At first Hajime had driven like a madman to try and throw her off, but Tio had used her considerable mana reserves to hang on through even the roughest turns. As his rough driving had only served to excite Tio more, Hajime had eventually given up and resorted to just ignoring her. After all, giving a pervert attention of any kind was just playing into their hands.
At first Tio had enjoyed deliberately being ignored, but before long she grew lonely as she saw the trio up front having fun, and started begging for attention.
However, even then they ignored her, so she slowly started trying to slide into the backseat through the window. The way her black hair covered her face as she creeped forward bore a striking resemblance to the girl from The Ring.
Though he'd been trying to ignore her, when he caught sight of how she looked, Will let out a high-pitched shriek and backed away. Hajime and the others turned around to see what the problem was.
"Hm? I-I seem to be stuck. My bosom is... getting in the way. Excuse me, young Will, could you lend me a hand?" Tio stretched out a hand to Will, her massive breasts contorting painfully due to the window's small size. She really looked like a banshee trying to curse someone. Hajime casually pulled Schlag out of its holster and fired at Tio over his shoulder.
"Nuooh!?" The bullet hit her square in the forehead, sending her flying back into the truck bed. She slammed into the back wall and started rolling around in pain.
"H-How could you do that. If you don't give me any warning... I won't be able to contain myself." She rubbed her forehead happily, blushing as she complained to Hajime... or rather asked for more. Hoping to avoid a repeat of last time, Tio tried entering through the window feet first.
This time, it was her plump butt that got stuck in the window. She started squirming back and forth, trying to squeeze her voluptuous behind through.
Hajime fired another set of bullets with Schlag, but he was unable to excise Tio from the window. Not only was her butt more firmly stuck than her boobs had been, the soft layers of fat cushioned the bullets' impact, weakening their force.
And so, instead of dislodging Tio, all Hajime succeeded in doing was giving her more pleasure.
"More, Master," she moaned, and Hajime disgustedly holstered his gun, giving up on shooting her out. The moment he engaged with that pervert was the moment he lost.
Yue had long since lost any respect she might have originally held for the dragonmen, but this was a new low. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Realizing the barrage had stopped, Tio continued worming her way into the back. Eventually, she managed to squeeze her way in, and she let out a sigh of relief as she sat down.
"Haah... Haah... Unbelievable... No matter the situation, you don't hesitate. What a hopeless master you are. But fear not. For I can take any kind of love you wish to dish out. So... don't hold back. You can be even more violent with me if you desire. In fact, please be more violent with me."
"Shut up, pervert. And get away from me. In fact, open that door and jump out right now."
"Wha—!? Haah... Haah... I am truly blessed to have such an understanding master. However, I must refuse. I have decided to follow you wherever you may go. Not only is it the most efficient way to complete my mission, I must have you take responsibility for teaching me such pleasure. Thus, I have no reason to leave. No matter what you say, I shall chase after you. You will not escape me." Hajime's blunt refusal set Tio panting again, but she stubbornly refused his request. Her tone was in stark contrast to her ecstatic expression.
"You've gotta be kidding me. I don't have to take responsibility for anything. I was just trying to kill you back there. You should be glad I didn't actually end up finishing you off. And as for your mission, why not just go straight to the hero? He's the one at the center of this whole summoned warriors business, so go bug him."
"I wholeheartedly refuse. I know not what kind of man this hero is, but I am certain no one is more merciless and unforgiving than you, Master! Don't underestimate my tenacity. I have already decided you are the only one fit to command me! I am not so fickle that I would change masters on a whim!" Tio's eyes were open wide and her hands clenched into fists. She was trying to sound cool, but in the end she was just a hopeless pervert who wanted Hajime to walk all over her.
"No matter where you run, I'll find you. I'll go to every town I can find and tell people I'm searching for the man that cruelly took my first, did this and that to me, made me unable to live without him, and then abandoned me."
"Now look here..." Hajime narrowed his eyes dangerously. He toyed with the idea of just killing her, but she wasn't an enemy and Yue definitely wouldn't let him. Another option was to beat her until she forgot ever meeting him, but with how tough she was she'd probably keep her memories and end up enjoying it.
All he could do was glare at her, but even that glare served to excite her. Maybe it's already too late to get rid of her...
"Don't look so disgusted, Master. I promise I'll be of use to you. I may not be as strong as you, but surely you saw what I was capable of in our previous battle. I'm not quite sure what your goals are, but I will help you achieve them. I'm begging you, Master."
