I Reincarnated as the Counselor NPC in a Dating Sim, and Now Every Heroine I Treat Becomes Obsessed with Me - Chapter 29: “September Classroom—The Second Term Begins”

Chapter 29: “September Classroom — The Second Term Begins”

September 1st. 

Opening ceremony for the second term.

Summer vacation was over.

All the students were lined up in the gym.

I stood in my usual spot at the edge of the staff row—basically the “next to the copier” position—listening to the principal’s speech from the stage.

It was long.

As always, way too long.

But this time, the view felt a little different.

The line of Class 2-3.

Midori was there.

Her back was perfectly straight. 

The same flawless posture as always.

But—her expression was more relaxed. 

Just like before summer break.

Even while she was back home, she had held onto her “seventy-two point self.”

Akane was there too.

Near the back of the line. 

Her uniform was worn properly—less sloppy than before.

Her arms were crossed, but her expression had softened.

Those days of summer lunches had clearly left something behind.

Rin was there.

Chatting with the girl next to her.

After training camp, something about her felt more mature. 

Her skin was tanned, and her smile looked natural.

That easy, unforced smile was starting to stick.

Mio was there.

Standing at the edge of the line with her arms crossed.

That “prince” presence, as always.

But to me—who had seen her curled up in that rehearsal hall—

I knew just how thick that mask really was.

In the first-year row, Shizuku was there.

Her face was half-hidden behind her bangs. 

Her hair looked a little longer than before summer.

She held onto her strap, looking slightly restless—but her body seemed more at ease than before.

I looked over all five of them.

Compared to April—every single one of them had changed.

But—

All of them had changed in a way that somehow led back to me.

Midori’s “seventy-two points” was something she reported to me.

Rin’s “I’m scared” was something she confided in me.

Mio’s real face—only I had seen it.

Shizuku’s voice—only came out in front of me.

Akane’s “friend”—was only me.

Those were all signs of recovery.

Proof that they had found a safe place.

At the same time—

It also meant that safe place was too centered on one person.

(…Second term. I need to help expand their world a little more.)

The principal’s speech finally ended.

Students began to disperse.

The second term—had begun.

—

After the ceremony, each class returned to their homerooms.

I was in the counseling room, getting things ready for the new term.

Sorting through the paperwork that piled up over summer, filing visit records, checking the tea stock.

The baby’s breath by the window had finally withered.

It had been over three months since Shizuku brought it. It lasted well.

As I cleared away the dried flowers, I felt a small sense of loneliness.

Seven drawings were on the wall.

Records of the alternating sketches with Shizuku.

From the apple tree all the way to the cat and bird by the window.

On my desk were Shizuku’s bookmark and the giant stuffed toy Rin had won at the shooting game.

The atmosphere of the counseling room had completely changed from the dusty room it had been back in April.

Then—

A knock came at the door.

Two quick, light taps.

“Come in.”

It was Haruto.

“Asagiri-sensei! Looking forward to this term too!”

“Hanasaki-kun. Same here. —What’s up?”

He sat down, holding a paperback book in his hand.

“I finished Kokoro.”

The discussion we promised during summer.

He had remembered.

“Oh, you finished it. What did you think?”

He paused, searching for words.

Before, he would’ve just said, “It was good!” and left it at that.

But this time was different.

“…That ‘Sensei’ guy kept everything to himself until the very end, right? He couldn’t tell anyone, and in the end—”

Haruto cut himself off.

Not because of spoilers—but because he hadn’t sorted out his thoughts yet.

“Why didn’t he tell anyone? If he had, things would’ve been easier. —No… maybe it’s exactly because he couldn’t say it that it hurt so much.”

“…What do you think?”

“I think… if it were me, I’d just say it. If I’m struggling, I’d talk to someone. If I’ve got problems, I’d ask for help. But he couldn’t do that. —And that just felt… really lonely.”

Haruto looked at me.

“Sensei—Asagiri-sensei, you’re kind of like that too, aren’t you?”

My heart skipped.

“…What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, just a feeling. You’re always the one listening, right? You hear students out, give advice… but I started wondering—do you ever talk to anyone about your own problems? —When I was reading Kokoro over summer, it just kind of hit me.”

Haruto’s observation skills.

This guy wasn’t clueless. He wasn’t some shallow protagonist either.

