"Fuyumii... I want~"
"Please~"
"...Inside..."
"—Haaah!"
The vivid, dreamlike fragments of shameful scenes playing in her mind abruptly cut off as Hyoudou Tomoe's eyes snapped open.
Panting heavily, she lay there, stunned by the unbelievable realism of the dream.
Groping for her phone on the nightstand, she turned on the screen.
The harsh fluorescent light made her squint like a drowsy fox, her long, narrow eyes adjusting.
After checking the time, she tossed the phone aside.
She had planned to sleep a little longer, but the uncomfortable dampness between her thighs forced her to sit up with a mix of frustration and embarrassment.
"Ugh..."
Stumbling into the bathroom, she turned on the faucet.
—Splash!
The cold water running over her fingers helped shake off the lingering haze of the dream.
Cupping some water, she splashed it on her face and looked up at the mirror.
The reflection staring back wore a loose, ash-gray nightgown, one that should have been oversized, if not for the two soft mounds filling it out just right.
Thanks to that dream, she had tossed and turned all night, leaving the buttons undone from the collar down to her navel, exposing smooth, warm skin that glowed under the bathroom light.
Living alone, she didn't care about her disheveled state.
Right now, all she felt was irritation, directed at her own reflection.
Her damp, messy bangs framed slightly raised eyebrows.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.
Though her furrowed brows should have given her a cold, stern expression, the moisture lingering in her alluring eyes made her gaze unexpectedly captivating instead.
The cool water from her morning wash should have left her skin pale and refreshed, yet her cheeks remained stubbornly flushed with an undeniable rosy hue.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Hyoudou Tomoe lightly bit her lower lip, which was slightly chapped from dehydration.
Ever since that drinking outing with her colleagues, she had been plagued by those kinds of dreams every single night.
Even if she was... pent-up, this was really too much, right?
And why did it always have to be Sasaki of all people?
Her... student?
Was it because he was the only male she didn't actively dislike?
Or was it because Kurumi constantly brought him up in front of her, engraving him into her mind?
Was she really that kind of... *easy woman*?
Disgusted by the thought, the flush on her fair cheeks deepened.
Lost in thought, she absentmindedly rubbed her plump and soft thighs, before angrily peeling off the damp clothes clinging to her skin.
"Control yourself already! Washing and changing clothes every morning is such a hassle!"
Tossing her sweat-drenched sleepwear and other garments into the washing machine, she stormed into the shower.
After cleaning up and hastily eating breakfast, Hyoudou Tomoe arrived at school in her professional attire.
She nodded curtly at the students who greeted her, offering only the bare minimum of acknowledgment.
Yet, for reasons she refused to examine too closely, she took a detour—choosing a route that just happened to pass by his classroom.
Although she gave herself and excuse that it was just to stretch her legs, to get some exercise before the workday began.
But the way her gaze instinctively flickered toward the back of the classroom betrayed her true thoughts.
Spotting the very figure who had been haunting her dreams, her expression twisted with conflicted emotions before she quickly averted her eyes, pretending nothing was amiss.
But then—
"Good morning, Hyoudou-sensei."
That voice.
The sound of it alone made her skin crawl.
Her already tense brows knitted even tighter as she turned, trying to contain the disgust in her eyes, before speaking in a distant tone.
"Is there something you need, Nemoto-kun?"
Standing behind her was the student she had addressed—Nemoto Kyousuke, a short, heavyset boy with features buried under layers of fat.
His glasses did little to soften the unpleasant grin stretching across his face.
Even setting aside Hyoudou's general bias against men, Nemoto's reputation among the female students was abysmal.
He was frequently reported for loitering near the girls' locker rooms, earning him multiple warnings from the faculty.
So, in Hyoutou's mind, Nemoto Kyousuke embodied everything she despised in a man.
But as a teacher, she couldn't outright ignore him.
And he loved that—watching her struggle to suppress her disgust while forced to engage with him.
Nemoto's grin widened as he slipped a hand into his pocket, fingers brushing against the "gift" he had prepared for her.
"Hyoudou-sensei, you have class second period, right? After that, could you meet me in the student guidance room? There's something I'd like to discuss."
"Hah?"
The idea of being alone with him made her skin crawl.
Tomoe opened her mouth to refuse,
But Nemoto cut her off with an exaggerated bow.
"Please, Hyoudou-sensei!"
Straightening with a chuckle, he waved dismissively and left. "That's all! See you later~"
"Wha—?"
Her half-raised hand dropped uselessly as he lumbered into the classroom, leaving her standing there, brow furrowed in frustration.
"Tch."
'If I don't go, it'll look bad... But if I do...'
She wasn't worried about her safety, this was school, after all.
But the thought of being trapped in a room with him made her stomach churn.
Just as she hesitated, she turned—
And locked eyes with Sasaki, who was watching her from his seat, confusion written plainly across his face.
"..."
"...Midterms are this week. Calling a student out to discuss their grades is perfectly normal."
The excuse soothed her nerves slightly as her tense expression softened and she looked at the boy.
There he was, staring at her with that dumb, puzzled frown.
For some reason, it struck her as... adorable.
Before she could stop herself, a rare, sweet smile, which looked unconsciously alluring, curved her lips.
