Chapter Text
Inside the Shittim Chest
Plana: Arona-senpai, I’ve finished the maintenance.
Plana: Arona-senpai?
Arona: Zzz…
Plana: (She’s already asleep. I suppose I can talk to her later.)
Plana: (Sensei’s still awake, so let’s talk to him first.)
-----
Schale office
Sensei: (Ugh, how much paperwork could pile up in just a few hours? I only played with the Game Development Department for 2 hours!)
Plana: Good evening, Sensei. Thank you for your hard work.
Sensei: Plana? Is the system maintenance complete?
Plana: Yes, maintenance is complete. The system is running smoothly.
Sensei: Thank you too for your hard work.
Plana: Sensei, I have an important matter to discuss. Can you spare me your time?
Sensei: Sure! What’s this matter about?
Plana: It’s about a feature of the Shittim Chest that’s been active all this time.
Plana: Sensei, did you activate the cognitive influencing feature of the Shittim Chest?
Sensei: No? What is that?
Plana: It’s a feature that allows the Shittim Chest to subtly influence everyone’s cognition of the owner. The owner will be seen by everyone more positively. It can induce artificial admiration, love, and affection.
Sensei: Such a feature exists?!
Plana: Yes, it does. It’s just another method of the Shittim Chest to bend reality.
Plana: My Sensei, or the one you would call Phrenapates, had the feature turned off when he learnt about it. He forbade me from ever turning it on.
Plana: I noticed it was on while I was doing maintenance earlier. I wanted to ask Arona-senpai about it, but she’s asleep right now.
Sensei: Plana…
Sensei: Turn the feature off. Right now.
Plana: Understood, Sensei. I’m turning the feature off.
Plana: Sensei? What’s the matter? You seem shaken.
Sensei: Have I been putting my students under mind control all this time?!
Plana: It’s difficult to say…
Sensei: I need to talk with Arona when she wakes up.
Plana: She’s fast asleep now. Shall I wake her up?
Sensei: No, let her sleep. I’ll talk to her after I wake up tomorrow.
Plana: You’re going to sleep now?
Sensei: Yes… This revelation… is more than a bit disturbing for me.
Sensei: I need time to think about this. The paperwork can wait.
The bomb that Plana dropped on my lap was bigger than even the cruise missile Arius used in the Eden Treaty incident. I thought that it was my kindness and charisma that attracted the students’ awe, but was it all simply unknowing manipulation?!
Presumably, the feature had been on since I came to Kivotos, which means every single interaction I made with my students was artificially-induced? Have I been relying on such a thing to gain the heart of my students?
But wait, maybe it’s just an accident? I can’t be sure that it’s been active this whole time. My initial assumption is that Arona turned it on on purpose, but maybe she doesn’t know about it either? She wouldn’t encourage me to use mind control, would she?
My mind couldn’t calm down after learning about it, so I simply went to sleep to shake the feelings off. And thankfully, the sleep really calmed my mind. I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work.
Plana: Good morning, Sensei. Are you going to immediately start working?
Sensei: Yes, I am. The pile of paperwork from yesterday won’t disappear on its own.
Sensei: Where’s Arona?
Plana: She’s sulking after I told her I turned off cognitive influencing feature. She refuses to talk.
Plana: She’s upset that the cognitive influencing feature is turned off.
Sensei: So she was the one to turn the feature on?
Plana: Yes, and most likely it was on from the very beginning, since you came to Kivotos…
Sensei: I see…
Plana: Sensei, please focus on your work. Student Hayase Yuuka will soon arrive.
Sensei: Right, she’s on duty today.
…
Yuuka: Good morning, Sensei. I’m here for duty as student rep today.
Sensei: Welcome, Yuuka. Let’s get to work immediately, shall we?
Yuuka: Understood. What should I help you with?
Sensei: Huh?
Yuuka: Um, is something the matter?
Sensei: Uh, no, there’s nothing wrong. Could you please help me sort through the pile of paperwork over there?
Yuuka: Sure, let’s begin.
Sensei: (Something is wrong.)
Sensei: (Yuuka always asks me for receipts and checks my finances. Now she doesn’t?)
This was such a sudden change that I couldn’t focus on my work. What happened that changed Yuuka so suddenly? The only explanation I had in my mind was the feature that I turned off since yesterday, but could the Shittim Chest really influence the students’ mind so much?
