Perhaps in the heat of competition, old grudges and new frustrations surged together as those delinquents actually launched Molotov cocktails at us.
Fortunately, the students were protected by their halos, and I had the dual protection of the Shittim Chest and the Bronze Serpent Cross. Everyone was safe, and we counterattacked, once again defeating the delinquent girls utterly.
This would be the last battle before the end of our vacation.
After driving all the enemies away from the coast, leaving none behind, the midnight beach was finally just ours... almost with a chaotic scene ensued, filled with the smell of gunpowder and Molotov cocktails, blackened ashes scattered everywhere.
I sighed. "We won, but at what cost?"
"Huhuh, cough cough! Ah… my eyes got smoke in them again…" Hifumi coughed and whimpered, her face scrunching up.
Mashiro, however, seemed delighted. "But no matter the cost, it was still a thoroughly satisfying victory."
Azusa mused. "The smell of Molotov cocktails by the night beach… I see. So this is the ocean. Not bad."
Hifumi weakly corrected her. "I already told you, you're mistaken, Azusa-chan… But still, how did it come to this…"
This is a reminder in Kivotos. Never set flags carelessly, or they may very well come true.
"Ah… oh no…" Hifumi suddenly remembered, panicking. "I-I forgot to take photos! What about the pictures…"
"Don't worry, they came out beautifully."
I raised the camera.
Hifumi gasped. "Eh…!? Sen, Sensei, when did you take these!?"
…Why did that sound like I'm some kind of secret photo stalker?
"Before the delinquent girls launched the Molotov cocktails," I said, pausing briefly, regretfully adding, "Too bad I didn't get a shot of them mistaking fireworks for bombs and tossing them into the delinquent girls' territory…"
"Sorry, Sensei," Azusa said apologetically. "It's my fault for not preparing the Molotov cocktails in advance…"
I comforted her warmly. "It's okay, it's not your fault. That move was actually very creative."
Mashiro added. "I've learned a lot too. I'll use this lesson to make my tactical thinking more flexible and adaptable."
Watching this harmonious, friendly scene, someone suddenly froze.
"Eh…!? S-So, why exactly did you take those photos!? I mean, those weren't normal fireworks, right!?"
I glanced at Hifumi, thinking this was a rather low-level question.
The reason? Of course, for completeness!
All the other activities had the delinquent girls directly participating except only the firework scene, which would have been unfair to them.
Fortunately, in the photos I took, some of the fireworks in the night sky were actually set off by the delinquent girls, so they were indirectly included.
In short, I shared the photos of the fireworks with everyone.
"Wow, amazing! Looking at this, it really feels like an ordinary fireworks festival!" Hifumi exclaimed, but then noticed something and hesitated. "Ah… these photos even caught us… when were these taken…?"
"I already said that before the delinquents launched the Molotov cocktails."
"I-I didn't mean it like that…"
So, Hifumi's meaning was both intriguing and slightly ambiguous.
Afterward, unable to bear the mess on the beach, we tidied up as much as possible.
The amount of work was far beyond what I expected. I began to regret driving the delinquent girls away instead of keeping them as laborers… no, for justice, so they would atone for their crimes.
We worked continuously until almost sunrise, barely finishing what we could manage.
When we finally moved our luggage and the trash onto the Crusader tank, the sun rose perfectly from the horizon.
This long vacation had finally reached its true end.
Perhaps due to exhaustion, everyone nearly fell asleep on the way back, their expressions relaxed and happy.
After taking a photo of Azusa, Tsurugi, and Mashiro leaning on each other, I sat beside Hifumi, who also looked exhausted but was still driving the tank.
SAUCE
"You really worked hard, Hifumi."
To avoid waking anyone, I lowered my voice.
"Ah, Sensei, you too. Thank you for sticking with us troublemakers for so long…"
Hifumi's mood visibly sank. "In the end… I didn't get to fully enjoy the sea…"
"Was there something you wanted to do but didn't?"
"…Ahaha… How should I put this…"
The blonde girl paused, gathering her words. After a long moment, she finally sighed. "Sensei… you like me, right?"
…Wait, why does that sound so familiar?
My confusion didn't stop Hifumi from continuing.
"Um, if I misunderstood, I'm really sorry…
"But… Sensei has said so many times, and denied joking, so I thought… even if it's true, it's okay, right…?
"I know Sensei is kind, cares for everyone… that's why even my ordinary feelings are taken into account… so actually I also… ahuhu…
"But, I'm not the only one who likes Sensei. Sensei likes more than just me.
"Azusa-chan too… Is she too innocent? Or is it that the way she looks at Sensei feels too familiar to me…
"Of course I'm not complaining… actually, the opposite. If it weren't this way, I wouldn't even have a chance…
"I can't monopolize Sensei's kindness, so every moment I spend with Sensei, I want it to be meaningful. That's why I feel… a little regret.
"Even though… I came to the beach with Sensei…
"I… I'm sorry, I'm not very good at explaining this clearly… so…
"Sorry, Sensei, I'm not a very good girl. Please forgive me.
"I accidentally ended up saying so many strange things… ehehe."
Staring at Hifumi's usual smiling face, I felt an inexplicable shock.
She had been carrying these worries all along?
Why hadn't I noticed until now?
"T-Then," Hifumi noticed my expression and nervously added, "please don't take it too seriously, okay? I'm sleepy and driving, so I might be babbling…"
"Then in a few days, let's go to the sea together again."
"…Eh?"
All worries became meaningless. Now that Hifumi's feelings were clear, resolving the issue and making amends was ridiculously simple.
I just needed to do what I had long wanted to do.
"And," I added, "let's stay over at Schale tonight."
After a brief silence…
"Ehhhhh!?"