Chapter 34

Shuichi Chiba quietly lifted the curtain and saw that Sumire Nagase was still sleeping soundly, looking quite peaceful.

However, her face was still flushed, making it seem like she was still running a fever.

Shuichi Chiba placed the back of his hand on her forehead again to check the temperature. "This isn't good. Although it's a bit better, she still feels hot. Should I call the school nurse?"

Sumire Nagase continued to sleep deeply, and after Shuichi spoke, he didn't take any action. He just stood there, watching her.

After a few minutes, Sumire's eyes suddenly moved, and then she slowly opened them, looking somewhat confused.

"Chiba? Why are you still here? What time is it? Shouldn't we be in class?"

Chiba stared at her expression and replied, "It's 10:30. There are five minutes left until PE class ends, so you don't need to worry about sleeping too long."

"I see... Well, you should probably head back to class. Next up is math, and you can't skip it again." Sumire said, her tone slightly more serious as she reminded him.

"No rush. Let's wait until the nurse comes back. I can't just leave you here alone."

Before she could refuse, Chiba suddenly added, "By the way, you were really sound asleep. I made quite a bit of noise earlier, but you didn't wake up at all."

Sumire trembled slightly, her eyes shifting a bit, and then she wiped her face with her hand before reaching for her glasses by the pillow and putting them on.

"It might be because I'm sick, making me more sleepy than usual. What kind of noise did you make? The nurse's office should stay quiet. Don't cause a disturbance again, it wouldn't be good if you affected someone else." Sumire said.

Shuichi Chiba smiled slightly. "Nothing much, I was just watching a video, and accidentally had the sound on."

"I see, be more careful next time." Sumire nodded, seeming to brush it off.

Just as the conversation was about to fall into an awkward silence, footsteps could suddenly be heard from outside.

A woman entered the room, her figure quite stunning, comparable to that of Fumika Ogawa. She wore a white lab coat, with a purple turtleneck underneath, paired with black garter stockings and a short skirt. Her shoulder-length hair added to her charm.

"What were you guys talking about? You both went silent as soon as I came in." The nurse, Akane Harada, asked with a smile.

"We were just talking about you, Ms. Harada." Shuichi Chiba replied smoothly.

Sumire Nagase gave him a subtle sideways glance. Since when was this guy so quick with his words?

"Oh? What were you saying about me? Talking behind my back?" Akane Harada teased.

"We were saying how attractive you are, Ms. Harada. If you weren't already engaged, I'd probably try my luck and pursue you after I graduate." Shuichi Chiba said with a playful grin.

Akane Harada was quite popular among the male students because of her beauty, and news of her engagement had spread quickly last year.

Chiba's remark made Harada burst into a melodic laugh. She turned to look at Sumire Nagase.

"Is this one of your students? He's got a way with words. But I doubt you taught him this, right?"

It was clear from their exchange that the two teachers had a good relationship.

Sumire rolled her eyes at her. "Of course not! You know I'd never teach him something like that. This guy used to be pretty reserved, but I guess he went through something. Now he's all smooth talk."

Yeah, he went through getting rich. Damn rich people!

But getting rich really does give people confidence…

Shuichi Chiba spread his hands helplessly and said, "Is this personal revenge, Ms. Nagase? Just because I said earlier that you're not exactly my type, and now I've complimented Ms. Harada, you're saying I'm being slick with my words?"

"If I were really trying to sweet-talk someone, wouldn't I start with you, my own teacher? Clearly, everything I've said is genuine."

Akane Harada burst out laughing even harder, but Sumire Nagase was fuming. What was this guy's problem? Did he have a grudge against her? Why was he hitting her with these jabs? 

Of course, there 'was' a reason.

Shuichi Chiba had a very clear goal—recruiting exceptional candidates who met his system's standards to open shops in the shopping district. 

Sure, Akane Harada was already engaged, and her current relationship seemed stable. Plus, her job as a school nurse wasn't bad. But there was no harm in planting some seeds now and building rapport for the future. After all, you never know.

Life is unpredictable.

Ahem, no need to overthink it. Maybe one day, if Akane Harada decided to quit her job, she could open up a pharmacy or clinic in the shopping district. That wouldn't be such a bad idea, would it?

If the shopping district had a pharmacy or clinic with enhanced effects, it would be an added layer of protection for Shuichi himself. After all, living longer meant more time to enjoy life—something he had learned the hard way in his previous life.

As for the fact that Akane Harada had a fiancé, it wasn't a major issue. The system's criteria were about a sense of belonging, not something like a game where favorability points had to be painstakingly raised through strategic interactions. 

Plus, with so many vacant shops in the district, why not put them to good use for now? Who knows, Harada might even have some relatives who fit the criteria for being excellent shop owners.

And considering nowadays high divorce rates, an engagement wasn't necessarily set in stone...

Chiba quickly shook his head, clearing his mind. He needed to stop these thoughts—they were going off the rails. Clearly, this was all Tsuki's bad influence!

"What are you daydreaming about? Ms. Harada is already back, so why don't you hurry up and go to class?" Sumire Nagase, noticing his dazed expression, reminded him with some annoyance.

"Oh? What needed my presence to wait for?" Akane Harada asked curiously when she heard this.

"Ms. Nagase is sick. Since Ms. Harada was away earlier, I took her temperature, gave her some fever-reducing medicine, and urged her to rest until you got back. I hope that's okay?" Shuichi Chiba finally snapped back to reality.

Akane Harada gave him a thumbs up. "Good job! You did really well. If you hadn't been keeping an eye on her, she definitely wouldn't have rested properly."

"Then I'll hand her over to you, Ms. Harada. I'm heading back now." Chiba said, noting that the class bell had already rung. He didn't linger and left the nurse's office.

After watching him leave, Akane Harada smiled and said, "Your student is quite interesting."

"Interesting? More like a ghost." Sumire Nagase replied, feeling annoyed at being underestimated.

Akane Harada chuckled, "Are you feeling jealous because he praised me and not you?"

"You..." Sumire began to get up, but suddenly remembered something. Her body tensed, and she quickly shrank back under the covers, clenching her legs. "Wait until I get better!"

"I won't wait; if I'm going to get revenge, it's happening now." Akane Harada grabbed a tongue depressor and a stethoscope. "Come here; I'm going to check you again."

"No need, I'm already feeling much better." Sumire said, shivering slightly at the sight of the stethoscope, resisting the request.

"Come on, you're an adult now. Stop being so difficult and hurry up." Without waiting for a reply, Akane pressed the tongue depressor against her face.

Reluctantly, Sumire opened her mouth for her to check her tonsils, and then, even more unwillingly, she submitted to having her heart and lungs examined.

"There's nothing serious going on," Akane Harada said as she returned to her desk. "Let's take your temperature again. If the fever has gone down, then we won't need to worry... Wait, besides the fever-reducing medicine, did you use anything else?"

"No, I didn't." Sumire Nagase shook her head in confusion.

"Are you sure?" Akane asked again, her tone firm.

Sumire continued to deny it.

Akane Harada suspiciously scanned the medicine on the desk. If she hadn't used anything, then why was there one less cold suppository?

But if she had used it, why would she hide it? Given the nature of their relationship, there was no reason to keep something like that a secret...

Akane's mind inexplicably drifted back to that male student, recalling the unusual atmosphere of their conversation, especially the imbalance Sumire had shown when Chiba complimented her…

Ugh…

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