Kotomi Izumi's calm reaction made gumi 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 privately later that you wouldn't be coming, back when I first invited you."
gumi raised her eyebrows slightly, looking half-curious and half-annoyed.
"So, if you already knew I'd say no, why did you still add, 'gumi, you should co too,' when you ntioned the dinner? Were you teasing ?"
"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, gumi'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 an 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. Sotis, 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."
gumi nodded in agreent, 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~ gumi, I love you."
A simple confession—yet, spoken at just the right mont, 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~" gumi murmured softly, her face blushing red as she shyly looked away.
Their faces drew closer and closer. Just as gumi 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.
gumi 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 mbers 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 back double for this!" gumi 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 , alright?"
"Hehe~" gumi Kato laughed awkwardly, clearly caught off guard by Kotomi's teasing. Trying to defend herself, she said, "Kotomi, you're my wife! That ans 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 ti? And since when did I beco your wife, huh? You think it's that easy to make your wife? Dream on~"
Kotomi shot gumi a playful glare, her eyes filled with mock annoyance—but to gumi, that look was pure, irresistible charm.
How could one little penguin be this alluring?!
If soone 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 gumi 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 mont 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 sa 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 ho, 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 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 ho to celebrate."
Shizuka Hiratsuka really did enjoy drinking alone at ho—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 ti 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 ti 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 properly," ca 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 soday, she might not be able to keep her daughter in line at all.
Whenever the topic of Shizuka's future partner ca 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 ti Shizuka heard her mother say that, she couldn't help but feel helpless. Mom, do you have to make 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 ti to call every few days? Didn't I tell you already? Next month, I'll bring my girlfriend to et 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 ho to et 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 sa few phrases repeated endlessly. She'd even started to suspect her mother had pre-recorded a "nagging tape" and was just playing it every ti she called.
After that thought occurred to her, Shizuka decided to fight fire with fire—she recorded her own "auto-reply" ssage and played it back the next ti 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 soone stopping a tape. And right after that, Yuko's furious voice ca 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, rembering that at least her daughter was finally seeing soone.
Even if that soone 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 sa 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 et a few tis 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 eting 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, asured tone.
"Didn't I tell you last ti? 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 . Which ans I can finally spend more ti 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 ti to bother ."
"You little—"
Yuko bit back a curse just in ti, stopping herself before blurting sothing 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 tis than she could count. She simply happened to still be at Dengeki Bunko's editorial departnt, and with a eting 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 ho wanting to relax a bit, and what happens? My phone rings—and it's you. The second I see your na pop up, I already know what you're calling about: asking when I'll bring my girlfriend ho to et you and Dad. Didn't we agree? Next month, we'll et 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 the dinner's canceled? Does that an I don't have to bring my girlfriend to et you and Dad?"
"Ha! Keep dreaming. The dinner's happening as planned. I called because I have sothing else to ask."
Shizuka's enthusiasm vanished imdiately. "What is it now?" she asked flatly.
Yuko was silent for a few seconds before speaking again—this ti, 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 dread of for years—has finally co."
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 lifeti. After all, back then, she had nothing holding her back.
But now…
There was no excitent. No joy. Only a deep, indescribable heaviness.
The opportunity she had once dread of was finally here.
So why… couldn't she feel happy about it at all?
—
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