As she left the bar, Xiye felt an unusually intense gaze. She turned her head and saw it was the youngest of the Ghoul employees, staring at her with a shadowy look in his eyes.
“……”
If she wasn’t holding Yukino, she would’ve loved to flip him off, but since she couldn’t, she paid him no more mind and quickly walked out the door.
Seeing the black-haired girl leave, the young Ghoul whispered to his coworker:
“I’m heading out for a bit.”
With that, he started to follow her.
“Wait.” Jack’s voice came from behind the bar.
“What do you want?”
The young Ghoul frowned, impatience in his tone as he turned back. He had no time to waste with this broken robot.
“Your coworker caused my bar significant Economic Loss. Now he’s unconscious and can’t pay up. So, until he wakes, you either compensate in his place or stay here and wait for him to come to.”
Jack’s display screen popped up the Compensation List:
“According to my investigation just now, the total is 34,012.56 Dream Points. How would you like to settle the bill?”
The young Ghoul’s brow furrowed even deeper:
“Let my coworker pay. I’ve got urgent business, so I’m leaving…”
“—You can’t leave.”
Before he could finish, Jack interrupted him, though his tone remained polite.
Blocked for the second time, the young Ghoul completely lost his patience. He glared fiercely at Jack, voice sharp:
“Are you looking for death?”
The smile on Jack’s display twisted into a sneer, then the blue screen turned a dangerous red:
“Hostility detected, initiating annihilation mode!”
In an instant, Jack’s back snapped open. A dense array of missile launchers sprang out like an iron forest, expanding rapidly. The topmost ones almost touched the ceiling. It was hard to imagine how so much firepower could fit inside a robot about the height of a regular person.
Faced with this wall-to-wall barrage of missile launchers, the young Ghoul’s gaze suddenly became much clearer. He opened his mouth, and after a long pause, managed only:
“……Ah……”
“Customer, this is your final warning. If you step outside the bar, I will conduct a Wide-Area Bombardment Equivalent to 1 Ton of TNT upon you. Please consider carefully.”
The young Ghoul’s shoulders trembled. With a forced grin, he said:
“No, I’m not leaving. My legs just fell asleep, so I need to walk a bit, haha… Right, just need to walk a bit!”
As he spoke, he stiffly stretched out his legs and began pacing circles around the bar like a robot. Seeing this, Jack stowed away his little arsenal and returned to Bartender Robot mode.
“Thank you for your understanding.”
A smiley face appeared on Jack’s display.
Leaving the bar, Xiye returned to the street. She hadn’t checked the time as she left, so she didn’t know what hour it was, how long she’d been delayed, or if Yumiya might already be waiting at home.
The stares she received along the way were at least as numerous as those in the bar. After all, a super-beautiful girl with a stunning figure already drew plenty of eyes, but two such girls would attract a crowd on the street. And if one super-beautiful girl was carrying another, they would earn a uniform salute of attention.
After being stared at by a giant fly covered with dozens of eyes and breaking out in goosebumps, Xiye finally couldn’t take it anymore. She chose a secluded alley and sat on a bench by the roadside. Making sure not to wake Yukino, she took out her phone to use Gugugu Map for directions to Yukino’s home.
Opening the map, the black-haired, red-eyed girl fell into thought.
Where was Yukino’s house again?
“You’re asking me?” Rationality pointed at herself.
“Ask her.” Emotion pointed at Yukino.
But to ask Yukino would mean waking her from her sleep.
Xiye looked down at the girl in her arms.
Yukino slept soundly, her face buried against Xiye’s chest. Occasionally she rubbed against her, tickling her a bit.
What should I do? I really can’t bring myself to wake her!
But if I don’t, how can I get her home?
Holding her ex-girlfriend, the former legendary investigator Ms. Xiye was at a loss.
The deserted street was silent except for the wind and the rustling of leaves. In addition, there was only the steady sound of Yukino’s breathing.
For a moment, it felt as if nothing had changed—as if they were as close as ever.
But it was only as if… Xiye looked away.
There’s no going back. Everything’s over now. She’d already made up her mind.
“…Or, should I take her home?”
In the dead silence, Emotion suddenly popped up and said.
Hey, I just said I wouldn’t!
Rationality analyzed, “That’s not really the issue, is it? Don’t get hung up on it, Xiye. Even if you two aren’t girlfriends anymore, you’re still Yukino’s teacher.”
“From your Teacher Certification perspective, you have a duty to take care of your student. Even if you drop her off at home, can you rest easy leaving her alone in this state?”
But…
“How’d you get so indecisive, Ye Xi? Fussing like a girl—oh, sorry, you are a girl now.” Emotion flicked her on the forehead.
Hey.
“In any case, just take her home. Let her sleep in your bed and you take the sofa, right? That way you can look after her if anything comes up,” Rationality said.
“Or you could sleep in the bed with her.” Instinct peeked out.
Shut up.
Xiye sighed, rubbed her temples, picked Yukino up from the bench, and headed home.
Twenty minutes later, when Xiye’s arms were so sore she felt she could squeeze lemon juice out of them, she finally saw her own house—and in front of the door, a girl with a silver Jellyfish Head.
Almost at the same moment Xiye spotted her, the girl noticed Xiye and waved from afar.
Xiye noticed the girl was carrying a cloth bag, probably the ointment she’d asked her to buy.
“Welcome back, Teacher. Though you sure are late.” Yumiya’s tone was as elegant as ever.
“Sorry, I got held up a bit.” Xiye nodded, slightly apologetic. “But Yumiya, you have my house’s passcode. Why didn’t you go in?”
The silver-haired girl tilted her head slightly, hands folded in front of her, and smiled:
“After all, this is Teacher’s home. Even if I have the code, it wouldn’t be proper to enter without you here. It’d be rude—and illegal, you know? But more importantly…”
She glanced at the sleeping girl in Xiye’s arms.
“Why is Teacher carrying Tendou-san?”
“Ah…”
A bit embarrassed, Xiye’s gaze flickered as she said:
“Yukino got drunk. I was worried about leaving her alone, and I don’t know where her house is, so I had no choice but to bring her home.”
“……”
The two fell into an awkward silence. After a while, Yumiya spoke:
“Bringing a drunken student home—Teacher, that’s a crime, you know.”
“Uwah…! It’s not like that, I was just genuinely worried about Yukino… I mean, about my student!” Xiye panicked.
If Yumiya reported her, would she be getting a pair of silver bracelets and a deluxe private room tonight?
“Just kidding.” Yumiya covered her mouth and laughed softly, then said quietly, “…Aren’t you coming in, Teacher?”
“Of—of course I am!”
Xiye hurriedly followed the lead, quickly coming to her door. She stared at her own door for five seconds, then gave an awkward smile:
“Um… Yumiya, can you help me open the door?”
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