A Gentle Admonition
"Teacher, please hurry! We're going to be late!"
"*Huff, puff...* J-Just let me rest for a second..."
"There's no time for that! We're almost there, so please bear with it just a little longer!"
"I-I'm dying..."
In manga and novels, the protagonists always arrive at the scene of an incident in the blink of an eye. Why am I like this? I really should have worked out. I never bothered exercising because I figured a counselor would never have to fight like the students, but I never expected my karma to catch up to me like this. No, seriously, who in their right mind would expect a school counselor to sprint to an active crime scene? I'm not the weird one here. It's this world that's messed up. I... I just wanted to be helpful to the students I adore...
"I-I can't go any further..."
"Teacher?!"
Forget running—I didn't even have the strength to walk anymore. Even back when I had to march twenty kilometers carrying a heavy pack, my legs had never trembled like a newborn fawn's. Was this because of my changed body? Ultimately, I clutched my uncooperative legs and collapsed onto the ground. I can't walk another step. I'm done. I quit.
"T-Teacher?! We have to stop Orca! You're the only one who can stop her...!"
"I don't care... She'll calm down soon... I seriously can't walk anymore..."
It wasn't like Orca was the type to destroy everything in sight once she lost her temper. I had only rushed out with the Class President because I was panicked by the unexpected news that Leo was being completely overwhelmed... But thinking about it now, did I really have a reason to go out there? Sure, Orca was violent, but she wasn't so thoughtless as to actually kill someone. She would probably beat him up just enough to get disciplined, but not enough to cause a major catastrophe. Then, she would return to the Counseling Room as if nothing had happened. After all, she absolutely needed the Counseling Room to get a good night's sleep.
"Let's just go back... I can't move another inch. Look at my legs. They're shaking even when I'm just sitting here."
"...Excuse me, then."
"Huh? W-What are you suddenly—Whoa!"
The Class President stared at me with a grim expression as I begged to go back to the Counseling Room. Then, she marched over and hoisted me onto her shoulder like a sack of rice.
"We really only have a little further to go. You are surprisingly delicate, Teacher."
"A-Ah, *ow*...! It hurts... It hurts...!"
"Please bear with it. As I said before, you are the only person I know who can stop Orca."
"N-No, if you're going to carry me, at least watch my... my posture...!"
My pleas for a more comfortable position fell on deaf ears. The Class President began to sprint once more.
"You are remarkably light. You really should exercise more."
"Ugh, *ack*... S-Spare me..."
I sorely missed the me from a few hours ago, who had been peacefully enjoying video games. Damn it. This hurt like hell. What an absolute embarrassment.
"...There, look. We have arrived."
"Oh, already?"
"I told you. We only had a little bit left."
How many minutes had passed while I was slung over the Class President's shoulder, groaning in pain as the bouncing motion jostled my chest and her collarbone dug into my stomach? It felt like less than five minutes before she finally set me down. Wondering what was happening, I looked ahead. Through the swirling dust, the figures of Orca and Leo came into view.
...We really did arrive quickly. We were practically there. I had assumed she was lying... After all, how many times had I been deceived by personal trainers who said "just one more set" and then made me work out for another ten minutes, or dentists who told me to raise my hand if it hurt, only to completely ignore me when I did? I resented my past self for assuming her words were just empty platitudes. I should have just sucked it up and walked the rest of the way. Throwing a tantrum had only left my body battered and bruised for nothing.
"...Whoa, that is so cool."
But my pain vanished in an instant, entirely forgotten as my eyes locked onto the spectacular battle unfolding before me. Granted, it was just Orca unilaterally throwing punches while Leo desperately held up his sword to block them... but even so, it was magnificent. The dark, ominous mist that trailed behind her black arms as she swung them—I had always assumed it was just a visual effect in the game, but the mist actually traced her movements in real life. It was so cool... That was the exact reason why I liked Orca more than any of the other playable characters. She had this heart-fluttering coolness to her. I could never show it because I was afraid people would tease me for having chuunibyou, but... still, she was cool. Wasn't that enough? A Devil Possessed host with a tragic past, harboring a demon inside her body. Seeing it with my own two eyes made it look ten times cooler. *Man...*
"Teacher. I am glad you are enjoying the fight, but perhaps you should stop them first..."
"Ah... *cough, cough*. Sorry."
My awe was short-lived. Urged on by the Class President, I decided it was time to intervene.
"That was pretty fun, kid," Orca sneered.
"Ugh...!"
"Don't get cocky anymore. Next time, I might actually kill you."
Just then, Leo, unable to hold out any longer, dropped his sword. As Orca prepared to deliver the finishing blow, I hastily cried out.
"No bad words!"
"...Why the hell are you here?"
"That doesn't matter right now. You just used a bad word, didn't you?"
"So what if I did?"
