Moving past classrooms again, my eyes wandered to the students and teachers focused on their lessons through the classroom windows.
Obviously, my appearance was also drawing some attention. They're probably wondering why there's a student from another school here. In fact, I was already mistaken as a transfer student by some students during the small break before the 2nd period. But when they saw the principal nearby, those curious enough to approach me retreated right away. The boys couldn't care less but the girls… let's just say it's the same treatment I got when I had just gotten a haircut.
Nonetheless, even if entertaining them could yield some useful information regarding my task, I would always pick the option where I didn't have to trouble myself keeping up a mask.
Anyway, since we're going in this direction, it's a waste not to use this chance, right? Besides, I probably caught a glimpse of the second suspected student earlier. Just that, she's not among those who went to check me out.
According to the file about her, she's the outgoing type and someone part of the normie group; like my former classmates; Machida and her group. She's considered the leader of the girls with a higher presence than Nami, the main heroine type. However, the suspicion that she's in a relationship with her teacher slash advisor wasn't unfounded.
There were eyewitnesses of the girl leaving a room, a few minutes after that teacher was seen. Furthermore, they're also seen together outside of school. But those were merely eyewitnesses without photographic evidence. There were also other rumors but those were with the other teachers that I already saw in the faculty and they're mostly unfounded and perhaps only an attack on her character.
Her friends possibly helped defend her against those rumors. And from the most recent information that was also included in the file, the girl had begun treating her teacher coldly orflat-outt ignoring him.
Unfortunately, that could neither prove nor deny the allegation. There were two possible reasons for that happening, one positive and one negative.
Either there's really nothing going on with them or it's just another ruse to cover up their real relationship.
In any case, Nobuo was kind of an expert in it. Imagine him grooming many students and only because Nao returned to me that he got his just deserts.
If Hayashi-sensei truly wanted to purge that kind of thing in her school, sending us two wouldn't be enough. She had to hire an expert for it.
"There she is," I muttered inwardly.
Passing by Class 2-3, I immediately spotted the suspected girl. She's sitting in front of the class, appearing really bored with their lesson.
It's the 2nd period so… the teacher suspected to be in a relationship with her was already teaching another class.
Somehow, her eyes accidentally wandered to the window, catching me staring at her.
At first, her eyes narrowed as though trying to get a clearer view of me or just wondering if she recognized me. Upon noticing my different uniform, one of her eyebrows raised before sneering at me. She also fiddled with her hair, tucking it behind her ear.
Yeah. That last part was her trying to assume that I was staring at her because of her beauty.
While she had what it takes to be called one, my Nao could sweep the floor on her at any angle.
That was unfruitful but at least, it confirmed some of the information written about her.
Breaking eye contact with her, I then turned to Kanno-sensei before she could question me again regarding where I am looking at.
"Sensei, do you know a student named Kazehito?"
As soon as that name left my mouth, Kanno-sensei's ears perked up. She then took a few seconds before answering, "Kazehito? I do know him. He's my former student. Why do you ask?"
Former huh? Sounds about right, I guess. Most of the information gathered around that guy was dated last school year. However, the last entry was dated just a month ago. The guy collapsed and was sent to the infirmary. Later that day, Kanno-sensei visited him there.
Although that could be normally seen as a teacher's concern over her former student, they probably attributed it to that suspicion that there's something else going on between them.
In any case, it's not my job to bring judgement on that. I'm only here to observe and see if there's any foundation for it. It's Hayashi-sensei who will have a say in the end based on the report we're going to send or when more pieces of evidence are collected.
"Uh. Kazehito is a senior who helped me in middle school. I heard from someone that he's studying here. Ah, the Kazehito-senpai that I know is a little sickly, despite that, he's very kind to his juniors. I wonder if he got better after all these years."
Obviously, that's a made-up story. Even if she goes and asks the guy later, everyone will always have hundreds of juniors and even if he says he doesn't remember someone named Onoda, he's bound to rely on his memory and eventually think that I must be some junior whose name he has forgotten. And even though I could easily be caught lying if Kanno-sensei asked me which middle school I went to, I intentionally used what I read from his file to muddle her head.
And sure enough, the woman that's supposed to guide me to the bathroom stopped in her steps. She intently stared at me as if trying to ascertain if I was lying or not.
A few seconds later, the woman gently smiled as she subtly nodded, "I see. You're a junior he helped out. That's wonderful."
Looking at her enlivened expression that looked like she was about to sing his praises in front of me, I couldn't help but shake my head inwardly…
I mean, that kind of reaction was more like it came from a lover than a guardian.
Well, there's also a possibility that I was just reading too much into it. No person guilty of that kind of thing would react like this unless she's too drunk in love that her perception about this kind of thing already became muddled.
And if it's not that, she might've been really proud of her student that despite his sickly nature, he still earned recognition from his juniors. Unfortunately, I was lying…
"Oh. Forgive me, it's rare to hear him talk about his past." Perhaps realizing that the way she acted could be misinterpreted by me, Kanno-sensei straightened her expression. But then, a second later, she answered my other question with a solemn tone, "And no, he's still sickly. Just recently he collapsed in the middle of his class."
Although I expected that answer which confirmed the details in that file to be correct, I felt a little conflicted seeing her expression.
It's not because I'm concerned for her but it reminds me of my girls' sad faces when I cut them off, especially Yae when I heartlessly turned her down in that café. Even if I already mended our relationship back to how it is, there's no erasing that I hurt her.
"Must be hard. He's already about to graduate. Has senpai's sickness gotten worse, sensei?"
"Un. It has gotten worse than the first time I saw him. Poor child… He still has dreams he wants to achieve…" Kanno-sensei sighed as she trailed her voice there.
A moment later, she shook her head, expelling the gloominess that was about to cover her person, "We can talk about him later. Don't you have a business to take care of? Let's hurry before you leak on the floor."
She then resumed her steps while eyeing me to follow her quickly.
"Right… I apologize, sensei." I put on an embarrassed smile before following her. That apology wasn't directed to what she said but to making up a story. Ah. Let me add my upcoming attempt to slip out of her watch.