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“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Diaboli's Palace.”
As soon as they took a step inside the restaurant, a new world opened to them. They had seen the interior of Royal One, but the luxuries of that classroom didn't compare to the environment they were in at that moment. All the walls were decorated with a blood red paint and covered with images of demons that had made history in the Netherworld. They could see some precious stones decorating the walls, as well as a floor completely clean and without traces of dust.
It was the perfect place to enjoy some time without stressing over schoolwork.
“Mr. Bars, right?” asked the receptionist.
“Yes, that's me!” Robin responded excitedly upon hearing his last name.
“Alright sir. Here is your reservation for four people, follow me please.”
The group of teachers followed the receptionist, who was going to place them at their respective table. They walked slowly, witnessing how beautiful and charming the interior of the restaurant was.
Blue lights shining like stars on the ceiling, couples enjoying themselves in the dining room, and a large feast in the middle of the restaurant. It was a luxurious and expensive place for the small group of teachers. It costs a good part of their salary for a night there, but they were going to seize that time and that food to the maximum.
Suzy was impressed by the plants that surrounded the restaurant, from curious carnivorous plants to impressive demon petunias. Robin on his side, got amazed by the amount of vegetarian food and elegance of the restaurant. Raim was enchanted by the elegant clothes that the waiters and some customers were wearing. The three teachers felt like they were in paradise.
“This is a beautiful place, right Momonoki?” said Robin.
However, there was only one person who wasn't happy to be there at that moment. The Basic Magic Training teacher, Morax Momonoki.
In reality, the group wasn't there to celebrate the end of the week or celebrate someone's birthday. The real reason was to help Momonoki have a fun experience. Those last few days, she looked totally dull and unmotivated. One could see her and note that she didn't show that sweet and tender personality that both characterized her.
Almost all the teachers did notice that vacant and cold look that the teacher showed in those last days. Her students mentioned that she didn't feel like teaching, and sometimes she left the classroom for no reason. Her omission of her duty was even noticed by her grandfather, who became concerned about his granddaughter's situation after seeing how her teaching performance was dropping day by day. He even found it strange how she didn't tell him what was happening to her, knowing that she had a lot of trust with him.
Her situation reached a serious level when Sullivan said that her employment contract would be at risk if her students didn't receive the education they deserved. As much as he appreciated his teaching staff, he knew that it was a top priority at Babyls to advocate for and give knowledge to the students. And Momonoki wasn't doing a good job. This prompted Sullivan to give her a warning letter, the first he had issued since he had come on board as the school's principal.
The decision made Momonoki feel worse, asking for a leave of absence until she felt better. She took her distance from the school staff, and the teachers only knew about her thanks to her grandfather. Morax looked worried about his granddaughter's situation and felt bad about not being able to help her.
Two weeks went by. Two weeks where the teacher didn't leave her bedroom. Two weeks where everyone had a hard job trying to replace Momonoki in the classrooms, knowing that they didn't have a total mastery of magic and in the course like she did. It only took a small change in personnel for everyone to have their workload increased. But beyond the fact that they had to focus on their work, all the staff wondered if Momonoki was going to be fine. They had a special fondness for her, and they didn't like to see that sweet personality of hers covered by total darkness. They felt bad that they couldn't do anything for the girl, but it also didn't help that she didn't answer the phone and didn't tell her grandfather what was going on in her mind.
And that's when Robin decided to do something for her. Robin thought he could cheer her up. They were a team with the same goal, like a special family. And he wasn't going to let her have to carry all the weight of her suffering by herself. With Morax's permission, he managed to make brief contact with Momonoki in her room, inviting her to a restaurant with some of his colleagues. His outgoing and encouraging personality was quite remarkable, and he knew there was no better way to combat sadness than a little fresh air and some general positivity.
