It looked like she simply hadn't slept well, but a subtle sense of something being off made him involuntarily think of Utaha Kasumigaoka at the school gate that morning.
"Didn't you get enough rest, Sensei?"
"Sorry to let you see me like this." Shizuka Hiratsuka quickly composed herself and awkwardly looked away. "It's not just the students who get inexplicably tired after school starts. Teachers do too."
I really shouldn't have stayed up late reading the manuscript Shiyu sent over last night.
Shizuka Hiratsuka grumbled to herself, then gave a bitter smile. Because she had remained unmarried for so long, she had started seeking emotional comfort in romance novels. Her life really was a failure.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Lianqiu inadvertently caught sight of a small corner of a stapled stack of printed manuscript pages tucked beneath the thick pile of lesson plans on Shizuka Hiratsuka's desk.
Among the scattered bits of text, the familiar name "Sayuka" caught his attention.
"Love... Metronome?"
"Huh?" Shizuka Hiratsuka's eyes abruptly widened. She glanced frantically at the desk, the corner of her mouth twitching as she lamented inwardly, It's over. He found out. Why did I bring the manuscript to school?
"It's Senior Kasumigaoka's work, right?"
"You know about it... Right, I heard about what happened this morning too." Shizuka Hiratsuka slapped her forehead, recalling the minor commotion at the school gate during morning arrival that had spread around today.
"Since you already know, I won't hide it from you. Kasumigaoka is my student too. Although I'm the homeroom teacher for the First Year, I also teach Japanese to some second year classes. That girl lets me read her novel manuscripts in advance, but don't tell anyone about it."
So, it was only natural that she would take an interest in the debut work of the little literary girl in her class.
"I'm interested too. Hiratsuka-sensei, could you let me have a look?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka hadn't expected Jiang Lianqiu to make such a request, and her first instinct was to refuse.
This was Utaha Kasumigaoka's work, and an unpublished manuscript at that. It wouldn't be appropriate to show it to someone else without Shiyu Kasumigaoka's permission.
"It's rare for a junior to be interested in a girl's romantic feelings. I don't mind, though!"
From behind the suddenly opened office door, Shiyu Kasumigaoka answered with a smiling face.
Shizuka Hiratsuka feigned anger and banged on the desk. "Kasumigaoka, how many times have I told you to knock before coming in?!"
Before you continue