While I was asking the teacher a few questions, I realized I was sneaking away from his reach without even noticing.
A little scary! My tiny heart was pounding!
Now… I get it. I finally understand how cats and dogs feel. I'd tried petting the boss's pet once before, but failed every time. That experience… yeah, being big can be terrifying.
I left Schale with a belated thought: maybe I should start with just making eye contact first. Slow steps. Careful, tiny steps.
After properly checking the teacher's uniform, I got a decent idea of his abilities—and my authority—so I felt a little more confident.
…Even if all I'd eaten were energy bars and that weird pine-needle drink, I gained something.
"I have a shirt… so I'll go buy some suit pants," I mumbled to myself.
…but where?
This place seemed to sell adult clothes, like teacher clothes. I had to find student clothes too, of course.
First, I hid behind a large outdoor unit and peeked at the students passing by.
A swarm of horned students walked past, and a winged student practically flew away from them.
Then, a student with animal ears glanced at me as if she'd noticed my spying.
Quick, hide! I ducked behind the outdoor unit, heart thumping.
Hmm… doesn't this seem a little too much like peeking?
I stepped out of the alley, cheeks burning. "Hmm, lots of dust on this outdoor unit… maybe a cleaning job would be fun…" I mumbled to myself, flapping my hands a little.
The animal-eared student seemed satisfied and continued along her path.
"Phew… okay, safe…" I exhaled.
From what I saw, this area was a neutral zone. Students in all sorts of uniforms walked around freely. Among them, those in neat uniforms were the winged Trinity and horned Gehenna.
From community posts, I knew Trinity had a very gloomy vibe… kind of like a thundercloud.
I wandered into Gehenna, full of students who felt vaguely familiar.
But… how do you get to Gehenna?!
After wandering around like a tiny lost chick, I finally asked a student with pink wavy hair and black horns for directions.
"Wow…" I whispered.
Inside Gehenna, there were tons of students with horns, wings, or tails. Except me! I'm a plain human teacher—no special traits here. Maybe I should give myself one characteristic, just for fun.
Grumbling under my breath, I started hunting for a suitable clothing store.
I could feel the clerk's eyes on me already… Hehe, I hope she doesn't notice my tiny, sneaky antics.
There's something about this place that makes you wanna… I dunno, peek at everyone? Or maybe just watch the kids without feeling guilty.
"Shall we go in?" I whispered to myself, stepping inside with a tiny, light greeting.
"Hello."
The clerk… didn't even glance at me. Not a twitch, not a blink—just work mode activated.
It's kinda comfy, honestly, but… isn't it a little rude? Even a salaryman should give a teeny "hello," right?
I wanted to scream inside… but noooo, the clerk's head stayed firmly glued to his work.
"Hmph…" I puffed, flopping onto a bench sofa. My eyes spun around, scanning the racks.
Black… black… more black. Everywhere. Black waves!
A robot clerk floated over with a mechanical hum.
"No, I'll just look!" I waved my tiny hands, dismissing it.
The robot paused, then glided back to its original spot.
Hehe… suddenly I got a cute idea!
If I worked part-time here, I could observe the students without a care in the world. Perfect!
I peeked at the human clerk, still pretending to work like a salaryman… then, oh no, he raised his head and started walking toward me. Quick, turn!
I shook my head, trying to hide.
But the robot clerk appeared again from behind.
"How may I help you?" it asked, sweetly polite.
"Oh! No, I can manage, thank you!" I said, waving.
"I will help you," it insisted.
"I… I can see it by myself!"
The robot blinked. "Hmm."
"I can watch it alone!" I squeaked, pushing it away, and returned to scanning the clothes.
Uhm… this one's wide… that one's long… ooh, short…
No matter how I twisted and turned, I couldn't find any suit pants that fit my tiny legs. Most options were short black skirts, and the long one-piece dress felt… eerily like the one I was wearing now. One piece. No shirt underneath.
…Life is full of compromises, Praline.
I don't need to match the sensei exactly. My outfit is neat already. Bottom's a little… bare? Maybe. But hey, cool is cool.
Feeling a teensy bit shy but also determined, I grabbed the last one-piece I could see and… yep! Tried it on.
Hehe… kinda cute, huh? Just me, Praline, tiny teacher assistant, sneaking through racks and fashion disasters.
The alley was noisy with shouting and clashing—students with arm straps and long gray pigtails lunging at a cluster of rough-looking kids. A kid who'd obviously been roughed up crouched in the middle, clutching her ribs. The whole scene felt ripped straight from fan art I'd seen: messy, violent, and somehow embarrassing in that way my brain returned to.
"Catch those guys!" someone barked.
"It hurts! It hurts!" a voice wailed.
Just as the vanguard began to get the upper hand, a nearby restaurant detonated with a dull boom. Black smoke rolled up, and four silhouettes stepped out like they were making an entrance in slow motion.
