Chapter 86

Except for the fact that she seemed to be in a bad mood, everything was normal.

But for the Magic girls, it wasn't like that.

Because there is something very scary.

--Since a week ago, Teacher Haihara hasn't said anything to them.

There was no blame, no reprimand, and they were never called to the office again. This was something they had previously longed for, but now, the reality was somewhat terrifying.

These reactions, in other words, are a cold shoulder.

If this continues, it might not just be a cold shoulder, but a loss of patience, or even abandonment of them.

They realized a fact.

Teacher Haihara, who has always been aloof and gloomy, seemingly indifferent to everything, seems to be... angry.

Their names will no longer be called during class.

She won't respond when I greet her after class.

This is definitely anger.

The other students also generally realized this fact.

Currently, among the Magic girls, Sakaki Chika is the most uneasy.

During class, she would occasionally steal glances at Teacher Haihara, watching the woman's gloomy and pale face, which never looked at her.

It seems she's upset Teacher Haihara...

Because she frequently skipped classes as a Magic girl, Teacher Haihara no longer wanted to talk to her.

What should she do? If Teacher Haihara ignores her... what should she do?

After another class ended, Sakaki Chika wanted to say something to Teacher Haihara, but Teacher Haihara quickly left for her office, and she didn't have a chance to talk to her.

And... even if she found the teacher, she wouldn't know what to say.

Of course, she wasn't the only one with this problem.

After class, the Magic girls gathered together.

"... Um, Teacher Haihara, are you angry with us?"

Sakaki Chika said in a very weak voice.

Kirishima Ai, standing to the side, sighed:

Isn't that a given?

Although some things happened later, and her feelings for Teacher Haihara changed..., what they were doing didn't actually change; they were still skipping class from time to time to hunt down Monster.

Ultimately, it's strange that only these few Magic girls remain in the entire city.

I remember a few years ago, there were quite a few Magic girls in this city, but they all disappeared later.

Did they all go to universities in other cities?

If we must mention another Magic girl in this city besides them, it would be the Magical Girl Dark Feather who appeared a few days ago...

That is, the Black Magical Girl.

"But... but what if Teacher Haihara dislikes us..."

Sakaki Chika.

In fact, she also had a side that she didn't want her other companions to know.

If Haihara really ignores her, it won't just be a simple matter of feeling sad for her.

She truly felt despair, even to the point of near collapse.

Takanashi casually remarked from the side:

"But judging from her appearance, she doesn't seem like someone who can be easily appeased."

In short, there's nothing that can be done about Teacher Haihara for the time being.

"Doesn't Takanashi mind?" Sakaki Chika, a little annoyed, as she rested her hand on her palm.

"I don't care."

Takanashi remained as indifferent as ever, showing no interest in these relationships with ordinary people.

Perhaps, to her, there's no need to care about ordinary people like Teacher Haihara.

The Magic girl from R'lyeh was simply casually chewing on a leftover candy cookie from breakfast, taking small bites.

At first, Sakaki Chika didn't pay much attention, but then she felt that the bag of candy looked familiar.

This packaging bag... isn't it from the shop downstairs from Teacher Haihara's house?

Does Takanashi live near Teacher Haihara's house?

Seemingly a little embarrassed by the stare, or perhaps a little guilty, Takanashi looked up:

"Speaking of which... are you free this holiday?"

What exactly do you mean by "having free time"?

"For about two or three days, I'll go out with you, ignoring my family."

"I do have free time... but why bring this up all of a sudden?" Kirishima Ai, somewhat puzzled.

Their relationship didn't seem close enough for them to go out together during holidays. In fact, they rarely saw each other on weekends, only occasionally meeting at the Doctor's place.

Sakaki Chika can also squeeze out two or three days.

"Teacher Roland asked me to tell you this, to prepare you. This holiday, maybe I can take you back to R'lyeh."

The Takanashi ate a biscuit and talked.

"R'lyeh?"

Kirishima Ai and Sakaki Chika both a little surprised.

"Because Dean Roland will have to return to R'lyeh after a while, and after that, the gate from the human world to R'lyeh will open for the first time in a long time, so we can take this opportunity to go to R'lyeh."

In a way, this is all thanks to Kirishima Ai and the others.