She nodded at him, then turned on her heel, clutching her lesson plans as she strode toward the staff room.
Sasaki:
"...???"
In the classroom, Sasaki, who had been reading and hadn't noticed Hyoudou's earlier interaction, raised an eyebrow in confusion.
How many times was this now?
Ever since their conversation two weeks ago, Hyoudou Sensei had been sneaking strange, inexplicable glances at him.
At first, he'd found it strange... but eventually, he'd started ignoring it subconsciously.
Just like how he pretended not to notice her watching him from outside the classroom earlier.
But this time, after their eyes met—she had smiled at him.
Although he wasn't narcissistic to the point where he would be lost in his beauty, Sasaki also knew that he was probably the most good-looking person in the country..well, however, even then..
Hyoudou Tomoe, the woman who supposedly despised men, had smiled at him, and it had looked genuinely happy.
How bizarre.
Shaking off the thought after a moment, Sasaki lowered his head back to his book, pretending not to notice the dejected look on Chifuyu's face.
"..."
Well ....
The warm-hearted girl had been waiting all morning for Sasaki to notice something was off, but with class about to start and him still not saying a word, she finally puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
She wanted to share her worries with him.
She wanted his comfort.
She wanted him to tell her what to do.
Even though he was that "two-timing scumbag" everyone disliked... for some reason, Chifuyu found herself craving his closeness even more.
Without examining why, she finally caved.
Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, she leaned in slightly and whispered:
"Um... Fuyumi, are you busy?"
Sasaki subtly glanced at Natsuha, who had been watching them from the front row, before smiling at Chifuyu.
"Not really. Just studying for midterms. What's up?"
Chifuyu bit her lip.
Studying. Working hard.
But Takagi-kun had...
Thinking of Takagi's broken promise on Saturday and the fact that she couldn't get in touch with him on Sunday, Tsukimi Chifuyu felt a little depressed.
Her pink little mouth pursed up a little in grievance, and she whispered with disappointment:
"It's... it's nothing big. It's just... Takagi-san has been acting kind of weird lately..."
Weird?
Of course he was acting weird, he was drowning in his senpai's affection.
When the flower at home was all thorns and no sweetness, wasn't it natural to seek out wild blossoms instead?
Blinking innocently, Sasaki feigned confusion.
"Weird... how?"
"Well... we had a study session planned for Saturday, right? Before, even if he wasn't super focused, he'd at least show up. But this time... he didn't come. Didn't even tell me."
Her fingers fidgeted like soft mochi sticks as she mumbled, "I thought maybe something came up, so I messaged him yesterday asking if everything was okay... but he just said, 'It's fine.' That's all."
He replied?
That may not be necessarily true.
Internally amused, Sasaki furrowed his brows sympathetically.
"Maybe he was just busy? Family stuff, or helping with errands..."
"I guess..."
The excuse was flimsy, but apart from these, she couldn't think of anything better.
So Chifuyu could only nod reluctantly.
Seeing she was still upset, Sasaki added:
"If you're really worried, just go talk to him. That's what couples do, right? Communication fixes everything."
She had the same idea, but she didn't do it because she was afraid that Takagi would think she was meddling.
Now, hearing it from her closest friend, she hesitated.
"Is... is that really okay?"
Propping his chin on his hand, Sasaki gave the little idiot the most harmless advice possible.
"Why wouldn't it be? Even if you can't help, checking in is normal. Him brushing you off like that was rude."
"Go ask him. It'll be fine."
"Okay..."
Nodding, Chifuyu turned back around and pulled out her phone—clearly messaging Takagi to meet.
Maybe during break. Maybe lunch. Maybe after school.
After all, the relationship between Chifuyu and Takagi couldn't be seen in public, so they can only meet secretly...
While there was still some time before class, Sasaki lowered his head and continued to pretend to be a good student.
But just one minute into it and his phone started buzzing in his desk.
A message from Natsuha.
Just a string of periods:
[...]
Not understanding what she meant, Sasaki looked up toward the front of the classroom.
Meeting his gaze, Shinomiya Natsuha expressionlessly tilted her sharp chin toward the classroom door—the message was obvious.
'Hmm... She must have seen me talking and laughing with Chifuyu earlier...and probably got jealous.'
With that thought, Sasaki stood up and walked out of the classroom.
The moment he stepped outside, he collided with a girl whose scent was extremely familiar.
And so, even though a bit startled, he happily caught her in his arms.
At the same time, he reassured the equally startled girl:
"It's me, it's me~"
Gently stroking her now-calm hair, Sasaki tilted his head.
"Momo, what are you doing here?"
With her arms tightly wrapped around her boyfriend's waist, Kashiwabara Momo buried her face in his chest, nuzzling lightly.
"Hehe~ I missed you~"
Momo was from Class G.
Since their usual routes to and from class didn't overlap, they rarely had chances to meet during school hours.
That said, they did share several classes together—like cooking, art, and P.E.
Still, only being able to see each other without being able to kiss or do anything more intimate was frustrating for Momo.
Add to that the fact that he never went out with her on weekends, and she just had to come find him.
Watching her rub her head against his chest like a cat in heat, Sasaki patted her lightly patted.
Just as a cough sounded behind him.
"Ahem~"
'Shit.'