In Tokyo: They are heavily dependent on me

Chapter 77. Hoshino-kun... but he's my student.

"Seriously, don't joke like that with the teacher."

Shoko pressed her index finger against Kaoru's forehead, pushing away his face as he leaned in. Her voluptuous legs, which were crossed, shifted slightly, and the gold earrings hanging from her earlobes swayed gently.

Could it be... that Hoshino-san is going to make some unreasonable demands on herself?

She was very embarrassed and didn't have the courage to look her students in the eye.

My most recent relationship... was when I was in junior high school.

Back then, she was full of naivety and innocence. While other couples were kissing passionately in the corner of the teaching building, she was already incredibly nervous just from holding hands.

Despite being a mature woman of twenty-six, she displayed such a shameful reaction in front of a junior who was eight years younger than her... She couldn't even look him in the eye, and Ms. Shoko felt very embarrassed.

"I'm not joking, I'm telling the truth."

Kaoru found a chair on the other side of the wooden table and sat down.

"Teacher, I want to learn a musical instrument, so I'd like you to help me get a recommendation."

"Musical instruments?"

Hearing that he hadn't made any strange or offensive demands, Shoko calmed down.

What's causing this feeling of disappointment?

"If you want to learn a musical instrument... what kind of instrument would you like to learn, Hoshino-kun? Some music-related clubs at school have instruments that you can practice with for free. I can be your introducer."

Hoshino is intelligent and hardworking. He can understand many things on his own without being told, and he won't cause her any trouble. Shoko-sensei has always trusted him.

Therefore, she intends to use the teacher's authority.

"Piano, violin, electric guitar, bass... the more the better."

"In that case—"

Ms. Shoko frowned, but quickly came up with the answer.

"Go to the brass band club. There are students who love all kinds of musical instruments there. With their guidance, I'm sure Hoshino will improve very quickly."

It's that brass band that only makes noise!

Every afternoon when classes ended, the piercing sounds of the performance would reach Xun's ears from a distance, separated by a pane of glass.

He didn't want to torture his ears, but buying a musical instrument would cost a lot of money... and there was no better option at the moment.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Ms. Shoko."

"I will give Hoshino-kun an answer before the end of this afternoon's classes."

Ms. Shoko finally raised her face and stole a glance at Kaoru's serious eyes, clearly sensing that her body temperature was abnormally high.

Only after the other person left the office did she seem to breathe a sigh of relief, stroking the adorable white cat embroidered on her dress, somewhat dazedly recalling the feeling of being hugged by Kaoru last time.

I feel very safe and comfortable.

She loved it... If she weren't at school, she would have wanted that moment to last.

They even felt that this wasn't enough and wanted more.

Ms. Shoko pressed her palm against her cheek, trying to lower the surface temperature.

"Seriously... what am I even thinking?"

"Hoshino-kun... is my student."

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Back in the classroom, Kaoru heard whispers and murmurs.

Hey hey, did you hear? Kobayashi broke up with her rich boyfriend!

[So they really were abandoned... they've been played with too much, haven't they?]

[How pitiful... I heard she owes a lot of money.]

[She has a great figure...and she's cute too. I wonder if 10,000 yen is enough.]

[Go ask about the price, Shinji.]

At that moment, the classroom door opened, and the surroundings immediately fell silent.

Chio Kobayashi glanced at the group of boys who looked guilty and remained silent. The boys immediately lowered their heads, trying to avoid eye contact with her.

After all, her first impression had always been that of a delinquent, and her demeanor gave off a bossy vibe. She had even gotten into a fight with a boy before... Several boys quickly became restless and left the classroom, trying to appear calm.

The moment the sliding door closed, Xiaolin snorted and began to seriously write the homework assigned by the teacher.

"Hey, Minakami-kun, don't you think Kobayashi-kun has changed a lot?"

Having witnessed her conflict with the boy, and the fact that both of them were taken to the infirmary, Kaoru lowered her voice and leaned close to the young lady's ear.

"Which aspect are you referring to, Hoshino-san?"

There was a lot of homework in the morning, and the young lady hadn't finished it. She was working out the problems on the scratch paper while answering Kaoru's questions.

"Appearance...and personality, yeah, that's it."

"Hoshino-kun, you're really bad at hiding your intentions. If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why did you have to use Kobayashi-kun to start the conversation?"

Mizukami Orina turned the page of the draft paper filled with mathematical equations, the tip of her ballpoint pen moving across the paper, making a 'scratching' sound.

Hoshino Kaoru scratched her face, not expecting that the young lady would notice her thoughts so quickly.

Well, since she's said that, I don't need to keep hiding it anymore.

"I'd like you to teach me to play the piano after school... Please be my teacher!"

He clasped his hands together, making a "please" face.

She stopped writing on the water, propped her chin up with her palm, and turned her face toward him.

"I'm very busy with all sorts of work. If I also have to find time to teach Hoshino to play the piano, I won't be able to rest until very late."

"Mizukami-kun, only you can help me... Please don't refuse, considering how many drinks I shielded you from last week!"

Those guys in the brass band who make noise all day long can't be relied on, and Kaoru is too embarrassed to ask Shoko-sensei to assign her a music teacher.

The young lady is his last chance!

Perhaps feeling that he had indeed done a lot for her, Mizukami, who rarely compromised with others, told Kaoru in a cold tone.

"I can only spare thirty minutes at most, Hoshino-kun. If you want to thank me, kneel down and kiss my feet to properly express your gratitude for my kindness."

"Ahem... We're still in the classroom, isn't it a bit inappropriate to do that?"

Xun is a person with principles.

Kneeling down is unacceptable, but kissing feet... is barely acceptable.

Hoshino Kaoru's mind conjured up the image of the young lady's toes, barely visible through black stockings, repeatedly crushing him as she stepped on him.

He would never say where he stepped on it!

He clearly didn't have any particular fetish for this kind of thing, but for some reason, if the young lady treated him like this, he would have an urge to try it out.

"Hoshino-kun, you really are awful. I take back what I just said. For you, doing that was very likely a kind of reward."

"You're a shameless man, a pervert, a scumbag."

Shui Shang instinctively gripped his collar and checked that the buttons were fastened.

"My dear lady."

Kaoru had no intention of accepting her slander, so she leaned closer and lowered her voice.

"You were so cute on Saturday night, snuggling into my arms... and doing *that* without any restraint in our bedroom with security cameras, and now you're saying I have no morals... who's really without morals here?"

Shui Shang's face turned red instantly. Not knowing how to refute, she could only glare at Xun with unwilling eyes.

The intimate behavior between the two was clearly seen by Kobayashi, who was not far away.

She clenched her hands, hesitated briefly, and then stood up.