The Unscrupulous Teacher Comes Knocking

"An angel or something..."

Hearing An Xiao say these words, Ichinose Honami, who was sitting in front of him, was stunned for a moment before she instinctively began to twirl a few strands of her hair with her fingers.

A shy flush appeared on her face, but as if she had thought of something, it quickly turned into a look of desolation, and the smile on her face faded significantly.

"Someone like me, being called an angel... that should be... it's definitely impossible." Ichinose Honami's voice grew weaker and weaker until, in the end, even An Xiao couldn't hear what she was saying. But seeing her mood plummet, even An Xiao knew that he had probably, possibly, most likely touched upon a painful memory.

"Ahem... anyway, let's talk about that matter from before."

Although it was a non-sequitur, as someone who had barely spoken to girls his own age for the first dozen years of his life, An Xiao really couldn't think of what else to do at a time like this.

Should he just go up and comfort her?

But considering they had known each other for less than two days, and this clearly touched upon a painful part of her heart, An Xiao didn't know how to bring it up.

However, he couldn't just sit by and watch, so in the end, An Xiao had no choice but to awkwardly change the subject.

Fortunately, Ichinose Honami was quick to regulate her emotions and didn't dwell on her previous mood for too long. Upon hearing An Xiao's words, she followed up by asking.

"An Xiao-kun, have you thought of a solution?"

As she said this, An Xiao noticed that Ichinose Honami's eyes brightened significantly, and the lingering desolation in them faded a bit, which made An Xiao breathe a sigh of relief.

"Huh? No, I haven't!"

An Xiao said righteously, then looked at Ichinose Honami with a strange expression.

"Why would you think I'd have a solution right now?"

"Take the information from that upperclassman yesterday; although it provided a lot of details, there might still be oversights." An Xiao said, then rested his chin on one hand, looked at Ichinose Honami, and continued, "Besides..."

An Xiao paused, then pointed his finger back and forth between the two of them, saying helplessly: "This is clearly not something that can be accomplished by just a few people. Instead of us two talking here, it would be better to just create a class group chat and talk in there; that way, we won't have to repeat these things over and over."

Then, as if thinking of something, An Xiao added: "If anyone refuses, you can emphasize the part about mandatory expulsion to them."

"I think everyone would prefer not to be expelled from school for no apparent reason."

Just as An Xiao finished speaking, before the girl in front of him could reply, a voice that made his hair stand on end drifted over from behind him.

"Although I, as your teacher, don't know what An Xiao-kun and Ichinose-san were just chatting about, based on what An Xiao-kun just said, I think it's very unhealthy!"

Immediately after, a hand suddenly rested on An Xiao's shoulder.

(⊙o⊙)...

"Uh... what a coincidence, Teacher, you're here to teach this class too!"

An Xiao turned his head stiffly to see Hoshinomiya-sensei tilting her head and looking at him with a smile, as if she hadn't noticed his strange behavior at all.

"A-la-la, this is my class, you know! You should at least remember that." Hoshinomiya Chie patted the hand resting on An Xiao's shoulder, then took the opportunity to pinch the flesh on An Xiao's cheek.

"By the way, An Xiao-kun, do you use any skincare products? Can you recommend some to me? Honestly, your skin feels really nice."

"Ti-sheng-li-zhi..." [Naturally gifted] An Xiao mumbled incoherently.

"Alright, but class is about to start, so I won't bother you two anymore." Hoshinomiya Chie glanced at the time, then looked at Ichinose Honami and An Xiao in front of her, raised an eyebrow, and said.

Not bad, no trouble...

"An Xiao-kun, remember to come to my office after class this afternoon."

Just as Hoshinomiya Chie walked past An Xiao, she suddenly leaned close to his ear and said to him in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

Hiss~

An Xiao shivered and looked up, instinctively wanting to refuse, but seeing Hoshinomiya-sensei leaning in with an inexplicable smile on her face, the words that had reached his lips were swallowed back down. He gave his 'kind and amiable' teacher a smile that was uglier than crying.

"Okay."

Having received the answer she wanted, Hoshinomiya Chie nodded with satisfaction and then walked past An Xiao toward the podium.

But after only a few steps, she turned back, looked at the identical soy milk bottles in their hands, and said in a teasing tone: "By the way, I actually quite like soy milk too. How about you bring me a bottle next time?"

"Or is it only for Ichinose-san?"

"Umm~"

Watching Hoshinomiya-sensei's teasing expression, Ichinose Honami instinctively gripped the bottle in her hand tighter. Her mouth opened, but she couldn't say a word, and in the end, she could only hang her head in embarrassment, letting a crimson flush burn up to her ears.

Looking at the shy Ichinose Honami and An Xiao, who was still on the verge of a mental breakdown, the corners of Hoshinomiya Chie's mouth couldn't help but curl up, and she left while humming an unknown tune.

"This is absolutely! Absolutely! An unscrupulous teacher with a wicked sense of humor!"

Listening to the fading humming in his ears, An Xiao gritted his teeth and muttered.

But Hoshinomiya Chie on the podium had no such self-awareness. As if nothing had happened, she smiled at the students below and said.

"Alright students, class is about to start, please get your textbooks ready and turn to..."

Time is like the breeze that lifts a girl's skirt; just when you notice it, it has already passed quietly, leaving one's heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

An Xiao's state of mind at this moment was much the same.

Looking at the door to the teacher's office in front of him, An Xiao's hand rose and fell, fell and rose; he really didn't want to go see this unscrupulous teacher.

But remembering what would happen if he didn't...

An Xiao shuddered, then decisively grabbed the doorknob with his right hand and knocked on the door with his left.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Please come in."