The First Failing Student (1)

"I'm so sorry, Teacher."

"No, no. It's fine. These things happen, you know."

"To show something like that to a newly appointed teacher…"

"It's my fault for barging in without knocking."

"I was the one who illegally trespassed into the teacher's office. There's no reason for you to apologize."

"Lift your head, Selena."

Her flushed face went blank with shock, eyes wide and empty.

"How do you know my name?"

"I just finished looking over the student roster. Twenty-one years old. Member of the Service Club. Right?"

"I understand."

She tucked a lock of shimmering silver hair behind her ear. The whole time her hands trembled violently with sheer embarrassment. Those striking odd eyes darted around, unable to settle on anything.

Every time her body flinched, the soft flesh of her chest swayed. She was wearing a maid outfit, sure—but it was practically lingerie, leaving me nowhere safe to look.

"Just calm down for now. I'm not planning to scold you."

"Y-yes."

I tried to sound as kind as possible. Fortunately, my sincerity seemed to reach her; she let out a faint sigh of relief.

Still… the Selena I knew never gave off the image of someone who masturbated.

Always calm and affectionate, one of the few characters with common sense, devotedly supporting the protagonist throughout the early and mid-game story.

She was the official wife. The main heroine. I'd already decided that long ago.

"If you don't mind me asking… could you tell me why you were, ahem, doing that here?"

"Ah, well…"

"If it's too embarrassing, you don't have to say."

"I should tell the truth if I want to be forgiven."

She squeezed her eyes shut tight, lips quivering.

"Actually… I was taking a short break at a friend's suggestion."

"Suggestion?"

"She said… when you're feeling down, comforting yourself a little makes it better."

"Ah, I see."

"I usually do it at home, but somehow that didn't feel like enough, so I went looking for an empty classroom and…"

"You don't have to say any more. That's private."

Such a secret, intimate side hidden beneath that proper exterior. The lewd sight from moments ago flashed through my mind again, and I was in trouble.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry."

Her face turned even redder than before. After stealing glances at me, she seemed unable to bear it any longer and covered her face with both hands.

"So… was there something that made you feel bad?"

"I can't talk about that."

"I see."

"I don't want to trouble you any further."

"Alright. But you know…"

"Yes?"

"If you ever need a change of pace and can't find a suitable place, you can come here."

Something about her darkened expression bothered me, so I offered it. But the more I thought about it, wasn't this dangerous?

Selena's face didn't look good either. Her gaze turned chilly, as if she'd just run into a pervert, so I hurriedly added more.

"Ah—not that you have to do that. I'm a teacher, so I mean I'll listen if you need someone to talk to about your worries."

"I'll think about it. Thank you, Teacher."

"Ah, yeah."

"By the way… I still haven't heard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your name."

"My name? It's Sion."

"Yes, Teacher Sion. Thank you for listening to me."

"Nah, it was nothing."

"Then… excuse me."

She left with a quiet smile. I watched her silently retreating figure until I suddenly startled.

Even after seeing her move in Live2D, this was my first time seeing her from behind. Whoa, whoa. Look at the size of that ass—big as a damn barrel.

"Haa…"

My palms were slick with sweat. In all sorts of ways I couldn't calm down, and I wondered if I could even properly play the part of a teacher… but thankfully it had passed without incident.

I flicked my gaze to the window floating at the edge of my vision.

"One creampie? And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it gives me status manipulation ability?"

If the earlier situation had been an opportunity, well… it sort of was. But even if this was a game world, public authority still existed here. Forcing myself on her would be going too far.

Of course, if it had been hypnosis or common-sense alteration, I would've gone for it immediately.

"Ahem."

Part of the UI I'd seen in the game. A window that had never once appeared until I became a teacher. It hadn't felt real all this time, but this made me thoroughly aware that I had been transmigrated into Red Bible.

Wait. Weekly quest? Does that mean daily quests will show up too?

I still had no idea how any of this worked. The quest difficulty was no joke either. Ever since transmigrating, I hadn't even gotten a glimpse of any cheat abilities.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this…"

I stood up and looked around the office.

It was less an office and more like a night-duty room. Partitions divided the space so a bed could fit, while still allowing desk work.

Don't tell me that bed was meant for those kinds of activities…

Just what did the bastard who dumped me into Reba want from me? The sheer emptiness of it all made me sigh.

"Huh?"

The leather sofa Selena had been sitting on just moments ago caught my eye. It looked as if it had been prepared specifically for one-on-one counseling. And…

"It's wet."