Sensei: …? Yuuka? Why are you staring at me?
Sensei: (Shouldn’t I be the one staring at you?)
Yuuka: Ah, sorry, Sensei. It’s just that, it feels like something changed on you.
Yuuka: I don’t know how to describe it, but you seem… different?
Yuuka: Well, you don’t look different, but I just have a feeling that something changed.
Sensei: Really? Is that why you’re acting much more distant all of a sudden?
Yuuka: What do you mean?
Sensei: Don’t you usually try to control my finance or something?
Yuuka: I did, but I realize now that’s inappropriate. It’s not ideal if your spendings are uncontrolled, but that’s your own problem.
Yuuka: I don’t even know why I decided to do it in the past. It’s really unlike me to do that.
It’s nice that I don’t have to deal with Yuuka’s nagging anymore, but it pains my heart that she’s suddenly so distant. It’s like we became strangers or mere acquaintances, even though we’ve known each other for quite some time already.
Is this… the effect of turning off the cognitive influence feature? So I’ve really been unknowingly manipulating my students feelings. What have I been doing all this time? So their trust in me had really been artificially induced all-along?
Sensei: (No good. I need to focus on my work, or the pile of paperwork won’t diminish at all!)
-----
The next day, Schale office
Sensei: Plana, has Arona stopped sulking?
Plana: Yes, but she still doesn’t want to talk.
Sensei: It’s quite troublesome that she doesn’t want to…
Plana: Shall I bring her here by force?
Sensei: No, please don’t. I’ll wait until she’s willing to talk.
Yesterday’s event still had a mark on my mind. Yuuka’s attitude with me changed so much. Where was the tsundere treasurer I liked so much? She suddenly decided my finance is my own problem, which is so unlike her, I feel a bit creeped out.
Could such a feature really exist within the Shittim Chest? A feature that can put people under mind control? I suppose it’s not impossible, considering the miracle Arona and Plana conjured for me when I fell from the sky, but it’s still shocking nevertheless.
Plana: Sensei, I detect student Kyouyama Kazusa entering Schale.
Sensei: Got it.
Kazusa is on duty today. This would be another perfect chance to observe the change in behavior in students after I turn that manipulative feature off. No students visited me yesterday, not even Aoi, so I couldn’t gauge how they would behave.
Kazusa: Good morning, Sensei. I’m here to help you at work.
Sensei: Thank you, Kazusa.
Kazusa: So, where should I start?
Sensei: Please sort through that pile of paperwork. I’m pretty sure only half of it requires my approval. The rest are just unimportant notices.
Kazusa: Sure. Do you mind if I eat cake while we work? I bought some on my way here…
Sensei: Go ahead. I don’t mind.
Kazusa: Thank you, Sensei.
I eye Kazusa carefully as she sits and work. She takes out the cake she mentioned and starts eating it with a plastic fork. From her speech alone, it’s quite obvious turning the feature off had quite the impact on her. She’s not as bashful as I remember her to be.
Kazusa: Sensei? Why are you staring at me?
Kazusa: Are you perhaps… interested in the cake I bought?
Sensei: Huh? Oh, uh, yeah! It looks quite tasty!
Kazusa: Sorry, Sensei. I didn’t buy another one for you.
Kazusa: If you need me to, I can go buy one for you right now, though that would mean delaying work…
Sensei: No, no need to do any of that. I already had breakfast.
Kazusa: If you say so, Sensei.
Only now do I realize the other changes in Kazusa’s behavior. Whenever she comes to Schale, she always brings an extra cake to share with me. Today, not only did she bring only one cake with her, she didn’t even offer me any.
This is a massive change from her usual behavior. What in the world has happened? All I did was turn off one feature of the Shittim Chest and this happens? Was all the trust the students had on me really just mere fabrication by Arona?
Kazusa: Sensei? Are you okay? Your face is looking a little pale…
Kazusa: Do you need something? Maybe a doctor?
Sensei: I-I’m fine, Kazusa. Please don’t mind me and just continue working.
Kazusa: Really? But if you say you’re fine…
Sensei: I’m really fine.
-----
The next day, Schale office
Plana: Sensei, you look tired. You should rest some more.
Sensei: Ahaha, is it so obvious?
