As promised, Hiratsuka Shizuka took on the important task of driving Mori Shinra home.
Arriving at the school's parking lot, Shinra watched as Hiratsuka Shizuka stopped in front of a sports car, expertly took out the keys to unlock it, and rested a hand on the doorframe, turning her head to signal for him to get in. He felt a sense of absurdity.
He recognized her beloved car—an Aston Martin Vantage, a dream car that you either have from birth or likely never will in this lifetime. The price should be around fifty million yen. Based on Hiratsuka Shizuka's salary as a teacher, she would have to save for seven years without any other expenses to afford it.
However, Hiratsuka Shizuka had only been a teacher for a few years. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for her to afford such a luxury car.
Then, there could only be one truth.
"Rented?"
"Bought."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's reply was blunt, directly shattering Shinra's last shred of illusion.
Damn it, another wealthy capitalist woman.
Yukinoshita Yukino was one, and Hiratsuka Shizuka was another.
He had to admit, a good school really had its perks. Not only could it teach you the skills to establish yourself in society, but it also gave you the opportunity to come into contact with the upper class. If you could successfully woo one, or even if you didn't, just maintaining a friendship could endlessly benefit you in the future.
If you really managed to win one over, then congratulations. You haven't just skipped ten years of struggle; you've made a direct leap in social class. The cost-performance ratio is maxed out.
Sigh, if I could marry either one of them, I'd even be willing to live in a mansion and drive a luxury car!
After folding his crutch and placing it in the trunk, Mori Shinra sat in the passenger seat. To be honest, this type of sports car wasn't actually comfortable to sit in. After all, it was designed for speed, not comfort. Even so, this was the first time in this life and his past life combined that he had ever ridden in a sports car.
With the roar of the engine, the scenery outside the window began to recede. Hiratsuka Shizuka held the steering wheel with one hand, her other hand resting loosely on the gearshift. She glanced at the boy who was looking at the car's interior with novelty and was the first to break the silence.
"I didn't expect you to get along so well with that Yukinoshita kid. You've got some skills, you know."
Honestly, if Hiratsuka Shizuka wasn't his teacher and homeroom advisor, just hearing that line would make him think she was some kind of flippant older sister. Hmm? It seems the two aren't mutually exclusive.
"It was alright. Is Yukinoshita-san a difficult person to get along with?" Shinra asked, puzzled.
"Well, not exactly difficult," Hiratsuka Shizuka thought for a moment before continuing. "That child is just like her name, like snow buried deep underground. Though beautiful, she is unreachable to others."
"One can admire from a distance, but not play with wantonly?" Shinra provided a precise description.
"You clearly get it, so why are your National Language grades so terrible?" Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't understand.
Shinra replied irritably, "Is it possible that what's 'National Language' to you, teacher, is a foreign language to me?"
"Oh, right. You grew up abroad." Hiratsuka Shizuka remembered the background of the student beside her. It was just that Mori Shinra's Japanese pronunciation was so native-like that she had subconsciously thought he was a local.
But then again, Hiratsuka Shizuka asked, somewhat confused, "In that case, why did you choose the liberal arts track? Based on your grades, you should have chosen the science track, right?"
"Because it doesn't matter. Choosing either track won't affect my future university admission. Plus, I've already mastered most of the high school science curriculum. Since that's the case, why not choose the liberal arts track, which has more girls?" Shinra answered.
"Special admission?"
"Something like that."
Speaking of this, one had to mention Mori Shinra's family background. Although his parents in this world had passed away, he was not without relatives. He still had a grandfather and numerous other clan members.
The Mori clan has been a major family name since ancient times, and the Mori family he belonged to in this world was a large clan with a long history. With recent modernization, the family business had grown larger and larger, with a commercial network spanning the globe. They were a genuine multinational giant.
The reason he could still maintain a normal life despite his parents' passing was largely due to the help from his family.
Although he was only from a branch family, his bank card received living expenses from the family trust every month. Coupled with the house and inheritance left by his parents, he didn't have to worry about his livelihood, though an overly extravagant lifestyle was out of the question.
After he graduated from high school, the family would also help arrange a university for him based on his wishes and actual situation.
Right after he transmigrated, the original owner's parents had just passed away. So when Shinra learned that he had a powerful family behind him, he was quite worried that some unknown uncles and aunts would come out of the woodwork to prey on the orphaned.
After all, that's how it's always written in novels, right? The parents die, the protagonist fights a battle of wits with relatives who covet his parents' inheritance, then discovers a conspiracy behind his parents' death, embarks on a path of revenge, and finally succeeds, achieving fame and fortune with beautiful women on each arm...
However, the reality was that none of the above happened. In fact, the family provided him with targeted support. Not only did his monthly trust fund dividend increase, but the family also contacted the bank to help pay off the mortgage on his parents' house in advance. He could slowly pay the family back after he graduated and started working, and it was even interest-free in the meantime.
In a sense, Mori Shinra's life in this world could be considered "born in Rome."
"We're here. Do you need me to help you upstairs?" Hiratsuka Shizuka parked the car on the roadside and asked the boy in the passenger seat.
"No need for the trouble, there's an elevator," Shinra replied.
The house his parents left him was not a common Japanese single-family home, but a luxury apartment. He could take the elevator up and down. The location was excellent, with comprehensive facilities nearby, 24-hour concierge service, and it wasn't far from Sobu High.
Seeing this, Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't insist. She unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car to retrieve the crutch from the trunk, and watched as Shinra entered the building. Just as she was about to get back in the car and leave, she noticed a familiar figure in the distance walking slowly in their direction.
"Yukinoshita?" Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but glance back at the apartment building where Shinra had just entered. It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?
Yukinoshita Yukino, who was almost home, also noticed Hiratsuka Shizuka. After all, the eye-catching design of the Aston Martin was hard to miss, especially with a beautiful woman standing next to it, making it even more conspicuous.
"Hiratsuka-sensei?" Yukinoshita Yukino was a little confused. Didn't she go to take Mori Shinra home? Why was she here?
Could it be...
The sharp-witted Yukinoshita quickly realized something. Her gaze shifted to the entrance of her own apartment building. Through the clean glass doors, the back of a figure on a crutch came into view. The building's concierge was next to him, seemingly wanting to help, but it looked like he was refused by Shinra.
Yukinoshita Yukino pursed her lips. Wasn't this just too much of a coincidence?