I'm late.
I'd promised myself that even if I didn't pay attention in class, I'd never be late.
But today I'm going to be late for the first time.
With that thought, I quickly washed up, put on my uniform, and came out to the living room. Despite the early morning hour, Luna had woken up and emerged from the bedroom rubbing her eyes.
"Mmm... You're up, Mister... Good morning..."
"You're awake, Luna. It's okay to sleep in. I'm heading out."
"Huh...? Where are you going, Mister...?"
I answered Luna, who was still drowsy with sleep.
"School."
"School... When are you coming back...?"
"Six o'clock."
"Wh-what?!"
Geez, that startled me.
It wasn't just me who was surprised—Luna, now wide awake from my answer, shouted.
"I-it's nine o'clock now! What kind of school keeps you there for nine hours!! What on earth do you learn at school, Mister!! Sitting at a desk for nine hours!! That's harder than Hero training!"
"Is it?"
It didn't really matter to me since I just slept anyway. Luna was horrified at the thought of being at school for nine hours. If I'd told her I used to stay for evening study sessions too, she probably would have fainted. That's how extreme her reaction was.
"Anyway, I'm late so I can't talk anymore. I'm going to school. Don't cause any trouble at home and just stay put. See you later."
"W-wait a minute!"
Wait for what? I'm already ridiculously late. Ignoring Luna's words, I headed to the entrance and put on my shoes.
However, Luna had no intention of giving up and followed me, declaring:
"If you're going to school, Mister! I want to go to school too! Take me with you!"
"...I'm leaving."
Even if you throw a tantrum, no means no.
Slam!
I could hear Luna shouting something behind the closed door, but I left the entrance and hurried toward school.
*I just hope they don't cause any trouble while I'm gone.*
With that worried thought in mind, I left for school without anticipating what would happen, leaving the Hero Party at home.
And when I arrived at school, I regretted that decision.
The house without Mister.
"I'm bored."
"...Mister isn't here."
"I know, right."
"Hmnya... hmm..."
The Hero Party was feeling listless.
"There's no yard so I can't even practice swordsmanship! I'm so bored!"
Eight hours until Mister returned. Luna's patience had already reached its limit.
Luna rolled around on the floor, shouting loudly.
"I'm bored! I want to go out too! Mister isn't here!"
"Stop whining, Luna. You're being noisy."
"Aren't you bored?! Saten, you're bored too!"
"Haah..."
Saten, holding a book in her hands, let out a sigh.
"I am anxious without Mister here. I don't feel very good either."
"Then!"
Luna sprang up from the floor and said:
"Let's go outside and find Mister! Then we can be with him!"
"You mean go to school?"
"Of course! Mister is at school!"
Thud—
Saten closed the book she'd been reading. She was more curious about Luna's words than the book.
"We haven't fully explored the outside world yet, so that's good. Let's go out."
"Yeah, let's go! Hare, you too... Hare? Where'd she go?"
Looking around—looking around—
Luna turned her head left and right searching for Hare. At her actions, Saten pointed at the window with her finger.
"Look over there."
"Huh?"
"The window's open."
"When did she..."
"She left when you were rolling around on the floor earlier. Her patience must have reached its limit first."
I see.
Luna nodded in understanding at Saten's words. Then she turned her gaze toward Estia, who was still asleep.
"...She's still sleeping."
"Let's leave her. She'll be safe at home."
"Okay!"
Estia abandonment confirmed.
"Let's go!"
And so Luna and Saten finished preparing and set off toward the school. Along the way, while waiting at a traffic light, Saten asked Luna with a doubtful look:
"...By the way."
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember where the school is?"
"Of course! I memorized it yesterday when I kidnapped Mister! It's this way!"
Luna strode forward confidently. However, Saten was deeply worried by such a confident display.
*I have a feeling this isn't the right way... but I don't remember well either, so I have no choice but to trust her.*
Still, she's the Hero, so she'll probably produce decent results. With that thought, Saten followed behind Luna.
The result:
"Wh-where are we!! Should I ask that person!?"
"You ask. I don't want to talk to strangers."
"U-ugh... E-excuse me!!"
