Rain's Dignity
"How do you like it?"
"Hmm... I don't think it's a very good school."
"Chairman Ferman would be sad to hear that."
"I mean, the facilities are nice, but..."
I let out a soft sigh as I answered Sandroy. It was currently lunchtime. After classes ended, we had been summoned by Sandroy, so we were all having lunch together in the staff room.
"The atmosphere of the school is really strange."
"Everything is the result of what the students themselves have created. We teachers don't interfere in those matters at all."
"Mmm..."
Sandroy asked Jeff, Shine, and Rain various questions. "What about you, Lady Rain? Is there anything different from when you attended in the past...?"
"W-What?"
Rain, who was busily chewing on a massive steak, asked in surprise. Sweet sauce was smeared all over her mouth, glistening in the light. I grabbed a wet wipe and cleaned around her mouth. Rain acted as if having someone wipe her mouth was the most natural thing in the world. Watching her close her eyes slightly and pout her lips forward made her look like even more of a child than Shine.
"I don't think much has changed... though I suppose the atmosphere feels a bit more subdued." Rain spoke as she rolled a cherry tomato around with her fork, seemingly lost in thought. Honestly, was she just doing that because she didn't want to eat the tomato?
"Chairman Ferman hopes that you young ladies will have an enjoyable school life."
"Mmm..." I let out a soft groan at Sandroy's words. Judging by the other kids' reactions, it didn't seem like we'd be having much fun. Would things change if we all became friends? With that thought in mind, I glanced sideways at Shine.
Shine, completely uninterested in Sandroy's words, was cutting and eating her meat with a bored expression. As I watched her, a knock sounded from the other side of the staff room door. *Knock, knock—knock—knock.* A rhythmic, repeating sound. Sandroy spoke up in response.
"Come in."
With a sliding click, the door opened to reveal Carmel. The man who was supposedly Rain's junior. The man to whom Rain had allegedly shown her dignified side. The moment Rain spotted Carmel walking through the door, she dropped her fork. It fell with a clatter, and her tomato rolled off the plate and onto the floor.
Since Rain's tomato was now ruined, I picked up mine and placed it on her plate. Rain looked like she was about to cry. I blinked and looked up at Sandroy, wondering about Carmel's sudden arrival. While Sandroy was eating with us, she had turned away every other teacher who tried to come in. So, my confusion was only natural.
"Do not worry. He is also one of ours." At Sandroy's words, Carmel bowed and greeted us. He exuded an entirely different aura from when I had seen him in the hallway earlier. Wearing a solemn expression, he handed a document to Sandroy.
"This is the report on this week's perception shifts."
Taking the report, Sandroy set it aside and spoke to Rain. "I heard that Lady Rain is Carmel's senior. Since it would be more comfortable to work with someone you already know, I have selected Carmel to be your supervising teacher."
"What is a supervising teacher?"
"Our school does not have teachers responsible for entire classrooms. Instead, teachers are assigned to individual students. We assign the best-suited teachers based on each student's disposition, gradually guiding their thoughts and behaviors."
"Guiding their thoughts and behaviors?"
"Yes. We belong to the Resistance. Our organization's goal is the liberation of all ability users from oppression. That is why we are changing people's perceptions from the ground up."
I shut my mouth in silence. My throat felt dry. I had thought this school was just established as a hobby of my grandfather's, but I had no idea such a massive project was underway.
"Chairman Ferman has high expectations for you young ladies. Since the influence of students is far greater than that of individual teachers, he anticipates that the actions of Lady Jeff and Lady Shine will heavily impact this generation." Sandroy smiled warmly at Shine and me. Feeling a bit burdened by her smile, I slightly averted my gaze.
Sandroy continued, "Carmel here will be assisting you young ladies starting today. Please handle most of your discomforts or requests through him." As soon as Sandroy finished speaking, Carmel bowed deeply to us.
I pursed my lips at his drastic transformation. I didn't get along very well with people who could flip their personalities in an instant. It made my stomach churn, as if it might dredge up someone buried deep within my hazy memories.
"I don't want to!" Rain, who had been listening quietly, suddenly yelled and jumped up from her seat. Even standing up, she looked shorter than when she was sitting. It was because the sofa's cushions were longer than her legs.
"Senior..." Carmel looked at her with a disappointed expression. But at the word 'senior,' Rain shuddered as if she had just heard something utterly horrific.
"Why do you dislike it?"