Raim and Suzy had been involved in his plan, but they didn't think Robin's idea was going to make any progress. Great was their surprise when the Familiars teacher told them they were having dinner with Momonoki in a few days. And so, two weeks later, she was ready to go out with her colleagues. Prepared in a long dress as blue as her hair and in a regular mood. She dressed smartly, as did her colleagues.
The receptionist placed the four professors at their table and walked away wishing them a good time in the restaurant.
Robin was happy to be present at Diaboli's Palace. Although in reality, his childish personality made him feel very excited in almost every situation. He was happy with the decorations of the place, with the elegance of the workers... it was the perfect place for Momonoki to be distracted. He had faith that after that dinner, she would be a little better so that she would feel stronger to go back to class.
Everyone began to order exquisite dishes. Robin ordered a huge bowl of demon leafy greens, Raim ordered a gargoyle steak, while Suzy just wanted the same dish as Robin. Once they finished choosing, it was Momonoki's turn. They began recommending quality vegetarian food to him, as well as dishes that combined meats with unique spices exclusive to the Netherworld. Robin didn't care much about his money, after all he was doing it to help a colleague at work.
However, Momonoki's order surprised the teachers. She didn't order anything to eat, but rather ordered the strongest bottle of wine in the restaurant. Not the most expensive, or even the one that looked the prettiest to the naked eye. Those were aspects that didn't matter to her at the moment. She saw the menu recommendation, and immediately chose that wine. She just wanted to drink something small according to her, excusing herself that she wasn't that hungry.
“Are you sure you don't want some food my dear? If you're afraid to order something big, you shouldn't be. Remember this dinner is for you.” Raim asked trying to see if it would change her friend's mind.
“I'm not really hungry, I just want wine.” Momonoki replied.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes Raim. I'm sure.”
While they waited for the food, they started talking about everything that happened in those two weeks so Momonoki could keep up with the latest Babyls news. They even tried to make some jokes with her to see if they would lift her mood, with Robin being the one who dared to throw the funniest comments around the table. However, the teacher didn't show any big change overall. She would only respond with short answers like "yeah" or "sure," or fake a small laugh at some of Robin's jokes. While the other teachers were enjoying the free time, Momonoki didn't look like she was having fun.
However, she wanted to keep a steady smile on her face and keep her colleagues from worrying more than they already were. She didn't want to ruin that night for them because of her, besides the three of them were already doing so much for her. However, she knew that even if they did all that to see her well, it wasn't going to change anything. In addition, she wasn't going to tell them what was wrong with her. It was a situation she had to face alone.
A few minutes later, a waiter arrived to deliver the four teachers' orders. Raim gave a glance at the waiter who served them, showing a flirtatious look at the way he gave the presentation, plus he admired the dress and etiquette of the workers.
“Wow, you look so radiant in that suit. So elegant, so hot, and so attractive.” Her voice sounded charming, showing her seductive side to him. She flicked her tail toward the man, to see if the boy would fall for her charms. Besides, she wanted to see if her friend could laugh at anything after being locked up for two weeks.
The waiter blushed at the succubus' action. He was immediately charmed by the compliment she gave him, making Suzy and Robin laugh at Raim's action. Momonoki just followed them with a fake laugh, trying not to look bad at that moment. A few seconds later, the succubus released him, leaving the worker completely stunned.
“Enjoy your order.” said the waiter before retreating with his face still flushed.
And it was there that the four teachers began to eat as if there was no tomorrow. The reviews didn't lie about how delicious the food was. A taste appealing to the palate, creams that made the food even more delicious, and a luxurious presentation along with a charming ambiance for any demon... they felt that they got their money's worth.
The dishes were so delicious that everyone decided to order more food and drink. They watched in the center of the restaurant as the cooks got down to business and prepared the new orders for them. Their precise cuts and the sound of the pots and pans made the group feel hungrier, and they were impressed to see how organized and fast the staff was. They had once heard Derkila himself say that this restaurant had had perfection in almost all his orders when he needed to unburden himself after a heavy day. And his word showed a sincere truth. The group of Babyls teachers were in food heaven.
