Chapter 506: The Teachers' Pact and a Question in Red
After a long, drawn-out silence that felt like an eternity of self-imposed exile, Hiratsuka Shizuka finally let out a ragged sigh and slowly emerged from her cocoon of blankets. The weight of yesterday's mortification was almost too much to bear.
Sengoku Chihiro, looking equally defeated, sighed in unison. "Little Jing… was I a complete disaster yesterday?"
"You were fine, for the most part," Shizuka replied, her voice laced with a weary helplessness. "I was the one who suffered, alright! You only started acting weird after we left the restaurant. I, on the other hand, made a fool of myself right there, inside the shop…"
"Phew… that's a relief," Chihiro exhaled, a wave of relief washing over her. "That scares me less. Being embarrassed in front of Shion and the others doesn't really count. For two women with fiancés, our single status is the most embarrassing thing about us, anyway."
Shizuka ran a hand through her already messy hair, groaning. "So, how do I fix this?! Is it even possible to fix it?!"
Chihiro's mouth twitched. "Uh… you're asking me? I've been single since the day I was born, how would I have any idea…?"
"As expected of you, Senior…" Shizuka said weakly, her shoulders slumping. "You really are useless in these situations…"
Chihiro's face immediately flushed a bright red. "Little Jing! You brat!" she shouted, pointing an accusing finger. "You talk as if you've ever had a boyfriend! And for the record, I'm much stronger than you in some areas, alright!"
"What areas? What else do you have besides a perfect record of not going on blind dates?!"
Chihiro paused to think for a moment, then a smug expression bloomed on her face. She proudly straightened her back and puffed out her chest, looking down at Shizuka with an air of absolute superiority. Shizuka's eyes followed her gaze, glanced down at her own chest, and then immediately clamped her hands over her face.
"Just kill me!" she wailed, her voice muffled. "I've lived long enough! I don't want to live anymore!"
A triumphant smile spread across Chihiro's face. "Oh dear, Little Jing. If I remember correctly, while you were dying of embarrassment for yourself yesterday, you were actually quite cute."
Shizuka peeked through her fingers, her expression a mixture of doubt and desperation. "Really?"
"Of course! Why would I lie to you?" Chihiro declared, puffing her chest out again. "We share a common goal, work at the same school, and live in the same apartment building. How could I possibly betray you, my dear comrade-in-arms!"
For the first time in a long while, Shizuka felt that this perpetually disheveled senior of hers was the most reliable person in the world. She nodded, a new fire igniting in her eyes. "Mhm! A fated encounter, just like in a manga! And Shion even gave us a deadline! We have to succeed! I don't want to be single anymore!"
"That's the spirit! Little Jing, you're finally fired up!"
"Mhm! Let's go, Senior!"
"Eh? Go where?"
"To eat!"
Chihiro nodded in agreement, but after taking a few steps, a sudden realization dawned on her. "Wait… something feels off… We're not going to that place to eat, are we?!"
"The noodle shop."
"Huh?! You're not seriously planning to go out today, are you?!"
Shizuka tilted her head, giving Chihiro a withering look before poking her sharply on the forehead. "Idiot Senior! Are you really that dense?! Shion may have given us over a year, but do you really want to wait until the last night to act, like some student cramming their homework at the last minute?!"
Chihiro had the grace to look a little embarrassed. She hadn't felt any sense of urgency before, but now that Shizuka had framed it that way, a pang of guilt struck her. Why was that?
Feeling her position weaken, Chihiro tried a different tactic, her voice softening. "But… I drank so much yesterday… my head is killing me…"
Shizuka sighed, grabbing her senior by the shoulders. "Senior! Do you have any idea how rare an opportunity this is?! Have you ever met anyone more suitable? This is a man who meets every single one of your requirements! Aren't you the least bit excited?"
Chihiro swallowed hard. Her dream was to catch a rich, handsome man. Ren didn't just meet those criteria; he exceeded them by a mile and came with a whole host of other incredible qualities.
Shizuka pressed on, her voice growing more intense. "Senior! We're not going out to meet friends! This is a mission! This is about whether or not we can finally find partners! You need to be serious!"
Her grip tightened. "Don't you, Senior, want to find a boyfriend, get married, and wear a beautiful wedding ring and a white wedding dress in this lifetime?! Get serious with me! This isn't someone else's problem! This is your own future we're talking about!"
"I know! You're right, Little Jing! Let's go!"
"Go wash up first!"
"Mhm!" Chihiro nodded, but then paused. "Wait… Shopkeeper Ren's restaurant only opens at night, right? How are you planning to find him during the day?"
Shizuka considered this for a moment. "I believe in fate! Just like those manga-style encounters we've had at the library before! We'll go shopping today. If I remember correctly, Shopkeeper Ren hasn't been at the restaurant during the day for a long time. So, we'll stop by the shop first. If he's not there, we'll just go shopping!"
Chihiro nodded. "Mhm! Got it! But what if he is at the shop? We can't just say we're there to eat, can we? Wouldn't that be too clumsy?"
Shizuka's mind raced. "If he's there, we'll say we were looking for Shion to go to the gym, but she said she didn't have time and told us to come find him instead. Shion promised she'd help us, and she's completely devoted to him, so she won't expose us. The key is…"
She paused, a thoughtful look on her face. "My gut feeling is… Shopkeeper Ren definitely won't be at the shop today. Now go wash up, quickly. We'll talk more later. We're driving today."
"How did you get your car back? Wasn't it parked on the street?"
"During dinner yesterday, I gave Shion my keys and asked her to have her driver bring it back for me. See? The keys are right there by my pillow."
Chihiro nodded and scurried off to the bathroom. Left alone, Shizuka shook her head, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. "Yesterday was so humiliating… How can I possibly make up for it? This is so annoying!"
While Hiratsuka Shizuka and Sengoku Chihiro, two women single since birth and now driven to the brink, were plotting their grand romantic offensive, Ren and his companions were strolling through the Commercial Street.
The shopping trip, however, was proving to be a little tiring. Nami was handling it perfectly, but Modeus was curious about far too many things. Though she bluntly refused every item after learning its purpose, her constant stops to investigate had slowed the group's pace considerably.
Modeus studied Ren's profile for a moment before speaking up. "Ren, are you really done asking me questions?"
Ren thought about it. "If I had to say… there are actually two more."
"What are they?!" she asked, her eyes lighting up.
"It's just… those little hearts on your head. Are they decorations or…"
"That's a succubus thing! You can think of them as small accessories… but they do have some special effects!" she explained quickly. "Anything else? What's the other one?"
Ren's gaze traveled down, sizing her up. Modeus watched him with an expectant look. After a long moment, he finally asked, "Of all the clothes I've seen you girls wear, most of it is formalwear. But it seems like you're the only one who wears red leggings."
Modeus glanced down at her own form-fitting pants, then at Lucifer's slim-fit trousers and Pandora's professional skirt. She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Does it look good like this?"
"Eh? Is that it?" Ren asked, a little surprised by the simple answer.
Lucifer chimed in, her expression analytical. "It seems that besides Modeus, that other person also wears red pants. But hers are trousers, while Modeus's are leggings."
Modeus's face fell slightly. "Eh? Boss, why do I suddenly feel like my class is so low?"
"That's just your imagination," Lucifer said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Come on, let's go. On to the next place."
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]