65 Single, But Fierce

"One of my friends is here too, and she's a super beautiful woman!" Okudera Miki said with a smile as she led the way.

"I don't believe it. Can she really be more beautiful than you, Okudera-senpai?" Hojou Kyousuke quickly followed, walking side by side with Okudera Miki.

"Hehe, her name is Hiratsuka Shizuka."

"She's a senior from the same university, although she graduated many years ago."

"We met at a career-sharing event at school where she came to give advice. She's a really nice person."

Okudera gave a brief introduction, explaining it in advance to avoid making Kyousuke uncomfortable later.

As for her friend still waiting at the bar, Okudera knew she didn't mind such details.

"Well, if she's out with you, she must be easy to get along with," Kyousuke said.

"Yeah, maybe it's because she's a teacher."

"She taught me a lot. Oh, by the way, Shizuka is a high school teacher now."

"It's a pity you're already in school, otherwise, you might have been her student," Okudera Miki added, glancing at Kyousuke.

"Heh, if I could, I'd love to be her student. But it's too late to transfer now," Kyousuke chuckled, as if he had heard the voice of destiny.

"I see, we've arrived. It's just around the corner."

They opened the door, and inside, under the dim yellow light, there was a piano gleaming with walnut wood.

A woman dressed in satin that matched the color of the piano was playing with full concentration.

Hearing the doorbell, the woman stopped playing and stood up to greet them.

"Your friend is already waiting for you," Okudera Miki said with a smile to the woman behind the counter, then pointed to the friend who was waving at them.

"If you need anything, just let me know," the woman said, preparing to sit down and continue playing.

"Just a non-alcoholic drink for us, please," Okudera Miki replied.

"I'll have a cola," Kyousuke quickly added, not out of fear of not being able to pay, but because he was worried about encountering a "cocktail master."

"Please wait a moment," the woman said as she moved to prepare their drinks.

"Come on, Hojou, Shizuka's waiting over there."

"Eh, eh, has little Miki finally gotten herself a boyfriend?"

The woman who spoke, Hiratsuka Shizuka, had long, black hair that reached past her hips, and she was wearing a brown knitted sweater and straight-leg jeans.

Her voice was lively and straightforward.

"Nope, his name is Hojou Kyousuke, a friend I met at the restaurant where I work," Okudera Miki replied as she pulled out the chair next to Hiratsuka Shizuka and sat down.

"Hi, I'm Hiratsuka Shizuka, Miki's friend," Hiratsuka Shizuka said, waving at Kyousuke.

Actually, Kyousuke already knew her name from the anime "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU" where she was a supporting character.

"Sorry for the interruption, I'm Hojou Kyousuke," Kyousuke said, sitting across from the two women.

"Would you like some beer, Hojou?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked as she picked up an unopened beer bottle.

"Hojou-kun isn't old enough to drink!" Okudera Miki quickly intervened, taking the beer from Shizuka.

Beer?

Kyousuke had assumed women preferred drinks with a softer, richer taste, like cocktails.

"Huh? A younger guy? Come on, tell me how you two met," Hiratsuka Shizuka said excitedly.

This was why single people often had so much experience—she had been lectured by her family for not having a boyfriend and came out to drink with friends to vent.

But seeing a potential romance unfold before her eyes, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but get excited.

"It was a very normal meeting, nothing special," Okudera Miki said, taking a sip of the beer, trying to cover up her slight awkwardness.

"You're such a tease. Hojou, you tell us!" Since Okudera Miki refused to elaborate, Hiratsuka Shizuka turned her attention to Kyousuke.

"Haha, like Okudera-senpai said, it was just a very normal meeting. Nothing special," Kyousuke said, of course, not wanting to make Okudera Miki more embarrassed.

"Really? And you're still saying you're not a couple!"

Hearing Kyousuke defend Okudera Miki, Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly remembered she was single, and in her frustration, she took a big gulp of beer.

"Shizuka-chan, why don't you tell us?"

"Didn't you say you were feeling down over the phone?"

"Is it something to do with school?" Okudera Miki quickly changed the subject, sensing her friend was feeling a little too emotionally involved in the romance talk.

"Miki, you're doing this on purpose!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka, embarrassed by the repeated jabs, angrily grabbed Okudera Miki, and the two older women began playfully tussling, much to Kyousuke's amusement.

"Here's your cola," the woman from behind the counter arrived with a glass of cola filled with ice.

Hearing the voice, the two women stopped their playful bickering.

"Hey, little guy, you having fun watching?" Hiratsuka Shizuka noticed Kyousuke staring at them intently and said in a not-so-friendly tone.

"Hojou-kun, be careful, Shizuka is trained in martial arts," Okudera Miki added, playfully warning him, though the hint was clear that Shizuka was quite good at fighting.

"Miki!" Hiratsuka Shizuka growled, her black hair near her ears flaring out.

"Hehe, sorry, sorry," Okudera Miki giggled, knowing that while she couldn't compete with Hiratsuka Shizuka in terms of physical strength, bringing up romantic topics would immediately shut Shizuka down.

"Ugh, I wish I could have a boyfriend like Hojou," Hiratsuka Shizuka grumbled, taking another large gulp of her beer and slumping on the table.

"I told you, we're not a couple! And besides, Hojou-kun is a high school student, are you interested in teacher-student relationships?" Okudera Miki teased.

"What?" Hiratsuka Shizuka said in surprise, sitting up straight and giving Kyousuke a closer look.

His timeless, stylish messy hair, soft amber eyes under the dim light, a straight nose, a sharply defined face, and a noticeable chest under his jacket…

"If it's someone like Hojou, I could be into a teacher-student relationship," Hiratsuka Shizuka muttered.

"Actually, you could ask Hojou if he has any friends to introduce you to. After all, handsome guys' friends are probably handsome too," Okudera Miki added, unaware that Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice had been quiet and thought it was still about Hojou's age.

"Not necessarily."

"Some people intentionally hang out with average-looking friends to make themselves seem better, right?" Hiratsuka Shizuka quickly recovered her mood and remarked, reminding herself that Hojou was much younger.

"Hojou-kun doesn't need to do anything like that, right?" Okudera Miki said, picking up a french fry and slowly eating it.

Her full lips, now covered in ketchup, looked even more tempting.

"I do have some great friends."

"Some of them are even certain to get into the University of Tokyo, but they're all high school students," Kyousuke said with a bitter smile.

"Let's not talk about that, let's drink!" Hiratsuka Shizuka interrupted, feeling like the focus had shifted from fun to matchmaking.

"Hojou-kun, did anything interesting happen at school today?" Okudera Miki asked with a smile, eager to steer the conversation back.

"The most interesting thing today was having dinner with Okudera-senpai. Other than that, it was just studying and kendo practice," Kyousuke replied.

"You do kendo?" Hiratsuka Shizuka, ignoring his possible hint of affection, immediately became interested in the subject.

"Yeah, my school's kendo club is competing in the Tamaryu Cup at the end of July and the National High School Kendo Championship in early August."

"I'll be going with them," Kyousuke said, sharing only the parts he felt comfortable revealing.

"Are you a main member?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.

"Yes," Hojou Kyousuke answered, considering that even the swordsmanship instructor wasn't a main member.

From that point on, Hiratsuka Shizuka and Kyousuke talked about high school life, leaving Okudera Miki little chance to speak.