Next Target, 400PS!
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"Since you already know, let's wrap this up fast so I can head back early!" Unfazed by her teasing, Kai shot back casually.
"Tsk."
Shizuka Hiratsuka knew what kind of guy he was. She rolled her eyes, walked up, and rang the doorbell. Hayato Hayama's mother opened the door.
Mrs. Hayama greeted the teacher with a polite smile. When she was asked about Hayato, her smile grew even warmer.
"Hayato got a lot of his energy back this afternoon. A boy named Tobe invited him out. He should be fine to go to school tomorrow." As a mother, she was happy to see her son acting like himself again.
"I see!" Shizuka smiled.
Tobe? That must be Kakeru Tobe... After a bit more small talk, Shizuka said goodbye.
"Looks like they're fine." Just hearing his mother's words was enough. Back at the car, Shizuka let out a sigh of relief. "Alright. Since there's no emergency, I'll take you back. I wouldn't want to make you late for your date with your little girlfriend."
However, when she looked at Kai, she saw him staring at the front door of the Hayama house. Shizuka followed his gaze, then gave him a suspicious look.
"Hey. Don't tell me you're interested in Hayato's mom?" She was older, but still attractive. Lately, guys seemed to like mature women.
"..." Kai didn't answer. He slowly withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Shizuka.
"Hmm?" While she looked at him in confusion, Kai raised his hand high.
A split second later.
Smack!
He brought his hand down hard on her backside.
"Ouch!" Caught off guard, Shizuka jumped. "THAT HURT! AND WE'RE OUTSIDE!"
Ignoring the sting, she remembered they were out in public. What if someone saw? She didn't care about her own reputation, but she cared about Kai's. Even if he didn't, she still wanted to protect him.
"Keep talking nonsense and I'll hit you again!" Kai warned.
Hayato's mom was attractive, but did she really think he was that kind of guy?
"..." Shizuka had only been joking. She gave a dry laugh at his threat. "Alright, alright. So what is it? Are we not going back?"
"We're not going back yet... If I'm right, Hayama and his friends ran into a Cursed Spirit."
"Hmm?" Shizuka's playful mood vanished. She looked serious. "A Cursed Spirit? Did you see one in the house?"
Was that what he was staring at earlier?
"No, just the leftover aura of one. The house smells like a Cursed Spirit, so one was definitely there. Since Hayato isn't home, the most likely answer is—"
"It's attached to Hayato. He left, so the Cursed Spirit went with him."
"It just left its scent behind."
"This..." She had only been joking before. Shizuka never thought Hayama and his friends would really run into a Cursed Spirit.
"What do we do now?" As a teacher, she couldn't just sit by while her students were in danger.
"Get in the car!" Kai said.
Something about this Cursed Spirit felt strange. It didn't seem like a normal curse. Without another word, he got in the passenger seat.
He waved his hand, and a bird-shaped Cursed Spirit appeared from a dark rift and flew out the window.
"Follow it!" Kai had used a Cursed Spirit to track Tomoya Aki before. When it came to finding people, a Cursed Spirit was much better than any human.
"GOT IT!"
Shizuka had never seen this trick before, but she knew Kai didn't mess around. Without asking questions, she started the car and followed the bird.
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"A hotel?"
She expected the spirit to lead them to Tobe's house, or maybe Yamato's or Ooka's, since they all skipped school. Instead, it took them right to a hotel.
And not just any hotel—it was a love hotel.
"Don't tell me..." Shizuka glanced at Kai. "If you really want to do this, we should handle the Cursed Spirit first."
"..." Ignoring her teasing gaze, Kai stepped out and walked straight toward the entrance.
"Hey, wait for me!" Snapping back to reality, Shizuka jogged to catch up.
Deep down, she knew Kai wouldn't put his desires before a real crisis. She was joking to lighten the mood. That was her way.
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"I'm sorry, but we cannot disclose our guests' private information!"
Shizuka approached the front desk, but the receptionist politely refused to provide any information.
"Is that so?" Shizuka smirked.
After a few sharp words, Shizuka walked away with a room keycard.
"How about that? Impressive, right?" She held up the keycard and gave Kai a smug grin.
"Very impressive. Just what I'd expect from the young miss of the Hiratsuka group!" Kai nodded, playing along.
Shizuka had just mentioned she was the heiress of a Yakuza group—and that was enough to make the receptionist cooperate. In Japan, most people would rather not cross the Yakuza. The receptionist was just a regular worker, and the Hiratsuka name alone was enough.
"Hmph!" She let out a proud snort.
She wasn't a Sorcerer, but she could still help when it mattered. She didn't use her Yakuza ties to bully anyone—she was just protecting her students. As far as Shizuka was concerned, she had nothing to feel guilty about.
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"This room?"
After taking the elevator up, Shizuka stared at the room number on the door.
"What's wrong with it?" Kai asked, giving her a curious look.
Shizuka suddenly didn't know what to say.
"Well, this kind of room is usually only booked by couples. It comes with... certain toys. Of course, I only know that because Machida told me."
In truth, Shizuka had thought about booking a room like this with Kai before, so she'd looked it up. But there was no way she'd admit that, so she blamed Sonoko Machida instead.
"Ahem!" She cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, the front desk said Hayama and the other three booked this room. Why would four guys rent a place like this?"
There were only four of them: Hayama, Tobe, Ooka, and Yamato.
If there were girls, it would make sense... But four teenage boys booking a love suite with toys? Something was off...
"Do you think the receptionist gave us the wrong key?" Shizuka would rather believe it was a mistake than think her four male students had a "special" relationship.
"Only one way to find out!" Kai grabbed the keycard from her. "Wait here."
"Huh? Oh, right!" Shizuka nodded. If there was a Cursed Spirit inside, running in would just get in the way. She waited in the hallway.
Click!
The door swung open.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
As soon as Kai stepped inside, a bunch of terrified male screams came from the room, along with the sound of furniture crashing and people scrambling.
Before Shizuka could even react, Kai turned around and walked right back out.
"What? What is it? What happened?" Shizuka demanded.
"Good thing you stayed out here..." Kai muttered.
"??"
That only made Shizuka even more curious.
Then, Kai gave her a look full of meaning. "Who says a group of guys can't book a love hotel together?"
"..."
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