"You also saw right..." Homura turned to look at Fumino's group. "Probably followed you all, I guess?"
"Ehh?!" Uruka looked incredulous. "Followed us? Could it be a stalker?!"
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
"Pffft..." Homura suddenly laughed.
"Why are you laughing?" Miyako asked, confused. "Did Uruka make a wrong guess?"
"Well, mainly because, the so-called stalker is a woman, y'know."
"Hmm..." Elf pondered for a moment, then concluded. "Aren't women stalkers scarier and more messed up than men though?"
"..."
"Scarier? Messed up?!"
"Just kidding." Elf instantly switched to a cheerful smile.
Homura quickly ruffled Elf's head, completely messing up her hair before stopping. She pouted and went off to fix her hair.
Fumino breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing that it was a joke, she breathed out again.
"Minamiya-kun, can you describe her appearance?"
"Tall figure, waist-length pink-colored hair, straight bangs, and the temples twisted into braids, with a slightly serious expression."
Fumino, Rizu, and Uruka exchanged glances. The more they listened to his description, the more familiar it felt. Finally, a clear image formed in their minds.
""Kirisu-sensei?!""
"She must have followed you guys, right?" Homura chuckled. "I saw her intensely staring in this direction for too long, so I gave her two sandwiches."
"Since Homura-kun gave her sandwiches, she probably isn't a bad person." Megumi said her assumption.
"By the way, she actually accepted them?" Eriri raised an eyebrow.
"Her attention was all on Furuhashi-san and her group. She didn't even notice me approaching and got startled when I started talking to her." Homura explained. "And then I just handed her the sandwiches."
"What happened afterward? Why did she leave?" Utaha asked.
"Ahh, that? As I said I was going to call Furuhashi-san, she ran off." Homura shrugged.
Fumino's expression was complex at the moment.
"I think I have an idea..."
Everyone assumed a listening posture, waiting for what came next.
"Kirisu-sensei has always advised me and Ri-chan to give up our original dreams and choose the path that we're good at. She believes it's the right way. But we've never agreed, or maybe it's because we're resisting her. That's why we've held onto our beliefs until now."
"At first, we didn't have a good impression of her, but... Minamiya-kun's words just now made me think that Kirisu-sensei might not be the person we imagined her to be..."
"Why?" Rizu was the most puzzled. "Fumino, what do you mean?"
"Kirisu-sensei wouldn't have to avoid us if that were the case..." Fumino said, shaking her head. "I mean, why would a teacher like her run off when Minamiya-kun wanted to call us? If she's doing that, maybe it's because she's embarrassed or awkward about something. You know what? That means she's different from the other teachers; she hasn't given up on us."
"So, you mean Kirisu-sensei might have some kind of struggle?" Uruka mused.
"Regardless of whether there's a struggle, the fact that we misunderstood her is true."
"That's why..." Homura continued. "When you get a chance, talk to her. Misunderstandings, if left unsaid, will never be resolved. Once you understand her true thoughts, you can figure out whether you can convince her, no?"
"Um..." Fumino nodded with a complex mood. "We'll find an opportunity to talk to Kirisu-sensei."
"But come to think of it... Why was Kirisu-sensei in Akihabara?" Uruka scratched her head, still a bit puzzled.
"That's why I said she followed you guys here." Homura laughed.
"Couldn't it just be a coincidence?" Uruka retorted.
"Oh well..." Homura shook his head. "Even though Furuhashi-san already guessed, let me explain."
"Perhaps she saw you three was a coincidence, but in Akihabara? That's unlikely. After all, she had no reason to come here, right? From what I see, she looks like a super serious person and a normie, so I don't think she is an Otaku and the like."
"It's not impossible you know!" Uruka laughed. "What if Kirisu-sensei is also a fan of Minamiya-sensei?"
"A fan who didn't react at all when she saw me and got scared shitless just by hearing Furuhashi-san's name?" Homura retorted.
"..." Uruka instantly fell silent.
Homura continued. "Perhaps, by chance, she happened to be on the same train as you guys, and because she knows you, she paid attention to you and saw that you got off at Akihabara. Why would a teacher like her come to this otaku-filled place? Do I need to continue?"
"No need, Minamiya-san..." Rizu spoke up, her expression also quite complex at the moment.
While she didn't fully grasp human psychology, Homura had explained it so clearly that she realized she must have misunderstood this teacher before.
Even though she wasn't certain about the teacher's true intentions, she understood that the teacher genuinely cared about her students.
"The car's here!" Ayano spoke up and interrupted their thoughts. The timing of the car's arrival was perfect—it instantly lightened the atmosphere.
"Let's go then." Homura nodded and grabbed the cooler box. Haru jumped right onto the box.
"Otonokizaka High is such a great place!" Homura grinned. "It's going to be our holy land from now on!"
"Our holy land, huh?" Eriri chuckled.
"A holy land of Muse." Elf smirked. "Won't Muse's fans be so jealous?"
"What's a holy land?" Yui suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Ritsu scratched her head. "The place where a saint is born right?"
Mio decisively landed a fist on Ritsu's head. "What strange knowledge are you teaching to Yui?!"
"Eh? So, it's not like that?" Kaguya looked utterly bewildered.
Eriri stumbled, then looked incredulous at Kaguya. "Kaguya... Why did you believe that nonsense?"
"Ahem! Ahem! Sawamura-san, what are you talking about?" The Shinomiya's eldest daughter pretended to be clueless.
"The definition of 'holy land' varies from person to person. Because many mangas are set in real-world locations, if you really love a certain manga, you can consider the places depicted in it as a 'holy land', de gozaru." Saori explained with a smile.
"I see!" Kaguya nodded. "I've learned something new!"
As they chatted in a cheerful atmosphere, they got in the car and set off.
===
On the other side.
Kirisu Mafuyu had run quite a distance, only letting out a sigh of relief when she boarded the train and got off at the next station.
"Miscalculated... To think I was discovered."
But soon, she realized she still had two sandwiches in her hand.
"Uh... forgot to give them back to him!"
Her expression immediately twisted in turmoil as she debated whether to return.
After a while, she decided not to return. She could just find another opportunity to repay that boy!
Looking at the sandwiches in her hand again, the images of those girls' blissful faces from a moment ago flashed in her mind. Unconsciously, she swallowed her saliva.
"Suspicious... Are they really that delicious?"
Her hand reached for the plastic wrap, and then...
"Mmm~! Delicious~!"
A contented smile painted Mafuyu's slightly reddened face.