Seeing Shizuka Hiratsuka arrive, Hazuki walked over with a smile.
"Shizuka, long time no see. Every time I tried to contact you before, you were always swamped."
Putting down the bottles of alcohol in her hands, Hiratsuka sighed with a bitter smile. "No choice. Students these days are getting harder and harder to deal with. And right now, besides being a homeroom teacher, I also teach Japanese to two other classes in different grades. I'm really busy. It's only now, during the holiday, that I can finally get some proper rest. Normally on weekends, I don't even want to move."
As a teacher, her workload had indeed been getting heavier over the past couple of years. Just as she said, some students were truly difficult to handle.
At that moment, Ichin came out of the kitchen and said with a smile, "Then today, Hiratsuka-sensei, just relax and enjoy yourself. Even if you drink too much, it's fine. There are plenty of rooms and bedding here."
Hiratsuka returned the smile. "Isn't that a given?"
By 6:30 in the evening, the Christmas feast was ready. The long dining table was filled to the brim with all kinds of dishes. Even the cats, who usually weren't curious, were drawn over by the rich aromas.
After preparing cat food for them and sending them off to eat their own meals, everyone finally began.
"Cheers!!!"
Glasses clinked, whether filled with alcohol or drinks. Everyone took a hearty gulp and then dug into the feast.
Taking a bite of lamb chop, Hiratsuka said with satisfaction, "Mmm… it's been so long since I've had lamb chops. The food here really is amazing."
Sitting beside her, Haruno smiled. "Not bad, right? I get to eat like this almost every day!"
"…"
Rolling her eyes at Haruno's smug expression, Hiratsuka said irritably, "Don't think I don't know. You just sit there and wait to be fed. It's all Ichin and the others who cook. As for you stepping into the kitchen? Not happening."
"Hehe, I don't cook, but I still get to eat. Jealous?"
It had to be said, when it came to teasing Hiratsuka, Haruno was truly top-tier. The fact that their relationship had remained this good over the years was practically a miracle.
Kirino took a bite of a chicken wing and asked, "Hiratsuka-sensei, your relationship with Ichin-kun and the others is really good, huh? I don't remember teachers and students being this close."
Hiratsuka thought for a moment, then said helplessly, "That's true. This is pretty much a one-of-a-kind situation. But honestly, it's not really my fault. Just look at them. Did they ever act like students back in school?"
At that moment, Yukino quietly raised her hand. "Hiratsuka-sensei, please don't include me in that."
"I'm including you, so what?" Hiratsuka shot her a look. "Yukino, you were just quieter in high school, but weren't you extremely unsociable? You only got better after meeting Ichin and Utaha, but you still barely interacted with anyone else."
Yukino replied calmly, "You can't blame me for that, Hiratsuka-sensei. Some people are just like that. If you don't go along with them, you get excluded from their little circles. I'd rather not be in that kind of environment. If someone has a good personality, I'm actually quite willing to communicate."
Ichin added, "Exactly. And Hiratsuka-sensei, for high school knowledge, both Utaha and I already knew most of it. There wasn't much for us to learn. If it weren't for attendance requirements, I would've stopped going to school a long time ago. Wouldn't it be better to just focus on developing games? Even now in university, I barely attend classes. Maybe once or twice a month, then I just show up for the final exams."
"That's why geniuses like you are such a pain in the ass to deal with."
Hiratsuka took a sip of her drink, then turned to Kirino. "See? They're nice people, but they're too outstanding and far more mature than their peers. I couldn't treat them like kids. After spending enough time with them, things just naturally turned into this kind of relationship."
"Ohhh, I see."
Kirino nodded in realization. "That's actually pretty nice. A teacher-student relationship like yours… you'd only see it in some old TV dramas."
Thinking back to her own middle and high school life, Kirino felt that although her own experiences weren't bad, she couldn't help but feel envious of the relationship in front of her.
Haruno hugged Hiratsuka's arm with a grin, poured her another glass of red wine, and said affectionately, "Shizuka is really great. Even though she talks tough sometimes, she always helps when it matters. Back when I was student council president in high school, there were lots of things I couldn't handle on my own, and I often asked her for help!"
"Don't remind me of your high school days," Hiratsuka said. "Making you student council president was a mistake. Those two years, you were completely out of control."
Although Hiratsuka didn't deny that Haruno had done an excellent job as student council president, many of her actions were driven more by what she found fun rather than responsibility.
Yet somehow, everything she did turned out perfectly, leaving no room for criticism. That left Hiratsuka both impressed and exasperated.
After eating a bit, Ichin sighed, "Time really flies. In two months, Utaha and I will graduate from university. Hiratsuka-sensei, are you planning to keep teaching at Toyogasaki High?"
"Of course. What else would I do?"
Hiratsuka smiled. "The head of year is retiring in about a year. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll take over. With such a good future ahead, there's no way I'd give it up."
"And what about after you get married?"
Hiratsuka glared at Haruno, who asked the question, and replied, "Even if I do get married, I'll still continue teaching. Those things don't conflict, alright? Speaking of which, Ichin, Utaha, you said you'd hold your wedding after graduation, right? Then what about your future children? Will they go to school here, or back in China?"
"Hm?"
Ichin blinked, then looked at Utaha. The two couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, we haven't really thought that far yet. Even the wedding has only been casually discussed, we haven't started preparing. But now that you mention it, we probably should find a good wedding planner and start organizing things. We'll need ceremonies in both places. As for children… that's something we haven't considered. It mostly depends on Utaha."
Utaha smiled. "Hiratsuka-sensei, are you planning to teach our future children?"
Swirling her wine glass, Hiratsuka nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like it could be interesting."
Since Ichin and Utaha had never really given her a proper chance to act as their teacher, she had now set her sights on their future children.
Hearing that, Yagami Kō immediately got excited. "Ichin and Utaha's children? That would definitely be interesting. They'd probably be geniuses!"
And just like that, everyone launched into an enthusiastic discussion on the topic.
...
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