An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

With a smile in his eyes, Hajime gently extended his hand to Shia, and then gently stroked her shy bunny ears.

"Mr. Hajime?"

"...Hello, Shia, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Please? Of course! Please, tell me what you want."

Shia was surprised for a moment when she heard that Hajime wanted to ask her a favor, but since this was a chance to repay the favor a little, she agreed with a smile.

"No, it's nothing. I just want to lie down for a bit. If you don't mind, could you lend me your lap pillow?"

"If it's just a lap pillow, Hajime, you don't have to ask me. I'll let you lie down. Come on, please."

"Thank you."

Shia looked surprised by Hajime's request, but she seemed happy to be able to use him as a lap pillow. She immediately smiled and patted her thigh. Hajime smiled and thanked her, then lay down without hesitation.

Because Shia was wearing a miniskirt, he could directly feel the touch of her thighs. The warm and elastic feeling softly supported Hajime's head, and a fragrant aroma completely different from Yue's filled his nose.

"Hehe, since Yue-san usually sleeps on Hajime-san's lap, I don't feel guilty about it, but I do feel bad for Kaori-san and Tio-san."

"It's just a lap pillow, there's no need to make such a fuss, right?"

“Really? You can’t say that, okay? Everyone’s trying so hard to make Hajime-san fall in love with them, and the time they spend alone on their laps must be incredibly precious to them. Seriously, when will Hajime-san fall in love with me?”

"...You're not going to give up?"

"No~"

"Really~?"

Shia's hand gently stroked Hajime's hair, and the pleasant touch made Hajime close his eyes. Then, as if to return the favor, Hajime grasped Shia's hair that fell in front of his eyes and played with it with his fingers.

The moon was visible above Shia's head.

She is obviously an innocent and lively girl, but she stands out so well against the faint moonlight.

As the moonlight grew brighter, Xia's hair and smile became more radiant.

Who wouldn’t be fascinated by it?

The two of them gazed at each other, quietly leaning against each other in the dreamlike scenery created by the moonlight and mist.

If anyone saw Hajime and Shia now, they would be so stunned that they would spit out sugar. The atmosphere they created was so sweet.

That’s right, it was like a world created for just two of them, Hajime and Yue.

Whenever Shia saw Yue, she always wished she could one day create the same atmosphere. Unfortunately, she had already done so, yet Shia herself was completely unaware of it. Perhaps in this regard, Shia was indeed sorry to Rabbit.

Although he himself was unaware, the sweet time passed gently. Hajime and Shia enjoyed their time alone until the sea of ​​trees was once again shrouded in thick fog.

Let’s go back a little in time.

Just before Liliana was sent back to her country through the "portal" - at the palace of the [Heilig Kingdom], in the evening, about an hour before dinner.

A girl gazed up at the crimson sky as she walked along the outdoor path within the palace grounds leading to the dining hall.

The girl has light brown hair and phoenix eyes, and is equipped with dozens of short swords. Her name is - Sonobe Yuka.

Faced with the cruel betrayal of a companion, the death of a classmate, and the journey of key combat forces such as Kouki - among the students whose hearts are once again frustrated, Yuka is the leader who is relied upon.

Although Yuka herself believes that she is not cut out for leadership, in reality, when her glory as a leader is gone, she not only listens to the troubles of students who are unable to fight, but also helps rebuild the city, resolves disputes that arise with reconstruction, and even takes the lead in patrolling around the capital. Her presence has become a spiritual pillar for many students.

Recently, even the new Pope, Princess, and Prime Minister of the Holy Church have come to her to discuss matters, or asked her to serve as the captain of the guard when the new Pope leaves the palace, etc. - Yuka is even relied upon by the high-ranking officials of the kingdom.

"Ah, I'm hungry..."

Yuka was a little tired after running around the capital today. Her stomach rumbled loudly, as if asking for more food. Blushing, Yuka thought, "No one should have heard it, right?" She pressed her hand to her stomach and looked around.

It turned out that there was a person——

"Ahahaha... Sonobe-san, are you going to dinner?"

"Wow, did you hear that, Teacher Ai?"

——Just as she walked out of the house connected to the trail outside, the person was Hatayama Aiko.

Seeing Yuka who seemed to be feeling embarrassed, Aiko smiled and told her that she was also going to the cafeteria and invited her to go with her.

The two chatted as they walked.

"You seem quite tired, Sonobe-san. Are you pushing yourself too hard?"

"I'm fine. I just underestimated the energy of the kids."

"Children?"

According to Yuka, the children who lost their parents during the demon invasion were placed in the church within the palace to receive spiritual care. However, when the new Pope came to visit, he said to Yuka, "Miss Yuka, will you stay with us for a while?" and took the children away.

Having said that, when faced with children whose parents had both passed away, a high school girl who had only lived for seventeen years had no idea what to say.

However, trouble arose because the new Pope introduced her to the children, "Children! I have invited the beautiful, gentle and powerful 'Apostle of God'" and praised her to the skies.

Because the script was proposed by Shi and adapted by Liliana - "Even if the headquarters disappears, the faith will not disappear", the people still do not know the truth, which leads to Yuka and others becoming "Apostles of God".

The children looked at Yuka with innocent eyes.

"So, what did you tell them?"

Aiko asked, her body trembling as she imagined that horrible situation.

Yuka looked off into the distance and replied:

"Nothing."

"You didn't say anything?"

"Yeah, I don't know what to say. Should I tell them to cheer up? Tell them that the dead and the gods are in heaven blessing us?"

