The sunlight filtered in through the gaping hole where a classroom wall used to be, spilling golden beams across the dusty floor. The salty sea breeze flowed in freely, fluttering loose papers and stirring the chalk-smudged blackboard. In this oddly serene post-apocalyptic classroom, Sensei stood in front of a lone occupied desk, watching the sleeping girl like he'd stumbled upon a rare creature in the wild.
He leaned down slightly and poked her cheek.
No reaction.
He tried again, firmer this time.
Still nothing—except a lazy brush of her hand, swatting him away like a fly.
"…Is she talking in her sleep?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the peacefully drooling girl.
Intrigued, Sensei lightly tugged her cheek between his fingers. It was soft. Very soft. But still, she didn't wake. Her only response was to shift slightly in her sleep and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
This kid… she's way too good at sleeping.
He sweatdropped, unsure whether to be impressed or concerned. He leaned in again just as she mumbled something, her voice faint but distinct.
"…Banana milk tastes better than strawberry milk…"
Sensei blinked. Did she just…?
The girl giggled to herself in her sleep, her brows twitching with joy as if she were savoring the last sip of her dream beverage."No matter which one it is… there are still many…"
Sensei raised an eyebrow. Still many, huh?
And then, with the corner of his lips curling into a mischievous smile, he got an idea.
Leaning close to her ear, he whispered softly, "Yes… there are many milks…"
The girl nodded slightly, still dreaming. "Yes…"
"Strawberry milk… chocolate milk… banana milk…" he whispered, pausing for dramatic effect. Her breathing deepened, anticipation clear on her face.
"…And…" he said slowly.
The girl murmured, "And…"
Sensei grinned. "Stinky tofu milk."
There was a pause. A beat of silence.
Then her expression crumpled like paper. A frown overtook her face. Her body twitched.
"…Yes… stinky tofu… milk?"
She began to stir in distress, her brows furrowing tightly.
"No… nooo… stay away from me…" she whimpered, now caught in a sudden dream-turned-nightmare, twisting slightly in her seat like she was trying to escape something terrifying and fermented.
Sensei stood up slowly, clearing his throat, feigning innocence.
"Totally not my fault," he muttered to himself, eyes flicking to the corner of the classroom where a broken ceiling fan swayed lazily in the sea breeze.
"Arona doesn't want to drink it!!" the girl suddenly cried out as she jolted awake, eyes wide and panic lingering in her voice.
The sudden motion sent her chair screeching back and her desk toppling over with a loud clatter, a few scattered papers catching the sea breeze as they fluttered into the air.
Blinking rapidly, Arona sat up and rubbed her eyes, still half-lost in the remnants of her dream… or nightmare. Then, as her vision cleared, she spotted the person standing in front of her.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
"Ah! Sensei!"
"…You know me?" Sensei asked with a tilt of his head.
Arona shook her head. "Nope! But Arona knows the only person who can meet me here is Sensei—wait."
Her eyes narrowed. The memory of the dream came flooding back.
"Then it was you! You're the one who whispered that weird thing in Arona's dream!" she accused, her voice rising indignantly.
She stomped over and tried to puff out her chest to appear taller… but even at full effort, she barely reached up to Sensei's chest. In fact, she wasn't even as tall as Lina—who he already considered to be the shortest person he'd met so far.
(Arona: 133cm. Lina: 140cm.)
Sensei glanced down at her unimpressed stance and said with a perfectly straight face, "Sensei would never whisper something as absurd as stinky tofu milk to his student. Maybe… you ate it before and the taste haunted you?"
"I've never eaten anything like that! And how do you know it was stinky tofu milk?!" Arona shot back, her face flushed a deep red—equal parts flustered and furious. Her usually steady voice cracked like a breaking circuit board, and the aura flickering around her practically fizzled out.
"Which means… it really was you, Sensei! You were playing tricks on me while I was asleep!"
"You were the one still sleeping even after Sensei tried to wake you up," he replied with a casual shrug. "Sensei just... took the opportunity."
"Ehh—Ah?! Huh?! HUH!!??" Arona stumbled over her words, stunned all over again as the full weight of the situation hit her.
Her eyes widened like saucers as she stared at him. Then, without hesitation, she rushed forward, reaching out and poking him—his sleeve, his chest, his shoulder—anywhere she could confirm he was real.
After a few seconds of awkward patting and poking, she gasped.
"Y-You're real?! Like, actually real real?! Sensei! How did you even get in here?! This place isn't… normal!"
She stepped back, hands fidgeting nervously at her sides.
"This is… Arona's inner space. A sealed memory zone. No one should be able to enter here."
Sensei raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess that makes two mysteries to solve. One, how I got here. Two, why you're hoarding milk flavors in your dreams."
Arona puffed her cheeks and stomped her foot. "Don't change the subject!"
"Well… Sensei doesn't exactly know what happened after trying to activate the tablet," Sensei said, glancing around the surreal classroom. "One moment I was holding it, and the next—bam—I'm here."