He watched people in his own way. And after watching—

He asked directly.

“…My problems?”

“Yeah. You’ve got them too, right, Sensei? If you do—well, if you’re okay with it, I can listen.”

It was pure kindness.

No hidden meaning—just genuine goodwill.

“Thanks. But I’m fine.”

“…I see. Still, you can tell me anytime. I might not be great at it, but I can at least listen.”

Haruto stood up.

“Oh, right. When I told Yukimura-san my thoughts on Kokoro, she gave me this really long note in return. Like, three pages. It was hard to read—but I was really happy. It’s the first time she’s written that much to me.”

“Three pages? That’s impressive.”

“Right?! —Anyway, Sensei, I’ll drop by again!”

He left the room.

I leaned back in my chair.

Haruto was growing.

His thoughts had more depth now. 

The way he approached Shizuku had changed too.

And—he was starting to see through my loneliness.

—“You’ve got problems too, right, Sensei?”

I do. Of course I do.

The secret that this world is a game.

The growing dependence of the five heroines.

The memory of dying from overwork in my past life.

The fact that I’m carrying all of this alone.

But—

I couldn’t tell Haruto any of that.

Just like the “Sensei” in Kokoro.

Holding onto a secret, unable to tell anyone.

(…Hanasaki. I never thought the day would come when you’d say something like that. A mob character with barely a line in the game… and yet here I am—a mental health professional—being worried about by the protagonist… it’s not even funny.)

Still—

It didn’t feel unpleasant.

—

After school.

The first visitor of the second term came to the counseling room.

It was Shizuku.

During summer, she wore casual clothes—but today, she was back in her uniform.

It had been a while since I’d seen Shizuku in her sailor uniform.

“Welcome back, Shizuku-chan.”

She gave a small nod and sat in her usual seat.

I prepared tea.

Even though it was already September, it was still hot, so I made cold green tea.

Shizuku held the cup with one hand.

She held out her notebook.

『Ren-sensei. I look forward to this term as well』

“Same here.”

『During summer, Hanasaki-san read Kokoro. When I asked about his thoughts, we were able to talk more deeply than before. I was happy』

“Hanasaki-kun’s growing too, huh.”

『Yes. Hanasaki-san is someone who makes an effort』

Shizuku acknowledged Haruto.

—“Someone who makes an effort.”

Not a bad evaluation at all.

She wrote again.

『But the person I most wanted to talk about Kokoro with… is Ren-sensei』

“…I see.”

『The “Sensei” in Kokoro suffers because he carries his secret alone. Ren-sensei—are you carrying something too』

The same question—

Both Haruto and Shizuku had asked it.

On the same day.

Because of the same book.

Haruto asked it directly.

Shizuku asked it quietly, through her memos.

Different approaches—

But they reached the same place.

“…I’m fine.”

The same answer.

To Haruto—and to Shizuku.

Shizuku looked at me.

For a long moment.

Then she wrote something.

『Ren-sensei’s “I’m fine” feels the same as Rin-san’s “I’m fine”』

I—

I couldn’t move for a moment after reading that.

Rin’s “I’m fine.”

The way she hid her exhaustion behind a smile, repeating those words over and over.

Shizuku was comparing that to me.

(…She sees it. She’s watching me. More closely than I realized.)

“…You’re sharp, Shizuku-chan.”

『Just like how Ren-sensei listened to my silence. I want to listen to Ren-sensei’s silence too』

She wanted to listen—to my silence.

The counselor was becoming the one being listened to.

Our roles were—starting to reverse.

“Thank you. But for now—tell me about yourself. What do you want to do this term?”

I guided the conversation back.

As a professional.

Shizuku looked slightly disappointed—then wrote again.

『I want to try exchanging memos with people other than Hanasaki-san in the library. One of the library committee members talked to me』

“That’s good. Let’s expand things little by little.”

She nodded.

Outside the window, the September sky was clear and high.

The towering summer clouds had drifted away, and the signs of autumn were beginning to settle in.

Second term.

The cultural festival was coming up.

The worlds of the five girls would start moving even more.

And—like the “Sensei” from Kokoro, I would eventually have to face my own problem… the one I kept hidden.

But for today—

I made tea, read her notes, and sat beside Shizuku.

An ordinary after-school moment.

The usual counseling room.

That was all I could do—for now.