Sakaki Chika broke down and started crying.
Haihara didn't know what to do.
She really had no idea how to handle this sort of thing... After all, she'd never cried herself.
After a while, Sakaki Chika came over and wrapped her arms tightly around Haihara's waist.
Haihara could only let her hold on, feeling a little helpless.
"Okay, okay..."
Honestly, Haihara wanted to go home. The home visit was over, anyway.
But this little idol sure knew how to cry.
She'd been holding Haihara and sobbing for almost five minutes.
And she kept rubbing against her, nearly getting her clothes dirty.
Sakaki Chika clung to her for a long time. She seemed to have cried herself out and stopped, though her back still trembled as she lay in Haihara's arms like a well-behaved kitten.
After a while, Sakaki Chika finally lifted her head and nuzzled Haihara's chest. She said, somewhat embarrassed,
"I'm... I'm sorry, Teacher..."
Haihara looked at her coolly.
"If you're sorry, then get off me."
She'd used up all her teacherly virtue for the day. She couldn't squeeze out any more warmth between teacher and student.
Once Sakaki Chika got off her, Haihara checked the time. It was almost eight.
By then, Haihara would have already been home and finished dinner.
Looking at the pitiful Sakaki Chika, Haihara considered what to do with the little bunny next.
"Do you have any money on you?"
There was no way Sakaki Chika could stay at her old home for now. At the very least, they'd have to get that man out first.
The girl looked at Haihara innocently and shook her head.
"I only have enough for food..."
She'd picked up her old rabbit-shaped wallet, but the money inside was barely enough for meals over the next few days.
Sakaki Chika thought for a moment, then added,
"In a little while... I'll get paid for an endorsement I did before. It'll go into my account."
Until then, she was practically penniless.
Haihara was at a loss for words.
How had a popular idol—and a magical girl, no less—ended up looking like such a pitiful stray cat?
She pinched her chin and thought for a while.
"Then I'll give you some money. Stay at an inn for the next couple of days. Once your money comes in, figure out where to live on your own."
After saying that, Haihara nodded to herself. Her teacherly virtue had been positively dazzling today.
Other than paying for her daughter's schooling, she didn't have much to spend money on. She hadn't touched a penny of the inheritance her parents had left her, so she was under no financial strain.
She didn't mind paying for her student to stay at an inn for a few days.
But after Haihara finished speaking, Sakaki Chika looked like she was about to cry again.
She hugged Haihara around the waist once more, then said in a heart-meltingly pitiful voice,
"...Teacher Haihara."
Haihara's gaze grew a little colder.
But the girl lifted her head and looked at Haihara pleadingly.
"I don't want to... stay by myself..."
Though she'd put it vaguely and gently, Sakaki Chika's meaning was easy to understand.
Teacher Haihara looked at her with some disdain.
"I'm not your mother."
"Mom."
Sakaki Chika gently brushed her hair against Haihara's fair neck.
"...What a troublesome kid."
Haihara sighed helplessly, gently pushed the little idol away, and said coolly,
"You can stay for a few days, but as soon as you have money, you're moving out."
After Work, I Picked Up a JK Idol
By the time the two of them got home, it was already eight.
Haihara lived in an apartment near the school. It wasn't very big, and it was just about enough for her alone. With two people, they'd have to think carefully about how to share the space.
Once inside, she turned on the lights.
"I usually live alone, so it's a little messy. Complaining won't help."
The lights came on, revealing a room with a somewhat somber palette. It was quiet and cold, with little sign of everyday life and only the bare essentials.
The only thing with any personality was a glass enclosure that had been arranged with great care. There seemed to be something living inside...
After taking off her shoes, Sakaki Chika glanced over curiously, but couldn't see anything in the enclosure.
"Oh, I forgot. I usually let Little White roam around. It might bite, so wait here while I catch it."
Haihara said it matter-of-factly.
"Little White? Is it a puppy? That's okay, Teacher. I'm not very afraid of dogs."
Sakaki Chika blinked and looked around the room, searching for the puppy.
At the same time, she was a little surprised. She hadn't expected Teacher Haihara to have such a girlish side and keep a puppy.
Haihara simply reached out toward the counter beside Sakaki Chika.
