Teitan High School, Grade 11, Class B.
The first period was English. Kurosawa Hoshino rested his elbows on the desk, chin in hand, glancing occasionally at the classroom door, waiting for the arrival of the original story's Jodie.
Thanks to Sonoko, the news of a new teacher had spread after she arrived. The students were all buzzing with anticipation, staring intently at the door and imagining what the new teacher would be like.
Finally, a minute after the bell, the crisp sound of high heels echoed from the hallway, quickly stopping right outside. Everyone knew the person was there.
As the door was pushed open, a woman appeared. She had short blonde hair and wore a slightly open-necked blouse that perfectly outlined her hot, well-proportioned figure, with a hint of an alluring V at the neckline.
The boys who saw this unconsciously gulped.
Some girls were indifferent, while others glanced down at themselves with a touch of envy.
Jodie adjusted her old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses, her eyes sweeping over the class. A faint smile touched her lips as she walked slowly to the front of the classroom.
She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote her name on the blackboard—Jodie Saintemillion.
A pseudonym, Kurosawa Hoshino knew. Only the first part was real; the rest was fabricated.
"Hello, everyone."
A voice with a distinct foreign accent rang out. Jodie's smile widened slightly, carrying a subtle, inscrutable meaning as she said softly,
"From today, I will be your English teacher. You can call me Jodie-sensei. It's nice to meet you."
"Dressed like that to teach?" Sonoko muttered under her breath, secretly observing Kurosawa Hoshino's reaction out of the corner of her eye.
"That's just how it is in foreign countries," Ran whispered back.
"Ran's right. What others wear is their own business. Sonoko, I advise you to focus on yourself."
Kurosawa Hoshino nodded and glanced at Sonoko.
Sonoko: "..."
Sonoko was fuming, her face darkening. She gritted her teeth and said with exasperation,
"What's so great about it? Have you seen Ran's? Ran's is no less impressive than this Jodie-sensei's."
Ran froze for a second, then her face flushed bright red. She hurriedly tugged at her best friend's sleeve, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance in her voice.
"Sonoko, what nonsense are you talking about? I'm ignoring you."
"What nonsense? I'm being serious."
Kurosawa Hoshino subconsciously glanced down at Ran's neckline.
Ran, feeling nervous, immediately noticed the look. Even though her uniform covered everything, she still instinctively crossed her arms over her chest and said shyly,
"Hoshino, what are you looking at? Don't look."
"Ahem, no, I wasn't." Kurosawa Hoshino averted his gaze.
"Don't even think about it."
"I wasn't thinking either."
Kurosawa Hoshino answered seriously.
"Hello? Hello?"
A cheerful voice came from right in front of them.
Kurosawa Hoshino and the others looked up to see that Jodie had appeared by their desks at some point.
All the other students had turned to stare at them, their gazes rather peculiar.
"..."
The three of them fell silent. Clearly, they had been so engrossed in their conversation that they'd forgotten to lower their voices and had been caught.
Jodie's face wore an expression of mock distress. "Although it's the first day, I still have to exercise a teacher's authority. As punishment for this class, the three of you will stand in the hallway."
Kurosawa Hoshino stood up and said to the two girls, "Let's go. Meeting adjourned to the hallway."
Ran, no longer caring about her shyness, got up and followed.
Sonoko stuck out her tongue sheepishly, feeling it was her fault.
"Hehe."
Jodie chuckled softly, watching the three leave the classroom. A glint flashed in her eyes before she turned back to the podium to begin the day's lesson.
Of course, she didn't say much—just a few casual remarks before letting the students study on their own. Her attention was mostly on the hallway outside.
Outside the classroom, the three stood leaning against the wall.
Kurosawa Hoshino was in the middle, with the two girls on either side. For a moment, it was quiet, no one speaking.
After a long while...
Sonoko whispered, "Hoshino, what I said inside was true. I'll show you Ran's another day."
"Ahem, I—" Kurosawa Hoshino began.
Before he could finish, Ran, blushing again, interrupted, "Sonoko, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll show Hoshino yours too."
"Fine, it's no big deal."
"You..."
Listening to their bickering, Kurosawa Hoshino felt secretly pleased but kept a straight face. He said calmly,
"Sounds like all talk to me. If you're so brave, don't back down. By the way, do you have photos of each other? Or videos? You could just show me... Ow! Hiss~"
A short cry was followed by a sharp intake of breath.
Kurosawa Hoshino grabbed a slender wrist with each hand, his face twisted in pain. He had just been simultaneously pinched and twisted hard by both girls.
"What are you doing? Why are you pinching me?"
"Pinching you? You wish! Hmph!" Sonoko forcefully pulled her hand back, annoyed. "You stinky Hoshino, trying to use reverse psychology on us? We won't fall for it."
"Exactly." Ran also withdrew her hand, smiling. "We don't have any photos or videos. We were just joking."
Kurosawa Hoshino ignored them, rubbing the spots on his sides. The pain was already fading.
The sound of high heels approached.
The three fell silent.
Jodie emerged from the classroom, walked up to them, and said with a smile, "Hello, I don't know your names yet."
"Ran Mouri."
"Sonoko Suzuki."
"Kurosawa Hoshino."
The three answered in turn.
"Well, sensei, I'm from abroad and not very familiar with the area. I was hoping to make friends with you all so I can ask for help if I run into anything I don't understand."
Ran and Sonoko didn't suspect anything, though they felt a little hesitant.
Kurosawa Hoshino thought a bit more. Even if this woman had an ulterior motive, it probably wasn't anything major. After all, he wasn't a member of the Black Organization.
"Is that... not okay?" Jodie's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
"No, Jodie-sensei, of course it is," Ran was the first to speak up.
"Yes, Jodie-sensei, we'd love to be your friends," Sonoko chimed in.
Since both girls had agreed, Kurosawa Hoshino naturally wouldn't object. He nodded calmly and said lightly, "If Jodie-sensei encounters any trouble in the future, she can come to Sonoko. She—"
"Hey, stop it!" Sonoko pushed him, cutting him off.
"That's wonderful." Jodie looked quite happy. "Since we're friends now, can we drop the formalities when we talk?"
They chatted for a few more minutes.
After settling the matter of how to address each other, Jodie excused them from their hallway punishment and invited them back into the classroom to continue the lesson.
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