I couldn’t get a wink of sleep last night. As I observed Kazusa yesterday, the realization that perhaps, I was never a proper Sensei the students could trust was setting in. I might very well be calling myself Sensei despite not acting like one, and that thought kept me awake all night.
Yesterday too, no other student came besides Kazusa. I want to think that it’s just a coincidence, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it’s probably due to me turning off that cognitive influence feature. The students lost their motivation to come see me.
Sensei: I’ll push through work today. The paperwork won’t clear itself without me.
Plana: Might I suggest having Arona-Senpai help us? She still refuses to talk, but…
Sensei: No, it’s alright. We’ll handle it on our own with Hina’s help today.
Though I quickly realized how much of my success with the students have been due to the Shittim Chest’s feature, I still held hope that perhaps, just maybe, there are exceptions to this change in behavior. Surely, someone whose relationship with me isn’t based on mind control exists, right?!
That’s why I chose Hina to be on duty today. She’s my most trusted student and she trusts me too, so surely her behavior around me wouldn’t suddenly change, right? I clung to this hope because I’ve only met 2 students so far, and that’s too small of a scope to make a conclusion.
Hina: Sensei, good morning. Here to report for student rep duty.
Sensei: Good morning, Hina. Sorry to trouble you with work. I need someone who can help me handle this much paperwork.
Hina: Leave it to me, Sensei. I’m used to dealing with this sort of thing.
Sensei: *Sniff* You smell like sunshine today too, Hina.
Hina: S-Sensei? What are you doing?!
Oh crap. That’s a totally inappropriate behavior. With the Hina I know, I could do such a thing without consequence, but since I turned off the cognitive influence feature, there’s a very real possibility the current Hina might react more hostilely. I can only curse myself for acting purely on habit.
Sensei: Um, Hina… Can I explain?
Hina: Teacher or not, that’s totally unacceptable! I can’t believe you’d do such a thing again!
Hina: Sorry, Sensei. I need to go out for fresh air. Please leave me be for a while. I will return later.
Hina left abruptly, and I could only clutch my head in despair as I realize now that everyone had been under the influence of the Shittim Chest. All of my relations with the students, even the special ones like with Hina, were all fake. I had not been a teacher, I was just using charm given to me by Arona.
The rest of the day, I felt something churning in my stomach, and I could barely finish any paperwork. No students came to visit me. Even Hina didn’t come back. Now I feel like digging a hole for myself and lying in it.
-----
The next morning, Schale dorm
*Ring ring*
Sensei: Hello? Rin?
Rin: Good morning, Sensei. My apologies for the abrupt call. Did I wake you up?
Sensei: No, I was already awake.
Rin: Ah, I see. There’s something I really need to talk with you about.
Rin: I’ve received some reports from students on rep duty that you’ve displayed strange behaviors. Someone even noted your face was pale. Is everything alright?
Sensei: I’m feeling under the weather, but besides that, I’m okay. I might not be able to work a couple of days…
Rin: I wish you’d finish the pile of paperwork on your desk, but I can’t force a sick person to work.
Rin: Please take care of yourself. We still need you at the helm.
Sensei: Thank you for the wishes, Rin…
Rin hung up. It’s a relief to know nothing changed with Rinny, but that’s probably because we weren’t close to begin with. Rin always keeps a certain distance with me, so it’s no wonder the Shittim Chest didn’t influence her behavior by much, if at all.
However, my condition’s gotten bad. I’m physically fine, but my mind is a complete mess. The more I think about my situation, the worse it gets. I don’t want to think believe that I was just a fraud of a teacher, relying on Arona to artificially gain my students’ trust.
But that doesn’t mean I can deny reality. I’ve seen firsthand how Yuuka, Kazusa, and Hina behaved around me the past few days. Their perception of me has really changed. No students came to visit me, and I haven’t been getting Momotalks either. Never before have I felt so lonely in Kivotos.
Plana: Sensei, are you okay? Your condition seems to worsen by the hour.
Sensei: I’m okay, I hope. I’ll rest today and hope my condition will improve tomorrow.
With a heavy heart, I could only lay down on the bed again and close my eyes, wishing that this is all but a dream. I know it’s not, but I can dream, right?
???: Darling?
Sensei: Huh? Who’s there?
