Now she's about to go to class, and they're skipping their class to occupy her student guidance room?
As someone once hailed by her students as the "Iron-Fisted Teacher," Shizuka Hiratsuka was forcibly carried out of the student guidance room yesterday by Aegis on her shoulder. In the end, she had to stand outside, cooling off, waiting for her students to finish their "business" in her guidance room.
This, for her, could only be described as a lifelong disgrace.
If it weren't for the fact that her frail human body was no match for Aegis, the Elf Princess's guardian, and that Iris's aid request, if exposed, would stir controversy and cause numerous troubles, she would have definitely taught Hikigaya and Iris, these two disrespectful troublemakers, a harsh lesson.
But after suppressing yesterday's incident and deciding to forget about it, these two people still wouldn't let her off.
First thing in the morning, they came to her, asking to borrow her room. What do they think her student guidance room is for?
The student guidance room is not meant for this kind of thing.
"Don't be like this, Hiratsuka-sensei, we're very sincere about this."
Seeing Shizuka Hiratsuka's dark expression the moment they arrived, Hikigaya felt a little embarrassed.
What they did yesterday was indeed over the line. Forcibly borrowing the student guidance room without Hiratsuka's consent and allowing the Elf Princess Iris to sit on his lap—he hadn't expected her to be so bold.
Today, they needed to properly negotiate with Hiratsuka.
Even though, under the effects of magic, Hiratsuka couldn't find concrete evidence to accuse them of wrongdoing, skipping today's class—one of Hiratsuka's lessons, no less—meant they really had to talk things through with her.
"What sincerity? If you're really sincere, don't come to borrow my student guidance room."
Hiratsuka sneered and rolled her eyes at Hikigaya, visibly annoyed.
"Moreover, when I later visited the Service Club, I found only Yukinoshita counseling Sakurase. All of you were gone."
"Are you cold-shouldering Yukinoshita? I brought Yukinoshita into the Service Club to help, not to make her a laborer."
Yesterday, the issue between Ichinose Ayano and Sakurase Shino kept her busy. She had intended to check on the Service Club only to find things even messier than she had imagined.
A Service Club with so many members, yet only Yukinoshita Yukino stayed behind to handle the request she'd assigned them.
"There's no way we're bullying Yukinoshita. She volunteered for it herself."
Hikigaya shook his head, refusing to shoulder the blame. He originally wanted to take on Sakurase Shino's request himself, but Yukinoshita Yukino had insisted he stay away from the introverted girl.
And to be honest, Yukinoshita was probably right. Handing over a defenseless, socially withdrawn girl like Sakurase to him might indeed lead to some questionable situations.
But judging from Sakurase's state and the task prompt, the only way to successfully guide her was to unlock the closed doors of her heart.
"And you just let her? Are you the president or is she? Either way, don't even think of using my student guidance room as an excuse to skip class. Go back and attend your lessons properly."
Hiratsuka Shizuka scolded him without mercy. While Yukinoshita had assured her that there was no bullying, the fact that Hikigaya, the club president, was absent while leaving an introverted girl like Sakurase to an equally introverted Yukinoshita made her feel annoyed.
Though Yukinoshita wouldn't admit it, the reality was that she had no friends. Entrusting one lonely, introverted girl to another like her was clearly intentional on Hikigaya's part.
"Hiratsuka-sensei..."
Seeing how impenetrable Hiratsuka was, Iris stepped forward to say something but was immediately pulled back by Hikigaya.
"Ahem, Hiratsuka-sensei, did Ichinose Ayano share anything with you about what happened yesterday?"
Hikigaya decided to bring up something of interest to Hiratsuka in exchange for permission to use the student guidance room.
Though the guidance room wasn't absolutely necessary—he could use the "Live Mode" to create an independent space—it was far more convenient to have a legitimate reason to frequent the room during school hours.
"No, not fully. She only mentioned a little about the person she admired under my questioning. I suspect it's a teacher, but I'm not entirely certain."
Speaking of Ichinose Ayano, Hiratsuka's expression grew serious.
It was clear Ichinose and Misaki-sensei were hiding something from her, likely something terrible like coercion. There was no way she could overlook such matters.
But even under her pressing questions, Ichinose had refrained from revealing everything, seemingly because she didn't trust Hiratsuka to solve the issue.
Now that Hikigaya was asking, it was obvious he intended to use the Ichinose matter as leverage to borrow the guidance room.
If Hikigaya really had a way to resolve this issue, she might just consider agreeing.
