Sasaki and Peeps - Volume 8 - Chapter 3.2

I couldn’t believe it when I heard that the class’s previous teacher was arrested for indecent acts with a student. I’d heard the kids talking about it while I was waiting in the hallway in front of Class 1-A, and I was still shocked. Did the bureau set all this up? If so, that would be awful. Or was it true? Well, that would be awful, too. Either way, the bureau had to be involved somehow.

If my ties to my neighbor went public in this situation, it could put my position in jeopardy. I wanted to avoid becoming “LTS” at all costs.

To the rest of the world, Type Twelve was my adoptive daughter. That had been her idea, and she’d been very insistent on it since she wanted to keep our pretend family going.

My neighbor, however, was a complete stranger. That was all she was—my neighbor. A middle-aged man like me being close with a minor like her could quickly become a big problem.

I’d have to keep some distance between us for now and refrain from speaking to her in school as much as possible. In fact, there was a chance someone had already seen us around town.

I got through homeroom that morning while desperately trying to hide how much these thoughts disturbed me.

Once I’d safely finished introducing myself and Type Twelve, it was time for math class. It went a lot more smoothly than expected. Just as my boss said, the tutoring I’d done as a student was somehow coming in handy almost two decades later.

Eventually, it was time for lunch. Behind the school building, away from prying eyes, I met up with Ms. Futarishizuka, Miss Inukai, and Captain Mason. We hadn’t had much time to talk before morning homeroom, so I invited them here to discuss things properly. I had Ms. Mochizuki watch the students in Class 1-A during their lunch break.

“Kids are so impudent at this age,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka. “How did you do?”

“I managed,” I said. “But it sounds like you had trouble.”

“I mean, look at me. They already have a strange nickname for me.”

I remembered hearing them call her “loli teacher.” I was sure she’d be able to deal with it just fine, though.

“Miss Inukai,” I said, turning to the ensign. “Could I ask why you’re not with Mr. Yoshikawa?”

“I’m the only one from the JMSDF infiltrating the school as a faculty member. We’re working with the other two branches on this operation. I was chosen as our spy since I already know you, Mr. Sasaki. Captain Yoshikawa is working elsewhere.”

“Ah, then the JSDF has eyes everywhere?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka. “Chilling.”

“There are no soldiers in camouflage hiding anywhere students or teachers would see them, so don’t worry about that. But if you need something from Yoshikawa, I can get in touch with him right away.”

“No, I was just a little curious,” I said. “There’s no need for that yet.”

“Are you sure you should be saying all this with him here?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka, glancing at Captain Mason.

Miss Inukai’s response was clear and swift. “I am. Our actions are already common knowledge among his people.”

“We are friends with the JSDF! We will work hard together!”

“Yes, I suppose that makes sense,” Ms. Futarishizuka mused.

It seemed several armed groups interested in Type Twelve had already locked down the school inside and out. That meant I couldn’t afford to slip up and use otherworld magic, even if it seemed like I was alone. It was easy to imagine someone observing me from a distance without my notice.

The bureau had probably dispatched a few psychics, too, and the section chief likely had full control of the school’s security cameras. I resolved myself to rely on those around me as much as possible whenever anything happened.

“By the way,” I said, “do any of you know anything about Class 1-A’s former teacher?”

“Ah, the ‘lolicon teacher’ I’ve been hearing about?” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “I checked with the boss. He said they didn’t even have to set him up and just took advantage of what he was already doing. The guy was probably a habitual offender. It seems the school didn’t want it to go public for fear of damaging their reputation; the chief had them in the palm of his hands.”

“I see.”

“I heard they were going at it right here at school,” she added.

“I wish you wouldn’t paint such a graphic picture.”

I was relieved that nobody had been framed to make room for us, at least. Our boss could be pretty flippant about sacrificing innocent people, after all.

“You should take care,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “You don’t want to wind up his successor in both respects.”

“Please don’t say that, even as a joke.”

“But you never know when someone might be trying to honey trap you.”

Oh, I guess that’s possible, I thought. Now that she mentioned it, I was almost kidnapped by some group at the amusement park the other day. That stun gun hurt like hell. There was always a chance a third party could approach me in a less direct way, too.

For that matter, I could imagine some attractive classmate putting the moves on Miss Hoshizaki. Or if she already had a boyfriend, a foreign country or some other organization might target him and try to put him on their payroll. It seemed upsettingly likely. I hoped the mechanical life-form would use her super-science to keep my colleague out of harm’s way.

