She thought back to the events that came after and laughed.
The boy’s actions when she showed him around went beyond her expectations… Obliquely, that is.
He did as he pleased in class as if he couldn’t feel the pressure emanating from Teacher Frire.
During break time, the top grade students had their eye on him, but he still did everything at his pace.
She was going to try and help him, but he threw her out instead.
During class he led the Padyuel’s young lady by the nose and produced an impossible result (skill).
This part of course she had to report to Nameless.
Although mainly because the student council was also aware of it, so she didn’t really have a choice.
And then when a normal meal was brought before him, he suddenly became very excited and made merry just like a child.
He was indeed a child given his age, but his actions looked so unbalanced to her.
And then he apparently had some kind of grudge with the public morals committee siblings and ended up really depressed after an unexpected reunion.
He was so hard to read, he was even worse off than the character she was playing.
“I can’t tell if he’s an adult or a child…”
The relationship of the boy with those siblings was also a mystery.
No matter how deep she tried to dig, she couldn’t find out any details about their history.
It was almost as if someone was intentionally trying to hide something.
If she were to ask them directly, then the person himself or the siblings might give her an answer, but while they may have started to form a good relationship on the surface, this wasn’t the time to ask such a question just yet.
After that the next event that occurred was kept a secret for some reason.
To her that was the most mysterious and noteworthy event regarding the boy.
A series of events that – just as he predicted – was a trap prepared beforehand.
She wanted to see his ability to respond and react to urgent situations, so she brought him to the Technology Class Faculty.
The original plan was that a drone would come flying out of the door and she would faint.
And then once he’s all alone, he would be able to deal with the situation as he pleased, but before she knew it, she was in his arms.
When she glanced at the wall, she noticed that it was cracked. At that, she felt like killing the scientist (mad) in charge.
Though furious deep inside, she was grateful to the boy for being able to sense the drone with his human ears and pull her in time.
He pulled her by her collar, but took care with his strength and angle so as to not strangle her, then embraced her.
He didn’t just do it ‘well’. The way he moved showed that he was completely ‘used’ to this kind of movements.
“Try this again and I’ll punch you in the head.”
She was going to thank him as part of the act, but instead he gave her a warning and left her shocked.
He was indirectly saying that he knew she was involved.
Just as she was wondering how to explain herself, the second drone came out.
This time she wasn’t in the know, and the way he went about the problem left her slack-jawed.
He used a blade that was currently under maintenance to cleanly cut a Shirota (Mad) made drone in two.
Without the slightest hesitation or confusion, he reflexively cut it down.
He was evidently used to it. In other words, he’s experienced this kind of surprise attack many times.
The way he moved and how calmly he went about it. Clearly, he was not a kid unknown to fighting.
At that, the alarms within started blaring.
A bad feeling enough to make her not mind his D Rank.
You could even call it a beastly instinct, but whatever it was, it was telling her that ‘this boy was a powerful foe’.
Moreover, she even considered that he might be the true identity behind that black mist.
Until this evening he was able to clear himself of suspicions because of his alibi from the cameras, but now the possibility surfaced once more.
And then the scientist, Shirota (Mad), came, but the boy didn’t like her, and then when she (Hina) tried to talk to the boy while trying not to offend him, he instead became concerned about her.
She couldn’t understand why. He should have realized what they were trying to do.
And he was even a little angry, but now he was acting like he’d forgotten. Because of that she was completely lost.
After all, just that was enough to stop the alarms blaring within her.
That’s why she finally slipped and ended up leaking Shirota’s confidential information.
She stuck close to him and tried to give him some service, while making excuses to no one in particular.
She put on a brave front by thinking that this was fairly spectacular as far as nuisance compensation goes. And yet…
“—There’s, no, way.”
The fact that he didn’t react one bit hurt her pride.
As she was thinking back on it, she looked down at her chest, and there were indeed no hills in sight.
She was never good at seduction, and she never really thought of doing it either.
In the first place, she wasn’t even really trying to seduce anyone, but him not reacting at all made her feel like she lost as a woman.
Because of that she started thinking rude things such as if a certain something was withered or not, but when she noticed the eyes of the boy, she finally understood.
The boy had parts to him that resembled a 15 year-old, but those weren’t his true nature.
That’s why he seemed so unbalanced to the girl. When she pointed that out, she implicitly paid it heed.
“I wonder why…”
When you think about it, this too was strange.
Why was she supporting the person she’s supposed to be investigating?
Why wasn’t she reporting his abilities that outclassed his status or about his wealth of experience at fighting?
Why did she keep trying to say at the meeting that there was no need to continue investigating him?
And why was she so relieved when she was ordered to continue doing what she’s been doing until now?
“Maybe if it’s you you’ll know the reason why.”
Before she knew it, she was touching the face of the boy over the display.
That was not a picture she took herself. That was a picture taken from the security cameras at the cafeteria.
Cheeks filled to the brim and several dishes spread out before him. He looked so happy as he ate all those.
He looked so defenseless and so innocent like that it was enough to put a smile on her face.
She did consider eating together, but she had other jobs to do too.
He was indeed the person she was investigating, but she couldn’t actually be with him day and night.
Still, it would be nice if she could at least be in the same class and year as him.
She inwardly grumbled that if her superiors wanted her to work, they should provide her with the proper environment.
It was already quite late. If she doesn’t come back until morning, her roommate will start to become suspicious.
Thinking that, she suddenly became curious if he was sleeping.
She checked the cameras in his room and saw him sleeping in his bed.
“Who’s fault do you think it is that I’m staying up late? …Fu fu, just kidding. See you tomorrow, Icchi.”
She naturally called out to the picture of the boy with ‘Hina’s voice’, and then went back to her room.
She seemed to be having fun from the way she walked, as her tail swung from left to right.
With her gone, the campus became even more quiet in the night.
“I just wanted to check on what they thought of me, but I feel like I’ve seen something I shouldn’t… Heh heh.”
No matter how much he sarcastically laughed, no one told him to ‘keep quiet’.
As for why, that’s because the only one who could hear his voice was himself.
The white mask clad in black stood in front of the wall the girl was leaning on just awhile ago.
“I thought she was a spy, but to think she was actually a triple agent.”
The way she took pictures in secret and that sharp gaze of hers behind that strange tension.
The fact that the things she knew and worried about haven’t been reported to the student council.
And the aura about her that he felt from those kind of people.
He figured she might have been a spy from outside, but the truth surprised him
even more.
As for her behavior being part act, that part didn’t surprise him at all.
“Still… Despite her age she’s unexpectedly a maiden at heart, huh.”
When he thought back to how she looked at his picture, he couldn’t help but grin.
It was embarrassing, but at the same time, it made him want to tease her.
He had been doing his best to endure that urge, actually.
“Sigh… I don’t know what’s so good about me, though.”
After sighing in astonishment, he turned his eyes to that girl walking away as if she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
The fox-eared girl was no longer actually there, but he still spoke to her.
“Good night, Hina. See you tomorrow…
He bid her good night, though she couldn’t possibly hear it, and then he teleported back to his room.
—Ah, but there’s just one thing I want to say.
Hina, I know it’s your job and all…
But one step wrong, and you’re basically a stalker, you know? ───
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