As much as the idea of her guidance room being used for mischief annoyed her, the thought of a student being coerced was far more troubling.
"You want to help? Are you certain about who Ichinose admires? Don't mess this up."
Hiratsuka hesitated briefly before responding cautiously.
Actually, after Ichinose Ayano briefly explained the situation, she also had some suspicions in her heart. However, such matters, if misunderstood, could ruin reputations, so she had to be cautious.
Once this matter is exposed, it wouldn't bode well for either Misaki-sensei, who is threatening Ayano, or for the teacher who is Ayano's lover. The former would face charges of attempted coercion, while the latter would be subject to the harsh realities of having been involved in a teacher-student romance. The latter's criticisms and punishments would likely outweigh the former's.
"I'm not planning to act. If I do, that so-called Misaki would definitely lose his life immediately."
Hikigaya shook his head. He wasn't going to make a move himself. If he had wanted to act, there would have been no need to drag it out until now.
The three previous murders had already kept Kaede so busy that she barely had time to eat lunch with him. If he caused another incident, Kaede might wish to bite him to death after finding out.
"... Don't always resort to violence. You live in a civilized society, after all."
Hearing Hikigaya's words, Hiratsuka Shizuka's expression grew complicated.
She had read Hikigaya's old academic records. While he had poor social skills, few friends, and a somewhat cynical attitude, he occasionally wrote pessimistic essays. However, it never seemed like he was someone who would casually consider taking another's life.
This kind of thinking was entirely unlike that of a student from an ordinary, law-abiding family in a civilized society. Didn't he worry at all about legal repercussions?
"This has nothing to do with whether society is civilized. If evil is not eradicated, it will continue to harm the innocent. Being lenient with wrongdoers is simply enabling their crimes."
Hikigaya shook his head. Perhaps the assassin and killer experiences from his ability template had numbed his reverence for life. If he chose not to act, fine, but if he did, he wanted to eliminate any future threats thoroughly.
He didn't see this as a negative influence. The ability template primarily gave him the capacity to implement his ideas.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, as a student guidance counselor, you've likely seen many student issues. You should be able to guess the consequences if Ichinose Ayano's problem isn't resolved and if Misaki successfully coerces her."
"If Misaki is allowed to live, there will only be another Ichinose Ayano."
Hikigaya couldn't quite understand, but for someone like Misaki, a girl coerced into submission might be no more than livestock or a tool to him.
To think that a famous politician's daughter, who was both talented and virtuous, could end up being turned into something like a breeding pig—it was too tragic.
Although Ichinose Ayano might be a bit silly and naive, easily falling for a handsome teacher, she couldn't be entirely blamed. It was normal for a young girl to develop feelings for a handsome, authoritative teacher. It might be difficult to distinguish between admiration and real love. The real issue was with the teacher who, knowing better, still accepted her confession.
"... Let's put your matters aside for now. How do you plan to handle Ichinose's situation without taking action yourself?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka fell silent for a moment before slowly asking as she looked at Hikigaya.
"It's simple—inform Ichinose Ayano's father and let him handle it. A seasoned politician will have his methods for dealing with scandals that could impact his reputation."
Hikigaya replied unhurriedly. In the past, he might have thought acting personally was better. But after acquiring the assassin skills of Agent 47, he realized such matters didn't require his direct involvement. Instead, letting the directly affected parties handle it would yield better results.
Obviously, the teacher-student relationship problem between Ichinose Ayano and her teacher didn't just affect the two of them. Her politician father was likely the one most impacted by this situation.
If it were revealed that his daughter was involved in a teacher-student relationship, and even coerced into scandalous behavior, her father might either be brought down by political opponents amplifying the issue in public opinion or see his influence greatly diminished, forcing him to act with extreme caution in the future.
Either way, Ichinose Ayano's father would likely find the situation harder to bear than if he were simply killed.
After all, he did nothing wrong—no smear campaign by political opponents, no bad political alliances. He was simply ruined because his daughter acted foolishly.
It was just that Ichinose Ayano might have a poor relationship with her father, caring little about his predicament and more about her beloved teacher.
"... And what about the teacher Ichinose Ayano likes?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Hikigaya, who seemed unfazed, and hesitated before continuing.
She knew Ichinose Ayano's father to be a very capable and ambitious politician, even more aggressive than the Yukinoshita family's parliamentarian.
If Ichinose Ayano's father got involved, Misaki would undoubtedly get what he deserved. Hiratsuka Shizuka just disapproved of Hikigaya's extreme tendency to resolve issues through violence.