"Ugh..."
"If you have a valid reason, I can change your supervising teacher. Aside from Carmel, there are many teachers belonging to our organization stationed at this school."
"Are they... also graduates of this school?"
"Of course."
"Don't tell me. Are they all my juniors...?"
"Indeed they are."
Rain's face flushed bright red at Sandroy's confirmation. Her trembling shoulders looked highly unstable. I stood up and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I'll... I'll just go with Carmel... At least he treats me like a senior..."
Sandroy nodded at Rain's words. She picked up the documents she had set beside her, stood up, and spoke.
"If you have business with me, please summon me through Carmel. Officially, Carmel is designated as your supervising teacher, so no one will find it strange for you young ladies to be seen with him."
Having said that, Sandroy left the room. Only Shine, Rain, Carmel, and I remained in the staff room. Once Sandroy left, Carmel relaxed his expression and let his shoulders slump. The vibe I had seen in the hallway earlier returned.
"Senior."
"Yeah..."
"You don't look strange at all."
Rain reacted to Carmel's words. She lifted her deeply bowed head and looked up at him. Tears were welling up and glistening in the corners of her eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. It suits you so well. No one is going to think it's weird."
"Really...? Are you sure? They're not going to treat me like some weirdo cosplaying as an elementary schooler at my age, right?"
At Rain's anxious question, Carmel let out a soft chuckle.
"Absolutely not. Even if I took a picture of you right now and posted it online, no one would think it's weird."
Rain nodded, seemingly calmed a bit by his words. Even so, she couldn't quite cheer up. She looked down at her school uniform and let out a heavy sigh.
"Maybe I should have just joined as a teacher too..."
"You, Senior?"
"Why not?"
Carmel shut his mouth at Rain's retort. Facing a flushed Rain, he seemed unable to bring himself to answer. I, too, had a hard time imagining Rain working as a teacher. Let's say she walked into a classroom with those short legs of hers. It would take her quite a while just to reach the podium.
And if she tried to run, her pitter-patter footsteps would echo throughout the entire classroom. Honestly, holding back laughter at that sight would be an incredibly difficult task. Even standing at the podium would be a problem. She was short. Extremely short. Since she was shorter than me, she wouldn't even be visible if she stood behind the podium.
In that case, she'd need a stepping stool. Like the ones Shine and I used. The stepping stool Amy had placed under the sink was something Rain frequently used as well.
"Ahem, anyway. Let me introduce myself once more. My name is Carmel, and I work under Lady Sandroy. I've been tasked with assisting you young ladies, so I look forward to working with you." Carmel swept his platinum blonde hair back as he spoke. His shining forehead felt a bit too overwhelming, so I gently nudged Rain in front of me to hide myself. Shaking my head, I brushed away the mental image of Rain as a teacher. It really wasn't a good look.
"Fine. Carmel, I have an order for you."
"Yes."
Shine was already ordering Carmel around like a servant. And Carmel accepted it as if it were only natural.
"Bring some cola for me, Jeff, and Rain."
"What kind of cola would you like?"
Despite Shine's order, which could have sounded offensive depending on how one took it, Carmel replied with a smile. Shine looked at him and answered,
"Red Star. It's Jeff's favorite brand. It's important, so don't forget."
"Understood!"
Carmel answered cheerfully and left the room. We now had someone who would fetch us cola at a single word. With that, only the three of us were left in the staff room. After making sure no one else was around, I hugged Rain and spoke.
"Hey, Rain. Can you tell me more about what you said earlier?"
"About what?"
Recalling the conversation Rain had with Sandroy, I asked her, "From what I heard earlier, it sounds like there are quite a few people at this school besides Carmel who graduated around the same time you did."
"Yeah..."
"And they're all your juniors, right?"
"Yeah..." Rain answered hesitantly to my questions.
She had claimed that she was remembered as a dignified senior by her juniors. But judging by her reaction, that didn't seem to be the case. She had let it slip earlier that Carmel was at least one of the few who treated her like a senior. Did that mean the others were different?
I couldn't stand that. I had to make sure they saw Rain's dignified side, starting right now.
"I want to meet all of them later."
"Is there... really any need for that...?"
"I'm definitely going to meet them. Call them all here."
"O-Okay. I'll ask Carmel."
I tightly hugged Rain as she nodded in agreement. I would never let anyone look down on her. She was my master, after all. She deserved to shine the brightest, always.