She couldn't bring herself to say that even though she knew the truth. Because everything she said would sound like a lie, Yuka couldn't think of what to say.

and so--

"I'll show them how to throw knives."

"Throwing knives? Isn't that just... acrobatics?"

"Throw ten flying knives."

"How horrible! Why would you do something like that? Isn't that a little too sudden!?"

Yuka scratched her hair, tears welling up in her eyes as she cried out:

"What can I do? I don't know what to say! They're looking at me expectantly again! My mind goes blank, and when I come to, I'm already throwing knives!"

Aiko's face was filled with fear. She couldn't help but tremble all over as she imagined the horrible situation.

"So what was the result?"

"The response has been overwhelming!"

In order to catch more knives than usual, Yuka kept adding more knives to her arsenal. In the end, she was throwing more knives than usual, and she ended up throwing hundreds of them at once, adding the twenty she carried with her.

Witnessing this extraordinary feat, which threatened to become a city legend, the children forgot their sorrow and enthusiastically shouted, "Apostle-sama, how impressive!" It was truly a display of her innate calling as a juggler. Yuka's juggling act captivated the entire neighborhood (mostly children), creating a truly spectacular spectacle. Consequently, Yuka missed the opportunity to end her performance, and, at the urging of the crowd, continued to perform her feats.

"How should I put it...thank you for your hard work, Sonobe-kun."

"……yes."

Yuka drooped her head, looking even more exhausted, while Aiko tried to change the subject with a wry smile.

"But then again, Mr. Simon is such a headache."

"I'm a little skeptical. Is it really a good idea to have such an energetic old man as the new Pope?"

Simon Liberal—he was the new Pope of the Holy Church that Yuka mentioned.

He was a person recommended by Liliana. He was originally the bishop of the central government, but was demoted to the border because he accidentally opposed the policy of discrimination against subhumans.

He was a playful, mischievous, and energetic grandfather, prone to running away. He was often chased by his granddaughter, Xiweier, who came with him. At 76 years old, he ran with such swiftness that it was unbelievable.

However, Simon was worthy of being recommended by Liliana. He did not have the religious fanaticism of the former Pope Ishtar at all, and was a magnanimous person.

"So, Ai-sensei also had a talk with Grandpa Simon, right?"

"Huh? Uh~ yeah."

For some reason, Aiko's answer was rather unclear.

After Simon arrived in the royal capital, Yuka and Aiko happened to have the opportunity to talk to him before they knew he was the new candidate for Pope.

The conversation naturally evolved into something resembling a psychological consultation, but both men received valuable advice from Simon. When they saw Simon take the stage at the inauguration ceremony, they both exclaimed, "Is that the old man from back then?!" Later, they realized they had both shared their innermost thoughts with Simon.

Seeing Aiko's wandering gaze, Yuka felt puzzled. Without thinking too much, she asked:

"Even teachers have their troubles."

"Of course. Even though I'm a teacher, I'm still immature. I make mistakes and have troubles."

Although she felt that this was not something she should say to a student, Aiko still gave a wry smile and answered honestly.

Yuka also replied with a wry smile:

"We always make the teacher upset, and I always feel bad about it."

Aiko said, "Huh?" and seemed surprised.

Yuka also said "Huh?" and seemed surprised.

"...Aren't you worried about us students?"

"! Yes, yes, yes! No, it's not like that!"

“Is that so?!”

In a sense, Aiko's worries were indeed the students', but they were directed at specific students, and they were very personal. However, she inadvertently confirmed what Yuka said, making it seem like she was worried about the entire student body.

Aiko's conscience was tormented, and the ambiguous answer made her even more panicked.

Aiko was determined not to let Nanyun-san's affairs be discovered, so she looked around, trying to change the subject.

"Sonobe-san, what are you worried about? Please talk to the teacher! Come, talk to the teacher!"

"Why are you asking this so earnestly!?"

"I'm not desperate! I'm not hiding anything! No, forget about the teacher! Come on, Sonobe-kun! You can discuss anything with me!"

"No, no, the matter has been resolved."

"How can this be! Please be flexible!"

"What are you trying to do?! Teacher Ai, what you're saying is completely illogical!"

Teacher Xiao Ai was in a state of confusion, and no matter how you looked at it, she seemed to be desperately trying to hide something.

Yuka felt bad and couldn't help but wonder what kind of troubles the teacher was having!?

Having said that, right now, Teacher Xiao Ai is in her usual idle mode, but a panicked version of it.

Anyway-

"Teacher Ai! Calm down!"

Yuka slapped her. Aiko uttered a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground.

A beat later.

"...I'm sorry, Sonobe-san, I lost my composure."

"No, no. I'm only apologizing because I hit the teacher."

The atmosphere was quite awkward. Yuka helped Aiko up and, in order to restore the mood, she told her about the problem she had solved.

"Uh~ You know, I received a lot of favors from Nagumo, didn't I?"

"!? Yeah, that's right."

The moment Yuuka uttered the word "Nanyun," Aiko's body trembled. Perhaps because she felt shy about sharing her troubles, Yuuka looked away and didn't notice Aiko's reaction.

"So I'm worried about how to repay his kindness..."

"I-I see. So that's why you got advice from Grandpa Simon, right?"

“Yes, that being said, it’s not a big deal. I just need to bring Nagumo to my house—”

"To your house? Bringing him home? Sonobe-san, what are you thinking?! That kind of thing is absolutely not allowed! The teacher will never tolerate impure relationships with the opposite sex! That's right, the teacher will never tolerate it!"

"No! Because my family runs a Western restaurant, and what I meant was that I wanted to treat him to a Western meal."