Kotomi Izumi's calm reaction made Megumi Kato blink in curiosity.
"You don't seem surprised that I'd refuse to go to your celebration dinner with Yukino and Yui?"
"I already guessed you'd tell me privately later that you wouldn't be coming, back when I first invited you."
Megumi raised her eyebrows slightly, looking half-curious and half-annoyed.
"So, if you already knew I'd say no, why did you still add, 'Megumi, you should come too,' when you mentioned the dinner? Were you teasing me?"
"I'm sorry," Kotomi said simply. She didn't waste words, apologizing first before continuing.
"When you're around others, even if they're all friends, it's polite to say things like that. Even if you know the other person will refuse, it's still a social courtesy. But ultimately, it's my fault. I've gotten too used to using polite phrasing. With Yukino and Yui, I don't need to be so formal—it's not necessary. I just instinctively make sure everything I say sounds smooth and flawless, even if it's casual."
Hearing that, Megumi's mood softened. She reached out and gently held Kotomi's hand.
"Always trying to make your words sound perfect… always reading between the lines of what others say… even when they mean nothing deeper, you still make sure your words have no weak points. Don't you find that exhausting?"
"I do," Kotomi admitted with a small smile. "But that's life in society, isn't it? Communication between people is constant. A single sentence can be said in a hundred different ways. Sometimes, being good at talking isn't the most important thing—but it helps you find doors and shortcuts faster. It's a skill I've long been used to relying on."
Then she laughed quietly to herself.
"But I guess I should stop using that kind of talk at school. At least, not with friends. We're still in high school, after all. What matters more between friends is honesty."
Megumi nodded in agreement, then smiled and asked, "And what about us? Our relationship isn't just friends, right? So, what do you think we should have more of when we talk?"
Whatever her words, her expression made it clear—Kotomi had already managed to win her back over.
Without thinking too much, Kotomi spoke her mind directly, her tone light and natural.
"More honesty and love, of course~ Megumi, I love you."
A simple confession—yet, spoken at just the right moment, it carried incredible power. And Kotomi knew exactly when to say the right words to make a girl's heart flutter.
"…I received your love~" Megumi murmured softly, her face blushing red as she shyly looked away.
Their faces drew closer and closer. Just as Megumi was about to kiss her, Kotomi suddenly raised a finger between them.
"We're still at school. No kissing, no hugging~" Kotomi said teasingly, her expression playful like a mischievous witch.
Kotomi really was a wicked woman—one who knew exactly how to toy with a girl's heart.
Megumi pouted in frustration. But after glancing around, she saw they were near the school gate—not inside the classroom building anymore. Just a few more steps and they'd be outside the gate. Though ten minutes had passed since the end of school, a few students were still leaving the building, heading out toward the exit.
And not far away, the student council's disciplinary committee members were patrolling.
So indeed, no kissing, no hugging—not even between two girls.
"Hmph. Once the culture festival's over, I'll make you pay me back double for this!" Megumi puffed her cheeks in mock annoyance, then gently ruffled Kotomi's hair. "I'm heading off now. Do your best in rehearsal, okay? I'll be cheering for you when you perform."
"My little sister will be coming to the festival too," Kotomi said with a grin. "So don't go shouting louder than Aimi just to spite her when you cheer for me, alright?"
"Hehe~" Megumi Kato laughed awkwardly, clearly caught off guard by Kotomi's teasing. Trying to defend herself, she said, "Kotomi, you're my wife! That means your sister is my sister too. I've always treated Aimi like my own little sister—how could I ever intentionally try to upset her?"
"Well, well, that's rich coming from you. I don't believe a single word of it! Wasn't it you who almost made Aimi so angry she was foaming at the mouth last time? And since when did I become your wife, huh? You think it's that easy to make me your wife? Dream on~"
Kotomi shot Megumi a playful glare, her eyes filled with mock annoyance—but to Megumi, that look was pure, irresistible charm.
How could one little penguin be this alluring?!
If someone didn't know better, they might think Kotomi's "evolutionary history" went from succubus to penguin, and finally to an enchanting young woman.
After watching Megumi leave, Kotomi turned and walked back toward the school building. She didn't plan to return to Class 1-F's classroom, heading straight instead for the second music room.