"You're too repulsive to take along."
"Wha—!? Haah... Gaah... Mmmm!" Tio wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her thighs together. Everyone just stared at her in revulsion. Finally, Hajime breathed a long sigh, then rescinded his statement.
"...Or so I'd like to say, but it won't really matter if I refuse, will it? As long as you don't get in our way, you can do whatever you want. I can't muster the willpower to deal with you anymore..."
"Oh? Oooh, very good! In that case, I will be in your care from now on, Master, Yue, Shea. You may call me Tio! Fufufu, this is going to be an enjoyable journey."
"Hmph."
"G-Glad to have you aboard..."
Hajime sighed again, Yue just harrumphed unhappily, while Shea was the only one that tried to be polite. With that, the perverted reptile, Tio, joined Hajime's party as they sped toward the city of Fuhren.
Little did they know that another meeting awaited them there. And that even further down the road, there would be one even more important reunion.
Three days after Hajime left the town of Ur.
The land around the city had been ravaged, and there were still mountains of monster corpses that needed to be disposed of. However, by some miracle, the townspeople had all come out of the ordeal alive.
Messengers had been sent out to inform those who had already evacuated of the good news. The town had also sent out runners to notify the surrounding towns and the capital. There was much rejoicing as the evacuees returned and people were reunited with their family, lovers, and friends. Despite the work that still needed to be done, Ur was filled with a festive atmosphere.
The townspeople decided to leave the walls Hajime had erected as is. Those that had remained behind gesticulated wildly as they recounted the unbelievable fight that had taken place just outside those walls.
The children's eyes lit up with wonder as they heard about Hajime and his party's heroic deeds. Meanwhile, the merchants were discussing how they could turn Hajime's wall into a new tourist attraction to make money.
The townspeople hadn't seen what had happened between Hajime and Aiko after the battle. They still believed he'd been a warrior sent by their fertility goddess. They had even dubbed his wall "The goddess' shield."
Similarly, they referred to Hajime as "The goddess' sword" or "The goddess' knight." David and the other knights were furious when they found out what the people were calling him. They were her actual knights, and yet Hajime had been the one to kiss Aiko. Sometime in the future, Hajime would cringe inwardly when he discovered people were really calling him that.
With the minor hiccup that was his own cringe-worthy nicknames, Hajime's plan to raise Aiko's popularity worked perfectly.
Anytime she walked through town, the people would stop and stare. Some of them even clasped their hands together in prayer. She was after all, the goddess who had saved their town from certain ruin. Her fame had started spreading to nearby towns as well. In Ur, her words were already held in greater reverence than the teachings of the church.
For her part, Aiko had busied herself by assisting the town's leaders with the restoration effort. However, those close to her knew her heart wasn't really in it.
She was still in pain over Shimizu's death. There was also the disturbing truths Hajime had dumped on her head before the battle, but those weren't the main cause. She couldn't get the image of Hajime shooting Shimizu out of her head.
Once the day's work ended, Yuka and the others retired to the Water Sprite Inn to eat dinner. Today too, Aiko mechanically spooned food into her mouth and gave absentminded replies to any question directed at her.
"Ai-chan-sensei... your magic is amazing! I can't believe you can even restore land that was so badly damaged... At this rate, it'll look normal again in another week!"
"I see... Well, that's good."
Yuka knew Aiko was still in shock, but she deliberately spoke cheerfully. She wanted to cheer Aiko up however she could. However, Aiko responded in the same generic monotone as always.
But Yuka herself was still shaken by the fact that her savior had shot her classmate. Though she tried to hide it, her classmates could tell she was forcing herself to act happy. Hence why her attempts to lighten the atmosphere failed, and she was unable to cheer Aiko up. The other students were too depressed to be of much use either.
"Aiko...did the mayor or the bishop give you trouble again? If they're bothering you, just let us know. I won't forgive anyone that tries to harm you, even if they are a holy man. I swore that I would serve you and you alone Aiko. No matter what happens, I'm on your side."
"I see...that's good."
At this point it was hard to tell if David was trying to cheer her up or proposing.
It was borderline heretical for a holy paladin to state they'd fight against the church, but he didn't care.
His men realized he was trying to steal a march on them by emphasizing "I" over "we." They glared angrily at David. No way they were going to let him use them to make him look good.