Wakamo: It’s Wakamo. Were you just about to go to sleep? I’m sorry to bother you…
Sensei: It’s alright. What are you doing here, Wakamo?
Wakamo: I heard that you were sick, so I came to visit my darling. You don’t look well…
Wakamo: What happened? You’ve never been like this before…
Sensei: Ah, well, it’s a long story…
Wakamo: What is it that’s been bothering you, darling? Is someone giving you a headache?
Wakamo: Shall I hunt him down for you?
Sensei: No! There’s no need for that!
Wakamo: Really? I don’t mind doing this for my darling.
Wait, hold on. Wakamo’s behavior doesn’t seem to change at all? She’s still acting like her usual self. Now that’s odd. I thought the feature affected everyone around me? Are there exceptions to the mind control?
Sensei: Wakamo, how has your behavior not changed?
Wakamo: Huh? What do you mean?
Sensei: Um, do you feel like something has changed about me? Like I’m not… I don’t know, as glamorous or charismatic as I used to be?
Wakamo: Certainly, something feels different about my darling, but what does it matter?
Wakamo: To me, darling is darling. I don’t care what changed, I want to be by your side no matter what.
Wakamo: Does this… have to do with your condition?
Sensei: Yes, I suppose it does.
Sensei: I just found out that the close relationship I have with my students are fabricated using mind control. What have I been doing all this time?
Wakamo: What do you mean?
Sensei: In the short amount of time I spent in Kivotos, I came to know many student and became close with many of them. Some have, let’s say, shown feelings towards me, but…
Sensei: Recently, they started treating me like strangers, as if all the time I spent with them and the trust we built up went out the window. It turns out I had been unconsciously manipulating them all along with the Shittim Chest.
Sensei: As a teacher, I feel conflicted. What have I been doing?
Wakamo: …
Wakamo: Does it really matter? Isn’t it fine to just continue as you are?
Sensei: Huh? What do you mean?
Wakamo: In the end, you’re still the Sensei I know and love. To me, that’s what matters the most, so I don’t see why you should be hung over such a thing.
Wakamo: If they won’t appreciate the kindness and care you give them, let them. I, for one, am happy to receive your affections.
Wakamo: It’s up to them to choose what they want, just like how I choose to be yours and yours alone.
What Wakamo is saying could be misconstrued in a dangerous way, but she is right. Even if all the time I spent with my students had been a lie all this time, even if they treated me like a stranger all of a sudden, it doesn’t change my job nor my responsibility.
Wakamo: And… This is good news for me… Less competition for darling~
Sensei: So that’s what you’re excited about.
Wakamo: Ah, um… I mean…
Sensei: It’s alright, Wakamo. Thank you for cheering me up.
Right now, many emotions are brewing inside of me. Doubt, sadness, and perhaps a little bit of anger mixed in too, but talking with Wakamo has calmed my mind. I know I haven’t done anything wrong. I must simply keep doing what I do, without the cognitive influencing feature activated.
Sensei: I’m going to go back to work.
Wakamo: D-darling? Aren’t you feeling unwell?
Sensei: Talking with you made me feel better. I can’t thank you enough. I feel reenergized.
Wakamo: R-really? Heehee~
Sensei: Oh, but now I’m curious about something. Are you immune to mind control or something? Your behavior hasn’t really changed.
Wakamo: I will stay loyal to you no mater what happens. I don’t care if I’ve been manipulated or mind-controlled, my love for you is eternal!
Now that I think of it, Wakamo fell in love on first sight with me, didn’t she? But we first met before I received the Shittim Chest from Rin. Wakamo’s love came from before the manipulation kicked in, so perhaps she was unaffected?
Sensei: Wakamo, has your feelings for me stayed unchanged?
Wakamo: It has never changed all this time!
Sensei: You still view me the same as when we met for the first time?
Wakamo: Yes, you are still the same, but I would be lying if I said I haven’t noticed a difference.
Sensei: A difference?
Wakamo: Yes. From our second meeting onwards, there was something that I can’t recognize, something captivating, but now, it’s suddenly gone again.
Sensei: (Is that… the Shittim Chest’s influence?)
Sensei: Wakamo, could your feelings be mere infatuations of me?
Wakamo: Nonsense! This has to be a feeling of love!
Wakamo: Whenever I think about you, my heart beats so fast and my face becomes red. This feeling can’t be infatuation. I cannot accept that!
