Orca

This is strange.

Why isn’t anyone coming?

I lay on the plush bed, blankly staring at the ceiling.

…To be honest, I’m not completely unaware of the reason.

Instead of being on the first floor where people’s attention naturally gathers, the counseling room is tucked away in a remote corner of the third floor where students rarely pass by.

Among the classrooms clustered in this outer area – like the music room and art room that students show little interest in – this counseling room occupies the most secluded spot.

According to the Principal, the counseling room was built just last week.

Right.

It was constructed on the very day I arrived.

A newly built counseling room in a location people rarely visit.

Of course, since such facilities never existed before, no one would even know it’s here.

Though a few students occasionally pass by…

They don’t seem to realize this is a counseling room. Like how I was surprised when I first saw the interior, students probably just think it’s a new lounge.

The nameplate says “Counseling Room,” but it’s hard to read from a distance.

“This is a real problem…”

I had considered promoting it to students.

With poor accessibility and students unaware of its existence, I’m just killing time here.

But advertising would defeat the Principal’s purpose of placing it in this corner instead of the first floor.

Students would swarm around out of curiosity when they hear something new was built.

Would any of them actually come for counseling then?

They might come after the novelty wears off, but I can’t afford to wait indefinitely.

What if the playable characters don’t come when they’re anxious?

“I don’t know…”

As my head started hurting, I stopped thinking.

Judging by the academy’s quiet atmosphere, the main story hasn’t even started yet.

No students asking for help means no work to do.

“…”

Unable to bear the boredom, I slightly opened the counseling room door to look around.

An eerily quiet hallway greeted me since class was still in session.

…Good, no one’s around.

“Hehe…”

I turned on the laptop I received after becoming a counseling teacher and clicked the hidden desktop icon with practiced movements.

The familiar loading screen appeared before me.

Some might criticize:

Should you really be gaming during work hours?

To them I’d say:

What else can I do when there’s no work!

My job as counseling teacher is to care for students who come for help and document sessions. I can’t just grab random students and force them to get counseled.

If I approached playable characters asking “Would you like counseling?”, I’d be labeled crazy.

Even if I wanted to hypnotize them here, playable characters stand out too much (in both good and bad ways).

Ultimately, students need to come voluntarily for me to work.

…So without any counseling students, I literally have nothing to do.

If even one came, word might spread. Once the main story starts, rumors will inevitably reach me anyway.

“Now, today…”

Just as I was about to start a game to relieve boredom-

Creak! The counseling room door suddenly opened.

“Huh, someone’s here. Thought something changed when I came after so long.”

“Uh, wh-what brings you here…?”

“…? Isn’t this an empty classroom?”

Huff, huff…

Thought I got caught…

Maybe my childhood experience of gaming secretly helped me react quickly? Or maybe she simply didn’t care about the laptop?

The uninvited guest who barged in casually looked around without noticing my game.

“No, this is now the counseling room.”

“Counseling room? …Tch. No wonder people have been hanging around lately.”

Clicking her tongue in dissatisfaction, the student suddenly smiled as if pleased.

“Whatever. Having someone else here is annoying but… I like the facilities. Hey, um…”

“I’m the counseling teacher, student. My name is Ophelia.”

“Don’t care. Not interested.”

“…”

“If anyone comes looking, pretend you didn’t see me.”

With that, she naturally climbed into the bed, drew the curtains, and lay down.

Her still form suggested she’d fallen asleep.

How long had it been since this uninvited guest started sleeping here like it was her own room?

Someone knocked on the counseling room door.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me… By any chance, has a tall woman with black hair and red eyes come here?”

“Black hair, red eyes?”

“Yes. She has an absolutely terrible personality.”

I already knew that without being told.

Having experienced it firsthand.

I glanced sideways at the bed where even breathing sounds had begun.

Black straight hair, red eyes.

A personality so rotten it lacked basic manners.

I knew her well. How could I not?

We’d been face-to-face just moments ago.

The student who’d been bowing apologetically sharpened her gaze, noticing my look.

“Is that her? My apologies for the disturbance.”

“Wait a moment.”

“What is it? I’m sorry, but I need to quickly return her to class. Unless it’s urgent…”

“I’ll take responsibility for her.”

“That’s impossible.”

The student firmly rejected my offer as if it wasn’t worth considering.

“You seem new here. I understand wanting to guide troubled students, but you should give up on her.”

“Because she’s a Demon Possessor?”

“…You knew?”

“Of course. How could I not?”

Right.

How could I not know?

Though skeptical at first, her striking similarities made recognition inevitable.

Her delinquent behavior felt familiar.

“She’s famous, isn’t she? The Demon Possessor, Orca.”

One of two playable characters featured in the Prologue.

The girl who disappears from the academy if not chosen by the player, later becoming a wanted criminal.

No one at the academy knows her better than I do.

Perhaps no one in this entire world does.

“If you know, why suggest that?! She’s a Demon Possessor! Dangerous…!”

“Lower your voice.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t raise your voice like that, student.”

I raised a finger to my lips and whispered.

“She’s deep asleep now. She’ll throw a fit if woken.”

“…”

If forcibly awakened, Orca might cause trouble worthy of a playable character’s superior abilities.

I could subdue her, but avoiding hassle was preferable.

The student seemed to realize this too, lowering her voice.

“Demon Possessors are far more dangerous than you think. This is recklessness.”

“No. Not recklessness – confidence.”

“…Sorry. I can’t… trust… a stranger’s words…”

Tch.

I’d hoped to avoid hypnosis.

But her stubborn persistence left me no choice.

I roughly guessed her identity too – likely the Class President mentioned occasionally in sub-stories.

The only one who chased Orca when others avoided her.

While her steadfastness seemed reliable before… Right now, it was just annoying.

Sighing, I spoke softly to her.

“Now, you’ll find this person before you trustworthy.”

“Trustworthy…”

“Somehow… you feel she might rehabilitate Orca…”

“Yes… I understand…”

“3, 2, 1…”

Snap!

As she remained dazed, I naturally continued.

“I’m more capable than I look.”

“I-is that so? You do seem that way.”

“Then please leave her to me and return to class. You want to attend, right?”

“…”

The Class President didn’t skip class by choice – her stubborn principles wouldn’t let her abandon a wayward student.

If someone took responsibility, she’d quickly relent.

As expected, she nodded.

…The suggestion must have worked.

I smiled gently at the Class President.

“Don’t worry too much. She might become slightly more diligent.”

“I’ll trust you without expectations.”

“You could afford some expectations.”

“…Then.”

So stubborn.

Can’t take a joke.

After the Class President closed the door, I shut my laptop.

Something far more important than gaming had come up.