However Aiko casually brushed them off with the same absentminded response. She probably wasn't even listening. Atsushi and the other shrugged their shoulders. There was a smug "serves you right" expression on their faces. Some of David's knights were looking at him like that too.
Aiko ignored their little squabble and continued robotically eating her dinner.
If only I'd talked to Shimizu-kun more... if only I'd realized his pain earlier... this wouldn't have happened... If only I hadn't asked Nagumo-kun for help... If only I hadn't let myself get taken hostage... If I'd... If I'd died... he wouldn't have had to kill Shimizu-kun... For the thousandth time, the scene of Hajime shooting Shimizu flashed through her mind. She gripped her spoon tighter.
Why did Nagumo-kun kill him? They were classmates, weren't they...? Was it because he was an enemy? Is that all it takes...? Is killing someone really that easy? Is life really that cheap? That's not right... Humans aren't monsters... you can't just kill them like that... Is he just someone who can kill easily...? If I leave him alone will he kill other students too...? Is he that dangerous? If he hadn't been here, would Shimizu-kun still be alive? If he died, would all the other kids be safe? As long as he's here... Wait, what am I thinking! No, that's not the answer! She was trapped in an endless spiral of regret and remorse. Her dark thoughts continued until she started fear and resent Hajime. Then, suddenly realizing what she was doing, she quickly put a stop to such thoughts and returned to hating herself.
There was so much to think about, and so much she didn't want to think about. Aiko's mind was like a collapsed bookshelf. Filled with information but completely unorganized.
A gentle voice interrupted her brooding.
"Aiko-sama. Was the food not to your liking?"
"Hweh?"
Foss Seluo, the owner of the Water Sprite Inn, was standing beside her. His voice was quiet enough to be lost in the din. But everyone in this inn knew when he was talking to them. His words possessed some strange quality that made them impossible for their recipient to miss. Even Aiko, who had been lost in a sea of her own thoughts, reacted to his voice.
Realizing she'd just blurted out a weird squeal, Aiko blushed as she turned to Foss.
"U-Umm what did you say? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"My apologies for disturbing you. You seemed unhappy, so I was simply worried whether my food was not to your taste. I can bring out another dish if you'd prefer..."
"N-Not at all! Your food is delicious. I was just thinking about something..."
Though she couldn't actually remember what said food had tasted like. She looked around and saw everyone was staring at her worriedly.
She took another bite of food to convince everyone she was doing fine, but she swallowed too quickly and started coughing.
Everyone crowded around her in concern. Foss casually provided her with a napkin and a glass of water.
"S-Sorry. I keep causing you trouble..."
"Oh it's no trouble at all."
Foss' gentle smile never left his face. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in a compassionate voice,
"By the way, Aiko-sama. This may be presumptuous of me, but may I offer you a word of advice?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. It's not presumptuous at all."
"Why not just believe in what you feel is right?"
"Huh?"
Aiko tilted her head in confusion. Foss smiled wryly. I suppose I should explain that better.
"It appears to me that you are struggling with something important. And there are so many things you have to think about and so many things you don't want to think about, that you're unsure of what to do. You can't tell what's right and what's wrong. But you're convinced that you still have to do something, and so you're rushing to make a decision. But all that does is serve to make you even more unsure. Am I correct?"
"H-How did you..." Foss had read her like a book.
"I've had all sorts of guests stay over the years," he replied with a serene smile.
"When you're not sure what to do, it's okay to trust in your instincts. People often warn others that blind faith blinds you to the truth. And that certainly is the case, sometimes. But I believe people need faith in something before they can act on it. So if you find yourself stuck, I think it's okay to just believe in what you feel is right."
"...Believe in what I feel is right."
Aiko turned those words over in her head.
All of the regret, guilt, and growing resentment toward Hajime was still whirling around inside her. Hajime was one of her precious students, but he'd also killed another one of her precious students. And depending on the situation, he might kill more of her students as well. She had been forced to accept that he was a potential threat.
But Hajime was still one of her students. She couldn't just abandon him. Just as she hadn't been able to abandon Shimizu, even though he'd plotted a massacre. That was why she was so confused. She knew she was being contradictory, but she couldn't help it. That was just the kind of person Aiko Hatayama was.
Foss didn't know the details of what had happened to Aiko. So he had no way of knowing that she was in this predicament right now precisely because she'd believed too hard in what she felt was right. And she couldn't move on because her beliefs were dead. But Foss' advice was still sound. Changing her perspective might shed new light onto her struggle.
