Yasuo was staring at the sourdough starter as if it were a crystal ball. It had been three days since the "Bookstore Incident" and the "Bedroom Kiss." He felt like a total loser. He'd been dodging Daisetsu like a pro ninja, hiding in the kitchen whenever the tall, handsome teacher walked past the shop.
"You're going to bake that dough into a brick if you keep staring at it," Grandma Mayonaka said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"I'm just... focusing, Grandma," Yasuo lied, his face heating up at the mere thought of Daisetsu's hands on his waist.
Clink-clink.
The bakery door opened. Yasuo's heart did a backflip. He didn't even have to look up to know who it was. The air always got heavier, more "metallic," and way hotter when Daisetsu Nakamura entered the room.
Daisetsu didn't stop at the counter. He walked straight into the back kitchen, past the "Staff Only" sign. He was wearing his casual black leather jacket, looking every bit the Wounded Soul and Stoic Protector.
"We're done with the emails, Yasuo," Daisetsu said, his voice dropping into that low, gravelly rasp. "And we're done with the chairs in front of the door."
Yasuo gripped his rolling pin. "Daisetsu-sensei, you shouldn't be back here. It's... it's not sanitary!"
Daisetsu laughed, a rough, sexy sound. He didn't care about the flour or the dough. He stepped into Yasuo's space, pinning the smaller baker against the heavy wooden prep table. "I don't care about the bread. I care about the fact that you haven't looked me in the eye since I bought that book for you."
"Because it's embarrassing!" Yasuo squeaked, his "Shy Nurturer" instincts screaming danger. "You saw my secret! You saw the... the things I like!"
"I liked them too...Kawaii-ne," Daisetsu whispered, leaning down so his lips were brushing against Yasuo's ear. "In fact, I've been thinking about Page 42 all morning."
Yasuo's brain short-circuited. Page 42 was the part where the seme pins the uke on a kitchen counter.
"Daisetsu..."
"Stop blushing, my cutie boy," Daisetsu groaned, his hands sliding under Yasuo's floury apron to grip his waist. "And show me if the real thing is better than the story."
The Stoic Protector didn't give Yasuo a chance to argue. He lifted Yasuo up, sitting him right on the flour-covered counter. The cold marble against Yasuo's skin made him gasp, but the heat of Daisetsu's body pressing between his legs was even more intense.
This was the Grand Gesture. No flowers, no chocolate—just raw, physical demand. Daisetsu's mouth crashed onto Yasuo's, tasting of coffee and the cold outside air. It was a Physical Touch payoff that had been building for twenty chapters. Yasuo's hands flew to Daisetsu's hair, pulling him closer, his shyness burning away in the fire of the teacher's touch.
Daisetsu's hands were everywhere. One held Yasuo's neck, his thumb tracing the line of his throat, while the other slid down to squeeze Yasuo's thigh. The metallic smell of Daisetsu's jacket mixed with the sweet scent of sugar and yeast in the air.
"I've been going crazy," Daisetsu whispered against Yasuo's lips, his breathing ragged. "Every time I see you blushing at school, I just want to drag you into a dark room and finish what we started in the bookstore."
Yasuo moaned, his legs wrapping around Daisetsu's waist, pulling the him as close as humanly possible. He didn't care about the Secretive Reader shame anymore. He just wanted the man in front of him.
Daisetsu's hand moved to the buttons of Yasuo's shirt, his fingers deft and quick. "You read about this, right? Let's see if your books prepared you for how much I want you."
Just as Daisetsu leaned in to mark Yasuo's collarbone with a possessive bite, the Systematic Avoidance was ruined by a much louder sound.
BANG!
The back door of the bakery was kicked open.
"DAISETSU! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
It was a voice full of screeching jealousy. Kaede. The obsessive rival teacher had finally tracked them down. She stood in the doorway, her eyes widening as she saw the respectable teacher pinning the local baker to a flour-covered counter.
"I knew it!" she screamed, pulling out her phone to take a photo. "Gross! A teacher and a... a bread boy? This is going straight to the Superintendent!"
Daisetsu didn't panic. He slowly stood up, shielding Yasuo with his broad back, his eyes turning cold and "metallic." He stepped toward Kaede, his fists clenching. "You should have stayed at the school, Kaede. Because now? You're not just dealing with a teacher. You're dealing with the man who protects this shop."
Outside, the sound of a black car idling could be heard. Tenshin had arrived, but he wasn't alone.