(Consider this a side story.)
The female doctor... or rather, Yōno Mihara, had expected the "Dream Professor" before her—a young woman whose promise and brilliance defied any simple description—to fly into a rage.
After all, anyone whose little sister dared tell a boy, "I'm not afraid of you riding me," would surely give her a sound scolding, and the brat would probably get dragged into it too.
He would be suffering for something he had never done, certainly, but that was what made it interesting.
At the thought, the corners of Yōno Mihara's mouth rose of their own accord. Together with her slightly narrowed eyes, which looked even more elongated now, the expression gave her a distinctly mischievous air.
Reality, however, often defied her expectations.
"Truffle, go outside and play for a while." Fennel spoke calmly, even offering a small smile, though the hands hidden behind her back were tightly wrung together.
Yōno Mihara's eyes abruptly narrowed. She instinctively raised her left hand to cover the smile that had frozen on her face.
This was not how she had expected things to go.
Her eyes flickered, and she glanced at the little girl in her "rebellious phase." Yet Truffle nodded obediently, clutching her crossbody bag. "Th-then I suppose I'll go outside, if I must."
With that, she left the room.
Bang.
Yōno Mihara gazed at the closed door and idly toyed with her curls, feeling rather disappointed. Then she lowered her head and abruptly went still.
A momentary haze passed through her dark eyes. Her slender hand drifted involuntarily toward Truffle's trembling little body, but the instant it touched the top of her head, she snatched it back as though shocked.
Troublesome. Truly troublesome. Yōno Mihara suddenly realized she had no idea how to comfort a child.
The leader of