"Close? Instructor Tatsumaki, that's just a perfectly normal way to address him, isn't it?"
Mizuki Choujou sounded a little puzzled.
As she had said, it was really just a normal honorific.
It was just that, when she should have been calling Bai Ye "Instructor," Mizuki Choujou's lively, youthful manner made her choice of address sound rather affectionate.
"You call me Instructor, but you call him Senior Bai Ye, and you say you're not being close?"
Tatsumaki immediately pointed it out.
"Oh, that... Senior Bai Ye gave me permission. I accidentally called him Senior Bai Ye once, and when I tried to correct myself, he said it was fine. So it just stuck."
Although she had still dragged Bai Ye into it, Mizuki Choujou had at least explained herself clearly.
"Is that so...?"
Tatsumaki turned her gaze toward Bai Ye, staring at him reproachfully.
She said nothing, but that look alone sent a chill down Bai Ye's spine.
"It's just a way of addressing me. There's nothing wrong with it, is there?"
Bai Ye gave Tatsumaki a helpless smile.
"Hmph."
Tatsumaki merely snorted and turned her face away.
"..."
Bai Ye was momentarily speechless.
He had no idea why Tatsumaki had reacted so strongly to the simple title "Senior Bai Ye."
Just then, Mizuki Choujou, who had been deep in thought for a while, seemed to realize something.
She leaned close to Bai Ye's ear and asked very quietly, "Senior Bai Ye, are you and Senior Tatsumaki already dating?"
"Huh?"
Bai Ye was instantly bewildered. "Tatsumaki and I aren't dating. And why would you ask that?"
"Isn't it pretty obvious? Just because I addressed you a little affectionately, Senior Tatsumaki got a bit angry. Or, to be more precise, jealous...?"
Still close to Bai Ye's ear, Mizuki Choujou spoke very softly.