However, even if Ichinose Ayano's father took action, there was still a crucial issue—how her beloved teacher would be dealt with.
"That depends on the teacher's resolve. If he can earn Ichinose Ayano's father's approval, it doesn't matter whether he resigns or continues their secret relationship."
Hikigaya said nonchalantly. If this approach completed the task, that would be great. At least he wouldn't have to play matchmaker.
"And if he can't?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka asked another possibility while gazing at Hikigaya.
From Ichinose Ayano's perspective, her teacher was a handsome, talented, young man she admired. But from her father's viewpoint, there would likely be no favorable impression of the teacher, especially after the near-collapse of his career and reputation.
"That wouldn't be my concern anymore. As a teacher who accepted a confession from a student he'd barely known for a month since school started, he's a disgrace to the teaching profession."
Hikigaya shook his head. Sobu High had only been in session for a month.
"While Ichinose Ayano's love at first sight might not be impulsive, and mere admiration could turn into genuine affection, that's no excuse for the teacher to rashly accept her feelings."
Some actions may be excusable for students but never for teachers.
Hikigaya knew the outcome wouldn't satisfy everyone, so he hadn't presented this plan while Ichinose Ayano was around. For a girl deeply in love, hearing that her admired teacher might suffer persecution from her father would be unacceptable.
"For example, Hiratsuka-sensei, you're beautiful, have a great figure, and your black hair is stunning. But if I confessed to you, you'd reject me without hesitation, right?"
Hikigaya looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka as he spoke. Actually, Shizuka was an excellent "target." As a househusband, he would perfectly complement her.
But he was a student, and Hiratsuka was a teacher. A relationship could wait until he graduated.
"Of course! But what's the meaning behind your words?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka blushed at Hikigaya's sudden praise, but she quickly realized what he meant, clenched her fist, and glared fiercely at him.
"Do you want to try my fists?"
Even with the elven princess's guard, Aegis, nearby, Hiratsuka was sure that Aegis wouldn't tolerate Hachiman's "cheating" publicly.
"I'm complimenting you. Despite being a single woman of advanced age, you still adhere firmly to your principles."
"Iron Fist!"
Upon hearing this deeply insulting term, Hiratsuka couldn't hold back anymore and prepared to physically educate the disrespectful Hachiman.
Aegis, who had been silently observing, had a flicker of movement in her eyes, ready to step in to block for Hikigaya.
Although she didn't think this ordinary human was particularly impressive, Hikigaya's strength wasn't all that great either. If he got injured and it affected his ability to assist, that wouldn't be good.
However, it was clear that Hikigaya didn't need her help.
"Teacher Shizuka, don't worry. Even if I like you, I'll wait until after graduation so as not to make things difficult for you."
Hikigaya calmly pushed aside the nearby Aegis, took a small step back, and dodged Hiratsuka Shizuka's fair and tender fist.
"Still daring to tease me?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka grew even angrier, but no matter what she did, she couldn't catch Hikigaya. Even though he only stepped back slightly, it was as if he had already predicted the trajectory of her attacks.
"I'm just hypothesizing. Teacher Shizuka, why are you so angry?"
Hikigaya retreated again and again without panic, suddenly stopping in his tracks and looking innocently at the flustered Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"Could it be, Teacher Shizuka, that you, like that other teacher, also have feelings for me? Then you'll have to restrain yourself for your reputation's sake. Anything against the rules will have to wait until after graduation."
"HIKIGAYA!!! DON'T CALL ME SHIZUKA!!!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka, no longer holding back, lunged ferociously toward Hikigaya.
"Teacher Hiratsuka, the bell for class has rung. You should head to class now. Thank you for letting us use the guidance counselor's office. Teacher, goodbye~"
However, Hikigaya dodged again, opened the office door, and ushered her out. Smiling, he waved at Hiratsuka Shizuka, who stumbled and almost fell.
BANG!
It was only then that she realized she had been played by Hikigaya.
'Damn it!'
'This Hikigaya!'
Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately wanted to turn back and continue to confront Hikigaya, but she suddenly noticed a small, cute blonde girl standing in front of her.
"Gabriel? What are you doing here?"
"Uh... well..."
Gabriel's expression was awkward as she glanced at Hiratsuka Shizuka and then at the closed door of the guidance office. She didn't know what to say.
What had she just overheard?
Hikigaya confessing to Teacher Hiratsuka?
And in front of that elf princess? Isn't that falling from grace way too fast?
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y