In a karaoke bar, somewhere in Kivotos…

Reisa, after heaving out a small breath, shot up from the sofa.

“Sensei, you like Touhou, right?”

Well, that came out of nowhere. Certainly a question that raised my eyebrows. “Not as much as I used to, but yeah. What about it?”

She gave me a grin filled with pride, and she punched the numbers into the machine. Was this her plan all along when she invited me out to karaoke? My heart was warmed from the idea that she spent her precious time looking into a franchise I was once into.

Four notes blared out the speaker, and instantly I was ejected from my daydreams.

Oh no.

It’s Cirno’s Perfect Math Class. If someone were to ask me if I hated that song, I’d cave their skull in for even mentioning that song in my vicinity. But Reisa, bless her innocent soul, had thought this was the best way to bond with her Sensei. How could I be mad? There would never be a universe where I would express anger towards my most precious student.

Still… love truly hurts.

The only reason why my ego hasn’t completely eroded was because Reisa, singing her heart out for me, was healing my eroding soul. She was shining like a star. A superstar, you could say. It’s an awe-inspiring sight that would remain ingrained in my memories.

“Sensei! Sing with me!”

My nails pierced through the fabric of my pants. Blood pooled from the cuts my nails had made. Tinnitus had set in, and my vision was starting to blur. In spite of it all, the words “baka baka” slip out of my cracked lips.

“Heehee. That was fun, wasn’t it, Sensei?”

Before I knew it, the song was over. I checked my watch. It was… longer than I thought.

“You look under the weather, Sensei. Is something wrong?”

My heart broke in two. “N-No, everything’s fine, Reisa. Really. I just got a bit emotional, is all.”

“Oh!”

Mercifully, her show of concern for me was replaced with her usual boundless joy. It wouldn’t do if I’d made her sad.

“I didn’t know you liked that song that much,” she continued. “I, Uzawa Reisa, will do my best to sing it again next time!”

“Haha…”

I pat her head. The things I do for love.