The night was not that late yet, but since it was a day off, there were not many students stationed at the Prefect Team headquarters.
I made my way straight to the Prefect Team President's office without any obstruction. I bent my fingers and knocked on the door. After hearing a response from inside, I pushed it open and entered.
Seeing that it was me, Ako, who had already been wearing a businesslike cordial smile, froze for a moment. Genuine delight surfaced on her face, but as if recalling something, she immediately pulled it back down and let out a cold snort.
"Oh my, what brings you here in such high spirits?"
She was probably like this because I had not helped her relieve stress recently, or maybe she was just embarrassed in front of others.
Hina, who had been focused on official documents at her desk, frowned slightly when she heard her own administrative officer saying something strange. She looked up and said in surprise,
"Eh…? Sen-sensei?"
"Hello, everyone," I waved enthusiastically. "I'm here to help."
What truly brought me here was a complaint Hina had sent me earlier on Momotalk.
Recently, the Prefect Team's affairs seemed especially busy. Unfinished work was piling up like a mountain, and there were also many tasks that required business trips.
As a result, the burden on this heavily relied-upon Prefect president had grown even heavier than usual. Even on days when others were resting, she still had to work alone.
That was probably why Hina, who had not been able to rest properly for many days, temporarily set aside her usual strength and complained to someone she trusted and admired, namely me of course.
"You, you said you're here to help?" Hina blinked in confusion. "With my work…?"
"Hmph. That sounds nice, but it would already be good enough if you didn't cause trouble for the President!"
Hina's voice turned cold. "Ako."
Ako, who had just spoken boldly, immediately deflated as if someone had tugged on a leash. "Ugh… I'm sorry…"
It was obvious that she was only overly excited because she had not seen me for a while. As the magnanimous adult I was, I would not hold it against her.
"By the way, why is Amau-san here?" I asked curiously.
Ako immediately flared up. "Hah? What do you mean, Amau-san? And what kind of strange question is that? I am the President Hina's most capable assistant!"
Very well. When Hina and I finally achieve happiness together one day, I will definitely invite Ako to be the bridesmaid.
And vice versa.
After all, Kivotos does not have a crime of bigamy.
"What I meant is, aren't you supposed to be off today?"
From what Hina said, I had assumed she was the only one in the office at this hour. I truly did not expect Ako to be here as well.
Ako's eyelids twitched, and she smiled without warmth. "Ah, although I don't know where you heard that from, it seems your understanding is incomplete. In our Prefect Team, so-called 'rest' usually means getting off work on time."
I was momentarily speechless.
"But," Hina said calmly at that moment, "it's already past working hours now. Ako, you really should head back."
"Well, that may be true…" Ako tried to argue. "But the President is still working hard. How can I just leave you…"
"Even if you stay here, the only thing you can do is make coffee for me, right?"
Ako's lips moved, but she had no rebuttal.
Seeing an important student fall into such an awkward situation, I could not bear it and decided to stand up and say something fair.
"Sigh," I lamented. "It would already be good enough if you didn't cause trouble."
"You…!" Ako's face flushed red.
"…Sensei." Hina's tone turned icy.
Unhurried, I scratched the back of my head and chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. I just thought that line fit the situation quite well."
Ako's chest rose and fell sharply. She suddenly stood up, strode over to me with force, grabbed my wrist, then turned her head back.
"President, I'll head back first today. Please make sure to rest early."
"Mm, I understand. But what are you…"
Ako's gaze was extremely firm. "President, please rest assured. I won't let this guy stay here and disturb you!"
You little rascal. You speak so righteously, but what you really want is to use this as a pretext to spend the rest of the time with me in a completely justified manner.
Hina hesitated as if wanting to say something, but failed to see through her subordinate's private motives. She nodded and reminded us, "Don't do anything strange. Then, sensei, please forgive me for not seeing you out."
"Yes!" Ako answered loudly, then with a sour expression said to me irritably, "Hey, let's go."
With her current nasty attitude, who could possibly imagine the obedience and passion she shows when alone with me?
In the end, this too was just part of the fun.
"Alright, alright, I know," I winked at Ako, then said to the white-haired girl who had already lowered her head and resumed working, "Well then, Hina, see you next time."
"…Mm. See you."
After saying goodbye to Hina, I was dragged out of the office by Ako. She did not stop until we reached a secluded corner.
Just when I wondered if her courage had grown, she suddenly snapped,
"Are you really an idiot?"
I asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"
For her to speak like this even when we were alone, she was either deliberately trying to annoy me, or she genuinely thought so. I was inclined to believe it was both.
Ako argued confidently, "Even if you want to care about President Hina, you came far too early! Do you know that staying by President Hina's side right now would only distract her and affect her work efficiency?"
Catching a few key words and thinking briefly, I quickly understood. "I see. You mean that even if I come, it should be late at night when Hina is tired. Maybe then I could take the opportunity to shift her attention away from work and let her rest for a while."
"Hmph. You're not completely hopeless, at least."
The blue-haired girl crossed her arms, looking smug.
But I knew that she was actually thinking about Hina, considering me, and quietly giving support to Hina and me.
"I was not thoughtful enough," I said sincerely to Ako. "You're right. I should come later. But before that, there's still quite a long time. How do you think I should pass it?"
Ako's face turned red as she muttered, "I just got off work and was ready to rest, and you're forcing me to do duty at Schale… You really are a hopeless big bad guy."
Got it. She could not wait to receive her reward.
Naturally, I did not refuse. As she wished, I entrusted her with an important task at Schale.
With her past experience on duty, she now completed it quite skillfully. She lightened a considerable amount of my burden and successfully realized her own value.
The only small regret was that, due to our sudden inspiration during work, I had to prepare another swimsuit for Hifumi.
In any case, by the time it was late at night, I came alone to the still-lit Prefect Team building.