Hiratsuka Shizuka’s Assignment

"There's nothing wrong with this apartment."

"So, does the unsettling aura around the Nakano quintuplets come from somewhere else?"

"Or have they been affected by an Oddity?"

After walking out of the Nakano family apartment building, Haruto looked up and saw a crack in the sky that startled him.

He wasn't sure if it was an illusion.

He suddenly felt a sense of dread.

It seemed like something very bad was going to happen.

It must have been just an illusion.

Haruto averted his gaze and walked toward the apartment where he lived.

❀❀❀

The next day, Friday.

During lunch break, Haruto left his classroom and headed to the cafeteria.

As he passed by the next classroom, he didn't see Miku but instead ran into Hiratsuka, who was walking out of the office.

Haruto turned and walked away.

Hiratsuka crossed her arms and said, "Kuromori, why are you running away? Come back here."

A helpless expression appeared on Haruto's face as he turned back and greeted, "Hiratsuka-sensei, good day."

"Not good."

Hiratsuka approached him with a slight smile and said, "You really ran away when you saw me… Tell me, did you do something bad again?"

"You're overthinking it."

Haruto calmly said, "I just forgot my wallet, so I went back to get it."

Hiratsuka waved her hand generously and said, "No need to get it. I'm treating you to lunch today. I just wanted to give you something."

Haruto: "😐"

❀❀❀

Cafeteria.

Haruto casually ordered a portion of Mapo Tofu, along with rice, a serving of fried shrimp, some vegetable tempura, and a cup of Coke.

Hiratsuka raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "You've ordered so much, can you finish it all?"

"No problem."

Haruto glanced at her and picked up another dessert.

Several hashtags appeared in Hiratsuka's mind, and she said with a smile, "You'd better finish it all. If it goes to waste, haha…"

In a corner, the two sat down.

Hiratsuka took a sip of miso soup and said, "After school yesterday afternoon, I went to buy a notebook... Ahem, you misheard."

Haruto looked up and said, "Sensei, no need to hide it. After all, everyone has needs. Besides, sensei, you're already in your thir—"

Before he could finish speaking, Haruto felt a cold murderous intent.

He looked up and saw Hiratsuka staring at him with a friendly smile, snapping her fingers, "Kuromori, what did you say? Say it again? I didn't hear you clearly."

"..."

Sure enough, as the legend goes, students should never mention words like 'age' or 'boyfriend' in front of Hiratsuka. Otherwise, they might be punished with an iron fist.

So Haruto firmly said, "I didn't hear anything just now."

Backing down appropriately isn't something to be ashamed of. Of course, it depends on the situation.

But Hiratsuka isn't evil, and she's not a stranger.

Because of Mafuyu, Haruto is actually more familiar with Hiratsuka than one might imagine.

If it were a stranger, he would have fought back long ago!

Hiratsuka clenched her fist and said with a half-smile, "It seems we haven't sparred in a while. How about we have some fun this afternoon?"

'Do you know I have to control my strength and fight cautiously every time?'

Haruto declined without hesitation: "Sorry, I have other things to do this afternoon."

"..."

A look of disappointment flashed across Hiratsuka's face, but she didn't press the matter.

She knew very well that although she had no problem dealing with a few gangsters, she was completely outmatched in front of this guy.

She couldn't understand how this kid had developed such good skills.

Setting aside her thoughts, Hiratsuka frowned slightly and said, "Yesterday, I met a girl, a very worrying girl."

Yesterday afternoon after school, she encountered a girl being bullied on her way home. Although she stepped in to stop it and taught those people a lesson, the girl's reaction left her unable to relax.

So, she went to ask about it today.

And what she learned made Hiratsuka even more uneasy.

The girl had a gentle character and was too kind. Whether it was her fault or not, her first reaction was to apologize. Hiratsuka always felt that if this continued, something very bad would happen.

But she was a teacher at Sobu High School, so it wasn't easy to intervene in some things.

"Her name is Nishimiya Shouko, and she's a student at a special school."

A heavy expression appeared on Hiratsuka's face as she said, "Even though there are some things we can't stop, I've made contact with that girl. If I just let her go, it could lead to very serious consequences."

If she hadn't found her, she could have let it go.

But now that they had met, Hiratsuka Shizuka's character couldn't just sit idly by and ignore it.

Haruto remained silent and said, "Shouldn't matters like this be left to the school?"

A bitter smile appeared on Hiratsuka's face as she said, "There are some things that even we can't handle."

"I see."

Haruto wasn't unfamiliar with bullying.

It's a phenomenon that can't be eradicated, and the reasons for bullying are very simple—being too kind, not fitting in, dressing provocatively, etc., all can be reasons for bullying.

And there are some things that can't be resolved just by telling the teachers and parents.

Some parents might even say irresponsible things like, 'Why aren't they bullying others, but they're bullying you?'... This world is far from as beautiful as imagined.

Even at Sobu High School, some of these phenomena still exist, though not too extreme.

Hiratsuka said in surprise, "You agree?"

She had originally thought she would have to take time to convince him and even ask Mafuyu for help.

Haruto glanced at her and said, "Then, can I refuse?"

"Sorry, no."

A smile appeared on Hiratsuka's face, and a stone in her heart fell quietly.

She was in a good mood, then took a piece of fried shrimp from Haruto's plate and said, "To prevent you from wasting food, let me help you share it!"

Haruto said wordlessly, "I can finish my meal."

Hiratsuka thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that I think you can't finish it?"

After a while, Hiratsuka took another piece of fried shrimp and said nonchalantly, "There's a physical education class in the afternoon. Eating too much isn't good for your stomach."

"That's enough."

Haruto's head was full of black lines: "If you want to eat, buy it yourself."

Hiratsuka coughed lightly and said with a smile, "I'm verifying a truth. Someone said that food in someone else's bowl tastes better."

"Now it seems that's true."

"..."