Kuchiba Hiro walked down the stairs, intending to go to the school store to grab something for his late lunch. Just as he reached the corner of the stairs, he ran headfirst into Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was on her way to the Service Club.
On the surface, Kuchiba Hiro remained calm, nodding in greeting with a composure that could even be called steady. "Teacher Hiratsuka." However, a rare trace of guilt rose in his heart. Those sharp critiques on the holographic screen, though they were his true inner thoughts, felt like having his private diary entries read aloud in public—it was undeniably awkward.
Sure enough, upon seeing him, Hiratsuka Shizuka paused. She crossed her arms, arched an eyebrow, and that familiar, unconventional authority as a teacher emerged. Her tone was particularly biting. "Oh, isn't this the 'Seventh Master' whom everyone respectfully calls the 'Godfather'?"
She deliberately elongated her words. "How could someone like me—who hasn't even changed jobs and whose life story can be seen through at a glance—be worthy of being your teacher? My apologies, truly."
That tone didn't sound like a teacher to a student; it was more like a spat between friends, filled with a bit of pique and teasing.
Kuchiba Hiro sighed inwardly, feeling truly screwed over by the holographic screen. While those words were his honest feelings, he had never intended to voice them in reality.
He stopped and faced Hiratsuka Shizuka, offering a sincere apology. "Teacher Hiratsuka, I apologize for those inappropriate remarks on the holographic screen. Those were just... some of my random, scattered thoughts. I would never say such things to you in person."
He paused and added with a rare seriousness, "Moreover, I acknowledge your work. I have always admired your attitude toward the teaching profession." He looked up at Hiratsuka Shizuka and said something that made her heart skip a beat. "You are one of the few... teachers I like."
As a teacher, being evaluated that way by one's own student (even if it was a version from a parallel world) had indeed made Hiratsuka Shizuka feel a bit hurt. She had stopped Kuchiba Hiro mostly out of that small bit of emotion, wanting to be sarcastic and vent her dissatisfaction. But she hadn't expected Kuchiba Hiro to completely ignore the usual script. He didn't make excuses or slip away awkwardly; instead, he apologized so sincerely. Especially that last sentence—"You are one of the few teachers I like"—was like a precision arrow that instantly struck the softest part of her heart.
The slight resentment and sadness in her heart vanished almost instantly.
Hiratsuka Shizuka still habitually acted a bit tsundere, trying to maintain her teacher's persona, though the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her. "Hmph, you certainly have a way with words! Think you're so great just because you're smart? Don't think I don't know you're just trying to smooth things over with me."
Kuchiba Hiro looked at her, his gaze unwavering as he answered directly and seriously, "I never bluff the people I care about."
The words were spoken calmly, yet they carried a strange weight.
Upon hearing this, Hiratsuka Shizuka almost subconsciously sucked in a breath. She tilted her head back slightly, narrowed her eyes, and smacked her lips with an indecipherable expression. An indescribable feeling welled up from the bottom of her heart, as if she were being enveloped in warm spring water.
It was a very simple statement, devoid of any ambiguous or flirtatious undertones, yet it inexplicably made one feel incredibly grounded. One could directly feel that they were being sincerely cared for by the other person. It was a... long-lost, rare form of sincere goodwill.
One had to remember that in reality, Kuchiba Hiro had almost no friends, and his image on the holographic screen was cold, heartless, cruel, and violent, rarely showing kindness to anyone. Yet, he showed this rare sincerity exclusively to her. This intense contrast made this goodwill seem exceptionally precious and touching.
Hiratsuka Shizuka felt her heart beating a bit fast and her face felt hot. She quickly let out a light cough, forcing a change of subject to hide her loss of composure. "Say... say whatever you want... Where are you going? Class is about to start."
Kuchiba Hiro responded naturally, as if the previous conversation were perfectly ordinary. "I'm a bit hungry, so I'm going to buy something to eat. There isn't much time, so I'll head off first."
