Chapter 482
Chapter 482: Mutual Restraint and Reaping the Benefits
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12 min read
On the wide sports field, rows of canopies were set up, each sheltering rows of plastic chairs with backrests, allocated according to the number of students in each class.
"Class 1-F, Class 1-F... Ah, found it! I didn’t think it would be so far, it’s on the other side of the field." Seiko Kirigiri tiptoed and searched for a while before finally spotting the 1-F class canopy in the distance.
"Well, it was arranged alphabetically."
Kotomi Izumi wasn’t surprised. Just like exam rankings, class designations naturally came with a corresponding order. However, it was surprising to many that for two consecutive exams, the top student in the grade came from Class 1-F. This left some of the homeroom teachers of the top-ranked classes feeling embarrassed.
Rumor had it that after the midterms, the principal and the board chairman called a meeting with all homeroom teachers from first to third year to summarize the results.
When discussing the first-year midterm results, though the principal and chairman didn’t directly criticize the top classes, they spent a solid half hour praising Class 1-F. Twice in a row, the grade’s top student—and once the top in all of Tokyo—came from the same class.
The principal, who always insisted on personally writing his own speeches, naturally spared no effort in praising Kotomi, using all his rhetorical skills.
Why was the meeting extended by an hour?
Because the entire first hour was spent singing the praises of Kotomi and Class 1-F.
If the principal had had a bit of alcohol that day, he might have slapped the table and declared on the spot that a half-body statue of Kotomi should be erected at the school.
By the way, since some schools in Tokyo hadn’t yet finalized their midterm results, it was still uncertain who the top student in Tokyo was this time.
But when teachers from other schools saw Kotomi’s results from Sobu High School, many silently thought: "The top student in Tokyo might be her again."
Many schools had tried to poach Kotomi from Sobu High School, but the principal and chairman were no pushovers. Once they confirmed Kotomi wanted to complete all three years at Sobu, they took a hardline stance and shielded her from further hassle like they had turned into Iron Man.
Otherwise, just dealing with all those recruiters would have driven Kotomi crazy.
Throughout the entire midterm summary meeting, the principal and chairman didn’t talk about any other class or teacher. It was all about Kotomi and Class 1-F.
For the other homeroom teachers, especially those from the higher-ranked classes, it was a burning slap to the face—the harshest kind of rebuke from the administration.
In fact, the chairman even hoped to have Kotomi transferred to Class 1-A or 1-B. Having the top student emerge twice from Class 1-F could make parents and students question the school’s class placement system. Or suspect that the supposedly top classes were inflated.
But there was no fraud. It was just that Kotomi—a student whose entrance exam scores were unremarkable, even barely passing—had apparently awakened her sleeping potential after entering Class 1-F.
When the principal and chairman personally asked her to stay at Sobu High School, Kotomi laid out her own condition:
"I’m happy to stay at Sobu for all three years, but only if my homeroom teacher continues to be Shizuka Hiratsuka. Also, when I need to take days off, please make it easier to get approval~"
Kotomi’s condition was unusual. If it were another student who had impressed the principal and chairman so much, they’d probably try to secure major perks, like doubling their scholarship.
Kotomi’s requests were surprisingly simple: first, that her homeroom teacher for all three years of high school be Shizuka Hiratsuka; second, that the normally tedious leave process be simplified for her. "Special access"—what did that mean? Anyone sharp enough to become a principal or board chairman would understand right away: Kotomi was asking for her leave requests to be approved no matter the reason.
The principal and chairman exchanged a glance and ultimately agreed to Kotomi’s conditions.
Back to the present, Kotomi was now the only student in the entire school who could take leave whenever she wanted—no need to worry about her homeroom teacher refusing.
She hadn’t told Utaha Kasumigaoka about this; she feared senpai’s envious gaze would be far too intense!
Kotomi couldn’t help but chuckle softly. When she first enrolled, she’d been envious of Utaha for being able to take frequent leaves. But now, not only did she have the same privilege, hers was even better.
There’s a difference between frequent leave and unlimited leave.
