Office.
Hiratsuka crossed one leg over the other, lightly swinging it, and out of habit, took out a cigarette, tapping it twice on the table skillfully.
"What are you staring at!"
Seeing Haruto looking at her in disgust, Hiratsuka snapped, then added, "Don't worry, I'm not going to smoke. I just like the smell."
"Smoking is bad for your health."
Hiratsuka pursed her lips and said, "You can't drink boiling water because it'll burn your mouth, and you can't stop breathing air, even though everyone who breathes air eventually dies."
Haruto thought for a moment and said, "Experts say that severe smog these days is mainly caused by farmers burning firewood for cooking."
Hiratsuka folded her arms, lightly swung her leg, and said, "Alright, enough talking. Do you know why I called you here?"
Haruto simply replied, "No idea."
"Hah~" Hiratsuka couldn't help but rub her temples, then said, "Actually, this time the school had to change its study trip destination because of the last choice. As for the reason, you should know, right?"
"Not really."
Hiratsuka glanced at him and hummed, "Anyway, we don't want any accidents during this school trip."
At this point, she showed a serious and stern expression: "So I'm entrusting you with this school trip, Kuromori."
Haruto raised his eyebrows slightly, then replied seriously, "This isn't fair. You're using me—I'd like to protest!"
"Stop complaining!" Hiratsuka glared at him, her mouth curling slightly: "Don't worry, Mafuyu will fill you in when you're back. If you have the guts, go ahead and refuse."
Haruto moved his lips slightly, "Hiratsuka-sensei, you'll lose me if you do this."
Hiratsuka rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, "Don't worry, you won't be short of rewards."
Rewards changed everything. It was a fair trade.
Haruto immediately responded, "Agreed!"
Seeing him agree so easily, Hiratsuka suddenly felt a bit dizzy. She sighed and said, "By the way, I've thought it over carefully."
"Hm?"
"I mean what I mentioned last time."
Haruto recalled that last time, after helping the Yukinoshita family resolve an issue, Hiratsuka had invited him out again after he returned to Sobu High.
Although Hiratsuka hadn't said what it was, it was clearly not because she was lonely and wanted someone to do something she didn't mind. Even though such things were common in modern society, she wasn't like that.
Otherwise, she wouldn't still be single.
Excluding a few incorrect answers, based on her personality, the most likely answer was...
Haruto thought for a moment and decided to ask, "What do you mean, Hiratsuka-sensei?"
Hiratsuka leaned back in her chair, remaining silent for a while, a look of helplessness on her face: "These days, I'm constantly being pressured into blind dates, only to be disappointed every time, and I don't want to keep doing it."
"Rather than wasting my time on that, I want to do something meaningful."
Modern society is very different from the older generations in terms of values, life plans, and certain ideas. As a result, various conflicts arise.
But it was clear that Hiratsuka cared deeply about her parents and worried about their health, so she kept compromising.
Haruto reminded her, "The book I gave you last time—"
"How dare you bring up that manga!" Hiratsuka blushed, gritting her teeth and glaring: "You obviously wanted to—"
"No, I didn't."
"But you didn't stop me back then."
"I stepped aside."
"But you didn't hide."
Haruto put on a serious face, "You're right; I did it on purpose because Hiratsuka-sensei is so pretty and has a great figure, so I wanted to take advantage of you while you were tipsy."
"Enough!"
Hiratsuka became so angry she decided never to bring it up again, though she couldn't hold back for a moment.
She would never betray Mafuyu!
Taking a deep breath, Hiratsuka looked at him in disgust, "That's all for now. I called you here today to talk about the school trip, and one other thing… what I mentioned before…"
Her voice trailed off, her beautiful eyes staring straight at Haruto as she asked anxiously, "Kuromori, tell me, is it possible for me to become an Onmyoji?"
She'd been thinking about this for a long time.
If it were anyone else, Hiratsuka wouldn't ask such a question so recklessly. But this was Haruto, which made it different.
After all, they were friends, and they'd even kissed.
Therefore, their relationship was somewhat different.
It was just something they both purposely avoided.
But Hiratsuka had no choice but to ask him, as she didn't know any other Onmyoji, and even if she did, she wouldn't feel comfortable.
If she hadn't known about them, it wouldn't matter. But now that she knew Onmyoji existed, what kinds of things were out there?
Hiratsuka couldn't keep calm.
Haruto wasn't surprised; he had already guessed. After all, Hiratsuka wasn't a docile girl—she was known as the Iron Fist of Justice!
Under Hiratsuka's hopeful gaze, Haruto shook his head and said, "Sorry, but you can't."
"Why not?"
Being rejected so directly, Hiratsuka was a bit shocked. Her whole body slumped as she said sadly, "Is it really impossible? Is it because I'm not qualified?"
"It's not that." Haruto explained, "All Onmyoji start training at a young age, allowing them to form a contract with a compatible Shikigami. At Hiratsuka-sensei's age... why are you looking at me like that?"
Hiratsuka gave him a stern look, "Kuromori, it's very rude to mention a lady's age, you know that?"
"Besides, I'm only 29."
'You don't need to remind me. Who at Sobu High doesn't know Hiratsuka Shizuka is 29? Some people even complained because you've introduced yourself like this since last year!' Haruto silently muttered to himself.