Survive in Azure Files

"Haruka," I reached out again and touched her head with a gentle hand, "I don't think you are insignificant. At least, in my opinion, you are still an important student of mine."

I have thought carefully about how to deal with this self-deprecating girl who seems to have severe psychological trauma.

The final conclusion is that expressing things too euphemistically will most likely only cause unnecessary misunderstandings for her, who is used to thinking in a negative direction.

Therefore, either don't say anything and guide mainly through practical actions, or say it like this and be frank.

"……Eh?"

Haruka was stunned for a moment, then revealed an expression of trepidation: "Me? Me? Is a humble existence like me important to the teacher? Eh, I, I... I'm sorry, I'm not questioning the teacher, but... even me... is it okay?"

"Of course. Although you may not be aware of this, Haruka, I often think that Haruka is such a cute child."

"I'm... cute? Ah, wow..."

"She's pretty, has a good personality, is reliable in battle, and has a decent attitude..." I tried to list Haruka's strengths. "Except for the fact that she sometimes gives up on herself, which I think is not very good, I like Haruka like this."

"Eh!? Xi..." The girl's face suddenly turned red, and she stared at me, but she quickly looked away after realizing her own actions, "Did I hear it wrong? Ah, sorry, I, I'm sorry. I don't quite understand... Eh?"

Haruka seemed to be in a state of confusion.

I wondered if I was being too blunt.

After all, I lack experience in dealing with girls like Haruka, so I can only feel my way around it.

In the current situation...it would be better to wait for her to calm down on her own, right?

Thinking of this, I gently held the cold hand of the somewhat gloomy girl, trying to pass on some warmth.

After a long while, Haruka finally said hesitantly, "Thank you so much... for being so gentle to someone like me. I will definitely repay you... I will definitely, no matter what, I will repay you..."

“Really?” I asked.

"Yes... Although, there's not much I can do..." Haruka paused, "Teacher, is there anyone you want to eliminate?"

Ignoring her dangerous proposal, I said gently:

"Then, try to be a little more confident, okay?"

"……Eh?"

"As a reward for me."

Haruka was in great entanglement.

Finally, she straightened her back a little, and gave me a pitiful look, as if to ask me if it was okay.

I smiled encouragingly and nodded.

She smiled shyly in return.

This should, and can be considered a good start.

Leave application note 2024.3.1

I have been working on 25,000 words in two days. Today I just want to slack off. See you tomorrow!

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Chapter 36 Everyone in the convenience store must have a crush on me

Generally speaking, when she doesn't go to extremes, Haruka is a child who, although very cute in my opinion, is objectively a little gloomy, dull, and lacks her own opinions.

When I wanted to do something with her to kill time before the others came back and asked her what she thought, the response I got was, of course, "Anything is fine as long as you're happy."

It is this kind of answer that makes people most confused.

I hesitated for a long time, but decided to start with what I already knew about Haruka's interests and hobbies——

So, she and I discussed the precautions for weed cultivation for a whole morning, and then watched weed-related videos for a whole afternoon.

Even so, I was still the one who led the conversation, which was a bit tiring. But it was totally worth it.

After anxiously checking whether I was appeasing her and getting my denial, Haruka looked very happy. Just seeing her smile gave me a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

My time alone with Haruka lasted until almost dusk, and I began to worry that something unexpected had happened to the other people in the convenience house while carrying out the commission.

However, judging from the conditions of the few people who returned, my worries seemed to be somewhat justified.

"Alu, what's going on?"

I looked at the girl who was covered in dust and had several tears on her clothes, and couldn't help asking.

"This..." A'lu looked embarrassed and stammered, unable to speak, as if he had not figured out how to answer.

"Let me explain." Kayoko, who also looked a little embarrassed but calm, ignored her president's panicked calls and summarized it concisely, "Alu was scratched by a cat and accidentally detonated Mutsuki's bomb, and it turned out like this."

...This is really too much.

I glanced at her, who was almost burying her head in her chest with shame, and asked again: "What about the cat..."

