Archive of Our Own

Part 1

"Blind is a man's heart, for it never sees the truth. Blind is a man's eye, for he closes it if he doesn't like what he sees. Blind is a man's soul, for it only seeks what will bring it comfort. Thus, only the mind is the one you should trust, the one which can always seek truth."

Iroha closed the book with a tired sigh. Another "deep and thought provoking" text, full of phrases that are overcomplicated for the sake of it. Been there, done that, and there was zero need to ever repeat it.

— Sensei, I think you could throw away this one as well...— She waved the heavy cover at him. "How to know the truth"... Truly, how this one made it into Sensei's shelf is a mistery.

— Yeah... Probably. I've never actually seen this one. Maybe I should leave it and read it first to see if it's good. — Iroha could almost feel how her muscles automatically tried to roll her eyes back into her skull.

— This is the corniest phycology book I've ever seen. It tries to be good too hard.

— Well, you didn't read it through, maybe its tries are successful?

— A good book doesn't have to try to be good.

Iroha sighed, but decided to listen to him. She placed the book back onto the shelf, and moved on.

It was an awfully rainy day. The kind that makes you want to stay under a blanket and sleep through it. But here she was, in Sensei's office, helping him sort out all of the unnecessary things. Well, at least he said it was helping. In reality, Sensei was sitting near his phone, calling someone every so often while filling out some papers. It was like a scene in a comedy movie, but there it's at least funny.

He tried to stand up to refill his coffee mug, but the second he did, the phone rang again. Iroha sighed and walked over to him to grab the mug, earning a quick, grateful nod before Sensei quickly returned to speaking.

Another long hour passed. Iroha didn't know if it felt so long because she was bored out of her mind, or because she could almost feel the crushing weight of papers that were quickly stacking on top of the desk as Sensei worked. She was already thinking about teasing him a little to make him take a break, when she suddenly realised he's breathing a little too heavy, and his hand is clutching his chest.

— Sensei, are you okay?...

He put down the phone and nodded quickly.

— I'm fine, my dear... Just, chest hurts a bit.... It does it sometimes. It's just today it's....

He didn't even get to finish his sentence before he collapsed face first onto the desk. Iroha could feel her heart plummet, then jump as it started beating like it was trying to break out of her ribcage and rush to help. The phone on the table rang once again, but this time it would be completely ignored. Iroha rushed to her own phone to call an ambulance.

When she turned around, phone pressed to her ear, she saw Sensei sitting on the floor, rubbing his face, and a pink haired girl squatting right next to him, checking his pulse with a concentrated look on her face. She quickly nodded at Iroha, and then turned back to him.

— It seems pretty dire. I'm not exactly sure about it yet, but you should lie down.

________________________________________

Iroha was sitting anxiously in front of the emergency room. Medical staff was rushing by, then some would walk inside, or outside, but it was all a blur, up until the pink-haired girl walked out. They let her in as one of Remedial Knights, though, the staff seemed to be very familiar with her.

— ....I really did a bad job at looking after Sensei... — She said, sighing heavily.

— What even happened?

— We have all reasons to believe it's a heart attack. Probably coffee combined with poor sleep, poor eating habits and not exactly physically active job. I should've just been more insistent...

The girl buried her face in her palms. Iroha placed her hand on the former's shoulder and gave it a light pat. Iroha had the exact same thought a second ago. She should've been more attentive...

— Hey, it's okay, uhhh...— Iroha took a second before she noticed a badge on the girl's chest. — Serina. It really is. It all will be fine.

Iroha wasn't sure which one of them she wanted to calm down. It was her fault too. But, on the other hand, what could she really do?... It's not like he was complaining about his health. Or lack of sleep. Now that she thought about it, she only ever heard him complaining about not having enough time to stay at Gehenna. If only she knew...

_______________________

A few hours passed. The air in the hospital was too suffocating for Iroha to bear. The only one left in the hallway was Serina. There were a few Kronos reporters trying to barge in and asking everyone on their way, but Serina didn't even notice them. She was busy looking at the door, waiting until she could come in again. Finally, the doctor, a robot in a white coat, opened the door.

— He's feeling much better. I think you could come in now.

Serina rushed into the room, and the doctor followed her, quickly running his eyes over some paper.

