Chapter 57: Akane Minagawa Wants to Seize
"Oh, Tachibana-sensei, Fujii-san, what are you two chatting about? You look like you're having fun."
Just then, a soft and pleasant voice floated over. A woman with pink hair strolled over, and as she walked, the bustling crowd parted unconsciously to make way, allowing Akane Minagawa to reach the two of them as if she were parting the seas.
"Ah, Minagawa-sensei."
Although they were both new teachers, Hina always felt uneasy around Akane for some reason, or maybe she instinctively disliked her.
So, after a quick greeting, she didn't know what else to say.
Shunsuke wasn't fond of this manipulative woman either, so he just gave her a curt nod.
Minagawa didn't mind their reactions and, as if she hadn't noticed Shunsuke's indifference, gave him a gentle smile full of subtle, almost mocking charm. "Tachibana-sensei, sorry, I need to borrow Fujii-san for a bit. Would you mind?"
"Um…"
Hina hesitated; as a Japanese, refusing a colleague was hard, especially one who had joined the staff at the same time. She didn't know how to turn Akane down.
Seeing this, Akane's smile grew even sweeter.
It was this thrill of seizing and squeezing others dry that was so intoxicating.
Hina wavered, but Shunsuke wasn't about to play along with this manipulator.
He swung his backpack onto one shoulder, grabbed Hina's wrist, and started heading toward the school gate. "Come on, Tachibana-sensei, I've got things to do. Let's not waste any more time here."
"Eh? Ah, oh, right, right." Caught off guard, Hina stood there dumbfounded for a moment before she came to her senses, eager to follow his lead. "Sorry, Minagawa-sensei, I have to go now."
"…Take care, Tachibana-sensei."
Akane clenched her fist but quickly relaxed, maintaining her gentle smile, though inside, she was seething.
Always taking from other women, yet this time she'd failed to get Shunsuke to leave with her, losing in this tug-of-war over Hina. For the first time in ages, Akane felt the sting of being thwarted.
Of course, anyone hoping this experience might inspire her to self-reflect or change her ways would be naïve. All it did was fuel her desire to take back even more.
The only reason she could restrain herself now was because she had already drained what she wanted from Hina.
Slowly, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Shu, can you meet me tonight?"
Shu Hagiwara—that was the name of the married man cheating on his wife with his former student.
Hina's unease around Akane was justified; it was a matter of instinct.
From the start, Akane hadn't been fond of Hina either, for a simple reason: she felt overshadowed. One attractive young female teacher to catch everyone's eye was enough—there was no need for a second.
Many admired Akane for her gentle and alluring demeanor, but Hina, with her lively and approachable personality, was equally popular.
They had their own unique appeal, and no matter how hard Akane tried, she couldn't claim every male student's attention for herself.
Realizing this, Akane couldn't ignore Hina. She was determined to bring her down.
With some effort, Akane was the first to uncover Hina's secret.
Though perhaps she'd found out a bit early. It would have been perfect if, the day after Hina had fully given herself, she'd discovered her relationship with Shu. How exquisite that would have been.
A faint smile played on Akane's lips, sending nearby male students into a daze. None of them had any idea what this manipulative woman was really thinking as she smiled like that..
....
"Sorry about that, Fujii-kun."
After leaving Akane, Hina spoke carefully to Shunsuke.
"Tachibana-sensei, what are you apologizing for?" Shunsuke finally released her wrist, walking ahead without looking back.
"Huh? Oh, it's just… you turned down Minagawa-sensei. I thought most of the guys liked her."
"Ugh." Shunsuke let out a heavy sigh. "Tachibana-sensei, are you really that clueless, or are you pretending? If I liked Minagawa-sensei, why would I have just dragged you away like that?"
"Eh, Fujii-kun, do you mean…?" Hina's face turned bright red, her expression a mix of shyness and confusion.
"I don't know what you're trying to say, but I can guarantee you, you've got the wrong idea. I just don't like Minagawa-sensei, that's all."
Shunsuke didn't like the idea of being cuckolded, and he certainly didn't have the tolerance of someone like Narumi.
To control someone like Akane would probably require mind control, so he'd given up on getting anything from her.
He didn't care about her feelings and said whatever he felt like.
After all, no matter how he treated her, as long as he maintained some level of appeal, she'd keep coming after him. So, why bother being nice to her?
In fact, it would be more fun to wait until she married someone like Narumi, then have his turn.
However, there was no special bond between Shunsuke and Hina, so in Hina's eyes, this was just a shy, tsundere boy being difficult.
This only made her more flustered.
—No, I have to introduce Rui to Fujii-kun soon! Rui's so cute, I'm sure she'll change Fujii-kun's mind!
Hina's determination to set them up grew even stronger.
"Tachibana-sensei, why'd you stop walking? Lead the way already!"
As they left the school, seeing Hina suddenly freeze up, Shunsuke spoke up, exasperated.
"Oh, right. This way. My house is over here."
She quickly took the lead.
"By the way, how old is your sister, Tachibana-sensei? What grade is she in?"
"Rui's the same age as you, Fujii-kun, but she doesn't go to Sobu High."
"Aren't you a teacher at Sobu High? Why doesn't she…"
Shunsuke trailed off, not needing to finish the question—she probably couldn't get into Sobu High.
Hina gave an awkward laugh, quickly glossing over the topic, and began to eagerly tell Shunsuke about her sister.
According to Hina, Rui might seem cold on the outside, but she was actually a clumsy, adorable girl.
She wasn't great at making friends, but she had a sensitive and warm heart beneath her cool exterior.
The problem was, she couldn't help blurting out sharp remarks that made it hard for her to fit in, leaving her with few friends.
But she really valued relationships, and Hina hoped Shunsuke wouldn't take her sister's words to heart.
"So, from an outside perspective, she's basically a problem student, like Yukino Yukinoshita, huh?"
Shunsuke hit the nail on the head. If you took Hina's personal feelings out of it, that was the conclusion anyone else would draw.
"…"
Hina initially wanted to argue, but after thinking about it… well, yeah, that was actually pretty accurate.
This left her feeling a bit awkward.
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