I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

"It's not just social anxiety, it's downright autistic and antisocial!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka retorted,

"I heard that her band has their first livehouse performance tomorrow, but this girl just disappeared today! She doesn't answer the phone or reply to messages. The other members were so worried they almost cried before they finally found me."

"so?"

"So this mess is now yours!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka confidently put her hands on her hips.

"Aren't you the best at dealing with these problem students? Didn't you manage to subdue those two from the Service Club with just a few words last time? Hurry up and find them for me!"

“Hiratsuka-sensei, this is extra work, so you’ll need to pay extra.”

"Stop being so cheeky! I'll give you an extra 100,000 yen in bonus this month!"

"make a deal."

Lynn sighed and resignedly stood up.

There's nothing we can do about it; this new ability is just so useful.

Perfect, let's find a more challenging target to test the performance.

Lynn didn't wander aimlessly around the campus like a headless fly.

That was inefficient manual labor, which didn't fit his usual aesthetic of slacking off.

He strolled leisurely around the campus, hands in his pockets, like a leisurely person patrolling his own backyard, while simultaneously maximizing the power of his [Emotional Perception] ability.

He actively blocked out the gray noise of "drowsy," "bored," and "looking forward to dinner."

He only searches for a specific emotion.

An extremely intense mix of fear, anxiety, self-loathing, and the urge to vanish into thin air... the ultimate form of social anxiety.

This emotion was so vivid that, in Lynn's world of perception, it was like a searchlight in the dark, dazzling and eye-catching.

Passing by the teaching building... nothing.

Passing by the courtyard... nothing.

As he wandered to the back of the stadium, to that long-abandoned old equipment warehouse, a powerful signal suddenly burst into his field of vision.

found it.

It was a dense, pure black ball of emotional light, so thick it seemed impossible to disperse, with wisps of pink lines swirling around its surface, like a negative energy sea urchin ready to explode at any moment.

"Fear," "tension," "despair," "wanting to die," "wanting to become a speck of dust in the universe"...

The intensity of this emotional fluctuation was so strong that Lynn couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Good guy.

This girl has turned herself into a walking black hole of despair.

He pushed open the half-closed iron door of the warehouse, and a smell of old dust and rust wafted out.

The warehouse was dimly lit and filled with abandoned pommel horses, worn-out basketballs, and tangled volleyball nets, casting strange shadows in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Lynn's gaze finally settled on a corner of the warehouse.

There was a large, lonely cardboard box there.

The source of that strong negative energy signal came from inside the cardboard box.

Goto Doku squeezed himself completely inside, leaving only a small tuft of pink hair sticking out, like an antenna with an extremely weak signal receiving signals from another dimension.

Lynn didn't shout at her, nor did she roughly try to overturn the box.

That would scare the frightened little animal inside to the point of physical cardiac arrest.

He tiptoed to the cardboard box, then very naturally plopped down on it, leaning against the warm box, striking a pose that said, "I'm here to slack off too."

He pulled a can of iced coffee out of his pocket and unzipped it.

"Click~"

The crisp sound was particularly clear in the quiet warehouse.

The cardboard box behind me suddenly shook violently, as if a cat inside had its fur standing on end.

Lynn ignored him, took a sip of coffee, and gazed at the sky outside the warehouse, which was dyed red by the setting sun. He spoke in a voice that could just carry into the cardboard boxes, as if talking to himself.

"I know it's safe to hide in here."

"You won't be seen, you won't be talked to, and you don't have to worry about embarrassing yourself by saying the wrong thing."

"Like a mobile fortress that belongs only to you and is absolutely safe."

The shaking inside the cardboard box miraculously stopped.

Lynn smiled and continued in his slightly lazy, magnetic voice:

"But, Goto-kun."

"The outside world, though sometimes terrifying, is not entirely without merit."

"Occasionally... there are some really nice views."

He paused, as if recalling something, his tone carrying a hint of genuine appreciation.

"For example, I heard a song online played by a guy called 'Guitar Hero'."

"The way he played it... how should I put it, it was like he was setting his entire soul on fire, it was incredibly powerful."

"..."

"Also, I've happened to have read the lyrics you wrote for the band."

