As soon as the words left her mouth, applause rang out.
Kotomi Izumi turned to glance at Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama, thinking maybe they were the ones clapping—but they weren't. Both of them looked just as surprised, their ears perked as they tried to figure out where the sound was coming from.
It wasn't gumi Kato or the others either.
Fortunately, there weren't many people around, so Kotomi quickly figured out the source.
It ca from behind them.
When she turned around, she saw Shizuka Hiratsuka walking toward them while clapping her hands.
"I heard your performance ti got moved to the finale slot, and I was worried you three might get nervous or stage fright," Hiratsuka said with her usual grin. "So I thought I'd co by to cheer you on. And if that didn't work, I could always smack you on the back to give you a little buff. But seeing how confident and fired up you all look, I guess I don't have to worry anymore. This afternoon, I expect you to go all out—no matter how good the people before you are, forget about their performance. I want you to crush them in sheer spirit!"
Her tone and expression were the sa as always—nothing out of the ordinary at all. There wasn't even a hint that she was soone preparing to resign.
Of course, the only one who knew about that was Kotomi Izumi, who had accidentally overheard a conversation between Shizuka Hiratsuka and Haruno Yukinoshita.
And Hiratsuka herself had no idea that Kotomi already knew.
"Good afternoon, Hiratsuka-sensei," Yukino and the others greeted her quickly, straightening up as soon as they saw their teacher.
"Hello, hello," Hiratsuka replied warmly. Spotting Yui's mother among them, she gave a polite nod and said, "Mrs. Yuigahama, hello. And this must be your second daughter, Yuka? She's adorable."
The last ti they'd t was at the parent-teacher eting, when Hiratsuka had first seen Tomoka Yuigahama. She'd been genuinely shocked back then—Yui's mother looked so young, it was hard to believe she was a single mother raising two daughters on her own.
"Thank you for the complint, Hiratsuka-sensei. Yuka, say hello to the teacher," Yui's mother said.
"Hello, Hiratsuka-sensei!"
Originally, Yuka had wanted to blurt out, Are you the one who likes Penguin Onee-chan?
But she stopped herself. After watching these girls interact with "Penguin Onee-chan," every word, every glance between them had already given her more drama than she could handle. If there were any more juicy "plots" to uncover, she might not be able to digest them all.
For the first ti, the ever-curious Yuka felt like she was too full from gossip. To beco a true gossip goddess, she realized, she still had much training ahead of her.
"Hello there," Hiratsuka said gently, squatting down to pat Yuka's head.
When she stood back up, she glanced at Kotomi and frowned slightly. From the mont she'd arrived, Kotomi hadn't said much at all. Normally, Kotomi would have already bounded up to her like a mischievous imp. But today, she seed distant.
It couldn't be stage fright—not Kotomi.
Hiratsuka began to reflect. In the hallway earlier, she hadn't said or done anything unusual, yet Kotomi had suddenly seed upset. She'd thought about it the whole way here but couldn't figure out what she'd done wrong.
She wanted to ask outright, Did I do sothing to upset you?
But she didn't dare.
Even though Hiratsuka had never been in a relationship—and often got scolded by Kotomi for being as dense as a block of wood—she'd watched enough sweet, dramatic romance dramas over dinner to understand one thing: when a young woman's upset, you can't just ask her directly. You have to figure it out indirectly.
So troubleso... she thought with a sigh. But when Kotomi ignored her like this, it made her restless in a way she couldn't quite explain.
At so point, Kotomi Izumi had carved herself deep into Hiratsuka's heart. Every small gesture, every tiny expression—it all stirred sothing inside her.
Still, with other people around, Hiratsuka couldn't just ask what was wrong. So instead, she decided she'd cheer Kotomi up little by little. As it happened, the real reason she'd co today was to bring them a gift.
She was about to resign. Although she still seed hesitant about whether to actually submit her resignation letter, deep down, Shizuka Hiratsuka had already made up her mind.
So before she left, she wanted to give Kotomi, Yukino, and Yui a parting gift—a small celebration for their performance. After all, if they hadn't stepped forward and volunteered to perform at the cultural festival, it would've been rather embarrassing to turn in an empty registration form.
As their teacher—though she wouldn't be for much longer—she wanted to make sure they received sothing to commorate the mont.
But what kind of gifts did teenage girls like these days? Shizuka honestly had no idea. Even if she wouldn't admit it aloud, she had to face the truth: now that she was in her thirties, there was definitely a generational gap between her and today's high school girls.
So she decided to go with what she thought was the best possible present she could give.
"I already sent the QR code to Kotomi," Shizuka said, taking out her phone. "Kotomi, after you save it, scan it using the XX Travel App. Once you do, you, Yukino, and Yui can enjoy a three-day, three-night stay in a luxury Japanese-style suite at the Seiyakuro Inn. I've already paid for everything—room fees, service charges, all covered. You three just need to relax and enjoy the hot springs. Originally, I wanted to go too, but work's been so busy lately that there's no way I could take ti off for a Kyoto getaway."
"Sensei… that's way too generous of a gift," Yukino said, stunned by Hiratsuka's words.
"I suddenly feel like I need to give it my all on stage—even if it ans screaming my lungs out," Yui said, her voice trembling, not from fear but from excitent.
"You don't need to go that far," Shizuka chuckled. "Just perform your best and make sure you leave no regrets on that stage."