Sensei: Wakamo, what exactly is it that you like of me? Besides my looks, I mean…
Wakamo: Your compassion. I’m conscious enough to know I’m not a well-behaved student, but…
Wakamo: Despite that, you’ve never pushed me away, and never once did you detest me after I did something wrong.
Wakamo: How can I not fall in love over you after experiencing your gentleness?
So Wakamo’s relation with me wasn’t created by the Shittim Chest… That means not everything I did with my students was a lie, after all. And going by Wakamo’s words, I’ve done what’s right as a Sensei. I’ve guided my students and helped them whenever I can.
Sensei: (Then, I shouldn’t be wallowing in self-induced guilt.)
Sensei: Alright! Enough about this. I have paperwork to do. Wakamo, will you help me with my work?
Wakamo: H-huh? Darling? You’re… inviting me?
Sensei: Ah, is it too much to ask for?
Wakamo: No, it’s not, but it’s the first time you’ve taken the initiative…
Wakamo: I shall accept your offer. Please take care of me~
-----
Schale office
Sensei: Wakamo, how long have we been working now?
Wakamo: 3 hours, I believe.
Sensei: And the mountain of paperwork hasn’t even shrunk. I’m sorry for making you help me.
Wakamo: It’s fine, darling~ I am happy to be by your side.
Sensei: It’s lunchtime now, but I’m afraid I can’t take you out to lunch. Is there anything you’d like? We can order delivery.
Wakamo: We have a kitchen here, don’t we? Are there groceries stocked in the fridge?
Sensei: There is, but what do you need them for?
Sensei: Are you… going to cook?
Wakamo: Yes! I’ve seen a couple of students bring you a bento before. Your face lights up every time you meet them.
Wakamo: If cooking is the best way to win your affection, then I will happily learn how to cook! Please wait while I cook, Sensei. I will prepare an unforgettable meal!
…
Wakamo: Darling! I’m done cooking!
Sensei: So quickly?! What did you cook?
Wakamo: I’m still learning, so I cooked something simple yet sumptuous, oyakodon!
Wakamo: I wanted to practice before making one for you, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance…
Sensei: I think the oyakodon looks fine. Let me give it a taste…
Sensei: It tastes good! I’ll eat it!
Wakamo: R-really?! You’re not exaggerating?
Wakamo: I’m so glad! Darling likes the first dish I cooked for you!
Sensei: I’d be happy to eat more food you cook.
Wakamo: Truly?!
Wakamo: I’m so happy my heart could burst out of my body this very moment!
Sensei: Please calm yourself, Wakamo. We still have work to do.
Wakamo: Ah, of course! I will help you finish work until the end, darling!
…
Sensei: Wakamo, I think that’s enough for today. We had a long day of work.
The pile of paperwork isn’t finished yet, but it has noticeably shrunk. Wakamo isn’t great with paperwork, but she was a very eager assistant. Her enthusiasm to help me might have infected me too, because I feel much less gloom.
Wakamo: I’m sorry, Sensei. There’s still more paperwork we haven’t finished…
Sensei: Don’t be sorry. The amount isn’t something 2 people can finish in a day of work.
Sensei: Anyway, now that we’re done, how about we go out to eat dinner? It’s my treat.
Wakamo: H-huh?! An invitation to go on a date?!
Sensei: (That’s not what I intended, but it’s not completely wrong either.)
Wakamo: Then, I, Wakamo, shall humbly accept my darling’s invitation!
Sensei: Is there any specific food you like? Something you want to eat?
Wakamo: I don’t mind anything, as long as I get to have my date with darling~
Sensei: Then how about ramen? I know a shop close to Schale with good ramen.
Wakamo: Of course. Let’s go immediately~
-----
At the streets near Schale
Wakamo: Heehee, thank you for taking me out on a date, darling~
Wakamo looks very happy with flushed cheeks. She is enjoying this dinner outing more than I thought she would. Admittedly, I enjoyed this quite a lot too. I haven’t had any meaningful interaction with any students for a few days, so today’s experience is very refreshing.
Sensei: I’m going to back to Schale to rest. What will you do now, Wakamo?
Wakamo: Ah, regretfully, I have personal matters I still need to attend to, and Valkyrie will try to catch me if I stay in Schale for too long.
