at keeping secrets. Of course everyone figured it out.”
“B-But how did you know it was one of my students?”
“I mean, think about it. You don’t want to introduce him to your parents, and the only people you went missing with are your students.”
Aiko cradled her head in her hands upon hearing that. Taishi gave her an exasperated look and said, “You know what people will say if you start publicly dating one of your students, Ai.”
“Ack!”
“That’s why you’re so worried, right? Considering what you went through, it’s hardly surprising that you had a moment of weakness. I don’t blame you for it.”
“Taishi-kun?”
Aiko looked up at Taishi, noticing the change in his tone. He’d stepped even closer to her, so she involuntarily took a step back. And yet, he just took another step forward and said, “Ai, you should end such an impure relationship. Come back home and start your life over from square one. You might be lonely at first, but...I’ll be here by your side.”
“Taishi-kun, what are you...?” Aiko trailed off, realization dawning on her. Dense as she was, even she could recognize the look in Taishi’s eyes. She’d never even imagined Taishi had feelings for her. He’d had another girlfriend back when they’d been in high school, so naturally, she was surprised.
“When you disappeared, I thought I would die from worry. It was then that I realized just how much I care about you.”
“H-Hang on, calm down,” Aiko said, trying to process all of this new information. Taishi’s sudden confession had taken her by surprise.
Unfortunately, he followed up with another cutting insight that only added to her inner turmoil.
“Things aren’t going well with your boyfriend, are they?”
“Gah!”
“It’s not surprising. You’re dating a child, after all. There’s no way he’d be able to make you happy. Meanwhile, I’m a working adult who’s the same age as you. I’m sure things will work out between us.”
Aiko took another step back only to realize that she had her back to a tree now. She hadn’t known she’d taken so many steps back.
Taishi placed his hands on Aiko’s shoulders with an earnest look in his eyes. He’d had other girlfriends in the past, but he’d never looked at Aiko like this before. Had he confessed to her before she’d been summoned to Tortus, she might have even accepted. But right now, his confession didn’t move her heart in the slightest. After all, her heart was already set on another.
“Hajime-kun...” she muttered softly.
“Ai.”
Taishi burned with jealousy. Even though he was right in front of Aiko, she was still thinking about another man. He squeezed her shoulders tighter and tried to draw her in close for a kiss.
Aiko hadn’t expected him to resort to force and her head had been full of thoughts of Hajime, so her reaction came a second too late.
“Stop! Help, Hajime-kun!”
Just before Aiko could push Taishi away with more force than would be wise, Hajime suddenly appeared next to them.
“Oh, so this is where you’ve been, Aiko,” he said with a smile.
“Huh?”
“What?”
Taishi and Aiko stared at him in surprise. He was holding Taishi by the collar with one hand and stopping Aiko’s hand with the other.
“Wh-What?! Who’re you?! What’re you doing?!”
“That’s my line. Why were you being so forceful with her?” Hajime asked in a low voice. He then tossed Taishi away with so much force that he bounced three times across the stone floor before coming to a stop a good distance away. Taishi coughed violently, struggling to get back onto his feet.
Aiko looked up at Hajime and said, “H-Hajime-kun?”
“In the flesh.”
“Wh-What are you doing here?”
“I’m here because you’re here.”
“That’s not really an answer...”
Hajime frowned and said, “It feels like you’ve been thinking yourself into a corner, so I wanted to have a proper conversation with you.”
“I, well, umm...” Aiko mumbled and looked away, ashamed at having been seen through so easily.
Seeing that, Hajime grinned and said, “Besides, I wanted to introduce myself to your family. I knew if I asked you, you’d say no, so...”
“So?”
“I showed up unannounced.”
“Hajime-kun...”
Aiko knew Yue or one of the other girls must have put this idea in Hajime’s head. She could, in fact, imagine any one of them giving Hajime a thumbs-up while telling him this would be a great idea. They were probably all worried about her. And honestly, it made her happy to know that they were thinking about her too.
“So you just teleported over here?” Aiko asked.
“Pretty much. When I used the compass, the image of a festival appeared in my mind and I figured we may as well enjoy whatever festival you’re at together.”
Upon closer inspection, Aiko realized Hajime was also wearing a yukata. He’d changed to match her outfit, which made her happy.