Aiko put her fork down and started thinking.
Believe in what I feel is right. What even is that now? I wanted to return back to Japan with all of my students. But that's not possible anymore. Now I just want to go back without losing anyone else. And then there's what Nagumo-kun told me. That one of his classmates tried to kill him. I don't want to believe that... I don't want to believe that he's a ruthless killer either...Or that he'd really kill us if we get in his way. But the truth is...he killed Shimizu-kun without hesitation. So then...no, I have to believe in what I feel is right. She closed her eyes, banishing unwelcome thoughts. The others all watched her worriedly.
Nagumo-kun said he did it because Shimizu-kun was an enemy. And that he didn't have the luxury of changing his mindset. Nagumo-kun killed him because he was worried Shimizu-kun would attack the people he cared about if he let him live. He did it out of concern. If he truly was as heartless as he claimed, Yue-san and Shea-san wouldn't trust him so much. For their sake, he wanted to eliminate a potential threat. That's why he couldn't let Shimizu-kun live. Which means he didn't believe I could convince Shimizu-kun anymore. Nagumo-kun would have let Shimizu-kun live if I could have proven to him I could reform him. ...So in the end it's all my fault...because I was powerless...but still, Nagumo-kun didn't have to kill him so mercilessly...Shimizu-kun was on the verge of death as it was... The more she thought about it, the closer she grew to understanding the reason behind Hajime's actions. Hajime was neither a broken murderer, or an unfathomable monster, nor even Aiko's enemy. He was still her student, one who her words could still reach.
As she went over the chain of events again with a clear mind, Aiko suddenly remembered something. Something the shock of Shimizu's death had made her forget.
Wait. How could I have forgotten? Nagumo-kun had only come over when I called for help. But even if he hadn't done anything, Shimizu-kun would have died. He didn't have to shoot him! So why? Why did he do it? To make sure Shimizu-kun was dead? No, he knew as well as we did that he was beyond saving. Shimizu-kun would have died in a few minutes anyway. That's why I asked Nagumo-kun for help in the first place. Because I couldn't do anything... even though it was my fault he was— Aiko's eyes shot open. She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to figure it out.
That's right... Shimizu-kun was only shot because he was holding me. I was the target. He was just collateral damage. It was my fault he died! But we all thought Nagumo-kun was the one who killed him! We convinced ourselves it was his fault!
The blood drained from Aiko's face. Just as Hajime had feared, she blamed herself for killing Shimizu.
It was her love for her students that kept Aiko going. The realization that she'd caused the death of one of those students crushed Aiko. Her brain shut down, trying to protect her from her own realization. Her vision swam, and she nearly fainted.
Just before she fell into unconsciousness, Hajime's final words to her flitted across the back of her mind.
"I hope you can continue to stay strong." Back then she'd been too shocked to fully process the meaning behind those words. She'd just assumed he was giving her a few words of encouragement.
What if he said that because he knew this would happen... because he was worried about me? Worried that I would break if I learned the truth of why Shimizu-kun died. That's why... that's why he killed Shimizu-kun so brutally. He wanted me to think it was his fault... He wanted me to continue staying strong... to be the teacher everyone needed... Of course, Aiko understood Hajime by this point. She knew it wasn't just a selfless act on his part.
But she was forced to admit that he'd partly done it because he was worried about her.
The door to her heart, which had been about to slam shut forever, stopped. And slowly began opening again. Her blurry vision cleared. That realization didn't solve everything, but it did light a small fire in her heart. Where before there had only been the dark depths of despair, there was now a faint, warm glow.
He protected me... And not just him. So many other people protected me too. Even now, my precious students are looking over me. I was so focused on protecting them, that I didn't realize they had been protecting me in turn...I still have a lot to learn. This is no time to be breaking down. Aiko steeled her resolve.
She'd probably regret being the cause of Shimizu's death for the rest of her life. But as long as there were still students who were relying on her, she couldn't wallow in despair. No, she didn't want to wallow in despair.
She swore once more that no matter what happened, she'd be there for the students. And this time, she wouldn't let herself be manipulated by her own ideals.
The fear and suspicion she'd felt toward Hajime vanished in an instant.