"Although it was filled with all sorts of strange and bizarre fantasies, it also contained that desperate desire to be recognized and to shine on stage..."

His voice softened.

"It's dazzling and moving."

"I think you wrote...very well."

Quiet.

A long, deathly silence fell over the warehouse.

A very, very long time passed.

From inside the cardboard box, a faint, yet suppressed, sob, filled with a heavy, mournful tone, finally came from.

"Woo...Woo..."

The voice was like that of a small animal that had been abandoned by the world for a very long time, finally finding someone willing to gently pat its head and give it a piece of candy.

Done, call it a day.

Lynn didn't say anything more.

He stood up and gently placed the half-finished can of coffee next to the cardboard box, as if leaving a little treat for the small animals inside.

Then, he turned around, bathed in the sunset, and leisurely walked away.

There's no point in lecturing a child who has such a severe lack of self-identity.

All you need is a simple, precise "You're great."

He left the warehouse without looking back. Behind him, the large cardboard box shook violently, as if it were experiencing an 8-magnitude earthquake.

Inside the box, a young girl is experiencing an unprecedented mental storm and emotional tsunami.

Lynn walked out of the warehouse, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, and let out a long sigh of relief.

really.

This cheat, when used as a teacher, is practically an officially certified cheat.

It's worry-free, effortless, and gives you a great sense of accomplishment.

perfect.

Just thinking about being able to use this ability again tomorrow to "appreciate" the wonderful expression on Yukino Yukinoshita's perpetually icy face, which is instantly broken by a single careless remark from me...

Lynn's lips involuntarily curled into a pleasant, even wicked, arc.

The joy of being a teacher, isn't that what it's all about?

Just as he was happily preparing to go home, a faint yet powerful emotional fluctuation, which he could not ignore, suddenly swept across the distant horizon.

It was a... bluish-green color, filled with absolute confidence and anxiety, a powerful emotion that was almost unsettling.

This emotion was like a shooting star streaking across the sky, fleeting and so fast that he thought it was an illusion.

But Lynn stopped in her tracks.

He looked up at the sky, which was already tinged with twilight, and squinted slightly.

this world……

It seems that it's not just a simple daily routine.

That kind of thing...no way!

Chapter Six: The Uninvited Guest and the Returning Butterfly

Service Department activity room.

The air was filled with the delicate aroma of top-quality Darjeeling tea.

And a subtle silence known as “standoff”.

Yukino Yukinoshita sat opposite Lynn, her posture elegant and dignified, as if she were not conducting a club activity, but rather leading a diplomatic negotiation that would determine the fate of the world.

She gently pushed a freshly brewed cup of black tea in front of Lynn with impeccable grace.

"Teacher Lynn."

Her voice was clear and cold, like jade striking each other, yet it carried an unprecedented seriousness.

"On behalf of the Service Department, I formally accept a commission."

Sitting to the side, Yui Yuigahama nervously gripped the hem of her skirt, even her breathing became shallow.

Xiaoxue...so focused!

This atmosphere... is terrifying!

Lynn picked up her bone china teacup and leaned back lazily in her chair.

The setting sun shone through the window, casting a soft golden glow on his handsome profile, making even the few unkempt, slightly upturned strands of hair appear just right.

"Oh? Tell me."

Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath, as if the words she was about to say would exhaust all her courage.

Her eyes, which were always as clear as a cold pool, were now staring unblinkingly at Lynn.

Reason and confusion clashed fiercely within it.

"The content of the commission is..."

“We are investigating you, Ms. Lynn.”

One sentence nearly made Yui Yuigahama, who was sitting next to her, jump up from her chair.

"Huh?! Xiaoxue, what are you saying! How can you investigate the teacher?!"

Yukinoshita ignored her friend's exclamation.

Her entire focus was on the man in front of her, trying to find even the slightest flaw in his face, which always wore a lazy smile.

Upon hearing this, Lynn merely raised an eyebrow and leisurely sipped her red tea.

tasty.

Investigating me? I'm investigating you too! Do you have that? (Laughs)

"Investigate me?" He chuckled.

"Yukinoshita-kun, this is no interesting request. My life is like this cup of black tea, plain and unremarkable, and completely transparent."