“Wow! Thank you, Ms. Futarishizuka!” said Captain Mason. “That was very informative!”

“Hey, could you stop acting like that already? It’s really getting on my nerves.”

“Is it? I thought I was doing an excellent impression.”

Mr. Robert’s image of assistant language teachers seems a little cliché, I thought. Then again, hadn’t the ones at my schools acted pretty similarly? Hmm…

“I studied for my part by watching a bunch of anime.”

“That’s no way to learn about real life!” complained Ms. Futarishizuka.

The cause was now clear.

The captain straightened up and spoke to us in a more dignified manner. “I’ll be serious. The entire world has its eyes on you right now. You’d do well to keep that in mind and act accordingly. We may be friendly, but plenty of others would go to great lengths to gain power and wealth.”

“I agree with that assessment, Captain Mason,” I said.

“Since we’re on watch, I doubt anyone will try anything obvious. But there are many countries and groups that won’t give up so easily. I’m sure they have already approached students and faculty here. I suspect they’ll pull something either tomorrow or the day after.”

“Would you be able to give us any intel?” I asked.

“We’re already telling your superior whatever we feel is necessary.”

“Stingy old man,” muttered Ms. Futarishizuka, puffing out her cheeks. “I hoped you’d be a little more grateful since you’re basically using me as a bodyguard.”

The captain’s expression softened as he shifted back into assistant language teacher mode. “Oh? I am not sure what you are saying!”

“Well, why else would anyone assign a little girl like me to teach English?”

“What? I don’t understand, Ms. Futarishizuka!”

“I’m going to shove my fist so far down your throat you’ll—”

“Please stop,” I interrupted. “If you do that, the bureau will fire us.”

Ms. Futarishizuka was already glaring at Captain Mason, her fist balled. She was pissed.

Miss Inukai remained quiet the whole time. She stood perfectly straight and listened to the rest of us, never speaking unless referred to. Her sharp countenance was the very picture of a JMSDF officer.

From her point of view, this whole incident was a disaster. If any problems whatsoever occurred at the school, her career would be over. I wanted to help her out however I could. It was our fault for involving her in the octodragon incident, after all.

“Will you two be attending tonight’s welcome party?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka, changing the subject.

“Can we even attend?” I asked.

“Why not?”

This was something the vice principal had mentioned to us on our way out of the faculty room—apparently, the school staff had reserved a few tables at a nearby bar that night to welcome the four new faculty members. As we were the guests of honor, it was our job to be there. However, the obstacles to participating were great.

The first family rule stated that we must all eat a meal together once a day.

“Because it would break one of our pretend family’s rules,” I said.

“Oh, the robot girl informed us during lunch break that she will be attending a welcome party at a classmate’s house after school. Apparently, she made some friends, and they invited her. From her message, I could tell she was over the moon.”

“Really? She said that?”

“Haven’t you checked our pretend family group chat?”

“I completely forgot. I’m sorry.”

“We’re currently holding a friendly little vote. The youngest daughter and our esteemed senior have each voted to cancel dinner. The latter must want to spend some quality time with her real sister every once in a while. The eldest daughter and eldest son will probably go along with whatever you say. So, in essence, it’s you and me who get to decide.”

Flustered, I checked my personal phone. There was indeed an unread message from Type Twelve. While the text itself was plain and businesslike, I got the sense that she wanted very much to take part in her classmates’ welcome party. Why did I think that? Well, because her message was very, very long. Further down in the chat were the two yes votes already cast.

“I see,” I said. “Then why don’t we participate in our welcome party, too?”

“Ah, it’s so nice to be able to decide a majority vote all by myself.”

“I’d appreciate if you kept such thoughts private.”

While our new posts here were temporary, it was crucial that we maintained a good working environment. Refusing the other teachers’ goodwill could hamper our mission going forward. I was already taking on an unfamiliar job—I figured I had better just say yes and go.

I’d ask my neighbor and Abaddon to look after Type Twelve for us.

The others from the bureau, as well as friends of Miss Inukai and Captain Mason, would probably be keeping watch, too. A short outing wouldn’t cause any problems. Type Twelve likely had her terminals out surveilling as well. I’ll have to send a thank-you gift to whatever family hosts her welcome party.

“Wow! We’re having a party tonight! I’ll come, too!” exclaimed Captain Mason

“Should I attend as well, Mr. Sasaki?” asked Miss Inukai.