A whole hour passed, where while they were sharing a good dinner, they were talking about things in life and telling rumors of their work colleagues.
“These plants remind me of the cacti Kalego has in his office.” Suzy mentioned.
“Ooohhh, are they that same? Are they prickly?” asked Robin.
“They're a special kind. I'm surprised how Professor Kalego managed to get a well-preserved one.”
The special mention fell on Kalego. They knew how much Momonoki was excited to talk about him, and they thought that mentioning things about that obscure teacher could lift her spirits. They loved watching Momonoki say the nicest things about Kalego in the teacher's lounge, and her expressions as she released her feelings were the most genuine and tender. After all, she had had a long history with him since she entered Babyls.
Now they wanted her to talk about him there, knowing that it might bring her some calm and happiness. But Momonoki kept responding with short answers, not changing her way of saying the words. She sipped her wine at each answer to avoid talking too much, while turning her gaze to certain places. The teachers sensed that perhaps she was nervous about remembering her name and needed some time to form her sentences. But at least she was talking to them, if only briefly.
That was progress, and that was a lot for the group of teachers to take in.
Sometime later, the restaurant was nearly empty. Eleven o'clock at night, and they were among the few people left there. The ceiling of the place had filled with little bright spots that made the place look starry and beautiful, while the music changed to a calmer and more relaxing one. Raim and Suzy started talking about how nice the restaurant was when there were few people, while Robin finished the last of her salad. The green-eyed professor was glad to know that he had had the best night ever with a delicious feast and helping a friend from work. He was hopeful that after this, Momonoki knew she was not alone in what was happening to her and could rely on her colleagues for help.
Robin turned to look at Momonoki, who was with her head on top of the table and her arms holding her face. He walked over to her, thinking that she was already a little sleepy. It was already an hour late, but he was excited to see Momonoki's smile after that great night with them.
“Tell me, how do you feel Momonoki? What do you think of being here, sitting in an amazing place like this?” he asked with a smile on his face.
“Kalego...” she began to murmur. “Kalego...”
“Excuse me?” said Robin. “I didn't understand you, teacher Momonoki.”
It was there that she noticed that all four bottles of wine Momonoki ordered were empty. She had finished all of them on her own. Robin didn't want to think that they had missed the fact that Momonoki drank too much wine, but there was something else that bothered him. Her voice. She didn't sound like herself. It felt more broken, weaker... as if she was regretting something.
It was normal to get drunk, but Robin knew that Blushenko was the one who cried in quantity when he got drunk, not Momonoki.
“Momonoki? Are you okay?”
He lifted her off the table slightly, and the first thing his eyes met was a tear-streaked face running down the girl's cheeks. Just by looking at Momonoki's crystalline eyes, one could sense that she was feeling dejected... depressed.
“Am I someone weak... a coward?” she started to say.
He expected a cheerful response from her, a smile that represented her old personality... but his idea vanished when he heard Momonoki's broken voice. The girl was totally shattered, not looking energetic at all.
“Momonoki?” Robin asked in confusion. Raim turned to look at Robin and her after seeing how her tears covered her face. Suzy did the same, wondering what had happened.
“Momonoki? Honey? Is something wrong?” Raim started to ask.
“You invited me just to make fun of me? I know... I know you guys know about Kalego... I know you all know...” she stammered.
The three were confused by Momonoki's words. They had never seen her in a very distressed state.
It was suddenly that the happy mood among the teachers changed to a somber one. Momonoki's friends changed that expression from joy to concern in an instant. Their intention had never been to tease her.
“Calm down my dear.” Suzy began to use her magic and created some demonic roses “Take some flowers to help you...”
“It's just that I don't want those flowers! I don't want to be reminded that I'm a useless girl who hasn't even been able to take the first step in her love life!”
