Hanamori Kotomi had just been about to ask after Hachiman's condition, but when she heard the way he addressed her, she immediately became displeased.
"Calling you Hanamori-sensei? Well, I guess that does sound a bit better."
Hachiman looked at Hanamori Kotomi, who seemed ready to blow up, rubbed his chin, and after thinking about it for a moment, nodded in approval.
"That's not what I meant!"
Hanamori Kotomi's delicate face, white as jade, instantly turned red. She clenched her little fists at Hachiman, who was giving her a "you know exactly what I mean" kind of expression.
She had clearly meant it seriously, so how did Hikigaya-kun immediately jump to that kind of indecent thought?
No wonder Hiratsuka-senpai said Hikigaya-kun was a problem student. Even Kirisu-sensei said he needed "deep guidance and correction."
"Alright, I'm going to the Student Guidance Room now. Kotomi, do you want to come and take a look?"
Hachiman lightly grasped Hanamori Kotomi's weak, pale fist, smiled at her blushing face, then finally let go.
Good thing he'd gotten used to her scent after holding her for so long earlier, otherwise, his Ultra Instinct Passive would've automatically counterattacked again.
For familiar, friendly presences, casual contact didn't trigger his Ultra Instinct's automatic defense.
But the passive skill was pretty strict about unfamiliar presences, his body often reacted on its own, and by the time he realized it was a misunderstanding and tried to stop himself, the situation had already become super awkward.
Yeah… it's not exactly an excuse people would believe. But luckily, both times it happened, he'd met understanding girls.
Whether it was Ijichi Nijika and Kitagawa Marin, or Setsuna Ogiso, Furuhashi Fumino, and Tsukimi Chifuyu, they'd all been very considerate and never made him explain.
"Fine! But you can't call me Kotomi in front of Hiratsuka-senpai!"
Hanamori Kotomi puffed out her cheeks and glared at Hachiman for a moment before forgiving him, grumbling as she emphasized her condition.
She'd already paid the price to help Sakashita Yoshiyuki. She didn't expect Hikigaya-kun would also have to pay a price to someone.
Who exactly was it? Hikigaya-kun said he was going to the Student Guidance Room, could it be that he meant paying a price to Hiratsuka-senpai?
She doubted it was Hiratsuka-senpai, but since the Guidance Room meant possibly running into her or other teachers, he definitely couldn't keep calling her by name.
"Then let's compromise, Kotomi-sensei?"
"Isn't that even more misleading?"
"Relax, I call Shizuka the same way."
Watching Hachiman pat her head like she was a pet cat and walk straight out of the Service Club without looking back, Hanamori Kotomi stomped her foot angrily.
Hearing the sound of her boots hit the floor, Hanamori Kotomi suddenly looked down at her long legs wrapped tightly in brown pantyhose, pressed them together awkwardly, then quickly followed after Hachiman.
She didn't know why, when she'd been sitting on Hikigaya-kun's lap with her legs hanging, she'd desperately wanted to end that shameful position quickly. But now that she was free again, feet on solid ground, she felt strangely off.
In the hallway, the bell signaling the start of class rang. Almost all the students had vanished, leaving only a few teachers heading toward classrooms.
———
"Hanamori-sensei, wait a moment."
"Kashima-sensei? What's wrong?"
Just as Hanamori Kotomi caught up to Hachiman, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind and turned toward the blue-haired figure.
Kashima Risako, about the same age and build as her, and also someone who knew about the convenience store incident.
Hardworking, enthusiastic, respected by her students, Kashima-sensei worked with pride and sincerity. Back then, she and Hanamori Kotomi had sought solutions together for the injustice done to Sakashita Yoshiyuki.
Unfortunately, Kashima Risako was just an ordinary teacher like her, powerless to change such things.
"About Sakashita Yoshiyuki's case, I saw he seemed to have returned early, but his punishment still stands…", Kashima Risako, her long blue hair swaying, glanced around cautiously, as if wanting to change locations before talking.