Kotomi had once seen the homeroom teacher of Utaha’s 2-B class—a gentle, easygoing middle-aged woman who, by all accounts, had never raised her voice at a student.
No wonder she always approved Utaha’s requests. Kotomi thought that if her teacher were like that, she’d be taking leave all the time too.
Unfortunately, Shizuka Hiratsuka’s personality didn’t exactly scream "gentle"...
When Kotomi and Seiko arrived at the 1-F class canopy, no teacher or other students had shown up yet. They were among the first to arrive.
Kotomi immediately claimed a seat in the back row, settling into the far left as usual.
She glanced to her side and saw an empty chair placed right next to hers—clearly the homeroom teacher’s seat.
"Sitting next to Ms. Shizuka... not bad~"
Kotomi muttered to herself and, once settled in, had no intention of moving.
After a while, as more classes arrived at the field, the area gradually grew livelier.
Soon, the students of Class 1-F began to arrive.
Kotomi wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she could swear that as Megumi Kato and the others walked toward her, their pace was unusually quick. It even looked like they were racing over!
"Eh... I was hoping to see you in gym clothes right away, but you covered up with a jacket again?" Yui Yuigahama joked as she claimed the seat next to Kotomi.
Megumi Kato and Mashiro Shiina’s faces darkened instantly. Just moments ago, they’d both sped up, determined to secure the coveted seat beside Kotomi. But while they were too busy blocking each other, Yui had swooped in and claimed the prize.
"Tch... If you hadn’t blocked me earlier, I would’ve already been sitting next to Kotomi," Megumi muttered under her breath, glancing sideways at Mashiro.
"Right back at you. You kept trying to step on my shoe to slow me down. Lucky for me, it didn’t work," Mashiro shot back with a glare.
"Mashiro, you’re in the way."
"You’re the one who’s in the way. Kotomi is my—"
"Kato-san, Shiina-san, please don’t block the aisle. You’re in the way of your classmates," Shizuka Hiratsuka reminded them, then took the seat beside Kotomi.
Each homeroom teacher had a seat placed in the back row next to the students. Seeing that her seat was beside Kotomi, Shizuka visibly lit up with joy.
More than anything else, Kotomi always smelled lovely. Just sitting beside her and quietly breathing in her scent was a pleasure that words couldn’t express.
More than once, Shizuka had found herself wondering—what would it feel like to cuddle Kotomi as she slept?
With the opening ceremony concluded, the sports festival officially began.
Kotomi glanced over the event schedule from Shizuka Hiratsuka. The festival would span two days, and her event—the girls’ 800-meter run—was scheduled for the afternoon of the first day.
Which meant she had the entire morning free to relax. And once she finished the 800 meters, she could enjoy the second day without stress.
Shizuka Hiratsuka was currently sitting beside her. Without a word, Kotomi crossed her legs, pulled out her phone, and opened Azur Lane to start farming ships.
Seeing Kotomi so brazenly playing on her phone right next to her, Shizuka gave a small cough to signal her disapproval. "Izumi-san, be a bit more mindful, will you? Your homeroom teacher is sitting right next to you."
Kotomi didn’t put her phone away. Instead, she subtly leaned toward Shizuka. Even through the jacket, Shizuka could faintly feel a softness that made her breath quicken. Kotomi leaned against her arm and spoke softly:
"Shizuka-sensei, let me play on my phone for a bit~ Other than competing, sports festivals are super boring if you’re not chatting with friends."
"If you were chatting with classmates, I could pretend not to notice. But this... Back when I was a student, I’d never dare be so blatant. Honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing that I’m the one who taught you how to sneak your phone during class."
Shizuka’s mouth twitched as she resisted the urge to just let her be.
"Hehe, Sensei, that’s what it means to surpass the master. I learned it from you and then improved it. As a teacher, you should be proud!"
"If only you could put this much effort into your actual studies..." Shizuka muttered with a helpless smile. But what could she do? Even if Kotomi loved to sneak her phone, sleep through class, or even doze off during exams, none of it changed the fact that she was still top of the grade.
Shizuka gave up on scolding her, essentially giving silent permission for Kotomi to keep playing.
