Late August.
In the blink of an eye, several more days had passed since the public conclusion of the Seminar Bond Incident.
After I informed Noa of that interesting piece of information, she was slightly surprised but not particularly shocked, and said she would conduct some discreet research of her own.
As time passed, less than two weeks remained until the signing of the Eden Treaty.
The other investigation being conducted on Trinity's side had also yet to make any breakthrough.
With all the major matters around me seemingly having reached a bottleneck, I spent my days leisurely and carefree, pretending nothing was amiss while enjoying the ordinary life that should rightfully belong to the head of Schale.
Just like this afternoon.
In D.U., I stood beneath the shade of a tree, leaning against a wall to escape the heat, lazily watching a scene unfold in the distance.
"Hello, everyone! Welcome to Valkyrie Police Academy!"
A white-haired, blue-eyed police girl overflowing with energy was introducing herself to a group of kindergarten-aged children.
"I'm Kirino from the Public Safety Bureau, and I'll be today's guide!"
Earlier that morning, Kirino had told me through Momotalk that she was responsible for guiding a group of children from a nearby kindergarten around the academy today. She was extremely nervous, afraid she might make some mistake, and even worried that the children might end up teasing her instead.
The fact that Kirino would even have such thoughts meant she must have been left with some serious psychological scars.
Two Sunohara Instructors from Plum Blossom Garden of Shanhaijing should bear full responsibility for this.
Still, I happened to be free today. The last time, I'd watched helplessly as Shun, disguised as "Shunling," played this passionate police officer like a fiddle. I'd wanted to make it up to her.
So I volunteered to come and watch in person, offering moral support. As long as I stood nearby and let her see my handsome face whenever she needed to, Kirino's fighting spirit would surely soar.
At that moment, after hearing Kirino's introduction, the children immediately began discussing among themselves.
"Eh? Public Safety Bureau?" (TL/N: Involves Kirino and Fubuki)
"Why isn't it the Public Peace or the Correction Bureau?" (TL/N: Kanna)
"We came to hear stories about arresting scary criminals..."
"Dummy. The Public Peace and Investigation Bureau are super busy. That's why they had to send someone from the Public Safety Bureau instead. That's the sad reality of adults."
Hearing that evaluation, Kirino hurriedly defended her profession.
"N-Not at all! Even if we're not as busy as the Public Peace, the Public Safety Bureau still works from morning to night every day...! We help citizens find lost items, patrol the streets to make sure there aren't any dangers..."
To be precise, the only person in the Public Safety Bureau who probably worked from morning till night was Kirino herself, thanks to her boundless enthusiasm and her tendency to create even more trouble.
Besides, the examples she gave were hardly enough to satisfy the eager children.
"That sounds so normal."
"Don't you have any cooler jobs?"
Faced with that question, Kirino faltered.
"U-Um... cooler jobs...?"
Seeing the police girl fall into an awkward situation, I knew it was time to step in.
So I walked over and stood beside her.
"Of course there are."
"Eh? S-Sensei?"
Kirino turned toward me in both gratitude and confusion. She didn't even know when I'd appeared.
Meanwhile, the children immediately started firing questions at me.
"Who are you, mister?"
With a sigh, I answered,
"Actually, I'm a special guest personally invited by Officer Kirino for today's event. I'm Schale's Sensei."
The kindergarteners erupted into another wave of excitement.
"Wow! It's Schale's Sensei!"
"Why would Sensei come to a place like this? Isn't Schale way busier than the Public Safety Bureau?"
"Did Sensei just happen to pass by and decide to help Officer Kirino?"
"If it's Sensei, then you can definitely tell us cool stories about catching scary criminals!"
Amid all those questions, I remained composed and simply said,
"Children, you may not know this, but Officer Kirino here was one of the founding members who joined Schale when it was first established."
Even now, whenever I thought about Kirino's exceptional work performance, I still found myself wondering whether recruiting her into Schale on Nagisa's recommendation had truly been the right decision.
Kirino straightened her back and proudly declared,
"T-That's right! I really was one of Schale's earliest duty students!"
The children gasped in admiration.
The way they looked at Kirino instantly gained a hint of respect.
Thanks to all sorts of rumors, both true and false, Schale's reputation nowadays far exceeded that of the Public Safety Bureau.
I continued seriously,
"But children, even though the Public Safety Bureau's work doesn't sound very flashy, truly dangerous criminals are actually rare, even in Kivotos. Most of the work consists of ordinary things like this."
At that moment, Kirino cautiously raised a question.