"The little cat is so pitiful, isn't it?" Mutsuki seemed to inadvertently deepen Alu's guilt. "Because it was affected by the aftermath of the explosion, it fell more than ten meters away. Its hind legs suffered some skin injuries, and it seems that it also has a slight concussion. It's so pitiful~"

In Kivotos, not only the small animal citizens, but even ordinary animals have this level of defense.

Anyway, I'm used to it.

Kayoko said with emotion: "So, naturally a large sum of money was deducted from the commission fee. Add to that the medical expenses we paid, the bomb consumption, and the loss of clothing. If we only eat bean sprout bento, the income from this commission will probably be enough to support us for a few more days."

"This, this..." Ah Lu hesitated for a while, then suddenly put on a wise smile and said slowly, "Listen carefully, as an excellent business leader, it is inevitable to encounter some setbacks in the early stages of entrepreneurship. Compared with the gains and losses of interests, what is more important is that we have accumulated valuable experience... and reputation in the underworld!"

His words and actions showed his guilty conscience, which made Kayoko sigh and Mutsuki smile mischievously.

“As expected of Master A-Lu…!”

Only Haruka didn't think that Alu was being stubborn and even believed it.

However, it was this sincerity that caused the president of Convenience House to fall into complete silence.

At this time, I coughed lightly, attracting everyone's attention, and said sincerely:

"Actually, I think what Alu said makes sense."

Hearing this, the red-haired girl's eyes suddenly lit up, and she opened her mouth in anticipation.

I went on to say, "No matter what kind of commission it is, as long as it is beneficial to the development of the company after completion, we will accept it."

"That's right! Hehe~ You are worthy of being our Convenience House 68's management consultant! As a teacher of adults... you undoubtedly have a lot of experience that we know or don't know!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present, except Alu who said this, and even the other members of the Convenience House including Haruka, seemed to have thought of something and slightly turned their eyes away.

"I accept this compliment with a clear conscience."

I paused, then changed the subject: "If that's the case... I have a commission here, I wonder if you are willing to accept it on behalf of everyone?"

"Eh?" Alu blinked and nodded without any defense. "Of course, teacher, you are our most important partner. If it is a request from the teacher, no matter what... no matter what, I, we will do it..."

When she finished speaking, the innocent girl realized that her words seemed a little ambiguous. Her fair face turned red, but she still forced herself to continue.

While I was deeply impressed by Alu's charm, my thoughts also strayed a little bit involuntarily——

Is it really possible to do anything?

Moreover, since the other representatives have no objection, does that mean they have acquiesced?

As expected, Mutsuki and Kayoko have already fallen in love with me. Alu is stupid, and Haruka is so well-behaved. Am I the only one who has this idea? Can I just accept all the staff of Convenience House 68 today?

...If only I could really do something like this.

"Not to that extent." I said slowly, "Excuse me, everyone. Are you free to go out with me tonight?"

"...Huh?" Alu was stunned for a moment, and then she cried out, "Huh!?"

After that, I gave a vague explanation to the dazed Alu, the fanning Mutsuki, the flustered Haruka, and the indifferent Kayoko.

In the final analysis, I hope to use the convenience house as a cover to add a bit of safety to my meeting with Shengya tonight, and at the same time help them who are facing financial difficulties.

Although she was still a little shy, after hearing that it was for a reason and that they were going to a high-end restaurant, Alu was immediately eager to try and agreed on her own behalf.

Kayoko acted like it didn't matter. Haruka was worried that the restaurant was too expensive for her, but she agreed immediately after I persuaded her. Mutsuki rolled his eyes, hugged my arm with a smirk on his face, and said to Alu who asked her what she was doing in panic:

"Since it's a date, you should act like it. After accepting a commission, you should take it seriously and do your best. Isn't that the purpose of our convenience store?"

Before Alu could come up with a conclusion, I stopped Mutsuki with a gloomy face.

What I want is to find an excuse, not to continue to ruin my already dwindling reputation!

In short, after the girls returned to the apartment to get dressed, I took them to a restaurant that might be familiar to Alu and had a delicious meal.

Then, under the cover of Convenience House 68, I went to Shengya's hiding place alone with full of doubts.