"Yui, pass me a slice of matcha cake."
Kotomi whispered to Yui Yuigahama, who instantly understood and handed over two slices.
Kotomi took them and used the soft cakes to poke Shizuka’s arm playfully. She chuckled and asked:
"Shizuka-sensei, want to try one of Dango Cake Shop’s signature treats—matcha cake?"
The mention of cake made Shizuka swallow subconsciously. But as a homeroom teacher, she had to remind her student not to eat snacks casually during the sports festival!
At the very least, they had to eat discreetly... She didn’t say this last part aloud. She knew Kotomi would easily read her mind. That little witch’s intelligence was frightening at times.
Kotomi did understand and smiled knowingly. "Got it~ I understand. Thank you, Shizuka-sensei."
She unwrapped one slice, releasing a sweet and rich matcha aroma that quickly reached their noses. Despite having eaten breakfast, Shizuka’s stomach let out an audible grumble.
"Sensei, cake tastes much better when shared."
As Kotomi spoke, she took out a small fork from the cake box. She knew that if she handed the cake directly to Shizuka, her teacher would feel too self-conscious about her position to accept it. Even if she forced it into her hands, Shizuka would likely wait until they were back in the office to eat it.
If she and the others were happily eating right beside her, and Shizuka was left out, it just felt wrong.
The best solution: get her to eat together.
Since she couldn’t hand it over directly—then she’d tempt her!
Kotomi took a bite of the matcha cake. Matcha had a very distinct flavor—those who liked it, really liked it. Those who didn’t would just frown and wonder what the appeal was.
Kotomi was definitely in the group that enjoyed it.
She loved eating it when it was there, but she wouldn’t go out of her way to buy a matcha dessert if it wasn’t right in front of her.
Still, Dango Cake Shop’s matcha cake truly was delicious. Kotomi had tried matcha cakes from other bakeries before, and they were often either too bitter or too sweet. Aside from the color, the taste didn’t even feel like matcha.
Watching Kotomi savor her cake with such delight, Shizuka Hiratsuka swallowed hard again and, trying to maintain her composure, said, "N-no, it’s fine. You go ahead and enjoy. I’m a bit past the age of wanting dessert at a sports festival."
Still pretending to be strong.
Shizuka often emphasized she was twenty-nine years and twelve months old, and now she was back to claiming she was mature. Kotomi simply shook her head helplessly, picked up the fork, stabbed a piece of matcha cake, and held it out to her:
"Sensei, do you want me to feed you?"
The sudden move startled Shizuka, who panicked. "What are you doing?! Quick, put your hand down—someone might see!"
A student not only sneaking her phone and snacks during the sports festival but also offering to feed the homeroom teacher with a fork—if this got out, Shizuka figured she might get fired by the afternoon.
In truth, she didn’t need to worry so much. Class 1-F’s seating was in a rather secluded area. Honestly, even if Kotomi put the cake in her own mouth and tried to feed it to Shizuka mouth-to-mouth, no one would notice.
But what experience did Shizuka have with this kind of situation? She had never dated anyone, never received a love letter!
The only time something close happened was back when she was a student watching a summer fireworks festival. She happened to meet a little silver-haired girl who had gotten separated from her parents. Not wanting to leave the girl alone, Shizuka stayed with her and watched the fireworks together.
Before they parted, the little silver-haired girl hugged her and proposed marriage. She even gave Shizuka half of a matching pendant shaped like a tree branch—a token of their "promise."
That little silver-haired girl had remained in Shizuka’s heart ever since—her little white-haired angel.
Their time together at the summer festival hadn’t been long, but the memories were beautiful. Shizuka even bought her an apple candy. After taking one lick, the little angel had held it up to Shizuka and sweetly said, "Onee-san~ You eat too!"
The way she tried to share the apple candy, her smile, her sugary voice—all of Shizuka’s fondest memories of her... suddenly overlapped in this moment with Kotomi, holding a fork and offering her matcha cake.
The angelic silhouette before her was overlapping—across time—with another.
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— End of Chapter 482 —