All the teachers at the table were shocked at the words she mentioned.
“Momonoki? What are you talking about?” Raim asked in surprise.
“Kalego!” She said with a bit of fury. “I know you know about his love affair with Balam!... You've only come to make fun of the fact that I couldn't tell him my love feelings!”
It was there that the three teachers knew what had happened. The problems Momonoki was having were about love, but there was no sense in what she was saying. None of them knew that Kalego was in a love relationship, in fact, the three of them had only just found out with Momonoki's words. Although... they were surprised by the fact that Kalego had gotten a boyfriend. They didn't know that he was in a relationship with Balam, his best friend. And no one at school seemed to have found out about it, it was as if the two had kept that relationship a total secret.
However, denial began to creep into the teachers' minds. For a moment, they wanted to think that the effects of the drinking had been too much for Momonoki. They thought she was making up stories.
“Hey, I think you've had enough wine, maybe it's time to quit and...”
“I don't want to.” She said without hesitation, interrupting Robin's words.
She continued to cry at the table, her chest swelling with the pain of her memories. Raim decided to pull her chair closer to her, trying to see if she succeeded in soothing her.
“Momonoki, come on, you don't have to think negative when that's not true. All the teachers know that's nonsense. Besides, how are you sure that jerk Kalego is in a romantic relationship with Balam?”
“Because... because I saw it.” She said, covering her face.
“What do you mean by that?” asked Raim.
Momonoki looked up at her collegues. They didn't look as if they were mocking her or trying to tease her. They were surprised by what she had said. Their concern was genuine. That made her feel bad for being suspicious of them at that moment.
“You really...you really don't know?” she started to lay her head on the table, as Raim started to hug her. “I'm... I'm sorry. I... I shouldn't have reacted like that.”
The three teachers felt bad for Momonoki. At that moment, the kind and charming teacher of basic magic training was only a shadow of her true self. They didn't know what had happened between Kalego and her, but what surprised them was that Balam was involved in it. Was he the reason for her sadness? Had she done something that affected her relationship with Kalego? There were many doubts and few answers with those words from Momonoki.
They wanted to know more to try to help her, but they didn't know if it was appropriate to ask her knowing that Momonoki was in a bad state. However, she raised her head to continue drinking the last of her glass of wine, and a few seconds later, she began to babble something in tears. She was beginning to tell them everything that had happened, as if she finally had enough of her inner pain. She felt a sense of trust among her closest colleagues.
“Kalego... he's so pretty... so cute... but I wasn't brave... I wasn't strong like him...”
It was no secret that she was in love with Kalego. Most of the teachers and students already knew that Momonoki admired him on levels beyond a simple friendship or colleague relationship, and her blushes when she was near him or when his name was mentioned were very noticeable. They knew it... except Kalego.
From being her instructor, he became the man who captured her heart. Although he was known for being tough, cold, and strict; Momonoki had another perspective of him. She saw Kalego as someone magnificent; someone who behind that antagonistic personality hid someone nice; someone who was impeccable in doing his job while respecting a moral code of his own with his students. It was the perfect balance. She didn't see him as evil, just someone who took his job more seriously than the rest of the teachers and was uncomfortable with any interruption or person who seemed annoying, impulsive, and inconsiderate.
Plus, in the very few times he released his other emotions...he was the perfect demon for her. His smile was very precious, a genuine and sincere one that confirmed her theory that Kalego had a positive side. When he laughed lightly, she was happy. When he played music, it showed a demon equal to the rest of Babyls, someone talented and interesting. When she saw him caring for his cacti, she saw someone who could feel love.
And when he began to relate to the abnormal class, that's when she saw that he could be more perfect, especially in his familiar form. A lovable being, someone tender and huggable. It was the second image of Kalego she saw in her eyes. She imagined him combing her hair, carrying him like a stuffed animal... it was like he was a demonic chinchilla. Very soft and cute.
