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"The fairy's inside the school?"
"She doesn't even attend classes here. What's she doing at the academy?"
"You guys sure you didn't mess up?"
Blake looked down at the cat-and-dog special ops team.
"Woof woof."
The two dogs tilted their heads and panted at him, obviously unable to understand what he was saying.
The stray cat ignored him entirely and calmly sat there licking its paw.
"Language barriers really are a pain…" Blake sighed and walked toward the school gate. "Still, a lead's better than nothing. Maybe the fairy really is inside."
As expected, the gate was firmly locked.
Of course, that wasn't enough to stop Blake.
If the gate wouldn't open, he'd just climb over the wall.
After all, walls are meant to stop decent people, not determined idiots. There was no barbed wire or broken glass on top, so climbing over wasn't difficult at all.
Thunk.
With a light jump, Blake easily vaulted into the school grounds.
The two cats slipped through the gap beneath the iron gate effortlessly. One of the smaller stray dogs managed to squeeze through as well, but the larger dog had no choice but to stay outside obediently.
Once inside, however, the stray dog immediately started spinning in circles again, clearly losing the trail.
"So the fairy probably entered the school while invisible…"
Blake quickly understood.
Fortunately, the school wasn't very large. He soon decided to make a full sweep with the cat-and-dog team.
As they passed the classroom building, one of the dogs suddenly barked and wagged its tail before sprinting forward.
Naturally, Blake immediately followed.
A short while later, he stopped outside his own classroom while the dog happily wagged its tail beside the door.
His expression turned even stranger.
"My classroom…? Don't tell me the fairy's actually inside?"
He quickly shook his head.
Impossible.
The classroom used old-fashioned sliding doors that were never locked. If she wanted to leave, she could leave anytime.
Blake stepped up to the classroom entrance, took a quiet breath, and reached out.
The sliding door opened with a soft sound.
Using his phone flashlight for illumination, he stepped into the dark classroom.
The desks and chairs were perfectly neat, the room deathly silent.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Yamada Elf anywhere.
"So she's not here after all…"
As Blake walked toward his desk, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. He bent down and looked inside the desk compartment.
There, he found a Hatsune Miku figurine, several snacks Yamada Elf liked to eat, and a small sticky note beside them.
"Did the fairy leave these here?"
Curious, Blake picked up the note.
Elegant handwriting was written across it:
[Servant, this young lady suddenly felt inspired today and came to your school for research purposes. While I was here, I left you a few little gifts too. Surprised? Shocked?]
Good news.
The fairy really had come to the school. They hadn't searched the wrong direction.
Bad news.
There was definitely shock involved, but surprise wasn't exactly the word he'd use.
"If she's not in the classroom, then where is she?"
Blake frowned in thought.
At that moment, a stray calico cat suddenly ran up to him, meowing nonstop.
Blake immediately understood and followed after it.
The cat dashed into the stairwell and raced upward step by step until it reached the top floor. Then it leaped cleanly through a ventilation opening in the wall and disappeared.
"Don't tell me the fairy's on the rooftop?"
Holding up his phone flashlight, Blake shined the beam toward the metal rooftop door and saw that it was secured with a slide latch.
He pulled the latch free and stepped onto the silent rooftop.
A silver moon hung high in the night sky, spilling pale light like flowing water across the roof.
The calico cat that had jumped through the vent sat elegantly nearby, licking its paw with perfect composure.
"Fairy, are you here?"
Blake swept the rooftop with his flashlight while calling out.
"…"
Silence.
No response.
Just as disappointment started creeping in, a weak cough from a girl suddenly drifted over on the evening wind.
"Someone's there?"
Blake instantly perked up and hurried toward the sound.
A moment later, he spotted a small figure curled up behind the water tower.
The girl wore nothing but underwear.
Her snow-white skin practically glowed under the moonlight, while her hair shimmered like scattered gold.
It was Yamada Elf.
"Finally found you."
Looking at the blonde loli hugging her knees weakly in the corner, Blake finally relaxed and stepped forward, grabbing hold of her small hand.
Picking her up bridal-style… obviously impossible.
Yamada Elf was only wearing underwear. Her clothes had probably vanished because of the side effects. Only an idiot would carry her like that right now.
Taking a closer look, Blake realized her condition was terrible.
Her face was flushed with an unhealthy redness, her lips were dry and cracked, and her eyes were unfocused. Who knew how long she had been sitting on the rooftop in the cold wind?
"S-Servant… why did you take so long…?"
Yamada Elf slowly opened her eyes, sounding pitiful, weak, and utterly wronged.
What do you mean "so long"?
You ignored messages, refused calls, and disappeared completely. Finding you this quickly was already a miracle, okay? If they'd gone through the police instead, she probably would've been stuck on the rooftop until morning.
Still, seeing how weak she looked, Blake naturally wasn't about to scold her now.
"I worked my ass off trying to find you." He gently rubbed the blonde girl's head before asking curiously, "Anyway, why were you on the school rooftop?"
"E-Explain later…" Yamada Elf licked her dry lips like a traveler crawling out of a desert, her eyes filled with desperate longing for water. "I want something to drink…"
"There's no water here right now." Blake lowered his voice. "Let's head downstairs first. I'll buy you some in a minute."
Yamada Elf had no idea how long she'd been freezing on the rooftop. She was clearly dizzy already and barely seemed to hear him.
Instead, she suddenly leaned closer.
"…Peach juice."
Blake blinked, then quickly realized what she meant.
He had drunk a bottle of peach juice earlier while searching for her, and the scent must still be lingering on him.
"I want peach juice too…"
Yamada Elf suddenly wrapped her arms around Blake's neck.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
A terrible feeling instantly rose in Blake's chest.
The next second—
Driven by her burning, painfully dry throat, Yamada Elf launched a sneak attack.
Caught completely off guard, Blake's eyes widened in shock. His brain froze for a full two seconds before finally restarting.
Hey, hey, what exactly are you doing?!
No matter how thirsty you are, there's no need to panic this much!
Just wait a few more minutes and we can buy a drink from a vending machine downstairs. Don't go trying to quench your thirst with weird stuff!
Humans can survive three whole days without water. You've only been stranded for half a day at most. You're not dying!
After the initial shock, Blake quickly came back to his senses and tried to push the blonde loli away. Yamada Elf had a fever, her consciousness was fuzzy, and acting on impulse was understandable.
But he couldn't just play dumb about this. As a proper man, he needed to make a decisive choice.
Unfortunately, the moment he moved, Yamada Elf launched another sneak attack…
The rooftop quietly fell silent.
Only the cold moonlight spilled down across the night.
Then a drifting cloud slowly covered the moon…
A moment later, Yamada Elf's voice rang out from the rooftop like a survivor escaping death itself.
"I-I finally survived… Servant, don't secretly drink peach juice behind my back ever again!"
"....."