Aikiyo Fuuka, second-year student at Gehenna Academy, currently serves as the head of the School Lunch Club. Skilled in cooking and gentle in nature, she is a model student.
Her figure is slender, her face pure and delicate. Her long, black hair shines like silk, tied loosely into twin tails, with two strands draped before her forehead and resting on the small horns that curve from either side. Her crimson eyes always carry a soft, tender light.
Yet sometimes, those eyes, usually glimmering like a lake reflecting a fiery sunset, lose their brilliance and turn vacant, dull as the eyes of a dead fish in stagnant water, just like right now.
It isn't hard to guess why.
The moment she heard my voice, Fuuka, who had been slumped over the table like a lifeless doll, sprang upright in an instant. Her back straightened, and the light returned to her once-dull eyes.
"Ah, Sensei… you… you really came."
"How could I not? If Fuuka asks me for help, of course I'll come."
I pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
The last time I came to Gehenna's cafeteria, Fuuka and I exchanged contact information. Since then, we've chatted from time to time whenever we both had a moment to spare.
Not long after Chinatsu's message last night, I received one from Fuuka as well. She asked if I was free today, she needed help with something.
Those two coincidences overlapping, I decided to make my trip to Gehenna instead of another academy I was more familiar with.
"Um… actually, I was planning to go out and buy supplies today. It looks like I need more than I expected. So I thought… maybe I could ask Sensei to help me out?"
"Of course! Leave it to me."
Her eyes curved into gentle crescents as she smiled. "Hehe, just like the rumors say, Sensei really is a kind person."
Honestly, I think my reputation in Schale is starting to take on urban-legend proportions. I've only accepted a handful of requests, but maybe because I managed to complete every one of them successfully, there are now all sorts of stories about me circulating online—somehow detailed, mostly positive.
Still, hearing Fuuka's praise, I shook my head and said seriously, "Fuuka, I think there's been a little misunderstanding. I'm helping you not as your Sensei, but as a humble diner who has been utterly captivated by your excellent cooking and kind heart."
Fuuka blinked, startled. "Eh… S-Sensei, really, don't tease me like that…"
"I'm not teasing. So, if you're satisfied with my help, maybe you could let me try one of your special dishes again sometime."
"Alright, I'll do that. Then today, let's go shopping together." She closed her eyes and smiled sweetly. "Because there's still so, so much we need to buy."
After leaving the cafeteria in the capable hands of Juri, "To defend it against any outside threats," as Fuuka dramatically put it, though given this is Gehenna, that actually sounded quite normal as we set off in an old pickup truck.
Fuuka was the one driving.
On the front of the truck, the faint remnants of the word "School Lunch (급식)" were still visible beneath the chipped paint. The ride was bumpy enough to make me sway from side to side in the passenger seat.
I had the feeling this truck had been with the School Lunch Club longer than Fuuka herself.
"Fuuka, have you ever thought about getting a new one?"
I asked the question while we waited at a red light.
"I have, actually. Lately, I've been feeling like the cargo space isn't enough anymore, so I submitted a budget request to the Pandemonium Society," she said, a faint gleam of hope in her eyes. "And I've been saving up, too. Maybe soon, I'll be able to buy one with a bigger loading capacity."
Somehow, I felt like the real issue wasn't just the cargo space.
Still, Fuuka's dedication to her work was admirable.
We chatted idly as we drove, and before long, we arrived at our destination, a massive department store.
As soon as we stepped inside, Fuuka's face lit up with childlike delight.
"Wow… No matter how many times I come to a big supermarket, it never stops being exciting."
"Do you really like supermarkets that much, Fuuka?" I asked casually.
"Rather than liking supermarkets… I think I just feel happy the moment I step into the cool air by the fresh produce section."
She continued, sounding exactly like the kind of chef I imagined her to be. "When I see all the neatly arranged vegetables and fruits, I can't help but think, this is a treasure chest of ingredients! Don't you think so too, Sensei?"
I… didn't quite see it that way.
After some thought, I replied tactfully, "That's a rare way of seeing things. Not everyone would think that way. I knew it, Fuuka really does have both the talent and the passion to become a great chef."
Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Geez, Sensei, you're teasing me again."
Her tone carried a hint of playful shyness.
Then she suddenly turned her gaze elsewhere and stopped walking altogether.
"Ah, Sensei, look at this!" Fuuka picked up a long, green cucumber with sparkling eyes. "The surface still has little spines on it, so rough!"
As she spoke, her delicate fingers gently traced along the cucumber's surface.
…Huh?
She continued, stroking the tip lightly. "The stem isn't dry either, and it's still firm. Such good quality!"
I began to wonder whether my thoughts were too impure, or if Fuuka really was oblivious to what she was implying.
"Ah!" She suddenly darted over to another display. Placing her ear close to a watermelon, she tapped it a few times and listened carefully. "This one has such a nice, deep sound when you knock on it. Perfect quality!"
I glanced briefly at the smooth curve of her apron-covered chest, then at her innocent, radiant smile, and felt a pang of guilt.
Noticing my gaze, Fuuka flustered and bowed her head slightly.
"Ah, sorry, I just got too excited… haha…"
"It's fine. Seeing you this happy makes me happy too."
Though honestly, I was the one who should be apologizing for letting my thoughts wander somewhere they definitely shouldn't have.
Damn it, Hoshino. It's all her fault that I've fallen so far, from a once-pure soul into an adult who can't even keep his thoughts clean in front of a student like Fuuka.
There's no helping it then. I'll just have to atone by marrying Fuuka in the future.
After all, I've already checked Kivotos has no law against polygamy!
So really, my thinking is perfectly fine, reasonable, and most importantly, completely legal. Truly, a model example of a Kivotos Sensei.