Abydos of a Midsummer Night (1) - 5

"Everyone, good morning~!" ""......"" Hoshino cheerfully greeted everyone as she entered the Foreclosure Task Force's room. "So... who is that?" "Ahaha, nice to meet you all. I'm Sensei who came this time." "Yeah, yeah, that's right~ I never expected Yume-senpai to become a teacher after graduation~ I was surprised, you know?" Ayane cautiously asks about Sensei's identity, and Sensei tells her as it is. However, Hoshino interpreted it in her own way. That Yume didn't die, but became a teacher after graduation and came back. "S-Sensei?" "Certainly, I received an official notice that Sensei changes into a different student every time... It seems it was true." Serika was dumbfounded, and Nonomi, the only one other than Hoshino who knew Yume, felt a sense of bitterness at the sight of Sensei. It was an incredible coincidence, and a cruel reality. "You said it's your first time meeting your juniors, right~? Let me introduce them to you!" "Ah, yeah..." Sensei is being misunderstood quite a bit. He tried to explain in his own way, but Hoshino didn't seem to listen. He thought it would be fine tomorrow since she would know the truth after a day passed... but Sensei, who had heard information about Yume from Arona on the way here, felt bitter. He had come to Abydos in the form of a student council president who was already dead. Sensei felt complicated in many ways. However, seeing Hoshino, who seemed unstable but a little happy... he decided to play along to some extent for now. Just for a little while. Sensei introduces himself to the Foreclosure Task Force and delivers supplies. But then, an explosion is heard from outside. "This is..." "It's the Helmet Gang's attack again!" "I see, those are the delinquents mentioned in the letter! I'll help too!" Sensei immediately takes out his shield. The shield that appeared when he became Yume. Hoshino's eyes wavered for a moment at the sight of the shield... but then, seeing Sensei holding the shield and a gun, her eyes welled up. "Let's go!" Sensei jumps out the window. Shiroko follows, and Serika and Nonomi head for the door. "...Hoshino-senpai." "Ah...... Yeah, I'm coming." Hoshino snaps out of it at Nonomi's call and follows. As she leaves the room, Hoshino glances down at her own shield. "......I knew it." Hoshino smiles faintly, as if she already knew the truth. For now, she just had to enjoy this moment as much as possible. The battle unfolds on the playground. Sensei holds up his shield and charges forward, giving instructions to everyone through his earpiece. Thanks to Sensei's battle command, they gain an advantage in the battle smoothly. Abydos was originally stronger than the Helmet Gang, but with Sensei's command, it was easier and they used less ammunition. "...Yeah, this is what I wanted to see." Yume's appearance leads the Abydos juniors before everyone. Although it was just Sensei looking like Yume... Hoshino smiled faintly, seeing as he overlapped with Yume. Hoshino soon raised her shield and ran forward. "Can I take the side?" "Yeah, please do, Hoshino-chan!" "...Yes!" Recalling the time two years ago, Hoshino destroys the Katakata Helmet Gang's tank together with Sensei. Sensei, who uses Yume's combat techniques so perfectly. Hoshino kept glancing at Sensei, looking at him with eyes full of longing. Boom!!! And so, the Foreclosure Task Force defeated the Katakata Helmet Gang in just 10 minutes after the battle began. The Helmet Gang all ran away, but they didn't bother to chase them. "Good work, everyone~ We won!" "Uhehe~ Right? It was way easier than usual, wasn't it?" Sensei naturally high-fives Hoshino. "We defeated the Helmet Gang and got supplies, so we can focus on paying off the debt!" "Ah, Serika-chan......" "...Oops!" "Ah~ I already know about that. You don't have to hide it." They all return to the Foreclosure Task Force's room, and Serika, relieved, accidentally mentions the debt. But Sensei, who had already learned about Abydos on the way here, also knew about the existence of the debt. "I know the cause of the debt. And I know you're all working hard to repay it." "Is that so... You already knew." "Yeah, that's right. We're paying off the debt. Right now, just the interest is overwhelming, though." Ayane gave an awkward smile, and Shiroko nodded, easily explaining the current situation. "I didn't come here just to give you supplies. I want to help solve Abydos' debt problem." "Haa~? Do you think that's possible? It's in the hundreds of millions! And, an adult who just came from outside... You're going to solve our