Second Time Stop, Scheming Ayano

Facing Kiyoharu, who was completely still and at her mercy, Ayano displayed an excited expression and even took out her sketchpad and pencils.

Kiyoharu immediately tensed up. If Ayano did something outrageous next, especially with Shimaura Hitomi right there, and after Time Stop ended, she misunderstood and reported it to Chihaya Airi…

Kiyoharu was currently serving a punishment of being banned from games for three days. Violating the agreement again would mean an even harsher sentence. He couldn't even imagine how much the Red-Eyed Devil's wrath would flare up!

However, to Kiyoharu's surprise, Ayano didn't get handsy with him. She simply walked around nearby, her pencil moving back and forth on the sketchpad.

"The male protagonist working seriously and interacting with colleagues is also a part that needs to be performed. After all, besides exciting scenes, there also needs to be a smooth daily life to connect them."

"By the way, should I assign a role to Shimaura Hitomi too? Hehe, that sounds quite interesting~"

Kiyoharu became even more certain that Ayano wasn't creating any proper work.

It made sense. At the welcome banquet, Ayano hadn't mentioned any details about her work to Airi. At first, he thought she didn't elaborate because Airi wouldn't understand, but now it seemed her work was simply not presentable.

Ayano's subsequent actions confirmed Kiyoharu's suspicion.

She bent down beside Kiyoharu, her gaze burning into his arm.

As if in a trance, she reached out and squeezed his muscles.

"Such strong arms, perfectly fitting the setting of a male protagonist with vast experience with women. Ah, with these hands, it must be easy to lift Airi into the air and play with her. What a shame Airi is such an idiot, guarding a treasure trove yet unable to enjoy it, only thinking about family profits all day. Truly a foolish money-making machine."

Sister, you should really become a money-making machine yourself, then you wouldn't bother me!

Kiyoharu thought to himself, while also feeling more and more impressed. Was this Ayano's true opinion of Airi? As expected of their "plastic" friendship.

Airi had explicitly stated that even though Ayano didn't attend the same middle school, she was her best friend outside of school.

Thinking of this, Kiyoharu couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude. This was what happens when you dig your own grave by doing evil deeds; the consequences of the Red-Eyed Devil's arrogance were being abandoned by everyone!

After feeling Kiyoharu's arm, Ayano didn't explore further. Instead, she focused on perfecting the content on her sketchpad.

"Time's almost up~"

She muttered to herself cheerfully and prepared to leave. At the doorway, however, she suddenly turned back, looking back and forth between Shimaura Hitomi and Kiyoharu.

A pleased smile spread across her face.

"Ah, let me give Shimaura Hitomi a little help while I'm at it."

She quickly returned, Kitahara Ayano moved Shimaura Hitomi's chair closer, adjusted her limbs, making her wrap her arms around Kiyoharu's neck and lean tightly against his shoulder.

"That's more like it. If you're going to steal a bite, do it thoroughly!"

Pressed down by Shimaura Hitomi's weight, Kiyoharu felt a sense of suffocation.

It wasn't her weight, but rather her figure, which was a hidden masterpiece. Soft and warm, even through her clothes, the subtle touch made Kiyoharu's resolve waver.

The most critical part was that after Kitahara Ayano left, Time Stop was still ongoing.

The firm yet soft touch awakened a deep desire within Kiyoharu's soul.

Drowsy, Shimaura Hitomi felt like she was hugging something reliable. She subconsciously thought it was the teddy bear at home, so she lazily shifted her body, rubbing against it, and let out muffled, soft sounds from her lips.

This action almost made Kiyoharu lose his mind. God, if anyone ever says Shimaura Hitomi isn't feminine again, I'll fight them!

He cleared his throat twice to remind her, "Teacher Shimaura... you seem a bit sleepy."

"Awooo, woo... Huh?"

Shimaura Hitomi opened her eyes in confusion, quickly realizing her situation. She abruptly sprang up from Kiyoharu's side, her face flushing with embarrassment and fluster: "I-I'm sorry, Senpai, I lost my composure..."

She had actually fallen asleep leaning on Senpai and even rubbed against him like a teddy bear a few times.

Worse still, this was the school office!

Shimaura Hitomi quickly looked around nervously. Fortunately, besides the two of them, no one else was in the office at the moment.

Phew, what a relief!

Seeing Shimaura Hitomi repeatedly apologizing and feeling extremely ashamed, Kiyoharu comforted her, "Don't blame yourself. Everyone gets drowsy sometimes. Rather, it's because Teacher Shimaura has been under too much work pressure lately that she's become so tired."

"Do you really think so, Senpai? Sniffle, Senpai, if you want to scold me, just scold me. You don't need to pity me!" Shimaura Hitomi's eyes glistened with pathetic tears.

"Absolutely." Kiyoharu shrugged. "Look at how much extra work you've taken on – usage statistics for teaching materials, and a pile of miscellaneous analysis reports. This was originally the work of those older teachers, but they saw you as easy to bully and dumped it all on you! I think you're just too kind and don't know how to refuse."

Hearing this, Shimaura Hitomi's guilt lessened considerably. She sighed, "Ah, there's no helping it. When the teachers ask me, they always have a valid reason..."

"Any reason, coupled with eloquent speech and a cruel heart, can make even the most despicable excuse sound righteous. Forget it, learning how to refuse is something for later. Since you've already taken on this work, it's not good to push it back. I'll help you share the load."

"Senpai, help me share the load?!" Shimaura Hitomi was startled and quickly waved her hands in refusal, "No, please don't. Sniffle, Senpai, you're working hard too."

"What's the big deal? You're Miss's friend, which makes you my friend too. Friends should help each other. Consider it a favor you owe me."

As he spoke, Kiyoharu took the reports from Shimaura Hitomi's desk.

If word of Shimaura Hitomi's heavy workload reached Airi, she would definitely question him about why he didn't help.

It was better to resolve this potential issue in advance.

It must be said that Kiyoharu was quite dedicated. Airi paid him so much money each month, and he tried his best to excel in every aspect of his role as the Chihaya Family Son-in-Law.

Shimaura Hitomi was overwhelmed with flattered happiness. Senpai actually cares about me this much... Although it's because of Miss, he's still helping me share the burden. Few people are so considerate of my feelings. After all, ever since I was young, I was the one being bullied in the small groups, not through obvious school violence, but through subtle neglect and underestimation.

Looking at the handsome young man before her, and recalling the wonderful feeling of leaning against him earlier, Shimaura Hitomi's body uncontrollably grew hot, and her breathing became rapid.

Her gaze gradually unfocused, and an evil voice in her mind seemed to tell her, Eat him, quickly eat Senpai...

"Bang!"

Shimaura Hitomi suddenly stood up from her chair, the scraping sound of the chair echoing jarringly.

"I, I'm going to the restroom!"

Watching Shimaura Hitomi flee in a panic, Kiyoharu chuckled helplessly. This child, why was she like an elementary school student, needing to report even a trip to the restroom?

However, it was precisely because Shimaura Hitomi was so proper and well-behaved that Kiyoharu felt at ease. Such a pure and loyal dog to her mistress, she definitely wasn't the yandere type. In this world, besides Chihaya Airi, who was confirmed as un-romanceable, the girl Kiyoharu trusted the most was Shimaura Hitomi. A genuinely good person.