I took a sip of the iced black tea Yuzu had given me, moistening my throat, which had grown dry from lecturing.
"That's about it. Did you remember everything?"
Aris nodded obediently, her expression serious. "Affirmative. Aris has memorized all of the techniques taught by teacher."
In sharp contrast, Momoi nodded perfunctorily. "Me too, me too. So can I go play games now?"
"You'd better really have remembered it… but before that, there's one more thing."
"What is it, hurry up and say it."
Seeing how impatient Momoi looked to start gaming, I suddenly felt less inclined to say it.
After a moment of thought, I said, "Now that Aris's student ID and weapon are both settled, it's time to officially have her join the Game Development Department, and report this to the Seminar."
Although Rio had personally inquired about Aris's situation, since she did not want the matter exposed, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.
Hearing this, Momoi puffed out her chest proudly.
"Oh, that thing. Don't worry, I already told Yuuka while you were nagging just now."
…In other words, Momoi had been secretly playing with her phone during the lecture, right?
And yet she could still put on that confident look like she was saying "praise me for being smart." Why!?
Feeling utterly drained, I temporarily gave up on scolding Momoi further. "Then what did Yuuka say?"
"She said there's a meeting this afternoon about strengthening club management, so we'll talk after that."
Suddenly, it felt like the Seminar truly lived up to its name, an organization with problems that could never be fully discussed and meetings that never seemed to end.
"Then sensei, can you let me go play games now?" Momoi looked anxiously toward the two behind her who had escaped disaster and were already fully absorbed in gaming. She turned back to urge me, "Sensei, sensei, they're about to enter the next dungeon. If I miss this team up chance again, our progress might get desynced!"
Hearing that, even Aris could not sit still, her clear eyes looking at me with eager anticipation.
"All right, go ahead."
"Yay!"
Momoi jumped up excitedly and dashed over to the empty seat beside Midori, while Aris sat down next to Yuzu.
Watching the three of them playing games with such enthusiasm, I smiled helplessly.
Even with enough members now, there was still the major challenge of developing a game good enough to win at the Millennium Club Competition waiting ahead. It was hardly the time to play without a care.
But well… letting them relax their tightly wound nerves for now could be considered a form of balancing work and rest.
With that thought, I refrained from bringing up anything that might spoil the mood and quietly left the club room.
It was already lunchtime, and for the sake of convenience and nutrition, I chose to eat at the Millennium student cafeteria.
And once again, I confirmed a fact.
Not every cafeteria manager had culinary skills on the same level as Fuuka.
Even constrained by mass cooking, Fuuka's dishes, while needing to maintain volume, could at worst be called ordinary in taste, but never bad.
Millennium, on the other hand… could only be described as nutritious, cheap, and sufficient to fill the stomach.
Those Gehenna students who complained about Fuuka's cooking really did not know how good they had it.
Just as I was trying my best to ignore the flavor and mechanically swallow the food, nearly putting on a mask of suffering, a pleasantly surprised voice came from beside me.
"Sensei? What a coincidence. I didn't expect you to eat at the student cafeteria too. This seat isn't taken, right?"
As the voice spoke, its owner carried a tray and sat down across from me.
Seeing the black haired girl with a high ponytail, I smiled in greeting. "Isn't that Sumire. Long time no see."
Otohana Sumire, the head of the Athletics Training Club. Some time ago, she had overtrained to the point of severe dehydration and collapsed unconscious on the field. I had happened to be there and helped send her to the infirmary.
Perhaps thanks to the physical resilience of Kivotos students and timely treatment, only a few days had passed and Sumire already looked perfectly fine.
Out of concern, I still asked, "Sumire, how is your condition now?"
"As you can see, I'm completely recovered," Sumire said gratefully. "That's all thanks to your help."
"As long as you're fine."
I let out a sigh of relief, then looked her over. This time, it was for another important reason.
Simply put, aesthetic appreciation.
I had to admit, Sumire was truly beautiful.
Even her sickly appearance carried a certain elegance. Now that she had regained her health, her skin was rosy and radiant. Her refined features, paired with a slender yet strong physique, gave off a unique charm.
I had heard an old saying from Shanhaijing, that great kindness could never be repaid. Sumire might now be thinking of repaying it with her body.
If she really made such a request, how should I politely accept it? Truly a troubling thought.