As she passed by the parking lot, she happened to glance over casually—and froze for a moment when she spotted two familiar figures in the distance. Focusing her gaze, she realized it was Momoka Mito and their music teacher, Ami Koishi. The two of them got into the same car together, with Ami in the driver's seat and Momoka in the passenger's seat.
Kotomi watched from afar, and as she turned to leave, a bold thought crossed her mind—could Momoka Mito and Teacher Ami Koishi be dating? Were those yuri vibes actually happening right under her nose?
But she quickly dismissed the idea with a quiet laugh, treating it as nothing more than a silly passing thought. She didn't seriously believe it, nor did she dwell on it.
After all, she figured no one else besides herself would have the nerve to even think about dating a teacher while still a student.
In Japan, once a teacher-student romance is discovered, both parties pay a steep price.
The student would be forced to withdraw—or worse, expelled outright. The teacher, on the other hand, would be blacklisted from the education system, never able to work at another school again.
No exaggeration—it would completely destroy a teacher's career.
That said, the teacher Kotomi had a crush on was none other than—
"Achoo!"
Back at home, Shizuka Hiratsuka sneezed suddenly just as she was about to order delivery.
Rubbing her nose, she sat down at her low round table and muttered to herself,
"Why did I sneeze all of a sudden? It's not even cold yet. Maybe I've just overworked myself with all the culture festival preparations lately? Alright then! In that case, I'll treat myself to a big pot of oden tonight—and maybe a plate of pork dumplings too. Perfect!"
Speaking of oden, the one thing that couldn't be left out was alcohol…
"But I've got to get up early for school tomorrow. Sake or shochu would knock me out too easily… I guess I'll just have six beers instead—just enough to relax a little. Once the festival's over, I'll have a proper drink at home to celebrate."
Shizuka Hiratsuka really did enjoy drinking alone at home—savoring that gradual, peaceful feeling of getting tipsy all by herself.
After successfully paying for her food delivery, Shizuka Hiratsuka set her phone aside to charge and casually picked up a manga magazine to pass the time while waiting for her oden to arrive.
"I've been so busy with work lately that I haven't been keeping up with the new chapters… ah, catching up all at once feels amazing! Luffy finally awakened Gear Fifth—this time he's really going to have his showdown with Kaido, huh? …Wait, it's already over? I thought I had a ton of chapters saved up. Damn, I should've waited and stockpiled a few more."
Putting the magazine down, Shizuka sighed. "The next chapter is always the best one."
Thankfully, One Piece wasn't taking a break next week.
Ring, ring, ring—
Her phone suddenly started ringing. Thinking it was the delivery driver, she reached for it, only to frown slightly when she saw the caller ID—it wasn't the delivery, it was her mother.
"Hello?" Shizuka answered, her tone slightly impatient.
"I'll give you a few minutes to adjust your attitude before speaking to me properly," came the familiar, commanding voice of Yuko Hiratsuka from the other end. That dignified tone—the only thing still capable of keeping Shizuka in check.
Of course, Yuko had her own worries. In the past, a single sharp word was enough to make her daughter behave. But now that Shizuka was already thirty, that old intimidation no longer worked as well.
Yuko had even begun to worry that someday, she might not be able to keep her daughter in line at all.
Whenever the topic of Shizuka's future partner came up, Yuko would helplessly mutter to herself:
"I don't care if he's rich or poor, or what kind of family he's from—as long as he treats Shizuka well and can keep her in check, that's all I ask."
Every time Shizuka heard her mother say that, she couldn't help but feel helpless. Mom, do you have to make me sound like such a difficult woman?
"Ah… aren't you the editor-in-chief of a publishing house, Mom? Don't you have work to do? How do you still find time to call me every few days? Didn't I tell you already? Next month, I'll bring my girlfriend to meet you and Dad."
Shizuka's tone carried her usual irritation. Ever since she'd realized that every one of her mother's calls revolved around either pushing her to get married or to bring her partner home to meet the family, her patience had grown thinner and thinner.
Just seeing "Mom" on the caller ID was enough for Shizuka to guess what the call would be about—word for word, the same few phrases repeated endlessly. She'd even started to suspect her mother had pre-recorded a "nagging tape" and was just playing it every time she called.
