Haihara sat at the dining table for a while, feeling as though something was missing.
She went back to the fridge, took out a can of beer, cracked it open, and started drinking.
As the cold beer poured into her empty stomach, she couldn't tell whether the feeling was refreshing or melancholy. Sakaki Chika came over to the table, too.
"Eat."
Haihara said it flatly, then picked up her spoon and started eating the omurice.
Sakaki Chika looked at the omurice on the table and carefully picked up her own spoon. As she did, she stole glances at Haihara, who was eating with her head down.
"Thank you, Teacher. Um... let's eat..."
She scooped up a spoonful of omurice and took a small bite. A glimmer flashed in her eyes.
She didn't say anything. Her cheeks just turned a little red as she took another bite. After swallowing it properly, she said to Haihara,
"Th-that... it's delicious."
Haihara, who was eating while drinking her beer, looked up at Sakaki Chika.
"Thanks for the compliment. You don't have to keep looking at me. Remember to do your homework when you're done eating."
Even though Sakaki Chika was staying at her place, she still had to go to school tomorrow.
Sakaki Chika nodded, then lowered her head and quietly continued eating. Every so often, though, she'd sneak a glance at Haihara.
Teacher Haihara's omurice was delicious. She didn't know what ingredients she'd used, but she really liked the sweetness of the sauce.
Teacher seemed to be good at cooking.
In Sakaki Chika's memories, her mother hadn't often cooked for her. When she was little, she'd frequently eaten instant noodles or ready-made cold meals.
Maybe that was why she'd never grown very tall.
Getting enough nutrition as a child seemed pretty important...
Sakaki Chika ate as she thought about all sorts of random things.
She scooped up another spoonful and brought it to her mouth. Her hand paused, and she sniffled, trying to steady her emotions.
"..."
Teacher Haihara was so kind...
She was clever and well-spoken... and a great cook, too.
Earlier, Sakaki Chika had brazenly—almost shamelessly—called Haihara "Mom." She'd only done it because she didn't want to be apart from Teacher Haihara, but now she couldn't help letting her thoughts run wild.
She hadn't eaten omurice very often.
When she was little, meals had usually been something to get through. After becoming an idol, she'd mostly eaten nutritional meals.
The few times she'd had omurice had been on TV shows. One segment had involved making home-style dishes, and she'd been asked to make omurice that she could eat afterward.
She hadn't been particularly interested in the omurice she made herself.
Besides, she'd have to cut back on meals afterward.
Thinking about it made Sakaki Chika feel sad for some reason.
"Uu..."
She wiped at her tears again, trying not to look so pathetic, but she still started crying.
Haihara looked over at her, watching as she drank her beer.
"Is it that good?"
Haihara stared at the sobbing Sakaki Chika, momentarily at a loss.
She had no idea her cooking was good enough to make someone cry.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Good Night
After she tidied up the room that had previously been used for storing odds and ends, she had an empty room that could be used for sleeping. She took out the futon and pillow she'd prepared for Kiriori, laid them out simply on the floor, and got a place ready for Sakaki Chika to sleep that night.
After that, Haihara started preparing her lessons. Not long after she began, though, she remembered something and called a certain villainous female executive.
Sha Qina's voice came from the other end of the phone.
[Miss Haihara? What do you need at this hour?]
"One of my students is having some trouble at home. Could I ask the Black Death Cult to help her out?"
After thinking it through carefully, Haihara felt the Black Death Cult was the most reliable choice for something like this. It would also be easier to return the favor later.
[Huh? We don't extort minors. That's a bit...]
Sha Qina thought that would be a bit much.
"It's not about extorting a minor. It's a little complicated to explain. Basically..."
Haihara pressed her fingers to her brow and thought about how to explain it, then slowly told Sha Qina about Sakaki Chika.
Sha Qina responded with a series of "oh, oh," and seemed to have more or less understood.
"So, could you find a psychiatric hospital and have that man locked up? Maybe arrange a few rounds of electroshock therapy every day."
[Oh, that sort of thing? No problem, leave it to me! The Black Death Cult has plenty of shady businesses like that. We'll just get a few Monsters to grab him and dump him in one.]
It sounded like there wouldn't be a problem. That was the Villain Organization for you. They were unreliable when fighting magical girls, but they could be counted on for something like this.
Haihara thought it over some more.
"Oh, right. Doesn't the Black Death Cult have a Monster team called the Gay Four or something? Set them on him, too."
[Sure thing~]
After she'd asked the villainous executive for help, Haihara returned to preparing her lessons. Then she noticed Sakaki Chika sitting in the room, staring into space after finishing her homework.
