A tense silence hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.

Orca’s face twisted with fury at my words, and she finally exploded.

"I trusted you! I truly believed in you!"

"Is that so? How unfortunate."

I knew how much Orca relied on me. Hurting her with these words pained me as well.

But I had no choice. There was a reason I had to treat Orca this way.

She was more impulsive than the others.

"Wait, Orca. Maybe we should hear more of the story—"

"Hear what?! She admitted it! She’s been playing us all along!"

"But still..."

As expected, Orca brushed off Anastasia’s attempt to calm her down, letting her anger overflow.

Unlike Anastasia and Stella, who had encountered many two-faced people and learned to read intentions beyond their actions, Orca had grown up in the slums. She took things at face value, and her emotions were clear.

Provoking her like this was bound to intensify the atmosphere.

With only four people present, once one person reacted emotionally, it was inevitable that the others would be swept up in the tension.

"Get out of here! I never want to see someone like you again!"

"Haha. Seems like I’m hated now."

I had intentionally provoked Orca’s fiery temper to bring out her hostility, but I didn’t expect to hear such harsh words.

A conflict swirled within me, torn between wanting to be hated and not wanting to be hated at all.

I had acted with the goal of being despised, but when the moment came, my heart still ached.

"If you don’t disappear from my sight, I’ll kill you with my own hands!"

"Calm down! Damn it, Anastasia! Help me!"

"Y-yes!"

Stella and Anastasia rushed to restrain Orca, who looked ready to lunge at me at any moment.

Given the recent battle, Orca seemed weak, and even I, not exactly the most athletic person, could imagine dodging her.

"Hey, Counselor, can I ask you one last question?"

"Of course. It’s the least I can do. Ask away."

As I watched my students one last time, Aileen, who had been silently observing, spoke up.

"Were you... really deceiving us this whole time?"

"Yes, I was."

I couldn’t see Aileen’s face as she hung her head low.

But I could hear it in her voice.

Her voice was trembling, filled with sorrow.

"Then... even if it’s a lie, could you stay with us? Please?"

"Aileen, what are you saying?!"

"You always said you’d stay with us, didn’t you? Come on, Counselor. I’ll be good, I’ll do whatever you ask."

Her wavering voice echoed a promise I had made long ago, a promise her father had failed to keep.

Was she really so desperate to cling to me, even if it meant dredging up that promise?

"That’s impossible."

"...!"

But that promise could no longer be fulfilled.

I would’ve liked to stay by their side if I could, but things had gone too far.

I felt a little guilty for breaking that promise, but it couldn’t be helped.

"Feel free to use the counseling room as you please. And give my regards to Leo."

They would only feel my absence for a brief moment.

They had friends around them; they’d be fine.

With Aileen’s crumbling figure behind me, I left the academy.

"So, what now..."

I wandered aimlessly, much like the day I first woke up in this world.

Returning home was out of the question since that would be the first place they’d look for me.

I didn’t even get to retrieve the jewel the Principal had gifted me.

And if I touched any of the money in my account, it would narrow the investigation’s scope, so it was better to leave it untouched.

"Instantly reduced to a penniless nobody, huh."

When I realized this world was the setting of my favorite game, I had a clear goal.

I wanted to give my students a happy ending.

That’s why I stopped wandering and aimed to enter the academy.

But now?

I had no idea what to do.

I had left everything behind in the counseling room: my console, my phone, my wallet, even my bank account.

I had feared losing them during the fight... but in hindsight, I should’ve at least grabbed my game console.

Sigh.

I already missed those kids.

Was I too harsh? Aileen cried so much.

I hoped they weren’t too hurt. Even if they were, I hoped they could shake it off and make good memories with their friends.

I wandered around the capital with those thoughts until my stomach growled loudly.

"...I’m hungry."

Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything today.

Even though I hadn’t fought much, maybe standing in the middle of all that conflict had drained me?

Or perhaps maintaining my facade in front of the students had taken more energy than I’d realized?

Either way, as soon as I let my guard down, my stomach started protesting loudly.

I reflexively glanced around and noticed a few restaurants.

...But I had no money. What should I do?

The sight of the restaurants made me imagine the smell of delicious food wafting through the air.

"What are you doing here?"

Should I use hypnosis? It feels a little unethical...

But I’m penniless. Do I have a choice? Maybe I could sneak back later to repay the cost...

"Ophelia, what are you doing here?"

"Eek?! Who, who’s there?!"

"Did the academy make you forget even me? I’m hurt."

A familiar hand tapped my shoulder, making me jump. I turned to see a face I used to see almost daily, smiling warmly at me.

"Boss?!"

"Hey. Long time no see."

"Y-yes! Long time, no see! What brings you here?"

"I ran out of limes and lemons. Just doing a bit of shopping. What about you? Shouldn’t you be at the academy? It’s still daylight."

Seeing the fruits in one of her hands, I hesitated, unsure how to respond.

There was no need to tell her everything.

The boss tilted her head in confusion as I opened my mouth.

"I resigned."

"...What?"

"I, uh, had my reasons."

"You quit? What about Veronica? She didn’t say anything to me."

"Uh, well..."

I hesitated, my voice lacking confidence as I explained.

"I caused... a bit of a mess. Principal Veronica doesn’t know yet."

"What?! How big of a mess are we talking?"

"...Big enough that I can’t stay at the academy anymore."

"Good grief."

Maybe it was my hesitation, but I must have sounded like someone who had caused a massive disaster and fled, as the boss sighed heavily.

"Then, how about you come to my place for a bit? You don’t seem to have anywhere else to go."

"Huh? B-but..."

Grrr...

My stomach growled again.

Hearing that, the boss gave me a kind smile and made her offer again.

"Come on, let’s eat together. I haven’t had lunch yet. I’ll cook."

"If you insist..."

"Follow me. You remember where the shop is, right?"

"Of course."

"If you remember, you should visit more often!"

"S-sorry."

"No need to apologize."

And so, I followed after her. I couldn’t fight my hunger.

"Thank you for the meal. Your cooking is as amazing as ever, Boss."

"Right?"

Perhaps because I was starving, I devoured the meal in no time. As I relaxed in satisfaction, the TV in the corner of the shop blared out a breaking news report.

[Breaking news: The Academy has been attacked by the terrorist group known as the Lightbringers...]

"Ugh. Don’t those guys have anything better to do? What’s the point of terrorism?"

"Y-yeah..."

"You sure are lucky. You ran away before getting caught up in that mess."

"..."

There was no way I could tell her that I was involved.

As I fumbled for words, the boss asked a question.

"By the way, do you have anywhere to go?"

"...No."

"Money? Never mind, I can guess. You couldn’t even afford a meal."

"Ugh..."

I was jobless, homeless, and penniless.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that my time at the academy had amounted to nothing.

But the boss didn’t seem bothered as she murmured to herself.

"Ah, work is so tough these days..."

"...?"

"Can’t find anyone to hire, customers keep coming... I could really use someone to help out at the bar."

"Um, Boss?"

"Training a newbie is hard, though. I wish someone with experience would apply. And it’d be nice if they could bring in customers, maybe a pretty face."

She blinked at me playfully as she said that.

"Any good candidates out there?"

"Um... do you take people who’ve switched jobs before?"

"You’re always welcome."