Chapter Sixteen: Nobue Ito

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The next morning.

Roused from the warmth of a bed still lingering with the delicate fragrance of a young woman, Anhe spent a moment as usual gazing blankly at the ceiling until his thoughts cleared and he finally sat up.

“Ahh—”

He yawned widely, then looked around the room but didn’t see a trace of Sayu Amamiya. Reaching out, he touched the spot beside him; it was still warm, clearly indicating she hadn’t been up for long herself.

Getting out of bed, Anhe scratched his slightly messy hair as he walked out of the bedroom. The bathroom door across the hall was tightly shut, and faint sounds of running water came from within.

“Sayu, are you inside?” Anhe knocked on the door. There was a brief pause, and then Sayu Amamiya’s voice called out, “I’m washing my hair.”

Raising an eyebrow, Anhe asked offhandedly, “Do you need me to help you wash it?”

He hadn’t expected any response, but as soon as he spoke, the bathroom door swung open from the inside.

Standing there with damp hair, clad in nothing but a white short-sleeved T-shirt, Sayu Amamiya made Anhe freeze for a couple of seconds before he quickly ushered her back into the bathroom.

“What are you doing standing around? Washing your hair in the morning like this will make you catch a cold,” he scolded gently, guiding her to a low stool by the wall, then grabbing a towel to gently dry her hair.

“I can do it myself,” Sayu murmured softly, reaching for the towel, but Anhe swatted her hand away, making her withdraw meekly.

“Sit still. Do you really think you can dry it as well as I can?”

A few minutes later, after thoroughly drying her hair and using a hairdryer to finish the job, Anhe led Sayu out of the bathroom.

“Go put on something warmer. It’s chilly in the mornings and I don’t want you getting sick. I’ll turn on the heater for you—you can warm up a bit.”

After giving his instructions, Anhe went to the living room. Sayu watched his departing figure, bit her lip, and then headed into the bedroom.

Moments later, she emerged dressed in the North Academy school uniform. Meanwhile, Anhe had set up his prized electric heater in the living room, though he himself was nowhere to be seen.

Sayu’s gaze lingered on the glowing heater for a couple of seconds, then she walked toward the kitchen.

She paused at the kitchen doorway, watching Anhe busy at the stove, her eyes flickering thoughtfully. Remembering his frequent playful jokes about being a married couple, she bit her lip again.

“Let me help,” she offered, stepping forward.

Anhe glanced back at her and, seeing no reason to refuse, simply nodded.

Working together, they soon brought two steaming bowls of noodles to the table.

Breakfast was a cozy affair.

Afterward, Sayu took it upon herself to clear the dishes, while Anhe went back to the bathroom to change clothes.

By the time everything was done, it was already 7:15 a.m., and the two left the house together.

They didn’t run into Tokiko Kurorai that morning; she must have already taken her child to school. Anhe didn’t think much of it. He wrapped the familiar red scarf around Sayu’s pale neck and led her down the stairs.

Not wanting Sayu to squeeze onto a crowded train, Anhe splurged again and hailed a taxi.

They rode in silence, and before long the taxi pulled up in front of North Academy.

Stepping out together, Anhe glanced at the stream of students in North Academy uniforms, then leaned in to Sayu and reminded her, “Don’t skimp on lunch, and wait for me at the school gate after class. I’ll come pick you up.”

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With that, Anhe gave Sayu’s cheek a gentle pinch before turning toward Mokunan Middle School.

He’d already given Sayu her allowance in the taxi.

She unconsciously touched the spot on her face where he’d pinched her, watching his retreating figure until he disappeared from sight, then turned to enter North Academy.

...

Meanwhile, in Class 2-B of Mokunan Middle School.

The moment Anhe Yuusheng entered the classroom, a familiar female voice called out to him.

“Good morning, Yuusheng-kun!”

He looked toward the source and saw Keiko Kitaido sitting on his desk, waving cheerfully.

Keiko was, as always, dressed in her signature gyaru style: a white shirt with the collar half open, revealing her delicate collarbone, her school jacket tied around her waist, and a super-short pleated skirt paired with white socks.

Anhe walked over, greeting her casually.

“Good morning, Kitaido-san.”

His gaze lingered playfully on her as he joked, “Is my desk really that comfortable to sit on?”

Keiko blushed and quickly hopped off the desk, stammering, “If you mind, Yuusheng-kun, I won’t do it anymore.”

Such an expert at feigning innocence.

Anhe raised an eyebrow but let the matter drop, switching to another topic instead.

