She Grasped the Future

"Heh."

A soft chuckle rang out, laced with a hint of playfulness.

Xu Nuo leaned lazily against the doorframe, his tone mocking, "Is the teacher trying to sell me a pipe dream?"

He was completely unfazed by the pressure.

It had to be said, Sae Chabashira had a beautiful fantasy.

The pipe dream she painted was big and round.

"..."

Upon hearing this.

Sae Chabashira froze, her eyes filled with astonishment.

It seemed she hadn't expected that after making such a decision, she would be met with such a dismissive remark about a pipe dream.

"After promoting to Class A?"

At this moment.

Xu Nuo walked up to her desk, looking down from above at this mature, cold, black-stockinged woman.

"Tsk."

"How long from now would that be?"

"The 'empty-handed wolf' trick doesn't work on me; I'm a man who values practicality."

As he spoke.

He leaned down slightly, his handsome face drawing close to Sae Chabashira's. His warm breath brushed against her face, carrying a pleasant, crisp scent.

"If you want me to do something for you."

"At the very least..."

"You should let me see your sincerity, right?"

Sincerity.

He emphasized these two words heavily.

"?!"

Sae Chabashira's pupils constricted, and her body instinctively leaned back until her spine hit the back of her chair.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

She naturally understood what he meant by that.

An advance deposit.

"This is the office."

Sae Chabashira took a deep breath, her tone trembling slightly as if she were still making a final struggle, "Teachers could walk in at any time, and besides..."

However.

There wasn't much resistance in her tone.

In other words, She would agree if they were somewhere else?

Xu Nuo: "..."

He was inwardly surprised; he had only meant to tease Little Sae, assuming she would never agree.

After all.

He didn't actually want to go and lead that group of oddballs.

A thought crossed his mind.

Xu Nuo found a solution. Who said he had to do it himself? He figured Mr. Imposter would be more than happy to do the honors.

He had already refused the meat delivered to his door once.

Refusing again would be impolite.

"Isn't that even better?"

And so.

Xu Nuo chuckled, not giving her a chance to back down.

He immediately reached out.

Without a shred of politeness, he pulled over a black office chair from the side, sat down in a wide-legged stance, and then spun the chair to face Sae Chabashira.

Then.

He pointed to the space beneath the wide desk.

It was a dark, narrow, yet extremely concealed space—more than enough to accommodate one person.

"Choose."

"Show me your sincerity, or stop right here."

"..."

Sae Chabashira bit her lip, her typically cold and glamorous face showing deep embarrassment; she clearly understood his meaning.

As an adult woman.

Even if she hadn't seen a pig run, hadn't she eaten pork before?

Unfortunately.

In this transaction, she had absolutely no room to bargain. From the moment she opened her mouth to ask for help, it was destined that she could no longer retreat.

A few seconds later.

"Swish..."

The sound of nylon fabric rubbing against itself echoed through the room.

Immediately after.

The figure of this cold and arrogant teacher vanished from the office; she had clearly left.

"..."

Xu Nuo leaned back into the chair.

He tapped his fingers against the desk, narrowed his eyes slightly, and a look of relaxation appeared on his face.

Time to slack off for a while.

He would chat with Little Sae once she returned.

"Clack, clack, clack..."

I don't know how much time had passed.

A light, brisk sound of footsteps drifted in from the hallway, accompanied by the rhythmic tapping of high heels against the floor.

"Little Sae~~ are you here?"

It was a vibrant, sweet voice.

Following that.

The office door was pushed open.

A female teacher with long, wavy chestnut hair and a sweet, adorable face poked her head in, her movements carrying an air of innocence and charm.

It was her.

--Chie Hoshinomiya!

The homeroom teacher of Class B, as well as Sae Chabashira's arch-rival and "best friend," and quite the eccentric character herself.

"Hm?"

The moment she stepped inside.

Chie Hoshinomiya froze.

Her gaze swept around the office, but she didn't see the familiar figure she expected; instead, she saw someone completely unexpected...

A male student.

The person was sitting brazenly in the seat that should have belonged to Little Sae, looking right at her.

"Oh my?"

Chie Hoshinomiya blinked her purple eyes, a look of surprise surfacing on her face, which then transformed into a cute, mischievous, and gossipy smile.

"Oh my, oh my..."

"Isn't this that super handsome guy from Class D~"

She walked over with a grin. Even as a teacher, she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter when faced with such a rule-breaking face.

Ho ho ho, what a top-tier hunk...

"Student Xu Nuo,"

"Right?"

"You're very famous, you know. The girls in my class are all talking about you. You really are so handsome!"

Walking up to the desk.

Chie Hoshinomiya spoke in an exaggerated tone, her hands gesturing cutely, her ample cleavage leaning in close, almost pressing right against Xu Nuo's face.

"Oh, that's right!"

"Why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

"Where did Little Sae go?"

She looked left and right, then tapped her finger against her cheek, feigning confusion as she asked, "She was clearly here just a moment ago, how did she vanish in the blink of an eye?"

"Chabashira-sensei went to the Chairman's office to look for some documents."

Xu Nuo said, his expression unchanging.

His face remained as calm as a still lake, and he didn't even shift his posture, though his hand beneath the desk.

Applied a bit of pressure.

Don't misunderstand, he was just scratching an itch.

"Ugh..."

However.

A muffled groan came from somewhere.

The sound was very faint.

It was almost drowned out by the wind outside the window.

But Chie Hoshinomiya's ears twitched.

"Hm?"

She tilted her head, staring at Xu Nuo suspiciously. "Was there some strange sound just now?"

"Was there?"

Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow.

"It was probably just the wind; the window is a bit drafty."

"Is that so..."

Chie Hoshinomiya narrowed her eyes, her doubts not yet dispelled. Her woman's intuition told her that the atmosphere in the office was a little off.

There was a...

Strange vibe she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Furthermore.

The position Xu Nuo was sitting in, his posture—it kept making her feel like something was weird.

"Is she really not here?"

"Hehe~"

Chie Hoshinomiya rolled her eyes.

Immediately after, she suddenly rounded the corner of the desk and walked toward the back of Xu Nuo, saying jokingly:

"Oh my, could she be hiding somewhere?"

"Preparing to give me a surprise?"

One step.

Two steps.

As she slowly approached, the surroundings fell completely silent, with not a single sound left.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Xu Nuo's expression remained calm; he didn't care at all that she was coming closer, watching her with a faint, enigmatic smile.

Soon.

The angle was right.

Chie Hoshinomiya looked straight down beneath the desk, getting a clear view from above.

However.

It was completely empty.

"Huh?"

Chie Hoshinomiya was dumbfounded.

Having her certainty overturned left her stunned, as she had never expected that she had simply overthought it.