"Oh, Little White's right here."
She seemed to grab hold of something with one hand, and a low hiss sounded.
Sakaki Chika froze and looked at what Teacher Haihara was holding: a pure white snake, writhing in her hand and flicking its tongue at her as if it wanted to bite.
The little idol's face went white on the spot, and she backed away several steps.
"Okay, don't be scared. This kind of snake isn't venomous, though it really does like to bite."
Haihara herself had never been bitten.
Holding the snake that had coiled around her arm with one hand, she casually tossed it into the glass enclosure and deftly shut the lid.
"Teacher, is this... Little White?"
Sakaki Chika trembled.
"Yeah. Pretty cute, right?"
Once she got home, Haihara set down her bag, took off her black suit jacket, and loosened her tie, leaving herself in just a white shirt.
Before leaving home, Sakaki Chika had brought her suitcase along.
She hadn't lived at that home for a long time, so there wasn't much she needed to take.
"There's an empty basket by the bathroom door. Put any clothes that need washing in there, and I'll wash them separately later."
"You haven't had dinner yet, either, right? What would you like to eat?"
Haihara usually lived alone, and at night she mostly ate leftovers from breakfast. There was only enough for one serving, and most of the time she couldn't even be bothered to heat it up.
So now she'd have to make another dinner.
"Anything is fine."
After entering the room, Sakaki Chika looked a little lost. In the end, she obediently found a small stool and sat down.
That answer left Haihara even less sure what to make.
She scratched her head, went into the kitchen, and opened the fridge to take a look...
"Then I'll just make whatever. Hmm... The meat hasn't thawed yet. I'll make omurice."
Haihara took a few eggs out of the fridge, along with some vegetables for fried rice and, of course, ketchup.
Kids all liked omurice, anyway.
After taking out the ingredients, she saw Sakaki Chika sitting as if she'd done something wrong and said casually,
"Don't stand there like you're being punished. This isn't a classroom. You can lie down on the sofa. By the way, there's hot water in the bathroom. Dinner will take a little while, so you can shower first."
"Okay..."
Sakaki Chika nodded obediently.
A little later, she took her change of clothes into the bathroom. She was probably going to shower.
Luckily, Haihara used shower gel at home. Otherwise, she'd have to change the soap later.
With the girl in the bathroom, Haihara changed into a casual tank top, put on an apron, and started cooking.
"Honestly, I never thought I'd have to make dinner tonight..."
She usually couldn't even find the motivation to cook for herself. She'd only been making bento these past couple of days to practice cooking for Ms. Suzuki.
Her hair got in the way a little while she cooked, so she found a hair tie and tied it back, revealing the ears she usually kept hidden.
As she cooked, water pattered in the bathroom.
Haihara focused on making dinner.
She was pretty good at omurice, after all. She'd once lived with her adopted daughter, so she had some experience looking after a child.
When the kid had no appetite, Haihara usually made omurice.
Ah, but come to think of it... Kazama Kiriori had been quite the handful.
Whenever Haihara was cooking, she'd deliberately come up and wrap her arms around her waist.
It made it impossible for her to cook properly.
Soon, the rice was ready. Haihara divided it between two plates, made the sauce, and then fried the eggs.
By the time she finished plating everything, Sakaki Chika had just about finished showering.
That surprised Haihara a little.
She'd thought the girl would take longer. Girls usually took a while to shower, and she remembered Kiriori taking ages.
Haihara waited at the dining table for a while. Then the little bunny, freshly changed and scrubbed clean, came out of the bathroom.
Looking at Sakaki Chika, with water dripping from her hair and her skin glowing, Haihara couldn't help thinking that she really was a popular idol. She was adorable even without makeup.
"Hmm..."
At that moment, Haihara suddenly realized something.
Did this count as luring an underage idol into her home?
They were teacher and student, too.
So had her teacherly virtue increased, or taken a hit?
"There's a hair dryer by the vanity. Don't you want to dry your hair?"
Sakaki Chika had a towel draped over her hair. Her damp bangs hung over her eyes and nose, and droplets fell from her forehead and the ends of her hair, making her face look even more delicate.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Her little feet shuffled along in oversized slippers until she reached the mirror and began drying her hair.
Before you continue