Just as Yukino was conserving her energy and had just begun to fall asleep, Hikari, who should have likewise gone to bed early to rest and recover his strength, because of some unexpected circumstances, returned to his room feeling somewhat tired.
According to the original plan, he should have already gone to sleep and rested, restoring his energy for meeting several groups of girls tomorrow.
But just now, due to some unforeseen situation, his plan had been disrupted.
However, it was precisely because of this that Hikari was now quite exhausted.
In this state, his sleep quality would probably be even better.
That worked out just fine.
Hikari didn't think much more about it.
After returning to his room, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
———
[Meanwhile, the Second Floor of the Tsubakihara House, Inside Miss Mira's Bedroom]
The bathroom light was still on, and the steady sound of running water kept coming out.
Miss Mira was taking a bath.
Between her charming brows, there was a faint trace of fatigue.
As she scrubbed the dirt off her smooth skin, Miss Mira's thoughts kept turning in her mind.
"Hikari-kun is already this old, and he still likes drinking that so much."
"Says he misses the old days, honestly… it's both funny and helpless."
Looking at the bite marks on the baby bottle(bo0bs) in her hand, Miss Mira couldn't help but feel speechless.
But being as attentive as she was, she still reached out, coated the mouth of the bottle with body wash, and under the stream of water, carefully washed away the somewhat sticky milk residue clinging to it.
After cleaning it thoroughly, Miss Mira finally let out a sigh of relief.
But recalling what had just happened, Miss Mira still couldn't help feeling a bit tense.
Her legs drew slightly together, and even her fair toes curled faintly.
That exchange just now, which had originally been part of her plan, still left Miss Mira somewhat surprised.
Tsubakihara Mira remembered that many people had said adolescence was the most rebellious period for every child.
The hardest time to communicate.
But the three children in her family were all quite sensible.
During their adolescence, none of them showed much rebellion.
And Hikari was almost the opposite.
At this age, he was a bit too sensible.
So just now, when Tsubakihara Mira used a reward as an excuse, it was actually because she wanted to have a proper conversation with Hikari.
This exchange, which she had thought wouldn't go very smoothly, unexpectedly went extremely smoothly from beginning to end.
That kind of seamless flow even surprised Tsubakihara Mira.
Originally, she had wanted Hikari to relax and open himself up so she could explore whether there had been any changes in his thoughts after returning from the countryside.
But through the exchange, Hikari did open up quite a bit.
And she herself also failed to maintain control, revealing quite a lot of herself as well.
However, as the pace of the communication steadily rose, even uncontrollably climbing higher, about to reach a crucial moment, Tsubakihara Mira still decisively cut off this deep exchange.
Because in her view, Hikari was still not mature enough.
This deeper level, taking one step further in communication, if nothing unexpected happened, she still had to wait.
Wait until this boy, whom she had watched grow up step by step since childhood, matured a little more.
Only then could she proceed to that most important step.
After all, in this regard, she herself had almost no practical experience.
And throughout the entire process, it was like watching a seed she had personally sown take root little by little, sprout, grow strong, its trunk thickening, its branches lush and flourishing, until finally it bore that large, full fruit, sweet and delicious.
Only then would she step forward, stand on tiptoe, pluck it with her own hands, and savor the overflowing juice, rich and sweet.
Thinking of this, the restlessness that had been lingering in Tsubakihara Mira's heart gradually calmed down.
With a sweet smile still on her face, she wrapped herself in a bath towel and returned to the bed.
Leaning back against the sheets, Tsubakihara Mira casually picked up the bedtime reading she had flipped through many times from beneath the pillow beside her.
The world's first full-length novel, written by the Heian-period writer Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji.
———
[The Next Day, Morning]
Because it was a school day, Hikari, along with Tsubakihara Yuna and Tsubakihara Nina, got up early.
Tsubakihara Mira had woken up even earlier than them and thoughtfully prepared breakfast.
Sitting at the dining table, while eating breakfast, Hikari quietly glanced at Miss Mira sitting across from him.
At this moment, Miss Mira wasn't eating breakfast. She simply had her hands clasped together, propping up her chin, smiling as she quietly watched him.
Seeing that Miss Mira also seemed to have rested well, Hikari nodded in reassurance.
And noticing that Miss Mira's expression didn't show the slightest trace of embarrassment surprised Hikari a little.
Because that kind of deep, almost incisive communication yesterday, even for someone as experienced as Hikari, it left him feeling somewhat awkward.
Even today, he still felt a bit unnatural.
But Miss Mira's expression appeared completely composed.
On her mature and delicate, alluring face, her expression was quite calm, with only a faint hint of a smile in her charming brows.
Hikari didn't quite know that Miss Mira actually had more than one educational reference book.
So even if something unexpected happened midway, she could quickly correct it.
However, seeing Miss Mira's expression so natural, Hikari's expression also returned to normal.
"Hikari-kun, are you done eating?", Tsubakihara Yuna, who had just finished breakfast, hurriedly asked him.
"Hikari-kun seems to be eating a bit slowly today," Tsubakihara Nina, who had been observing closely, also spoke up.
"Yeah, I saw Hikari-kun staring at Mom the whole time while eating breakfast. He's eating so slow. If you don't hurry, you'll be late," Tsubakihara Yuna urged.
"Alright, I'll be done in a second," Hearing the Tsubakihara sisters urging him, Hikari smiled and shook his head.
He quickly finished the breakfast in front of him.
"Then Mother, we're heading to school!"
"Miss Mira, see you later."
The Tsubakihara sisters and Hikari all said their goodbyes to Tsubakihara Mira.
"See you," Miss Mira also waved at them with a smile.
Then the three of them walked out of the house together.
But before long, Hikari parted ways with Tsubakihara Yuna and Tsubakihara Nina.
Because the school the two sisters attended was not the same as Hikari's.
They attended an all-girls academy.
So halfway through, after saying goodbye to the sisters, who were clearly a bit reluctant, Hikari headed alone toward Sakuragi High School.
Perhaps because they had just come back from a break, the students on the road looked spirited, full of energy, a stark contrast to their usual listless selves.
But Hikari knew that these energetic youngsters would settle down after a few classes.
Not paying much attention to others, Hikari quickened his pace and arrived at school.
"Hikari-kun!"
Just as he put down his schoolbag and was about to leave the classroom to get some air in the hallway, Hikari heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
Hikari turned his head. Before even fully seeing who it was, he smiled and said in advance, "Good morning, Shirakawa-sensei."
Looking closely, the person in front of him, with brown hair, delicate and attractive features, and a graceful appearance, wearing a white teacher's shirt on her upper body, the front stretched high by her ample chest, the buttons looking as if they might pop at any moment, this mature female teacher was none other than the Shirakawa Miwa-sensei whom Hikari was extremely familiar with, who often let him take the back door.
"You finally showed up. It's only been one break, and you're already coming to school this late."
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