"..."
Hoshinomiya's smile stiffened slightly.
Subconsciously, she narrowed her eyes.
But she quickly realized that she was under the gaze of forty students in the classroom, and every tiny change in her expression would be noticed.
So, she slowly relaxed her brows and returned to her usual expression.
Putting down the lesson plan in her hand, she began twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.
After pausing briefly, she finally spoke again:
"…Huh, what a strange question. Everyone, where did you hear something like that?"
From beginning to end, she had only ever mentioned that she and Chabashira Sae were high school classmates and close friends.
She had never revealed that she herself had been a student at Advanced Nurturing High.
Likewise, she didn't believe Chabashira would voluntarily tell students about such things.
Besides the two of them, no other teachers who knew the truth would possibly spread that kind of gossip.
Her tone sounded casual.
And without noticing anything unusual, the students eagerly raised their hands.
"The message board! It's been spreading like crazy on the school message board!"
"They said Hoshinomiya-sensei and Chabashira-sensei were both from Class D here, and they almost made it to Class A!"
As if trying to show off their gossip knowledge, the student straightened up and loudly reported the source.
The school message board.
"Hmm… that's quite interesting," Hoshinomiya said, smiling again.
She leaned over the podium, pressing her chest against the edge, and looked down at Shiina Hiyori, who was closest to her.
Then she reached out with a smile.
"Chihiro-chan, could you lend me your terminal for a moment? I'd like to see what everyone's saying."
Her body—mature rather than voluptuous—was clearly outlined by the podium's edge.
For a moment, most of the class couldn't help focusing on her neckline, which looked like it might slip at any time.
The boys followed their instincts with their gaze.
The girls compared and envied her maturity.
…Though, Ichinose's was probably bigger, right?
"Sensei, don't you have your own terminal…?" Shiina Hiyori complained softly.
Still, seeing the hand stretched out in front of her, she obediently took out her terminal, opened the school message board, and handed it over.
After all, she hadn't posted anything weird, so she had nothing to hide.
"Hehehe, you don't know this, do you?" Hoshinomiya straightened up, holding Hiyori's terminal.
She wagged her finger playfully.
"Teachers aren't allowed to use their own terminals during class, you know~ If the school finds out, I get fined~"
Whether it was messages or phone calls, she wasn't allowed to deal with any of them during class.
If it was a call from the school, getting caught meant a salary deduction.
Taking calls during class?
Did she think money grew on trees?
"…Then, Sensei, won't using mine get our class points deducted?" Hiyori asked after a moment of silence.
Although the behavior assessment exam was over, that didn't mean violations were no longer recorded.
Skipping class or being late still resulted in point deductions—just less strictly.
And the cameras were still running, faithfully recording everything.
"It's fine, it's fine~" Hoshinomiya waved her hand while scrolling through the busy message board.
"You guys still have over 800 points. It won't deduct much~"
Frankly speaking, that was an outrageous statement.
So outrageous that even the class's "angel" couldn't hold back.
"Hoshi—no—mi—ya—sen—sei—!"
With a gentle smile, Ichinose Honami called out.
She stood up and said,
"Please be a role model as a teacher, okay?"
With Ichinose taking the lead, other students quickly joined in.
"What do you mean, 'won't deduct much'? We're only a few dozen points ahead of Class B."
"Hoshinomiya-sensei is already pretty outrageous usually, but this is even worse."
"Apologize!"
"Sensei should reflect a little too! And coming to class smelling of alcohol—please apologize properly to Shiina-san!"
In the blink of an eye, the gossip atmosphere turned into collective pressure.
A hint of surprise flashed in Hoshinomiya's eyes.
She stopped scrolling and first handed the terminal back to Shiina Hiyori.
"Here."
Then she clasped her hands together, producing a crisp sound, smiled, and blinked.
"Sorry, it's my fault. Can you forgive me?"
The sharp clap silenced the class.
And her seemingly sincere, straightforward apology left them with nothing to criticize.
Just as everyone started thinking, Well… maybe we can forgive her.
"There's no sincerity," Asakusa said lazily, propping up his head and waving his hand.
"When you apologize, isn't it common sense to show your belly?"
"..."
Silence spread through the classroom.
Then Shiina Hiyori instinctively blurted out,
"What kind of common sense is that?!"
Blinking, Asakusa casually added,
"Did I remember wrong? If not the belly, then—"
"Asakusa-kun?" Ichinose Honami's voice suddenly came from beside him.
So Asakusa obediently swallowed the last two words.
Yeah. Joking should have limits.
The cameras were watching.
"So, Hoshinomiya-sensei, what's the answer?" Ichinose said, satisfied that Asakusa had shut up.
She turned back to the podium.
"The apology segment is over. Let's get back to the gossip."
"Mm-hmm, it's true," Hoshinomiya nodded easily.
She spread her arms and drew a semicircle in the air.
"Whether it's that we were once students here, that we were both in Class D, or that we once came within reach of Class A…"
"All of it is true."
Without hesitation, she admitted everything.
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