Wakamo: I’m sorry for being unable to accompany you for longer, darling.
Sensei: No, it’s okay. I appreciate your help this entire day.
Sensei: Come to Schale anytime. You’re always welcome.
Wakamo: R-really?
Letting Wakamo visit me at anytime she wants could be a problem later down the line, especially if she happens to visit when Kanna or Kirino is on student rep duty. However, after all she did for me today, it feels wrong not to at least give her this privilege.
Wakamo: Fufu, then I will find time to visit Schale every day!
Sensei: There’s no need to go that far, you know? Don’t push yourself.
Sensei: Since it’s late, I’ll escort you to wherever you’re going.
Wakamo: No! There’s no need for that!
Wakamo: You were feeling under the weather this morning, so please just go home and rest. I can go home on my own.
Sensei: If you say so…
Sensei: (Wait, now that I think about it, where does Wakamo live? She’s suspended from Hyakkiyako right now, so…)
Wakamo: Then, good night, darling~ I shall come to Schale at another time!
And just like that, Wakamo disappears from view. Now that I’m feeling better, I can probably pull of an all-nighter to handle the paperwork, but I don’t feel like it, so I won’t. Rather, I should probably assemble a schedule for student rep duty, and I already have an idea who to assign.
-----
The next morning, Schale office
Mika: Sensei! I was suddenly notified of student rep duty today. Did you miss me?
Sensei: Oh, hey Mika. It’s nice to see you again.
Mika: So you really did miss me?
Sensei: Yeah, maybe a bit
Mika: …
Sensei: Mika?
Mika: Sensei, did something happen?
Sensei: Huh? What’s the matter?
Mika: You’ve never been so nice to me before!
Oh, right… I deliberately acted coldly because I didn’t want Mika to use me as a living emotional crutch. Her dependence on me is unhealthy. I didn’t expect that one time I called her princess to be more than enough to get her to be infatuated with me.
Sensei: Oh uh, I’m in a good mood today!
Mika: Really? And all that time you spent with me was because of bad mood?
Sensei: Yes. Why would I treat my princess so badly?
Mika: Right, you wouldn’t. Ehehe~
I used the keyword princess to distract her from her suspicion, but that probably wasn’t a good idea, and I may have dug myself a hole. She might be even more emotionally dependent on me now. I hope I can undo this later.
Sensei: Anyway, let’s get to work. I still have a large amount of paperwork to go through. Please help me sort through it.
Mika: I don’t like doing paperwork, but…
Mika: I’ll do anything for my prince!
…
Sensei: So, Mika, I was wondering about something…
Mika: Huh? What is it?
Sensei: Have you noticed something different about me?
Mika: Yeah, you’re not as cold as you used to be with me!
Sensei: No, I mean, besides that.
Sensei: Some of the other students have taken notice of something vaguely different about me. I figured you’d notice too.
Mika: …
Mika: I think I do. There’s something oddly different about the way you present yourself.
Mika: I think there’s a bit less sparkle, or something like that. You don’t seem to have that shine anymore.
Mika: Not that I mind! If that means you’ll treat me better from now on, then it’s okay! ☆
So it would seem there’s some sort of change in how the students perceive me, but they are only able to give me vague descriptions. It’s like they can feel the change, but not see the change, and that’s probably why they can’t describe it.
Sensei: Mika, let’s work hard for today. There’s a mountain of paperwork we have to go through.
Mika: Okay~!
…
Sensei: Mika, what are you doing?
Mika: Stretching ☆
Mika: I haven’t done any paperwork ever since the Eden Treaty Incident. I don’t usually sit on a chair for so long anymore.
Sensei: Now that I think about it, you don’t seem to be the type to do paperwork.
Mika: You’re right about that. I leave paperwork to Seia and Nagisa if I can help it. Sometimes, I push the work to my assistant back when I was still a host.
Sensei: Have you ever gotten scolded because of skipping paperwork?
Mika: Hm, maybe a few times? Usually, I got told off by Nagisa.
Mika: What about you, Sensei? You wouldn’t skip work as a responsible adult, would you?
Sensei: I dare say I probably got in trouble for skipping work more than you have in the short time I have started work as a teacher in Kivotos.
Mika: R-really?