— Thankfully, we were wrong. Not a heart attack, just severe caffeine poisoning, malnutrition and, from what I can guess, chronic lack of sleep. Though, his heart is far from being in it's best condition. I firmly recommend to fix both diet and sleep schedule. And no more coffee for at least a month.

Only half of her mind was listening. The other lead her to stand by his bed. He sat up when he saw her, rubbing the back of his neck.

— I'm sorry, Serina, I shouldn't have worried you so much...

She hugged him tightly, barely holding back her tears.

— You... Heard doctor... — She mumbled through tears, barely able to rip the words out of her mouth. — No more coffee... No more sleepless nights...

— I promise, Serina, I... — He started saying, his hands wrapping around her trembling body, but was cut off by her desperate shout.

— I don't need promises! I will make sure myself!

_____________________
Part 2.

When Sensei came back to his office, he found it in a complete mess. Though, it wasn't full of stacks of papers, as he expected. In fact, all of the documents, except for one, were gone. It was Rin's letter. Hand-written, yet holding official power, as it was stamped by literally everyone in General Student Council.

"You're prohibited from working for a week, Sensei. Your paperwork will be handled. We will contact you if there will be any problems with organisation. Get well soon.

Sincerely, Rin."

Everything else was filled with stacked gifts and letters. One from entirety of Foreclosure Task Force, three from each one of Tea Party members...

— Let me free up some space for you, Sensei. — Serina said, already rushing to stack the boxes on top of each other, and pulling out the letters attached to them to place on the table.

Sensei sat back into his chair and took the first letter that he could reach, and read through it. It was unusual, to sit like this in his office. Without constant calls, without stacks of papers on the table. He sighed heavily and laid back into his chair. Only now he realised just how much his back hurts.

____________

They took the letters with them. Sensei couldn't read them all before Serina insisted on leaving. The streets of the evening Kivotos were filled with students, as usual, but whenever he approached, lead by Serina firmly holding his hand, they immediately made way. He suddenly felt like he didn't belong.

Serina led him into a grocery store.

— Let's buy something to cook from. — She said, then look away, mumbling under her breath: — I might not be the best at it, but I know how to cook healthy food and what ingredients to buy...

As he always used to, Sensei went to his favourite rack. There always was something tasty and not that hard to cook. Serina followed him initially, but upon understanding where he was going, she suddenly squeezed his hand hard, giving him a scary look.

— Sensei, I believe that vegetables are in the opposite direction.

— Ughh, actually.... — Sensei quickly looked around for an explanation. Unfortunately, the closest racks were full of coffee, chips, instant noodles and any products usually not associated with health, especially heart health. But then he noticed a candy rack. — I wanted to buy a small gift for Serina! She works so hard today, and I feel guilty for making her worry so much... Please?

Serina's eyes widened, then her entire expression turned warm.

— You don't have to, Sensei...

— I insist. — He said, rushing towards candies to pick something for her.

___________________________________

When they walked out of the store, Sensei turned to the towering building of Schale. It looked so beautiful, basked in evening sun's golden light.

— Sensei, surely you aren't planning on going back there today? — Surprisingly, it wasn't Serina's voice. When he turned around, he found Iroha standing behind him. — Don't think I forgot about your promise to hang out with me after work.

Serina, who got slowed down a little, quickly walked to Sensei's side, who immediately turned to her with puppy eyes.

— Please, Serina? You said walking is good for me, right? It's not like I have any work in the next week, I think I could... — Serina sighed heavily and looked up the time, not even waiting for him to finish.

— I guess we do have an hour, and walking is good for you... — She said reluctantly, earning a tight, happy hug from Sensei.

_____________________________

They decided to go to a little fountain a few blocks away from the train station. Iroha heard that it was one of the most beautiful places in this part of the city, with a museum and a very nice plaza around it. Unfortunately, on their way there, they suddenly discovered closed road and a few girls in construction equipment. One of those stopped them right before the roadblock.

— Sorry, people, the fountain and this part of the street is closed.

— Why is that? — Sensei asked, leaning onto one of the posts holding the barrier tape.

— I mean, isn't it obvious? — The girl pointed behind her, only to realise whatever she's pointing at isn't visible. — Ah... One of the pillars holding the museum's roof cracked. We already evacuated everyone, but barely finished building the supports and placing the scaffolding... The street's gonna be closed up until we're sure this thing is standing tight.

