Chapter 169: A Date with Sensei

"He's not replying to my messages!"

Haruno angrily tossed her phone aside.

A young man had been in her sister's apartment? A young man?!

She didn't completely believe Rei Ao, but… better safe than sorry. This was something she needed to investigate to ease her mind.

Determined, she decided to keep a closer eye on Yukino in the coming days. If necessary, she would uncover whether this "young man" really existed.

At the mall entrance.

Hiratsuka Shizuka stood next to Haruno, looking puzzled.

"Haruno, what's brought you out today? Why'd you ask me to meet up?"

Haruno, who had been lost in thought about Yukino, quickly replaced her contemplative expression with a radiant smile. Hooking her arm around Shizuka's, she teased, "Of course, it's to enjoy some young man together with you, Shizuka!"

"young man…"

The word struck Shizuka like a hammer.

Her expression faltered as she mentally crumbled.

Young man? At her age? Haruno was seriously overestimating her—or rather, that comment had hit a sore spot.

Forget now; she hadn't even experienced much "young man" during her actual young man. She had never even held hands with a man before. What kind of young man was there to enjoy?

Damn it.

Sure, Haruno wasn't much better in some ways. Despite her cheerful demeanor, she always kept people at a distance. But at least Haruno still had her young man to hold onto.

And herself?

"Sigh."

Shizuka let out a long sigh. "Fine, let's just go."

But Haruno didn't move.

"What now?"

"We're waiting for someone," Haruno said with a sly smile.

"Someone else?" Shizuka guessed. "Is it Yukino?"

"Nope. He's here."

Haruno pointed forward, grinning.

Shizuka followed her gaze—and froze.

"R-Rei Ao?!"

It was indeed Rei Ao, walking toward them in a sharp, professional outfit.

"Good morning, Miss Haruno, Shizuka-sensei," he greeted with a warm smile.

Shizuka blinked. It really was him. Turning to Haruno, she tried to ask what was going on, but before she could speak, Haruno suddenly withdrew her arm from Shizuka's and exclaimed:

"Oh no, Shizuka, I just remembered I have urgent work at the office!"

"You two enjoy yourselves today. It's on me!"

With that, Haruno hurried off, her steps deliberately exaggerated.

Shizuka's mouth twitched. Could she have been any more obvious?

She watched Haruno until her figure disappeared before turning to Rei Ao with a scowl.

"What kind of game are you two playing?"

Rei Ao met her gaze calmly and confessed outright:

"Nothing complicated. Haruno set this up so I could take you out on a date."

"What?!"

That single sentence sent Shizuka's mind racing with countless speculations about shady deals and backdoor arrangements.

"Why?!" she exclaimed, unable to believe that her friend would essentially "sell" her out.

"I helped her with something simple, so this is her way of returning the favor."

Rei Ao's tone remained casual as he added, "So, Shizuka-sensei, are you going to head home, or will you join me for this date?"

Shizuka stared at him, stunned. Slowly, she processed the situation and forced herself to respond.

"Can I say no?"

Rei Ao smiled. "Of course. But if you do, I'll just start openly pursuing you at school."

"!!!"

That was not an option! She could already picture how disastrous that would be—not just for her reputation, but for her pride. Even Fuyumi would look down on her!

"Fine, fine," she relented with a bitter smile.

But she warned him sternly: "No funny business. Hands off the teacher!"

"Shizuka-sensei, I'm not that kind of person," Rei Ao replied, though her warning seemed to sting his pride a little.

Before they began, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "By the way, since this is a date, shouldn't we drop the formalities? Calling you 'sensei' during a date feels weird."

"Huh?" Shizuka was caught off guard. She hadn't even thought about how they'd address each other.

Rei Ao took the lead, his voice soft and warm: "Shizuka, how's that?"

"!!!"

The single word sent an electric current through her entire body. Her mind reeled.

No one—besides her father—had ever called her by her given name in such an intimate way.

An unfamiliar sense of shame and embarrassment flooded her, tingling across her skin.

"Shizuka?" Rei Ao repeated, a hint of amusement in his tone.

Her stiff posture and flushed face didn't escape his notice, and he smiled, sensing victory.

"Stop…"

"Shizuka."

"!!!"

She was about to lose it.

It was so embarrassing, yet… for some reason, she didn't entirely want him to stop.

Caught in the conflicting emotions, she finally snapped, throwing out a quick excuse:

"Call me whatever you want, just get inside! It's boiling out here."

Using the weather as a pretext, she hurriedly turned away to hide her flushed cheeks.

Rei Ao chuckled softly. "Alright, let's go, Shizuka."

"Ugh!!!"

…

Rei Ao had found Shizuka Hiratsuka's weakness.

Every time he affectionately called her "Shizuka," he was rewarded with her flustered and shy expressions.

What had started as a simple date quickly became far more entertaining because of this little quirk.

By lunchtime:

"Shizuka, what do you feel like eating?"

"A-anything's fine," she stammered.

She didn't mean "anything" in the usual sense; she was simply too embarrassed and flustered to think straight.

Throughout the morning, Rei Ao's intimate way of addressing her had transformed her from a "tough woman" into a "delicate lady."

She was being completely tamed.

"Then let's go to this place," Rei Ao decided, pointing at a nearby restaurant.

Hiratsuka was still dazed when Rei Ao suddenly turned back, reached for her hand, and gently pulled her along.

"Huh?!"

The unexpected hand-holding left her stunned, her body stiff and unable to react.

She was practically dragged into the restaurant, entirely at his mercy.

By the time she regained her senses, Rei Ao had already let go of her hand, acting as if nothing had happened.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the words got caught in her throat.

Rei Ao handed her a menu.

"Take a look and see what you'd like to eat."

"...Oh."

Defeated, Hiratsuka lowered her head and began scanning the menu, pretending as though nothing had happened.

What she didn't see was the smug grin on Rei Ao's face.

He had her wrapped around his finger.