"Don't worry, Kashima-sensei, I've already handled it. Sakashita Yoshiyuki's punishment will be erased soon. He might even be transferred to a new school to start over," Seeing Kashima still worried about Sakashita Yoshiyuki, Hanamori Kotomi's face flushed slightly. She wanted to puff out her chest proudly and say she'd fixed it, but couldn't exactly admit she'd been bullied by a student, so she just awkwardly explained in a low voice, deliberately ignoring Hachiman's presence.
She really feared he'd suddenly butt in and embarrass her in front of Kashima Risako.
But when she turned, she found Hachiman had already walked away.
He actually didn't wait for her?
"Ah! Kashima-sensei, I'll explain later! Anyway, don't worry about Sakashita Yoshiyuki anymore!"
"Hikigaya-kun, wait up!"
"Huh? It's already solved? How?"
Kashima Risako stared in confusion at Hanamori Kotomi, who hurriedly jogged after Hachiman.
Wasn't that the problem student who got called to the office by Kirisu-sensei today?
'Why is Kotomi walking so close with him?'
'Don't tell me…'
At that moment, Hachiman himself was puzzled too, because he'd just heard a system notification sound.
["Ding~"]
["Character Mission Update— 'Educational Overlord I'."]
["A delinquent student was suspended due to the school's arbitrary decision. Though for a delinquent, such punishment wasn't exactly painful or troublesome…"]
["However, the female teachers Hanamori Kotomi and Kashima Risako, who failed to secure fair treatment for the student, feel deeply guilty."]
["Please resolve the concerns of Hanamori Kotomi and Kashima Risako."]
He was almost done with this mission, so what was the point of an update now?
Could it be there was a hidden route with Kashima Risako to complete the quest?
But he'd already promised Hanamori Kotomi, he couldn't exactly tell Ichinose the Councilman to "hold on a bit" while he went to deal with Kashima first.
Forget it. There were tons of missions anyway. He just wanted to enjoy life right now, no need to chase every quest as soon as it popped up.
Meanwhile, a silver-haired short girl walking slowly toward class on crutches, accompanied by her dog, noticed Hachiman and Hanamori Kotomi's backs.
"That teacher… doesn't seem to be from Hikigaya-kun's class, right? Why are they so close?"
Sakayanagi Arisu stopped, squinting as she stared at the two, whose shoulders were nearly touching, way too intimate a distance for a public setting.
Sobu High wasn't like Advanced Nurturing High, it was all about studying and sports.
With her academic level, she didn't need to study.
And with her frail body, she couldn't really do sports either.
So lately, she'd been bored out of her mind and had gathered quite a bit of info on Hachiman.
That guy, who got along well with all sorts of demi-humans and could use magic, he was clearly powerful, yet showed no ambition at all, spending his days chasing women.
Elf princess, mermaid songstress, dragon clan leader, political heiress, student council president, athletic ace, gyaru in his class.
She even heard from Shiina Hiyori that one night she'd seen Hachiman walking back with Karuizawa Kei near their apartments.
Though his reputation wasn't the best, his name even made it onto the Public Morals Committee's blacklist, none of the committee members had ever actually punished him harshly.
"Kamuro, do you know her?"
Just as Sakayanagi Arisu was wondering if Hachiman was really that capable, she noticed Kamuro Masumi beside her looking uneasy.
"That teacher… I think she's our art club's advisor, Hanamori-sensei?"
Holding an umbrella, Kamuro Masumi gazed toward that voluptuous figure in the distance, uncertain.
She had some talent in painting and had joined the art club after transferring to Sobu High.
But since she joined late, and Hanamori-sensei Kotomi seemed busy with other matters, they hadn't met many times.
"The art club's advisor, huh? Then, Kamuro, find a chance to test the waters. See what her relationship with Hikigaya-kun is like."
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Kamuro Masumi beside her and instructed calmly.
Not that she wanted to get dirt on him, Hachiman could turn invisible, and if she messed with him, he'd probably come knocking soon after.
She just wanted to learn more about his preferences.
If Hachiman could so easily remove the scars on Karuizawa Kei's body, then he might also have the ability to heal hers.
But she had nothing valuable enough to entice him. She had to first find out what he liked to make a plan.
Start by asking Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami, who were close to him, then send Kamuro Masumi to test the waters.
"No way. Why should I go snooping around about that guy and our teacher? It's pointless and will only get me in trouble."