"Wasn't one of the conditions for using the Counseling Room that you wouldn't use bad words?"
Orca's face instantly paled. Right. The incense that I had lied to her was a relic. To receive the benefits of that incense, she had made a promise to me: no bad words, and perfect attendance in her classes. She had been attending her classes diligently—so much so that rumors were spreading. Since I was a teacher, it was easy for me to check whether she attended class or not, which was probably why she complied. But her language? That was much harder to monitor. I didn't actually plan on withholding the incense over it, either. Orca likely knew that, which was why she hadn't bothered to watch her mouth. But what do you know? I just caught her red-handed. Well, technically, she hadn't used any actual profanity, so it was debatable whether it counted as a "bad word," but who cared? Let's just say only kind and gentle words are allowed from now on. Yep, I just decided that.
"N-No, that's not... I mean..."
"..."
Leo, still sitting on the ground, stared back and forth between Orca and me with wide eyes. He probably couldn't believe what he was seeing. Honestly, neither could I. Orca, completely flustered and at someone's mercy? It was an unbelievable sight.
"Sigh..."
When I let out a soft sigh, Orca flinched violently. She squeezed her eyes shut as if terrified of what was to come, looking so pitiful it was almost endearing. It would be easy to scold her right now, but... I didn't want to do that. When I was a kid, I absolutely detested teachers who scolded me without even bothering to listen to my side of the story. I didn't want my students to remember me as that kind of teacher.
"You've been hitting people again, Orca."
"N-No, this is the first time..."
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about the fights you've been starting when I'm not looking?"
"H-How did you...!"
Wait, what? Seriously? I just threw that out there as a bluff. ...Don't tell me she actually went around picking fights over the last few days? That's a bit shocking.
"N-No, listen! They're the ones who picked a fight with me first! Seriously!"
"Hmm, I see. Then what about this fight? Did you start it?"
"...You believe me?"
"Would you prefer it if I didn't?"
"N-No, that's not it..."
Orca stared at me with a bewildered look, as if she couldn't comprehend the fact that I had actually believed her excuse. Since no adult had ever trusted her before, she probably never expected anyone to start now. But I knew her well. Better than the family that had abandoned her long ago. She wasn't the type of girl to lie about something like this.
"Tell me, Orca. Did you start the fight?"
"I was just walking down the street..."
Orca began to explain what had happened, her voice laced with a sense of injustice. She had been walking when people started staring at her with strange looks. She glared back to chase them away, but then Leo suddenly approached her and started lecturing her. She was already irritated by the staring, so when some random kid she didn't even know started preaching to her, she simply snapped.
"Is this true, Student Leo?"
"Ah, y-yes... That is true. Though I had no idea that was the context..."
"Alright. You may leave first."
"But..."
I looked at the Class President. Fortunately, she understood my intention perfectly. She grabbed Leo by the arm and dragged him out of sight.
"W-Wait a minute...! I-I have things I want to say too...!"
"Save it for later. Now is not the time," the Class President replied firmly.
Correcting someone's behavior in front of others is never a good idea, no matter how wrong they might be. Humiliating them often worsens a situation that could have otherwise been resolved smoothly. So, I waited until the two of them were completely out of sight before turning to Orca, who was standing with her head hung low. I spoke to her in the gentlest voice possible to show her I wasn't angry.
"I know you were very angry, Orca. It must have been really hard to hold it in."
"..."
"But Orca, does hitting someone actually change anything?"
Sure, it might relieve your anger in the moment. But trying to resolve your fury through immediate violence only worsens the situation. In the end, the bad rumors about you will only multiply, trapping you in a vicious cycle where you end up lashing out again.
"If you hurt those who hurt you, what are you left with? A fleeting moment of satisfaction? Or just emptiness?"
Orca kept her head lowered. I caught a glimpse of her face and noticed a few tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. What kind of emotion had brought those tears to her eyes? I couldn't possibly know. But one thing was certain: I couldn't bring myself to lecture her any further. Orca, please don't cry... It breaks my heart... Feeling a wave of pity, I gently patted her head and spoke.
"Orca. Let's try to be a model student from now on. How about we try to endure it just one, just one more time?"
"...Okay."
"Great, let's head back. Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll make it for you. I'm actually a pretty good cook."
"...Gambas."
"You got it! I'll make you the most luxurious gambas ever!"
To keep Orca's spirits up, I marched ahead with overly dramatic, exaggerated strides—only to immediately trip and faceplant.
"?!"
"M-My legs hurt..."
Ah, how embarrassing... I was so busy covering my burning face that I didn't see it.
The small smile that graced Orca's lips.
"...You're an idiot, Teacher."
"Ah! You just called me 'Teacher'! Say it again!"
"Say what? I didn't say anything."
"Liar! I definitely heard you!"