The bell rang soon after, and everyone returned to their seats.

Anhe, settling in, instinctively glanced behind him.

That mysterious classmate was still absent today.

He didn’t dwell on it. In his mind, that student had probably decided to transfer or simply drop out—at any rate, it was unlikely they’d ever cross paths again.

However, that notion was proven wrong by the afternoon.

In the teachers’ office.

Dressed in a white lab coat over a black business suit, Nobue Itou held a cigarette between two slender fingers, took a drag, exhaled, and looked at Anhe with indifference.

“Do you know why I called you here?”

Anhe’s eyes drifted from her alluring red lips as he pondered, then ventured a guess, “Is it about a club?”

“Oh?” Nobue looked at him in surprise, then nodded. “Yes and no.”

She stubbed out her cigarette, tossed it in the ashtray, then pulled a stack of documents from the desk and handed them to Anhe. “Pick one. There are thirty-two clubs in total. I’m sure there’s something that interests you.”

Anhe glanced at the papers but didn’t take them. Instead, he stepped back and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Itou, but I don’t want to join any clubs right now.”

“Oh?” Nobue’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed to slits as she smiled at him. “Do you really think I’m asking you?”

I think you’re just being stubborn.

That’s what Anhe thought, but he put on a pitiful face and fibbed, “Actually, Ms. Itou, I’d love to join a club, but I just moved to Tokyo and there’s so much I haven’t sorted out yet. Plus, I have a little sister in kindergarten at home who needs me…”

He hadn’t finished before Nobue waved him off impatiently.

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She tossed the stack of club documents onto the desk, then leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and folding her hands over her knee as she looked at Anhe with a cold smile.

“Do you really think I’m gullible enough to buy that story? I saw you yesterday at the mall, strolling hand in hand with a very cute girl.”

She saw that?

Anhe’s heart skipped a beat, but his pitiful expression didn’t falter.

He was about to spin another excuse when Nobue spoke again.

“All right, I know you don’t want to join a club.”

Without looking at his stunned face, she casually pulled a student ID from her lab coat pocket and tossed it to him.

He caught it reflexively. Before he could study it, Nobue’s voice sounded again.

“If you want to skip club activities, you’ll have to help me with this.”

Anhe looked down at the student ID.

Mokunan Middle School, Class 2-B: Rena Serizawa

The photo showed a girl with somewhat messy hair and thick black glasses, looking rather unkempt.

He racked his memory but didn’t recall ever seeing her. She must be the one who sat behind him and hadn’t shown up in weeks.

With that in mind, Anhe frowned and asked, “Why me? You’re the teacher, aren’t you?”

Nobue didn’t answer immediately. She lit another cigarette, took a slow drag, and gazed out the window as she exhaled. “When I went to her place, she wouldn’t even open the door once she heard it was a teacher. I’ve spoken to her classmates, but none of them think well of her. If I send other students, it’ll just make things worse. That leaves you—the only classmate she hasn’t met yet.”

She turned to look at Anhe, her expression losing its earlier levity and taking on a trace of pleading. “So, will you help me? Or maybe, help Serizawa?”

...

After a moment, Anhe nodded lightly. “I’ll give it a try, but you’ll have to reimburse my travel expenses. And you can never bring up joining a club again.”

Nobue immediately broke into a smile, pulling out her phone and waving it at him. “Deal, Yuusheng-kun. Let’s exchange contact info. I’ll send you her address shortly.”

Anhe had no objection to that.

After exchanging contacts, he took three thousand yen in travel money from Nobue and left the office.

Nobue watched him go, a look of relief washing over her features as she leaned back in her chair.

“He’s a good kid,” she thought to herself, smiling as she raised a cigarette to her lips—only for someone to burst back into the office and snatch both the cigarette in her hand and the half-finished pack on the desk before she could react.

“You—!”

Nobue’s eyes widened in shock as Anhe stubbed out the cigarette and tossed the entire pack in the trash.

“I’ve long been annoyed by your smoking. Just be a good teacher at school. If you keep this up, no wonder you’re nearly thirty and still single—you deserve it.”

Without sparing a glance at her frosty expression, Anhe darted out of the office, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

With a muffled “thud,” the office was once more left to Nobue alone.

She squinted at the cigarettes in the trash, her expression shifting several times before she finally gave a resigned smile.

“Hmph. I take back what I said earlier. What a detestable brat.”

PS: Chapter 17 has been flagged for review again. I’m working things out with the editor. Everyone, get some sleep; it should be resolved by tomorrow morning.