Kotomi stared at the QR code Shizuka had sent her and let out a small sigh. For Shizuka to give them this kind of farewell gift now—it could only an one thing. She'd already made her decision to resign.
By this ti next week, Shizuka Hiratsuka might already have left Sobu High School… no longer their teacher.
"Sensei really went all out this ti," Kotomi said with a faint smile.
Even though she smiled, Shizuka could tell sothing was off. It didn't feel like genuine happiness—more like a polite front. But she couldn't think of any better way to fix it.
There's still so ti before I go to the UK, she thought. At least until my passport's ready and the Royal Academy's term starts next year. Maybe I can use that ti to find a special gift for Kotomi? But she likes so many things… what could I possibly give her that would make her happy?
Hiratsuka sighed inwardly. She looked exactly like a woman who'd just realized Valentine's Day was coming and was agonizing over what to get for her girlfriend—wanting to surprise her, yet desperate to make sure the gift was sothing she'd truly love.
Every ti she decided on sothing, doubt would creep in again: What if she doesn't like it? What if I choose wrong? After all, buying the wrong thing without asking first was sothing she'd seen happen far too often.
So, after thinking it over, she decided to quietly make her exit for now and spend the coming days brainstorming the perfect gift—sothing that would bring a real smile to that mischievous little witch's face.
"Well then, I've still got so work to finish up, so I'll get out of your way," she said casually, offering a simple excuse to leave.
As gumi and the others said goodbye, Shizuka smiled and waved back, but her eyes kept flicking toward Kotomi.
Still that sa calm expression—no words, not even a simple "goodbye."
A small pang of disappointnt settled in Shizuka's chest. She couldn't understand what had changed between them.
All she wanted was to spend a little more ti together before leaving…
Because she knew that once she went abroad to study at the Royal Academy of Arts, by the ti she returned to Japan, Kotomi would have already graduated from Sobu High and gone on to university.
It was precisely because there would soon be a long stretch of ti when they might not see each other again that Shizuka Hiratsuka wanted to treasure every remaining mont with Kotomi before she left.
Because she was terrible at sentintal goodbyes, she wanted their ti together to stay as natural as ever—each eting filled with Kotomi's usual mischievous energy, her teasing words, and that sly little smile.
When Shizuka looked at Kotomi now, a faint bitterness welled up inside her. Maybe I was the only one who misunderstood from the very start? she wondered.
Just as she turned to leave, Kotomi suddenly called out—
"Shizuka!"
"Eh?"
Hiratsuka froze mid-step and spun around. Her heart began to pound faster and faster at the sound of Kotomi's voice.
Kotomi's pink eyes t hers with rare seriousness, the corners of her lips curling into a charming smile.
"Shizuka, you have to co to my performance this afternoon, okay? And you must stay until the very last second of my performance. If you dare leave before I get off the stage, I'll go and slash your car tires!"
Her words started sweet but ended with mock fierceness, making Shizuka burst into laughter after a brief mont of surprise.
"You cheeky brat. Try to rember our age difference, will you? Calling 'Shizuka' sounds way too casual coming from you!"
"Oh? So you're finally admitting you're thirty?" Kotomi said, feigning shock.
"I am not! I'm eternally twenty-nine!"
Hiratsuka shot back quickly before turning on her heel to leave. But this ti, a faint, relaxed smile lingered on her lips.
Kotomi smiled softly as she watched her go.
After Shizuka left, Kotomi found herself facing the curious stares of gumi and the others. With a helpless smile, she improvised a quick explanation.
"'Shizuka' just sounds youthful, so she told to use it in private," Kotomi said casually.
Perfect excuse!
Kotomi ntally gave herself a thumbs-up. She'd really perfected the art of smooth cover stories—no surprise, considering how much experience she'd had writing excuse notes in her previous life as Chen Chang'an.
After lunch, Kotomi took Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama to the backstage area of the auditorium to check and adjust their performance equipnt one last ti.
Even though they were scheduled for the finale slot, it was always better to arrive early and prepare, just in case sothing unexpected happened and the student staff couldn't reach them in ti.
Besides, the backstage area was pretty spacious. After spending the whole morning exploring the festival, sitting down on a soft couch for a short nap sounded like the perfect way to recharge before the show.
Before heading backstage, Kotomi even stopped to buy several cups of ice cream—treats for the upperclassn managing the stage crew.
Maintaining good relationships wasn't just about polite gestures on the surface; it was about handling the little details, too. If you could manage that, everything else went more smoothly.
Most students might think to bring boxed lunches instead, assuming the staff wouldn't have ti to eat. But Kotomi had already asked around: during the lunch break, a few students went out to buy food for everyone. By now, they'd already eaten or were still finishing up. Showing up with bags of extra als would only be awkward—would they eat them, or refuse and feel guilty? In the end, such well-intentioned gestures could easily turn into burdens.
Sotis, it was better not to overdo it—just strike a balance.
Ice cream, on the other hand, was perfect. Many people liked a little sweetness after lunch, and it was inexpensive enough to be accepted without hesitation.
When Kotomi walked into the backstage area carrying two bags full of ice cream, the upperclassn cheered in delight. A thoughtful, considerate underclassman like her was impossible not to adore. Naturally, they'd make sure she got any useful tips or inside information as soon as it ca up.
After handing out the ice cream, Kotomi chatted with them for exactly two minutes before politely excusing herself and heading toward the section where their instrunts were stored.
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