Nagumo-kun sure is bad at expressing himself. Even though he knew I might hate him forever for doing this, that I might even try to fight him... Come to think of it, he said he'd given my words a lot of thought. Was this his way of thanking me for my advice? He's saved me so many times since we were reunited. Not only did he warn me about the church, he even saved the town. And despite being such a fierce battle, he still brought Shimizu-kun to me like he promised. I can't believe I was such a mess. I kept chasing after an ideal that didn't mean anything... and even went so far as to force him to go along with it... I'm still immature when it comes to being a teacher. And despite all of that he still helped me... It's true he's become a harder person than he was before... but he still has some of his old kindness left. Or maybe he's getting it back little by little. Could it be that those two girls are helping him remember his former self? Aiko smiled bitterly to herself. She owed Hajime a great debt for what he'd done. She'd been nothing but a bumbling, inexperienced embarrassment of a teacher. And yet Hajime, the boy who'd had the weakest stats out of all of them, had returned against all odds and saved her more times than she could count.
More than anything, it made her happy that despite how much it looked as if he'd changed, his old self was still alive somewhere underneath.
But she felt a sharp twinge in her chest when she thought of how it was Yue and Shea that had kept the old him alive. Aiko tilted her head in confusion. It vanished as quickly as it came though, and she decided it must just have been her imagination.
Come to think of it, I never thanked Shea-san for protecting me. I owe her my life... I need to make sure I thank her properly when I see her again. ...I suppose I owe Nagumo-kun my life as well. Their faces popped into Aiko's head. Then she blushed crimson as she remembered just how exactly Hajime had saved her life.
Th-That was just CPR! He just did it to save my life, there was no deeper meaning behind it! Th-There was nothing enjoyable about being kissed so roughly! I definitely did NOT enjoy that! She started slapping the table wildly, mentally denying accusations no one had said.
In case anyone had forgotten, Aiko was 25 years old. An adult. She had gone on dates before too. That being said, her actual experience when it came to love was very little.
The reason being, the only people who would willingly date a woman who looked like a little girl were "gentlemen." Also known as lolicons. There were a great deal of people who found Aiko's particular body type attractive. Some doubly so when they discovered she was legal. However they were all afraid of being labeled the l-word, so their relationship with Aiko usually stopped at friends.
In Tortus it wasn't strange for a girl in her early teens to be married already, so most people weren't bothered by her child-like appearance. Which was why David's infatuation with her was considered normal in this world. However Aiko had convinced herself at this point that no one could possibly be attracted to a short woman like her. So she failed to notice his roundabout professions of love.
Hence why the CPR Hajime had performed had been so stimulating. And now that she'd remembered, the image just wouldn't leave her mind.
Besides, he already has two lovers... though I guess if he already has two, what's a third— Wait, what am I thinking!? I'm a teacher, he's my student! Wait, that's not even the problem here! I'm not even in love with him! In fact, he's already two-timing as it is! That kind of immoral relationship isn't something a teacher should condone! It's dishonest! Love is supposed to be sincere! Sleeping with two girls at once is... immodest! I cannot let such an impure relationship be! I won't allow it! Her hands curled up into fists. Instead of slapping the table, she was banging on it now.
But it seems like he treats Yue-san as someone particularly special. And her height and figure aren't too different from mine...D-Don't tell me he's into smaller girls!? Girls like m-me? Wait, wait, wait, what am I saying!? What does it matter what his type is? He's eight years younger than me...! Though Yue-san's a vampire, so there's probably an even bigger age gap between them. So does that mean he likes small girls who are older than him? Wait, why do I even care!? Get a grip, Aiko Hatayama! You're a teacher, he's your student! You can't get all worked up over just one little kiss! She stopped banging the table and buried her head in her hands. A few seconds later, she started banging the table again, only to repeat the cycle. Finally, she screamed "I'm his teacheeeer!" and banged her forehead against the table.
The others were all taken aback by her strange behavior. Foss, on the other hand, simply said "I see you've found your energy again," with the same calm smile on his face. What a formidable old man.
Eventually Aiko came to the conclusion that her heightened emotions at the time were to blame and that she had no feelings for Hajime whatsoever. However, that didn't change the fact that he was still her student. And in order to protect him, she needed to return to the capital. Reports of what he'd done would have reached the capital by now. She needed to be there to make sure the king and the church didn't brand him a heretic.
Little did she realize,
That her feelings for Hajime were more than just that of a teacher for her student.
Even though she mentally referred to all of her students as children, in her mind she'd started thinking of Hajime as a man. Feelings of love had slowly but surely begun to bloom.
She wouldn't realize that until much later, of course.
During a pitched aerial battle 8000 meters in the sky.