The Long Way

Anneth, sitting on the principal office couch, sipping her tea. "Yeah, there are lots of ways to educate people. Sometimes it's hard and unpleasant. I don't think there's anything wrong, as long as it's not excessive."

"I just don't want abilities like hers to be wasted." Eiji leaned back in his chair. "And like you two, she is very determined about this work."

"Yeah." Rae, who was sitting in front of the witch monster, answered. He had been staring at the ceiling blankly since his brain was too tired from studying. "It turns out that having dedication is not something bad. My life has a purpose."

"Wait until you get the reward, Rae." Anneth cupped her chin into her palm, giving a smile.

The elf raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not all about rewards, though." The witch monster widened her smile, making Rea even more confused.

There was a knock on the door from outside, followed by Sienna's voice. "Sir, it's me."

"Come in." Eiji responded, and the red-haired woman entered with a worried expression, prompting the principal to ask. "What's wrong, Sienna?"

The assistant sighed. "I'm worried about Miss Paquette. She's been under that shower for quite some time."

"I'll check her, then." The principal got up from his seat and went to the back of the school building with the assistant.

"Isn't there another method for her, sir?" Sienna asked as the two walked down the hall. "The one that doesn't torture her."

"I've been looking for it but can't find it," Eiji responded. "And for now, only Kyoko has that method. Trust me, Sienna. I'm not too fond of this either, but what can I do. This is also for her."

The assistant just gulped, unable to respond.

The sound of running water could be heard from outside, and Eiji opened the back door. He found the healer in the same position as yesterday, kneeling under the cold shower, grimacing in pain. She kept on twitching, looking like she wanted to run away.

But that actually shows that she is very dedicated to this.

Eiji heard a hissing sound from a point above him. Turning to the source of the voice, he found that Kyoko appeared from thin air, sticking to the wall in a lizard-like position. It seems that she has been watching Aline with her camouflage skills.

The female ninja gives a signal by forming a circle using her index finger and thumb. Eiji shrugged at that, then entered his school again. "Come on, Sienna."

"Eh?" The assistant was bewildered and caught up with the principal. "You won't stop her, sir?"

Eiji shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. A smirk graced his face. "It's okay, Sienna. She will be fine."

For the second time, the assistant could not respond.

***

"Come in," Eiji answered when there was another knock on his office that afternoon.

The door to the room opened slowly, and Aline entered with an awkward movement.

"You look amazing," Eiji commented on the white nurse's dress with pink accents that the healer wore. It wrapped her body quite tightly, highlighting the beautiful parts of her body.

And that thing's skirt barely covers the lower part of Aline's body. Eiji became curious why almost all women's uniforms here were like that. Only Anneth is different, and even then, Eiji knows she made a request for it.

But that doesn't mean he's going to change it, though.

"I used to wear clothes like this." Aline slightly corrected the wrinkles on her uniform. "But this is a bit different…" She cleared her throat. "I didn't come here to talk about that."

"Sit down, please." Eiji got up from his work chair to move to the couch. "Want me to order some tea?"

Aline shook her head and sat down on one of the couches. "No need, sir."

"Your hair is nice, too, by the way." This time the principal referred to the healer's pink hair, which was fashioned into a large braid.

"T-thanks again. Miss Bellucci made this." Aline lifted the braid and looked at it with a smile. "I've always wanted to make a braid like this, but I couldn't find how to do it in any book. I didn't have many friends in my previous life, you know. I don't know who to ask."

Eiji thinks that the background of Aline's past life is perhaps the most tragic among the others.

"So what did you want to talk about, Miss Paquette?" As was his custom, Eiji would only call his subordinates by their first names once he fully accepted them.

The healer fiddled with her skirt. "You know that I'm trying to be able to restrain myself from desire. So that the people around me are comfortable."

"Ah, but don't push yourself too hard. Don't let yourself catch a cold."

"This place is quite clean, and no one brings germs from outside. So, it's less likely that I'll get sick even though my body's resistance is reduced because of that exercise." She took a deep breath, finally daring to look at her leader. "I beg you, Mr. Sakazaki. Just be patient with me. I still have a long training. And because of that, I will limit my meetings with the other school members."

Eiji could see layers of tears in that woman's eyes. "But I can see a significant change. You are now behaving normally in front of me."

"I barely did." The healer hugged his own body, starting to shiver. "When Miss Bellucci did my hair, I refrained from hugging, stripping, and inspecting her body. Even now... Ah, you won't be happy hearing what I have in mind."

Aline once claimed that it was not something sexual. She was just too obsessed with one's body. But still, Eiji didn't want that woman to do something strange to him.

"I guess you can let it loose a bit in front of me." The principal sighed, feeling sorry for this woman. "But do not…"

"Really!?" Aline jumped off the couch, her lips raised that creepy wide smile and her fingers were already moving like worms towards the principal.

This was coupled with her intermittent breathing like an excited dog and her saliva dripping like someone seeing the most delicious food on earth.

Eiji doubts that this isn't sexual.

"Don't touch me without asking, though." Eiji chuckled. "Or I will fire you."

"S-sorry." The healer looked down.