Chapter 57: Do You Think I'm the Type to Get Carried Away by Praise?
Modern Literature class.
Luke had maintained his record of not sleeping in class for a long time now.
He relaxed, his hand resting on the book, savoring the content.
Until Hiratsuka Shizuka walked up next to him and lightly tapped the desk beside him.
Luke emerged from his reading, put on his presence-reducing glasses, and looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka, whose face showed little emotion.
"Is something wrong? Sensei."
Hiratsuka Shizuka spoke the cold words students least wanted to hear in a calm voice: "Come to the office after class."
Luke inexplicably felt a chill down his spine: "...Okay."
Being a regular visitor, he agreed, then continued reading.
After a while, the bell signaling the end of class rang.
"Alright, class dismissed—"
Hiratsuka Shizuka gently closed the open book and walked towards the back door of the classroom on her high heels.
"Kawasaki Saki, are you a police officer from a manga?"
Hiratsuka-sensei's voice came from behind, likely speaking to Kawasaki-san who had been late for the entire period.
But there seemed to be no rebuttal or apology; he only heard the sound of footsteps among the classmates.
He took the Service Club application form filled out by Yuigahama from his bag, but a figure blocked the sunlight beside him.
The girl swung her long hair, straight as her height, slung her bag over her back with one hand, wrapped her upper garment around her waist, her still-slender legs stopping beside his chair, watching him with lifeless, vitality-drained eyes.
"Kawasaki-san?"
Luke shifted his gaze over.
It was the female classmate he met on the rooftop earlier, the one who was just late.
Looking at her tired and weary eyes, having had plenty of such experiences himself, he couldn't help asking:
"Are you okay?"
Kawasaki's face remained uninterested.
She slowly took out two hair ties from her pocket, one predominantly black, the other blue.
"For you."
Kawasaki Saki said softly, tossing the two hair ties into his hand.
Was it about the matter they discussed on the rooftop?
Did she keep it in mind?
Luke watched Kawasaki Saki walk away directly.
"Thanks."
Could this girl have been late because she was fixing these two hair ties?
Forget it, better head to the office first.
Putting the hair ties safely in his backpack, he picked up Yuigahama's club application and prepared to go to the teachers' office.
He pondered as he walked.
It seemed he hadn't made any mistakes recently, right?
Why did Hiratsuka-sensei summon him to the all-too-familiar teachers' office again?
It wasn't like he was late like Kawasaki.
Arriving at the destination, Luke bent his finger and knocked lightly on the door.
"Please come in—!"
Luke familiarly walked to Hiratsuka Shizuka's desk.
"Hiratsuka-sensei."
Hiratsuka Shizuka swiveled her chair around to face him, still holding a paper cup full of tea:
"Oh, you're here."
"Do you know why I called you here?"
Luke thought, guessing: "Because I skipped cooking class again?"
Pfft... Hiratsuka Shizuka squeezed the paper cup in her hand hard, tea splashing out from the cup.
"...Sensei, doesn't that burn?"
Luke looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka's hand, wet with tea.
"My cold heart feels no warmth from the tea," Hiratsuka Shizuka said with a cold smile.
"Why say something like that? Is it because you just finished teaching Modern Literature?"
Luke found a chair nearby and sat down, quickly saying: "I was kidding. Didn't you find Hikigaya and Totsuka-san to team up with me?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka scanned him up and down.
"You rascal, you dare tease your teacher?!"
He decisively turned the tables: "It's clearly Sensei who lacks confidence in her promise to her student. Didn't I promise you I would attend cooking class normally?"
His confident, undisguised attitude made Hiratsuka Shizuka take a deep breath: "So how was cooking class after you formed a group?"
He thought for a moment, considering Hikigaya's and Totsuka's cooking skills, and couldn't help giving a thumbs up:
"Ate to my heart's content!"
The tea-filled paper cup crumpled again, the grip so strong it seemed to squeeze out every last drop of tea.
Hiratsuka Shizuka glared fiercely at him with beast-like eyes, then took a stack of papers from the side.
"As punishment for teasing your teacher—help me grade homework!"
"Oh."
Luke indifferently took the homework papers and a pen, considering it repayment for the good grouping she arranged for his cooking class.
"But the break time isn't long, I won't be able to grade many."
"No matter, squeezing out whatever I can is the point!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka said calmly, also picking up another pen.
Hearing this, he subconsciously took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes.
The scenery reflected in his eyes remained unchanged...
Hey, he actually had yin-yang eyes too, seeing a ghost hanging under a streetlamp in broad daylight.
"What's that paper in your hand?"
Hiratsuka Capital, no... Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei looked at him and asked.
"Right, here's the club application form for you," Luke quickly handed her Yuigahama's application.
"Hmm?" Hiratsuka Shizuka leaned back in her chair, picked up the application, and started reading.
"Yuigahama Yui, huh... Speaking of which, how did Yuigahama's request turn out?"
Luke looked at her doubtfully: "Wait, Sensei, did you call me over just to chat about these things?"
"Hmm... I guess so."
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked up at the ceiling, thinking for a moment.
"Yuigahama also suggested joining the Service Club to me before, so I wanted to hear your opinion."
Luke answered directly: "Yuigahama joining the Service Club is very good. She has the characteristic of letting Yukinoshita slowly get used to her."
After all, she's an idiot.
Even if Yukinoshita Yukino rejects her, Yuigahama won't mind.
"Hmm?"
An interested sound.
He continued to add:
"Since Yukinoshita is a gentle yet lonely person, she won't be able to refuse Yuigahama. Who can blame her when Yuigahama is such a simple person."
"At the same time, Yuigahama's habit of not being good at expressing her inner thoughts might also change because of Yukinoshita."
"Really?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka tapped the desk, seeking further confirmation from him.
"Probably. Their interaction before seemed quite harmonious... Based on the current situation, the final result should likely be like this."
Thinking about his observations of the two at the pet cafe, Luke nodded confidently.
Looking at the thoughtful Hiratsuka Shizuka, he thought for a moment and added a sentence: "This is also reasoning brought about by summarizing long-term life experience! A young maiden like Sensei wouldn't understand."
However, upon hearing the term 'young maiden', Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but laugh wildly: "Hahahahaha! You little rascal, you sure know how to talk!"
This adult is truly shameless.
Such faint praise could make her tail shoot up to the sky.
Hiratsuka Shizuka patted his shoulder in high spirits: "As expected of the student I trust the most, truly exceptionally smart! The problem children are left to you to solve!"
The student she trusts the most?
He didn't believe that for a second.
As for the monotone praise afterwards...
Hiratsuka-sensei, do you think I'm the type to get carried away by praise?
"Sensei, your words are completely setting me up for a fall," Luke nodded expressionlessly.
"However, Sensei indeed doesn't seem like someone who would lie, so I'll gladly accept it."
Yes, he was.
After exchanging some flattery...
Then, seemingly aware of the awkwardness, the two fell silent until the time for the next class approached.
Only then did he stop the pen in his hand...
"Class is about to start, I'll leave first, Hiratsuka-sensei."
Hiratsuka Shizuka hummed an "Mm" without looking up, simply cautioning him:
"Don't rush the request I gave you. This applies to Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and... also to you."
It was unclear if he heard her or not. In the end, Luke just nodded and left.
...
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