— Perhaps, I could help? — Sensei asked, and before the construction girl could say anything, Serina was already grabbing him by his sleeve, while Iroha gave him a disapproving look.

— No, Sensei, you can't work. Don't even try.— Serina said, giving him that stern look once again.

— ...You really gotta learn how to rest properly, especially in your free time... — Iroha said, making her signature concerned, slightly annoyed and exhausted look. Sensei was at a loss of words. For a good minute, he could only mumble something barely comprehensive, until he sighed heavily and gave up.

— I mean... If you wanted my advice, you should probably call Wildhunt girls... Tell them you're calling by Sensei's advice, I'm sure they will be happy to help.

Sensei suddenly felt his exhaustion surge. They picked a little bench with a pretty good view on the sight and decided to take a seat.

— Today is a pretty unlucky day, huh?... — Iroha said, earning a heavy sigh from Sensei.

— Yeah... Unlucky.

He leaned back onto the bench. Right in front of him was the museum, the girls walking around and minding their own business, and the fountain, now not working. But his gaze was bound to the broken pillar. A giant, muscular Atlas, cracked in the middle under the weight of his load he had to bear for far too long.

_____________________

Part 3.

It was morning of Sensei's first sick leave day. Serina left him yesterday after cooking up some decent food, but promised to come back. When someone knocked on his door, he fully expected it to be her, but it was Fuuka.

— Good morning, Sensei! — Fuuka said, smiling brightly to him. In her hands, she had a full bag of groceries.

— Ohhhh! — Sensei felt his body filling with strength even through the coffee withdrawal. — Good morning to you too! Did Fuuka come to cook for Sensei?

— Not exactly. — Iroha said, and only now Sensei noticed her tank parked in the distance. — She's here to teach you how to cook. And I'm here to enjoy the show.

— ....So, no Fuuka's cooking?...

— W-why, of course I will cook for you! — Fuuka answered, slightly taken aback by Sensei's sudden sad tone and puppy eyes aimed at her. — But you will have to help me. And I will show you a few important things while we're at it.

_________________

Sensei was a terrible cook. When he washed the potatoes, they were left half dirty. When he tried to cut onions, he couldn't even get a proper grip on the knife. Fuuka gently guided him through every step, but it was clear that his body was just not used to such labour. Thankfully, so far she was teaching him only the easiest dishes and the simplest of principles. Iroha was just watching from the other side of the kitchen, snacking on some candies she found around the house.

Every little mistake was chipping away his strength. All of this was unfamiliar, and he felt like he was letting Fuuka down. Yet, the knife just wouldn't lay the right way in his grip, and he even almost cut himself with it twice. He felt awkward at his own kitchen, and constantly bumped into Fuuka or into a table. By the time they were done, both his shirt and Fuuka's apron were completely coloured with dirt, vegetable juices and stew splashes.

Fuuka giggled softly when she really took in the messy look of him. Sensei didn't know why this was so endearing to her, but couldn't help but chuckle himself.

— Was your first time this messy?... — He asked, looking down at himself.

— Not even close! — She practically giggled with wide smile on her face. — On the other hand, I wasn't sick. You will get there, Sensei.

— Are you done? I'm dying of hunger over here... — Iroha interrupted.

___________________

Serina came surprisingly late, with weary expression and sleepy eyes Sensei usually worn in the days when he couldn't get his coffee. By that time, Fuuka left already.

Serina heavily insisted on going for a walk. Sensei saw this as a wonderful opportunity to meet everyone in Trinity who he hasn't seen in a while. Iroha reluctantly followed, but she decided to put on a mask and a pair of sunglasses.

First were the After School Sweets club. One of the little known, but very much beloved by everyone cafés added a few new desserts to their menu. The short, chubby cat with long whiskers immediately recognised his regular customers.

— Welcome, welcome! — The cat said in his pleasantly rumbling voice, already purring loudly. — Here to try the new positions? Or maybe the usual?

—Could I see the menu? — Serina said as she stepped in front of Sensei. Upon taking the small booklet, she started mumbling under her breath "No, no, no, definitely not, maybe... Wait, no." After a minute, she turned to Sensei.

— ... I don't think I can order myself anything. — Sensei said, earning a concerned look from Airi and Kazusa, and an little pout from Yoshimi.

