Hozuki Nozomi's gaze slid over to Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was quietly grinding her teeth.
"Ms. Hiratsuka, since Mafuyu-sensei's already left, it looks like I'll just have to treat you to ramen instead."
Hiratsuka Shizuka shot him a cute little eye-roll on the spot.
She was known around school by the nickname "Cute Shizuka~."
Even that eye-roll of hers didn't lose an ounce of charm to her age—if anything, it came off wonderfully natural.
"I'm a teacher, and an adult besides. How could I possibly let a student of mine foot the bill?"
"Alright—Yukinoshita, Shiina, drag this brat over and find a seat. Sensei's treating tonight."
"In that case, we won't refuse! Thank you, Ms. Hiratsuka!"
Hozuki Nozomi grinned, tugging Yukino and Mahiru along, snagging a seat and ordering three bowls of tonkotsu ramen without hesitation.
Before long, three steaming bowls were set down in front of them.
Yukino Yukinoshita breathed in the aroma, her clear blue eyes lighting up despite herself.
So fragrant.
It really did smell delicious.
As the second daughter of the Yukinoshita family, her daily fare was naturally a cut above what ordinary people ate; Yukino's meals adhered to the standards of a proper young lady of privilege.
She paid careful attention to balanced nutrition and the right ratio of meat to vegetables.
All in all, Yukino Yukinoshita was a very disciplined girl.
Combined with her somewhat reclusive personality and mild social anxiety, she had never once eaten ramen at a street-side shop like this.
Shiina Mahiru was a shade better off, but this was also her first time.
….
"Itadakimasu!"
After the polite little phrase, both girls dipped their heads and began to slurp.
The moment the noodles hit their tongues, Shiina Mahiru's and Yukino Yukinoshita's expressions softened into pure satisfaction.
A mouthful of noodles, then a sip of broth—every taste bud lit up in sequence.
Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help sneaking a glance at Hiratsuka-sensei.
She truly hadn't expected a roadside ramen stall to have craftsmanship like this.
No wonder Ms. Hiratsuka kept sneaking off here on her own.
Hiratsuka Shizuka caught the glance and offered her a small, knowing smile.
"Well? Doesn't it taste wonderful?"
"But after you finish your ramen, you're going straight home, understood? None of you are wandering off to any strange hotels!"
"Oh, and please—please keep it a secret that I come here to eat."
She clasped her hands together in a pleading little gesture, throwing in a playful wink for good measure.
Hearing that, Hozuki Nozomi couldn't resist prodding her.
"Ms. Hiratsuka, of course we're not going to run off gossiping about your secret ramen habit—but what exactly do you mean by 'strange hotels'?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka, seeing that he was still needling her, brandished a delicate little fist in his direction.
"You—shut it, you naughty boy. And you still have the nerve to ask? You know perfectly well what I mean."
Hozuki Nozomi's lips curled.
"You mean we're not allowed to get a room and do grown-up things, right? But Ms. Hiratsuka, you're really overstepping a bit here."
"Hmph, I'm your teacher, of course it's my business."
Hiratsuka Shizuka said righteously, then pouted with a distinctly sour edge.
"You awful brat, running around fooling with this many girls—aren't you the least bit worried Mrs. Yukinoshita will dissolve the engagement and toss you out on your ear?"
"Yukinoshita's mother is not someone to take lightly."
"No, I actually think Yukino's mother is quite gentle and easy to get along with."
"As for me and the other girls… she already knows."
Hozuki Nozomi said calmly, as though stating the weather.
Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes flew wide, sheer disbelief written across her face.
"No way. That woman knows, and she isn't putting a stop to it?"
"Yukinoshita, is he pulling my leg?"
Yukino Yukinoshita glared unhappily at the one who'd spilled everything, then nodded, resigned.
"If Mother had objections, I don't think I'd still be with this scumbag right now."
"There's nothing to be done about it. The engagement banquet's already happened. Marrying him is the only path left to me."
Hozuki Nozomi grinned rakishly and caught hold of her small hand.
"I wouldn't give Yukino a choice anyway. You, you're mine for the rest of this life!"
Yukino Yukinoshita's cheeks flushed a soft pink.
"What are you saying in front of Hiratsuka-sensei, you ruffian!"
"Heheh."
Hozuki Nozomi only smiled without answering.
So long as he could keep Miss Yukinoshita by his side, ruffian suited him fine.
"Oh—and of course, Mahiru, you too."
He added, reaching over to take Shiina Mahiru's small hand as well.
Shiina Mahiru wasn't jealous in the slightest; she only gazed at him with a gentle warmth.
She had long since decided she was his, and Yukino was practically her sister.
So there wasn't any reason to be jealous.
Hiratsuka Shizuka's face darkened as she watched Hozuki Nozomi openly hold hands with a girl on either side.
The sourness in her chest had nearly taken solid form.
Was she truly this far behind?
Every blind date she went on ended in disaster.
And yet this kid—still a high schooler—already had a fiancée and a whole cluster of close female friends, apparently living out the peak of his life.
Meanwhile she was the very portrait of a losing streak.
Covering her eyes, Hiratsuka Shizuka's slender frame shook faintly.
"You stinking brat, don't say another word, I don't want to hear it, waaah…"
"Uh…"
Hozuki Nozomi shifted uncomfortably, watching Hiratsuka Shizuka weep like a child.
Yukino Yukinoshita immediately shot a certain someone a chiding look.
Don't push it.
See what you've done—you've made Ms. Hiratsuka cry.
Hozuki Nozomi let out a long sigh.
"Somebody please, marry her quickly. If nobody else will, then I guess I'll have to."
The instant those words left his mouth—
Shiina Mahiru and Yukino Yukinoshita exchanged a single glance, then, in perfect unison, gave him a chilly stare.
Then, at the same moment, four soft, fair hands reached out.
Straight for the tender flesh on either side of his waist.
Each pinched a side and gave a small, deliberate twist.
"Ow, sssh—!"
"Ow ow ow, I was wrong, Mahiru, Yukino, mercy—please let go."
"Hmph, that's what you get for running your mouth."
Yukino lifted her pale chin, turned her face pointedly aside, wearing an expression of pure disdain.
Hiratsuka Shizuka's cheeks, meanwhile, had gone a delicate shade of pink.
She hurriedly paid the bill, stared at Hozuki Nozomi for a long moment, then said with feigned composure:
"Well, I've got somewhere to be, so I'll head off first. You two—get home early, understood?"
"And absolutely no love hotels!"
"…"
Hiratsuka Shizuka scurried off into the night.
Hozuki Nozomi shrugged helplessly.
"So—don't you two think she's really butting in a bit too much?"
Yukino Yukinoshita and Shiina Mahiru rolled their eyes at him in tandem.
"You dare claim you weren't thinking about getting a room?"
Hozuki Nozomi cleared his throat with a guilty little cough.
"Well… it's not that the thought didn't cross my mind at all…"
"Denied!"
Yukino Yukinoshita waved her hand, making her position unmistakably clear.
But then, as if some private thought had caught her, she leaned in close to Hozuki Nozomi's ear, warm breath ghosting along the shell of it.
"Next time…"
Getting a room every so often… isn't out of the question…
Perhaps a hotel would set a better mood after all? Her thighs pressed together beneath the counter, a slow throb blooming between them she didn't quite know what to do with—only that the thought of his hands on her, no walls of her family's house to worry about, sent heat pooling low and traitorous in her belly.