"Shichen-sensei, wanna come play basketball with us? Those other guys are pretty lousy."
"Yeah, Sensei, you do know how to play, right?"
Carrying their basketball, Akatsuki Kojou and Yase Motoki came over. One of them asked politely, the other clearly trying to provoke him.
"Sure." Shichen stood up with a smile.
"Asagi-san, you can sit here a while longer. I'll go play with Akatsuki and the others for a bit."
"Alright... By the way, Shichen-sensei, just call me Asagi."
"Got it, Asagi."
"Mm." Asagi pursed her lips and nodded.
"Don't just keep sitting here. Move around a bit, okay?"
"I know."
"Shichen-sensei, come on!"
"Yeah, Sensei, or are you too scared?"
"Scared of you guys? Heh, get ready to be trounced and cry about it."
"Tch~"
Watching Shichen walk off with Akatsuki's group, Asagi's lips curved into a faint smile.
Perhaps because she now had hope or had finally shared her troubles, she felt especially relaxed.
She never imagined the new P.E. Sensei would be so meddlesome—but he'd even offered a chance to save her mother.
This had to be fate.
…
"Kojou, pass the ball!"
"Hey, watch out for Shichen-sensei!"
"Oh no—!"
Swish!
Thud!
The basketball swished cleanly into the hoop, then bounced on the ground near Shichen's feet.
He reached out and caught it.
"Wahhh—Shichen-sensei is so cool!"
"As expected of Shichen-sensei!"
"That was awesome!"
The cheers from the girls on the sidelines made Shichen feel quite flattered. He suppressed his smugness, smiling as he looked at Akatsuki Kojou and the others.
"So, what do you think? Convinced? Think you'll challenge your Sensei next time?"
"Tch~ Sensei, you're just bigger and older than us!"
"Yeah, we're not convinced!"
"Heh, you can wait until you grow up, then." Shichen teased, not minding.
"Fine then, Sensei, once we're grown, we'll definitely beat you!"
"No problem... All right, it's about time. Kojou, you go gather everyone to return the equipment, then class is dismissed."
"Got it. Motoki, come on."
"Okay."
"Here, catch."
Shichen gave the ball a quick toss to Akatsuki Kojou.
Kojou caught it easily and, together with Motoki, went off to tell the others to put everything away.
"Shichen-sensei, are you tired? Want a towel to wipe your sweat?"
"Sensei, are you thirsty? I bought some water for you!"
The moment Kojou and Motoki left, a group of girls hurried over, all enthusiastic.
"Hey, hey, hold up. I'm all sweaty," Shichen said quickly, stepping back a little.
"No problem, Sensei—your sweat smells nice!"
"That's so weird… but, well, I kinda agree."
"Sensei, let us wipe your sweat, please?"
"I also got water."
"… …"
Shichen felt a bit overwhelmed. These middle-school girls were surprisingly bold.
"I'll take the water, but I don't need you to wipe me down."
One of the girls handed him the bottle. He unscrewed the cap and took a gulp.
Gulp—
Whoever it was among them, seeing Shichen-sensei tip his head back and swallow, droplets of sweat sliding down his pure-white neck, couldn't help swallowing nervously, though no one else noticed—everyone was too busy staring.
When Akatsuki and the others returned, Shichen announced the end of class and left on his own.
"See, Motoki? Told you Shichen-sensei isn't that petty."
"Impossible! He's definitely waiting for me to drop my guard."
"Dude, what's your problem? You really think he's out to get you?"
"I'm telling you, it's a man's pride—two handsome guys can't coexist!"
"…You're nuts."
"Wanna bet? He won't let me off that easy."
"Fine, what do you wanna wager?"
"Loser buys dinner!"
"Sure…"
"Heh heh~ I'll definitely win. My instincts never fail… hey, Asagi, what are you looking at?"
"Nothing... let's go back."
Asagi took one last glance in the direction Shichen had left, then headed inside.
Kojou and Motoki followed behind her.
Shichen, for his part, went back to the office. At his desk, he drained the water the female students had given him in one go.