"This is a data space!" Arona blurted out in shock. Her eyes grew wide as she took a step back. "Wait… don't tell me Sensei became a digital lifeform as well?!"
Her voice trembled, and the halo floating above her head—which had previously glowed a soft, sky-blue hue—suddenly fractured and spun wildly like an asteroid belt in orbit. Pieces of shimmering code circled her head in disarray, reflecting her rapidly rising panic.
"What should Arona do?" she muttered, clutching at her head, spinning in place like she was about to short-circuit.
Sensei could clearly see how overwhelmed she was. Based on the visual chaos of her halo, he figured that her emotions were directly linked to it—more intense feelings meant more volatility.
He also couldn't help but fixate on something she had said earlier: "as well."
So she isn't a naturally born AI, Sensei thought, but… one that evolved from a human source?
And then there was her appearance… that blue hair, the way she carried herself—it all tugged at a thread in the back of his mind. Where have I seen her before?
He shook his head. Forget it. I need to focus on what's happening now.
"Alright," Sensei muttered, then reached out and gently grabbed Arona by the waist, lifting her off the ground.
"Ehh—?!"
"Calm down," he said, placing her back on her feet gently. "No matter how anxious you get, it won't change what's already happened. So let's take a deep breath and focus on what you were going to do before I showed up."
His voice was firm, but calm—measured, the way one might talk to a panicking student who just realized they forgot their homework… and the exam.
Although it felt like this situation had gone off the rails completely, Sensei didn't believe for a second that the General Student Council president had gone through this much trouble—tracking down a mysterious device, organizing multiple people, pulling him into Schale—just so he could end up in a weird digital space chatting with a mysterious little girl-turned-system AI.
"W-Woo… Wow?! Is that... true?" Arona blinked at him, stunned by his calm tone. The storm in her halo slowed to a swirl, no longer a chaotic ring of debris. Her hands, once flailing at his belt in distress, now only fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.
"Okay… okay…" she whispered to herself, patting both cheeks and taking a deep breath. Though her aura still flickered like a faulty screen, it was clear she was at least trying to pull herself together.
Then, as if something suddenly clicked in her head, she straightened up.
"Oh, that's right!" she said with sudden formality, placing both hands on the sides of her skirt and lifting it slightly as she gave a polite curtsy. "Let's start over."
"Hello, Sensei! My name is Arona. I am the system administrator and main operating system of the Shittim Chest! And starting today…" she gave a proud little smile, "I'll be your personal secretary!"
"My personal secretary?" Sensei repeated, tilting his head.
"Yep!" Arona nodded brightly, her eyes sparkling like twin sapphires catching the light. "I finally get to meet you!"
Her soft voice carried a warmth that matched her sky-blue gaze—gently tilted upward as if cloud-watching on a lazy summer day. There wasn't a hint of pressure in her expression, only a comforting calm, like being wrapped in freshly dried blankets under the sun.
"I've been waiting for you to come here, Sensei," she said with quiet joy.
"…Really?" Sensei raised an eyebrow, looking at her skeptically. "Because napping on a desk doesn't quite scream 'devoted waiting.'"
"Ah… ahaha…" Arona gave an embarrassed little laugh and scratched her cheek, which had turned a faint shade of pink. "I… I only take naps occasionally…"
She quickly straightened up and added with urgency, "Really! It was just a short nap! I didn't think you'd arrive so suddenly!"
Sensei glanced around the classroom, still riddled with signs of collapse and solitude—the collapsed ceiling, the cluttered desks, the sea-salt air wafting through the broken wall. "It must be tough staying alone in a place like this."
He looked down at her, resisting the urge to pat her on the head. Instead, he extended a hand toward her with a gentle smile. "You've done well, Arona. You can call me Sensei. I'll be counting on your guidance from now on."
"Ehehe…" Arona's face lit up, and her halo twisted into the shape of a glowing heart above her head. She reached out to take his hand, but her fingers were so tiny that she could only clasp three of his.
"It's not that great… but I'll do my best! Please take care of me too, Sensei!"
Sensei chuckled softly. "Actually, there's something I've been curious about."
"Hm?" Arona tilted her head.
"Your voice—it's a little… off? Kind of like… filtered through a synthesizer?"
"Ah!" Arona puffed her cheeks in mild frustration. "That's because my body version is still really low. Especially the data handling around my vocal system—it hasn't been patched properly yet…"
As she spoke, her halo dimmed slightly, and her smile faded for just a moment. But before the silence could linger, she clenched her tiny fists and stood straight again, determination shining in her eyes.
"But I'll keep improving! I'll upgrade everything, no matter how long it takes—so I can support Sensei in all the ways possible!"
"Okay~" Sensei replied with a soft smile, taking her seriously despite her childlike appearance. "I'll be in your care, then."
"Hehehe…" Arona laughed, unable to contain her joy at his trust. Her laughter was clear and sweet, echoing in the empty classroom like wind chimes.
Then suddenly, as if remembering something important, she snapped back to business mode.
"Oh right! Before anything else, even if it's just a formality, I'll need to perform a biometric authentication, Sensei!"
(A/n: ehe hiii~)