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As the bedroom door clicked shut, the master bedroom was left with only the dim, warm glow of a bedside lamp.
Lucian moved quietly to the other side of the bed, lifted the blanket, and slipped in.
The moment the mattress dipped, he could clearly feel the girl beside him stiffen. Yukino Yukinoshita tensed up like a hedgehog sensing danger, curling in on herself, her breathing turning shallow and careful.
"Relax a little, Yukino."
Lucian turned his head, looking at the small black head that only showed the back.
Then he picked up his phone from the nightstand, lowered the brightness, and started scrolling through Sobu High's school forum.
Partly to pass the time. Partly to distract himself.
After all, lying next to him was a stunning girl with not a stitch on, giving off a faint, lingering fragrance. Even with half a meter between them, that soft warmth unique to a girl kept building under the covers.
Any normal man would need something to take his mind off that.
He opened the forum, originally planning to check if there were any leads on school ghost stories, something useful for his side job as a spirit hunter.
But the moment he entered, the red-hot pinned posts at the top left him speechless.
[Huge Reward! Looking for uncensored daily-life photos of the new math teacher from Class 1-B! Price negotiable!]
[Insane looks! Secret side-profile shots of Teacher Lucian in class (blurry), plus voice recording—click to see Sobu High's newest male god!]
[Serious discussion: What are the chances of Teacher Lucian accepting a confession? (OP has already prepared a love letter)]
He had to admit, Sobu High's atmosphere was… free, in certain ways.
He'd only just shown up at school today, barely even introduced himself to the class. Yet by nightfall, half the forum was already talking about him.
Especially that bounty post. The price had already climbed to 3,000.
"Three thousand for a photo? Since when do high school girls have this kind of spending money?"
Lucian stared at the number, eyes flickering.
Honestly… it was tempting.
A ridiculous thought even popped into his head: what if he made a burner account, snapped a high-res selfie, and sold it himself? Would that count as market manipulation? That'd be way easier money than ghost hunting.
Just as he was staring at his screen with a weird mix of exasperation and greed, a faint rustling sound came from beside him.
Yukino, buried under the blanket, had been too tense to sleep.
But after waiting a while and realizing Lucian wasn't making any moves and was just quietly on his phone, curiosity got the better of her.
She slowly turned over and, using the dim light and the glow from his screen, carefully leaned closer.
Since they were sharing the same blanket, the moment she moved in, her warm, lightly scented presence washed over him.
Her smooth, pale shoulder accidentally brushed against his arm.
Lucian turned his head—and met her eyes.
Under the faint screen light, her deep blue eyes looked moist and luminous.
Her gaze dropped to his phone, taking in the "3,000 reward" post… and his earlier expression that practically screamed should I just sell myself?
"Pfft—"
The usually cold and composed ice-queen couldn't hold it in anymore. A soft, beautiful laugh slipped out.
Her eyes curved, and for a moment, her smile lit up the dim room.
"If you want to laugh, just laugh. Don't hold it in," Lucian said helplessly, shrugging. "I was just wondering whether using my position to make some extra money would violate teacher ethics."
"That would be… embezzlement," Yukino muttered softly.
After that laugh, the tension in her body eased noticeably.
The atmosphere under the blanket was no longer as suffocating as before.
Buzz—
Just as things finally relaxed, Lucian's phone vibrated. A LINE notification popped up at the top.
Sender: Hiratsuka Shizuka.
The passionate teacher of Sobu High—and Lucian's direct superior—had messaged him at this hour.
He tapped it open. Given how close they were, Yukino could see everything clearly too.
[Hiratsuka Shizuka]: "How was your first day?"
[Lucian]: "Pretty good. The students are very enthusiastic." (attached: forum screenshot)
[Hiratsuka Shizuka]: "Can't help it, that's just the school culture… As the math teacher for Class 1-2 and a trainee homeroom teacher, there are a few problem students you should watch."
[Hiratsuka Shizuka]: "For example, Yukino Yukinoshita. Excellent grades, but too isolated—basically ostracized by the class… There's also a student named Natsumi. Good grades, but…"
Reading through the list, Lucian raised an eyebrow.
Yukino's situation in class was obvious to him.
As for that "Natsumi"…
A faint glint flashed in his eyes.
If his memory as a transmigrator was correct, that transfer student wasn't an ordinary high school girl at all, but a primordial dragon king who held dominion over earth and mountains.
Still, in this dangerous, mixed-anime world, everyone wore the mask of normalcy. As long as she didn't cause trouble, he was happy to keep things peaceful.
With that thought, Lucian smirked slightly and turned to look at Yukino, who had also read the messages.
His fingers flew across the screen.
[Lucian]: "Don't worry, Teacher Hiratsuka. I'm already getting to know her… in depth."
"You—!"
Yukino's face instantly flushed bright red, even her slender neck tinted with embarrassment.
What do you mean 'in depth'?
"Teacher Lucian! Please don't send messages that can be misunderstood!"
Overwhelmed with shame, the usually cool and elegant girl finally broke.
She reached out from under the blanket, her fair arm carrying a mix of annoyance and fluster, and lightly smacked his arm.
The hit was soft—like a kitten pawing at him.
But the problem was, Lucian, as a part-time spirit hunter, had just been enhanced by the system earlier that day. His reflexes were far beyond normal.
The moment he was "attacked," his body reacted before his brain could process it.
He instinctively raised his hand and swatted back toward the source—under the blanket.
Smack.
A faint contact sound echoed under the covers.
Then—
Silence.
Complete, suffocating silence.
The sensation at his fingertips wasn't the firmness of an arm.
It was something indescribably soft. Shockingly elastic. Perfectly curved… even bouncing slightly under his palm.
Time seemed to freeze.
Lucian's breathing stopped.
Slowly, stiffly, he turned his head.
Yukino's deep blue eyes were already misted over, filled with shock and overwhelming embarrassment.
She bit her lower lip so hard it left a pale mark. Her face was flushed as if it might drip blood, her long lashes trembling like startled butterflies.
They stayed like that, frozen in an unbearably intimate position.
No one spoke.
Ten whole seconds passed.
"Teacher...Lucian…"
Her voice trembled, thick with humiliation and a hint of tears, each word squeezed out through clenched teeth.
"Your hand… how long… are you planning to keep it there…?"
"....."