"Um, Sensei... what do you mean by 'even in Kivotos'...?"
"...Slip of the tongue. Kirino, don't interrupt."
I continued,
"Anyway, children, if you lost your favorite toy, wouldn't you want the Public Safety Bureau sisters to help find it? And if they didn't patrol the streets every day, you might accidentally step on a grenade someone carelessly left behind while walking home. That would really hurt!"
Hearing examples directly related to their own lives, even kindergarteners who hadn't fully developed their reasoning abilities began imagining what such situations would be like.
"So," I concluded, "the Public Safety Bureau is a very important department. Their work is all about solving problems for ordinary citizens, including all of you. That's why Officer Kirino is the one guiding everyone today. It's not because they're idle or anything."
After hearing that explanation, the children still only understood part of it, but they clearly respected Kirino more and stopped complaining.
The white-haired girl secretly breathed a sigh of relief and shot me a grateful look.
I returned it with a warm smile.
"Anyway, we've been standing here for quite a while. Why not start showing everyone around?"
"Y-You're right!"
Kirino immediately perked up.
"Everyone, please follow me! First, I'll introduce these buildings and tell you about the history of Valkyrie Police Academy!"
With that, she waved a small flag and led the large group of kindergarteners into the academy grounds.
"This is the dormitory where Valkyrie Police Academy students live!"
Stopping in front of a row of gleaming apartment buildings, Kirino explained,
"In order to respond quickly whenever incidents occur, most students live here on campus."
Kirino herself obviously lived here. Nagisa and Fubuki probably did too.
She continued,
"At the dormitory entrance, you'll also find the teachings left behind by the first student council president. Students are reminded of their responsibilities and duties every time they enter or leave, and are encouraged to reflect on their behavior."
Probably only the most passionate students ever bothered reading it.
Growing emotional, Kirino continued,
"Just as the teaching says: 'A police officer must always prioritize the safety of citizens and serve from the perspective of helping other students...'"
Before she could finish, the children interrupted her again.
"That's boring!"
"No fun!"
"Hey, big sister! Teach us how to coolly arrest criminals already!"
It was Kirino's first time serving as a guide, and her lack of experience showed.
"B-But establishing the proper mindset is very important... For example, if a police officer abuses their authority without considering citizen safety, wouldn't they be just like a criminal?"
That sort of argument wasn't going to win over children.
"Who cares about that? We want to hear about actual cases you've handled!"
"Yeah! Since you're part of Schale, have you ever fired a gun at a crime scene?"
"Big sister isn't in the Public Safety Bureau because she's never fired a gun, right?"
"O-Of course not!"
Kirino hurriedly argued.
"As a student of Valkyrie Police Academy, accurate marksmanship is an essential skill! It doesn't matter what department you're assigned to!"
...As Valkyrie's most catastrophic exception when it came to shooting ability, how could she say that with a straight face?
As if searching for evidence to support her argument, she immediately added,
"And recently, I resolved a hostage situation through gunfire!"
At first I was surprised.
Then I remembered something.
My expression immediately became strange.
"...Kirino. Are you talking about that incident at that place?"
"Ah."
The awkward look on her face told me everything.
It really was that incident.
The fact that she could describe "repeatedly shooting the employee being harassed by delinquents until even the delinquents couldn't bear watching anymore and surrendered" as "resolving the situation through gunfire" was truly something.
Technically, it wasn't wrong.
Yet it conveyed a completely different impression from what had actually happened.
Under my silent gaze, Kirino tugged at my sleeve and whispered so only I could hear.
"D-Don't look at me like that, Sensei...! The kindergarteners will get suspicious...!"
I simply shrugged and waited to see how she'd explain things once they started asking for details.
One child curiously asked,
"You fired your gun during a hostage situation? Weren't you scared?"
Kirino nodded.
"Of course I was afraid that something might go wrong. But the most important thing was saving the hostage."
A very reasonable answer.
The problem was that every single bullet Kirino fired that day had hit the hostage.
The people who should have been afraid were the hostage and the criminal.
Still, the children completely believed her.
"That's amazing!"
"We were disappointed when we heard it was the Public Safety Bureau, but now you seem really cool!"
Seeing their reaction, Kirino sighed in relief, though she still looked slightly uneasy.
I, meanwhile, felt a little disappointed that none of the children thought to ask whether the hostage had actually been rescued safely.
"Big sister, what are those things hanging from your belt? Are they weapons too?"
"Ah, these are smoke grenades. They're not as powerful as hand grenades, but they can block an opponent's vision. They're especially useful during hostage situations."
