"......So, in the end, which university is Maki planning to apply to?"

The moment I asked, Nitobe-sensei's eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise.

"The fact that you're asking me... does that mean Ichinose-san hasn't told you herself?"

I gave a small nod.

Seeing my reaction, Sensei scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearly troubled.

"In that case, it wouldn't be right for me to tell you without her permission."

"So I can't know?"

I thought I'd answered in a perfectly normal tone, but Nitobe-sensei suddenly looked apologetic.

"You really don't have to look that sad..."

"Eh...? Ah, was I actually making a face like that...?"

"Yes.," Nitobe-sensei replied, and only then did it hit me.

Apparently, I was far more hurt than I'd realized by the fact that Maki was keeping something from me.

"You two are friends, right? Why not just ask her directly... or are you fighting again?"

At Sensei's worried question, I frantically shook my head.

Come to think of it, whenever Maki and I got into arguments, Sensei was always the one who ended up mediating between us.

"You two usually seem incredibly close, but every now and then you really do fight, so..."

"I'm really sorry..."

Having an adult like Sensei point it out so plainly made me feel embarrassingly childish.

"And besides, we're not fighting or anything. ...It's just that lately, Maki's been agonizing over something, but she won't tell me what it is."

"Then isn't that all the more reason to wait until she's ready to tell you herself? After all, deciding on a university is a deeply personal matter."

"...I know that, but..."

My voice gradually faded as I answered.

Still, my dissatisfaction must've shown on my face, because Nitobe-sensei murmured in genuine bewilderment,

"This is unusual. It's rare to see you push this hard about something, Nagase-san."

Even though he looked troubled, he didn't seem like he intended to cut the conversation short or send me away.

If anything, it felt like he was sincerely worried about me.

I guess that's exactly what made him such a good homeroom teacher.

And because of that, I finally made up my mind.

Maybe I should just tell him.

Why I was so worried about Maki.

Why I couldn't simply back down here.

At the very least, I didn't want to give up without doing anything.

Because I hated seeing Maki suffer all by herself.

But knowing how stubborn she was, she probably wouldn't open up that easily.

With those thoughts swirling through my head, I bit my lip and quietly steeled my resolve.

After taking a slow, careful breath, I looked directly at Nitobe-sensei and finally broke the silence.

"Um... Sensei. We..."

"Yes?"

"We're actually dating."

"...Excuse me?"

"Um, well... Maki and I."

"...Eh!?"

After freezing in visible shock for a moment, Sensei deliberately cleared his throat.

Ah... I'm really putting him in an awkward position, I thought.

Besides, usually the one who stubbornly pushed conversations forward like this was Maki.

Maybe we've spent so much time together that I'm starting to act like her, I mused, picturing my girlfriend probably lying in bed right now, tossing and turning with a fever.

Although... if this were Maki, she'd probably have grabbed him by the collar already and demanded answers directly.

"...Sorry. That caught me completely off guard."

"No, it's okay. I know it's kind of an abrupt thing to say."

"I don't think it's strange at all. The confession was just so sudden that it startled me a bit," Sensei replied with a troubled smile.

"...Sensei, you seem like you'd be really popular with women."

"Are you teasing me?"

As Sensei gave another strained smile, it struck me once again.

Yeah... this guy really is one of the love interests.

He was genuinely trying to understand and accept what I was saying.

He truly was a wonderful person, someone entirely worthy of being a love interest and, under ordinary circumstances, probably a perfect match for Maki.

"So... because we're dating, I can't help worrying about it. Though I guess asking you to leak her secret plans about university because of that is crossing a line a little..."

"Hmm... ah, I see now..."

"You see what?"

Sensei covered part of his face with one hand, murmuring as though he'd suddenly pieced something together on his own, while gesturing toward a nearby round stool with the other.

Realizing he intended to have a calm, serious conversation, I sat down without hesitation.

"Ichinose-san currently has several possible paths in front of her, and she's struggling because she can't decide which one she should choose. I've always thought of her as someone who approaches things fairly rationally, so seeing her this conflicted surprised me as well. But... it's probably because whichever path she chooses may end up separating her from you, Nagase-san."

"...So it really is a university outside the prefecture."

"You're quick to catch on," Sensei replied.

"Personally, I believe Ichinose-san should seriously consider universities outside the prefecture."

With that, Sensei began carefully explaining his reasoning.

"Nagase-san, you're planning to enter an IT-related department, and you're aiming for a local university, correct?"

"Yes."

I nodded.

That decision was something I had arrived at after discussing it thoroughly with Sensei as well.

"In your case, what you want to study relates to AI, so you can learn a great deal and do perfectly well at your current choice of university. But Ichinose-san's situation is different. It's not nearly that simple."

"What do you mean?"

Sensei woke his computer from sleep mode and opened several bookmarked university pages.

"In her case, it's not merely a question of broad academic discipline anymore. The specific research field she wants to pursue afterward is already firmly decided. Because of that, she needs to choose her future while taking graduate school into consideration as well. If she stays with the local university she's currently considering, the environment for research in that specific field is somewhat lacking. That's why I've been looking into several universities that I could recommend to her. Though it seems she's already been researching them on her own as well."

Sensei pointed at the screen, showing me several universities.

Every single one of them was located outside the prefecture.

So that's what Maki was researching by herself during our library sleepover over summer vacation... I realized far too late.

"I made these recommendations because I believed they would be best for her. But for you, Nagase-san... or rather, for the two of you... this may become a very difficult decision. Even so..." Nitobe-sensei paused briefly before continuing.

"My role is to broaden the possibilities available to every single one of my students. What comes afterward is something you and Ichinose-san need to sit down and properly discuss together."

"......Thank you very much, Sensei."

Somehow, it made me genuinely happy that he told me to talk it through as "the two of you," instead of telling me to discuss it with my parents.

The original game scenario had never touched upon future careers or higher education, so naturally, none of this had ever happened there.

Which meant I had absolutely no idea what would happen from here on out.

Even so, I already knew perfectly well what would be best for Maki's future.

"I'll go return these printouts now," I said as I stood up.

"Please do," Sensei replied with a warm smile.

Just as I was about to leave, I turned back to ask him one final question.

It was something incredibly small, almost trivial.

And yet, it had weighed on my mind for a very long time.

"Sensei... what's your type when it comes to romance?"

"Eh...? I suppose someone quiet, but with a strong inner core."

"Then, hypothetically speaking, how would you feel about someone who has a strong inner core, but expresses their affection a little too intensely and comes on really strong?"

"Honestly... I'm not very good with people like that," Sensei answered with an awkward laugh, visibly uncomfortable even imagining it.

"Sensei, are you seeing anyone right now?"

"That's definitely more than just one question."

Laughing at my relentless interrogation, he finally let me in on a secret.

"I haven't told the students this, but I actually have a fiancée."

The moment I heard that, all the tension drained from my shoulders at once.

"...That's such a relief," I murmured before smiling softly. "I hope the two of you stay happy together for the rest of your lives."

"Thank you," Sensei replied. "I'm rooting for you two as well."

At that moment, it truly felt as though a massive weight had finally been lifted from my shoulders.