The girl didn't seem used to staying at her place yet.
Maybe she was too embarrassed to play with her phone because Haihara was her teacher.
"By the way, don't you have any lighter pajamas? You wear long sleeves even at home?"
Haihara looked at what Sakaki Chika was wearing.
It was an outfit she could have gone outside in as it was. It was convenient, but there was no air conditioner in Sakaki Chika's room, so it might get a little hot on summer nights.
"My family... doesn't have a habit of wearing pajamas."
Sakaki Chika blinked.
"Hmm..." Haihara rested her fingers on her chin and thought for a moment.
Then she went into Sakaki Chika's room and rummaged around for a bit. She soon found several sets of pajamas.
They were clothes Kiriori used to wear, but Kiriori had grown too tall to fit them.
"I'll leave these here for now. If you get hot during the night, you can change into them. They're all washed."
A couple of days earlier, she'd meant to wash some clothes for Kiriori, but had ended up washing a few things from years ago, too.
Sakaki Chika came over curiously. She looked at the sizes. They were a little bigger than she was, but she could wear them.
Were the clothes Teacher wore really this small?
She looked at Haihara and compared their sizes.
Teacher Haihara was tall. Most of the boys in her class probably weren't as tall as she was. Sakaki Chika guessed she was over 170 centimeters.
Sakaki Chika herself wasn't even 160 centimeters tall yet, and these clothes were only a little big on her...
"Oh, these were my daughter's clothes."
Seeing Sakaki Chika's confused expression, Haihara explained.
Then Sakaki Chika froze.
"Huh?"
The light in her bright eyes vanished. Her mouth opened slightly, and she seemed to have gone blank.
Sakaki Chika thought she must have misheard.
When she realized she hadn't, she looked at the clothes in Haihara's hands again, and an indescribably gloomy feeling welled up inside her.
Teacher Haihara... already had a daughter?
At first, she'd thought it couldn't be true, since Teacher Haihara looked so young.
But Teacher Haihara could cook and was so good at taking care of people...
"Teacher Haihara... are you married?"
She asked with a twinge of bitterness.
Her eyes were getting red as she looked up at Haihara, who appeared completely bewildered.
"Huh? Married?"
Then she realized Sakaki Chika must be referring to her having a daughter.
Did she really look like someone who was already married?
Besides, someone as gloomy and ordinary as her probably wouldn't have anyone looking to marry her.
"She's adopted. I couldn't handle giving birth."
Haihara shook her head.
After she said that, Sakaki Chika blinked, and the light returned to her eyes. The stray hairs on top of her head even seemed to perk up.
For some reason, Haihara felt that Sakaki Chika suddenly looked very happy.
Sakaki Chika curiously picked up the clothes and held them against herself, then asked softly,
"Then, Teacher, if I wear your daughter's clothes, your daughter... won't she get mad?"
Her voice was so quiet that Haihara didn't hear her.
"All right, go to sleep. I'll wake you up in the morning."
Haihara wasn't asleep in the middle of the night. Instead, she stood on the little balcony and smoked.
She was the sort of person who felt more alert at night than during the day. On nights like this, she didn't want to go to bed too early, but she still had to go to work first thing tomorrow.
Haihara had once wondered whether there might be a suitable night-shift job for her, but she'd eventually given up on the idea because she had to take care of her daughter.
She looked out at the dark, cold city and the scattered stars in the sky. Lights in distant buildings went out one by one until they fell silent. Every so often, cars like phantoms passed along the street, headed for places unknown.
At times like this, Haihara felt at ease.
She leaned both bare arms on the railing, her hair down and her glasses off.
She flicked the cigarette in her hand, knocking ash loose from its burning tip.
Then she did nothing but leave the cigarette between her lips and take slow drags.
The dim starlight of the night sky was reflected in her cold eyes.
After a while, she heard footsteps in the quiet house.
She turned around and saw Sakaki Chika.
The girl wore pajamas that were a little too big for her. The collar had slipped down to her shoulder, exposing her pale, slender neck and shoulder, which looked even paler in the dim light.
Haihara had assumed she'd come out to use the bathroom, but then she noticed Sakaki Chika walking toward her.
"What's wrong? Can't sleep?"
Haihara pinched the cigarette and put it out.
Sakaki Chika just kept her hands behind her back and slowly walked toward Haihara.
Haihara watched her approach in confusion, until Sakaki Chika reached out and put her arms around her.
The light was dim, but she could still see the flush on Sakaki Chika's face.
Though she didn't know what was going on, Haihara patted her on the back.
"Good night, Teacher..."
Before you continue