A sedan rolled to a steady stop at the academy gate, and three lolis clung to the doors, gasping like carp flopping on a riverbank.

A red‑haired, big‑sister type watched them, helpless as a late sun caught in thin clouds.

“Come on, it’s not that bad, right? You’re tough as iron—how can you not handle that?”

Lian flared on the spot, a spark leaping to dry tinder.

“Idiot! Who told you to shoot out without a word? I had zero prep, zero! And who drives like that? Who climbs an alley wall for a shortcut? What are you, in a slot‑car anime? You even pulled a ‘blade pass’! What’s next, a ‘tornado charge’ into a whirlwind combo?!”

Seeing Lian’s stormcloud glare, Alicia could only give a thin, awkward smile, like paper in the wind.

“Hey—Ling, don’t be mad. Lunch is on me today.”

It had been a vent more than a fury; with a “compensation” offered, Lian could only cross her arms and turn away like a prickly cat facing the moon.

“Hmph! Fine. I forgive you.”

Forgiven, Alicia bent down and straightened Lian’s rumpled clothes, gentle as smoothing a silk sleeve in spring rain. Then she took Lian’s small hand, called the quiet Remi to her side, and led them into the school, three little shadows under one tall tree.

A lively older‑sister figure with three cute lolis set the campus squealing, the sound like sparrows bursting from bamboo. No one dared touch; the cold stares of nearby students cradling rifles were winter steel enough.

After notifying the principal of Remi’s arrival, Alicia shepherded the trio back to her classroom, a small flock returning to its perch.

The door swung open, and the class surged in like a tide.

“Alicia, where did you even go? The Dragonfolk incursion’s been handled—why are you only back now?”

“Alicia, did you kidnap more lolis again?! Why are there two more adorable ones?!”

“Lady Ling, the doujin from before is finished! Please take a look!”

Their warmth pressed in like midsummer; Alicia could only keep smiling, wanting nothing more than to slip back to her seat and curl up in her own patch of shade.

While Alicia wasn’t looking, Lian flicked the doujin into her arms like a fish stealing a gleam. As for why… who knows~

Ring, ring.

The bell rang in her ear like a savior’s chime through fog, and everyone drifted back to their seats, deflated but obedient.

The teacher walked in all in black, a crow on a branch, slid the lesson file onto the lectern, then slouched into the chair with both feet tossed onto the desk.

“Ah… class, Alicia and Ling are back. Let’s welcome them.”

Clap clap clap clap!!

Applause rolled on like surf.

Clap clap clap clap clap!!!

It kept rolling because, whenever it was about to ebb, someone smacked louder, and the others traded looks—got it—and thundered along. The tide only broke when the teacher coughed a few times, dry leaves shaken from a tree.

“Ahem. Good. Also, those two over there—meet them. They’re here as Alicia and Ling’s personal maids. Please introduce yourselves.”

Remi and Flan stood at the same time, twin reeds rising.

“I’m Remi, the elder sister.”

“I’m Flan, the younger.”

Short as a raindrop; they finished in under two seconds and sat, while the class blinked like owls in daylight.

The teacher cut the awkwardness like a fan through smoke. “Any questions?”

The room woke; a girl raised her hand, timid as a sprout.

“Are Remi and Flan blood sisters?”

“Yes,” Remi chimed, light as wind.

“Th‑then… I have a bold—”

“No.” The refusal was instant, clean as a blade. The girl wilted back into her seat like a flower after hail.

A blond guy in a weird white shirt—printed with a loli and the words “Lolis are supreme”—sprang up, finger spearing the air at Alicia like a lance.

“Alicia! How many pure lolis will you ruin? I, the guardian of lolis, challenge you today! I’ll show you that lolis are holy and inviolable!”

Black lines practically crawled down Alicia’s face; she picked up her phone like someone lifting a broom for a familiar mess. “Hello? Police? Mm… yeah, it’s him again.”

Under a minute later, a helicopter hovered at the window, rotors thwop‑thwopping like a hawk’s wings. A soldier in sleek gear leveled a launcher; a net whooshed out, snagged the guy, and reeled him in like a fish on a line. As they hauled him away, he kept shouting nonsense—“This isn’t a crime! Loving lolis isn’t a crime!” “Elementary schoolers are the best!” “I’ll love lolis forever!”—and the class erupted in laughter, a room full of fireflies flickering with mischief.

The teacher wore a seen‑it‑all look, even nodding at Alicia, approval like a stamp on a document.

“All right, let’s start class. Oh, and the math teacher’s on leave, so math this afternoon is swapped for P.E.”

—

After class, Alicia glanced down at the loli in her arms who hadn’t slept, puzzlement rising like mist over water.

“Hey, Ling, you really weren’t sleepy just now?”

Lian froze first, a deer caught in a sudden lantern, then recovered, the sting of failure pricking—she hadn’t played Ling well.

“Emmm… I was kinda sleepy,” she said, voice soft as cotton, “but I wanted to stay with you, Alicia. If you have to sit through something this boring, I can’t just nap for myself. That wouldn’t be fair to you, right?”

It was a perfect reason, like a ribbon tied right; it fit Ling’s feelings for Alicia, speaking love without shouting. Full marks, curtain call.

“I see. Thank you.”

Seeing Alicia believe her, Lian let out a long breath, tension leaving like wind leaving a taut sail. She’d slipped past it this time; she’d have to tread lighter next.

“But Ling, if you feel sleepy, don’t force it,” Alicia added, warm as a quilt in winter. “Just sleep. I’ll keep holding you.”

“Mm. I know.”

Lian quieted, a lake gone still. Watching that change, Alicia’s brows knit a little, a ripple under moonlight.

Ling… what’s really going on with you?