"Sensei chose this set meal too," Sumire said, looking at the dishes on my tray with a smile. "How is it, pretty good, right?"
…Are you taste blind?
However, her next sentence cleared up my confusion.
"Whether it's calories, or the balance of sugar, fat, protein, and other components, it's absolutely perfect," she said with a soft laugh. "This really showcases Millennium's strength in nutrition science."
Ah, so her focus was different. Then all was fine.
"I see."
"Yes. One must strictly control dietary intake and persist with training in order to maintain bodily health."
"Even so, moderation is important," I could not help reminding her. "Like last time, exercising to the point of severe dehydration is putting the cart before the horse, isn't it?"
Sumire's cheeks flushed slightly as she explained, "Th-that was because of a reason… I've been preparing for exams lately, so I've been sitting most of the time. I wanted to increase my exercise to compensate, but I ended up overdoing it, and that's how it turned out."
After hearing Sumire's explanation, the first thought that crossed my mind had nothing to do with her.
If Millennium had exams recently…
Then the members of the Game Development Department were way too lax, weren't they?!
No, after finishing lunch, I would go back and confiscate their consoles to push them to work and study.
All three of them except Aris.
Having made up my mind, I continued talking with Sumire. "You were already doing well enough before, weren't you?"
"That's not the case," Sumire objected. "Training must be done consistently and taken seriously. If not…"
"If not?"
Seeing her hesitate, I repeated.
"It will cause… muscle loss."
At that, Sumire shuddered.
I looked at her flat stomach, faintly showing a waistline but no pronounced abs, and her shoulders and hands with lines full of feminine softness, and fell into thought.
The physique of Kivotos students… seemed to not differ much whether they trained or not.
Well, maybe just a little.
I suddenly thought of the best counterexample, Kotori, who clearly lacked exercise.
Still, in Kivotos, it really seemed like a blessed land. Almost all students were youthful and beautiful girls. They would not become sluggish tanks, nor overtrained muscle monsters. It was easy on the eyes.
Sumire grew more and more animated. "Sensei, do you understand? Imagine all the muscles I've trained so far disappearing… that's hell, that's suffering, that's something that must never happen!"
"Uh, I think I understand a little, maybe."
"Ah ah! Sorry… I got carried away for a moment."
Sumire took a few deep breaths and calmed down slightly. "Anyway, to prevent muscle loss, I have to do this."
I reminded her, "But your original intention for training was to make your body healthier, right?"
"Of course, I know that too. That's why I'm so serious about it…"
I raised a hand to stop her, straightened my expression, and asked sternly, "Can it still be called healthy when you train to the point of severe dehydration and faint three times in a row?"
"Ah, yes. You're right," Sumire sighed and apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry, sensei."
"It's fine. Just be careful next time."
"Haah…"
Sumire sighed again and explained herself. "Normally, my training is very well regulated. But once I start feeling anxious, I make mistakes like this."
I felt that, unlike her appearance and demeanor, Sumire's inner personality was somewhat… straightforward, perhaps.
This trait itself was not a flaw, but in extreme situations, it could easily lead to outcomes like this.
Unless…
"If only someone could keep an eye on me."
Sumire spoke as if unintentionally, sounding troubled. "But there's no one around I can ask. Sensei, what should I do?"
My gaze instantly sharpened.
Was she hinting at something?
There was no mistake. Sumire must be interested in me, but constrained by a girl's modesty, she was waiting for me to take the initiative!
Good thing I had keen insight and a clear understanding of myself, otherwise I would never have grasped her intention.
I smiled slightly, pointed to myself, and volunteered cooperatively. "Then how about me?"
Sumire blinked. "…Eh? What do you mean by that?"
Hah, she even put on a convincing look of surprise.
"Let me help you."
"Sensei will help me? Re-really, is that okay?"
Before I could even answer, Sumire had already started thanking me. "Thank you, sensei! Or, should I start calling you trainer now?"
Switching to a distinctive, more intimate form of address was a great way to close distance. I had used this trick on Izuna before.
I nodded. "Mm. I approve of you calling me that."
"Yes! Trainer!"
Sumire excitedly changed how she addressed me, smiling happily for a while before suddenly realizing, "Ah, if I don't eat soon, it'll get cold."
And so, having already finished my meal, I made plans with Sumire to sweat it out together sometime, then left the cafeteria ahead of her.