Hourglass [Quintessential Quintuplets]

Chapter 29 - Lost & Found

Kazuma's POV:

The room was oppressively silent, broken only by the occasional shuffle of fabric as Shiwa-sensei shifted on the bed, or the faint rustle of paper as I turned a page of my book. I had never imagined my evening would be spent babysitting an intoxicated teacher—yet here I am, a student council member trapped in a room that seemed to shrink with every passing second. Outside, the muffled sounds of laughter and distant screams from the courage test reminded me just how absurdly far removed I was from normalcy.

I never wanted this job. But, thanks to the chain of incompetence that plagued those around me, the task had inevitably fallen to me. The teachers, busy cleaning up after Shiwa-sensei's debauchery, had conveniently pawned her off to the student council. Since I was the only member available who wasn't off entertaining themselves, I became her forced keeper and controller for the time being.

"Why do you have to take care of me, Kazuma-kun!? I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself!" she whined, her voice grating against my ears like nails on glass.

I didn't respond. It wasn't worth the effort. Instead, I buried myself deeper in the book I'd been attempting to read since we were first confined here. It's a vain attempt at salvaging some semblance of mental peace.

"Kazuma-kun, I'm talking to you!" she huffed, her tone as petulant as a child denied a toy. "Put that book aside and respond to your teacher properly. Hmph!"

''At least let me enjoy the books...''

"Nee nee! Why do I have to stay locked in this stupid room while everyone else is having fun? I want to take the courage test too!"

Her voice was shrill, a repetitive, agonizing chorus that grated on my nerves. My patience was wearing thin. I snapped the book shut and set it on the table with a thud loud enough to make her flinch. "Neither of us is happy to be here. But here we are, so deal with it."

"T-then let me go! Look, I p-promise I'll be back before anyone realizes I'm gone!" she pleaded, the desperation in her voice laced with a childish stubbornness. I wonder which of us is adults here?

''You should have thought about this before getting poisoned, sensei.''

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, the weight of my words momentarily cutting through her drunken haze. Then, predictably, she pouted, crossing her arms like a scolded child. "You don't have to be so mean, you know. Mou! My head hurts, my stomach hurts... Everything hurts, ugh."

"Free alcohol." I repeated the words, as if saying them out loud would somehow make them less idiotic. "And now you're here, barely able to stand. Even if I let you go, you'd collapse before reaching the door— Actions have consequences. This is yours. Own it, sensei."

The moonlight seeps through the window, casting silver shadows across the room. Time dragged on, each second stretching into eternity. Somewhere out there, the second-years must started their way through the Test of Courage. Meanwhile, I am trapped with this absurd, useless woman who called herself a teacher.