...So why hadn't she used them during that incident? Was it because the area was too cramped and she was worried about damaging public property?
Kirino cheerfully continued,
"A hostage incident in shanhaijing last month was also resolved using the same type of smoke grenade!"
"Shanhaijing? last month? The one where a fully armed delinquent gang attacked a pudding shop!?"
"Was it you who solved that case, big sister?"
"That's so cool!"
Faced with all the praise, Kirino could only smile politely and awkwardly.
"Ah... ahaha..."
She had only said that the case was solved using the same type of smoke grenade.
She never claimed she had personally solved it.
Another child pointed at her belt.
"Then what's that ring thing next to it?"
Looking down, Kirino corrected them.
"That's not a hair tie. It's a pair of handcuffs. After capturing a dangerous criminal, we use these to restrain their hands so they can't move. Of course, to prevent criminals from escaping, these handcuffs are made very securely. Without a key, they're impossible to remove, so they must be used carefully."
A child immediately offered a very Kivotos-style opinion.
"Really? It looks like you could just break out of them."
"It may seem that way, but the inside uses a gear-lock mechanism. Normal strength absolutely can't open them."
Then Kirino suddenly got inspired.
"Since we're talking about them, why don't I show everyone how handcuffs are actually used!"
I immediately recalled my first meeting with her.
Just as I was about to stop her, Kirino had already begun demonstrating.
Using herself as the example, she locked one cuff around her slender wrist while explaining,
"First, subdue the criminal so they can't move. Then put one cuff on like this. Next, open the other side and loop it around a nearby fixed object depending on the situation..."
She looked around and spotted a metal railing nearby.
Walking over and crouching beside it, she threaded the cuff through one of the bars.
"Then secure the other wrist... and done! Arrest complete! The criminal can't move at all now!"
She struggled a couple of times, proving she couldn't escape, then invited the curious children to test it themselves.
The demonstration was highly effective.
The children, many of whom were seeing real handcuffs for the first time, gasped in amazement.
Kirino herself felt a sincere sense of accomplishment.
"Hehe, everyone's enjoying this. That's wonderful. Well then, it's about time to unlock them... huh? The key... ah, there it is... hng..."
With both hands restricted, searching for the key proved much harder than usual.
I was just about to ask if she needed help when she suddenly let out a cry.
"Eh!?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something reflective slipping from her fingers.
It fell straight into a nearby drain.
A faint splash echoed from below.
"Hm? What's wrong, big sister?"
Even the children noticed Kirino's sudden panic.
Though she immediately tried to compose herself, she clearly hadn't thought of an excuse yet.
"U-Um, well..."
She tried struggling against the cuffs.
But just as she had proudly explained moments earlier, the handcuffs were extremely sturdy.
Without the key, there was no way to remove them.
"...So," I said after a moment of thought, crouching beside her, "Should I call Fubuki to rescue you?"
"Eh!? N-No, no, no! Sensei, what are you talking about!? As a police officer, how could I possibly lose the key!?"
I never said you'd lost the key, though?
There was no need to expose her directly, so I asked, "Then what exactly are you doing right now?"
"T-This officer is... c-conducting an escape training exercise!"
The stubborn Kirino quickly came up with an excuse.
"It's in preparation for the unlikely event that I might ever become restrained during an emergency situation. Starting now, I shall demonstrate a method of escape! Please don't worry! For someone as rigorously trained as this officer, something like this is effortless!"
As she spoke, she flashed a confident smile and even threw me a wink.
I looked surprised.
"Rigorous training? Don't tell me it's the legendary thumb-dislocation technique!?"
"Eeh!? D-Dislocation? W-Wouldn't that hurt way too much!? P-Please don't jump to conclusions! This officer will demonstrate right away..."
Unfortunately, Kirino's so-called escape method was nothing more than brute force, exactly like before.
"Gghhh...! Hrrrnnng...!"
She strained with all her might, yet there wasn't the slightest sign of escaping her predicament.
In the end, she could only lower her head miserably and say in a weak voice:
"...Sorry. Please help me, Sensei..."
"...Sigh. I'll ask Fubuki if she's free."
After contacting Fubuki and temporarily helping keep an eye on the children, Kirino remained handcuffed to the roadside railing, completely unable to move. The children, having figured out what had happened, immediately started teasing her, while she could only whimper in embarrassment.
One of the children even asked me:
"By the way, Sensei, why did you recruit Big Sis into Schale too? Was the hiring standard really low back when it was first founded?"
