After parting ways with Leo, I returned to the counseling room and spoke to Orca.

"If you're tired, you can go ahead and sleep, Orca. You look like you could use some rest."

"I was going to, whether you said it or not. I was bored to death out there."

Orca grumbled about nearly dozing off during Leo's duel, despite knowing she shouldn't fall asleep. I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of her tagging along just to watch the duel, even though she claimed it was boring.

She just can't be honest with herself.

If you're worried about your friend, why not just say so?

"I'm going to sleep. Don't bother me."

"We'll see if that's up to me."

"…? What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"You're so cryptic."

Well, I don't think it's all that cryptic.

But it's something Orca doesn't need to know, so I kept my mouth shut and lit the incense.

This should do the trick.

As expected, it took less than ten minutes after lighting the incense for Orca to fall asleep.

And when Orca falls asleep, the demon inside her, Heize, usually comes out.

…Although, for some reason, Heize hasn’t been appearing as often lately.

To be honest, it's made me a bit uneasy.

Even though I know a lot of things, I don’t know everything.

I couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong because I had hypnotized Heize.

That thought kept circling in my mind.

Heize should have shown up by now.

Without Heize, Orca is just an ill-tempered delinquent…

I kept watching Orca sleep for a long time.

…Is it not happening today either?

Just as I sighed and was about to turn my attention to my laptop to play a game, I saw Orca's hand move.

"…Damn it. This feels gross."

"Hello, Heize."

"Don't greet me! It’s creepy! …Hi."

I greeted Heize, who had taken control of Orca’s sleeping body.

Anyone else would probably be terrified to see a demon possessing a human body, but here I was, calmly saying hello.

Heize grumbled at me, but then returned the greeting.

"Your words say one thing, but your actions tell a different story."

"This is all your fault!"

"Is it now?"

"Ugh…!"

Heize ground her teeth at me but still tidily folded the blanket. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Orca often wakes up to find everything neat and tidy, thinking I’m the one who cleaned up…

I wonder how she'd react if she knew it was actually Heize doing the tidying.

Just imagining it brought a smile to my face.

"Damn it, why am I doing this…! Being forced into this…!"

"I didn’t force you to do anything. I just made it so that doing something nice makes you feel good."

"Shut up! I mean, be quiet! Do you even understand how I feel right now?!"

…I can't help teasing her. Her reactions are just too good.

Seeing someone as cold and aloof as Orca showing such a delightful reaction is too entertaining to stop.

And she’s not even human—she’s a demon.

Watching a demon try to suppress a curse and replace it with polite language was something I couldn’t help but find hilarious.

Where else in the world would you see a demon acting like this?

"Heize, do you have any friends?"

"…I do. Why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering what they’d think if they saw you like this."

"…!"

Ha! Look at that startled expression.

That’s what makes Orca and Heize so fun.

They’re similar, yet just different enough that it’s like watching a pair of twins.

It’s always amusing to see Heize react in ways that Orca never would.

"…"

Uh-oh, she’s sulking.

I must have gone a bit too far with the teasing this time.

If I push her any further, she’ll probably clam up like a child.

…How do I know that?

Because it’s happened before.

Orca puffing out her cheeks and sulking was cute in its own way, but now wasn’t the time for that.

I should probably get to the main point.

"Alright, alright. Let’s get to the point, Heize."

"…What is it?"

"You haven’t been coming out of Orca’s body much lately… Is something wrong?"

I had wondered if it might be because I had tampered with Heize's mind, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

If that were the issue, she wouldn’t have stopped coming out suddenly; she wouldn’t have appeared in the first place.

So why had Heize, who used to try to take control of Orca’s body at every opportunity, suddenly stopped trying?

"…It’s nothing. I just feel gross, that’s all."

"Feel gross? About what?"

"I saw something disgusting."

Disgusting…?

I had no idea what Heize was talking about.

Disgusting? Was she saying there were cockroaches in the counseling room?

"Did you see a bug or something? You could have told me if that was the case…"

"No, it wasn’t a bug. It was something worse. And to think I showed that guy this side of me… It’s intolerable…"

…Showed? Showed to whom?

