Andrew ate his pizza, sneaking occasional glances at Scarlett.
Her pizza was… unbelievably plain.
No chili flakes. No extra toppings. Just a simple slice with a bit of seasoning, nothing else.
Andrew seriously doubted whether this even counted as pizza.
Isn't this just bread with cheese?
As expected, strange people always had strange tastes.
After finishing the meal with his nerves stretched tight and his mind on edge, Andrew followed Scarlett back the way they came.
Honestly, he didn't want to go back.
If Scarlett had at least scolded him earlier, he'd have some idea of where he stood.
But her calm, unreadable expression made things worse.
There was no way to tell when she might snap, and that uncertainty terrified him even more.
As they reached the entrance of the residential complex, Andrew started thinking of an excuse to disappear for a while.
Before he could come up with anything, Scarlett spoke first.
"I have something to take care of at the university this afternoon. Are you going? I can give you a ride."
The moment he heard she was leaving for campus, Andrew's eyes lit up, a look of joy surfaced on his face.
He immediately shook his head repeatedly.
"No, no, no! I'm not going. You go ahead, Professor Scarlett. Stay safe."
"No, no, no, I'm not going. Teacher Scarlett, you go ahead. Stay safe on the road."
After saying that, he bid Scarlett farewell with a grin while slipping away as if escaping for his life.
The moment he got back inside the apartment, Andrew let out a long breath. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
But deep down, he knew he could hide for now, but not forever. Scarlett would definitely be back in the evening.
"I should find a way to apologize. Maybe if Scarlett comes to settle the score tonight, she'll go a bit easier on me."
But how to apologize was another problem for Andrew.
He had never done the whole 'offering a gift and an apology' thing before. Not only was the other party a girl, but she was also a particularly fierce woman. The fiercer they are, the more likely they have some strange hobbies. If he said the wrong thing, it would be even worse.
After thinking it over, for this kind of thing, he had to ask someone even more perverted.
Andrew immediately thought of his Older Sister, Catherine.
If Scarlett was the type who was normally cold and didn't show her emotions, then Catherine was a yandere right out in the open.
At least, that was how Catherine was toward Andrew.
As soon as the call connected, Catherine's sweet, overly affectionate voice came through. "Ah~ looks like my Drew-Drew finally decided to call his big sister."
The syrupy tone sent a chill straight down Andrew's spine.
"Sis… can you act normal? You're scaring me."
But the more Andrew said he was scared, the more excited Catherine became, her voice becoming even more delicate and forced, "Don't be afraid~ Big Sister, Big Sister will only cherish you~"
"Forget it, forget it."
Andrew couldn't be bothered to try and persuade her anymore; it was useless.
In the past, Catherine had been quite normal, just an Older Sister who doted on her younger brother.
It wasn't until she started reading perverted yandere novels and watching some indescribable anime that she became like this.
As expected, things teachers forbid are best watched sparingly.
"Sis, how do you apologize to a girl to show that you're sincere?"
Andrew asked seriously, but to his surprise, Catherine's voice turned into a fake sobbing sound upon hearing it.
"Drew Drew actually found a woman on his first day of university and doesn't want Big Sister anymore. Big Sister is so sad, so miserable, it feels like a sharp knife is stuck in my heart. How could you do this? Is Big Sister not good enough? Is there somewhere I can't compare to those women outside?"
"..."
Andrew's eyebrows twitched in irritation, then he said flatly, "I'm recording this. You wouldn't want Mom and Dad to know you're like this, right?"
Instantly, Catherine was scared back into her normal voice, "Ah!!! Delete it quickly!"
"Answer my question normally first, then I'll delete it."
"How hateful, you actually learned how to threaten me. The internet was right, you really have to hit your younger brother while he's young."
Catherine grumbled in anger.
"I was forced into this by you. If you were a bit more normal, I wouldn't be bored enough to record you."
"What's wrong with me? I just want to be closer to my brother, is there a problem with that?"
"Sis, we're both adults. No matter how close we are, we should maintain some distance, okay?"
"Who says? There are plenty of siblings with even better relationships."
"Fine, fine, stop talking nonsense. Answer my question first."
Andrew couldn't win an argument against his sister, so he stopped debating with her.
On the other end of the phone, Catherine sighed, "Just apologize casually. If the girl really likes you, she'll forgive you easily. If she doesn't like you, at most she'll gossip about you a bit behind your back; just don't annoy her anymore."
"No, Sis, she's not an ordinary girl. She... she's a very fierce woman, the kind that could eat people."
"How could it be that exaggerated? Yandere and perverts are all fictional things in novels; don't actually turn stupid from reading too many novels."
"Aren't you a yandere?"
Andrew's sudden retort almost made Catherine's voice crack in anger.
"I'm just playing with you, it's an act! Have you ever seen me acting abnormal when there are outsiders around!"
"Uh... but I feel like you're not acting. You even threatened me to wear a dress for you; is that something a normal person would do?"
"That's because you look good in a dress, Little Drew."
Andrew wordlessly hung up the phone, knowing that he wouldn't get any useful answers no matter how much more he asked.
Moreover, at the mention of him wearing a dress, Andrew felt Catherine getting excited again. If they kept talking, she'd start speaking like a yandere again, which was creepy to hear.
"I'd better think of how to apologize to Scarlett myself."
---
Inside Blackthorn University, Scarlett was busy dealing with the chaos of the new semester.
Sitting across from her was Suzanne, a counselor under her supervision. Suzanne had only graduated recently and was just twenty-four, three years younger than Scarlett.
She still had a playful, almost childish personality, and loved nothing more than gossip.
The moment Scarlett sat down, Suzanne perked up, abandoning her work.
"Scar, there was a boy in our class who was incredibly handsome during registration today. He'll definitely be like a school hunk later on."
"Mm."
Scarlett remained busy with her work, only giving a cold response, which dampened Suzanne's desire to continue gossiping.
"Seriously, though, you're not interested in guys your age, and now you're not even interested in younger ones? Don't tell me you actually plan to stay single forever."
Scarlett let out a quiet scoff. "Why are you more concerned about my love life than my own parents?"
"Because you're twenty-seven!" Suzanne shot back. "You're almost thirty and you haven't even dated once. Doesn't that bother you at all?"
Suzanne was acting just like Scarlett's nagging mother.
Before Scarlett could respond, Suzanne pulled out her phone and showed her a photo. "Look at this one. I snapped it earlier, he's really good-looking. I feel like someone as cold as you would totally fall for this 'puppy-type' guy."
Scarlett originally intended to just glance at it to humor her. Suzanne had a habit of calling any decent-looking guy 'handsome.'
But when she saw the photo, Scarlett froze. She hadn't expected it to be Andrew.
Suzanne immediately caught the subtle pause and lit up with excitement. "I knew it! You do like this type, young, obedient, puppy-like."
"I don't," Scarlett cut in calmly. "He's eighteen. Nine years younger than me. When I skipped grades and entered university, he was still in kindergarten crying for his mother."
"But you were staring just now! I saw it!"
Scarlett's gaze returned to her paperwork, her tone indifferent. "That's only because I've taught him before."