Her mind imagined scenarios with Kalego. But she knew that, if she wanted to live that dream, she had to take the first step in telling him how she felt about him. Kalego was bad with love, so she started preparing everything she had to try to make him fall in love with her. She tried to get close in after class meetings, she tried to teach him new spells and show him her strength that she got since she had started her adventure as Babyls teacher, she started small talks to get to know more about him, there were even nights where she would accompany him in exam revision and to have some tea. He was never bothered by her presence, after all, she was one of the few people he appreciated at Babyls.
But in all those moments alone, she could never tell him what was on her mind.
She would go with the idea that this was going to be the night where she was going to declare to him, she would work up the courage and search for the right words to say to him. But that courage would vanish instantly, and she would excuse herself by saying that it wasn't the right time, when the truth was that she was very nervous and blushed at the sight of the figure of the teacher of the Misfits Class. She was afraid of what might happen. She was afraid of Kalego's response; maybe he could laugh at her, or even worse.
“I had... I had to act when I could... I could have done something...”
She didn't think her love story would take a sad turn. Raim hugged Momonoki as she cried, while Robin and Suzy felt bad with every word she mentioned. They listened to her attentively, not trying to interrupt or contradict her.
Momonoki continued with her story. Time passed and there came a point where she began to hear some rumors from her Babyls colleagues. Rumors that involved Kalego and Balam. They mentioned their recent continued meetings after class, and a certain change in Kalego's mood. Not exactly in the sense that he looked happier, but he looked... calm. Closer to his friend, having much more trust and appreciation for him than before.
She began to feel heartbeats of pain in her heart. She knew Kalego didn't like to be with many of his colleagues, but Balam was someone he had been with since his student days. They were close, even to the point that he trusted him with many personal issues. Although Momonoki felt especially privileged to talk to Kalego without making him uncomfortable... she didn't like that Kalego was spending more time with Balam. Especially because he looked very different with him compared to the times he spent with her.
It was jealousy. Jealousy that grew in her indirectly, even though she didn't want to hate Balam. He was a nice professor when you got to know him better, even though he was someone strange in his research.
She linked all the testimonies where it was mentioned Kalego's mood swings, and she jumped to a conclusion she didn't want to reach. She didn't want to think that her love story was at risk, but until there was some confirmation, she didn't need to be scared. Besides, she thought, Kalego wasn't the type to lean the other way. She just needed to find the right moment, thinking she still had time to tell the Misfit Class teacher how she felt.
But sadly, she wasn't quick enough.
“It's ok. Cry if you need to Momonoki.” Robin said, seeing that she started to cry harder. Raim was still hugging her, preventing her from continuing to drink the last of the wine in her glass.
“It's not ok...nothing is ok...I'm a failure...always have been since I walked into Babyls...”
It came one night where she had stayed in to check exams for her Transfiguration course. It was one of the few nights where she had to stay strictly in that confined room for academic purposes, and she was practically the last teacher left in the teacher's lounge. Everyone had gone to rest, leaving her alone and telling her to lock the door after finishing with her tasks. Concentrating and wanting to be an exemplary teacher like Kalego, she stood there, feeling special with every grade she posted.
It took a good few hours, but after putting in the last score, she finally knew she could go to sleep without stress. She put her exams in her drawer and left the room to go to her room. The silence in the corridors made Momonoki's footsteps the only thing audible at that moment. The girl sensed that everyone must have been asleep by that time; evaluation times were always tough and could sap the energies of all her colleagues. There was not a single soul present to keep her company, only the light of the moons illuminating her way in the corridors through the windows.
She walked slowly while observing the calm atmosphere of the school at that hour. She turned every so often to witness the beauty of the place, as she looked out the windows at Babyls' exterior. Full moons lit up the lawn and the whole place. It was a relaxing moment for any night lover, and although Momonoki wasn't one to stay up late at night, this time she was happy to experience this moment alone.