_______________

The next were the Vigilante Crew. Sensei met them in a park as they were taking a rest, both clearly pretty tired, though, Reisa immediately perked up at the sight of him. Suzumi moved a little to the side to make space for him, and Iroha and Serina had to sit on a bench right next to them.

— So... Did you get our letter?... — Suzumi asked, tilting her head

— I probably did, but I never got to read it. Serina sent me to sleep before I've even read all of the Gehenna girls' letters...

Serina watched from a neighbouring bench, together with Iroha. Though, she felt her eyes trying to close on their own. Perhaps, Serina herself should've had a bit of coffee in the morning, but she decided against it.

— Hey, are you feeling well? Your hands are shaking.

Serina looked at Iroha in confusion, then down at herself.

— I'm... Okay. Just stressed and had bad sleep...

— That doesn't really sound okay to me... — Iroha said with a sigh, then looked back at Sensei. — This world really needs to learn to relax and take it easy. And stop overthinking it, too. — Then, she let out a short chuckle. — I guess it applies to me too...

— Is that why...?

— Isn't it obvious? When you see someone drop dead like that right in front of you...

— It's not something that you let go of easily. — Serina finished, and Iroha could only nod. — But it's dangerous for you... I mean, you're a Gehenner, right?

— What do you mean, dangerous? My disguise is per-

Just as Iroha was about to finish her sentence, she found Reisa staring at her with the kind of eyes that always bring trouble. She was all too familiar with this look...

— How annoying... — She could only mumble before the star-haloed girl started announcing in her incredibly loud cheerful voice that made Iroha want to cover her ears tightly and jump into the closest body of water.

— I! Uzawa Reisa! Have overheard your conversation! Why would you need a disguise in this territory, protected by Vigilante Crew? Perhaps you're... A baddie?

While Reisa was monologuing, Iroha hastly got up and started leaving in quick steps, which only triggered the Vigilante Crew member's reaction. Sensei tried to stop her and explain, but even Suzumi's help didn't stop everything devolving into chaos.

_______________

Sensei was barely keeping up with the rush, and Serina urged him to slow down as he started running out of breath. It was at that's moment when someone called them into a smaller alleyway. A familiar cast steel helmet appeared from the shadow, and then he was carefully pulled into a significantly less noisy area.

— And here I thought our troubles with Vigilantes were over for today... — Rabu sighed, then pulled up the protection mask off her face. Iroha was leaning against a wall beside her, seemingly just as tired as Sensei

Sensei was already planning to visit Rabu with her band, but definitely not in these circumstances. On the other hand...

— Thanks, Rabu. You really saved us.

— No problem. What's the commotion anyway?

Sensei and Iroha took a bit of time to explain the situation. Surprisingly enough, Rabu knew Iroha, but Sensei decided not to ask how and when they met.

— And what are you girls doing?

— Well, we're on our lunch break, actually, but... — Rabu pulled a flyer out of her bag. It was an ad of a build-a-bear stall somewhere nearby. — We were working, believe it or not.

Sensei took the flyer and gave it a quick look.

— Does any of you want a teddy bear? — The question made Rabu blush violently.

— What?! No! Absolutely not!

_________

Sensei ended up buying plushies for one of Rabu's gangsters, Serina, and one as a gift for Ibuki. After that he quietly bought another one for Rabu herself, and she quickly hid it in her bag. At least something went well this day...

Sensei headed home. The sun already started its path towards setting, and he was getting pretty hungry as well. He carefully carried Ibuki's teddy bear in the little bag.

He slowed down a little to yawn, and suddenly hit a stone on a pavement. It threw him completely off balance, but Serina caught him.

— Sensei! Are you okay? — She reached out to touch his forehead, but suddenly noticed him staring on the floor, his face growing more frustrated with every second passing. The teddy bear fell right into a puddle.

______

After coming home, the teddy bear was sent into a washing machine, and Sensei had a lunch together with Iroha and Serina, after which he realised that there's no food left. He decided to try repeating what Fuuka taught him in the morning. Without her, it took him even longer. Though, he followed the instructions as if they were written right in front of him, much to Iroha's amusement.

Unfortunately, by the time dinner was ready, Serina left, already half falling asleep. Sensei took two bowls, and poured some steaming hot stew into each. After Iroha took a sip, he looked at her with wide, expectant eyes.

— So, how is it? — His question made her chuckle.

— That's terrible, Sensei. Tastes like cheap instant noodles.

