The variety of fish they caught was vast, but for lunch, we settled on nothing more than salt-grilled sweetfish.
There were plans to keep afterward, and besides, the other catch could easily wait until dinner or later.
Despite the lingering danger of the Avranque, everyone rejoiced that adding river fish to their diet had been a good thing, and the lunch hour slipped by in celebration.
“Tatekino-kun! You are so splendid! Splendid, splendid indeed!”
The one saying this and stroking my head was Teacher Luminas, her face flushed red.
In her other hand, a wine glass swayed dangerously.
“Oh, thank you.”
“I hear that thanks to you, the other students have finally come to realize ‘ability’ as an option! When all is said and done, you’ve been a great help to me as well!”
Honestly, I believed it was Teishiko’s achievement who had picked up on my comments and made the class aware of it.
Still, most of the boys had already made their choices by then, so it seems they couldn’t make it in time.
“Well, one could say that.”
“Good boy! Thinking about what would have happened if you hadn’t noticed it is truly terrifying!”
Saying this, the teacher pulled me into a hug.
Chiyu, my childhood friend who boasts the largest breasts in Class One.
My face was swallowed up by two massive, soft mounds that even surpassed those of my childhood friend.
I was enveloped by a blissful sensation and a melting scent.
“Good girl, good girl.”
At that moment, apart from the sense of supreme happiness, another concern crossed my mind.
Did the teacher usually keep her memories when she was drunk, or did they disappear?
If the former was true, wouldn’t I take damage later on?
”…Chiyu.”
I tried to call out to my childhood friend, but with my face buried in the teacher’s chest, I couldn’t pronounce it properly.
“Rumi-chan gets bold when she’s drunk.”
“Usual Rumi-san wouldn’t do something like that to Souseki-kun. But as a party, it’s better if we get closer…”
“Ugh… A teacher and student, how lewd that is. B-but since we’re on a desert island in another world, it would be uncivilized to apply modern Japanese common sense…”
“Hmm. If you say that, then that boy’s harem shouldn’t be allowed either.”
None of the four—Shuko, Shion, Fukaho, and Chiyu—seemed to intend to stop Teacher Ruminas.
«It’s not ideal to rely on alcohol, but it’s a good thing that Miss Luminous has come to appreciate your Master’s charm.»
“I think I’m right in saying Takano is impressive, but are you just going to let this go?”
“Hmm~ We can’t really push the issue while we’re drunk, can we? Wait a sec? This is an异 world (isekai), isn’t it? Isn’t there a chance the laws are different? There are tons of fantasies where super young kids are drinking.”
“Ehh… even Mr. Luminas… i-if things stay like this, I’ll be left behind… b-but…”
Loa, Mugen, Shoubu, and Genchu reacted in various ways.
But Mugen’s thoughts seemed close to my own.
Indeed, I don’t think leaving things as they are is a good idea.
Eventually, I was on the verge of suffocating in my master’s embrace.
“Intermediate Cure.”
Chiyu finally casted a healing spell on the professor.
“Wobbly-wobbly, Takano-san is truly— eh?”
It seemed like the tension left the professor’s body, so I gently pulled away.
“Luminas-n, did the drunkenness wear off?”
Chiyu said with his usual expressionless face.
“Whaa—. W-What have I done…!”
Seeing Sensei turn a deep crimson for reasons entirely different from before, and attempting to bow in a full prostrate apology right there on the spot, we managed to just barely stop her.
It seemed she was the type whose memory retained all details.
“Sensei! I don’t mind it at all.”
“That is unacceptable! Attempting inappropriate contact with a student is an act that can never be tolerated!”
“But Sensei, this is another world now. As they say, when in Rome…”
“Ugh. Y-You’re right… I suppose one could look at it that way… but…”
“Everyone knows how dedicated and composed you are at school. Just because we’ve seen a different side of you in this different world doesn’t mean you’ve become a bad teacher.”
”…Yes, that’s true. Bowing my head here would only be self-indulgent. I will make up for it through my future work!”
Resolve settled into Sensei’s eyes.
“So… are we not having any more alcohol?”
Chiya asked quietly.
At that, Sensei flinched and shuddered.
“T-That is… well, you’re right. It seems best to abstain from now on… isn’t it…”
The depth of her disappointment was staggering.
“Well, no one’s really in trouble over it, so it’s all good, isn’t it?”
“N-no, that’s not true. You’ve caused us quite a bit of trouble, Kuno-kun…”
“Besides, Rumi-chan, you act like that when you’re drunk—were you really okay before this?”
Shouko interjects.
Indeed, with such a gap between her usual self and her tipsy state, it’s easy to see how men might get the wrong idea.
“Huh? No, I’m fine with that. It just means I can’t hide what I really think anymore. There have been times when I used to turn things down gently, but instead blurted out a harsh refusal, and the atmosphere froze over,” she said.
I see. So it’s not that her guard drops, but rather her social filters slip, allowing her true feelings to surface more strongly when she drinks.
…In which case, it seems it’s a fact that Professor thinks of me as an admirable person.
“Well, we’re not intending to forbid it on our end.”
Being praised by Professor didn’t make for a bad feeling.
“Ahh… despite being your student/teacher, I’ve shown you my embarrassing side,” she wailed.
“Drunk Rumi was so cute.”
“Ugh.”
Moeo follows up with another attack.
“But it was a close call. If it had been any guy other than Sousuke-san, who knows what might have happened…”
Fukamitsu said with a worried tone.
With Fuka having a history of being targeted by two guys, it’s understandable she’d still feel uneasy.
“I, I’ll be careful…”
“Speaking of guys—weren’t you supposed to be looking for the remaining males?”
Yuumei’s words made Sensei snap back to reality.
“That’s right! Everyone, would you mind if we asked for your help?”
So, they spent the afternoon searching for the guys and attempting a deal.
“Since Sensei will broker the deal, let’s split into search teams and a stay-behind group.”
If it were just about finding them, splitting the search force into two teams would have been fine, but they couldn’t risk any friction arising in the group without Sensei Lumina.
It was a bit more trouble, but it seemed best to have Sensei Lumina accompany them when meeting the guys.
So, the search team consisted of Mashiro, me, Chiyu, Shōko, Shiine, Sensei Lumina, and Fuka.
Mashiro’s keen sense of smell, Shōko the summoner, me who could conjure various things on the spot, Shiine who could detect lies, Sensei Lumina acting as mediator, and Fuka as a combat asset in case things went south.
Chiyu would have been helpful on this side too, but I had intended to ask her to stay behind for a change.
It had turned out that her 『Strength Enhancement』 worked on the illusion beasts as well, so I figured that in an emergency, she could strengthen Mikron and defend the base.
Genchū can transform into an illusion beast too, after all.
But when he declared, “I’m coming with you. I won’t let you regret it,” he joined the exploration squad.
So the stay-behind team ended up being Mikron, Roa, Yume-kai, Shoubu, and Genchu.
It would be safer if Sennyu stayed behind, but with Micron already inside the boundary of Yume-kyō, their defenses and combat capabilities are already more than sufficient.
“Once this is done, we take over the island.”
Sennyu said.
“Well, it’s a huge deal just for the Teleporters to stop being a threat.”
Currently, not only are they hostile during events, but the men have lost their composure and become a genuine threat to the women.
I really hope they can regain their composure and act calmly for the sake of their respective ‘Right of Return.’
The exploration squad and the stay-behind team parted ways right there at the river.
The entire exploration group mounted Mashiro’s back.
“Alright, we’re heading out.”
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