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Chapter 64
Words counted-- 1500
Enjoy ~
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"Here you go, Shijo-kun," Hina said, handing him a fruit juice with a kind smile that showed both her care as a teacher.
"Thanks, Sensei," Aki responded, accepting the drink with a smile. His gaze then drifted back to her, and noticing that she hadn't taken a sip of her own drink, he gestured toward the empty seat beside him. "Come on, Sensei, sit down and relax for a bit."
With a small laugh, Hina finally sat down. "Hai, hai," she said, taking a sip of her coconut water. She seemed a bit more relaxed now, the stress of earlier conversations dissipating with every minute that passed.
As the two sat together, the atmosphere felt strangely calm. For Aki, it was nice—sitting here, having a drink with his beautiful teacher, chatting as if they were equals.
However, as his attention drifted back to his own drink, he grimaced slightly. The mix of fruit flavors wasn't quite to his taste.
"Sensei, what are you drinking?" Aki asked, breaking the silence.
Hina, still savoring her coconut water, looked up, a bit puzzled. "Um, it's coconut water. Why, do you not like yours?" she asked, eyeing the fruit juice in his hand.
"Yeah, kind of," Aki admitted, not wanting to offend her but clearly disinterested in the juice. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he suddenly swapped their drinks. "Here, have mine, Sensei. I'll take yours."
Without waiting for her reply, Aki swiftly took the coconut water from her hand, placing his fruit juice in her grasp instead. Hina blinked in surprise, her mouth slightly agape as she processed what had just happened.
"Hey! Shijo-kun, I'll buy you another one! Give that back! I already drank from it—it's dirty now!" she protested, raising her hand as if to scold him, her eyes closed in mock irritation. She was half-serious, thinking it was improper for a student to drink from her bottle, but when she opened her eyes again, Aki had already drained the coconut water.
"Did you say something, Sensei?" Aki asked innocently, grinning as he licked his lips and then tossed the empty bottle into the nearby trash bin. "Goal!" he cheered, proud of his shot as if the whole situation was just a game to him.
Hina couldn't help but sigh, her earlier worries washed away by Aki's playful antics. 'He's just a kid,' she thought to herself, a small smile forming on her lips.
His carefree nature was almost infectious, making her momentarily forget the burdens she had been carrying. Yet, she couldn't shake the faint blush on her cheeks as she stole a glance at his lips. 'Aren't high school students supposed to be embarrassed by things like indirect kisses?'
'Maybe he's just… pure?' she mused, chuckling softly at the thought. Despite Aki's charm and confidence, it was easy for her to believe he was still somewhat naive when it came to matters of romance.
"Shijo-kun, it's about time you head back to class," Hina said, her voice returning to its usual playful tone as she stood up "I'll be heading back to the teacher's office. I still have work to finish."
"Sure, Sensei," Aki replied, rising from his seat as well. As she turned to leave, he called out to her, his tone soft but sincere. "Next time, Sensei, let me treat you. Maybe this weekend?"
Hina paused mid-step, her heart skipping for just a moment. She turned around, a playful smirk dancing on her lips, though she couldn't quite hide the flutter in her chest. "That?" she asked, a bit caught off guard. 'Does he know what he's saying? He's just being polite, right?'
She hesitated for a moment. Normally, she would have brushed it off, but seeing the innocent sincerity in Aki's expression, she felt her resolve waver. He wasn't asking for a date, she told herself. He was just a kind student wanting to thank his teacher. Yet, a part of her wanted to tease him.
"Okay, Shijo-kun, but if you can't satisfy me on our date," she said, her voice dripping with playful challenge, "don't regret it."
She waited, curious to see how this seemingly pure-hearted student of her would react. And the result didn't disappoint her.
"D-D-Date?! Sensei, don't misunderstand! I-I just wanted to repay you… It's not a date!" Aki stammered, his face flushing a deep shade of red as he struggled to maintain his composure.
Hina barely held back a laugh, her heart swelling with affection as she watched him squirm. 'So cute!' she thought, biting back her giggles. 'My student is too cute! If he kept reacting like this!' she wasn't sure she could resist teasing him more.
"Oh, I see," Hina said, feigning a disappointed sigh as she glanced down at her feet. "So it's not a date after all… I get it."
Her voice was soft, defeated, like she was genuinely hurt, though in reality, she was just playing along to see what Aki would do. And her gamble paid off.
"NO, Sensei! IT'S A DATE, YES! PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME! Hina sensei.... So please don't be sad..." Aki blurted out, his voice loud and panicked at first, but it slowly dwindled to a shy murmur as the weight of his words hit him. His blush deepened, and he looked away, embarrassed beyond belief.
Hina's heart skipped another beat. 'What was that?' she thought, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. 'Wasn't he too cute? He was seriously considering my feelings…'
"Alright," she said softly, smiling as she regained her composure. "This Saturday it is."
As she walked away, she tried to maintain her calm, collected demeanor, but once she turned the corner and Aki was out of sight, she collapsed against a nearby wall, her hands flying up to cover her face.
"What just happened?!" Her mind raced, her heart still pounding from the exchange. She could still feel the intensity of Aki's sincerity, and it shook her more than she'd like to admit. "He's so… considerate. If he keeps acting like that, I…"
Shaking her head furiously, Hina tried to snap herself out of it. "Get a grip, Hina Tachibana! You're his teacher!" she muttered to herself, trying to banish the flurry of emotions swirling inside her.
But then, as her thoughts drifted to her personal life, her mood darkened. "And what about my boyfriend?" she thought bitterly, her fingers trembling as she clenched them into fists. "What should I do?"
The reality of her situation weighed heavily on her. She loved her boyfriend—she had been with him for years now—but the fact that he had kept his marriage a secret tore at her. "Should I confront him?" she wondered, feeling the sting of betrayal gnawing at her heart.
She sighed deeply, feeling torn between her duty as a teacher, and the complicated mess of her relationship. "Do I stay with him? Or do I break up and demand he chooses—either divorce his wife or let me go?"
The decision seemed impossible, and as she pushed herself off the wall, she knew the weekend with Aki might offer a brief escape from her turmoil, but the storm brewing inside her was far from over.
Aki watched as Hina walked away, a sly grin spreading across his face. "She's quite competitive," he murmured to himself, feeling a small sense of pride well up inside him.
'That went better than I thought.'
He had pulled off the whole exchange with such ease that it almost surprised him. Patting himself mentally on the back, he praised himself for his superb acting. 'I can't believe she actually agreed to go on a date with me.' The words replayed in his mind, and he chuckled quietly, savoring the small victory.
—A date with his teacher. It wasn't something he had initially planned, but the way things had unfolded, he couldn't help but feel like he had the upper hand in this playful back-and-forth.
Now, the real challenge lay ahead. "I've got to make this "date" really 'SPICIAL' , he thought, smirking to himself. He had no intention of wasting this god send opportunities.
The opportunity to spend time with Hina outside of school intrigued him. It gave him a chance to show his different side to her, one she rarely knows.
"Maybe I'll surprise her…" he mused, already thinking of places they could go, things they could do. A café, maybe a quiet park, something laid-back but special.
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