As Magic girl, she was supposed to complete her trials in the human world before she could truly return to R'lyeh.

But only a few months after she arrived in the human world, her companions accomplished the feat of defeating the Demon King.

Such an achievement is legendary among all the Magic girls who have come to Earth for training throughout R'lyeh's history. In addition, there is one who was originally an ordinary person born and raised on Earth. Perhaps Her Majesty the Queen would even summon her.

On their journey back to R'lyeh, they can also learn some Magic that they can't learn in the human world, even repair Magic Armament and select some useful Magic Crystal.

And then there's... the matter of black Magic.

She needs to do some research and find out more about the Magical Girl Dark Feather.

Haihara has been in a sullen state for the past week.

Naturally, it's because of those Problem Child.

After the Demon King was defeated, she lost contact with the Black Death Cult. Although things were quiet for a while at first, her work afterward was not going very smoothly.

The number of absences gradually returned to normal, and in the recent tests, her class did not perform well either, much worse than in the previous formal exams, and might even be among the worst in several classes.

That little girl, Kirishima Ai, is one too.

The results also dropped this time.

The teacher is really angry.

Even though she doesn't care much about her students' grades, the thought that her own performance and even bonuses would be reduced as a result makes her furious.

At times like this, Haihara could think of was drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

It's past seven in the evening, and it's already dark. She's in an izakaya she used to frequent. The dim light shines on the slightly worn curtain, and there's a plate of grilled chicken skewers on the table.

Of course, just like last time, I came with Ms. Suzuki this time.

Reality was so cold; only Ms. Suzuki could bring her a sliver of warmth.

However, even spending time with Ms. Suzuki today didn't improve her mood much.

After a bout of heavy drinking, Haihara slumped onto the table, her chin resting on the back of her hand, her face flushed slightly from the alcohol, and her cheeks pouting slightly in anger.

Accurate.

Very annoyed...

It makes me so angry just thinking about it.

Moreover, since she was drinking with Ms. Suzuki, she couldn't drink to her heart's content at this time.

Although drinking with Ms. Suzuki is nice, tonight she wants to drink until she's bubbling and bubbling...

"Haven't you gotten any better yet?"

Ms. Suzuki watched Haihara with a smile.

"Um..."

Haihara remained lying there, looking listless and dejected.

After a while, Haihara reluctantly raised her head:

How have you been lately?

As a music teacher, Ms. Suzuki certainly doesn't have the same worries as Haihara.

If I had to pinpoint a problem, it would probably be that I'm almost thirty and still haven't found the right person.

"Hmm... My family recently introduced me to a pretty good potential partner through a blind date, but we haven't met yet..."

Haihara didn't quite hear what was said next.

Because she didn't really want to listen.

Ms. Suzuki seems to have had quite a few very nice blind dates, but like her, none of them were successful, which still makes Haihara feel discouraged from time to time.

Although Ms. Suzuki is an ordinary person, she is also exceptionally outstanding.

Haihara is just the kind of person who hovers around the average level.

After a while, Ms. Suzuki noticed that Haihara was lying there and didn't seem to be listening attentively, so she ended the conversation at the appropriate time.

"I heard that... you have relatives visiting here recently?"

Haihara started a conversation.

A couple of days ago, Haihara heard from Ms. Suzuki that a relative of hers was coming to this city, probably a niece.

This made her a little curious.

Is it because you're here to study or something?

"Yes, you'll be staying at my place for the next couple of days. You'll move out once you've settled into your new home."

"Be good, okay?"

"She's quite well-behaved, but a bit cold. Maybe my sister is a little strict with her?"

Haihara has no relatives, so she can only listen casually to topics about relatives.

After listening, she blinked sleepily.

Ms. Suzuki reached out and touched Haihara's forehead:

"Have you been working too hard lately?"

She rarely saw Haihara looking tired, even though this female colleague usually gave off a lazy vibe.

Haihara was stunned for a moment when her forehead was suddenly touched; her face, which was already slightly flushed from the alcohol, became even hotter.

However, Haihara was indeed tired today.

Perhaps it's because I've been under too much mental stress lately.

But there's nowhere to vent...

Because of those Magic Problem Child.