Soon, they arrived at the office, and Yuki and Eriri pushed the door open to enter. By this time, Kirisu Mafuyu was already sitting at her desk, organizing her materials.
"Come here first."
Kirisu Mafuyu glanced at the two of them indifferently, then asked them to approach.
Yuki and Eriri responded and went over. Then, Kirisu Mafuyu sat up straight, swiveled her chair around, and looked at the two of them. She first fixed her gaze on Eriri, then slowly shifted it to Yuki.
However, perhaps because Yuki's charm was too overwhelming, even the ice-cold beauty Kirisu Mafuyu found it a bit hard to handle. Her gaze became uncertain, wandering around for a moment before finally settling on Eriri.
"Tell me, why were you two late today?" Kirisu Mafuyu asked, her expression returning to its usual calm.
"I..."
Hearing Kirisu Mafuyu's question, a hint of hesitation appeared on Eriri's face, but after thinking for a moment, she decided to tell the truth. But just as she was about to speak, Yuki interrupted her.
"This is what happened, Kirisu-sensei. When I arrived at school, I first went to the junior high section to ask for leave for my sister. Then, on my way back to the high school section, I ran into Sawamura-san."
Yuki replied in a steady, deep voice, as solid as Mount Tai.
"When I met Sawamura-san, she almost accidentally fell. Seeing a classmate in an accident, as her classmate, I naturally couldn't just stand by. So I checked on her briefly to make sure she was okay before returning to the classroom with her. That's what delayed us and caused us to be late."
Yuki finished explaining the entire process in one breath, his expression composed. Even Kirisu Mafuyu couldn't detect any flaws in his eyes; it didn't seem like he was lying or making excuses at all. So, Kirisu Mafuyu took it as the truth.
Meanwhile, Eriri's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. She felt a twinge of embarrassment inside.
She hadn't expected that just as she was about to confess to being late, Yuki had fabricated a half-true, half-false excuse for her to use. In reality, she was already late the moment she stepped through the school gate. And meeting Yuki happened after the bell had rung.
But Yuki had cleverly found a reason that even Kirisu Mafuyu couldn't fault. Moreover, this reason was very clever; the incident did happen, but Yuki had hidden the actual timing. This made Eriri unable to help but admire how quickly Yuki's mind worked.
At this moment, Eriri's eyes held an indescribable glow as she looked at Yuki. Her azure blue pupils, like the ocean, reflected the other's figure entirely. An inexplicable warmth and joy rose from the depths of her heart.
"Sawamura-san, is that the case?" Kirisu Mafuyu then turned her gaze to Eriri.
"Ah?! Y... Yes!"
Eriri was clearly nervous, replying restlessly. Kirisu Mafuyu stared at Eriri thoughtfully but didn't harbor much suspicion. She simply thought Eriri might be nervous because she had been called to the office. After all, given Eriri's excellent grades and usual performance as a student, she was rarely called to the office. Being suddenly summoned now, it was normal to be nervous.
"Alright, in that case, you don't need to be so nervous. After all, you almost fell earlier; you're also a victim. Teacher won't blame you, nor Yuki-san," Kirisu Mafuyu said slowly, her expression softening.
Eriri on the side nodded gently, slowly biting her lower lip, trying to keep calm.
"Speaking of which, are you sure you didn't hurt anywhere? If necessary, maybe you should go to the hospital for a check-up?"
As a teacher, Kirisu Mafuyu naturally had to care about her students' health. So she suggested that Eriri should best go to the hospital for a check-up to avoid any hidden injuries in some inconspicuous place that could affect her future development.
Hearing this, Eriri quickly waved her hands, indicating it wasn't necessary.
"No need, Kirisu-sensei. I actually didn't fall. At the critical moment, Yuki-san acted quickly and caught me. He saved me from the risk of falling and getting injured."
Eriri replied nervously and hurriedly, her eyes occasionally glancing towards Yuki.
"I see! Then you should properly thank Yuki-san."
Kirisu Mafuyu looked at Yuki with some surprise. Yuki nodded and smiled, saying, "It's no problem. Like I said earlier, we're all classmates; helping each other is what we should do."
Kirisu Mafuyu was very satisfied with Yuki's response. After all, a class is a collective. If everyone has this mindset, the class cohesion will be very strong. No disputes between each other, everyone getting along peacefully and kindly. Working together, progressing together. This was what she, as the homeroom teacher, hoped to see.
"Alright, in that case, you two can go back now. Let's forget about the lateness this time."
With Kirisu Mafuyu's words, the matter of being late came to an end. Hearing this, Yuki and Eriri said goodbye to Kirisu Mafuyu and then walked out of the office.
Out in the hallway, the two walked together on their way back to the classroom. Eriri's expression became uncertain, as if she was considering something. But soon, she seemed to have made a decision. With lowered eyes and a slightly shy demeanor, she slowly thanked Yuki.
"Thank you for covering up the fact that I was late."
Eriri's words were halting, spoken very nervously.
"You're welcome. Actually, I didn't really do much. I just selectively stated the facts, didn't I?" Yuki smiled faintly and asked Eriri in return.
Hearing this, Eriri didn't know how to refute.
Her lateness today was directly related to her staying up all night last night drawing doujinshi. Last night, she had been immersed in drawing until she remembered she needed to sleep, only to find it was already past 2 a.m. Then, she overslept.
If she hadn't coincidentally run into Yuki in the school building, and coincidentally almost fallen and been caught by him, she would definitely have gotten a scolding from Kirisu Mafuyu today. After all, Kirisu Mafuyu was known as one of the strictest teachers in the school.
Counting now, Yuki had already helped her twice. This created an inexplicable emotion in Eriri's heart towards Yuki—gratitude, and also another special feeling.
"Could it be that Yuki-san is the kind of guy who's very good at deceiving girls?"
Eriri's eyes were clear as spring water, staring at Yuki with a probing expression. Hearing this, Yuki was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle.
"Maybe I am! So, Sawamura-san, you'd better stay away from me! Otherwise, be careful of being deceived by me!"
Faced with Yuki's playful gaze and teasing words, Eriri's heart fluttered; she didn't take his words to heart at all.
"I... I'm not that stupid! I won't be deceived by you! Hmph~~~"
Eriri tsundere-ly crossed her arms in front of her chest, letting out a few coquettish snorts, putting on an "I'm not afraid" act. But deep down, Eriri felt something. It felt like even if she were deceived by Yuki, she would be willing.
Hearing this, Yuki couldn't help but laugh.
"Hehe, Sawamura-san really knows how to joke."
"Eriri..."
"Hmm?"
"Actually... you can call me Eriri..."
A blush suddenly swept across Eriri's face. Seeing this, the corner of Yuki's mouth lifted slightly.
"In that case, then Eriri can call me Yuki or Yue, whichever you prefer!"
"I understand... Yuki-kun..."
Hearing this, Eriri felt endless joy rise in her heart. Her steps even seemed to become exceptionally light at that moment.