“I think that would be safest, as long as you don’t have any other plans,” I said. “After all, we have to get along here for a while yet. Though you should probably discuss it with your boss.”

“Understood,” she replied. “I’ll do that.”

Captain Mason and Miss Inukai seemed willing to attend as well.

Soon, the bell rang to announce the end of lunch break.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t had any time to eat. That said, I’d been regularly skipping lunch since transferring to the bureau. Neither Miss Inukai nor the captain raised any complaints, either. With that, we dispersed to face our afternoon classes.

The rest of the workday passed in the blink of an eye, and it was soon time to clock out. As discussed, we all headed for the welcome party.

Most people walked in Tokyo, so when the teachers piled into a car like it was normal, I was hit with a bit of culture shock. Apparently, someone had been assigned as the designated driver to take us there and back. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were not many bars near the school.

We drove all the way to Karuizawa Station, where we made our way into an extremely normal bar, clearly aimed at the masses. We all sat down in a somewhat large private room and had a toast.

“To our new staff members’ success! Cheers!”

The principal and vice principal were both in attendance. The former had made the toast.

Immediately, everyone started chatting.

Regarding the size of the room, I was extremely impressed, to put it modestly. It was much bigger than the ones I was used to in Tokyo. We came in with a huge group of over twenty people, and yet it didn’t feel cramped at all. There was even enough room for people to pass between the tables. Furthermore, the chairs all had backs! Being able to rest comfortably against them was pure bliss.

“Ah, the bars out here in the middle of nowhere are nice and large, aren’t they?” mused Ms. Futarishizuka. “You won’t get this back in the big city.”

“I agree. I was just thinking the exact same thing,” I replied.

“Hee-hee. We have an awful lot in common!”

“Miss Inukai, your glass is already empty. May I pour you some more beer?”

“Oh, um. Thank you, Mr. Sasaki.”

“Oh, Ms. Futarishizuka! Too bad! He rejected you! But do not worry. I am here for you!”

“Is it the big boobs?” she said. “The huge knockers? Is that what he likes?”

The four newcomers all sat at one table. Ms. Futarishizuka and I were on one side, with Miss Inukai and Captain Mason on the other. I expected everyone would be asked to change seats at some point so we would have a chance to talk to the rest of the faculty.

At the table right next to us sat the principal and vice principal. Ever since the toast, they had been serving as intermediaries between us and the rest of the teachers. They knew our true identities, so they were probably anxious about our proximity to the other employees.

“Excuse me, Mr. Sasaki. Could I ask you a question?”

“What is it, Ms. Mochizuki?”

She was sitting at a table on my other side—the opposite one from the principal.

“You and Ms. Futarishizuka seem to be on good terms. What’s your relationship to her?”

I gave her the backstory we’d thought of in advance. “We met during our qualification exams and, by pure coincidence, ended up at the same school.”

“And he’s been hitting on me every chance he gets, too. What a bother,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Would you mind not spreading lies in front of other people?”

Incidentally, I noticed that everyone at the party avoided referring to each other as teachers. I’d heard the others talking about this on the way here. It seemed that in less populated areas like this—where teachers were likely to meet students and their families around town—they liked to keep strict boundaries in their personal lives.

“Would you two happen to be dating?” asked Ms. Mochizuki.

“She likes to tease me, but it’s all on her end,” I replied.

In fact, it seemed to me like she was teasing me a lot more than usual today. Was she simply excited about working in a new environment? No, that couldn’t be it. Things were always more complicated with her.

After the toast, we drank about two glasses each while trading light conversation. The ones doing the bulk of the talking were Ms. Futarishizuka and Captain Mason. Miss Inukai, Ms. Mochizuki, and myself just sipped at our drinks and watched them carry on.

After a little while, Ms. Mochizuki addressed me again. Her tone was formal, but her expression held a touch of guilt. “Excuse me, but would you happen to be single, Mr. Sasaki?”

“Ah yes. I am. Why?”

“You are? I’m single, too!” she said and smiled. “This may sound weird, but I’m really happy to have another single person on the faculty. A lot of the other teachers are married, so I have a hard time following their conversations, and our lifestyles are quite different…”

I thought it was pretty normal for a woman her age to be single, but maybe out here that wasn’t the case. I couldn’t be sure of the details, but since it was a sensitive topic, I simply nodded and let it go.

“Is that so?” I asked.