"Yeah, yeah! Or maybe Big Sis got in through connections or something~?"
I thought for a moment and sighed.
"...Yeah, pretty much."
After Kirino had done something this silly, sacrificing her reputation was the only way to preserve Schale's good name.
Besides, only then could I help repair her image afterward.
Unfortunately, the children immediately misunderstood.
"Wow! Big Sis actually has a boyfriend like Sensei?"
"Eeh!? B-Boyfr...!?"
Kirino instantly regained her energy.
While blushing furiously and sneaking glances at me, she hurriedly denied it.
"N-No, that's not it...! Even though it isn't illegal in Kivotos, Sensei and I aren't that kind of relationship yet... right now we're still... although that's not really..."
"Wooow!"
The children looked even more impressed.
"Big Sis actually dumped Sensei!"
What kind of corporate-level interpretation was that!?
Kirino became even more frantic.
"I didn't!? Why would I ever do something like that!?"
Before Fubuki's rescue could arrive, complete with her usual complaints about being bothered, the commotion attracted the attention of two Valkyrie students who happened to be passing by.
Coincidentally, one of them was among the few people I knew in Valkyrie.
"Sensei? And... Officer Nakatsukasa."
The wild-looking blonde beauty with canine ears and shark-like teeth walked over. She looked at me, then at the suddenly silent children, and finally at Kirino, who was handcuffed to the railing.
"What happened here this time?"
"Pffahaha, Boss! Isn't it obvious at a glance~?"
The one speaking was a gray-haired girl beside Kanna whom I'd never met before.
She gave off an energetic and cheerful vibe. With her stylish, carefree appearance, and aside from the standard Valkyrie jacket she was wearing, she looked more like a gyaru than a police officer.
"These kindergarten kids must've come for a tour today, and while demonstrating how handcuffs work, she accidentally lost the key or something. Anyway, probably something like that."
Having her situation guessed immediately, Kirino was so embarrassed she practically buried her face in her chest.
Kanna thought for a moment.
"..Deputy Captain, you brought your handcuff key, right?"
"You got it! Leave it to me!"
The gray-haired girl, who apparently held the position of Deputy Captain, took out a key and unlocked Kirino's handcuffs.
Fortunately, Valkyrie's standard handcuff keys were universal. Otherwise, the situation might have become even more troublesome.
"T-Thank you..."
Kirino sighed in relief.
"I've finally been saved..."
The gray-haired girl laughed heartily and patted her on the back.
"Haha, it's fine! Just be more careful next time!"
Kanna, meanwhile, said coldly:
"Deputy Captain. We're leaving."
"Got it, Boss! I'll be right there!"
Though she answered immediately, the gray-haired girl still gave me a curious look while passing by before hurrying after Kanna.
...Heh. Interesting woman. She has my attention.
I also informed Fubuki that her help was no longer needed, earning a fresh barrage of complaints from her since she'd already left home.
After Kanna and the gray-haired girl departed, the children gradually resumed whispering among themselves. Judging by their reactions, they had probably been intimidated by Kanna's stern aura.
Kanna had likely noticed that and chosen to leave quickly because of it.
Despite her intimidating appearance and the misunderstandings it often caused, the Public Public Peace chief really did have a kind heart.
She hadn't even demanded a written apology from a certain someone who had made such a mistake.
As for the successfully rescued Kirino, she tried her best to continue serving as the guide, but due to time constraints, the tour soon came to an end.
With her head hanging low, the white-haired girl walked over to me. Looking utterly dejected, she said:
"Ugh... I messed up... I wanted the children to see how cool police officers are, but instead I got trapped by my own handcuffs in front of everyone... At this point, I looked more like a criminal than a police officer..."
"It's not that bad."
"After seeing me like that, the children probably won't dream of becoming police officers anymore..."
Kirino had told me before that she'd attended a similar tour when she was a child.
It was during that visit that she'd been inspired to become a police officer herself.
Because of that, she had wanted to become the kind of admirable officer she'd once looked up to, someone who could leave a positive impression of the profession on these children.
She had never expected things to go so wrong.
Seeing how downcast she was, I comforted her gently.
"Come on. I know you've already worked very hard today."
"Thank you very much. But..."
Before she could continue, a voice suddenly called out from nearby.
"Big Sis!"
Kirino froze, then immediately looked toward the source of the voice.
The kindergarten children she had guided that day were approaching with bright smiles on their faces.
Confused, she asked:
"Huh...? Why haven't you all gone home yet?"
The children stopped in front of her and spoke earnestly.
