Shirase and Hiratsuka Shizuka soon fell into an easy rhythm of conversation. Since she had driven there, she generously offered him a ride.
"So, Hiratsuka-sensei came out just to shop?" Shirase asked, glancing at the sleek sports car. Even he couldn't deny its appeal—cars like this had universal charm.
"Not exactly," Hiratsuka replied with a leisurely smile as she steered the car onto the main road. "I was planning to visit Kojima for a chat, but then I stumbled upon you on a date and decided to change my plans."
Shirase ignored the teasing entirely, honing in on the key detail. "If Hiratsuka-sensei wanted to discuss adult topics with Kana-nee, I can't help you there."
She shot him a sidelong look, amused. "Testing me won't work, you know. But I'll be generous—my reason for meeting Kojima was to get information about you."
As expected.
Shirase's expression didn't change. Luckily, Hiratsuka-sensei's bark was worse than her bite; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to prod her.
"You're heading to practice soon, right? I can drop you off at school," she offered.
"I need to swing by home first to change."
"Oh, true. Those casual shoes wouldn't survive one kick—you'd ruin them and be out a few hundred yen."
"Was that supposed to be a joke?"
"Was it not funny?"
"It was fine, assuming Hiratsuka-sensei wasn't trying to fish for information between the lines."
Her smile faltered for a second before she laughed softly. "Honestly, why are you so sharp? Getting caught like that takes all the fun out of it."
"Hiratsuka-sensei, you could just call it 'sincerity.' Everyone knows sincerity is the ultimate trick."
Hiratsuka chuckled. "Alright, fine, let's call it sincerity. But from the sound of it, you've already guessed even more than that."
She slowed slightly, turning to glance at him in curiosity.
"Eyes on the road, please," Shirase reminded politely.
"Relax," she laughed. "I'm a veteran driver. Speeding for fun's basically a hobby. Want to try?"
"No thanks. No matter how fast you go, you'll never catch Natsuki's Benz."
"Oh? You've seen Initial D?" she asked, genuinely surprised. "Most people your age don't read old manga like that anymore."
A faint nostalgia softened her features. "I still read shounen manga sometimes to unwind."
Sometimes? Shirase thought wryly. You're clearly a die-hard fan.
Thanks to [Immersive Hosting], he understood Hiratsuka Shizuka far better than before.
At least she wasn't constantly looking for a fight, like Yukinoshita Yukino.
Nor was she cold and awkward beneath the surface, like Kirisu Mafuyu-sensei.
When her nostalgic mood faded, Shirase asked bluntly, "Did Haruno-san send you to find me?"
Her eyes widened. "You even guessed that?"
"Impressive, right? Scared yet, Sensei?"
"Ha! Getting cocky after one lucky guess?"
"See? You're so scared you're laughing."
"What a childish provocation," she said, chuckling despite herself. His playful tone had washed away the awkwardness of being found out.
Finally, she admitted, "Yeah, Haruno asked me to dig up some info on you—though I wasn't exactly thrilled. After that mess in the restaurant, she'd lost interest in you completely and decided not to bother anymore."
Shirase nodded, understanding immediately. "Because I came off like some hot-headed teenager back then?"
All thanks to that damned system.
"Exactly," Hiratsuka said with a grin. "Even Haruno thought so. And knowing her, she's not the type to waste time on reckless kids."
"Then what made her change her mind?"
"She talked with Yukino afterward."
Hiratsuka's tone turned slightly odd. "I don't know what they discussed, but from what Yukino told me, Haruno already knew you'd asked her sister to look into something. Oh, right—"
She glanced at him carefully. "That whole scene at the restaurant… you didn't stage it just to fool Haruno, did you?"
Shirase blinked. "Why would I do that?"
"Don't play dumb," she said in a tone halfway between scolding and fond. "You noticed early on that Haruno isn't simple. And Yukino's already told you how much of a handful her sister can be. Given your personality—you hate trouble—there's no way you'd bother with Haruno willingly."
Am I really that calculating? Shirase thought blankly.
"If you were acting, I'd get it," Hiratsuka continued. "Haruno's a handful. Even I get headaches dealing with her."
Then, remembering something funny, she laughed out loud. "Too bad your plan flopped spectacularly."
Shirase shot her a look. Am I really that impressive? Because I definitely don't remember being that deep.
Still, he replied politely, "Since she's interested again, why didn't Haruno just come herself?"
Hiratsuka's smile wavered, and she sighed. "I asked her that too. Her exact words were, 'What kind of final boss appears right at the start?'"
Shirase was quiet for two seconds before saying sincerely, "That's the first time I've heard someone call themselves a final boss out loud. That's actually impressive."
Hiratsuka burst into laughter again, clearly agreeing with his take.
When Shirase returned home to change, Kojima Kana was already gone. She'd left a note saying she was meeting Kirisu Mafuyu-sensei on her day off.
When he got back into the car, Hiratsuka immediately leaned over with a grin. "So that girl earlier—she was one of the Nakano sisters, right? Which one?"
"Nino," Shirase said truthfully.
"Ohh," Hiratsuka drawled. "So you're dating Nakano Nino?"
"Hiratsuka-sensei, you're that nosy?"
"I'm just asking casually. You don't have to answer."
"Alright then—I won't."
"…"
Hiratsuka shot him a glare. Does anyone else know how to kill a conversation that fast?
Then, remembering she was still single, a sharp pang hit her chest.
Damn it. Where's my man hiding? Why hasn't he shown up yet to whisk me away and get married?
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T/N: WHAT ABOUT GIRLS!