He couldn't believe it. To be sure, he took a sip himself. It indeed tasted like the noodles he often bought during his short lunch breaks.

______

He walked out of his house and sat down on the stone warmed up by the sun, which now was setting. In this quiet neighborhood, it was surprisingly easy to find a good spot to watch the sunset. In a minute, Iroha followed, sitting beside him and hugging her knees.

— Why didn't you tell me you want to watch the sunset? — She teased with a cheeky grin.

— ... Sorry. — Sensei mumbled quietly, and it made Iroha's grin turn into a face of concern. — I guess, I'm just not a good read, eh?...

— Huh? What are you talking about?...

— I'm the kind of book that is only good for supporting the table...

— Sensei. — She placed her hand on his shoulder, offering a soft smile. — If you were a book, you would be my favourite children's book. The one I would find incredibly stupid when I grow up, but wouldn't leave because I have so many great memories with it. The one I would re-read every now and then, just to feel the joy I did when I did it the first time. The one I would show and read to my own children or nephews...

— Iroha... — He mumbled through a tearful smile.

— But, Sensei, people aren't books.

_____________________
Part 4.

After leaving Sensei on the day he got the caffeine poisoning, Serina was completely exhausted. It's not like she wasn't used to working at night — hospitals often lack working hands at that time — but all of the things that happened that day made her want to lay face down into the pillow and finally pass out.

Just as she was going to her bathroom, she suddenly felt something against her elbow. Serina didn't even think about it until a loud crash reached her ears. She looked down and found a broken vase at her feet. Thankfully, it was a really sturdy one, so it just cracked into a few rather large pieces, but a few flowers, together with all of the water they used to stand in, were all over the floor.

Serina couldn't really throw away this one. After all, this was a gift from Sensei. But she didn't have neither time nor will to fix this today...

_________

It was second day of Sensei's sick leave. He was feeling surprisingly refreshed this morning, and thus decided to try applying Fuuka's fundamentals to some other dish. Unfortunately, he found himself completely lacking any ingredients for cooking.

In the convenience store, he was passing through the rows, looking for spices. When he found the stacked instant noodles, he stopped for a moment. A thoughtful look appeared on his face. Did he really always eat these, never even thinking about the taste?...

— Sensei... Surely you're not-

He turned his head to the source of the sound. It was Serina, standing right in front of him with a look of both concern and mild anger. It looked like she didn't have the energy to make the scary look she used from time to time, but it was fully compensated by the eyes of a nurse working her fourth back-to-back sixteen hour shift.

— Hi!... — Sensei said, nothing better coming into his head. — Ughhh... Wait, no I wasn't trying to buy these! I was looking for spices.

Serina gave him untrusting look, but could only sigh heavily and say:

— Let's look for them together, then.

____________

While Sensei was cooking, Serina sat at the table and pulled out the jar pieces and ceramics glue out of her bag. She carefully places the bottom part on the table, then placed another on top of it. It looked simple enough, up until she started applying the glue. Suddenly, everything was sliding off of it's place, the glue dripping onto her hands and the table, then the parts were sticking too much to her skin. She sighed heavily in frustration, and peeled the ceramic off of her palm.

— I'm done. Wanna try? — Sensei offered her a bowl, but Serina only showed him her messy hands. — Do you need me to help with that?...

— Would be nice... — Serina said quietly, then quickly added. — But only if you're feeling well enough -

— I feel great, Serina. Let me help you.

Sensei helped Serina remove the glue from her trembling fingers and the vase pieces, but Serina decided to take a break from it first. Trying tackle this fast truly was looking like a pretty bad idea.

____________

Serina actually haven't realised how hungry she was up until she started eating. She usually never skips breakfast, but today she woke up too late despite her alarm desperately trying to wake her up, so she had to rush to Sensei. But his cooking was decent, and tasted pretty well, though, that's not much of a compliment coming from Serina, who's used to bland hospital food. After that, Sensei did his best to help her glue the vase back together, but even doing it with two pairs of hands was surprisingly hard.

Sensei sighed as he placed the vase on the most flat part of the table.

— And now we wait... I think I'll go to Gehenna today, but you can stay here and take a nap, if you want. I have a spare pair-

— I'll go with you, Sensei. — Serina cut him off firmly, standing up from her seat, but Sensei gently tried to stop her.

