Chapter 57: Asking for Leave

When she went to the school that afternoon, Teacher Futaba had asked her curiously, “Where is Mr. Yanase Naoto?” and other such questions.

Because she had always been playing the role of “Yanase Naoto,” Ephnel had subconsciously used a disguised voice when answering the phone.

When she learned that Yukina had gotten into trouble, she rushed directly to the school without having time to change.

So Ephnel had just made something up, naturally taking on the identity of Yukina’s older sister.

When she came to pick up Yukina, the homeroom teacher saw that Yukina’s attitude towards Ephnel was not the least bit distant, and so didn’t say much more.

Yanase Naoto and Shiomi Yukina were, of course, not biological siblings.

Blended families were especially common in this era, and family compositions were not always apparent at a glance.

This sort of thing was not uncommon for school teachers, so they wouldn’t deliberately ask too many questions.

“Onee-chan…?”

Hanasou Kotone repeated the name “Yanase Naoko” in her mind, and subconsciously called out, immediately feeling a hint of awkwardness.

“I-I’ll just call you Yanase-san…”

“Either is fine.”

Not minding how Hanasou Kotone addressed her, Ephnel picked up her phone.

“By the way, I’ve already asked for a leave of absence from Teacher Futaba on your father’s behalf, and she has approved it.”

“So you don’t have to go to the rest of your classes today.”

“Take this opportunity to get some good rest.”

“Thank you…”

Hanasou Kotone offered a sincere smile.

She had been considering whether to ask the teacher for leave and was still hesitating, but this young lady before her had already arranged everything.

Her own father had been in a slump ever since that accident and didn’t pay much attention to her.

Getting him to ask for a leave of absence for her would probably be quite difficult, and it would be a bit troublesome for her, as a student, to request leave herself.

She had no idea how this young lady, as Shiomi Yukina’s guardian, had managed to get the homeroom teacher to agree to the leave so readily.

After all, she was technically an outsider.

Ephnel went to the window and pulled open the curtains.

The view of the evening glow flooded into the room all at once.

It had to be said that the institutions directly under the Order Organization were indeed very wealthy.

Everything here, from the decor to the furnishings, was beautiful.

Through the large floor-to-ceiling window, one could see half of Seikyo City, the city under the evening glow laid out before their eyes.

The snow-white room was also equipped with a game console and a projection TV.

As long as you didn’t disturb others, you could use these things as you pleased.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that someone might mistake this place for a luxurious tourist hotel.

In order to help the patients living here recover from their psychological trauma as quickly as possible, this level of expenditure was necessary.

“You’re welcome.”

“It was Yukina who injured you in the first place.”

“I should be the one apologizing to you.”

Ephnel smiled, causing Hanasou Kotone to lower her head and hide her face.

“By the way, I remember you live near the school, Hanasou-san?”

“Are you usually home alone?”

“Yes… my father is very busy and doesn’t have much time to come home…”

“That must be tough, right?”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“It can’t be helped…”

Hanasou Kotone said quickly.

“Besides, I’m grown up now.”

“I don’t really feel it’s a bother living alone…”

“Is that so.”

She glanced cautiously at Ephnel, only to see the young lady’s brow furrowed, as if lost in thought.

This older sister of Shiomi Yukina’s was truly beautiful, and a very kind person.

Unconsciously, Hanasou Kotone’s gaze became glued to her.

It couldn’t be helped.

Her mother had left her a long time ago, and her father had gradually changed since then, paying her no mind.

Although it was a bit hard to say, Hanasou Kotone found herself very dependent on this feeling of being cared for by an older woman.

In the end, it was probably just that it reminded her of her mother.

…

“Shiomi-san’s grades are so good!”

“If she says she’s second, no one can claim first!”

Hanasou Kotone’s eyes shone as she spoke with a face full of admiration.

Ephnel was asking Hanasou Kotone about Yukina’s life at school.

Yukina hadn’t brought classmates home for a long time, so opportunities to talk with her friends were rare.

Ephnel didn’t miss the chance to inquire about Yukina’s school life from Hanasou Kotone.

“I remember your grades are very good too, Kotone?”

“Teacher Futaba mentioned it.”

“I can’t compare to her when it comes to academic performance.”

Hanasou Kotone quickly denied it.

Yukina’s academic performance had always been excellent; this was something Ephnel had always known.

But hearing it from Hanasou Kotone’s mouth still made Ephnel feel gratified.

“I’ve known Shiomi-san for almost a year, and I’ve never surpassed her once.”

“Actually, when I first came to this class, I was thinking of trying to get first place just once.”

“But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t beat her.”

“So I decided to ask her for advice, and you know what she said?”

“She said, ‘Just listening in class is enough.'”

“I almost died of anger.”

Speaking of this, Hanasou Kotone smiled bashfully, reminiscing about when she first started school.

Later, she learned that Yukina really only needed to pay attention in class to easily get first place.

Yukina had a talent for it.

Just like how she never did much extracurricular exercise, yet no one could ever beat her in sports.

There really was a big difference between people.

But on second thought, although the gifts heaven had given them were different, it wasn’t exactly unfair.

“And you became friends just like that…”

Ephnel smiled too.

It was clear that although Hanasou Kotone and Yukina were very good friends, Hanasou Kotone had always been holding her breath, wanting to compete with Yukina.

It wasn’t that she was unconvinced, but rather that talented people always had their own pride.

Hanasou Kotone clearly still wanted to prove herself, she just hadn’t succeeded yet.

But on the other hand, perhaps Yukina had also always wanted to surpass her in sports.

“You two have a really good relationship.”

“Of course!”

Hanasou Kotone raised her head confidently.

“I’m her bestie, her best friend!”

Looking at Hanasou Kotone, Ephnel was reminded of her own school days, that distant time that would never return.

She had completely lost contact with her friends from that time after the disaster more than a year ago.

Once, she had run into a few of them during a combat mission, but they no longer recognized her, so of course, there were no greetings.

“By the way, at school… has Yukina been bullied?”

Ephnel asked the question she was most concerned about.

When she was little, Yukina was always quiet and withdrawn and didn’t get along well with her classmates.

Once, Ephnel had seen her being bullied with her own eyes.

That time, Ephnel couldn’t hold back and had gotten into a fight.

The result was a scuffle between the two sides.

Children don’t have a talent for fighting; whoever was fiercer won.

That time, Ephnel had won.

For a long time after that, she didn’t hear Yukina mention school.

Ephnel knew Yukina was worried she would get into another fight, so she didn’t say anything.

But that, in turn, made Ephnel even more worried.

…