It wasn't surprising that she would say something negative.
But Kurumi was somewhat surprised by her reaction and the excuse she gave.
Because she knew her colleague disliked men, and in her past teasing of her, Hyoudou Sensei always responded with sarcastic and scornful remarks like, "Love is so stupid. They're all just guys with dirty minds, not worth liking."
During the time she had known her, this was the first time she had ever heard a different answer.
Did she mean that if the age difference wasn't so big and they didn't have this teacher-student relationship, she might consider it?
But before she could ask further,
Ms Hyoudou, realising her words were different from usual, tightened her arms around her chest and, blushing, explained with a pretence of calmness:
"What I said before was just an excuse to deal with the teachers at school. When it comes to students, of course, I have to emphasize the teacher-student relationship."
Kurumi also didn't point out the flaw in her words.
Although she didn't know how much Hyoudou disliked men, she at least didn't seem to dislike Sasaki.
And that was enough for her.
So she didn't pursue the matter further to avoid embarrassing her, but instead changed the topic, saying:
"As far as I know, there are currently no elders in Sasaki's household. His guardian's address is a bit far from where he lives."
"However, it seems that another elder from his family handled his re-enrollment procedures and mentioned they would take care of him in the future, leaving a phone number. They should be moving into his house to take care of him soon."
"I see..."
Hearing her words and looking at the test paper Sakashiro Kurumi placed on the desk, with the scarlet score of 10 written on it, she seemed to understand why he scored so low.
Was he hoping to get more attention from his family through his grades after losing his parents and being rejected by his guardian?
Having been a teacher since graduating from university, she had never encountered such a situation personally, but she had heard about it from other teachers at the school.
So, after Kurumi finished explaining his family situation, the first thought that came to Hyoudou's mind was this.
And his situation seemed to align with her suspicion.
However, even knowing his situation, she, as an outsider, didn't know how to help him, especially since his previous attitude had already made clear he didn't want others to intervene.
Therefore, after some thought, she decided to pay more attention to him, and if she noticed any unusual emotions, she would take the initiative to ask.
After all, his situation could easily lead to negative and depressive feelings.
Although she didn't consider herself an exceptional teacher, she didn't mind doing what she could.
Seeing her deep in thought,
Sakashiro Kurumi, knowing the rest didn't require her intervention, touched her empty stomach and waved at the distracted woman with a smile:
"Don't think too much about it. Let's go for a drink tonight, my treat."
Snapping out of her daze and hearing the invitation, Teacher Hyoudou instinctively asked, "Didn't we just drink a few days ago?"
"That was a few days ago, not today. Come on, Miyuki-sensei will be there too."
Well...their occasional small gatherings had become a habit.
So, after considering that she had no other plans for the evening, she nodded in agreement.
"Alright then."
…..
Time, like a gentle breeze, slips away before you realise it.
It was now the end of the school day, and Sasaki, having packed his things, looked at the still-organizing Baka Chifuyu, who glanced over at him and nodded her head:
"I'm heading over first."
"Mm-hmm, I'll be there soon."
Because the students in the back rows are always the most eager to leave, Tsukimi Chifuyu nodded at Sasaki without any hesitation once the back rows were empty.
Waving back at her, Sasaki, who had slept for most of the day, walked slowly towards the back door.
Due to his exceptional memory and the knowledge he recalled from his past life, classes were becoming increasingly boring for him.
In a while, he felt he could easily top the class if he wanted to.
However, having high grades didn't benefit him much, so he didn't plan on making a sudden impressive performance.
Instead of garnering surprised or skeptical looks from strangers, Sasaki preferred playing the part of a poor student.
After all, rather than listening to the sarcastic words of strangers, it was more comfortable to make progress together under the encouragement and guidance of girls, and then receive their satisfied looks and gratifying praises
"I don't know if there are any good books in the library."
Sasaki, who spent his classes either sleeping or looking at girls' legs, thought he needed something else to pass the time.
In his past life, he enjoyed watching anime and reading novels when he was bored.
Since arriving here, he hadn't paid much attention to these things.
Given the similar world backgrounds, even if things from his past life didn't exist, there should be something similar in this world.
But then again, this world was somewhat unusual, so it couldn't be viewed through the lens of his past life.
Planning to check on his phone later or get a recommendation from Serizawa, Sasaki entered the library, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
This time, he arrived earlier than Serizawa for a change.
He walked around the library but didn't see her, assuming it was her turn for duty today.
