Lost Gift 2

W-Welcome to Angel 24!

Good morning.

(This student is Sorasaki Hina, the head prefect of Gehenna. Her reputation really precedes her...)

(Head Prefect Hina doesn't talk much, and her expression doesn't really change either, so it's hard to imagine her getting a personal gift for someone...)

(But her Prefect Team duties lead her to interacting with Sensei a lot, so she totally could've gotten them a gift!)

Um... You're Head Prefect Sorasaki Hina from Gehenna Academy, right?

Yes. Do you need something...?

N-Not at all! I'm not curious about anything or even concerned about anything in particular!

Well... Um... S-So...

D-Do you have any Christmas plans?

For Christmas...?

Yes. Even if your head prefect duties keep you busy, I thought you might have a chance...to relax a bit for Christmas...

Like, go to a special party, or maybe give someone a gift...

I don't know...

Why are you so curious about my plans?

(O-Oh no! She's getting suspicious...!)

Uh... Um, so...

You see, I'm actually a middle school student! I only have a few more years left until high school.

I'm still deciding which school to aim for, so I just randomly thought that it'd be nice to know how Gehenna students spend their holidays!

School decisions? But to Gehenna...?

E-Exactly! I-Is that weird...?

No. I wouldn't say "weird"...

Middle school students just don't usually dream of entering Gehenna. This may be a first.

You seem like a diligent enough student to me... Is it that you secretly hope for a more carefree environment than this?

Huh? Have you been watching me, all this time?

Not intentionally. But it happened naturally, since I do see you whenever I come to Schale.

You guard Schale's convenience store earnestly, without complaint.

It'd be easy for a middle schooler to find excuses to slack off in a place like this, but I've always found you diligently fulfilling your duty. The shelves are never empty when you're working. I admire that about you.

Gehenna's roster is filled to the brim with students who do whatever they want, whenever they want. So it just seemed antithetical to my understanding of you. But, of course, it's your choice.

Of course, as the Head Prefect, it'd only be a boon if a diligent student like you were to become one of my underclassmen.

Th-Thank you...

Back to the topic. I'm planning on spending this Christmas at the Prefect Team's office with the other members.

Ako...that is, the senior administrator of the Prefect Team, wanted to spend this Christmas together, so she planned something.

I'm busy with work, anyway, so I wasn't planning on leaving the office to begin with.

I see... Then did someone else bring this gift?

A gift...?

N-Never mind!

Sora, I'll give you my number. If you need me, feel free to contact me.

If you have more questions about Gehenna or have any problems... I can help.

Thank you. If the store is ever under attack, I'll make sure to contact you!

...Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

W-Welcome to Angel 24!

Uh. Do you have the new...mint chocolate bun...? Or whatever it's called.

Also, if you have the other flavors, I'd like one of each.

Okay! Coming right up!

(She's from Trinity General School...)

(...She looks a little scary, but she gets soft, sweet desserts a lot.)

(Even on normal days, she tends to buy desserts made for gifting. Maybe she got a dessert gift for Sensei?)

Um, miss? Have you ordered your Christmas cake this season yet?

...Huh? Cake, all of a sudden? Why?

Ah. Is this an Angel 24 cake promotion?

N-No! It's not for the store... It's a personal question...

I'm just curious what kind of cakes Trinity students like to eat during Christmas.

What...?

...?

T-Trinity? Did I tell you I'm from Trinity?

...? N-No, you didn't...

I-I didn't, right? But, all on your own, you just thought I looked like a Trinity student? Ehehehe...

(Wh-Why is she so happy...? I can see the Trinity symbol on her jacket...)

Now, about Trinity and cakes... I guess there were rumors online that Trinity students only eat super-luxurious desserts. Is that why you're asking?

Well, I can't speak for all Trinity students, but being from Trinity doesn't mean you can only appreciate expensive things.

Good food is good food, right? For example, I ordered the special yule log cake from my favorite store in the D.U. this Christmas...

