Chapter 428

"Then, can we go down together?"

The atmosphere inside the room remained oppressive after lunch.

The two of them did nothing.

Kazama Kiriori didn't seem to be focused on studying, or rather, she hadn't really studied in a long time and was just doing something absentmindedly to pass the time.

The television was still playing, but no one was watching it.

Haihara Lily Chou had no choice but to stay with her snake.

The snake looked tired.

It lay quietly on Haihara's arm, its eyelids slowly opening and closing.

She occasionally encounters situations where others are in a bad mood.

For example, her childhood sweetheart.

When she was a child, her childhood friend, Kougami Kage, was a cold, taciturn, and unpredictable girl. Although Haihara was very willing to get along with him, he was always cold to her from time to time.

However, apart from that, she had almost no experience whatsoever.

Because she is not good at dealing with people who are older than her.

Thinking of this, Haihara lowered her head and raised her hand to grasp the pendant around her neck.

The azure Crystal felt incredibly cool to the touch.

Even though she couldn't hear anything, Haihara still felt like she could sense something.

Previously, Kazama Kiriori had told herself that no matter what happened, she would stay by her side.

So, it seems the other party meant the same thing just now.

Although I don't know what happened, it seems that Kazama Kiriori wasn't troubled by anything else, but rather... worried about herself?

Are you worried about her?

Haihara lacks confidence.

But when she saw Kazama Kiriori sitting there restlessly, like a wind-up puppet stuck in place, Haihara repeatedly wove together the words she wanted to say in her mind.

Are you worried that something might happen to me?

Although Haihara still couldn't quite understand why people other than her parents and childhood friend would care about her so much, this time she decided to trust her own judgment.

Outside the window, gray-white snow clouds obscured the sky, and the gloomy weather, like my mood, briefly drew a curtain over the city.

Scattered light filtered through the gaps, casting shadows on Kazama Kiriori's legs, until it slightly stung Haihara's vision.

Kazama Kiriori blinked, turned her head away in confusion, and glanced at Haihara of the corner of her eye.

During this silent and agonizing time, Haihara spoke calmly and slowly—

"If you're worried I'll disappear from your sight, I think I won't just disappear like that."

"I will stay by your side, just as you stay by mine."

Will saying this make you feel more at ease?

The long winter seems to have many more unbearable days ahead, and no one knows how long it will last.

The harsh winter sun, the biting cold wind, and the lingering gloom that never dissipates.

In Kazama Kiriori's memory, there were times like this in the past.

Will she be able to get through this safely?

Will they be able to get through this safely?

Chapter 186 Second War Conference

According to the weather forecast, there will be another heavy snowstorm this afternoon, and it's said to be really heavy. So many students are hoping that the school will let them leave early because of the heavy snow.

Outside the classroom window, thick snow clouds drifted in from the distant sky, already shrouding the city, as if brewing something.

The classroom was still quiet yet noisy in the morning.

Kirishima Ai's seat hadn't been moved in a long time, and few people noticed that she looked very tired today.

Early in the morning, her head hit the table, her black hair falling down in disarray. When she lifted her face, her chin resting on the table, you could see dark circles under her eyes.

"Ai, are you feeling alright?"

Sakaki Chika leaned close to Kirishima's ear with concern and whispered, "..."

"Hmm, I guess it's alright."

Kirishima Ai rubbed her eyes vigorously, yawning involuntarily.

There's no other reason than that Monster have been appearing more and more frequently lately.

There's no doubt that it was that Flower- loving Demon King who did this.

Although none of them are unsolvable Monster.

However, responding to calls every few days is still physically demanding.

"I'll take over for a while. You and Yu Ke should both get a few days of rest."

As Sakaki Chika spoke, she prepared the textbooks for Kirishima Ai's next class.

They work in rotation.

Simply put, each person is responsible for a few days of duty.

These past two days it's Kirishima Ai and Kuroki Yuka.

"No... it's not a matter of who should be replaced."

Kirishima Ai raised both hands in frustration, cupped her face in them, and then rubbed her sleepless face with her palms.