Luna and Saten ended up wandering the streets.
Unlike Hare, who had already arrived at school.
Crack—
"Who is that girl talking to Mister...?"
Crack—
"Acting all friendly and talking to him... Mister isn't interested in you, so hurry up and leave..."
A tree three stories high. Sitting in that tree watching Mister was Hare. Since Hare had memorized the entire route, she was able to arrive at school relatively early.
*At first I was happy to see Mister, but...*
Hare's eyes gleamed sharply as she observed the classroom. Mister sat quietly in his seat. With no teacher present, the students moved around freely.
However, one girl kept talking to Mister.
"Her smile reaching the ceiling...? How dare she smile at Mister... I-I haven't even done that properly...!!"
Crack—
Hare bit her nails again. She regretted not being able to enter the school because she couldn't trouble Mister.
Still, Hare did her best to guess what the girl was saying by reading her lips.
"What are you... doing after... school today... I noticed last time... we live in the same direction... want to walk home together...?"
When she first arrived on Earth, Hare thought this world was very safe. People's physical abilities weren't high, and with no magic, they weren't strong. So she thought to herself:
*In this place... I could eliminate everything that troubles Mister... It's a good world with nothing dangerous...*
However.
Hare retracted that thought. Watching Mister's school life, she painfully realized her judgment was wrong.
This other world was more dangerous than the world she'd lived in.
"What kind of mind came up with this...! T-trapping men and women in such a confined space together...!"
It's unpleasant that Mister is breathing the same air as all those girls.
However, Hare knew well. She could only sit in the tree and quietly watch.
"I wonder if there's a way to get into the classroom..."
Without being caught, and without causing trouble for Mister. Isn't there some way...
As break time ended and she watched Mister attend class again, Hare fell into deep thought.
"A way to enter the school... A way to be with Mister..."
Is that the only method after all?
Hare turned her gaze toward the school gate. There, a student with a face that didn't suit school, caked in makeup with blonde hair and earphones in her ears, was coming out.
"She's skipping school..."
In that case, it would be best to use that girl.
The clothes will be a bit big, but if I'm just borrowing them briefly, it should be fine, right?
Hare took in the sight of Mister lying on his desk, then climbed down from the tree, muttering:
"Even your sleeping face is wonderful, Mister... I'll come to your side soon... Please wait just a little longer, Mister...!"
The Hero Party's Thief.
Hare was able to enter the school relatively easily.
"We finally found it!"
"Haah... Can't I just... go back home...?"
"What are you talking about! We finally made it!"
Saten breathing heavily. Leading the exhausted girl who'd been outside for so long, Luna walked boldly toward the school.
However, perhaps because Luna's appearance was too conspicuous, she hit a wall right at the entrance.
"Hey there, students! No outsiders allowed!"
"What?"
"Looking at your clothes, you're not students—foreigners, I guess! You can't just enter the school!"
"Wh-what do you mean! Do you know how hard I worked to get here!"
"Hmm?"
The security guard was momentarily flustered and lost for words. Luna appeared to be a foreigner on the outside. However, Luna was speaking fluent Korean. It gave him a strange feeling.
"Hmm, am I misunderstanding? Are you students by any chance?"
"No! I'm not a student!"
Luna, who never lies. Saten, who'd been listening quietly beside her, covered Luna's mouth and said to the guard:
"No. We are students."
"But she said she's not?"
"That's... because the language of this world is still difficult for her."
"Hmm—"
The guard pondered. However, after looking over Luna and Saten's appearance, he didn't take long to reach a conclusion.
*Must be foreign transfer students. Even if not, it's a co-ed school and they're girls—what could happen?*
A reasonably rational conclusion.
The guard smiled and opened the firmly closed main gate. Luna and Saten bowed their heads and entered the school grounds.
Luna spoke in a gloomy tone, perhaps feeling guilty about the action:
"We shouldn't lie... I feel a bit sorry to that grandfather..."
"It's not a lie, Luna. We really will become students. If not that..."
Then teachers would be good.
The two who'd decided to be by Mister's side no matter what.
And so, all members of the Hero Party except Estia entered the school.