"Shichen-sensei, all done teaching?" Called Sasasaki Misaki as she walked over.
"Yep." He nodded.
"How was it?"
"Great. Good kids all around."
"That's nice. Keep up the good work, Shichen-sensei." Misaki beamed encouragingly.
"Thank you."
"By the way, are you free after school, Shichen-sensei? Want to grab a drink together?"
"A drink?" Shichen gave her a strange look.
"Hey, no misunderstanding—it's with everyone, just so we can get to know each other better." Misaki quickly clarified, then asked the other Senseis in the room, "Right, everyone?"
"Oh, right, right, sure."
"If Sasasaki says so, I'm in."
"Ahem… Shichen-sensei, what do you think?"
"I need to see if Natsuki-nee's okay with it—maybe she can come too?"
"Uh…" Misaki froze but then forced a nod. "Sure, that's fine."
"Let me just ask her now."
He messaged Natsuki Minamiya on the phone she'd set up for him.
She replied soon, agreeing to join them.
"Sasasaki-sensei, my sister said okay."
"Oh…" Misaki stiffened again. "She'll come along?"
"Yes, is that a problem?"
"N-no problem at all."
"Alright, good." Shichen smiled faintly.
Misaki, gazing at his easy smile, realized maybe it wouldn't be too bad if Natsuki joined. It wasn't just the two of them, after all…
That afternoon, Shichen had another P.E. class, this time with Class 1-C. Aside from that, nothing special happened. Like B Class, the girls were equally enthusiastic, revealing how "precocious" these middle-schoolers could be. After finishing, Shichen was free.
Natsuki Minamiya, however, had a heavier schedule as an English Sensei. By the time she finished her last class, it was basically time for school to let out.
Shichen was at his desk in the office, chatting when Sasasaki Misaki asked about the type of woman he liked. Suddenly, Natsuki appeared beside him.
"Stupid dog! You're really trying to go after my brother?" Natsuki shot a glare at Misaki.
"What's wrong with that? We're both single, so why not, Natsuki-chan?" Misaki winked pointedly.
"Don't call me Natsuki-chan." Natsuki scowled. "Spring's basically over—are you still in heat, mutt?"
"I'm not in heat; I've just found true love!"
"Tch!" Natsuki's fan vanished from her hand and reappeared, smacking Misaki on the head.
"Quit daydreaming."
"Ow, that hurt! Why you…" Misaki cradled her head, eyes watering.
"Hmph. Didn't you say we were going for a drink? Hurry up."
She shot Shichen a sideways look and strode off. He got up and followed.
Rubbing her head, Misaki spoke to the other staff:
"Alright, let's go, everyone."
Yet most declined:
"Um, I suddenly remembered there's something at home…"
"Same, I need to pick up my kid."
"Me too…"
"I see, well, next time then…"
Misaki simply shrugged, trotting after Shichen and Natsuki.
"Stupid dog, which bar or café are we going to?" Natsuki demanded.
"Your place, maybe?"
"Absolutely not."
"But why? Afraid I might disrupt your cozy love nest with Shichen-kun?" Misaki teased.
.
"..." Natsuki merely looked at her fan, tapping it against her palm with a blank expression.
"Ahahaha… let's just go to a pub. We'll have a quick drink, right?" Misaki quickly caved.
"This time of day, a pub? Isn't it too early?" Shichen raised an eyebrow.
"No, it's perfect. Less crowded, we can get a private corner, and Natsuki-chan can't drink much anyway."
"Right…" Shichen glanced at Natsuki.
Natsuki's face remained cool. "Don't misunderstand, I just don't like drinking alcohol."
"Geez, you're already in your twenties, living on black tea. Why not broaden your horizons?" Misaki complained.
"Stupid dog…" Natsuki glared at her.
"Is that not true?" Misaki stood her ground.
"Hah… well, if you need reminding, I recall that Shichen doesn't like women who drink." Natsuki said icily.
"Huh? Really…?" Misaki faltered and quickly responded, "Ahem, I can't hold my liquor anyway, I was just saying."
"..."
~~~
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