“Do you want to join me for drinks on the weekend sometime?”

“If it’s all right, I’d be happy to.”

“I really appreciate it. Then let’s trade contact information right away!”

“Huh? Oh, um, sure.”

The exchange had me baffled. I was pretty sure this was the fastest I’d ever traded contact information with a woman in my life. I wasn’t sure what to do. Personal information was precious. Should she really be giving hers to a middle-aged man she’d just met?

“Oh, come on,” muttered Ms. Futarishizuka. “What is this? A romantic comedy? Should I be laughing?”

“Actually, would you like to trade contact information as well, Ms. Futarishizuka?”

Was this the honey trap my colleague had warned me about? It couldn’t be, right? Wasn’t this a little sudden for that? Of course, there was a chance she’d received instructions from the principal. That would make sense, considering her position as my assistant teacher. Either way, I decided to treat the interaction as if someone were sharing their business email with me.

At Ms. Mochizuki’s request, we exchanged contact information. I gave her the account I used on my company phone. That way, it couldn’t be linked to my personal data. If any problems arose, I would contact the boss immediately.

“Mr. Sasaki, could we swap contact info, too?”

“Oh, yes.”

Once Ms. Mochizuki and I were finished, Miss Inukai followed suit. And, as expected, Ms. Futarishizuka wasted no time getting in a jab.

“Well, you’re sure popular with the ladies.”

“Mr. Sasaki! I am very jealous!” chimed in Captain Mason.

“…Why don’t the two of you trade too?”

It felt pretty good to swap info with two charming young women. Ms. Mochizuki was bright and enthusiastic—an ideal schoolteacher. Miss Inukai, on the other hand, was hard-working and quiet—a model JMSDF officer.

Had I kept living my regular life, I would never have run into either of them. But I sensed that the reason they were paying attention to me now had nothing to do with whether I was likable or attractive.

“What subject are you teaching, Miss Inukai?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Physical education. Strictly speaking, it’s called ‘health and physical education.’”

“Ah, P.E. That seems right up your alley, Miss Inukai.”

“I’m a crude woman, after all. Physical activity is the only thing I’m good at.”

“Oh, I wasn’t implying anything like that…”

So Miss Hoshizaki lost out to her, huh? I suspected she was pretty smart, too. I’d once heard that you had to test quite well to even get into the National Defense Academy.

“Too tough an opponent for our esteemed senior,” mused Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Let’s not mention it to her,” I agreed.

A little while later, we changed seats, just as I’d predicted. This time, we sat with teachers we were likely to be working with directly, according to class and subject. Naturally, Ms. Mochizuki and I stayed together as we headed over to the other first-year teachers.

As it happened, she appeared to be quite the drinker.

“Unless I’ve missed one, this is your fifth glass,” I pointed out. “Will you be all right?”

“No problem at all! This much nothing. Despite how I look, I love to drink.”

“If you say so…”

It didn’t seem like she was lying. The teachers around us appeared unfazed, so I figured she was just a heavy drinker. I decided to keep watch and not mention it. She was young, yes, but she was an adult.

The party continued, punctuated by more self-introductions from the four newcomers.

When I glanced around, I saw Ms. Futarishizuka, Captain Mason, and Miss Inukai all mingling with the other teachers and having a good time. The air around Ms. Futarishizuka was especially boisterous. She was something else—even in foreign territory like this, she made friends very quickly.

Finally, the vice principal delivered a parting message, and the party came to an end. The bar’s employees bid us farewell, and we filed out of the building.

Everyone seemed ready to go home for the night. But just then, someone grabbed my arm.

“Mr. Sasaki,” Ms. Mochizuki drawled, “let’s keep going!”

“Sorry, it looks like we’re all heading home.”

“They can do what they want. And so can we!”

From her giddy tone, I surmised that she was pretty drunk. She tugged at my arm a few more times, smiling pleasantly. I was overtaken by the desire to sober her up with healing magic.

“Perhaps, but we have school tomorrow,” I pointed out.

“Come on, just one more! I’ll treat you!”

It was a little past 9 PM. At my old workplace, they would have dragged me to a second bar whether I liked it or not. But that was only because we all worked in an office. I was a schoolteacher now, and I couldn’t very well show up in front of the students reeking of booze.

“There’s a really nice place nearby! I’d love to show it to you, Mr. Sasaki!”

“Why don’t we leave it for next time?”

