Chapter 20 – Imitation and Dowsing

“Ah, Takenaga-sensei. Are you on your way home now?”

As I was walking down the long downhill path leading from the university to the station, Asai-sensei approached me from behind. The fresh coordination of a white skipper shirt and denim gives the impression of a reasonably intelligent woman. Well she’s tall, so neat clothes suit her nicely. It’s only on the inside, though…

“Asai-sensei is on her way home too? Working part-time now?”

“No, I don’t have part-time today. Isn’t Takenaga-sensei off today, too? We often work the same shift, remember?”

I guess that’s true. I usually work Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Since Monday and Thursday are also my shifts with Asai-sensei, it’s inevitable that we will also have the same days off.

“By the way, how are things going with Honjo-san lately? Has anything changed?”

“Well, I guess it’s the same as usual. She follows me from morning till night and messes with me at the most unpleasant times. It’s very annoying.”

“That’s… It seems we really need to do something about that, don’t we?”

I meant it half-jokingly, but Asai-sensei seemed to take it more seriously than I expected. She’s not a bad person, but I suppose she’s out of sync. Maybe she’s just overly serious…

“Honjo-san seems pretty reckless, doesn’t she?”

“Totally. I remember I once found a surveillance camera in my room and I destroyed it until it was shattered. She said it was really expensive and got really upset.”

“Eh, is that really okay? Are you sure you’re not still being watched from somewhere?”

“Yeah, I’m probably fine. If she were around, she would have interrupted our conversation.”

“I see… It seems you’re having a hard time too…”

Asai-sensei’s look of pity is painful. It would have been easier if she had looked at me from a distance like all the other students. Of course, Tsubaki is irritating, but it’s not like I want people to feel sorry for me.

“If Takenaga-sensei is in trouble, I’d like to help.”

“S-Sure, although I don’t feel like I need any help.”

“I can at least look for surveillance cameras and listening devices. I’m still the granddaughter of a psychic.”

I have no expectations of Asai-sensei’s supernatural powers, but I feel bad to disrespect her when she cares so much about me. But to be honest, dealing with her is also a hassle.

“I took a quick look around my room and didn’t find anything suspicious.”

“But, you see, stalkers are very clever, and I heard that their methods include putting a listening device behind a charging port. I saw it on TV once.”

“So the source of your information is from TV…”

The more I look at this, the more I smell something fishy. The old lady I met before seemed to be the real deal, but Asai-sensei herself doesn’t seem to be very reliable. We’ll reach the station soon, so let’s give her a good reason to go home.

“Shall I guess what Takenaga-sensei is thinking right now?”

“Eh?”

“It’s probably along the lines of, ‘Well, I can’t count on her anyway, so I’ll just let this one slide and let her go home.'”

“Ugh…”

She can be either dull or sharp. Well, I guess she found out because I kept replying to her with a lot of nonchalance.

“The name of the Asai family will be ruined if you say that. I will surely discover the listening device hidden in your house.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Don’t be shy! Now which way is Takenaga-sensei’s house!?”

I tried to avoid trouble and ended up getting into even more trouble… Like Tsubaki, she’s the type of person who, once she decides to do something, will do it all the way… I guess I’ll just have to go along with it until she gets tired of it.

> < > < > < > < > <

“Heh~, Takenaga-sensei’s house is pretty tidy.”

Asai-sensei gave a brief impression as she scurried around the room. It’s a little embarrassing to have my room looked all over the place, even if it’s to look for a wiretap.

Besides, it’s kind of unsettling to have a person of the opposite s*x of the same age in your room. It’s a different kind of tension than when Tsubaki intruded into my room.

“Let’s get started right away.”

Asai-sensei took out a five-yen coin with a string attached from her bag. Is she going to start playing “kokkuri-san”? I’ve always wondered why the five-yen coin is a staple in occult circles. For a coin with the same hole in it, a fifty-yen coin would be more valuable.

“Are you curious about this tool? You are, right? This is called the dowsing.”

“Just get on with it.”

“Muu…”

Asai-sensei looked dissatisfied for a moment, but soon her face turned serious and she began to breathe quietly. I guess she has some kind of pattern or mannerism, but it still seems somewhat fishy.

As I looked at Asai-sensei’s hanging five-yen coin with a lukewarm gaze, it suddenly began to vibrate. Is this for real!?

“I can see it. Yes… South, 80 centimeters, down.”

No, wait! That direction is…

“Yes, definitely under the bed. Let me take a look…”

“Wait, wait, stop! Please stop! Spare me!”

“Eh, what’s wrong, Takenaga-sensei?”

Under the bed is very bad. I won’t bore you with the details of why it’s bad, but there are one or two things that men don’t want others to see.

“Yes, you found it! I’ll carefully check under the bed later, so don’t worry about it!”

“Is there anything under your bed that you don’t want people to see?”

“Not any, but all I have there is stuff that shouldn’t be seen!”

“Hmm… I’m not sure what that means, but if Takenaga-sensei went as far to say that, then…”

I’m glad that Asai-sensei is a good listener. If it had been Tsubaki, she would’ve searched the whole place without question.

My mentality is just not strong enough to stay calm after disclosing my sexual proclivities.

“I’ll check to see if there are any other suspicious areas. …Hmm, now let’s take a look at this computer.”

“Stop it, you idiot!”

“You called me an idiot…”

What the h**l is going on here? Did Asai-sensei come here to find out my proclivities? All she’s been doing is pinpoint the parts I don’t want her to see…

“I’m just trying to discover where I can feel the evil…”

“What do you mean by ‘evil’! I’m pure of heart, okay!?”

“Takenaga-sensei, you’re breaking your usual calm character…”

Damn it, even Asai-sensei got into this. But if you think about it, it would be strange in the first place to try and explore the room of the opposite s*x of your age. Conversely, if I were to search Asai-sensei’s room, I’d be immediately reported and sent to the police for prosecution. God damn it.

When I looked over at Asai-sensei, she was visibly depressed. Did I say it a little too harshly…?

“I guess I don’t have any talent after all.”

Did you just realize that now? I was about to go up to my throat, but Asai-sensei’s expression was so pitiful that I couldn’t bring myself to make fun of her.

I hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but Asai-sensei has a pretty well-defined face… I’ve heard somewhere that a grieving face is a prerequisite for a beautiful woman.

Ah, this is not the time to be thinking such ghetto thoughts.

“Well, there are many things in life. We make mistakes, we get embarrassed. Things happen every day that I don’t agree with, and I don’t think I’ll ever reach my ideal life.”

“Takenaga-sensei…”

“Still, well, we just have to get on with it. We have to do what we can, a little at a time. Maybe there’s a point to spinning around like this.”

“If Takenaga-sensei says so… Takenaga-sensei is really kind, isn’t he?”

What is this atmosphere? I’m alone with a half-crying woman in my room. Moreover, she’s staring at me with teary eyes. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but I feel that I’m very close to Asai-sensei.

“Say, Takenaga-sensei…”

As soon as Asai-sensei extended her arm to my face, the doorbell rang loudly. The door slammed violently at the same time.

“Asai-san! I know you’re here! I know you are! Come out quick, you b***h!”

Hmm… Tsubaki’s spiritual abilities are much stronger than Asai-sensei’s, aren’t they?

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