Actually, that's a limited time first-come, first-serve reservation product, so I don't think that's a good example. Sorry.

I-It's fine! I was just curious.

Then, who are you planning on sharing that cake with?

Friends from the same club? Another group? Or maybe, Sensei...?

Th-There's no way!!

I-I'm sorry!

...Ah.

Whoops, I slipped up again... *sigh*.

Sorry. I raise my voice when I'm surprised.

It's definitely not your fault. It's other people who made me this way. I hope you can understand.

N-No, it's fine. Don't worry about it.

...Thank you. You're more mature than you look.

To answer your question... Well, I can't say... I've never shared dessert with Sensei.

But this Christmas, I'm going to eat cake with the members of my club and help out the Sisterhood.

The Sisterhood is going to give out homemade panettone after Christmas. They say there's nothing special about it, but a good thing is a good thing.

I-I see... Then I guess this gift was prepared by another student.

...?

Hey, Sora, was it? What about you? What're you doing for Christmas?

I have a shift here, so I'll just be working.

Eh? You're working on Christmas? Shouldn't you be taking a break that day, of all days?

Ha...haha... That would've been nice, but I'm saving up for something I really want to buy.

Aha... That must keep you pretty busy.

...Here, take it.

Wh-What's this?!

It's a limited edition macaron from Trinity. I bought some to share with my friends, but I got too much anyway.

Sometimes you get a craving for sweets when you work, right? Save this for then, so it'll perk you back up.

Th-Thank you...!

Don't sweat it. Think of it as an apology for me yelling earlier.

I'm gonna get going now. Have a good one, Sora!

Hey, does this convenience store have portable batteries for phones?

Yes. It's on the right corner of the stand, bottom row.

Thank goodness! I'm waiting on an urgent call, so I was panicking when I realized my battery was low.

According to my calculations, I should've had just enough to last me until I got back to school... Where did I go wrong?

(I believe that's Yuuka, the treasurer of Millennium School.)

(I've only seen her with Sensei occasionally, during year-end settlements and when organizing Schale's expense reports...)

(She's always scolding Sensei and looks kind of scary, but maybe she secretly got them a gift?)

Um, excuse me...

Hm? What's the matter? Am I short?

No, it's not the payment. I had a personal question.

A personal question? Considering we've only ever shared platitudes, my curiosity is piqued.

Ask anything. I'll answer what I can.

Um, do you know Sensei's Christmas plans this year?

Wh-Wh-Why are you asking me?!

H-Huh...? B-Because you know all about Sensei's overtime and their expenses...

A-And it seems like you've known Sensei the longest, out of all the students, so I just thought you might know each other's schedules.

I-I'm sorry! I made some assumptions and totally misunderstood!

...Ahem! Of course, I advise and monitor Sensei in an appropriate manner, to make sure they don't misappropriate funds to unnecessary things.

But we're still teacher and student, so I don't contact them on holidays unless there's an urgent issue.

Besides, Sensei is almost always busy with work, even on holidays.

O-Oh, I see. Then you don't have any plans with Sensei this Christmas?

Nope. I think I'll be spending this Christmas with members of Seminar.

It seems my troublesome underclassman has something in mind.

So I'll be looking after our members in a hopefully quiet holiday season.

...Anyway, judging from your line of questioning, I'm assuming someone else did manage to secure plans with Sensei this Christmas?

N-No! I didn't mean it that way!

Hm... Well, it doesn't matter to me either way.

Anyway, make sure you don't overdo it, Sora. And don't be afraid to ask whenever you do have questions.

Th-Thank you so much...!

...Sh-She almost got me. I was right. Asking so directly is dangerous.

Anyway, it seems like I asked most of the students that visited Schale yesterday, but no one seems to know anything about this gift.

Maybe...it was for someone else?

No, I can't let my guard down until the very end. I have to investigate every last person I can!

W-Welcome to Angel 24!