“No, wait. They have an amazing filefish meal that you can only eat at this time of year! If we miss this chance, who knows when we’ll get another? Today can be our filefish anniversary!”

Nearby, other teachers had started calling taxis. It seemed that everyone used cars here and that not many of our coworkers got home via public transportation. A few headed in the direction of the train station, but there weren’t that many stops, so they’d have to call a taxi for the last mile or so. One teacher even had a family member come pick them up.

As our coworkers began to scatter, Ms. Mochizuki walked off enthusiastically. Her steps were unsteady and faltering; I felt anxious just looking at her.

I considered simply leaving. But she was my assistant teacher and would be supporting me in Class 1-A. If I treated her poorly now and got on her bad side, my life at school would be significantly harder in the future.

Without much of a choice, I switched my brain into hospitality mode and nodded. “All right, then. I’ll come, but only for one hour.”

“I knew you’d come through for me, Mr. Sasaki! That’s what I love about you!”

I asked some of the teachers around us if they wanted to join, but unfortunately, they all declined. Most of them had families with children waiting for them at home, so they didn’t want to stay out too late.

“Huh? Where did my colleague go?”

“Mr. Sasaki? I just saw him leave with Ms. Mochizuki…”

I heard Ms. Futarishizuka and Miss Inukai’s voices a short distance away and thought I’d try inviting them, too.

But not a moment later, Ms. Mochizuki tugged on my arm again. “This way! Come on, over here, Mr. Sasaki!”

“Hey, wait a minute!” I tried to protest, but she quickly dragged me around a corner.

This was a perfect blind spot from the front of the restaurant. Ms. Mochizuki continued on her way with energetic, forceful steps. I couldn’t see any other teachers around at this point. After rounding several more corners, we came to a small area with several bars lined up in a row.

“It’s on this street,” she said. “It’s that one right there!”

“I see.”

She pointed right in front of us and dragged me along in her wake. We’d reached the restaurant she was after. Unfortunately, it had a plate hanging in the window which read CLOSED.

“It looks like they’re not open,” I said.

“Urgh…”

Ms. Mochizuki made an incredibly frustrated expression. Then, a moment later, she turned to face me.

“Well, we’ll just have to drink at my place!”

“Oh, uh, no thank you. I couldn’t possibly—”

“Look! A taxi. Perfect timing! Excuse me!”

She waved her arm high in the air to flag down a taxi as it passed in front of the restaurant. The vehicle, which had a VACANT sign on it, came over to us right away. It had probably just dropped a customer off at the station. The taxi’s rear door opened, and Ms. Mochizuki started pushing me in.

“We do have school in the morning, Ms. Mochizuki.”

“But you said you had an hour.”

“I did, but…”

“You’re not getting any strange ideas, are you?”

“…All right, then.”

If it were Ms. Futarishizuka, I could have hit her with a sarcastic comeback and gotten out of the situation. But this was a workplace colleague—someone with more experience in the field, whom I’d be relying on in the future. It would be a pain if I carelessly turned her down and she started to hate me, so I didn’t have much choice but to get in. At her insistence, I took a seat in the back next to her.

Was this why women were so scared of sexual harassment in the workplace? Actually, things like this probably happened to attractive men, too, and they just didn’t speak up about it.

Once Ms. Mochizuki told the taxi driver where to go, the door closed, and we set off.

Only a few minutes later, the sky was pitch black. The streets were practically deserted.

“It’s not that late,” I commented, “but there are so few people out.”

“You said in your self-introduction that you came from Tokyo, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“We had another teacher who came from Tokyo. They were shocked by the difference, too.”

“Considering the commute home, I probably won’t be able to stay very long,” I warned her as I looked out at the scenery.

Buildings were growing more and more sparse, and I started to feel uneasy. Ms. Mochizuki’s house must have been out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe she was a local and lived with her family. That idea only made me want to leave even more.

Just as I was growing increasingly concerned about our destination, Ms. Mochizuki rested her head on my shoulder and said, “Then why don’t you stay over?”

There could be no doubt at this point. I’d been caught in some kind of ploy.

“……”

You might not believe it, but unpopular men know a thing or two about proper distance with the opposite sex. Everything about this situation was strange. Nothing like it had ever happened to me before, and that was why I instantly knew something was off. Soon, she’d be trying to sell me art, inviting me to join a multi-level marketing scam, or asking me for money to repay some debt.

But who was behind her?