"It's clean, but lacks flavor. Let me add explosive seasoning."
"Haruna?! Why now…?"
"Oh my. Post‑meal exercise, everyone. G-support!"
The leader's radio skittered out of her hands—hit by a stray round from Haruna—and dropped to the ground. Then one by one, others' attempts to call for backup were blocked. Static, interrupted transmissions, the same mechanical hiss each time.
Someone panicked and pointed toward the mouth of the alley.
"…It's her," they spat. Their finger landed on me.
"You! Contact the nearest leadership now!" she yelled.
"Um—me?" My voice squeaked.
"Not you there… ugh." The leader's glare bounced off me like a bad reflection. Before she could scold me further, Haruna's team disrupted her again; the leader got clipped in the crossfire and slumped. The Gourmet Research Club members were efficient and merciless in their teasing way.
I didn't have any contact info saved. I didn't even know where the leadership office was. My brain, a jumbled mess of newbie panic and chipped instruction manuals, offered zero solutions.
There was only one thing I could do.
"I'll help." I snatched a fallen leader's gun—heavier in my hands than anything I'd held in my past life, but fundamentally similar. I pressed my back to an outdoor AC unit, felt the cool metal against my spine, and watched the cadence of the attackers. Timing. Rhythm. Humans always had a rhythm you could read.
Now.
I spun, fired. The shot hit the red‑haired student of the Gourmet Research Club in the shoulder; she staggered, more surprised than hurt. My weapon felt clumsy and wrong—like a keyboard with sticky keys; it didn't do the elegant thing I imagined. I tried again. The situation didn't magically become friendly. The attackers adjusted, closing ranks.
This can't be how it ends.
I veered closer to the girl with pigtails, keeping my voice low so only she heard. "I'll buy time," I murmured.
She blinked, surprise flickering across her face. "Well… wait a minute." Her fingers tightened on whatever she was holding. Around us, the fray continued, but for the first time a plan—tiny, audacious—glinted into focus.
As I stepped into the bullet-sprayed alley, everything froze for a split second. The bullets… paused. Just for me? Maybe not.
"Iori, how low has the Gehenna Leadership sunk, using a young student as a human shield?"
"This guy just barged in without permission…!"
"But I don't give them any leeway just because they're young."
-sugar!
A bullet zipped past—and then it hit. Right in the abdomen. Haruna's precision was… deadly.
And that's when it hit me—I'd forgotten something crucial.
Teachers aren't like students. On the outside, we look normal. But if we lack a "poop arona," a single bullet is basically the end. A donut hole in the wrong spot and—kaput. That's the cold logic of Da Kibotos.
So… escaping the fate of becoming a Buddha… just like that? Heh, impressive.
Ah, evil boss. Don't worry—I'll be following your lead soon. Just… don't forget the proper hourly wage. Pretty please.
"Oh."
I glanced down. The dress? Perfect. No holes, no marks, no red splotches on the soft white fabric covering my belly. For some reason, even Haruna and the Gourmet Research Club seemed… stunned.
"Are you… durable?" someone hissed.
"Hey?! You?!"
Iori's face twisted in anger as she grabbed my hand holding the one-piece dress. sHe yanked it down.
"Huh?"
"What are you doing now?!"
"I'm helping you." I said, tilting my head, all innocent mischief.
"Help me… like this?!" Iori's glare could probably cut steel.
From her perspective, my aim was terrible. Or maybe it was my audacity—just barging in without permission. Either way, it barely helped the situation.
sHe sighed, grudgingly lifting her sullen head, and handed me the gun she was clutching.
"I… I'm sorry. I got in the way…"
"No, that's not it…" I replied softly.
"Umm… shall we go…?"
"Where?"
"Uh?"
Around us, the alley hummed with tension, the faint smell of gunpowder still lingering. We were standing there, two tiny humans in a storm of chaos. And somehow, I had the strangest feeling that we were only just getting started.
The alley was still heavy with smoke and cordite when it happened.
A sudden purple glow flickered at the far end. From behind the Gourmet Research Club emerged a student with an unmistakably large, sharp-pointed halo—one I remembered instantly.
"Director Hina!" I blurted.
"You held up well, Iori," Hina said coolly, her tone like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.
She pressed the muzzle of her gun against the back of Haruna's head.
"Do you want to get beaten, subdued, and dragged off? Or do you want to just go?"
"Just, just…?" Haruna squeaked.
"Good choice. I don't want to waste my energy on you for nothing."
"But why are you pushing the gun closer—hiccup?!"
"I'm a little annoyed," Hina murmured, almost to herself.
That was all it took. The Gourmet Research Society members, pale with fear, shuffled into the escort vehicle waiting outside without further orders. Hina followed, heels clicking softly on the concrete.
