"Well then, see you later Sensei.", Hachiman raised his hand in farewell and shut the car door.

Hiratsuka replayed their conversation in her head once she was alone, speeding along the deserted night road. What distinguished an adult from a child? She had often wondered about the question, physical development aside what created an adult's outlook? As far as her students were concerned, Hachiman or Yukino both exhibited intelligence comparable or, rather, superior to that of most of adults she had seen. Yet, there was a clear difference in maturity between them and her, was it all just a function of their life experiences? Both had a clear mastery of logic, yet it seemed they were unable or unwilling to confront their own desires and motivations. Pride? Adults had their pride as well, adults were also dishonest with themselves. No, it wasn't pride alone though it definitely played a part. Teenagers, she felt, lacked the sense of urgency that characterized adulthood. Though they might know they were growing up, they never truly lost their belief in the permanence of the school's social structure till they were finally ejected from it.

Once these same individuals entered college, however, there was a reckoning with the future. The selection of college, in the first place, required a reflection on what one wished to pursue as a career. A career being more or less permanent, it further emphasized the transitionary nature of the college. The milestone of legal adulthood and the increase in personal autonomy also encouraged further personal development. In school all the students were dressed per regulations while in college fashion became a statement of personality, serving a purpose of signalling to other likeminded people. In college, one needed to redefine who they were and who they wish to be and, free of the baggage of the past, they were free to sculpt their own mask however they wished to. Given a chance to break out of their moulds, even asocial loners recognized the utility of social connections and social butterflies recognized the impermanence of their networks of influence, maintained even in school through extraordinary efforts for the most part. Acknowledgement of the impermanence of one's surroundings and a generally more relaxed social scene fostered personal growth, driven not as Hachiman feared by the desire to conform or meet external expectations but personal curiosity and desires. Along with the fear of failure, the fear of never trying is born and propels individuals out of the inertia engendered by the former.

The Service Club was stuck in stasis, the interpersonal connections frozen by the fear of wrecking the status quo. Rather, trying to suppress the tectonic forces under the surface were actually leading to its disintegration, that much was obvious to her. Even then, while unintentionally hurting each other was one thing they would not be able to bring themselves to intentionally hurt each other. It was the trolley problem, only the clock was ticking till graduation and at that point the trolley would run over all of them. Teenage idealism, however, puts the virtue of self-sacrifice on a pedestal, prone as it is to the moralizing influences adults know to suppress when convenient. A sense of urgency would resolve the situation, however it ended, and begin the process of recovery for any damage sustained but as things stood they would never develop that sense till it was too late.

Her advice, however much introspection it fostered in Hachiman, wouldn't introduce that sense of urgency. If this were a romantic comedy, a rival would be a good way to artificially induce such a sense but the rivals here were friends and acted as checks on each other more than the catalyst they usually were.

"Well, I can't make the horse drink can I?", she said to herself, pulling up to the spot she had brought Hachiman to less than a few hours back.

"No, it's just that no one has taste nowadays."

It was embarrassing how she had blushed. She had been trying to be the wise old mage figure dispensing advice, mages didn't blush did they? Perhaps they did, though, no one knew what was going on under their beards. Maybe that was why they kept those beards, so they could conceal their facial expressions. She had expected the brat to build off her own self-deprecating joke, prepared to hit him with the can, but she hadn't expected the compliment. Perhaps he had changed somewhat after all, despite all his protests.

"Ah, if only I had been fifteen years younger!", she stretched while blowing smoke out into the ocean.

She hadn't been fortunate enough to find another loner in her school days, leave alone one of the opposite sex. It wasn't exactly Japanese men's taste that was lacking, it was more her own refusal to get involved in any social setting beyond work that had marked her out for the marriage jokes. While even loners did socialize as adults, it never went beyond the most basic level for them in most cases. Socializing as an end in itself remained unattractive, though socializing with an objective in mind did become unavoidable.

Her interactions with her students were her first brush with the kind of drama that normal people live through and, knowing she was in a world apart where it couldn't possibly affect her, she didn't mind getting involved in her student's dramatic lives. So far, though, they had been rather bland compared to what she was seeing at the moment. It almost made her want to be one of the main characters, she could definitely see herself falling for the dense protagonist. She was a teacher, though, she reminded herself. Her role would have to stay restricted to a supporting member. There was no other way about it.

"Well then, Hikigaya kun. I guess this is goodbye."

"Yeah, I guess."

Hiratsuka had resigned herself to failure. She had been hoping for a climatic confession on the day of graduation, a nail biter that would confound her expectations but it looked like it wasn't about to happen. The prom had ended, there wasn't going to be another opportunity like this. A bitter ending to a wrong love comedy, it was apt in the end even if was sad. Then again, perhaps she had been projecting her own desires on the two, if they didn't recognize their feelings after all that had happened then perhaps what was there between the two hadn't been what she had thought, perhaps it truly was her own creation. If wanting to preserve the status quo even at the moment of separation was what drove them then would another kind of ending truly be happy? Would feelings that weak last the test of time?

"Spying on someone, Shizuka?", Haruno's playful voice sounded from behind her.

"The same as you.", she returned, turning to face the older Yukinoshita. If it had been her instead of Yukino, this would not be the way it would all end but then she wouldn't have started the Service Club in the first place.

"Irritating, isn't it? So much energy expenditure without any result, I swear manipulating people into breaking up is easier than getting them to get together.", Haruno pouted.

"I wouldn't know.", Hiratsuka held off on asking how Haruno did.

"Well, perhaps it would be easier with some more cooperative puppets.", Haruno sighed, "I hate losing."

"I thought you were doing this for your sister."

"Of course, I do care about my puppets."

Hiratsuka smirked, Haruno's mask never slipped.

"On that topic. Why were you doing this?"

"Visual Novels doesn't scratch the itch anymore."

"So you wanted to add the Sensei route to his?"

She had just taken a sip from the glass in her hand, while sputtering it over the smug girl in front of her was appealing she swallowed it hard before replying.

"That's preposterous. I'm his teacher."

"That's your line at the beginning of the story. Now you're supposed to say 'Once you pass your exams' while getting flustered."

"Very funny.", she said frowning at the giggling girl in front of her, "If you'll excuse me, I should go talk with some of my colleagues, this'll be my last party here after all."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot you were getting transferred. Hope you get the flags at your next school, Sensei. Your blush is awakening something in even my heart."

Shaking her head, she walked away from Haruno. It wasn't her words so much as the image they drew up that had prompted her blush. A vivid imagination does have its drawbacks.

"Haah. That was tiring.", Hiratsuka muttered to herself as she entered the Starvucks. Being a new teacher again was tiring, her class was nice at least. Introducing herself to all the teachers, having to go out for smokes and establishing her presence in class would all take time and effort. She found herself with a new understanding of those people who never switched jobs throughout their career in the private sector.

"Welcome to…", she looked up from rummaging through her purse at the barista having stopped midsentence.

"Huh?", she wondered what kind of odds this had of happening, "Hikigaya kun?"