I can leave that to the bureau and the JSDF. That’s their business. One message to the boss and he’d work out her background in no time. Right now, my priority was securing an escape route.

“Sorry, sir, but could you stop right here?” I said to the driver.

“What? Are you sure? How are you going to get home?” asked Ms. Mochizuki.

“Here’s the taxi fare, Ms. Mochizuki. You can keep the change.”

Then I took an action that was guaranteed to get me out of this—I took a ten-thousand-yen bill out of my pocket and shoved it into her hands. Flabbergasted, she looked from the bill to me and then back again.

Meanwhile, the taxi parked on the shoulder of the road. After leaving the fare with my coworker, I climbed out through the rear door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Mochizuki.”

“Wait, Mr. Sasaki!”

I shut the door and started walking back the way we’d come—fast. A few minutes later, there was still no sign Ms. Mochizuki was coming after me. The taxi stayed parked for a few moments before speeding off down the road.

Giving her the fare must have done the trick. Before my job at the bureau, I didn’t have a big salary, either. I understood how grateful a person could be to have a ten-thousand-yen bill dropped in their lap like that—especially after spending a lot of money at a drinking party.

“……”

It sure is dark out here.

Farmland stretched out on one side of the road. There were a few houses dotting the landscape, but they all looked old and weathered. I doubted many of them were occupied. I could hear small animals rummaging and scurrying about nearby.

How am I going to get back to Ms. Futarishizuka’s villa? I can’t exactly fly. I pondered my predicament, my head still woozy from the booze. All that alcohol warmed me up, and now the night air feels quite nice… That thought only lasted a few seconds, though.

“…It’s freezing.”

Now I was just cold.

It was a lot chillier here than it was in Tokyo. I could see piles of snow by the road. Despite the elevation, Karuizawa didn’t get much snowfall, so the snowdrifts weren’t super high like they would be up north or anything. Still, it was enough to slip and fall.

Walking home was starting to seem like a serious pain.

Could I contact the bureau and have them pick me up? I wondered as I walked along the road.

Then I saw a car approaching me from up ahead. It was a taxi with a lit roof light, just like the one I’d been riding in. It slowed down and stopped on the shoulder, blocking me from going any further. I braced myself for an attack, unsure who I was up against.

But there was no need to worry. Two people I knew well popped out of the taxi’s back door.

“We’re here to pick you up, Mr. Sasaki.”

“I can’t believe someone tried to take you home during the welcome party. You’re like a college girl who just came to the city.”

“Miss Inukai? Ms. Futarishizuka? What are the two of you doing here? I thought everyone went home for the day.”

Miss Inukai stood next to the taxi and addressed me formally, “I’ll be straight with you, Mr. Sasaki. My mission this time is to support you both inside and outside of the classroom. I’ve had training in intelligence, so I should be of some use to you.”

“I see,” I said. “Well, thank you for your help.”

“She’s making it sound really cool and heroic, but half her job is just to spy on us,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka.

Evidently, they’d come all the way out here for me. They’d probably gotten my location data from my bureau phone.

“Anyway, why’d you get off in the middle of the trip?” she continued. “I certainly hope you didn’t go into kenja time during the car ride.”

“You’ve been very, uh, enthusiastic today, Ms. Futarishizuka,” I said.

“Men who aren’t popular with women are easy targets, you see. Once they’re over thirty, they start making real money. Then a woman, say their old classmate, calls them up out of the blue, and bam, shotgun wedding. Now he’s her ATM, and she gets a healthy weekly allowance.”

“I know what you’re trying to say. I just hate the way you’re saying it.”

She was probably giving me a friendly reminder in her own way, but it made me feel like I was working for an old man from the 50s. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring myself to resent someone who looked like a little girl.

“So? What now?” she asked. “If you want to walk home, I won’t stop you.”

“…Right. Would you mind letting me ride with you?”

“By all means, come in. I’ll move to the passenger’s seat.”

“Thank you, Miss Inukai.”

Taking my colleague up on her show of goodwill, I climbed into the rear seat without complaint. I was happy to be in a heated car, nice and warm.

We drove through the countryside for about half an hour before reaching Ms. Futarishizuka’s villa. Miss Inukai, who had ridden with us, got back in the taxi and disappeared into the distance. Her people probably had a base set up somewhere nearby.

My next short stay in the otherworld could wait for tomorrow or the day after that. Physically, I could keep going, but mentally, I was completely worn out. After taking a bath, I climbed into bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.