Tsuki subtly covered her mouth. "Is there? I don't smell anything. It's all just food smells here."
"Really? Just food smells? Tsuki-chan, you must've secretly eaten some snacks this morning, huh?" Mrs. Akiyama's eyes glinted with mischief.
"Snacks? Where? Sister, you're eating snacks behind my back again!" An popped up instantly, as if summoned by the keyword.
"I didn't sneak any snacks. Don't listen to Mom's nonsense," Tsuki said, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"Then why are you covering your mouth?" An, completely unconvinced, leaned in and grabbed her arm. "Let me see! You've definitely got snacks in there!"
"Idiot, stop it!" Tsuki's heart started racing as she dodged her sister's pestering.
"Mom, look at her! She's sneaking snacks and leaving me out!" An turned to Mrs. Akiyama for backup.
Mrs. Akiyama was secretly delighted. That's what you get, naughty Tsuki-chan, for picking on Mom! But aloud, she slyly said, "You kids are just playing around. It's not proper for an adult like me to get involved."
Adult… Tsuki's mouth twitched.
Shuichi, watching the drama unfold with amusement while savoring the delicious ramen, mused to himself. As expected, Mrs. Akiyama probably knew about the games he played with her daughter but didn't seem to care. She might even be deliberately teasing Tsuki.
"Oh, Chiba-kun, how's it taste? Is my handmade ramen better, or the factory-made stuff?" Mrs. Akiyama suddenly remembered her main concern.
More than scaring her naughty daughter, she cared about whether she could successfully slack off.
Shuichi chuckled. "I actually prefer the ramen you make by hand…"
Mrs. Akiyama's face fell instantly. She loved compliments, but this wasn't the answer she wanted.
But then Shuichi continued, "…but the factory-made noodles do taste a bit better."
Mrs. Akiyama's eyes lit up, and she beamed. "Great! No more tedious dough-kneading for me!"
Tsuki, returning from rinsing her mouth in the bathroom, was about to say something when An interrupted. The little dummy, stuffing food in her mouth, didn't forget to scold her sister for eating alone.
"You're sneaking stuff and not sharing, and it's something I've never even tried! I'm sure of it—I've never tasted anything like that. If you don't treat me to it, I'm done with you!"
Tsuki's face darkened. That's not something you can just eat!
Shuichi, sipping his broth, nearly choked. This clueless girl was so eager—was she forcing him to treat her? But doing that to an innocent dummy… his conscience couldn't quite handle it.
Catching his reaction, Tsuki shot her sister a glare. "What are you blabbering about? I wasn't feeling well earlier, so I took some medicine. You can't just eat medicine like it's candy!"
"I don't believe you," An said, wrinkling her nose. Her trust in her sister, especially when it came to food, had crumbled since the peach soda incident.
Unable to reason with her idiot sister, Tsuki sat down and leaned closer to Shuichi, whispering pleadingly, "Please don't go after my sister, young master. Your little maid will be even more devoted."
"The class prez is right—you're hogging it all," Shuichi teased, his words carrying a double meaning.
"Hogging? If Sensei wants to share, I'm totally fine with it, but not my sister…" Tsuki's pearly teeth sank into her soft lips.
"Depends on how you behave," Shuichi said with a noncommittal smile.
…
Mrs. Akiyama was over the moon today—so happy that her sense of belonging jumped by 10 points.
All because her eldest daughter finally admitted that factory-made noodles tasted better than her handmade ones, freeing her from the chore of kneading dough.
This was something Shuichi hadn't anticipated.
[Fumika Ogawa, Sense Of Belonging: 80]
[Tamako Akiyama, Sense Of Belonging: 70]
[Sayuki Ogawa, Sense Of Belonging: 60]
[Ichika Kitagawa, Sense Of Belonging: 20]
[Current Monthly Salary: 2,400,000 Yen]
Shuichi's biggest takeaway from these stats was that he needed to work harder with Sayuki. How could she fall behind? She and Fumika-san should be dominating the top two spots together!
