I didn't quite understand what he meant, but I remembered the strangely serious look on his face.
"...I see. That is a thorny path indeed," Shizune murmured softly.
"I have received word from Kagon-sama regarding next week's dinner party. The location will be—"
Shizune proceeded to go over the schedule as planned.
Unlike the previous gala where Itsuki had accompanied her to the venue, this was a small gathering. It wouldn't even take thirty minutes. The burden on her would be light.
Hinako nodded sleepily. "Mhm... okay..."
"Now then, I shall take my leave."
Her briefing finished, Shizune bowed and turned to leave Hinako’s room.
"...Shizune. Are you... in more of a hurry than usual...?" Hinako asked, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
It felt like Shizune was being more concise than usual today.
"My apologies. I intended to head over to Itsuki-san's room next."
"To Itsuki's room...? Then I'll go, too..."
"You were just there, Young Lady. You need to sleep for tonight."
"Muu..."
Hinako wanted to argue, but she knew she’d get a stern scolding if she stayed up too late, so she chose to be obedient just this once. Hinako needed a lot of sleep; if she didn't get enough, her 'Young Lady' persona was prone to slipping at the Academy. Shizune knew that better than anyone.
"Then, if you'll excuse me. Good night, Young Lady."
"Nn... 'night."
The moment she crawled into her fluffy futon, Hinako fell into a deep sleep.
◆
After seeing Hinako back to her room, I was in my own quarters, reflecting on my life at the Academy.
I had to become someone who could stand beside Hinako and the others without looking out of place.
But I had no idea how to actually achieve that.
If Hinako or the others try to help me with this, it'll just backfire...
They were high-profile figures at the Academy. If they tried to prop me up, the way people looked at me might change, but it would only look like I was currying more favor with them. I couldn't bring myself to rely on them for this.
"...Taisho and Asahi-san are really something, now that I think about it."
No one thought it was strange when those two stood next to Hinako and the others.
They’d probably say, "You're giving us way too much credit!" but they really were the ones who set the mood in Class A. They were well-known and well-liked.
Taisho and Asahi-san had social circles outside of just me and Hinako's group.
Maybe that was the difference.
"Excuse me."
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
When the door opened, there stood—
"Ms. Shizune...?"
"You look troubled," she said, reading my expression. "I heard the story from the Young Lady. Itsuki-san, you want to be able to stand proudly at her side at the Academy, don't you?"
"...Yes."
I hadn't thought I'd explained it in that much detail to Hinako. Ms. Shizune's intuition was terrifying.
"And as a result, you are now seriously considering your social standing at the Academy."
The answer to that was also "yes."
As I nodded, Ms. Shizune let out a long, slow breath.
It wasn't a sigh of exasperation. It was as if she were impressed from the bottom of her heart.
"...Until now, every caretaker has hit their limit within a month at the most," she began to recount. "Consequently, none of them ever had the chance to worry about social dynamics at the Academy. You can't build a complex enough social web to worry about in just one month."
She had a point.
I certainly hadn't been worried about this after only a month on the job. I remembered being completely overwhelmed just taking care of Hinako and keeping up with the curriculum.
"In other words... you are the first caretaker to ever truly face the Academy's social complexities."
Ms. Shizune looked at me with a serious gaze.
"You will likely face many more struggles from here on, but allow me to say this."
She spoke slowly, as if imbuing every word with sincerity.
"—I am glad you have finally reached this stage."
She looked me straight in the eye. She seemed genuinely pleased that I was wrestling with this problem.
Her reaction gave me a sense of certainty.
Having these worries was the right thing.
I could have backed down. I could have chosen to keep my distance from Hinako and the others as a mere caretaker.
But I had chosen to step into their world—and that was the correct path.
Ms. Shizune, who had watched over Hinako for much longer than I had, was validating my choice. It felt like I’d been given a powerful push forward.
"Let us think about this together," Ms. Shizune said, her voice unusually gentle. "About how you can become a student of Kikou Academy in the truest sense, Itsuki-san."