— I don't think it's a good idea... Iroha had some troubles yesterday, and that's with Trinity girls. I don't want that kind of trouble for-

— No, Sensei. I will go with you. I cannot trust you.

Sensei was taken aback. As Serina finally stood up properly, she nudged the table, and the vase they spent a solid minute glueing together shattered into its previous pieces.

___________

The ride to Gehenna was filled with crushing silence. He knew why he wasn't deserving all of the trust in the world — it was exceptionally easy for him to make routine mistakes he always used to, such as drinking coffee from a coffee shop which Gehenna had in abundance of, but this still felt like a stab in the chest.

Even Iroha didn't have the guts to break the tension, however, everything changed when they finally arrived

— Sensei is finally here! Ibuki missed Sensei so, so much!— Ibuki chirped when she finally saw Sensei, rushing to hug him tightly like she always used to. But then, she spotted Serina with her big curious eyes. — Hmm? Who is this, Sensei? I never seen her before...

— This is... Serina. Since I don't feel my best, she looks after me... — Ibuki rushed to greet her new acquaintance before he even finished.

— Hiii! I'm Ibuki! Nice to meet you! — Ibuki gently reached for Serina's hand, shaking it while almost literally glowing with happiness and excitement, which made Iroha smile fondly. — Sensei said you look after him! Ibuki wants to look after everyone too! Could Serina teach Ibuki?

_________

Sensei's visit left Ibuki completely delighted, and in return her shining smile melted the ice between him and Serina. The latter didn't even notice the moment little demon girl gifted her a yellow ribbon that was now in her hair.

On the other side, Ibuki immediately shattered whatever plans Sensei could even consider having prior. Now, they all were heading to a nearby park to play there.

— Hide-and-seek! — Ibuki chirped in delight, perched on top of Sensei's shoulders. — Yes! Park is the best for that! Even Chiaki couldn't find me there!

The game started. Serina was the seeker. Nothing seemed wrong until she opened her eyes and realised that Sensei is nowhere to be seen, and she doesn't have a slightest idea where he is.

_________

Sensei didn't want to make it too hard. He just sat down behind a tree, hidden by tall bush, bur not at all hard to find. Through the leaves, he could see the main path.

He was Serina walk past the bush in a rush. Then another time. She frantically checked behind a few trees on the other side, and didn't even notice Ibuki's swishing tail peeking out from between the branches. If anybody were having fun, it definitely wasn't her.

Suddenly, she spread the bush behind which he was hiding, and her worrisome face lit up with relief just for a second, before setting into something more expected from a person playing hide and seek.

— Found you. — She said, her voice trembling slightly.

_______

After playing, Ibuki got completely exhausted. Even with Sensei's help, climbing up and down trees wasn't an easy task. They came back to Pandemonium Society's main administrative building, where they found a routine scene — Makoto was arguing with Ako about Prefect Team expenses. Sensei couldn't tell which sound was louder — Iroha's frustration with the fact that she got brought into this, or Ako's teeth grinding as her face got redder with barely contained rage.

— What are they arguing about this time? — Sensei asked in a whisper, walking up to Iroha.

However, he didn't get his answer up until she used him as excuse to leave and rushed into the leisure room.

— Where do I even start... Makoto decided that Hina is 'incompetently using the budget given'. Again. But this time it's about daily meals. From that point I stopped listening, but I think that Makoto doesn't like what they're eating. — Iroha said after plopping down on the big soft couch near the fridge she loved so much.

— Miss Iroha, could you explain to me? — Ibuki said, her face suddenly incredibly thoughtful. — Sensei said that you yourself should choose what you eat... Then why is big sister Makoto choosing what Prefect Team should eat?...

Iroha could only shrug. She, of course, knew the actual answer, but she couldn't bring herself to put Makoto or Hina in bad light, at least not in front of Ibuki. When they little girl turned to Sensei, he could only chuckle and reach down for a headpat, saying:

— It's... Kind of complicated. I.... You will get it when you grow up, okay?

— Okay! — Ibuki said cheerfully, giving him a wide smile.

Serina pulled her knees to her chest. She already noticed how she has been getting more and more unpleasant to be around as of late, but it suddenly become clear to her just how controlling she became practically over nothing. Of course Sensei is not that kind of idiot. She has seen it with her own eyes. And yet, the heartache just wouldn't stop...