A faint sweet body scent clung to the damp patch. I had a pretty good idea what it was, but I pulled out a tissue and wiped it away. I forced down the instinctive urge to get even closer to my favorite character's scent.

Day two of working at Celestia Academy.

Something bizarre had definitely happened on the first day, but for now my priority was fulfilling the duties of a teacher. For a game world, why did everything feel so damn realistic?

The position I'd been assigned was advisor of the Life Guidance Department—a completely unknown department that had never even been mentioned in the game. I'd have to learn about it bit by bit.

The job itself was managing every space where students lived. Most of it could be handled by calling outside contractors. But one item on the list bothered me.

"Mental care?"

Just in case, I'd even prepared a psychological counseling license.

My real goal was simply to become one of the teachers at Celestia Academy and secretly move to prevent the end of days. Which department I advised didn't matter.

And while I was at it, I wanted to quietly cheer on my favorite character.

"Selena looked like she had something weighing on her."

More than clearing the weekly quest, I wanted to turn that gloomy face of hers into a smile. Honestly, I wasn't the type with a big heart. I didn't even want to step into the public eye.

Knock knock.

"Yes, come in."

I closed the documents I'd been reviewing and looked toward the door. The sliding door whispered open, revealing my visitor.

"Good day, Teacher Sion."

"Selena? What's the matter?"

"I realized yesterday I never properly heard that you forgave me, so I came to apologize correctly."

"Huh? No, no. You don't have to. Yesterday was more than enough."

"You're forgiving me?"

"Yeah. It's not like you did it on purpose, right?"

"Thank you, Teacher Sion."

She really was far too earnest. That was one of the things I liked about her, though.

I figured that was the end of her business. But Selena just stood there looking down at me with a blank expression.

A strange pressure made me lift my head.

"Um… is there something else I can help you with?"

"I'm truly sorry, but… may I make one request?"

"What kind of request?"

I'd come here with the rule of watching my favorite character from a distance, keeping the line intact. So when Selena shyly met my eyes, I couldn't quite bring myself to look straight at her.

"Well… somehow… I can't forget that I did it while you were watching. Could you watch me again?"

"What."

For someone acting embarrassed, that was a pretty shocking thing to say. Did Selena even realize? The teacher standing in front of her was this close to grabbing those swaying hips of hers right then and there.

"Ahem. Selena."

"Yes, Teacher Sion."

"First… would it be alright if I heard why you want to use that for stress relief?"

"Ah. There's no need for you to listen to my story."

"Why not?"

"It would only be a burden."

For just a moment I felt how low her self-esteem was. Her slightly cowed eyes looked like she was blaming herself.

"You're a student. You're allowed to burden me as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much as you want."

"But…"

"You saw the department nameplate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠outside, right? I'm the advisor of the Life Guidance Department. My job is to guide students so they can live happily. So go ahead and lean on me all you want."

"This is the first time."

"Hm?"

"You're the first person who's ever said that to me, Teacher Sion."

"Oh. Really?"

"May I sit for a moment?"

"Of course. Want some black tea?"

"Yes, thank you."

She was finally able to put on a slightly more relaxed expression. I hurried over to the sink and started brewing tea.

"Everything you see and hear here will stay completely confidential."

"Pardon?"

"It's the principle of counseling."

"Ah."

"Yesterday you said you were feeling down, right?"

"Yes, I did."

"When do you start feeling that way?"

I set the steaming cup of tea in front of Selena. Good thing I'd prepared snacks on the table beforehand.

I leaned lightly against the desk and waited for her answer. She took a sip of tea and glanced at the cookies. I told her she could eat them.

"When I try my hardest but things just won't go the way I want."

"Hmm. Is that so?"

"Yes. When I'm deployed on missions I only cause trouble… and when I see others who are already making a name for themselves, I feel like I'm falling behind."

"Come on. Nobody's good at everything from the start."

"Even so… I hate this version of myself."

She hung her head low and cradled the teacup in both hands. The way her fingers fidgeted looked like she was feeling anxious, and it made my chest ache.

"I see. Yeah, you can feel that way."

"The reason I do that for stress relief is… I think it's because it lets me forget that version of myself, even just for a little while."

"You're pretty good at examining yourself."

"If you don't look back at yourself, you can never grow."

"That's an excellent mindset. But Selena."

"Yes?"

"Do you really have to forget that part of yourself?"

"Yes. To become a perfect person, I believe I have to discard every single ugly piece of me."

Looking into those upright eyes fixed steadily on me, I realized it. She was so earnest that she was slowly eating herself alive.