I couldn’t understand what Heize was getting at, so I asked her again.

"Wait a second, what do you mean by ‘showed’? What are you talking about…?"

"He's here again! It's him! This is driving me crazy. Why is he here…?!"

"Hold on! What are you talking about…?"

But I never got an answer to my question.

Heize suddenly raised her head, as if she had sensed something, and with a horrified expression, she dove under the bed.

…What the hell?

Before hiding under the bed, Heize had said someone had come again.

Did that mean that someone so dangerous that she felt the need to hide was approaching?

Why? For what reason?

My mind was spinning with confusion.

At least I knew that this hadn’t happened in the game.

Heize usually appeared in situations that led to bad endings.

She sometimes showed up during special events like prologues, but nothing like this had ever happened.

…Which meant this was something that had changed because of me.

Knock, knock.

"…!"

Someone started knocking on the door to the counseling room.

…Could it be the ‘disgusting’ guy Heize mentioned?

Considering she had hidden right before the knock, it had to be.

But would a student really come to the counseling room at this hour?

I was skeptical.

It was probably something else, not a student.

But what? Could it be an attack?

My mind was a jumble of thoughts, and my head ached.

"Is anyone there?"

"…Anastasia?"

Just as I was trying to figure out who was outside the door and whether I should open it, I recognized the voice from the other side.

I quickly opened the door.

"Hello, Sensei. I’m sorry to visit so late."

"…It’s alright. What brings you here?"

"May I come in for a moment?"

Wavy silver hair, an eyepatch covering one eye, a luxurious white nun’s habit adorned with golden embroidery.

The Overseer, Anastasia.

She had come here out of the blue.

"Here, have a drink."

"Thank you."

I had always thought I’d eventually meet all the playable characters.

After all, my goal was to guide them to a happy life.

…But I never expected her to come to me directly.

She’s a one-of-a-kind existence.

I never thought she’d come without any protection.

"…It’s delicious."

"Thank you."

She’s called the Overseer because she lends her eyes to God by covering them with a special eyepatch.

If there were ever a chance to meet her in person, devout followers would probably give up everything they own just for the opportunity.

So why had she come here?

She’s not one to give up.

She carries a secret that she can’t share with anyone and harbors the futile hope that she can restore everything to how it was.

I never imagined she’d come to the counseling room.

"…So? What brings the esteemed Overseer to the counseling room?"

"Aren’t you flattering me a bit much? I’m just a student, after all."

"Well… It’s hard to think of you as just a student with your position. You rank as highly as the princess, after all."

"Haha…"

Now I understand why Heize hid.

Anastasia is a highly skilled and powerful cleric.

To a demon, she must be nothing short of repulsive.

…But I still had questions.

Why did she come here?

She’s not someone who can easily share her troubles with others.

And she shouldn’t be able to.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"…No. I’m here to see Orca."

"Orca…?"

"Sensei, you might find this hard to believe, but I… I witnessed something."

"What did you see?"

Anastasia spoke with a trembling voice, clasping her hands together as if in prayer.

Like a believer seeking salvation.

"A demon! I saw a demon! That day, the day of the friendly match! I saw a demon!"

The friendly match…

…She must be talking about when she and Orca were together.

Could she mean that time?

"Well, that makes sense. Orca is a demon vessel."

"No! It wasn’t Orca! A demon had taken control of her body!"

"…"

I finally understood what Anastasia was getting at.

During the match, Orca had fallen asleep.

When Orca briefly fell asleep…

Orca had kept her eyes closed the entire time, so it hadn’t crossed my mind.

But thinking about it now, of course, it had to be Heize who had taken over.

And Anastasia is the Overseer.

She must have realized that Orca had been possessed by a demon.

"A demon took over her body, yet it didn’t do anything and then returned her body? I’ve never seen anything like that before!"

"…I see."

"Do you have any idea what might have happened, Sensei!?"

"…"

Though I couldn’t see Anastasia’s eyes due to her eyepatch, I could almost feel them shining with intensity behind it.

…Damn. This is bad.