"I'm a local."
"I see. I really envy that—having lots of time to spend with family."
Hearing this, Kobayashi Itsuki smiled faintly, shook his head, and said, "My parents are gone. I live alone."
Hearing Kobayashi Itsuki's words, a look of shock flashed across Matsuzaka Ume's face, and she quickly stood up and bowed toward Kobayashi Itsuki.
"I'm sorry, I am truly sorry. I didn't mean to..."
Matsuzaka Ume spoke sincerely, filled with apology.
Although jokes about being an orphan with a car and a house exist in every world.
Matsuzaka Ume would occasionally fantasize about whether she might have the chance to catch such a wealthy husband.
But this was clearly not the time to joke about such matters, nor would Matsuzaka Ume actually do such a thing.
Although she usually appeared vain and shallow, she was fundamentally a very decent person.
"It's fine, it's fine. Teacher Matsuzaka, you didn't do it on purpose."
Kobayashi Itsuki waved his hand, speaking calmly.
"Living alone must be very tough, right?"
Matsuzaka Ume looked at Kobayashi Itsuki before her and said softly.
Although she currently lived alone in Kasukabe City, her family members were all still around.
These were two completely different feelings.
This meant that no matter how things went for her outside, there was always a home waiting for her, a safe harbor.
During the New Year, she could still reunite with her relatives and celebrate happily together.
But for Kobayashi Itsuki, all of this no longer existed.
Putting herself in his shoes, Matsuzaka Ume felt that if she were facing this situation, she probably wouldn't know how to cope.
Looking at Kobayashi Itsuki's composed appearance, it seemed a long time had passed, which couldn't help but stir a feeling of sympathy in her heart.
"It's nothing. I'm already used to it."
Kobayashi Itsuki deliberately recalled the huge debt he owed, allowing his eyes to take on a slightly melancholic look.
In his previous life, he remembered a saying.
Making a woman feel sympathy for you often successfully opens a crack in her heart.
Simply put, it was about letting a woman see the vulnerability behind a strong man, allowing her to release "maternal" feelings, generating a strong protective instinct toward him, and achieving the goal of guiding her emotions.
Although Kobayashi Itsuki, who was quite a shut-in in his previous life, never had the chance to try such a thing.
However, it doesn't prevent me from trying now that I have the chance.
It just so happened that Teacher Matsuzaka brought up this topic, so there was no need to deliberately guide the conversation.
Looking at Kobayashi Itsuki, who was usually cheerful, but had a faint melancholy in his eyes when this topic came up, Teacher Matsuzaka felt a bit regretful, wondering why she was so clumsy with words to bring up such a topic.
Kobayashi Itsuki, who had been diligently observing Teacher Matsuzaka, knew when to stop and said with a smile,
"Teacher Matsuzaka has been asking me questions all this time, now it should be my turn, shouldn't it?"
Teacher Matsuzaka was still racking her brain, trying to figure out how to express her apology, but now Kobayashi Itsuki had directly changed the topic.
Seeing him wink at her, Teacher Matsuzaka immediately understood that he was being considerate, and she was deeply touched.
"Teacher Kobayashi, please ask."
"How about Teacher Matsuzaka introduces her hometown?"
"My hometown, oh, the farm in my hometown…"
Teacher Matsuzaka's eyes fell into a reminiscent gaze, and she spoke subconsciously.
Upon hearing this, Kobayashi Itsuki's expression became a little strange.
"Teacher Matsuzaka, didn't you say last time that your home was in Roppongi?"
Teacher Matsuzaka was startled awake and quickly changed her words with an embarrassed smile.
"Ah, no, I meant a farm I once visited, the fruits there were so delicious…"
One sentence made Teacher Matsuzaka break out in a cold sweat; she almost let it slip.
It was hard enough to meet such a seemingly good prospect as Kobayashi Itsuki; she couldn't ruin her image by letting something slip.
She was a fashionable urban lady from Roppongi, not a farm girl who grew up in some rural area!
Kobayashi Itsuki naturally wouldn't expose anything or do anything to ruin the atmosphere.
While eating, Kobayashi Itsuki and Teacher Matsuzaka had a good chat.
With both of them intentionally maintaining it, the atmosphere was exceptionally lively, and both were quite happy.
Finally, it was time for the children to rest.
Kobayashi Itsuki spread his hands in front of Teacher Matsuzaka and said to her with a smile,
"I had a very pleasant lunch today. As a token of my appreciation, let me perform a small magic trick for Teacher Matsuzaka."
"Alright!"
Teacher Matsuzaka was pleasantly surprised, and her satisfaction with Kobayashi Itsuki increased a few notches.
A man who is handsome, cheerful, and also knows how to create surprises with a little romance already surpasses many people.
Not to mention, he very likely comes from a wealthy family.
"Then please choose one hand, Teacher Matsuzaka."
"Then this one."
Teacher Matsuzaka said, choosing Kobayashi Itsuki's left hand.
Kobayashi Itsuki raised his hand and placed it in front of her, "Now blow on it."
Teacher Matsuzaka did as Kobayashi Itsuki said, blowing gently, and then saw Kobayashi Itsuki reach behind himself.
When his hand passed through his hair and returned to Teacher Matsuzaka's front, a palm-sized doll appeared in his hand.
"This is for you, Teacher Matsuzaka, I hope you like it."
Kobayashi Itsuki said with a smile, placing the small doll in Teacher Matsuzaka's hand.
Looking at the small item in her hand, Teacher Matsuzaka was full of pleasant surprise
She suddenly understood why the children in the class liked Kobayashi Itsuki so much; this kind of surprise truly made people uncontrollably happy.
"Thank you, Teacher Kobayashi, I like it very much."
The children below, seeing this scene, couldn't even think about sleeping.
They all gathered around Kobayashi Itsuki.
"Teacher Kobayashi, perform another magic trick!"
"Yes, perform another one!"
"If I perform too many magic tricks in one day, the magic might stop working, and it's also time for you students to sleep."
"Tomorrow, I'll perform more magic tricks for you and play more fun games with you."
Saying that, Kobayashi Itsuki waved to everyone in the class, then turned and walked out freely without any hesitation.
[Ding, Teacher Matsuzaka's favorability increased, obtained green treasure chest * 1.]
The familiar system prompt brought Kobayashi Itsuki comforting good news.
His hard work was not in vain, ultimately earning him a new green treasure chest.
Among the three teachers at the Kindergarten, Ageo Masumi and Teacher Matsuzaka had both reached green favorability; now only Yoshinaga Midori remained.
However, Kobayashi Itsuki was not in a hurry.
He had already gained enough green treasure chests today; now it was time to do his own things.
Returning to the office, a folder was on the desk.
Opening the folder, Kobayashi Itsuki looked at the clean, wrinkle-free manuscript, carefully preserved in the middle, and a faint smile appeared on his face.