Chapter 57

Kurosawa Ren looked at Kirisu Mafuyu that day.

Her outfit was as conservative as ever, yet it did nothing to hide her striking figure.

She wore a standard teacher's uniform—nothing special on its own—but on her, it exuded a quiet elegance and subtle allure.

Her cherry-colored hair cascaded down past her shoulders, and the way her blouse clung to her chest accentuated her graceful curves.

And those long, slender legs wrapped in suit pants… Even just a glance made it clear they were firm and toned.

"Hmph, I don't believe you," Kirisu Mafuyu muttered, turning away, clearly flustered.

She poked at her pen aimlessly, betraying the turmoil in her mind.

Kurosawa Ren smiled faintly, his eyes drifting up her legs, taking in the contours of her thighs—tight and full with just the right amount of softness and tension. There was something captivating about her: a reserved, magnetic grace.

He couldn't help but admire the sight.

And when his gaze shifted slightly higher…

The perfect curve of her backside, accentuated by how she sat firmly against the swivel chair, was almost too much to resist.

It was lunchtime.

The office was empty—just the two of them in this quiet, private space. The intimacy of it all lent itself to dangerous thoughts.

"What are you staring at? Get back to your seat!" Kirisu snapped, finally noticing the look in his eyes and spinning her chair around to face him.

But no matter how stern she tried to look, there was a softness to her glare—something almost... adorable.

"Idiot..." she murmured.

Her cheeks were faintly flushed with embarrassment at being caught, and that bashful expression, paired with her normally mature demeanor, gave her a kind of unexpected charm. Kurosawa's heart skipped a beat.

"Why so shy, sensei? Haven't we crossed that line already?" Ren teased gently, moving in closer.

He wrapped an arm around her slender waist, pulling her toward him.

"H-Hey! This is the staff office! Someone could come in at any time!" she stammered, panicking.

Kirisu tried to push him away, but Kurosawa just grinned. "Relax. I've activated a concealment rune. No one will notice a thing."

—

Elsewhere in the hallway, Yukino Momoka hurried along, arms full of thick test papers.

It was Monday—always the busiest grading day. She hadn't even finished her lunch before rushing back to the staff room.

"Let me help you, sensei," said Mizaki Naru, a quiet student often seen reading alone in corners.

"Thank you, Mizaki-kun," Momoka said, pleasantly surprised.

Together, they headed toward the teacher's office. But as they approached the door, they paused.

A faint, breathy voice—a woman's voice—came from inside the room.

"Is someone in there...?"

Mizaki's eyes narrowed.

"If anyone's there, it's probably Kirisu-sensei," Momoka offered casually, unlocking the door.

But when they stepped inside…

The room was empty.

"Huh, weird. Maybe I imagined it," Momoka said with a shrug, smiling awkwardly.

She moved toward her desk but stopped when she noticed something odd: a trail of clear droplets near her shoes, right by a pair of high heels.

"What the... Did someone spill water?"

Mizaki crouched down, studying the droplets. "Looks like it came from Kirisu-sensei's seat..."

Her instincts—sharpened by her spiritual sensitivity—told her something wasn't quite right.

Just then—BANG!

A loud crash erupted near their desks. The sound startled both women, who instinctively backed away.

Mizaki, her eyes flashing with spiritual energy, tensed for battle—only to feel a rush of wind blow past her as if something had raced by unseen.

By the time she turned to look, the presence was gone—vanished through the door.

—

Back in the school's abandoned sports equipment storage...

Kurosawa Ren finally released the concealment rune.

He and Kirisu Mafuyu had slipped away to the warehouse.

After their impassioned encounter, her legs trembled slightly.

"You absolute jerk…" she muttered, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

That had been her first time—unexpected and intense.

And she'd been carried through the school corridors by him.

"But weren't you the one clinging to me just now, asking me to go faster?" Ren teased with a grin.

Kirisu's face reddened again. Her elegant, mature features were now flushed with emotion, giving her a vulnerable charm that was almost too powerful.

"Hmph. I didn't say that."

Despite her words, she curled up against him, physically seeking his warmth.

"What if Shiyu finds out?" she asked softly, clearly worried.

"She'll manage. She's already dealt with worse—and it's not like this is the first secret I'm keeping from her," Ren replied nonchalantly.

"You're the worst!"

Mafuyu bit his shoulder in frustration—though not hard enough to do any damage.

Ren just chuckled at the teary-eyed beauty in his arms, then pulled her into a second round of passion.

—

By the time school ended, the sun had dipped below the horizon.

Sawamura Eiri looked out of the painting room's window as orange-red hues streaked across the sky.

The art room glowed with the sunset's soft light, casting a golden hue across her work.

"Phew… Finally done," she murmured, setting down her brush.

On the canvas was a bright, smiling version of Hatsune Miku. Eiri smiled with satisfaction.

This month's artbook was finished.

She carefully rolled up the scroll and tucked it into her backpack.

[Hatsune Miku's Secret Love Between Classes]—a tentative title, but it would do for now.

Drawing at school was risky, but being president of the art club had its perks. She got the room all to herself.

Humming, Eiri stepped out into the hallway, black knee socks hugging her long legs.

But then—

A terrifying scream broke through the air.

"I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please—please don't kill me!"

"What was that?"

Eiri froze, eyes wide. She crept to the window and peered out—

—and saw something straight out of a nightmare.

A balloon-headed creature, with a face like twisted clay and skin stretched like rubber, was looming in the corridor.

Its mouth gaped open like a dark abyss and swallowed a screaming male student whole—head first.

"Gulp... Ugh, hard to swallow," the monster groaned, slurping with a barbed tongue like a grotesque lollipop.

"Ahhh! Somebody help me!!" the boy shrieked.

But his body spasmed uncontrollably as bloody holes began to appear all over him—like a pierced doll.

Moments later, he went still.

"What… what is that thing?!" Eiri whispered, horrified.

She clamped a hand over her mouth, too afraid to scream. Her legs went numb.

Everything suddenly went quiet.

"…Is it gone?"

She slowly crept up to peek out the window again—

Only to come face to face with the balloon-head, twisting its way through the door.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Her terrified scream echoed through the now-silent school.