It was after homeroom had ended and my conversation with Horikita was soon about to end.
"We're soon out of time. Just let me tell you one last thing, although it may look like I'm meddling too much. The most important thing is what you, Horikita, wants to do with Kushida. Think carefully about this."
The focus was to make Kushida return to class, but this wasn't as important now.
I'm not sure how useful my advice would be to her, but at least I hope it may have cleared her thoughts a bit.
"Thank you, teacher. I've decided what to do now."
"Don't mind it. As your teacher, this is nothing— it's surely something to be expected after all."
After sending her off, I walked back to the staff room.
After going down the steps and into the hallway where the staff room was, I heard someone running from behind.
"Don't run in the hallway…"
"Sa~~~~e-chan. Yah-ho!"
I planned on warning the student, but I knew it was a teacher by instinct.
"Is that you, Chie? How are you going to set an example if even you are running full ahead?"
"Bu~ut, I saw you right ahead!"
"Stop with that Bu~ut! Just call for me like normal."
There was no need to run up to me this way,
"By the way, you were taking quite a long time talking with Horikita-san."
"… so you even heard that?"
When in the world did she start?
There was a huge risk of this leaking If Chie heard about Kushida."
"From when I heard her say thanks to you."
When it was almost over, in other words.
I can't exclude the fact it may have been a lie, but it was true I didn't notice her before either.
"Looks like even the model student Horikita has lots of worries."
"She's just a child, right? But that's not what I wanted to say."
She smiled as she walked right beside me. Her eyes weren't laughing.
"Why have you gotten closer to your students now?"
"There's nothing weird for a homeroom teacher, is it?"
"It is. You are not that kind of a teacher. You have never been until now, have you?"
"That may be true."
"I won't acknowledge it. There is no way Sae-chan would ever act like a teacher."
"… I know."
I replied, but my reply never reached her.