“Takamatsu… Teacher?” Shiye tilted her head, her cheeks stuffed full of food.
This was the first time she had ever met a colleague in this school. She had wondered about this before: was she the only teacher in this entire city?
The answer was “yes and no.”
There were other teachers, but they only taught knowledge. For example, the penguin in front of her taught encyclopedic knowledge; they didn’t bother themselves with regulating student behavior.
Among these teachers, robots made up a large portion. “Miraculous animals” like Takamatsu were still very rare.
In other words, Shiye was indeed the only “Teacher” in this city with such a unique and special status.
“My name is Shiye… though it looks like you already knew that,” Shiye said as she struggled to swallow her food, asking tentatively.
To complete the Bureau’s investigation missions, she not only had to get close to the students but also had to maintain good relations with the other teachers.
“Teacher Shiye’s reputation has spread from the West Teaching Building to the East. Not a soul in all of Arkham doesn’t know who you are. So, seeing you in the cafeteria today, I thought I’d come over and say hello…” Takamatsu stated his purpose.
“…It’s not quite that exaggerated…” Shiye touched her face, laughing with a hint of embarrassment.
The speed of that gossip was way too fast!
She secretly cried out in dismay, but now that she had confirmed Takamatsu’s intentions, Shiye relaxed a little. At least the other party was well-meaning.
However, the fat penguin’s eyes rolled around once, and he flapped his wings against his belly, making a “pa-pa” sound. He spoke in a slightly magnetic bass:
“…I’m glad to meet you—though I’d like to say that, my purpose for finding you isn’t just for a greeting…”
“Eh?”
This sudden turn in the conversation startled Shiye, causing her hand holding the chopsticks to shake. A piece of fish that looked like the most delicious morsel on the plate fell back down, only to be immediately snatched up by a tentacle from the ravenous Csu-Csu and stuffed into her mouth.
My meat—
Shiye looked longingly at the satisfied Csu-Csu. The little girl looked back at her, a hint of craftiness flashing in her starry eyes. She opened her pink, tender mouth, revealing the white meat she hadn’t swallowed yet—having only chewed it a couple of times—and pointed at it with a delicate little finger.
It was as if she were saying, “If Teacher wants it, she can take it with her mouth, okay?”
Ha…
The girl withdrew her gaze, looking firmly at the mysterious Takamatsu:
“What is it you wanted to say, Teacher Takamatsu?”
Takamatsu’s yellow beak fiddled with his cigar as he exhaled a smoke ring:
“…Someone is targeting you. You’d better pay attention.”
“Me?”
Shiye frowned slightly, feeling a wave of confusion.
I’m being targeted?
This sentence, which sounded quite threatening, didn’t actually seem worth worrying about if she thought about it carefully. After all, rumors about her were flying everywhere right now; it would be abnormal if she weren’t being targeted.
Moreover, there were already three Evil Gods she knew of who had designs on her. She wasn’t exactly lacking for one more “secret observer.”
Thinking of this, she shrugged indifferently:
“I understand. Thank you for the warning, Teacher Takamatsu. I’ll be careful.”
Regarding Shiye’s attitude, Takamatsu said nothing more. He just gave her a deep, meaningful look, turned his body, and jumped off the chair:
“I’ve said all I need to say. Take care of yourself, quack!”
With that, he tucked his newspaper under his wing and walked away.
“See you next time, Teacher Takamatsu.”
Withdrawing her gaze from the penguin’s round back, Shiye lowered her head and took a few more bites. Her appetite was small to begin with, and combined with the bland, tasteless food, she quickly lost interest.
Just as the girl turned her head, she saw a pair of chopsticks holding an octopus tentacle thrust right into her face. It was as elastic as jelly, and the suckers almost touched the tip of her nose.
Shiye shrank back, but Csu-Csu’s chopsticks moved forward, nearing the corner of her mouth:
“Teacher, say ah—”
“Eh, Csu-Csu…”
If Shiye backed up any further, she was going to fall off the chair.
“Open your mouth, ah~”
Csu-Csu looked completely innocent, as if this were just a sudden whim.
Shiye pulled her neck back, looking much like a penguin herself. An evil shadow was gradually enlarging on her exquisite face as she watched the tentacle approach and eventually press against her lips.
“If you don’t eat it, it’s going to get cold.” Csu-Csu seemed a bit dissatisfied.
“I know, but…”
Shiye hesitated, her eyes moving back and forth between the grilled octopus on the table and the tentacle at her mouth.
Why did it feel like the colors were slightly off? The grilled octopus on the plate seemed to have higher saturation, while the tentacle on the chopsticks was a bit darker…
She faintly sensed something was wrong, but Csu-Csu gave her no room to think. Seizing the moment Shiye was dazed, she poked the chopsticks into her mouth—
“Heh!”
The naturally slippery tentacle “whooshed” into Shiye’s mouth. By the time she reacted, it was too late; the tentacle had already reached the back of her throat.
“Mmm!” Shiye covered her mouth and said muffledly, “What is this!?”
“What’s what?” Csu-Csu tilted her head. “It’s just normal grilled octopus. Did Teacher think I fed her something strange? Wu… I’m so sad…!”
The little girl bit her index finger, puffed out her cheeks, and looked as if she were about to burst into tears. She looked incredibly pitiful.
Ha…
This stupid girl, when did she learn how to act pitiful?
A bit of a sticky, glutinous sensation remained in her throat. Shiye’s throat moved, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to do with this creature.
The octopus tentacle she just ate was nine parts out of ten suspicious. Shiye was almost certain it hadn’t come from the plate of grilled octopus.
But how could she verify it?
Even if Shiye used torture to extract a confession, as long as Csu-Csu kept her mouth shut, there would be no way to prove it.
It could be said that this tentacle had now become Schrödinger’s octopus tentacle. Until observed, it remained in a superposition of “problematic” and “no problem.”
Unless Shiye cut open her own stomach, she would never know the answer as long as Csu-Csu didn’t reveal it herself.
“Guh…”
Shiye clenched her fists.
To think she let her guard down just because she thought she had tamed the Evil God…
Damn it, I was careless!
“I’m finished eating. I have work this afternoon, so I’ll head out first. You keep eating, Su-Su.”
In this round of confrontation, Shiye was defeated.
The black-haired girl stood up hastily, bringing with her a citrus-scented breeze. The soft mounds under her black-and-red uniform billowed in beautiful waves, and the hem of her plaid skirt swept past Csu-Csu’s tentacles, finally exposing the hidden desire in the depths of the girl’s eyes.
Finally, finally, she fell for it…!
Hehe, Teacher, since you won’t punish me, I’ll just have to use some slightly more forceful methods.
The missing part of the grilled octopus had long since been eaten, and as for what replaced it…
Beneath the table, the tip of a thick, purple-black tentacle under Csu-Csu’s skirt was missing, revealing a smooth cut.
“Hehe… As expected of Teacher, such quick reflexes.”
Shiye’s figure disappeared at the cafeteria entrance, but Csu-Csu could still clearly “see” her position.
Now she has left the cafeteria, reached the corridor, and is heading toward the library…
That’s my tentacle, Teacher. By eating my tentacle, I can clearly know where you are~
Why stay in the library for so long when you said you had work to do?
Csu-Csu closed her eyes, feeling the continuous signals transmitted by the tentacle.
Shiye stayed there for at least five minutes—and then, she suddenly vanished.
“?!”