__________

Sensei wanted to chitchat a little with Ako after she was done with Makoto, but his attempt was cut off immediately by an absolutely withered look in her eyes. That's when Serina tugged on his sleeve, her eyes searching his until they crossed, then looking away with a saddened expression.

— Sensei... Could we... Talk a little somewhere private?

— Of course! — He said, hiding his concern behind a soft smile.

They found an empty room. Serina locked the door behind herself, then turned to Sensei, her breathing already uneven.

— I... Wanted to say sorry... For being rude... For being controlling... — She mumbled, whimpering softly while he slowly approached, his arms opened in an invitation. She, however, couldn't move, her eyes full of tears. — I'm just... Scared... I don't want you to be sick... This... Isn't okay, is it?... But I can't help myself... I'm so sorry...

Sensei wrapped his arms around her trembling frame, pulling her to cry into his chest.

— Shhh... It's okay... Calm down, my dear... I don't blame you... — He whispered into her ear in quiet, calm voice, his hands gently rubbing her pink hair and cradling her closer into almost protective embrace. — I'm glad to know that you care. — He added with a chuckle, and she looked up at him, chuckling as well, even though she had no idea what was funny.

— I'm sorry...

— I forgive you. Let's just talk about this, okay? Maybe we can find a way to soothe your worries a little so they are easier to handle. You don't have to power through everything that's going on in your head on your own.

Sensei agreed to text her how he's feeling in the morning and in the evening, and send her photos of his cooking. Somehow, just knowing that it will be happening made Serina feel much better.

Sensei carefully pushed the door open, only to find Iroha standing there with a cheeky grin and a painfully smug look, watching him and Serina walking out of quiet room, both completely disheveled.

_________

Way back to Sensei's home was filled with something sweet and warm hanging in the air. Sensei decided to buy a stronger and better golden glue, and Serina liked his idea.

Unfortunately, even this glue wasn't perfect. The nozzle was too tight, and so Sensei had to squeeze with all his might to get a substantial amount of it on the broken edges. However, within an hour's work it was done. After giving it a little bit of time to bond properly, he filled the vase with water and checked for leaks.

— It's done! — He announced, turning to Serina, and had to practically snap his own jaws shut to not say anything loudly again.

He took a blanket, and gently covered her with it, then leaned in to press a kiss on her forehead. Serina was sound asleep.

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Part 5

Iroha couldn't find a place to sit comfortably. For some reason, the entire room was such a mess that she couldn't even tell where one box ends and the other begins. Yet, she already came here, following Sensei's call, and now there was no way out.

— How annoying... — She mumbled under her breath as she climbed into the seat behind the desk, sitting in it comfortably. — I thought cleaning up is supposed to make room tidier...

— Well, I told you it was a big mess... — Sensei said, giving her a soft smile.

— I didn't expect that much of a mess... Like, this is more than — Iroha wanted to compare it to the Gehenna, but her lips immediately closed shut the second she finally thought what she could possibly compare this to.

— If you don't want to help, I don't mind -

— I want to. — She cut him off looking into his eyes as a cheeky smirk slowly appeared on her lips. — Don't think I will let you shoulder everything yourself... Not again.

—.... Thank you. — Sensei said after a long pause, not really sure if he could say anything else. Iroha only chuckled and stood up from her place.

— Ugh... I guess it can't be delayed any longer. Let's get to work.

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Rin had a weird habit she never really thought about up until Sensei went on a sick leave. Even if there was no necessity or point, she would come into his office to check on him, every day, in the morning and after lunch break. It was a quiet ritual that became part of her workflow. But when she once again came into the office, only to find it completely empty, something twisted in her stomach. It wasn't exactly sadness, more of an uncanny feeling of something lacking in otherwise usual daily routine. Of course she knew what it was, and knew this was pointless. She sent him on a sick leave, after all. But she couldn't refuse her habit, even if it slowly drained her energy over the span of the week.

This morning, she walked into the messy office once again, and found Sensei.

— Good morning, Sensei.

— Good morning, Rin-chan! — Sensei answered just as he always used to. Rin waved to him, a pleasant feeling of calm settling inside her. She almost walked out before she realised that something isn't right.

— Sensei, why are you here?! I thought I — She already started to raise her voice, her long ears twitching in agitation when Sensei suddenly cut her off.