After that thought occurred to her, Shizuka decided to fight fire with fire—she recorded her own "auto-reply" message and played it back the next time her mother called.
And it actually worked—at least for the first minute.
Then the line suddenly went quiet. A faint click—the sound of someone stopping a tape. And right after that, Yuko's furious voice came through the speaker:
"Shizuka Hiratsuka, wcnm! You've really grown up, huh? You dare use a recording on your own mother?!"
Shizuka replied flatly, "Mom, I am your daughter."
"…Get lost!"
The conversation was, as always, a perfect display of mother-daughter love and affection.
Back to the present.
After hearing Shizuka's latest response, Yuko frowned instinctively, ready to scold her again—but then she paused, remembering that at least her daughter was finally seeing someone.
Even if that someone was… a woman.
Still, considering Shizuka was already thirty years old, as long as there was a living, breathing person willing to date her, Yuko decided she could grit her teeth and accept it.
For the past few days, Yuko Hiratsuka had been trying to ease her husband, Iwao Hiratsuka, into accepting the idea that their daughter's partner was also a woman.
Iwao had slowly softened his stance—no longer entirely opposed, though he still couldn't understand how two people of the same gender could fall in love, or what their future together would look like.
His attitude had shifted from firm disapproval to reluctant compromise. At the very least, he said, they should meet a few times first—to learn what kind of person this girl was, what her family background was like—before deciding whether to approve of Shizuka's relationship.
To prepare for that meeting next month, and to make sure she appeared kind and composed in front of her daughter's girlfriend, Yuko had already resolved to start controlling her temper when speaking with Shizuka.
So even now, instead of scolding her as she usually would, Yuko spoke in a calm, measured tone.
"Didn't I tell you last time? There's a new author at Dengeki Bunko—Izumi Itsuki. Her sales and popularity are incredible. Thanks to her, Dengeki's influence in the light novel world is stable for at least the next six months. As the chief editor, that's lifted quite a bit of pressure off me. Which means I can finally spend more time worrying about my daughter's love life."
Shizuka sighed heavily. "Then I really hope this amazing Izumi Itsuki jumps ship to another publisher soon, so you'll have less free time to bother me."
"You little—"
Yuko bit back a curse just in time, stopping herself before blurting something that would've made the office go silent. It wasn't that she cared about sparing her daughter's feelings—no, she'd already cursed Shizuka out more times than she could count. She simply happened to still be at Dengeki Bunko's editorial department, and with a meeting coming up soon, she needed to control her temper.
"You brat… forget it. If I argue with you, my whole day will be ruined."
"Try putting yourself in my shoes. I've been at school all day helping with the culture festival, completely exhausted, and I finally get home wanting to relax a bit, and what happens? My phone rings—and it's you. The second I see your name pop up, I already know what you're calling about: asking when I'll bring my girlfriend home to meet you and Dad. Didn't we agree? Next month, we'll meet in Ginza for dinner."
Yuko ignored her daughter's grumbling and said seriously, "I didn't call today to talk about the dinner."
At that, Shizuka perked up instantly. "Wait, don't tell me the dinner's canceled? Does that mean I don't have to bring my girlfriend to meet you and Dad?"
"Ha! Keep dreaming. The dinner's happening as planned. I called because I have something else to ask."
Shizuka's enthusiasm vanished immediately. "What is it now?" she asked flatly.
Yuko was silent for a few seconds before speaking again—this time, her voice held a rare seriousness and gentleness.
"Shizuka, when do you plan to resign from Sobu High? I'm not saying you should quit teaching to prepare for marriage… but the opportunity you dreamed of for years—has finally come."
Clatter.
It was as if a jolt of electricity ran through Shizuka's hand, making her drop her phone to the floor.
If she had heard those words back when she first graduated from university and started teaching at Sobu High, she would have been thrilled—jumping for joy at the chance of a lifetime. After all, back then, she had nothing holding her back.
But now…
There was no excitement. No joy. Only a deep, indescribable heaviness.
The opportunity she had once dreamed of was finally here.
So why… couldn't she feel happy about it at all?
—
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