Otherwise, with her diligent nature, she would have rushed here as soon as class ended.
Without Serizawa's supervision, he strode between the bookshelves, scanning and organizing books.
When she was around, Sasaki would linger by her side, cultivating their relationship.
What he could finish in two or three minutes, he stretched to over twenty minutes.
But now, with no one else around, he obviously wouldn't waste time on such tasks.
He finished his day's tasks in less than two minutes, grabbed a random light novel, filled a cup with water at the counter, and sat in the reading area.
The library had excellent soundproofing; as long as the noise outside wasn't too loud, it was usually silent inside.
So, the conversations of students passing by downstairs and the chirping of sparrows were all blocked by the clear glass.
The smooth glass blocked the noise, opening itself to the bright sunlight bringing warmth to the otherwise cold library.
Feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his body and the peaceful atmosphere, Sasaki quickly settled down, fully immersing himself in the book.
So much so that he didn't notice Serizawa Yukiha arriving shortly after he started reading.
What brought him back to reality was the gentle movement of her sitting opposite him.
Even though her movements were very light and careful, making no sound at all, Sasaki, noticing someone out of the corner of his eye, raised his head.
What he saw was the girl's prominent bust pressing against her blouse.
It couldn't be helped, as Sasaki's timing coincided with Serizawa leaning forward to sit down.
And under the effect of the law that larger objects attract more attention first meant that he noticed this before her delicate and beautiful face.
Realising where Sasaki was looking, Serizawa's fair face, illuminated clearly by the sunlight outside, turned a charming shade of red.
Biting her lip lightly, she pretended not to notice and sat down, speaking softly:
"Sorry for interrupting your reading, Sasaki-kun."
"What interruption? I was just reading while waiting for you." Glancing at the time displayed on his phone, the boy asked softly:
"Were you on duty? It's rare for you to be later than me."
"Yes~ I was supposed to be on duty yesterday, but my classmate had an irreplaceable club activity, so we swapped." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Serizawa Yukiha explained with her soft and gentle voice why she was late.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, knowing that she wasn't the type to take the initiative, Sasaki stood up, carrying his book and teacup, and sat beside her, asking:
"Yukiha likes reading , right?"
Hearing him call her by her first name and remembering their interaction from the previous day, the girl suppressed her rising shyness and responded softly:
"Yes~ I like to find books to read when I have free time. What did you want to ask, Fuyumi?"
"Do you have any good light novel recommendations?"
Seeing the shyness overflowing from the bottom of her heart covering her soft face, Sasaki shifted slightly, his knee moving naturally as if by accident, gently brushing against her plump thigh under her pleated skirt.
Feeling the touch on the outside of the thigh that had not yet left, and the way he was leaning sideways, as if he was trying to hold her in his arms.
Serizawa Yukiha, who was encountering this situation for the first time, froze in her chair at a loss, lowered her head shyly as she said: "I don't read light novels much... but if you want, I can find some that my classmates often borrow..."
As she spoke, the girl tried to stand up, wanting to hide among the bookshelves and cool down her flushed face.
But Sasaki, not truly interested in light novels, found the blushing look on this gentle beauty more captivating than any book.
So, just as she was about to stand, he reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Yukiha, doesn't want to talk to me? Am I that annoying?"
Without letting go of the grasped hand, Sasaki feigned a sigh,
And Serizawa Yukiha, with her soft heart, couldn't bear to see someone she cared about sigh because of her.
So, even though she knew that he was teasing her, she couldn't help but respond quietly:
"No... but didn't you say you wanted to read a novel?"
Feeling absolutely no resistance from her, Sasaki grew bolder as he loosened his grip slightly, letting his pinky gently hook around the girl's finger, and then used his right hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear:
"Just tell me the names of a few books, there's no need for you to go and get them."
Watching her lips press together more tightly in response to his gentle actions, the smile on Sasaki's lips grew a little thicker.
Like a tease, his long, slender fingers brushed past her ear after tucking her hair, gliding along her soft and smooth jawline before hooking under her chin like a delicate flower petal.
After this series of exploratory actions without feeling any resistance, he gently squeezed Serizawa Yukiha's chin with his thumb, and lifted her lowered head to face him.
Realizing Sasaki's intention, the girl, with a blush that spread like ripples, slowly closed her trembling eyes as he turned her head towards him.
Seeing her submissive and non-resistant demeanor, Sasaki pursed his lips and slowly leaned in towards her tightly pressed, pink lips.
.