"Thank you for today, Big Sis! We got to see lots of new things and had so much fun!"
Hearing that they had come back specifically to thank her, Kirino was surprised, but also felt even guiltier.
"Ah... b-but I kept making mistakes all day... As a member of Valkyrie Police Academy, not only did I fail to look cool, I embarrassed myself so badly..."
But if that were all they thought of her, they wouldn't have come back just to thank her.
The children immediately began comforting her.
"Not at all! We learned that handcuffs are actually really strong!"
"And whenever we asked random questions, Big Sis always answered us properly. It made us really happy!"
"At the other academies, nobody was willing to listen to us this much!"
"I want to become a kind police officer like Big Sis when I grow up!"
I silently watched as Kirino became completely overwhelmed by the children's sincere gratitude.
Before I realized it, a smile had already appeared on my face.
The person who tied the knot is the one who unties it.
In a situation like this, there was no medicine more effective than receiving recognition from the children themselves.
Even more effective than comforting words from someone she liked.
All of this was the result of Kirino's own efforts.
"E-Everyone... thank you!"
Tears of emotion welled in her eyes.
She snapped into an exceptionally perfect salute and declared loudly:
"I, Kirino Nakatsukasa, may be inexperienced, but I will continue striving to remain humble, to stand alongside everyone, and to become a police officer capable of protecting you all!"
The children grinned.
"Then do your best, Big Sis!"
"And thank you too, Sensei, for taking care of us while Big Sis was handcuffed!"
"We hope things go well between Big Sis and Sensei!"
As they continued talking, the conversation once again veered in a strange direction.
Only moments ago immersed in heartfelt emotion, Kirino instantly turned red from head to toe.
"Eeh!? N-No, I mean, Sensei and I, um... right now we're still kinda..."
The children paid no attention to her embarrassment.
After saying goodbye one more time, they left together in a cheerful group.
Watching their departing figures, I spoke to the still-dazed Kirino beside me.
"Even if they didn't get to see your cool side, your passion definitely reached them. That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Y-Yes... And the children listened seriously too. That made me very happy."
Kirino patted her cheeks and let out a long breath.
"Even so, a mistake is still a mistake. To avoid repeating it in the future, I need to properly reflect on today's lesson. I've decided. I'll work hard on escape training. That way, even if I lose my key again next time, I'll still be able to break free from handcuffs! E-Even if I have to dislocate my own thumb..."
"...Wouldn't it be better to focus your efforts on not losing the key in the first place?"
"Eeh? T-That's true too... Ahaha..."
So she really hadn't thought of that.
Very Kirino.
Looking at the girl beneath the evening sun, bashfully avoiding my gaze while playing with her braid, I suddenly felt a faint itch in my heart.
Kirino and I had known each other for over half a year now.
We'd always gotten along well.
And besides, the atmosphere right now wasn't bad at all, was it?
"By the way," I said, "I actually found those children's misunderstanding pretty interesting. What do you think?"
"...Eh?"
The moment I brought it up myself, the heat that had just faded from her cheeks returned in full force.
"S-Sensei, children just say random things..."
"I remember you saying before that in Kivotos, a relationship between a Sensei and a student isn't against the law, right?"
The white-haired girl stammered.
"T-That... I-I did say that... um, Sen..."
I nodded.
"So, want to give it a try?"
The moment those words left my mouth, Kirino seemed to freeze completely.
A long while later, she finally asked in a tiny voice:
"Sensei, please forgive me if I'm misunderstanding... Is this a confession...?"
My answer was simple.
"What else could it be?"
"I suppose that's true... ehehe..."
As I looked at the girl who was overflowing with joy after receiving my confirmation, I suddenly added:
"However, Kirino, there's something I should tell you first."
"Eh? P-Please go ahead!"
Kirino immediately straightened up.
"In Kivotos, there's no law against polygamy either, right?"
"...Eh? That's true, but why is Sensei suddenly bringing that... up...?"
Kirino stared at me in confusion, clearly trying to connect the dots.
Then, miraculously, she actually figured it out.
Her eyes widened in complete shock.
A moment later, after recovering from her surprise, she pressed her lips together with a complicated expression.
"Sorry, Sensei. My mind is a little confused right now... Could you please give me some time to think about it?"
"Of course. There's no rush."
I touched the card over my chest, which still hadn't grown warm, feeling slightly disappointed as I smiled.
"We can take it at our own pace."
Hearing that, Kirino visibly relaxed and offered a reserved smile of her own.
"I'll... figure it out as soon as I can."