Dinner time, at a family restaurant near D.U.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Noa and I chatted after finally getting a brief break from our busy work.
"Eh?" the white-haired girl asked in surprise. "Yuuka-chan was the one who recommended this place to you, Sensei?"
I nodded with a smile.
"That's right. It happened back when I had just taken over Schale."
Inviting Noa to eat here instead of at some high-end restaurant overlooking the night scenery was partly because the relationship between her and me still felt somewhat uncertain and distant, and partly because I wanted to give Yuuka a small sense of participation.
Most importantly, however, it was so I could naturally lead the conversation into this seemingly ordinary topic.
"It was actually a situation pretty similar to now," I said emotionally. "When I first arrived in Kivotos, I didn't even understand the basic workflow. Thanks to you and Yuuka helping me, otherwise I really wouldn't have known what to do."
Most work related to calculations had been personally taught to me by Yuuka, while document processing had been remotely guided by Noa.
Noa narrowed her eyes with a smile.
"Hehe~ I don't think I really did anything especially worthy of thanks, though? Yuuka-chan was the one who truly put in the effort."
"No."
I shook my head and said sincerely,
"To me, Noa, you're indispensable too."
The moment those words left my mouth, the girl's smile faded slightly, though on closer inspection it almost seemed like an illusion.
"My~ is that so?"
"Of course it is. After all, Yuuka isn't very good at work in the emotional sphere."
"Sensei, it seems you may have misunderstood something. Unfortunately, the truth might be exactly the opposite."
Noa smiled faintly and said meaningfully,
"Records exist as a means of conveying one's current will into the future, toward a world that is more truthful and more reasonable.
"So in order to become an excellent secretary, one must stand from an objective and impartial position, and view problems with thinking that is as rational as possible.
"In contrast, although Yuuka-chan normally deals with calculations all day, you know very well how emotionally expressive she actually is, don't you?"
At first glance, what she said seemed perfectly reasonable.
But because I had prepared for this already, I still sharply noticed one flaw in it.
"I agree with most of what you said. But I think that since what writing carries is a will directed toward the future, then from the very source itself, it's impossible to completely discard the recorder's own emotions, isn't it?"
I looked directly into the girl's eyes.
"Perhaps that's exactly why the role of a secretary can never be replaced by computers."
For a moment, she fell silent, merely meeting my gaze across the table.
"…If you put it that way," Noa finally looked away toward the window and murmured, "then perhaps I can't really deny it."
The heavy clouds had not completely swallowed the night sky. In one corner of the heavens, the stars could still faintly be seen.
And when the girl turned back toward me, she had already put her smile back on.
"Hehe. But regarding the part about Yuuka-chan, you completely agreed with me there, right?"
"Yes."
On that point, my own words really had been somewhat biased.
Even if she was a tsundere by nature, Yuuka truly did love me. I had always known that.
So I smiled and proposed,
"Then how about we take a few pictures later and send them to Yuuka?"
Noa's eyes instantly brightened with admiration.
"Hehe~ that really is a good idea."
At that moment, our food was gradually brought out. Once everything had arrived, Noa and I each took a photo with the other person in frame. After sending them to Yuuka, we amicably compared the completely different reactions she gave each of us.
The food, already delicious to begin with, somehow seemed even more flavorful afterward.
After dinner, rain began falling while Noa and I were on our way back to Schale.
Although we had umbrellas, because of the wind, the rain slanted sideways, making it impossible to block all of it.
By the time we returned to Schale, the ends of Noa's long hair near her calves were already damp, and even a bit of rainwater had gotten into her stylish short boots.
To keep her from catching cold, I hurriedly urged her to head to the bathroom first and take a hot shower.
However, after entering Schale's bathroom, the observant Noa frowned slightly.
Just as I was about to point out where the various supplies were before leaving, I noticed her expression and asked with concern,
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just…"
Noa looked thoughtful.
"There really are quite a lot of different kinds of shampoo and body wash at Schale…"
Already accustomed to it, I blanked for a moment before my heart suddenly tightened. Outwardly pretending nothing was wrong, I calmly explained,
"Well, there are occasions when other students need to use Schale's bathroom too. Everyone has different skin types and preferences, so I intentionally prepared a few extra kinds."
"I see. Hehe, Sensei really is considerate."
After sighing emotionally for a moment, Noa asked,
"So that means I can use whichever I want?"
"…Please use the unopened ones furthest inside."
In reality, these many varieties of toiletries were basically personal supplies belonging to certain students who often stayed overnight at Schale for duty shifts.
Hearing that, Noa went silent for a while before suddenly laughing softly.
"So that's how it is. Hehe~ well, it is Sensei after all. I should have realized sooner."
Although I had no evidence, I somehow felt what she said was not entirely complimentary.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Nothing."
The white-haired girl shook her head and gave me a meaningful smile.
"I just realized that perhaps I really have been worrying over nothing this whole time. Sigh, as a secretary, I truly have failed in my duties."
After pondering briefly, I vaguely understood what she meant, and my emotions instantly surged.
She had finally realized that even if she herself did not do anything to betray Yuuka, there would always be other students who would!?
Then next, was she finally going to start talking with me about poetry and romance beneath moonlit skies?
Just as my imagination began running wild, Noa suddenly said:
"Sensei, if you keep standing here, I'll feel a little troubled."
"Ah, sorry."
I hurriedly apologized, gave a few brief instructions, then returned to the office and continued handling the unfinished paperwork with a heart full of anticipation.
However, to my disappointment, Noa's attitude toward me did not seem all that different from before.
After helping me complete the work normally, she chatted casually with me for a bit, then returned to the guest room on her own to rest.
But thinking carefully, that was only natural.
Even if she had figured some things out, it merely opened a small crack. How could such a drastic change happen so quickly?
Thus, on the first day of Noa staying overnight at Schale, the two of us remained entirely peaceful.
Yet it seemed that something was quietly brewing beneath the surface.