Her sight was focused on random spots, until she saw in the distance a figure moving on one of the balconies. She stared at the window where she caught the scene. The figure was stretching its wings, as if resting after a long flight. Although the night might have hidden the identity of the demon, the light of the moons helped Momonoki to quickly determine who it was. She could recognize that dark figure and elegant hair anywhere.
When the moons illuminated the balconies of the first-year students tower better and the demon put away his wings, she could see more than just his silhouette. A larger figure stood beside him, stout-bodied and extensively long-haired.
A name came to her head immediately after seeing that figure. Balam.
The words of her colleagues came to her mind instantly. All the rumors she heard days ago came like a bolt of lightning to her head. Instinctively and without thinking, she decided to use a spell to enhance her senses. Doubts covered her mind and she wanted to eliminate them, and for that she needed better hearing and sight to know what was going on. She just wanted to see what they were doing.
She felt bad about spying on Kalego, but she couldn't stay with the question marks. She could hear them talking about their routines at school, commenting about having a small glass of wine at the time. They recounted varied experiences they had, confirming again to the girl that the two of them did have a long history from years ago.
She was lucky that the spell was almost undetectable, so there was no risk of her being discovered.
“It's been a long journey between us, huh?” said Balam.
“Heh, I know. From the time we were young students until now, it's been a good road I must admit. And I must tell you, you're the only reason I keep my mental stability at Babyls. Putting up with fools like Robin or my class gives me total stress every day at work.”
“Come on, you don't have to say that. They're not bad.”
“It's the truth. If it hadn't been for you, by this point my wicked phase would have wiped out some of our treasures.” Kalego shot back at him. “That, or maybe I would have attacked Opera despite them punching me back for insubordination.”
Momonoki felt bad to hear how Kalego appreciated Balam's presence in a more genuine way. But the young professor's words made sense; Balam understood perfectly well when Kalego had health problems, when he needed company, and even knew his emotions better. She was close to Kalego, but she wasn't as close as Balam because her shyness got the better of her when she tried to deepen some topics with the purple-haired professor. Balam had an advantage over her.
She continued to listen to the conversation between the two demons.
“The fact that you put up with me is amazing. Even I recognize that I can be a curmudgeon.” Kalego mentioned.
“Come on, I always knew you had your good side. And I'm glad I can see it now that we're something more.” Balam replied with a friendly tone.
"Something more”
Those words made Momonoki more insecure. She knew she shouldn't be listening, but her instincts told her to keep going. There was a risk of harm, but she wanted to continue. Kill her doubts. She didn't want to leave without knowing what was going on between the two of them.
That curiosity was going to be lethal for her. It was the next scene that made an extreme change in her life.
“I know. Thank you for always being there for me, Shichiro.”
It was only for a second, but they both gave each other a small kiss under the moons. A sincere kiss and one that was enjoyable for both. A smile came from Kalego's face, as Balam embraced him. The professor's smile was very genuine, a sign that he was happy with that fleeting lip closeness and with being in Balam's arms. Kalego did nothing to avoid that gesture from him, he accepted his closeness and that only meant one thing: He had gone a step further in his relationship with his friend. Now he was his boyfriend, and he looked happy.
That whole scene was going on, while a heart was breaking into pieces in the distance.
Momonoki fell to her knees, unable to believe what she was witnessing. Her worst fear had been confirmed, and more doubts began to kill what little sanity she had. She didn't know how long they had been together. Maybe they had already been a couple before she realized it? Maybe that night was their first kiss? Had her fate been sealed even before she had feelings for Kalego?
The only thing she was sure of was one thing, Kalego already had a love partner.
She wanted to look elsewhere. She wanted to stop the spell. To close her eyes to avoid being tortured any further. She wanted to walk away and think it was all a hallucination of hers. But her body didn't respond, her legs didn't want to move from the place, and without her noticing, a couple of tears fell into her eyes. Curiosity had done a good job in destroying her fragile heart, and while Kalego and Balam were still hugging each other, the teacher was on her knees on the floor. Dejected, shattered. She fell against the wall, and there alone, she began to cry incessantly.