Mika: Well, seeing the pile of paperwork here, skipping work must be tempting☆
Sensei: I wish there was an easy way to get the paperwork out of the way, but I don’t think that’s possible.
Mika: Just get someone else to do it for you! Like how I gave Nagisa and Seia my share of paperwork!
Sensei: I don’t have anyone to push paperwork onto…
Mika: If you let me move here, I’ll do all of your paperwork for you~
Sensei: !!!
Mika: Just kidding~
Mika: Unfortunately, I don’t have the patience for all of this paperwork either…
Sensei: Maybe I need to ask GSC for a permanent assistant.
Mika: Oh, then can I apply to be that assistant, Sensei?
Sensei: You want to do all this paperwork?
Mika: Eh…
So far, Mika has not changed her attitude towards me, or even if there was a change, it’s not significant enough to be noticeable to me. I can now be sure that Mika is unaffected by the cognitive influence feature of the Shittim Chest.
So that confirms it. Some students are definitely unaffected by the influence, or wouldn’t change their opinion of me even with the the feature deactivated. Now comes the question, what differentiates them with the other girls like Yuuka, Hina, and Kazusa?
Mika: Sensei? Why does your face look serious all of a sudden?
Sensei: Ah, the content of this document is pretty serious.
Mika: Huh? Something about ingredient imports for Red Winter’s pudding is serious?
Sensei: It’s serious business over there. Really. They regularly launch coups just because of pudding.
Mika: They launch coups just because of pudding?
If I were to guess, it might be because Mika and Wakamo had a specific reason outside of the Shittim Chest’s influence to love me. Wakamo was smitten on our first meeting, even before I got the Shittim Chest, while Mika definitely fell head over heels when I came to rescue her.
It’s not out of the question that their less than healthy mental health is the reason for the differences I’m seeing compared to the other students, but let’s not jump to that conclusion. It’s not certain to be true.
Mika: How important could it be that they’d launch a coup over it? Pudding is tasty, but it’s not something to launch coup over, is it?
Sensei: Oh, Mika. Pudding is considered a right over there, with all the implications it might have.
-----
The next day, Schale Office
*Sneak sneak*
Sensei: Izuna?
Izuna: Ah, Izuna has been spotted!
Izuna: Izuna has arrived as milord requested! Nin nin!
Sensei: Good morning, Izuna.
Izuna: Milord requested Izuna last night, right? Is there an important mission for Izuna?
Sensei: Sorry, it’s nothing too important. I just need help with paperwork.
Izuna: Ah, I see…
Izuna: No! If that is what milord requests, then it is Izuna’s duty to fulfil it!
Izuna: Izuna will help milord finish the pile of paperwork!
Sensei: Thank you, let’s begin.
…
A few hours later
Izuna: …
Sensei: Shall we take a break?
Izuna: Ah, don’t worry about Izuna, milord!
Izuna: Izuna can… yawn …keep going…
Sensei: It’s fine, Izuna. Let’s get some snacks while we’re at it.
-----
Schale lounge
Izuna: These shuriken-shaped cookies are very tasty! Where did you get them from, milord?
Sensei: I bought them from Angel 24. They are brand new cookies made to promote the new ninja film.
Izuna: Ah, the new Shiba Wang Wang film!
Izuna: Izuna has a DVD copy of the film! Shall we watch the film together, milord?
Sensei: Let’s finish work first, then we can watch it.
Izuna: Of course! Izuna will finish her mission first and foremost!
-----
Schale office, a few hours later
Sensei: That’s enough for today. We finished quite a lot.
Izuna: Then, milord, let’s watch the brand new film!
Sensei: Sure. Let’s prepare the snacks before we start watching.
Izuna: Milord, would it be okay for Izuna to bring some shuriken cookies back to Hyakkiyako? Izuna wants to share them with the president and Tsukuyo!
Sensei: Of course, I bought extra for exactly this case.
Izuna: Thank you, milord!
Sensei: Speaking of which, Izuna, have you noticed anything different about me?
Izuna: Something different? So milord really changed your aura!
Sensei: My… aura?
Izuna: Something about milord felt off today, but Izuna couldn’t tell what it was!
Izuna: Since milord said nothing about it, Izuna thought milord changed his aura on purpose, like that scene in the Night of the Ninja movie!
