Before Kashi could escape the clutches of the first girl, a second pair of hands reached out.
By then, it was too late for Kashi to resist.
"Me too, me too."
"And me! Wow, so soft, such a nice feel, I want to take her home."
Surrounded by countless evil hands, Kashi had completely lost the ability to resist.
As countless hands pinched her cheeks, Kashi, while struggling, couldn't help but recall the images she had seen on Tanaka Masao's computer.
"So that's it. No wonder I found this scene so familiar."
"Isn't this exactly what I just saw?"
"I've also fallen to that level."
"I must escape quickly, otherwise… otherwise, I'll turn into that kind of thing."
"Wuwu~ Fang~ Kai~ I, I want to leave~"
Just as Kashi was struggling with all her might, a stern voice rang out.
"Hey, what are you doing? Stop it right now."
At the sound of the voice, the girls surrounding Kashi instantly stopped.
They looked at the newcomer and greeted her obediently.
"Hiratsuka-sensei."
The newcomer was Hiratsuka Shizuka. She was passing by, noticed some noise, and came to investigate.
She found several girls manhandling a little girl and quickly spoke up to stop them.
"What do you think you're doing, touching a child like that? It's disgraceful. What if you scare her? Hurry up and leave."
"Yes, Hiratsuka-sensei."
The girls lowered their heads and left apologetically.
After scolding them, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Kashi and asked with concern.
"Daijobu (Are you okay)? I apologize to you on their behalf for what just happened. Don't take it to heart; they didn't mean any harm."
Finally free from their clutches, Kashi rubbed her face, feeling a mix of fear and grievance.
Hearing Hiratsuka Shizuka's concerned question, she was quite touched and replied.
"I'm fine. Thanks to your help, those scary people were driven away."
Having just been bullied, the arrogant and haughty demeanor Kashi usually displayed had vanished, replaced by a sense of vulnerability.
This appearance made Hiratsuka Shizuka's heart skip a beat.
"So cute."
She also understood why those girls had been so frantic.
Who could resist such cuteness? Hiratsuka Shizuka even wanted to pinch Kashi's adorable little face herself.
To avoid scaring Kashi again, Hiratsuka Shizuka controlled her hands and asked.
"Little sister, are you looking for someone? My name is Hiratsuka Shizuka, and I'm a teacher at this school. You can call me Hiratsuka-sensei or Hiratsuka-nee-san. If you need any help, just ask."
"Oh, it's Shizuka."
How could Kashi call a human 'nee-san'?
As for calling her 'sensei,' that was even more impossible; not everyone could be her teacher.
"Shi… Shizuka…"
Hearing that address, Hiratsuka Shizuka's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
The last person to call her that was Yukinoshita Haruno.
She didn't exactly dislike the address, but she felt a bit embarrassed by it.
"This little girl… she couldn't be that Haruno's daughter, could she? She's just as annoying."
"Never mind, she's just a child. I won't bother arguing with her."
Kashi didn't notice Hiratsuka Shizuka's unusual reaction and continued.
"I'm looking for Tanaka Masao. Do you know where he is?"
After what had just happened, Kashi felt that this school was a bit dangerous.
For her own safety, she decided not to continue wandering around and would go directly to find Tanaka Masao.
Although Tanaka Masao was also dangerous, at least for now, he didn't seem to have any intention of harming her.
"Tanaka Masao…"
Hiratsuka Shizuka stroked her chin. A few days ago, she wouldn't have known that name.
But now, a plump figure appeared in her mind.
Although she had only met him once, she had a rather deep impression of this person who could withstand her punch.
She looked at Kashi and asked with some uncertainty.
"The Tanaka Masao you're looking for, is he a chubby man with glasses and short black hair?"
"Yes, that's him. You know him?"
Kashi was a little happy, surprised that a random person knew Tanaka Masao.
No wonder Tanaka Masao was so famous.
"It really is him."
Hiratsuka Shizuka exclaimed, as she couldn't imagine what connection the little girl in front of her could have with Tanaka Masao.
"If I may ask, what is your relationship with him…?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked.
"My relationship with Masao…"
Kashi genuinely didn't know how to answer that question for a moment.
In her imagination, Tanaka Masao should be her slave and subordinate.
But that hadn't been realized yet.
After a moment of hesitation, she said.
"We are family."
She was currently living with Tanaka, and her registered name yesterday was also Kashi Tanaka.
Saying they were family wasn't an exaggeration.
"Family."
These two words were simply inconceivable to Hiratsuka Shizuka.
She hesitated, afraid of hurting Kashi's young heart, and did not voice her guess.
"Come with me; I know where he is right now."
"Oh, thank you very much then."
…
A few minutes later, led by Hiratsuka Shizuka, Kashi arrived in front of the Service Club.
Hiratsuka Shizuka pushed open the door and called out.
"Tanaka, are you here?"
The two people eating inside the Service Club both looked up at Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Yukinoshita Yukino reminded her again with a hint of helplessness.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, I believe I've told you many times that you should knock before entering."
To this, Hiratsuka Shizuka still waved her hand dismissively.
"Next time for sure, next time for sure."
She looked at Tanaka Masao and said.
"Tanaka, someone is looking for you. She says she's your… family."
Hiratsuka Shizuka uttered those two words with great difficulty.
Tanaka Masao had already seen Kashi, who had entered with Hiratsuka Shizuka, and was a little puzzled.
"Why are you here? Are you looking for me?"
Upon seeing Tanaka Masao, Kashi also breathed a sigh of relief.
In this unfamiliar world, Tanaka Masao, as the first person she knew and the one she had the best relationship with, gave Kashi a sense of security and belonging.
The fear caused by the attack from the girls completely disappeared, and Kashi once again regained her arrogant and haughty demeanor.
She put her hands on her hips and said.
"Hmm, I was a bit bored staying at home alone, so I came here to find you."