— Please calm down, Rin-chan! — He said in sweet tone, pulling a little frosted cupcake out of one of the boxes, which made her stare in utter confusion for a second. — We're just sorting through the gifts. Some of these are food, and I wanted to get those into fridge or some shelf so they don't go bad while waiting for me. Of course, you are free to try them too, if you're feeling like it.

Iroha, who was watching it from the place where she was stacking boxes of self-care gifts, was stuck somewhere between annoyance and amusement at the scene, which made her cough a little from trying to combine chuckling and sighing heavily.

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Rin decided to help as well. The work was done much faster than Sensei ever thought it would be, and now sweets shelves were full with candies and an entire section of the break room fridge was dedicated purely to roll cakes. Everything else was stacked neatly near the bookshelves that weren't used so frequently.

— I'll have to leave you now... I think I'm about to be late to the morning meeting.

— Thanks for the help, Rin-chan! — Rin nodded quietly at Sensei as he said that, but couldn't bring herself to move just yet.

— Also, Sensei... — She gently grabbed his shoulder as he was about to turn around. — I know you're already used to it, but... Don't overwork yourself from now on, okay? If there's too much to handle in the working hours, I want you to tell me. — Rin's face was one of overworked worry, but with a small, sweet smile on her face. Sensei couldn't help but smile back, then pull her her into a soft hug, earning a confused noise from Rin.

— Of course.

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After Rin departed, her ears fluttering slightly, Sensei sat on the couch next to Iroha. After looking around, he suddenly noticed something.

— I thought you threw that one out. — Sensei pointed vaguely on the floor.

— Hmm? — Iroha lifted her eyes from a thick romance book in her hands and looked where he was pointing. Near a bookshelf that used to be blocked by the gift boxes, the nearly untouched corny psychology book was lying face down. — Oh, I just thought I leave it since you were so "interested" in it.

Sensei could only chuckle at Iroha's unamused commentary. He walked over and picked up the book before dropping back into the couch, eyeing all over the heavy cover.

— I found it online, even for free. Apparently, it's some Red Winter's student's writing.

— No wonder it's so corny...

— I mean... — Sensei started after another chuckle. — It's a novel, but sometimes even in unprofessional books you can see some pretty good opinions.

Iroha demonstratively rolled over her eyes, but actually she was getting a little curious about it.

— A novel? When did you even have time to read it?

— Well, I am pretty good at multitasking. — He turned his eyes back to the book. — It's got a nice message, too. Well, at least from what I understood. To learn the truth, you have to communicate. To be fair, I would've wrote some things differently, but I think it's a nice one-time read.

— Whatever you say, Sensei. — Iroha mumbled, but couldn't stop herself from smiling at the thoughtful and warm look on his face.

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Sensei came back to work a few days later. Somehow, it felt a different from what he was used to, and not just because of the fact that he actually had a proper sleep and that instead of coffee his mug was full of lemon water. It wasn't a big difference, but still...

Just as usual, Rin walked into his office. Her dark and tired expression lit up like a lightbulb when she was him.

— Good morning, Sensei. Glad to see you back, finally. How are you feeling today? — Rin didn't pay attention to the slowly widening smile that was stuck on her lips.

— Good morning, Rin-chan! You're just glowing today, aren't you? — He teased lightly, but Rin didn't seem to notice or care about it.

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In about an hour, a small girl with large glasses and in an oversized coat swallowing her frame walked in. Sensei definitely seen her already, but far as he could remember, they never had any time to talk. She definitely wasn't on the assistant schedule.

— Sensei! Ugh... I-I was told you need help filling out and organising your documents! I will do my best!

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The girl's name was Rika. Another pair of hands and eyes that were clearly more used to such work than your average student proved to be incredibly handy, and the job was done even before the official work hours ended. As a treat, Sensei decided to buy her an ice cream.

They sat down on a bench near the fountain. Plaza was as lively as ever, especially with the Wild Hunt students surrounding the museum. Or, well, one very specific pillar holding the roof. Sensei couldn't help himself but chuckle at the sight.

— Hmm? — Rika gave him a confused look. — Did I miss something funny?

— Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it. — He answered, smiling warmly, then leaned back into the bench.

Instead of repairing the pillar as it was, Wild Hunt students insisted on some artistic liberty. Now the Atlas wasn't alone. There were girls helping him hold the roof.