An Unreliable Teacher

"By the way, this is the teachers' office... right?"

"That's right. But speaking of which, I didn't expect you to get here so early, An Xiao. You came as soon as classes ended, didn't you?"

An Xiao's mouth twitched, but he still nodded. He walked over to Chie Hoshinomiya in a few steps, though his gaze kept drifting toward her desk.

Cola, cookies, potato chips... a tablet still playing some variety show, and lesson plans tossed aside.

Wait, was this really what a normal teacher's desk was supposed to look like?

"Hmm? An Xiao, want some?"

Noticing where he was looking, Chie Hoshinomiya picked up a potato chip and waved it in front of him.

"Um, can we get to the point? Also, are you really not going to get your pay docked for this?"

Maybe Hoshinomiya-sensei had acted so unprofessional around him that An Xiao felt none of the usual restraint he had around other teachers. He even had the presence of mind to tease her.

"Nope. School's already out, after all."

Chie Hoshinomiya shrugged and replied nonchalantly.

Before An Xiao could continue teasing her, a voice as cool and aloof as Hoshinomiya-sensei was carefree rang out from the other side of the office.

"You've always been like this. At least try to maintain some semblance of a teacher's dignity in front of the students."

An Xiao followed the voice and saw a female teacher sitting at the desk diagonally across from Hoshinomiya-sensei, looking through some documents.

She had long black hair tied in a ponytail and seemed to be in that curious age range of almost thirty, but not quite. She wore an office-lady suit, and her legs, clad in black stockings, occasionally shifted, drawing the eye.

But as she continued flipping through the documents, her furrowed brows grew tighter, and the rustling of the pages grew louder. She was clearly in a bad mood.

Were all the teachers at this school so good-looking?

Never mind the woman in front of him. Even his own homeroom teacher beside him was a stunning beauty, setting her personality aside.

Did this school hire people based on their looks?

Just as An Xiao was lost in thought, Chie Hoshinomiya spoke up beside him, sounding displeased.

"Hey, hey, I'm your teacher, you know. Why do you keep looking over at Sae? And I was just about to offer you some chips."

Before An Xiao could turn around, Chie Hoshinomiya rose from her chair, hooked an arm around his neck, and pulled him into her embrace. An Xiao's face was immediately buried between two soft mounds, like water balloons. The fragrance and softness that greeted him made his whole body stiffen, and his brain promptly shut down.

"Got it...?"

Chie Hoshinomiya was about to say more, but when she felt An Xiao frozen in her arms, the corners of her mouth suddenly curled up, as if she'd found an interesting new toy.

She pulled him closer with her arm. Chie Hoshinomiya could clearly see that the boy in front of her had his lips pressed together and wore little expression, but a blush was creeping up his neck, bright against his already fair skin.

This kid... is so much fun!

As Chie Hoshinomiya thought this, the flicker of displeasure she'd felt was instantly replaced by amusement.

Looking at An Xiao, who still hadn't recovered, Chie Hoshinomiya's left hand suddenly grew itchy. Unable to resist, she pinched his cheek hard several times.

Feeling the pain and heat in his cheek, An Xiao finally came out of his daze. He pushed himself away with both hands and hurriedly wriggled free of Chie Hoshinomiya's embrace, then pinched his own thigh hard.

"At least maintain some boundaries between teacher and student."

The cool voice rang out behind An Xiao again, but this time it carried a distinct note of irritation.

The teacher named Chabashira Sae set down the thick stack of documents in her hands. They hit the desk with a dull thud. After clicking her tongue, she left the office without looking back.

The only ones left in the office were An Xiao, who had just recovered, and Chie Hoshinomiya, whose smile had yet to fade.

"So, Teacher, what did you want to talk to me about?"

An Xiao rubbed his still-stiff cheeks with both hands and looked down at the floor as he asked Chie Hoshinomiya. All the while, he was thinking about how much he wanted to leave.

"An Xiao, you were pretty funny just now. Have you never been this close to another woman before?"

"Teacher, you have a great figure, don't you?"

But Chie Hoshinomiya seemed to see through what he was trying to do. Instead of answering his question, she teased him.

"Teacher, can I report you for sexual harassment?"

"Dame~ Then I'd lose my job." Chie Hoshinomiya crossed her arms in front of her chest to make a big X.

"You're acting a little like a teacher now..." An Xiao muttered under his breath. Then he saw a hand reaching toward him. When he didn't move for a while, the fingers beckoned him.

???

What was she trying to do?

Seeing An Xiao's confused expression, Chie Hoshinomiya, still sitting in her chair, dropped her playful act and patiently explained.

"Hand over your phone first. What we're about to discuss can't get out, and it wouldn't be good if you recorded me."

"After all, you've done it before."

????

Was she talking about how he'd secretly recorded what an upperclassman said?

How did she know? Had she heard about it in the classroom before? Or...

Though An Xiao had no idea what Hoshinomiya-sensei was up to, she looked determined not to take no for an answer.

So he handed over his phone for the time being.

After confirming that An Xiao's phone wasn't recording, Chie Hoshinomiya set it aside and went over to the desk belonging to the female teacher named Chabashira Sae. She searched around, and when she found nothing, she returned to her seat, satisfied.

"An Xiao, you already know most of our school's rules, right?"

"So, would you be interested in learning more?"

"More about the rules of this school."

In the empty office, Chie Hoshinomiya looked at An Xiao and said this.