Part-3 Ch-06 Ep-02

 “Excuse me. I’m Nagase Mari from Class 3-2. I’m here to see Nitobe-Sensei.”

Sliding open the faculty room door, I delivered the standard greeting I’d memorized by rote. Nitobe-Sensei, seated at a desk in the corner of the room, lifted a hand and motioned for me to come closer.

“I’m sorry for calling you over after school.”

The man who addressed every student with such impeccable courtesy was Nitobe Jun. He was the final love interest in 『Cherry Blossom Oath ―The Story of Us That You and I Weave―』, the otome game that formed the basis of this world.

If I remembered correctly, he was in his early thirties. Although he appeared from the very beginning of the game, it wasn’t actually possible to grow close to him until the protagonist’s third year. On top of that, his events wouldn’t even trigger unless your overall stats with the other love interests had reached a certain threshold. He was a notoriously high-difficulty route.

Naturally, with his neatly trimmed short hair, glasses, gentle features, and impeccably polite demeanor, he was extraordinarily popular among the female students.

Standing before him, I replied with a trace of nervousness in my voice.

“It’s no trouble at all. Maki’s house is close to mine anyway.”

The moment I said that, Nitobe-Sensei responded with a quiet, “That’s a tremendous help,” before handing me a neatly organized stack of handouts.

It had already been two days since Maki had called in sick with a cold.

From the messages we’d exchanged, she told me she might end up resting until tomorrow as well.

How many years had it been since Maki last got sick enough for it to drag on like this?

Hearing that a girl who was supposed to have an unexpectedly robust constitution had been bedridden for several days left me more than a little worried.

And then, right at that moment, the teacher asked me to deliver these handouts.

I’d already been searching for a legitimate excuse to visit Maki’s house myself, so I was more than happy to accept the errand if all it involved was dropping off a few school notices.

“Well then, I’ll leave it in your hands.”

“Yes, teacher.”

That brief exchange marked the end of our conversation. All that remained was for me to turn on my heel and leave the faculty room.

That should’ve been all there was to it, and yet...

My footsteps halted halfway to the door, and I slowly turned back toward the teacher once more.

“……Um, Nitobe-Sensei.”

“Hmm? Ah, my apologies. Was there something you wanted to ask?”

Nitobe-Sensei turned fully toward me, his voice as gentle and composed as ever.

Feeling my nerves tighten slightly, I finally voiced the question that had been lingering in the back of my mind for quite some time now.

“Where exactly is Maki planning to go to college?”

The thing Maki was hiding from me.

The thing she kept having those long conversations with the teacher about.

The thing she found difficult to tell me.

But could tell her teacher.

It had to be related to her future.

And if she wouldn’t tell me herself, then all I had to do was ask someone who already knew.

“Ichinose-san’s choice of university?”

Nitobe-Sensei’s eyes widened slightly, faint surprise flickering across his face at my abrupt question.