Kamuro Masumi refused flatly. She had no interest in doing that. Hachiman didn't look like someone easy to mess with, and Hanamori Kotomi was their club's advisor, why go looking for trouble?
"You don't want to, fine, I won't force you. But you'll have to handle your own studying. The performance test is the day after tomorrow, if you're confident you'll pass, that's fine."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled leisurely at the "dog" trying to rebel against her.
"Fine! But you'd better teach me properly! If I fail the test, don't expect me to help you again!"
Kamuro Masumi hated that look in Sakayanagi's eyes, but under her threat, she had to give in.
Councilman Ichinose, related to Ichinose Honami from Class B, had promised Sobu High that if they accepted the transferred students from Advanced Nurturing High and helped them reach passing grades, the council would provide excellent job opportunities afterward. Even Sobu's native students would get better internship recommendations.
That was undoubtedly a good deal, if they could just pass, they wouldn't have to worry about jobs after graduation. But the problem was, she was terrible at studying. Like, truly, painfully bad.
And it wasn't just her, this school's ratio of high-achieving honor students was ridiculous.
She had no idea why the place was so competitive. The sports clubs were crazy strong, and on top of that, everyone else was good-looking and academically perfect, which made the passing line skyrocket.
Compared to them, she felt like she was attending a fake high school, reading fake textbooks.
Now she not only had to be Sakayanagi's lackey, but also study during lunch breaks, and even cram before bed. Life here was somehow worse than back at Advanced Nurturing High.
———
Inside the Student Guidance Room, on the meeting sofa, Hiratsuka Shizuka sat facing Hachiman and Hanamori Kotomi.
"Hikigaya… I remember your career survey form said your dream job was to be a househusband, right?", Looking at the two sitting side by side, Hiratsuka's expression was serious, brows furrowed.
"Yeah. I think marriage isn't about one side being superior, it's about what each person needs and what they can offer."
"If you want a loving, harmonious home, one person should handle the outside world and the other the inside. Since I don't want to work outside, naturally, my wife would be the one supporting the household."
Hearing Hiratsuka's question, Hachiman nodded and repeated his ideal career choice right in front of both Hiratsuka Shizuka and Hanamori Kotomi.
"But I don't want my wife to work too hard, so I'd like to find a rich young lady or someone with strong earning ability but not too busy."
"At first, I wanted a rich beauty with long black hair, but thinking it over, a househusband shouldn't be that narrow-minded. Even if she doesn't have long black hair, that's fine."
He wanted to stick to his ideals, but his body didn't cooperate.
Childhood friends like Kaede and Suzu in front, alien succubus and elf princess from the sky behind him. Not to mention the gyaru squad and normie group giving him "advice," plus the guardian angel monitoring him from afar.
In such conditions, he was, without a doubt, corrupted by beauty.
Fortunately, many girls around him, like his step-sister Shion, swim club's Uenohara Ayano, Service Club's Saki, Discipline Committee's Asai Saki, Usui Makoto, and more, were all long black-haired beauties. That barely kept him holding onto his "original dream."
If he couldn't have a rich long-black-haired beauty, then having "long black hair," "beauty," and "wealth" separately… wasn't too bad either.
"A rich beauty with long black hair…"
Listening to Hikigaya-kun's description, Hanamori Kotomi blinked, glancing at Hiratsuka Shizuka sitting opposite them, arms folded, long legs crossed.
'A rich lady? A wealthy young heiress? Someone capable, not too busy, and good at making money?'
She didn't know much about Hiratsuka-senpai's background, but her family seemed well-off. As a senior teacher, her income wasn't low, her social standing was high, and supporting a family would be no problem.
Except for not quite fitting the "beautiful young girl" description… she seemed to check all of Hikigaya-kun's boxes.
It wasn't that Hanamori Kotomi was being lewd, it was just that when she heard Hikigaya-kun talk about "paying a price" and then brought her to the Student Guidance Room.
Now, with only the three of them, her, Hikigaya-kun, and Hiratsuka-senpai, in the room… She'd already "paid a price" to Hikigaya-kun, so naturally, the one he had to pay a price to… was Hiratsuka-senpai.