There in front of her, she was seeing how her prince's hand now belonged to someone else. Not to her.
“I'm a mess... a disgrace... a fucking disgrace.”
And now she was there. Drunk, depressed, heartbroken, disappointed, and in the company of her work colleagues.
The most surprised of all was Robin. He was a kind and encouraging teacher, and always sought to keep his colleagues' spirits high, but he hadn't understood Momonoki's pain. Not until that night.
Momonoki had never really wanted to accept her colleagues' invitation to go to dinner. She didn't want her colleagues to see that she was weak from a love disappointment. It was too humiliating, and she herself knew it. However, she knew that staying in her room longer without talking to anyone was going to worry her grandpa and her friends more, so she had to make a sacrifice.
Her plan was to talk almost nothing during that night and just be answering briefly and concisely whatever they told her, as well as eating quickly to return to her room early. All this was done to assure them that she was well and not to seek to raise further suspicions about her health. But the memories of that disastrous night came flooding back as soon as she took the first step inside the restaurant, putting her in an anxious state where she couldn't eat anything. She wasn't ready to go out yet. It was worse when her friends started mentioning the name of the purple-haired demon.
That's when she tried a radical solution. Alcohol. She ordered the strongest drink to try to see if she could forget him at that moment. She wanted to get him out of her mind, but even though she was trying to get the alcohol to kick in, she couldn't help but remember the image of her first love. A few minutes later, she discovered that the cure turned out to be worse than the disease.
She looked at the cactus in the restaurant. She thought of Kalego. She saw the dark style of some of the waiters. She thought of Kalego again. She heard the luxurious music in the ambience. She thought of Kalego again. She saw some fluffy decorations and remembered Kalego's cute figure as a familiar. It didn't help that her colleagues were reminding her of her crush, and the words of all of them had brought back memories of that kiss she never wanted to see again.
Her mind didn't forget that person who had captivated her heart. That person who helped her in her Babyls beginnings and taught her many things. The demon who managed to show his charm in a roundabout way in front of her. The worst part was that she knew everything he liked from his diary. And every time she saw a little thing from what she had read, his image came into her head.
The love she had for him went from being a motivation for her life to being a curse.
Sometimes she even felt that fate itself wasn' helping her. She remembered when her students blackmailed her into signing a Royal One permit in exchange of Kalego's diary. She remembered when she had Kalego as an opponent in that arm-breaking competition, and her nerves caused her to lose in a humiliating way. She remembered when that time she faced Kamui in the Heartbreaker, she ended up being defeated in a very disappointing way. A hallucination of the person she loved.
The Netherworld knew that Kalego was her weakness and attacked her with it at the worst times. And there was no reward despite trying to make the best of the situation. That time, she thought she had taken exclusive photos of Kalego, photos that showed how cute he looked otherwise.
But sometime later, she realized that she had only taken pictures of Kamui, none were of Kalego.
“Come on Momonoki, I'm sure there are much cooler men than Professor Kalego.” Suzy started to comment something a few seconds later.
“Exactly honey.” Raim tried to join in to lift her friend's spirits. “Men are everywhere, Momo. And just because it didn't work out with him and he's unrequited, doesn't mean you're going to be alone forever. Kalego is a jerk for letting you go. But there are others who will see what a marvel of a demon you are. You are a totally attractive woman, someone powerful in magic, and your attributes can captivate any man in front of you.”
They were sincere and genuine words, but Momonoki was lost in thoughts and tears. They didn't know internally the pain she felt at losing the boy who was her main guide since her entrance to Babyls. She wished she could go back in time and have the chance to try again her goal of conquering Kalego. To be braver, even she might be able to learn a spell to accomplish that goal.