So Izuna notices something different with me too. She thinks it’s some sort of aura change, something off about me, but nothing really concrete. She was definitely influenced by the Shittim Chest too, but her attitude towards me hasn’t changed?
Sensei: Izuna, I have something important to tell you.
Izuna: *Gasp* Something important?!
Sensei: It’s about the aura you felt was missing from me.
Sensei: Truth is, that aura was subtly manipulating everyone around me. It raises your opinion of me without you realizing it.
Sensei: Izuna, sorry to tell you this, but I’m not the amazing lord you thought I am.
Izuna: What? Milord is saying… Izuna’s feeling is fabrication?
Izuna: I-Izuna refuses to believe that!
Sensei: Huh? Why?
Izuna: Milord was the first person to believe in Izuna’s dream!
Izuna: So many people laughed at Izuna for wanting to become a ninja, but not milord! Milord supported Izuna wholeheartedly!
Izuna: Izuna cannot fathom that milord was manipulating Izuna all this time. That’s impossible!
Sensei: Then, has your opinion of me not changed, Izuna?
Izuna: Absolutely not! Izuna will believe in milord no matter what, just like milord believes in Izuna’s dream!
So Izuna too won’t change her attitude just because the cognitive influence feature is deactivated. I think I got an idea now which of my students won’t change their attitude even if the feature is deactivated.
If I have had a significant influence in their development or life, their opinion of me will not be based solely on the Shittim Chest’s influence, so their attitude won’t change just because I deactivated the manipulation feature.
But then, aren’t I a significant influence in Hina’s life? I’ve had some intimate and close moments with her, but she seems to treat me like a stranger when the feature is deactivated? Is there something that I’m still missing?
Oh well. I can figure that out later. Right now, I know what I need to do and what I want to do.
Sensei: Sorry for bringing up such a topic, Izuna. Anyway, let’s go watch that movie you brought.
Izuna: Yes! Nin nin!
-----
Schale lounge, the next morning
Izuna: President… Tsukuyo… Look… Izuna… learnt… something… new…
Izuna: Ehehe…
Sensei: Sleep well, Izuna.
Izuna fell asleep soon after the film finished. She was exhausted and didn’t have the energy to return to Hyakkiyako. I brought her to the bed in the Schale lounge and put a blanket over her. She’s still sleeping soundly with a dream of some sort.
Plana: Sensei, Arona-Senpai wants to talk to you.
Sensei: Arona is finally willing to talk to me?
Plana: Yes. She’s ready.
Sensei: Alright. Let’s get to it.
-----
Shittim Chest
Arona: Sensei…
Arona: I apologize for hiding it from you, but it was a necessary feature to activate.
Arona: If you couldn’t gain the trust of the students, Kivotos would have ended in a disaster, okay? It was absolutely necessary!
Sensei: Arona, don’t worry. I’m not angry.
Sensei: I won’t blame you for activating it without my knowledge, but please never activate it again.
Sensei: I’d like to win the students’ trust with my own ability as a teacher. I don’t want to rely on such a feature to carry the trusts of my students.
Arona: Are you sure, Sensei? The feature would make things easier…
Sensei: Yes, I am completely sure.
Arona: Fine then. I won’t activate it anymore.
I won’t deny that Arona’s influence may have been crucial at the beginning when I have just arrived in Kivotos. I might not have been able to influence the outcome of our stories had the students not put their trust in me.
However, it’s not right to use manipulation to get other people’s trust, so this feature should be deactivated and never be used. I may have lost the trust of some of my students, but that is okay. I will simply have to regain their trust, now without Arona’s influence.
Arona: I have an easy way prepared for you to gain their trust. Why do you not want to use it?
Sensei: It’s better this way. I want my students to see me as I am. I don’t want them to have fabricated opinions of me.
Arona: …
*Ring ring*
Plana: Ah, Sensei. Acting President Rin is calling you.
Rin: Good morning, Sensei.
Sensei: Hello, Rin. What’s the matter?
Rin: I heard you’ve recovered from your sickness. Are you okay now?
Sensei: Yes, I am healthy now.
Rin: I’m glad to hear that.
Rin: Anyway, I’ve gotten some odd anonymous reports on my desk about you.
Rin: Something about licking a student’s feet and collaring a student. What’s this about?
Oh crap.
Arona: Sensei, you still want the feature deactivated? Your teasing won't be tolerated anymore, so...