3:30 PM, after school.
The moment Hōjō Yoru and Yuuki Asuna stepped out of the school gate, Hiratsuka Shizuka came striding up to them—biting a long, slim "ladies' cigarette"—and greeted them with a broad, unrestrained grin.
"Yo, Hōjō. Yuuki. Where you headed? Want your teacher to drive you there?"
Yoru shot her a disgusted look. Listening to that deliberately gentle tone, he went straight for the jugular.
"Your voice is revolting. Why does an old hag insist on posing like a maiden?"
"You…!"
Age was exactly Shizuka's landmine. Her fist clenched on reflex—she almost triggered the legendary counterattack of Sōbu High's No.1 Iron Fist.
But remembering her real objective, she forced herself to cool down and kept the smile on her face.
"Aww, don't say that. I'm just trying to show a little care for my most outstanding student."
"Cut it out. Flattery won't work on me."
"Tch…"
Watching him remain utterly unmoved, Shizuka bit her lip. This brat really doesn't respond to soft or hard. For a second, she even wondered whether she'd have to put on cat ears, cosplay as a maid, and beg in a sweet voice to make him budge.
What a nightmare opponent.
"Still…"
Just as she was running out of options, Yoru suddenly changed course.
"Since you're putting it like that, I'll give you some face, Shizuka."
"Really?!"
Shizuka's face lit up—then she instantly realized she'd revealed too much, coughed twice, and tried to look composed.
"Good. Then we'll talk while we walk."
Off to the side, Asuna had watched the entire exchange. She could only shake her head in helpless resignation.
Poor Hiratsuka-sensei. She's being played like a fiddle.
...
They reached a paid parking lot not far from Sōbu High. When Asuna saw Shizuka's red luxury sports car, she finally understood why the principal said it didn't belong on campus.
On a normal teacher's salary, there's no way…
"I'm telling you, Shizuka."
Yoru frowned at the car.
"This thing only seats two, doesn't it?"
Only then did Shizuka realize her blunder.
She'd planned to pick up just him, but Asuna came along too—and after being toyed with at the gate, Shizuka's brain had been busy plotting revenge. She'd completely forgotten her car couldn't take three.
"Uh…"
Under Yoru's burning stare, she went silent for a few seconds—then stuck her tongue out and flashed a peace sign.
"Ehe?"
Yoru didn't budge.
"Trying to act cute won't save you. And next time you want to pull that move, maybe consider your age first? Don't tell me you actually think you're still a teenage girl. Fooling the boys is one thing—don't fool yourself."
This time, Shizuka had no confidence to fight back. She was the one at fault.
"Sorry. My bad. I'm sorry, okay?"
"Um…"
Seeing Shizuka look genuinely pitiful, Asuna couldn't help feeling sorry for her. She tugged at Yoru's sleeve and whispered:
"It's fine. You go with Hiratsuka-sensei. I can just take the train."
"You want me to ride alone with her?"
Yoru's brows knit as though the suggestion shocked him.
"That's basically sending a lamb into a tiger's mouth."
Asuna looked at the righteously indignant Yoru, then at the teary-eyed Shizuka, and rubbed her forehead with a sigh.
"Don't tell me you're the 'lamb.' Hiratsuka-sensei's about to cry from how much you bullied her."
"Yuuki, your observation skills need work."
Yoru said that first—then he looked at Shizuka, who stood there looking as if tears might fall at any moment, and spoke with easy nonchalance.
"If I get in Shizuka's car and let her drive me home, it means she's done something beyond her duties as a teacher. That means I owe her a favor. And in exchange, I'll have to agree to demands that go beyond what a student should do."
Hearing that, Shizuka cursed inwardly.
This kid is way too sharp.
And he wasn't wrong. That was exactly what she had in mind—yet he'd seen through her immediately.
In that moment, a thought—very similar to Yukinoshita Yukino's—floated through her mind.
On certain points—especially that smile that could read people, the way he kept control of the situation, that lofty, teasing air…
Hōjō Yoru was way too much like Yukinoshita Haruno.
"Since you already saw through me, I won't play nice."
Shizuka finally got serious. She lit another cigarette and leaned against her car, voice low.
"I'm asking you—for the sake of our class."
"Don't you want to help your classmates? And the ones who need help are all beautiful girls…"
Before she could finish, Yoru cut in.
"Nishimiya Shōko. Tōma Kazusa. Yukinoshita Yukino."
Shizuka's eyes widened.
"How do you know?!"
"Don't ask stupid questions with obvious answers, Shizuka."
Yoru spread his hands as if it were self-evident.
"One girl's painfully shy and timid, wears hearing aids, and has a hearing disability. Another is cold and proud and doesn't talk to anyone. And the last one is the real heavyweight—she slept from the moment she entered the classroom until dismissal. Even an idiot could guess those are your 'students who need help,' right?"
"…Yeah. I can't hide anything from you."
Now that they were on business, Shizuka's expression turned properly solemn.
"Hōjō, your emotional intelligence is high and your social skills are strong. You became friends with Yuuki on the first day—that proves it. So I want…"
"It's not that my social skills are strong."
Yoru shook his head, then pointed at Asuna, who was standing nearby watching like it didn't concern her, and smiled.
"It's Yuuki who's good at socializing. And she's a girl."
"Oh?"
With both Shizuka and Yoru looking at her at once, Asuna froze. She raised a finger to herself, wearing a perfectly cute, blank expression.
"Don't tell me… you want me to go make friends with those three girls?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 90)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 95)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter70)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter70)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter60)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 20
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 20
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