"Already living together?"


    Eriri''s voice stammered as she struggled to process what Tomoya had just said.


    Utaha, on the other hand, stopped tiptoeing and stood straight with a dark, cold expression on her face. "Living together?" she echoed, her voice icy. "So what you''re saying is, you used us to help you create your game, but now that you''ve moved in with some other girl, the club is meaningless to you, and you want to kick us out. Is that right?"


    Eriri''s thoughts finally caught up, and she realized the implication of Utaha''s words. "You... you''re going too far!" she eximed, her twin ponytails bouncing as her frustration grew.


    Unlike the two girls'' heated reactions,Tomoya remained calm, almost indifferent. "I''ve said what I wanted to say. I''m going to find Ellie-chan now." Without waiting for their responses, he turned and left the ssroom.


    Silence filled the room for a moment before Megumi, who had been mostly absent-minded until now, quietly stood up. "Since the club is disbanded, I''ll be leaving as well," she said simply. Without another word, she walked out of the ssroom, leaving Eriri and Utaha to stew in their frustrations.


    ---


    "Sensei!" Ryuji called as he opened the door to Hiratsuka Shizuka''s office and walked in casually.


    "Ugh!" A quick, startled cough followed. Shizuka, caught off guard, hurriedly put out the cigarette she had been smoking. Even though she had a tough, rebellious side, she still wanted to maintain her professional image as a teacher.


    "You... shouldn''t you be eating lunch right now?" she asked irritably, still a little flustered. She had been hoping to rx for a bit, but Ryuji''s sudden appearance interrupted her rare moment of peace.


    With a shrug, Ryuji smiled and said, "I figured it would be better toe see you sooner."


    "..." Shizuka was speechless for a moment. He had said the right thing, leaving her with no room to scold him. Afterposing herself, she looked at him seriously.


    "Aren''t you going to have a proper talk about the bullying incident?" she asked, folding her arms and giving him a stern look.


    Ryuji, however, didn''t seem fazed. "What''s there to talk about?" he replied nonchntly.


    "You broke three people''s bones!" Shizuka eximed, still somewhat in disbelief. She couldn''t understand how this seemingly normal, if somewhat rebellious, student had taken on three bullies by himself.


    "Did I? I didn''t really pay attention," Ryuji said, his tonepletely rxed.


    "..." Shizuka couldn''t help but roll her eyes. His casual attitude was both frustrating and oddly amusing.


    "Listen, if something like this happens again,e to the teacher first," she warned, her tone more firm this time. "You can''t just handle everything by yourself. What if next time there are more people? You can''t fight off an entire group alone!"


    "You haven''t joined a club yet, have you?" Shizuka suddenly asked, shifting gears.


    Ryuji raised an eyebrow and answered honestly, "No, I haven''t."


    "Would you like to..."@@novelbin@@


    Before she could even finish her sentence, Ryuji interrupted her with a swift, "NO."


    Shizuka blinked in surprise. "I didn''t even say what I was going to ask yet! How do you know what I was going to say?"


    "Your thoughts are written all over your cute face, sensei. It''s not that hard to guess."


    Shizuka narrowed her eyes and stood up, walking around her desk to stand in front of him. "You think you''re good at reading women, huh?"


    She was about to challenge him further, but something he said earlier hit her, and she froze. "Wait... what did you just call me?"


    Ryuji mentally kicked himself for letting his thoughts slip out. "Uh... I called you cute, sensei."


    "..." Shizuka''s face twitched. She was almost 30, and this was the first time a student let alone a boy had called her "cute." And he said it so casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


    "Sensei calm down!" Ryuji quickly said, hoping to soften the impact.


    "Bang!"


    Before he could react, Shizuka''s fist shot toward him. Fortunately, Ryuji had quick reflexes, and he raised his hand to block it just in time.


    "Sessfully contacted the target: Hiratsuka Shizuka! The purple entry has been triggered. Do you want to load it?"


    A purple entry? That was just one step below a golden one. Ryuji''s mood improved instantly, but he decided to save looking at it forter.


    Meanwhile, Shizuka was ring at him. "What did you call me?!"


    Ryuji shrugged, trying to appear innocent. "I just said you were cute, sensei. I didn''t mean anything by it."


    "You still said it!" She wasn''t entirely sure how to handle this. She had been single for 30 years, and the idea of a student calling her cute while ttering also felt entirely wrong. She quickly found an excuse to mask her confusion. "I just wanted to confirm if you really beat up those three guys by yourself."


    As she tried to pull her hand back from his grip, she realized with shock that she couldn''t. "Why can''t I move...?" Shizuka was strong, certainly stronger than your average person, but Ryuji''s grip was far beyond what she had expected from a student.


    Seeing her surprise, Ryuji quickly released her hand. "Sorry, sensei. It''s my first time holding a girl''s hand. I guess I got carried away."


    Shizuka blushed slightly, caught off guard by his casual flirtation. No one would believe that she was almost 30 with the way Ryuji treated her. She knew she was attractive for her age, but hearing it from a student made her heart race in a confusing way.


    "If you keep talking nonsense, my fist will meet your face," she warned, though her voicecked its usual fierceness.


    Ryuji immediately raised his hands in surrender, though a yful smile danced on his lips. "So, sensei, do you have any ns after school today?"


    Shizuka was somewhat immune to his yful tone by now and looked at him curiously. "Why? Are you trying to ask me out on a date?"


    Ryuji smirked. "I know a noodle shop nearby that''s pretty good. I was wondering if I could treat you."


    Shizuka froze. It wasn''t every day or any day that a student asked her out. In fact, no one had asked her out in a long time. She was momentarily thrown off bnce.


    Subconsciously, a small part of her felt ted. See? I can get asked out too! Even if it''s by my student...


    But she quickly snapped back to reality. Wait, no, that''s weird!


    "You''re out of your mind, brat. You''re not my type," she said, crossing her arms.


    "How can you be so sure if you don''t give it a try? Besides, sensei, I''m not as young as you think," Ryuji shot back with a wink.


    "Get lost!" Shizuka finally said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Go have lunch before I knock you out!"


    Ryujiughed and stood up, giving her a mock salute. "Alright, alright. But seriously, let me know if you ever change your mind, sensei!"


    As Ryuji left the office, Shizuka watched him go, feeling both amused and flustered. She had to admit, the boy had guts. Young people these days... so bold.


    _________


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