Then he got busy again.
Teachers like Matsuzaka Ume still had to lead the children in clearing their bowls and chopsticks, rest for a bit, and then start their afternoon nap.
But he was relaxed, with no extra tasks, free to continue writing in his office.
Washing his hands, wiping the table, ensuring no grease would stain the manuscript paper.
Kobayashi Itsuki picked up his pen, organized his thoughts, and prepared to start writing.
As for the treasure chest, he would open it later after work, back home.
It was simply too inconvenient with so many people at the Kindergarten.
'After school today, I also need to make time to go to the bank, and the loan sharks...'
The original owner had given up entirely after the financial meltdown, not repaying a single cent.
So he really didn't know how much he had to repay each month.
He had to clarify this matter first.
Only then could he plan his future expenses.
'All troublesome matters.'
Shaking his head, Kobayashi Itsuki cast the jumbled thoughts out of his mind, focused his attention on his manuscript, and entered serious mode.
But as he wrote, Kobayashi Itsuki kept feeling as if someone was silently staring at him from behind.
This feeling made him quite uneasy.
After silently enduring for a few minutes, Kobayashi Itsuki put down his pen, wanting to see who was secretly watching him.
However, as soon as he turned his head, he saw a pair of thick glasses behind him.
Behind the lenses were a pair of slightly timid eyes.
After their gazes met, the other person, as if having done something wrong, quickly dodged Kobayashi Itsuki's eyes like a startled small animal, turning her head away.
"Teacher Ageo?"
Kobayashi Itsuki was stunned, not expecting the timid Ageo Masumi to be the one peeking at him. Shouldn't she be coaxing the children to sleep at this time?
"Um..."
Ageo Masumi looked at Kobayashi Itsuki somewhat awkwardly and whispered.
"I, I accidentally saw this just now."
Kobayashi Itsuki immediately smiled upon hearing this, "It's fine, I put it here without fear of others seeing it. Besides, it's just something I wrote out of interest."
"On the contrary, I'd actually like to know what others think after reading it."
planetarian: the reverie of a little star was very popular in his previous life, and the subject matter met the Library's requirements.
But after all, it wasn't a product of this era, so to say he wasn't worried at all would be a lie.
Hearing Kobayashi Itsuki say this, and seeing that he really didn't seem to mind, Ageo Masumi's courage grew.
"Then can I read it properly? I only saw a part of it just now..."
Due to how the manuscript was placed, Ageo Masumi hadn't actually seen much of the content when she was in the office earlier.
"Of course, no problem."
Kobayashi Itsuki readily agreed, handing over the manuscript.
According to Kobayashi Itsuki's impression, Ageo Masumi in the original work was somewhat of a closet otaku.
Her usual hobbies included designing her personal homepage on the computer, watching dramas, or reading novels.
If it was her, she might be able to offer some suitable and pertinent opinions.
Ageo Masumi took the manuscript and began to read it carefully from the introduction.
Compared to her usual timid, somewhat shy and nervous demeanor, the current Ageo Masumi, when serious, completely lacked that feeling.
Taking advantage of this time, Kobayashi Itsuki carefully observed Ageo Masumi.
Although the girl in front of him was dressed rather unfashionably, and her thick glasses obscured half of her face, giving her a somewhat gloomy impression.
But if one were to push back her thick bangs and remove her glasses, it would be clear that her underlying features were definitely not bad.
'A beauty whose looks are sealed by glasses and bangs, should I say she truly lives up to her official certification as a beauty?'
In Futaba Kindergarten, there were two officially recognized beauties.
One was Matsuzaka Ume, and the other was Ageo Masumi.
Just as Kobayashi Itsuki was watching Ageo Masumi, she seemed to sense something and looked up.
Their gazes collided once again, and this time Ageo Masumi instinctively used the manuscript to shield herself, carefully asking,
"Teacher Kobayashi, wh-what's wrong?"
"Nothing much, it's just my first time showing my novel to someone else, so I'm a little nervous."
Kobayashi Itsuki chuckled, skillfully changing the subject.
Ageo Masumi heard this, slowly lowered the manuscript, and blinked.
"Are you really nervous, Teacher Kobayashi? You were so amazing on your first day of class..."
"Of course, teaching and this are completely different feelings."
Saying that, Kobayashi Itsuki pointed to his manuscript.
"Teacher Ageo, do you have any opinions?"
"I can't really call them opinions, but Teacher Kobayashi, this is a very interesting story, I'm very interested!"
A future post-apocalyptic world, a robot girl in an abandoned Planetarium, wary ruin hunters, and a bouquet made of various old parts.
Although Kobayashi Itsuki hadn't completely finished writing this part of the content.
The content displayed within it had already piqued Ageo Masumi's curiosity and anticipation.
It made her want to know what kind of story these two vastly different individuals would intertwine to create.
"Is that so? That's good then, at least it's not some uninteresting nonsense."
"Um... Teacher Kobayashi, can I read the rest of the story?"
Ageo Masumi asked, with a hint of anticipation and nervousness.
In Futaba Kindergarten, everyone was very friendly, and they got along harmoniously most of the time.
Even when Matsuzaka Ume and Yoshinaga Midori bickered, it was always in jest.
But sometimes, Ageo Masumi still felt a bit lonely.
She wasn't interested in the designer bags and cosmetics that Matsuzaka Ume cared about.
She didn't find rock climbing or similar activities that Yoshinaga Midori was interested in to be fun either.
She had two same-sex colleagues of her age, but they had no common topics to chat about. Especially when she saw Matsuzaka Ume and Yoshinaga Midori arguing every day, she felt like a transparent person, a bit out of place.
Now, Kobayashi Itsuki's arrival brought her a different feeling.
In the morning, when Kobayashi Itsuki was teaching, she had seen the manuscript on his desk, but she couldn't be entirely sure without seeing it firsthand.
Now, she could finally confirm that Kobayashi Itsuki was also someone who shared her hobbies.
Although she didn't show much on the surface, being able to actively say she wanted to read the rest of the story was already a huge step for Ageo Masumi.
This was a breakthrough from zero to one!
"Of course, no problem. If Teacher Ageo is willing to read it, it would actually be a great encouragement to me."
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