I Became a Spirit in Date A Live and Refused to Date

Ko-tama lowered her head. For a moment, it felt as though all the love had gone out of the world.

Lingmeng just smiled and shrugged.

"Okay, okay~ So what brings you here, Teach?"

Ko-tama looked up and answered with a smile of her own.

"I heard Itsuka had a cold. As his teacher, of course I came to check on my student."

As she spoke, Ko-tama tilted her head in curiosity.

"And what about you, Lingmeng...?"

"Ah, same as you. I came to see how Shido was doing."

"I knew it~"

Ko-tama clapped her hands, as if everything had gone exactly as she expected.

"After all, you're Itsuka's girlfriend~"

"Pfft—"

Ko-tama's offhand remark hit Lingmeng so hard that she mimed coughing up blood.

It took her several seconds to calm down. The corner of her mouth twitched.

"I can understand the other students believing that rumor, but why do you believe it too?"

"Huh—You mean it isn't true?"

Ko-tama's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Lingmeng scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"Well... not right now, at least?"

"Oh! So it might be true later~?"

"I don't know...!"

Faced with Ko-tama's eager gossiping look, Lingmeng could only blush and give her a flustered nonanswer.

Ko-tama merely smiled and said the same thing Lingmeng had said earlier: "It's nice to be young~"

Then something seemed to occur to her, and she inexplicably lowered her head.

"Boo-hoo... You're only about sixteen and already have someone to fall in love with... And your teacher... your teacher's almost thirty and still single...!"

"Uh... well..."

Lingmeng had no idea what to say to Ko-tama, who had suddenly sunk into despair.

She gently patted Ko-tama's back and tried to comfort her.

"It's okay. There are definitely people who'd like a woman like you! If you really want to get