The kitchen was frozen. The air was thick with the smell of spilled flour, sweet yeast, and the sudden, sharp stench of Kaede's perfume. Yasuo sat on the marble counter, his shirt half-unbuttoned, his legs still tangled around Daisetsu's waist. He felt like a deer caught in high-beams. His face was so hot he thought he might actually catch fire.
Kaede stood in the doorway, her phone raised like a weapon. Her face was twisted with a mix of shock and pure, ugly jealousy. "I knew it!" she shrieked, her thumb hovering over the 'Send' button. "A disgusting scandal! The 'Perfect Teacher' and the 'Little Baker Boy.' The Superintendent is going to love this photo!"
Yasuo's breath hitched. His heart was ready to collapse. If that photo got out, Daisetsu's life—his job, his reputation—was finished.
But Daisetsu didn't flinch.
The "Stoic Protector" moved like a shadow. In one smooth, powerful motion, he stepped off the counter, shielding Yasuo completely with his broad back. He looked "metallic" and dangerous, his jaw set in a hard line.
"Kaede," Daisetsu said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying growl. "Delete it. Now."
"Or what?" she snapped, backing up a step. "You'll hit me? Show everyone that 'Berserker' side your old files talk about?"
"No," a new voice drawled from behind her.
Tenshin stepped into the kitchen, looking way too cool for someone in the middle of a bakery brawl. He was leaning against the doorframe, checking his watch. "He won't hit you, Kaede. But I've already hacked your cloud storage. That photo? It's currently being replaced by a very high-resolution picture of a potato. Also, I found those emails you sent to the board using a fake name. That's called 'harassment,' babe."
Kaede's face went white. She looked at her phone, then at Tenshin, then back at the massive, angry teacher in front of her. With a frustrated scream, she turned and bolted out the back door, her heels clicking frantically on the pavement.
"I'll handle the 'cleanup' on her end," Tenshin said, giving Yasuo a wink that was way less sexy than Daisetsu's. "You two... uh... finish your bread. It's getting a bit hot in here."
Tenshin left, closing the door behind him. The silence that followed was heavy, but it wasn't awkward. It was vibrating.
Yasuo let out a shaky breath, his hands still gripping the edge of the counter. "Is she... is it over? Is your job safe?"
Daisetsu turned around. He didn't look like a teacher anymore. He looked like a "Wounded Soul" who had just realized what was most important. He walked back to Yasuo, stepping between his legs again.
"My job doesn't matter if I lose this," Daisetsu whispered. He grabbed Yasuo's wrists, pinning them to the counter. His gaze was dark, hungry, and totally possessive. "She saw us, Yasuo. The secret is out of the bag. Does that scare you?"
Yasuo looked into Daisetsu's eyes. His shame—the "Secretive Reader" fear of being judged—was gone. Daisetsu had just defended him like a savage. "I'm not that scared," Yasuo whispered, his voice gaining a "Passionate" edge. "As long as you're the one pinning me down."
Daisetsu groaned, a sound deep in his chest that made Yasuo's toes curl. He didn't waste another second. He grabbed the hem of Yasuo's apron and pulled it over his head, tossing it onto the floor. Then, his hands went to his own leather jacket, shedding it like a second skin.
He was shirtless now, his muscular chest covered in a light sheen of sweat. He looked exactly like the seme on Page 42, but better. He was real. He was warm. And he was his.
"You've been reading about this, right?" Daisetsu murmured, his lips traveling from Yasuo's jaw to the sensitive skin of his neck. He bit down gently, marking him, making Yasuo moan out loud. "Did your books tell you how much it hurts to want someone this bad?"
Daisetsu lifted Yasuo up again, but this time, he didn't stop at a kiss. He moved with a heavy, reflexive power, sliding Yasuo's pants down and tossing them aside. The cold air hit Yasuo's skin, but it was immediately replaced by the blistering heat of Daisetsu's body.
"Look at me, Yasuo," Daisetsu ordered, his voice a gravelly command.
Yasuo looked. He saw the "Stoic Protector" completely unraveled. Daisetsu's hands were rough but careful, mapping every inch of Yasuo's soft skin as if he were trying to memorize it. He moved against Yasuo with a rhythm that was primal, his muscles rippling with every movement.
The kitchen was filled with the sound of ragged breathing and the soft slap of skin against skin. Yasuo felt like he was floating and drowning at the same time. He gripped Daisetsu's shoulders, his nails digging into the hard muscle as the teacher drove him higher and higher.
"Daisetsu... please..." Yasuo begged, his head falling back.
"I've got you," Daisetsu whispered, his voice thick with lust. "I'm not letting go. Ever."
He claimed Yasuo right there on the flour-dusted marble, a "Physical Tension" payoff that made the bookstore incident seem like a distant memory. It was messy, it was intense, and it was the hottest thing Yasuo had ever experienced. Every thrust was a promise: You flirt, I fell harder.
When they finally collapsed together, panting and covered in a fine layer of flour, the bakery was silent again. The "Stoic" teacher and the "Shy" baker were gone. There was only Daisetsu and Yasuo.
As they lay there, tangling their limbs together, Daisetsu pulled Yasuo close to his chest. "We need to be careful," he whispered into Yasuo's ear. "Kaede is gone, but the Superintendent's son is taking over as Principal on Monday. And according to Tenshin... he's someone from my past. Someone who knows exactly why they used to call me the 'Iron-Fist Berserker'."