But that would also be going against her friend's good faith. Balam had also been that colleague who supported her since her entrance to Babyls when her first students didn't take her seriously. To ruin his current relationship because of her desires was going to doom her mentally, because she wasn't looking to use her magic in bad faith. Especially with a demon who was always welcome to help her in her duties as a teacher.
All that was left for her to do was to accept reality. The crazy teacher of Imaginary Things had innocently defeated the wise teacher of Transfiguration. And although Balam had a kind heart, he had hurt someone without him realizing it.
She wasn't someone that drink too much alcohol or any such beverage to the level of getting drunk. Even her grandfather and her friends knew that she didn't tolerate very strong alcohol. But that night she wanted to try drinking something of that style for the first time. She wanted to see if the rumors that alcohol relieved heart pain were true. She was trying to avoid the damage Balam had done to her indirectly, to no avail.
Robin didn't know what to say to comfort her at that moment. He felt responsible for everything that was happening. His intentions had never been to hurt Momonoki, he was just looking to cheer her up with a dinner between colleagues. But seeing a different Momonoki, a broken Momonoki, made Robin have an internal ache in his chest, a feeling of guilt that was slowly consuming him.
“I wish...” Momonoki's voice was faint, but everyone were able to hear it. “I wish... I had been brave... Why didn't I say anything when I had the chance?”
No matter how shaken her head was, no matter what time it was, no matter how much alcohol she consumed... that memory had been stuck deep in the back of her mind.
“I don't want to feel anything... I don't want to feel this anymore...”
From that day on, the only thing she received every morning was instant pain to her heart. She couldn't eat right, she couldn't sleep right, she couldn't do her job right. She felt guilty about everything and felt like a total coward for not dealing with her feelings at the time.
She never told him things directly. She never wanted to take one more step. She always hung back, saying that at some point the opportunity would come to her... but in the end she was only lying to herself. She remained the same shy Momonoki and that had cost her dearly. Now she could only look at the results of her cowardice and regret not being able to change the past.
A few brief minutes passed where Raim was hugging Momonoki, until she realized that her body was leaning towards the table as if she was moving away from her arms. No more cries could be heard from her, only light sighs. Momonoki had fallen asleep in that embrace after having exhausted all her energy.
The three teachers looked regretfully at their colleague. They didn't think the girl's situation was very serious.
“I...” Robin didn't know how to start the conversation after that whole incident. “I didn't mean to...”
Suzy walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder, knowing that her colleague was saddened by what had happened that night.
“You didn't know what she had been going through. Don't blame yourself Robin. Your intentions were good.” she said as she pulled out some flowers. “Here, these will help you calm down.”
Robin received them without much trouble. At least Suzy wasn't lying that seeing pretty flowers was somewhat soothing. However, he was going to need a lot more to get over what had happened that night.
“Let's go back to Babyls, shall we?” Suzy said. Raim and Robin just nodded their heads in response to her question without saying a word.
The three of them stood up from their table, carried Momonoki on Raim's shoulders, paid the bill, and left the place without saying any more comments. They headed back to their residences in Babyls, flying through the cold, drifting night as they analyzed everything that had happened.
None of them knew how to process all the information Momonoki had said. They didn't know how she was going to wake up or how she would react after learning that her secret had come out because of an alcohol problem. They weren't going to play a joke on her, that was for sure. But they didn't know how they were going to help her after that night, because just as she said, Kalego already had a boyfriend, and it was already impossible for him to notice someone else. It was going to be hard to fix their situation knowing that they both shared a work environment, and especially knowing that technically Kalego and Balam's relationship was still a secret to everyone. It was a totally confusing and screwed up situation for the teachers.
They were disappointed in themselves. What was supposed to be a night of joy turned out to be a total disaster. They had made Momonoki cry and driven her to be in a state of weakness and reminding her of something she wanted to forget.
They haven't help her, they only had aggravated her wound.