"Don't even think about making a fuss on the way," she added, sliding the gun back into its holster. "I can send one or two of you off without anyone even noticing at Pandemonium."
Everyone in the Gourmet Research Club trembled at her words.
Just before closing the door, Hina glanced at Iori.
"Iori, I'll escort the kids. Please clean up after them."
"Yeah. Leave it to me," Iori said, exhaling as the vehicle pulled away.
When the alley grew quiet again, she scratched the back of his head and walked over to me.
"You're just trying to get my attention, right? Don't do it like that next time. Got it?"
Was he telling me not to fight?
"Yes. I'll refrain next time," I said, bowing my head.
"C'mon, I'm not saying don't do it!"
"I'll try to… if possible," I replied innocently.
Iori just let out another deep sigh.
It was hard, though. The longer I stayed in this world, the more I saw how uneven everything was. Some departments just played all day; others drowned in overtime. It felt like finishing your own shift, cleaning up the store, balancing the register—and then having to clean up the mess the boss's kid left behind.
Leaving Iori behind, still sighing, I set off with a single thought:
Reward the ones who work hard!
I ducked into a nearby café, bought several sweet iced coffees, and came back to the alley.
The leaders were sweeping up debris, and Iori was crouched down, taking pictures of the broken building and jotting notes to send somewhere.
"Excuse me…" I said softly.
"Huh? Why are you back? Did you lose something?"
I shook my head and held out a carrier bag, both hands full of condensation-dripping cups.
"Eat this," I said, smiling.
"I got some help anyway, but… also coffee? That's a bit much…"
"It's okay! I work hard at my job, so I make plenty of money!"
"Working already at this age…?"
"I've been working for ten years."
"…Uh?"
Iori's eyebrows knit together in surprise.
"Is it really okay to just accept this kind of kindness…?"
"It's okay!" I chirped, thrusting the bag toward him again.
she smiled brightly, pressed a coffee into my hand, and walked out of the alley without another word.
"Hmm…" I murmured, glancing down at the cup. My mind wandered back a few days, remembering everything that had happened.
She was just a kid, maybe eleven or twelve. Yet during the battle with the Gourmet Research Society, she'd insisted on helping me—and then, out of nowhere, handed me a Coffee.
"Kid…" I muttered.
She shook her head, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks, and went back to her usual calm self.
Since she didn't even seem to realize she'd done anything strange, it ended with him giving a warning under the guise of being a leader.
By the time I reached the manager's office, Ako was waiting at the door, juggling a kettle and a stack of documents.
"Ako. I'll have a drink too," I said.
"This coffee is for the manager. Iori, please go buy some."
"Kindly."
"shit again," she muttered.
"Then while you're at it, submit this too."
"Is this…?"
"A report on the incident that happened the day the Head returned from a private meeting with Pandemonium."
I placed the report into Ako's bundle of documents and left.
"I'll bring the patrol," her voice called after me, though she was already gone down the hallway.
I headed straight to the café where the kid had bought me coffee last time. Compared to other franchises, this store was spacious, clean, and had good seating—so naturally, it was a little pricey. But the aftertaste was crisp and refreshing, and I genuinely liked it.
"It was okay," I muttered, taking a careful sip.
The kids in the leadership group had loved it too, chugging their cups happily. Lost in the aroma and warmth, I nearly forgot the world outside.
Just as I was about to check whether it truly tasted that good or if my hunger and hard work had tricked me, the doorbell jingled—Jallang!
A rich aroma of coffee enveloped me as I stepped inside. The counter sat at the far end of the store, sleek and tidy. A familiar strand of yellow hair swayed just beyond.
"…?"
I slowly approached, curiosity piqued, and heard a familiar voice.
"Hello! Would you like to order?"
"Huh?"
"Ah, Shiromi-san! It's been a while—three days, right?"
The child behind the counter wore a brown apron with the café's logo stitched neatly across the chest.
"You say you have a lot of money, but you work part-time?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"…The more money, the better, right?"
"That's true, but… anyway, thank you for taking care of the kids last time."
"Did it suit your taste?" I added.
"Yeah! Please do that again today."
"Yes! I received your order!" the kid chirped, a little sparkle in their eyes.
A lively, cheerful voice floated across the café.
"You can just wait here!"
I glanced down at the child's chest, noticing the tiny apron fluttering slightly with their movement.
"Would you like to order something else?" I asked softly.
"Praline…?"
At my words, that ridiculously messy hair of his swayed like it had a mind of its own.
"Order me…? More importantly… how did you know my name?"
I grinned, pointing subtly at the name tag. "There. That's how I knew."
"...ah!"
The corners of his mouth twitched into a shy little smile, and I couldn't help but grin too at the sight of his hair bouncing down, a few strands stubbornly sticking up, and his cheeks tinged with pink.
She looked so flustered, so genuine… it made my chest feel all warm and fuzzy.