"Wait, hold on!" Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes darted around as if she had suddenly remembered something, and she hurriedly called him back. She turned quickly and ran several steps back to the nearby teachers' office. In just a few blinks of an eye, she ran back with two wrapped sandwiches and a boxed drink in her hands.
"I have some snacks here, take them. Don't run to the school store, you won't have enough time." She stuffed them into Kuchiba Hiro's hands without allowing any room for argument.
Kuchiba Hiro looked at the food in his hands and froze for a moment. He wasn't very good at handling this kind of sudden kindness. His words of refusal felt weak and powerless, and he could only manage to stammer, "Teacher, this... there's no need..."
"Take it!" Hiratsuka Shizuka was firm, directly shoving the items into his hands and cutting off his protest.
Looking at the sandwiches and drink that still held a bit of warmth, Kuchiba Hiro finally gave up his struggle and whispered, "...Thank you."
Seeing his slightly embarrassed yet obedient acceptance, a bright, slightly smug smile finally appeared on Hiratsuka Shizuka's face. "No need for thanks! Just do me a favor!"
Kuchiba Hiro nodded without any hesitation. "No problem, name it."
Hiratsuka Shizuka put her hands on her hips, her face wearing an expression that said "I finally caught my chance," as she smiled and said, "Aren't you very smart? Aren't you very articulate? Can't you see through people's hearts? Come on, follow me to give Yukinoshita Yukino some guidance."
Kuchiba Hiro's hand holding the sandwiches and drink froze in mid-air, a clear look of shock and hesitation flashing across his face. He instinctively wanted to refuse. "Teacher Hiratsuka, this... isn't quite appropriate. I'm not familiar with her, and her impression of me... is probably still stuck on that image from the holographic screen. If I go, I'm afraid it won't be guidance, but a fright."
He tried to find a logical reason. "Besides, I don't have the confidence to persuade anyone." He glanced at the food in his hands and added a practical excuse, "And class is about to start."
"Oh, it's fine!" Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't buy any of it. She reached out and, without a word, grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the Service Club. Her strength was not like that of a female teacher at all, carrying an unquestionable forcefulness. "It's just missing one class, no big deal! I'll talk to the subject teacher for you! Leave it to me!"
As she dragged him along, she looked back, her eyes shining with an "I believe in you" light, her tone encouraging. "You're so smart and such a good judge of people and situations, you'll definitely find the key point! You just lack some practical experience; theoretical talk won't do!"
She even invoked her responsibility as a teacher, speaking with righteous indignation. "As your teacher, I have an obligation to help you overcome this social hurdle! This is for your own good! Communicate more with your classmates, don't always keep to yourself!"
Kuchiba Hiro was pulled into a stumble, nearly dropping his sandwiches. He tried to break free, but Hiratsuka Shizuka held on tight, and her sheer sense of entitlement left him momentarily unsure how to forcefully rebut her. He was essentially poor at dealing with this kind of "shameless" enthusiasm and concern.
"...Teacher, this really..." He still wanted to struggle a bit.
"Stop with the 'this' and 'that'! Let's go, let's go!" Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't give him a chance, practically half-dragging him toward the club building. "Just consider it repaying the favor for the sandwiches I treated you to! Hurry up!"
Kuchiba Hiro looked at her enthusiastic back, which seemed to have found some interesting challenge, then looked down at the "gift" he had been forced to accept. Ultimately, he could only sigh helplessly and give up his resistance, allowing Hiratsuka Shizuka to drag him—a "dangerous" existence in everyone's eyes—all the way to the place that might currently welcome him the least: the Service Club.
As he walked passively, he took an expressionless bite of a sandwich, thinking silently: This is probably what they mean by... eating someone's food leaves you beholden to them. Moreover, Teacher Hiratsuka's "for your own good" proactive attitude is truly... as difficult to handle as ever.
The corridor leading to the Service Club seemed, at this moment, even more... troublesome to Kuchiba Hiro than facing Artoria's Excalibur.
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