Sensei spun around and made for the door, stiff as a board. Honestly, I half-expected her to snap in half. Even so, she moved fast, her heels beating out a sharp, nervous rhythm on the linoleum. That sound echoed down the empty halls, loud as a clock ticking in a silent room.
I trailed behind her, not too close. The school felt different after hours, kind of suffocating, weirdly intimate. The air was thick with her scent, mature and womanly, sticking to everything. I kept staring at the floor, trying not to look at the way her hips moved right in front of me. Not easy. My heart was pounding, and I couldn't think straight.
She stopped at a door with 'Hasegawa Konatsu Office' stenciled on it and dug a silver key out of her bag. The office fit her perfectly—cold, organized, and smelling like paper and perfume. Textbooks piled up on her desk, and some sad-looking plant drooped on the windowsill.
"Sit," she said, motioning to the chair.
She sank into her own chair, and the leather creaked under her. She crossed her legs, slow, almost teasing, her skirt riding up way too high. For a second, I caught a glimpse of her panties. She looked calm, but her eyes were locked on mine, searching. "Now, about this detention…"
I blurted out, "Sensei, look, I wasn't trying to start anything. This is all Sena. She dragged me in, and I was just telling her to knock it off so we could finish the lesson."
Her eyes narrowed with something I couldn't read. She moved closer, elbows on the desk. "I see. And what exactly was Miss Sena doing that needed your… vocal intervention?"
She sounded all business, but I caught something else in her voice. Curiosity, maybe. Or just waiting for me to trip up.
"It was… the button," I said, rubbing my neck and sneaking a glance at her blouse. "Sena wouldn't shut up about it. She kept saying it looked better open, that you should just leave it. I told her to cut it out. Please, Sensei, don't crush my grade over this. I'll finish this summer class, I'll do whatever you want, just don't bury me."
Sensei leaned back, drumming her fingers on the desk. Her face softened, just barely. "I appreciate it, Romi. But a promise doesn't erase a classroom disruption."
She adjusted her collar, totally oblivious that she was just making the gap in her blouse even wider. My pulse hammered in my ears. "Since Sena's managed to disappear, you'll be helping me with admin work after school. Call it detention, but with paperwork."
She held my gaze. Firm, challenging, almost daring me to push back. "Are we clear?"
Clear? I couldn't even think. My brain was just noise and heat. I wanted out before I did something stupid. "But what about Sena? Why am I the only one getting nailed for this?"
Annoyance flickered across her face. "Sena will get hers. I know how to make sure she learns her lesson. Her next pop quiz is going to be... memorable."
A sly little smile played on her lips, the kind that makes you squirm without knowing why. "Now, I've got a mountain of filing. Let's get started."
She slid a heavy folder toward me, her fingers brushing the edge as those files are her own daughter, nails catching the light.
"Wait, now?" I stammered. "I thought we'd start tomorrow. It's late, and I still have your homework."
She glanced at the clock, then me. For a second, she let the strict teacher act slip. "Fine. Tomorrow will do. But don't be late."
She stood, smooth and sharp, and walked me to the door. The afternoon sun caught the edges of her blouse, throwing long, tempting shadows. "And the homework, I want it perfect. No shortcuts."
She watched me at the doorway, her eyes unreadable, heavy. I could feel her gaze on my back all the way down the hall.
The second I got home, I basically collapsed face-first onto my bed. My head spun. "What a disaster," I mumbled into the pillow. I'd figured summer school would just be boring, nothing more than a chore. Not… whatever this was turning into. A whole month as her personal assistant? Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd last. She had this pull, this weird magnetism, and I couldn't seem to shake it.
I fell into one of those deep, empty sleeps. No dreams, nothing. Then my phone started blaring right by my ear and yanked me back to earth in the morning. I squinted at the screen, ugh, Hasegawa-sensei.
"Hello?" My voice sounded awful.
"Romi. Why'd it take you four rings to pick up?"
"Uh… I was basically dead. Why are you even calling me so early, Sensei?"
"Get to the academy. Now. My office. You're my assistant, remember?"
I rubbed my eyes and checked the time. "Class doesn't start till ten. It's barely nine. I've got an hour."
"Class starts at ten for students," she snapped. "Assistants start now. Get out of bed and get your ass here in ten minutes or I'm doubling your hours."
She hung up.
"Are you kidding me?" I groaned, kicking off my sheets.
Ten minutes later.
I was tearing through the school doors, out of breath, hair a mess like unkempt weeds in the front yard, barely put together. I reached her office and froze.
She was there, leaning against her desk, legs crossed, waiting. And her shirt? Still unbuttoned, just like yesterday. The sight hit me like a punch, reminding me of everything I'd tried not to think about all night.
She was tapping her foot, her face a mask of practiced irritation. That frown. Arms crossed, right over that open part of her blouse. Her eyes followed every move I made as I walked in.