"W-Wait!"
Ignoring the wishes of the room's owner beneath Teacher Komoe's anguished cry, Fang Li, Sylvia, and Index barged inside and entered the room.
But the sight that greeted them instantly left all three speechless.
The room before them was a standard Japanese-style room.
The kind with tatami mats on the floor.
However, the tatami was somewhat tattered, giving the room an aged, rundown feel.
That was not even the main problem.
What truly left Fang Li and the other two speechless was the state of the room itself.
The floor was littered with empty beer cans and ashtrays stuffed with cigarette butts and ashes.
"Uu..."
Teacher Komoe walked in with what sounded like a sob, voicing her protest.
"I told you not to come in. At least let me tidy up first. It's so embarrassing for students to see their teacher's room this dirty and messy."
No, no, this was about more than just embarrassment, wasn't it?
If all those empty beer cans and ashtrays full of ash and cigarette butts were Teacher Komoe's doing, didn't that mean this teacher, who looked even younger than an elementary school student, both smoked and drank?
Having realized that, Sylvia was the first to speak.
"That won't do, Teacher." Sylvia spoke as though lecturing a misbehaving child. "Minors aren't allowed to smoke or drink."
"Teacher... Teacher is already an adult! I'm old enough to smoke and drink!" Teacher Komoe said with some irritation. "Don't underestimate Teacher!"
Yet it was not only Sylvia. Even Index ignored Teacher Komoe's protest, tugging at Fang Li's sleeve and making him lower his head.
"Do I have to live in a place this dirty from now on?" Index's little face was filled with resistance as she asked, "Can I refuse?"
"Unfortunately," Fang Li said with a wry