Still, the salary increase was worth celebrating. The month was dragging, though—way too slow. When would payday finally come?
Having slept two nights without maintaining his hairstyle and even deliberately messing it up, Shuichi's good looks had nearly reverted to their baseline—just a tiny bit better than before, no longer drawing attention.
So, he spent a relatively peaceful morning at school, free from being gawked at like a rare animal.
But his disheveled appearance sparked some gossip.
At lunchtime, the trio gathered to chat.
"It's gotta be the class prez worrying that Chiba-kun will get stolen, so she won't let him dress too handsomely," Risa said, hitting the nail on the head.
"The prez isn't like that. Stop making wild guesses," Ako said, shooting her a look. "Either way, you've got no shot, so give it up."
"I'm more curious about what the president did yesterday. I didn't see it myself, but I heard she rushed to Chiba-kun's side and backed him up right away. So… does it mean the president's already approved of their relationship?" Rina speculated.
"I think the president was just doing her job impartially, not letting personal feelings interfere," Ako shook her head.
"Tch, dummy, look over there and say that again," Risa said, nodding toward something behind Ako.
"I'm not falling for it. You're just trying to steal my octopus sausage," Ako said, clutching her lunchbox protectively with a smug look.
"No, really, Risa's not lying this time. Turn around—it's the president and Chiba-kun," Rina said, staring wide-eyed behind Ako.
Half-convinced, Ako guarded her lunchbox and turned. "It really is…"
…
By now, Shuichi had finished lunch and was heading to the infirmary with Tsuki.
With students everywhere, it was inevitable that someone might spot them occasionally.
They took a less crowded route to the infirmary. Opening the door, they found it empty.
"Nagase Sensei isn't bailing, is she? Are you sure she's coming?" Tsuki asked skeptically.
"She will," Shuichi said confidently. "Mention Kitagawa-san, and she folds like a house of cards."
"Kitagawa-san?" Tsuki's eyes gleamed. "The pretty lady who caught us playing our game yesterday morning? What's her deal with Nagase Sensei? Could it be…?"
Shuichi gave her a sidelong glance. "What's with that dirty mind? Nagase-sensei just really admires Kitagawa-san and cares about her opinion, that's all."
"That's it?" Tsuki smacked her lips, a bit disappointed. "Speaking of that, Kitagawa-san is seriously gorgeous. I didn't get a good look that day, but even a glance was kind of stunning."
"Stunning or not, we'll talk later. Business first," Shuichi said, sitting in Naomi Hajime's office chair and pointing under the desk.
"Plenty of space. You can squeeze in there, right? When Nagase-sensei shows up, we'll give her a scare."
Tsuki licked her lips, her pink tongue flashing briefly as her heart raced. "Yes, perverted young master."
Once she was in place, Shuichi instinctively slid the office chair forward a bit, leaning back and slumping slightly, closing his eyes to relax.
Tsuki seemed to get bumped by the chair and let out a small complaint.
Shuichi slid the chair back a little to give her space.
But the wheeled chair seemed to have a mind of its own, creeping forward even when he sat still, prompting repeated protests from Tsuki.
After some bickering, Sumire still hadn't shown up. Shuichi opened his eyes, grabbed the phone on the desk, and sent a message.
[Sensei, planning to break your promise? Guess I'll have to follow your example from now on.]
[Don't rush me, I'm almost there. Hajime-sensei kept chatting, and I only just got away.]
"Is Sensei here yet?" Tsuki asked, her voice muffled.
"Yup," Shuichi said, reaching down to pat her puffed-up cheek, annoyed from the chair bumps. "She got held up by Hajime-sensei but says she's almost here. Hang in there."
"Oh…" Tsuki went quiet, her grumpy puffed cheeks softening into something else entirely.
Soon, footsteps approached, and the infirmary door swung open.
Sumire walked in, slightly out of breath, carrying a sizable bag. "Almost got caught—"
She froze mid-sentence, her gaze locking onto the dimples on Tsuki's cheeks.
Those dimples were so pronounced, it was impossible not to notice.
But…
The student council president didn't have dimples!
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