“I do feel bad for showing up all of a sudden, but I guess it’s a good thing that I did.”
As he said that, Hajime’s smile suddenly disappeared and he turned back toward Taishi, who’d finally gotten to his feet.
Aiko remembered how things must have looked a few seconds ago and blushed in embarrassment.
“U-Umm, it’s not what you think! I don’t have that kind of relationship with Taishi-kun! I don’t even like him like that, anyway! Not one bit! There’s no way I’d go out with him!”
“I see...” Taishi muttered, dropping back to his knees. Hajime had been careful not to hurt him too much when he’d tossed him away, but the mental damage of what Aiko had said was severe.
Being rejected so completely by the woman you loved was harsh enough that even Hajime’s expression softened as he looked down at Taishi. That being said, he still wasn’t going to forgive Taishi for forcing himself onto Aiko. He hugged Aiko from behind, and while she looked up at him in surprise, she made no move to pull away.
“I’m pretty sure I know why you’ve been avoiding me recently. I bet you were reminded that we’re student and teacher and started worrying about what people would think, right? It’s a bit late for that, you know?”
“Hwah?!”
I can’t believe even Hajime-kun saw right through me. I wasn’t able to hide it from anyone...
“If you want, I don’t mind waiting until I graduate before we start officially going out. It’s important that we discuss these things together, though. If anything, I’m just sad you didn’t want to talk about this with me.”
“Hajime-kun...I’m sorry. You’re totally right.”
Aiko looked lovingly up at Hajime and placed a hand on his arm.
“I know how important being a ‘proper’ teacher is to you. But hey, if you think this is wrong, then you have to lecture me like you did back then.”
Hajime was, of course, referring to the time Aiko had told him he needed to change the way he was living his life or he’d end up truly alone. Those words had had a huge impact on Hajime, and they were the main reason he’d been able to return to being the person he once was. It made Aiko happy to know that he treasured those words, so she smiled.
“I hope you haven’t forgotten what I told you when I agreed to make you mine.”
Naturally, Aiko would never forget what Hajime had said when she’d told him she wanted his love after Ragnarok ended. It was one of the conditions of becoming one of the Demon Lord’s wives.
“No matter what happens, I won’t let you leave my side.”
Once Hajime decided something was important to him, he never let it go. Even if Aiko rejected him, he still wouldn’t let her escape. The only people he accepted as his wives were those he was prepared to dedicate the rest of his life to. That was the promise he’d made to himself when he’d decided to accept the love of people other than Yue. No matter what other people said, no matter how they insulted him, he would build a future together with everyone. When all was said and done, there was no escaping the Demon Lord.
“You know I meant what I said, right?” Hajime asked, looking kindly down at Aiko.
“Yes...” she muttered in a soft voice, blushing and nodding.
Satisfied, Hajime smiled and nodded back. Aiko let out a dreamy sigh, but he said nothing more to her and turned his attention back to Taishi.
Taishi had been staring stiffly at Aiko and Hajime’s passionate exchange, but upon seeing Hajime turn to him, he frowned and glared back.
“I take it you’re one of Ai’s students? You’re just a kid, so you may not realize this, but you’re making things difficult for Ai. The real world is much harsher than you think. You won’t be—”
“Thanks for the warning, but if you want to act like a responsible adult, then maybe you should learn to control yourself better first,” Hajime said curtly.
Taishi fell silent, unable to say anything in reply. He knew he was in the wrong for trying to force himself onto Aiko.
“But, well, I’ll forgive you just this once. Give up on Aiko. If you weren’t her childhood friend, I would have sent you to heaven right then and there.”
That brought Aiko back to her senses and she started paying attention to the conversation again.
“That’s my line. No matter what you say, a student and teacher—”
“Fwah?! Aaah, wait, stop!”
Taishi was interrupted by Hajime suddenly sticking his hand inside Aiko’s yukata, which caused Aiko to blush once more.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Taishi screamed.
“What are you doing, Hajime-kun?” Aiko asked at almost the same time. As Hajime withdrew his hand, Aiko hurriedly fixed up her yukata. Ignoring their protests, Hajime showed what he’d pulled out of Aiko’s yukata to Taishi.
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