This is a problem that has always existed.

Without addressing the root cause of the Monster's existence, eliminating any number of Monster they encounter will be futile.

Moreover, this time the enemy is particularly adept at creating trouble.

On the other side, Kuroki Yuka had just arrived at school. Although she wasn't the one who attended classes last night, she was clearly exhausted, completely unlike her usual energetic self, who seemed to be deliberately asking for trouble.

She sat down without saying a word next to Takanashi.

Takanashi glanced at her and whispered:

"Thanks for your hard work."

Kuroki Yuka, unusually, did not respond this time.

Takanashi was a little puzzled, but he didn't react and lowered his head to continue looking at his notebook.

This morning, Ms. Roland once again came to the classroom as the temporary homeroom teacher to maintain order in the class.

To be honest, this might be a bit surprising.

But the way Roland manages the class gives off a strangely similar vibe to Teacher Haihara.

How should I describe it? Teaching style?

The rest of the day went by as usual.

However, recently, the students in the class have gotten used to it— the Problem Child in their class have started to escalate.

While Teacher Suzuki was still teaching the music lesson, she saw Sakaki Chika raise her hand:

"Sakaki-kun, is there a problem?"

The kind and beautiful female teacher asked.

Sakaki Chika stood up, and after stammering for a moment, just as she was about to speak, Teacher Suzuki had already reacted first.

"Oh, are you not feeling well?"

Seeing that Sakaki Chika was too embarrassed to say it again, she asked for her.

Sakaki Chika nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

So, Teacher Suzuki gave her a gentle smile, as if she couldn't do anything about it:

"Come back soon!"

Sakaki Chika showed a grateful expression, said thank you, and then ran out quickly.

Everyone was used to this scene.

Teacher Suzuki gently clapped her hands to bring everyone's attention back to the lesson.

"Everyone, please take care of yourselves; the weather has been very cold lately."

Another lesson.

The English teacher for Year Four, Class Four, Grade 1, was a woman in her thirties named Haruko.

Her appearance was somewhat stern, but she was surprisingly tolerant.

"The grammar here..."

The English teacher looked up when she was only halfway through her lesson.

Takanashi boldly raised his hand.

"Feeling unwell again?"

"Uh-huh."

"Go on, go on, and come back soon."

So, just like Sakaki Chika did a few classes before, Takanashi also found an excuse to leave the classroom.

Unbeknownst to the students in the classroom, a few breaths later, a crimson light shot out of the school like a meteor, heading towards the direction where the Monster were rampaging through the city.

And this kind of plot didn't end there.

It continued until the lunch break had just ended.

Teacher Roland had just arrived at the lectern carrying a pile of books that seemed utterly useless to a physical education teacher.

The students were still discussing it.

Because the snow outside the classroom started falling heavier and heavier, which is a good sign that a holiday is coming.

After Roland cleared his throat, the classroom fell silent.

"Everyone, I have good news."

The young female teacher, who looked no older than a high school student, or even younger, smiled calmly.

"Due to heavy snow, school will be closed this afternoon. Please wait for further notice regarding whether there will be classes tomorrow."

"You can start packing now, everyone remember to bring your homework home!"

Although she is a Magic girl from R'lyeh.

But surprisingly, Roland handled the role of homeroom teacher with ease, and it didn't feel out of place at all.

Although the students had been looking forward to it, there was still a great deal of noise at this moment.

Upon hearing this, Takanashi and the others secretly clenched their fists in approval.

There was no school bell to signal the end of the semester. After the homeroom teacher announced the dismissal to each class, everyone was allowed to pack their things and leave school.

The students packed their bags very quickly, of course.

It didn't take long for school to end, but as the snow fell heavier and heavier outside, people's movements became increasingly hurried.

The same applies to the other Problem Child, of course.

However, this time, instead of going home separately after school, they tacitly walked together.

They were heading towards Kuroki Yuka's house.

To be precise, it's the house next to Kuroki Yuka's, the house of Teacher Haihara that has been uninhabited for a long time.