There was a trace of timidity in Shimaura Hitomi's voice, as though asking such a question would be an affront to Kiyoharu.
"I just felt a little unwell today. It's nothing serious." Kiyoharu spoke casually, then opened his lesson plan and slipped into work mode.
Feeling unwell... plus going to bed unusually early yesterday...
Letting her imagination run wild, Shimaura Hitomi could not help taking things in a strange direction. The more she thought about it, the redder her cheeks became with shy embarrassment.
Kiyoharu and Airi really were so affectionate.
The Young Lady, who used to be practically severely allergic to any man, had now become someone who made her fiancé overwork himself at night.
With her thoughts in turmoil, a shadow involuntarily fell over Shimaura Hitomi's eyes.
"Why did it have to be him?"
The question buried deep in her heart, one she had pondered over and over without tiring of it, surged through Shimaura Hitomi's mind again.
She knew that anything the Young Lady set her sights on naturally ought to belong to the dazzling Young Lady.
Compared to her, Shimaura Hitomi was nothing more than an ordinary girl—a homebody devoted to studying science. Even if she gave it everything she had, she could never compete.
That was precisely why Shimaura Hitomi resented it so much. Why had Chihaya Airi fallen for the same man she did? Tokyo was so big; what kind of man could she not find? Why did she have to take away Kiyoharu, the man Shimaura Hitomi had fallen in love with at first sight?
But Kiyoharu was also special to Airi. As her best friend, she should have been happy to see Kiyoharu and Airi living happily together.
The tug-of-war in her mind deepened the cracks in Shimaura Hitomi's heart.
She had to do something to mend those cracks. Otherwise, if they shattered completely, Shimaura Hitomi felt she would go mad.
Since the Young Lady had asked me to keep an eye on him, it would not be so bad if I secretly had a little taste of him once in a while, right?
It would only be a little indulgence. No one would know, and no one would get hurt.
"Senpai, there are a few problems I'm not sure how to explain to the students. Could I ask you to take a look?"
Kiyoharu turned his head and saw Shimaura Hitomi standing beside him with a lesson plan in her arms.
Her arms hugged the book against her chest, pressing those peaks into an especially prominent shape.
That earnest yet timid look of hers really made her hard to refuse.
"Sit down. I'll help you figure out how to explain them." Kiyoharu brought over a stool for Shimaura Hitomi to sit on.
Airi had once asked Kiyoharu to look after Shimaura Hitomi a little at school. This girl was too soft-hearted and would easily get bullied in the workplace.
Of course, even without considering the Young Lady's orders, Kiyoharu would still take care of her. After all, she had been his junior in high school, and they had worked together in the same club.
Although he was always on guard against the threat of yandere girls, Kiyoharu still maintained normal interpersonal relationships. And a simple, harmless girl like Shimaura Hitomi could not possibly have anything to do with a cleaver!
She was most likely like Chihaya Airi—an unromanceable character in the original work.
That was Kiyoharu's personal guess. He had asked the system what it thought, and the system said its level was too low to determine whether she had yandere potential.
What a useless system!
The two began discussing the problems with full concentration.
Kiyoharu taught mathematics, but his foundation in the other sciences was equally deep. Not only Shimaura Hitomi, but other teachers he knew would also come to ask him for help whenever they encountered difficult questions.
Shimaura Hitomi wrote down Kiyoharu's ideas, but she seemed somewhat tired. From time to time, she drifted off and swayed, and her overly full softness inadvertently brushed against Kiyoharu's arm, bringing a string of tantalizing sensations—yet she herself was completely unaware.
Her little round face, still carrying a hint of baby fat, also leaned closer and closer to Kiyoharu. He could feel her sweet breath.
Kiyoharu politely ignored all of it.
Come to think of it, according to the system mission's description, Shimaura Hitomi was dieting to lose weight, which was why she became so weak during lunch break.
Honestly, Kiyoharu did not think Shimaura Hitomi needed to lose weight. Her figure was absolutely within the range of a normal, healthy woman's, and she was even slim overall. It was just that the important areas were rather well-endowed, and her short height made her look a little chubby.
What was that saying again? A slender branch bears abundant fruit...
It seemed that women tended to pursue excessively skinny figures by their own standards of beauty, but in Kiyoharu's eyes, Shimaura Hitomi's softness was exactly where her charm lay!
She hardly dressed up at all, which was why she looked so plain. If she wanted to change her image, she should start with her outfits, not dieting.
Excessive dieting was bad for one's health.
"Lately, I rarely see Teacher Shimaura eating anything during lunch break. Are you dieting?"
"Huh?" Caught off guard by Kiyoharu's question, Shimaura Hitomi became flustered. "How should I put it... Well, I suppose you could say I'm trying..."
She wanted to lose weight so that she could wear pretty dresses when summer came. The popular styles on the market made her look pregnant when she wore them, so she needed to get thinner before she could pull them off.
"Teacher Shimaura teaches three classes and is also a homeroom teacher. It would be best not to diet. It'll reduce your mental capacity and affect your work."
"Mhm, senpai is right. I..."
"I have a piece of jam toast here." Kiyoharu took a piece of bread from his drawer and handed it to Shimaura Hitomi. "Eat up. Otherwise, you won't have the energy to teach this afternoon."
Looking at Kiyoharu's serious expression, Shimaura Hitomi did not dare delay. She tore open the wrapper and began taking small bites.
Senpai was so thoughtful. He had even noticed that she was dieting.
His advice was reasonable too. She really had felt somewhat out of her depth at work lately. Wuwu, she really was too selfish. Senpai had thought things through much more carefully than she had.
Seeing this, Kiyoharu was quite satisfied. When dealing with someone like Shimaura Hitomi, he had to appeal to a greater cause. Girls always had their own reasons for dieting, so he needed an even more important reason to override them before she would listen.
See how happily she was eating.
After filling her stomach, Shimaura Hitomi touched her lower belly and suddenly felt a little anxious again. She could not help asking quietly, "Senpai, do you think my figure is... um, you know, that clothes don't look good on me in summer...?"
"Not at all. It looks great. Have more confidence in yourself, Shimaura Hitomi!"
"..."
Shimaura Hitomi was not sure whether Kiyoharu was just trying to cheer her up or whether he truly thought so.
In any case, she was in a good mood now. After eating, she became a little sleepy and drowsy.
Just then, a familiar sensation struck Kiyoharu's consciousness. As he lost control of his body, the world around him suddenly froze.
It was here—Time Stop!
Within a minute, Kitahara Ayano appeared beside the desk.
She glanced at Shimaura Hitomi in surprise and muttered to herself, "Airi's little tagalong... It seems she still hasn't given up on Kiyoharu-kun, huh? Hehe~"
What the hell did she mean, hadn't given up!
Just because you liked being a thief did not mean you should project that onto others! That was pure judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person!
"Forget it. I should handle business first. Hmm... Kiyoharu-kun is very charming when he's immersed in his work. It seems he truly loves being a teacher. He's completely different from those vulgar ordinary people outside who only endure the filth of the workplace for money."
Completely wrong!
After all, becoming a stay-at-home son-in-law would damage the Chihaya Family's reputation, so Kiyoharu had no choice but to pick the least burdensome job for himself. It was merely to make himself seem not entirely useless, part of his role-playing as "Chihaya Airi's fiancé," so he could keep sustainably living off the conglomerate's money.
At its core, it was still for the money.
Who would have thought Kitahara Ayano held him in such high regard? That was freaking ridiculous!
Before you continue