Lately, the most talked-about name at Sōbu High was, without a doubt, Yukinoshita Yukino.
Once scorned by nearly the entire school for her outrageous behavior, she now seemed to be on a mission of redemption like a former playgirl turning over a new leaf. Gone were the flashy gyaru aesthetics; she now attended class seriously, studied diligently, and even gave up her once-beloved hobbies of juggling multiple romances and "collecting fish."
The atmosphere at Sōbu High felt noticeably fresher.
Even the principal and the head of discipline had been repeatedly praising Hiratsuka Shizuka during recent school meetings, attributing Yukinoshita's miraculous turnaround to her unwavering support for her students. They called her a model educator, a woman with the moral character of the sages of old.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, however, couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the praise.
After school that day, she called Yukinoshita out as usual. "Come with me for a bit."
Although the new class environment had largely spared Yukinoshita from overt bullying, she remained cautious as ever, always carrying her bag with her ready for anything.
She assumed it would be another round of advice or some concerned check-in. Instead, Miss Hiratsuka led her to the school parking lot, where a sleek red Aston Martin awaited.
Yukinoshita blinked. "?"
Someone please slap a question mark on my face.
"Sensei?"
With one hand on her hip, Hiratsuka grinned brightly. "Haha, you've been doing great lately. I thought I'd take you for a little spin."
"…You sure it's appropriate for a teacher to take a student out in a sports car? People might talk."
"Oho? Is my little Yukino worried about me?"
What was with this eerily familiar brand of shamelessness?
Also, when did she start calling me little Yukino so casually?
Yukinoshita took the passenger seat and buckled up, her schoolbag neatly placed on her lap. Her expression remained cool and aloof. "Don't say stupid things, Miss Hiratsuka."
To this day, Hiratsuka couldn't wrap her head around how a girl who looked like a paragon of refinement from her hair down to her shoes had, just over a week ago, been a delinquent gyaru.
She shook her head and dropped the thought. "Today, I'm taking you to see something I love. Consider it your reward."
"Not exactly looking forward to it."
Yet, despite what she said, Yukinoshita was visibly taken aback when they arrived at the destination.
"…A ramen shop?"
Yes. This refined, well-off teacher who drove a car worth roughly a hundred million yen (~6 million RMB), had zoomed more than 20 kilometers through traffic just to visit a hole-in-the-wall ramen place where the average bowl cost about 500 yen (~31 RMB).
As Hiratsuka greeted the staff with practiced ease, she ordered with a hearty tone. "What do you want, Yukino?"
The shop had small wooden partitions, and they found a cramped booth that seated two, giving them just enough of a sense of privacy.
Yukinoshita glanced at the menu and casually picked the house special. "One bowl of tonkotsu ramen."
"Don't tell me a rich girl like you has never had something as humble as ramen before?"
Yukinoshita gave her a flat look. "Don't be ridiculous."
While waiting for the food, even Yukinoshita couldn't help but comment, "You really do give off the vibe of a sleazy middle-aged man sometimes."
Despite being a stunning woman with striking features, Hiratsuka's personality could only be described as crude, bordering on violent at times not the typical feminine role model.
Even in a country like Japan, where personalities bounce between conservative and liberal, Hiratsuka was... conspicuously unique.
Leaning her chin on her hand, Hiratsuka turned and smiled, eyes narrowing. "Say that again and I'll get mad."
Yukinoshita wisely chose to go quiet.
The ramen came quickly.
She picked up her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu."
As soon as the bowl was placed in front of her, Hiratsuka visibly relaxed, taking the first bite with eager enthusiasm before asking, "So, Yukino, how's the taste?"
With the steam and savory aroma rising between them, the once-distant atmosphere between teacher and student seemed to warm up drawn closer by the comfort of hot food.
Yukinoshita picked up a small bite with her chopsticks, tasted it, then commented, "Ordinarily delicious."
Of course a ramen shop that had lasted more than a decade wouldn't serve bad food. Yukinoshita had expected something extraordinary, given how much her teacher adored this place. But it turned out to be nothing more and nothing less than plain, simple goodness.
It was ordinary. Not exceptional, but it was good.
Hiratsuka laughed heartily. "Ordinarily delicious is more than enough. A lot of people chase that kind of ordinary good and never quite get it."
Yukinoshita turned to look at her.
"You don't need to be ordinary to be good, Sensei. Even if you're someone as strange as you are, I still think you're amazing."
Hiratsuka nearly choked on her noodles. "Whoa, where did that come from?!"
Yukinoshita's face remained impassive. "Because I like you, Sensei."
The air froze for a beat.
Hiratsuka practically exploded. "Whoa whoa whoa! Are you trying to get me fired?!"
"…I just meant it in the normal way. A student having positive feelings toward a teacher."
"Anyone would misunderstand if you said it like that!"
Hiratsuka chugged her water in a panic, trying to hide the flush creeping up her face.
Despite her bold, outgoing persona, she was terrible at handling emotional sincerity.
She'd heard that this girl had recently come out saying she liked other girls.
No way, right? She couldn't seriously have a crush on me…?
No. That kind of forbidden thought must be snuffed out before it even sprouts!
While Hiratsuka was having an internal meltdown, she glanced over at Yukinoshita who, despite her earlier bombshell, was now calmly eating her ramen, expressionless as ever.
Even eating ramen, she looked as poised and elegant as if she were dining at a five-star hotel.
"Don't overthink it," Yukinoshita said quietly. "It's just that… you're the only one who's consistently shown me kindness."
That line made something in Hiratsuka's chest tug.
All the messy, chaotic thoughts she'd been having vanished instantly.
Yukinoshita was just a normal kid one who got lonely, who got hurt.
Hiratsuka laughed again and patted her head. "If you've got any problems, come to me. If nothing else, I've got endless ramen."
Yukinoshita let out a soft "Mm."
That kind of well-behaved response was honestly more disorienting than her usual cold sarcasm.
Hiratsuka hesitated, then added, "If you have time, try patching things up with Haruno. She doesn't say it, but she really does care about you."
Yukinoshita looked at her, puzzled. "You know my sister?"
"Uh-huh. Haruno was one of the most troublesome students I ever taught."
She glanced at Yukinoshita again and corrected herself.
"Well second most troublesome."
Yukinoshita: "...…"