-1456- Fallen for him?

Squad Building, E601 Squad Room

At this moment, within the squad room, Misora Whitale was pacing back and forth, unable to conceal her inner tension and anxiety. She appeared somewhat distressed.

Watching her, both Lecty Eisenach and Rico Flamel began to feel dizzy from her endless pacing, prompting them to speak up.

"Uh... Misora, why don't you calm down first?" Lecty cautiously advised.

"You're not a cat, so stop circling around in a frenzy. If you disturbed this goddess, what will you offer as compensation?" Rico threw out a blunt rebuke.

But Misora ignored their attempts to stop her, continuing to worry incessantly.

"Do you think he'll come?" Misora asked, her voice filled with concern.

Lecty and Rico, who seemed to understand her anxiety, offered different responses.

"Well... we're still students under senpai, and we won the ranking battle—though in that way—at least we didn't lose. Senpai should come... right?" Lecty replied, lacking confidence.

"I, the goddess, personally penned the letter. There's no way that man wouldn't show up!" Rico's tone was filled with unmatched confidence, in stark contrast to Lecty's uncertainty.

However, despite their varying outward displays, all three girls harbored the same underlying worry to different extents.

They truly didn't know whether Rozen would show up as they hoped.

After the incident with Shinjuku"2", the three girls of Squad E601 had been talking and thinking a lot over the past few days.

That day, the abilities and power Rozen displayed before them had deeply impressed the trio, to the point that they each made a firm decision.

To follow through on that decision, they had agreed after some discussion to send Rozen a letter, inviting him here for another conversation.

This was undoubtedly the first time any of them had taken the initiative to seek out their instructor, and the first time they had actively invited Rozen.

And given concerns about their writing skills, it was Rico who finally took the pen and wrote the letter herself. This was a clear sign of how deeply the events of that battle had affected them.

As the saying goes, when you care, you worry. The trio was now more anxious than ever, their anxiety growing with each passing moment.

They couldn't help but wonder what they would do if Rozen didn't come.

Previously, they never would have been so anxious. But after witnessing Rozen's true strength, they now felt as though they were living in a completely different world from him, as if Rozen was far beyond their reach.

Thus, even the usually self-assured Rico wasn't completely confident that Rozen would definitely come.

"Everyone wants to see him now; he's in such high demand. Were we too impulsive, thinking a single letter would bring him out?" Misora was already starting to overthink.

"I... I feel the same. We should have paid him a more formal visit," Lecty timidly suggested.

"Are you doubting my impeccable writing skills?" Rico protested, feeling disgruntled.

The three girls then started bickering, turning the room into a noisy mess.

Until...

"What's this? You seem quite lively."

A voice, as though expressing resignation, echoed in the room, causing the trio to freeze in their tracks.

In the next moment, Misora, Lecty, and Rico all jerked around as if electrocuted, each turning toward the podium in the room.

There, the young man who had been occupying their thoughts for days had appeared at some point.

He stood behind the podium, just like the first time they met, leaning against the desk with both hands resting on its surface, watching them with a half-smiling expression.

"...!"

The three girls instantly froze.

"What's wrong?" Rozen asked, puzzled.

For some reason, the trio's first reaction upon seeing him wasn't surprise or joy, but rather their faces turned bright red.

With his Mind's Eye, Rozen could sense that the hearts of the three girls were racing, their blood flowing rapidly.

Their reactions were akin to seeing a beloved idol suddenly appear before them.

"What's up with you three?" Rozen raised an eyebrow, asking, "You called me here, and now you're like this?"

Hearing Rozen's words, Misora and the others snapped out of their daze.

"Nothing, nothing, nothing at all!" Misora panicked.

"U-Uh-Uh.....!" Lecty was at a loss for what to do.

"When did you get here?" Even Rico seemed uncharacteristically unsettled.

Although this wasn't the first time they had met Rozen, something felt different this time. Recalling the image of Rozen bathed in holy light, shooting down Shinjuku"2" with a single arrow just days before, the girls couldn't help but feel their hearts and blood racing.

Rozen, too, noticed their strange reactions.

So...

"If you don't have anything to say to me, then I'll just head out." Rozen casually dropped the line and began to turn away, signaling his intention to leave.

This immediately sent Misora, Lecty, and Rico into a panic.

"Don't go!"

Misora, faster than anyone, leapt forward, blocking Rozen's path with her arms outstretched, as if saying he'd have to step over her dead body to leave.

"P-please wait!" Even the usually timid Lecty found some courage, rushing to Rozen's side and grabbing the hem of his clothing with a pitiful expression.

"I could overlook it if it were just Misora and Lecty, but I won't let you ignore me," Rico added.

The three girls, showing an unprecedented level of persistence, refused to let Rozen leave.

Their desperate behavior made Rozen feel both amused and exasperated.

These little girls wouldn't have fallen for him, would they?

This is ridiculous; I'm a married man...

Rozen thought with self-deprecating humor.

However...

"It seems that battle wasn't without its impact. It wasn't a waste for me to bring you all into the command center," Rozen finally said, sitting down before the trio of Squad E601.

"After these few days of reflection, what conclusions have you reached? Let me hear them," Rozen invited them to speak.

At last, Misora, Lecty, and Rico managed to calm down a bit.

Then...

"We have a request."

As the squad leader, Misora stepped forward, summoning her courage to speak up to Rozen.

"Please teach us how to improve our teamwork!"

This was the conclusion the three girls of Squad E601 had come to.