Next Target, 200PS!!
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"Ahem!"
Kai really hadn't expected this. He never thought the day would come when he'd find himself caught in an actual love triangle crossfire.
He could only attribute it to the saying: If you walk by the river long enough, your shoes are bound to get wet.
"Well, about that!"
Facing the intense, burning gazes of both Yukino Yukinoshita and Eriri Sawamura, Kai was desperately trying to come up with a compromise that might satisfy both.
But the next moment—
"HE'S NOT FREE!"
The door to the Service Club abruptly swung open, and Shizuka Hiratsuka strode into the room.
She marched right up to Kai, clapping him heavily on the shoulder as she declared casually, "Because I have some business with this kid tonight, I'm afraid he won't be going anywhere!"
"Hmm?"
Who is this now? Eriri couldn't help but frown. There was more than one Japanese language teacher at Sobu High, so she had actually never met Shizuka Hiratsuka before.
Seeing that yet another person had seemingly joined the fray to claim his time, Eriri's frown deepened.
Fortunately, Yukino's response quickly set Eriri's mind at ease.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, I believe I've mentioned this before. You should knock before entering. Furthermore, eavesdropping on your students' conversations is hardly appropriate behavior for a teacher."
"Oh, who cares about the details!"
This wasn't exactly the first or second time anyway.
With how thick-skinned Shizuka was nowadays, she didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. Instead, she waved her hand casually and said indifferently, "We're all on the same side here, right? Hahahaha!"
"…"
'Having someone like you on our side is honestly just embarrassing.' Yukino silently muttered to herself.
Eriri, on the other hand, felt a massive burden lift off her shoulders. 'So she's just a teacher...'
"But I really do have some urgent business with Kai."
For Eriri, the illustrations were a matter of vital importance.
"Just like Yukinoshita said, if it's that important, you can just work on it right here in the Service Club. My business with this kid is no small matter either. I have someone who desperately needs his help!"
She intentionally stressed the last part.
Others might not catch the implication, but Kai instantly knew that the "someone who desperately needs help" was almost certainly Shizuka herself.
And probably Sonoko Machida, too.
"I see!"
However, not knowing the entire context, both Yukino and Eriri visibly relaxed.
Clearly, they both knew about Kai's capabilities. Therefore, they naturally assumed that whatever "business" Shizuka had with him had to be related to Cursed Spirits. Since it was a matter of "saving lives," they obviously couldn't delay him.
"Alright, I understand!"
Failing to invite him to her house left Eriri slightly disappointed, but given her inherently kind nature, she nodded in understanding.
She couldn't exactly prioritize her own matters over someone else's safety.
Even Yukino nodded in agreement. After all, her original goal was simply to stop Kai from going to Eriri's house.
As for Shizuka Hiratsuka? Just like Eriri, Yukino hadn't worried for a single second that anything untoward could happen between a student and a teacher.
"Let's go, kid. I have a few things I need to discuss with you privately!"
Seeing that both Eriri and Yukino had accepted her excuse fully, Shizuka felt a wave of relief.
"I don't recall agreeing to this."
"Hmm?" Hearing that, Shizuka lifted an eyebrow and shot him a sharp glare.
"Don't tell me you have another appointment you need to keep?"
Initially, Shizuka had felt too embarrassed to face Kai after what had happened. But as the day went on and he hadn't contacted her even once, her patience quickly wore thin.
'What's the meaning of this? Is he dissatisfied with me or something??'
As a woman pushing thirty, she was in her prime—voracious and fiery. She had been holding it back for a while, and it seemed she genuinely couldn't hold it in any longer. That was why she had come looking for him, coincidentally stumbling upon his current predicament.
In a way, she had just saved him from a massive headache.
"How could I?"
That pent-up fire must be burning a hole right through her throat. Seeing Shizuka's intense reaction, Kai held up both hands in surrender and smiled.
"Even if someone else needed me, your business is obviously much more important."
"Hmph! Glad you know your place!"
She let out a soft hmph. Perhaps realizing that such an exchange could easily cause misunderstandings, Shizuka quickly added:
"HURRY UP AND FOLLOW ME OUTSIDE!"
With that, she took the lead and marched out. Kai followed right behind her.
Watching the two of them leave, Eriri suddenly frowned.
"Isn't your teacher a bit… too young?"
Yukino might not have noticed, but Eriri was different. Though she might lack practical experience as a doujinshi artist, her theoretical knowledge was extensive. As a teacher, she had created plots much more scandalous than that.
"She only looks young. She's actually almost thirty!" Yukino replied coolly.
"Oh, I see!" Eriri's eyes lit up with understanding.
Then there was definitely nothing to worry about. If she was almost thirty, she was only slightly younger than her own mother. There was no way anything could happen.
However, neither of them had noticed one crucial detail.
Ever since Shizuka had walked into the room, Kai hadn't referred to her as "Sensei" even once.
It wasn't because he refused to. It was purely because Shizuka herself had forbidden it—having him call her "Sensei" after what they did made her feel incredibly weird, so she refused to let him use the title anymore.
Once fully relaxed, the two girls exchanged a glance and then looked away at the same time. The tension from earlier still lingered.
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"LISTEN HERE, YOU BRAT! DID YOU SERIOUSLY FORGET ABOUT ME??"
Finally arriving at a quiet place, Shizuka dropped all pretenses. She grabbed him by the collar and glared at him viciously.
She looked as though if he had the courage to nod, she wouldn't hesitate to throw a punch.
"Of course not..."
With his current strength, Kai obviously didn't care about her physical threats. However, when dealing with women, one had to cater to their emotional needs sometimes.
Especially a woman pushing thirty who was currently bursting with pent-up energy.