debt that the General Student Council turned a blind eye to?" "Serika-chan..." "If it were that easy, we would've asked for Nonomi-senpai's help long ago. We want to reclaim this school with our own hands. I'd rather you didn't interfere, Sensei." Serika showed hostility towards Sensei. While grateful for the supplies and combat support... she couldn't easily trust an adult who had just arrived in Kivotos, an adult from the General Student Council who had ignored Abydos, especially with the scars she had received while living in Abydos. On top of that, a strange adult who changes into the form of a student every day. It was hard to trust him easily. Nonomi looked at Sensei, seeing Serika like that. "It's not strange to react like that~ I understand. I won't ask you to trust me right away, or to rely on me right away. But, you know? I'm going to stay in Abydos for at least a few more days!" "Stay? Where will you sleep...?" "Hmm~ I can sleep anywhere, really! Aren't there motels or inns in the city?" "Yes, there are. Stay at an inn. If you sleep outside, you might freeze to death because it's a desert." "Haha..." Sensei smiles and thinks positively even at Serika's sharp response. Hoshino stares at Sensei. Sensei smiles at Shiroko's words and immediately searches for accommodations, asking Ayane where would be good. He looked like Yume, and he had a similar personality to Yume. It was as if Yume had really come back to life. But Hoshino knows. That she's not Yume...... it was just a dream that lasted only one day. That's all it is...... "Uhehe~ Then, as a senior of Abydos, I should guide Sensei~?" "Huh? Guide?" "Yeah~ I don't have anything to do later anyway~ I'll guide you in the afternoon~ Don't be shy, okay?" Hoshino takes Sensei's hand and leaves the classroom. Serika calls out to Hoshino, but Nonomi holds Serika's hand and shakes her head. Nonomi, who knows Hoshino's pain that others don't... wanted her to enjoy this sweet dream, even if it was just for a little while. First, Hoshino guides Sensei through Abydos High School, the annex, not the main building buried in the sand. She showed him the tomatoes and other vegetables they grow in the rooftop garden, the gym, the now-dry swimming pool, and the warehouse, and also showed him the high-quality duck down mattress that Yume had found before. "It's spacious even though it's an annex~" "Uhehe~ Abydos was rich in the past, after all~ It wasn't like that when this old man was young, though~" "Come to think of it, I heard that Abydos used to be famous for its sand festival." "......" Sand festival. Hoshino remembers the poster that Yume had shown her with a hopeful look, and the memory of tearing that poster with her own hands. And recalls the note that Yume left before she disappeared, along with the poster that Yume had put back together. It's one of Yume's keepsakes that is now hanging in her room. Hearing the story of the sand festival from Sensei, who looked exactly like Yume, made her heart ache. Swallowing hard and forcing a smile, Hoshino continued the tour. "This is the last classroom! It used to be the student council's classroom... Now it's just another storage room." "I see. It's quite spacious, isn't it?" Being alone with Sensei in the classroom that used to be the student council room, Hoshino was overcome with emotion when she saw Sensei standing in front of the window. It was as if she had returned to that day two years ago. Sensei puts his hand on the window, slowly turns around, and looks at Hoshino. "Hey, Hoshino-chan." "......Yeah." "...I'm not Yume." "......Yeah, I know. Of course, I know......" Sensei gives a faint smile and tells her the truth again. Hoshino gives a bitter smile, thinking she must look like an idiot. "But... I'm Sensei. I can't just stand by when a student is having a hard time." "......" "Even though I'm not the real Yume... you can lean on me anytime you want. You liked her, right? Yume." "...Yeah, I liked her. She was a fool, always positive, and full of mistakes... but I truly respected, admired, and liked her." "I see. Hoshino. You don't have to bear that pain, that sadness alone. It's not your fault. If you want to lean on someone, you can lean on me anytime. You're not alone. I'm here." "......I see. Then, can I... just for a little while, lean on you?" "Yes, of course." Hoshino slowly walked towards Sensei and leaned on his chest. "It was really hard, wasn't it?" "No, it wasn't...... Yeah, it was really hard. Alone... It was really hard." "I see. It's okay now. I'm here. You don't have to struggle alone, Hoshino-chan."