Chapter 191: The Super-Quant Girls' Tag Team; Yukino Learns the Truth
As the self-appointed "Main Heroine" of the group, Sakurajima Mai had naturally spent a lot of time theorizing about the kind of woman Yoru would invite to his hotel room.
Would she be an Onee-san type? A sugary-sweet idol? A mature lady? Maybe a Gyaru or a fellow JK?
She'd even considered the most "abstract" possibilities—like the woman not being human at all, but some legendary spirit like Hachishaku-sama.
But she never, in a million years, expected the person at the door to be her own school teacher.
The woman standing there was the homeroom teacher for Yoru and Miko's class: Hiratsuka Shizuka.
If you had to describe the relationship between Mai and Shizuka, it could be summed up in three words: Total. Friggin'. Strangers.
Mai was a second-year student, and her floor wasn't even in the same building as the first-years. Of course, they knew of each other. Before Yoru's chaotic arrival, Mai was the most famous person at Sobu High; even if Shizuka wasn't her teacher, she had obviously heard of the "National Sweetheart" child actress. Likewise, Mai had heard stories about the legendary "Iron-Fisted" Shizuka-sensei from her club members.
Neither of them expected their first official conversation to happen in such an… indescribably awkward atmosphere.
"Hiratsuka-sensei… please, come in," Mai said after a brief hesitation, maintaining a polite, gentle smile.
If it had been anyone else—even if Yukinoshita Haruno had shown up—Mai would have gone for the jugalur. But Mai was a civilized person. As a student, she had to maintain basic etiquette with a Sobu High faculty member.
"Uh… yeah. Thanks," Shizuka replied cautiously. She was a far cry from her usual brash, chain-smoking, alpha-female self. Right now, she looked like a thief caught red-handed.
The vibes were, quite frankly, rancid.
"So, uh..." Shizuka stepped into the room, forcing a stiff smile. "Sakurajima-san, you can just call me Shizuka. We're not at school, so there's no need for the formal 'Teacher' title."
"Oh? Is that so?" Mai poured a glass of warm water and handed it to Shizuka with effortless grace. "Alright then… Shizuka-chan."
Shizuka took the cup, sitting on the sofa like she was sitting on a bed of nails.
What do I do? What do I do?! Shizuka was internally sweating bullets.
Even if it was summer break, a homeroom teacher visiting a male student's hotel room in the middle of the night looked incredibly suspicious. And finding Mai Sakurajima already there? What was their relationship? Were they dating?!
What the hell was Yoru thinking by calling her here? Was this the "Battlefield" he mentioned? Shizuka didn't dare think any further.
"Um..." Shizuka pulled out a room card and waved it around like a shield. "Just so we're clear, I have a room on this floor too. I just thought, since Yoru-kun was here, I should stop by and say hi. Total coincidence. Nothing weird going on!"
"I see," Mai replied, sitting across from her like a poised queen.
In her light summer dress, Mai looked like a masterpiece—delicate skin, perfect posture, and a calm that was starting to get on Shizuka's nerves. Suddenly, a competitive fire lit up in Shizuka's chest. She decided to go on the offensive.
"So, Sakurajima-san… what are you doing in Yoru's room this late?"
"Oh, this?" Mai kept her gentle smile, her tone as matter-of-fact as if she were discussing the weather. "Yoru and I are dating. We're in a relationship."
Shizuka's momentum immediately tanked. She hadn't expected Mai to be so blunt.
"But… this late… in a boy's room… I mean…"
Mai tilted her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Shizuka-chan, like I said. We're lovers."
"You already said that—"
"And being lovers means..." Mai interrupted with a teasing glint in her eyes, "...that we've already done 'everything' adults do. Spending the night together is no big deal."
Shizuka's face went from pale to beet-red in 0.5 seconds.
Everything?! Did she just casually admit to THAT?!
The legendary teacher sat there with her mouth agape, her brain short-circuiting. She had zero counter-moves for this level of honesty.
Watching from the shadows, Yoru gave his tactical assessment of the fight: Kyoto's Number One Iron Fist, Hiratsuka Shizuka… has been absolutely folded by the former National Idol.
They weren't even in the same league.
Yoru almost felt bad for Shizuka. In this club, the only person who could go toe-to-toe with "Goddess Mai" in a verbal spar was Yukinoshita Haruno. Shizuka might have the age advantage, but her Magic Resistance was basically zero. She was a total glass cannon.
"I-I should go! I already said hi, so... yeah!" Shizuka stammered, sweating through her clothes. She had intended to talk to Yoru, but with Mai marking her territory like a boss, she turned and fled the room like her life depended on it.
Current Shuraba Status: Flawless Victory for Sakurajima Mai.
Once the door clicked shut, Mai stood up and checked the lock. She engaged the security chain and tapped the "Do Not Disturb" button on the digital panel.
Then, she turned to Yoru, her eyes narrowing with a pout that was 10% anger and 90% "pay attention to me."
"Even your own teacher? You really are a hopeless beast, Yoru-kun."
She huffed, but to Yoru, she just looked incredibly cute. He stepped forward, swept her off her feet in a princess carry, and tossed her onto the soft, oversized bed.
"Whoa—!"
Mai gasped as Yoru pinned her down, his hands already wandering. Between her heavy, heated breaths, she managed to tease him. "You… can't even wait a minute? You're going to die of thirst at this rate."
Yoru's hand slid along her thigh, feeling the silky texture of her black tights and the soft curve of her leg.
"It's for the safety of the world, Mai-senpai. To fight the evil spirits, I need to make sure your 'level' is as high as possible."
"You… you jerk. You only call me 'Senpai' when you're about to do something perverted."
"Then what should you be calling me, Mai?"
Mai's face flushed a deep crimson, a misty haze appearing in her eyes. She remembered her promise—that she would follow his "arrangement" tonight. Swallowing her pride, she whispered in a voice barely audible:
"Ma... Master."
"Please... Infuse me."
The Next Morning: Tokyo Police Department
"L, the incident report is ready."
"Good. Put it on the screen."
Despite pulling an all-nighter, the dark circles under L's eyes didn't diminish the sharp, manic intensity in his gaze. He looked like he was vibrating with excitement. He dragged the mouse, opening the file compiled by the department.
"Aerial insertion... high-altitude drop..."
"An unidentified individual in a black mask and trench coat, accompanied by several others..."
L froze for a second.
"I see. So 'Mask' and 'Kira' are working together. This is going to be a headache."
The high-ranking police officials didn't dare interrupt his train of thought. L continued reading, his eyes scanning the data at lightning speed.
"Sudden torrential rain... anomalous events at the hotel..."
When L reached the report about the hotel two kilometers away from the Shibuya Commercial Street, his eyes glinted. Without looking back, he asked, "Did the forensics and toxicology reports come back?"
"They did, but..." The official hesitated. "The blood tests on the witnesses showed nothing. No hallucinogens, no psychotropic gas, nothing."
"And the CCTV?"
"No signs of tampering. The footage is clean."
L's expression remained neutral, but his assistant, Watari, knew that look. This was the look of a detective who had found a puzzle worth solving.
"Interesting..."
L turned his chair around, crouching on the seat with his feet up, holding up a single finger.
"First: I do not believe for a second that the break-in at the National Museum and that freak rainstorm were a coincidence. Second: based on everything we know about 'Kira's' track record, he does not possess the ability to control the weather."
"Which means... we are dealing with something far more 'Abstract' than a simple vigilante."