He smoothly grabbed her hand. Without even using much force, a soft pull was all it took for Shizuka to stumble forward and fall right into his embrace. "I was just trying to be considerate of your feelings, Shizuka. If I reached out and you rejected me, wouldn't I lose face?"
"Tch! With how thick-skinned you are, you don't even know the meaning of the word 'face'!" Shizuka shot back, clearly not believing a word he said. However, having received a plausible explanation, her tone softened significantly.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you're full tonight!"
"…" Hearing his soft promise right against her ear, Shizuka felt her knees go weak. She looked away, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
"DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA! It's just that Machida was getting impatient, so she begged me to come talk to you!"
"Machida?" Her weak attempt at an excuse only made Kai's eyes light up. "So… you two are teaming up again tonight?"
He had to admit, their previous session had been an incredibly memorable experience.
THIS GUY!
"If you aren't afraid of dying from exhaustion, then bring it on."
As the saying goes, some things only happen zero times or infinite times. Since they had already crossed the line once, what did it matter if they did it again? Right now, Shizuka only wanted to see if he actually had the stamina to back up his talk.
"You don't need to worry about my stamina. Have you forgotten? Last time you were virtually begging and calling me Da—"
"Shut up!"
Before he could finish, a thoroughly flustered Shizuka quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to silence him.
Clearly, his words had brought back some embarrassing memories.
"Last time was just an accident! Just you wait for tonight!" She had never felt so humiliated in her entire life. Tonight, she was going to reclaim her dignity.
"Alright, I'll be waiting!"
Kai didn't argue. When the time came for the real battle, they'd both see exactly who would be calling whom "Daddy."
"Hmph!" With a soft snort and a final glare, Shizuka turned around, ready to leave.
But Kai grabbed her arm.
"What are you doing?"
Noticing the shift in his gaze, Shizuka instantly realized what he wanted. She panicked slightly. "Are you crazy?? The lunch break is almost over!"
She knew firsthand exactly how long he took. There was no way they had enough time.
"Don't worry, I just want a little advance interest."
"???"
She was confused for a second… but upon seeing the meaningful tilt of his head, she immediately understood what he meant.
Shooting him a reproachful, blushing glare, she nevertheless obediently sank to her knees.
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Yawn~
When a refreshed Kai returned to the Service Club, the room was perfectly quiet.
Yukino and Eriri were sitting in silence, not exchanging a single word. Seeing him return, they both turned to look at him.
"You were gone for quite a while. Is whatever's happening tonight dangerous?"
They believed the long private conversation indicated that the situation was very dangerous.
"It is quite dangerous, yes."
Kai thoughtfully nodded with honesty. Two women as voracious as starving wolves? How could that not be considered dangerous?
"But don't worry. I can handle it." He could handle it back then, let alone now that he had grown significantly stronger.
"That's a relief!"
Hearing his assurance, both Eriri and Yukino breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, look at the time. We should head back to class!"
Before they knew it, the lunch break was practically over.
"I'll send you the details about the illustrations over LINE later!" Eriri said.
"Fine by me."
It was the only option they had left. Texting over LINE was obviously nowhere near as effective as a face-to-face discussion, but it seemed they had no other choice for now.
Thinking about this, Eriri couldn't help but shoot Yukino an annoyed glare. If it weren't for this girl, he probably would have agreed to come over tonight!
"…"
Noticing Eriri's glare, Yukino didn't even bother to give her a second look. Instead, it only reinforced her belief that Eriri had ulterior motives and that stepping in was the right decision.
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"Yahaloo, Yui!" Upon returning to the classroom, Kai waved cheerfully and slid into his seat right next to Yui Yuigahama.
"Kai-kun!"
Seeing him return, Yui greeted him with a bright, sunny smile.
Sitting nearby, Yumiko Miura couldn't help but interject, "What do you even do during lunch break every day?"
"What else would I be doing? Spending time with other beautiful girls, of course!"
"?"
The sheer bluntness of his answer left Yumiko stunned. What surprised her even more was Yui's complete lack of reaction. "Yui, aren't you going to say something about that??"
"Huh? Say what?"
Asked so suddenly, Yui blinked in confusion. But a second later, as if realizing what Yumiko meant, she laughed brightly.
"It's fine! Kai-kun is just making a joke!"
Her naive smile made it painstakingly clear that Yui genuinely believed he was just messing around.
'Yui might think that, but I definitely don't!' Yumiko thought to herself.
After all, Yumiko knew exactly what kind of scumbag Kai was. If he said he was spending time with other girls, he was 100% spending time with other girls.
Suddenly, a thought struck her.
Not too long ago, she had explicitly told him that he had to deal with Yui first before he could lay a finger on her.
Was his brazen honesty right now just a way to slowly build up Yui's tolerance?
Thinking of this, Yumiko shot him a very suggestive, meaningful look.
"…"
Kai didn't say anything in response—he just smiled and lifted an eyebrow.
It was exactly as he expected. On one hand, she was annoyed that aside from herself and Yui, he actually had his sights set on even more girls. But on the other hand, she experienced a strange sense of joy.
After all, the fact that he was doing this only proved how desperate he was to have her, right? That was why he was so eager to get Yui used to it—otherwise, he wouldn't have been this bold before.
'I guess I can be a little too charming sometimes...' With that thought, the corners of Yumiko's lips involuntarily curled upward into a smug smirk.
Sitting quietly nearby and observing the entire exchange, Hina Ebina silently lowered her head.
For the very first time in her life, she felt that having low emotional intelligence might actually be a blessing. At the very least, if you couldn't read the atmosphere, you wouldn't be plagued by this agonizing dilemma.
Both of them were her close friends. She had no idea whose side she was supposed to be on!
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