Up front, Hasegawa keeps lecturing, every word sharp and clipped. She doesn't look at me, not even once. She's all over the place, eyes on the board, then the other students, or sometimes thumbing through a book.
The whole class sits in this weird, heavy silence. Feels like everyone's holding their breath. After what feels like forever, the clock finally hits noon. The bell goes off for lunch. Sensei's out the door before anyone can move. I push my chair back and make a beeline for Sena.
"You little devil. How could you do this to me!"
Sena was startled she almost fell off her chair. "I... I didn't mean to!" She was staring hard at her desk, fingers picking at a thread on her sleeve.
Her voice is barely there. She won't even look at me. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I really am. I just wanted to see the teacher, say sorry for skipping detention yesterday. I didn't mean to mess up your time with her."
"That's not what I'm mad about. I mean the detention yesterday. We were supposed to face it together, but you just disappeared and left me to take the fall. Now I have to be Sensei's assistant for a whole month!"
Sena's face shifts, there's a flash of her usual mischief, but she still looks a little guilty. She shrugs, glancing away. "Oh, that. Well, you know me. I don't exactly love extra credit... or extra time with Sensei. Anyway, you're her assistant now! Think of all the... opportunities."
"All I'm thinking about right now is how I want to throttle you with my bare hands."
She winks, teasing again, but backs off when I glare at her.
"Alright, alright! I get it. That was a jerk move. I panicked. But hey, at least you got to experience something interesting today, right?"
"I... I don't even want to know what you mean." I can't look at her. And then, of course, Kato comes over, as if we didn't have enough drama already. She's still poking at what happened this morning, even after Sena already filled her in.
She's got her hands clenched together, clearly nervous but refusing to back down. "So, what exactly happened with you and Sensei this morning?"
Her voice is soft, but she's not letting up. She stares at me, waiting. Sena starts giggling behind her, loving every second.
"Yeah, spill it. I want to know too."
Sena's got that glint in her eyes again. The classroom's almost empty, but the air between us is thick. "Come on. Something's up."
"I told you, I don't want to talk about it. Kato, what's gotten into you all of sudden? Usually you mind your own business. You never care about stuff like this."
"I... I'm just worried. Something feels off and that distracts my focus." Her voice cracks a bit, and she looks away, fidgeting with her hair.
"Looks like our little miss perfect isn't so perfect after all..." Sena chimes in.
Kato shoots her a glare before turning to me again. She's still curious, but now she's clearly anxious, too. "If nothing happened, then why are you all acting so weird?"
I let out a huge sigh. Fine. "It's honestly not that big a deal. Today I started as her assistant, and she basically tortured me with work. She even made me finish my homework because I forgot it last night, all while I was supposed to be helping her. Somehow, I got it all done, and she looked pretty surprised. Then she gave me a reward. So I asked for something I've wanted for a while... I asked if I could touch her boobs."
Kato's eyes go wide, her jaw drops.
Sena just loses it, laughing so hard she's pounding her knee. "You seriously had the guts to ask Sensei THAT?!"
Kato turns bright red, hands flying up to cover her mouth. "That's... that's so inappropriate!"
"Oh, come on, you two. Her blouse wasn't even buttoned up like it is in class. She kept her top open, her boobs practically spilling out, just like yesterday. How am I supposed to keep my thoughts clean when it's just the two of us in that tiny office? She was so close, I swear there wasn't even an inch between us."
Kato's face goes even redder, and she can't seem to look up.
Sena leans in, totally hooked. "Wait, so Sensei was, like... showing off?"
"Sena! That's something you shouldn't say about our Sensei!" Kato blurts out, but even she leans closer, dying to hear more.
"Come on, give us the details. Now."
"I... I honestly have no clue. I thought she lost her button again this morning, her blouse was wide open when I saw her at the office. But then, like magic, the button was back in place when she showed up to teach us in this class. I asked her about it, but she just brushed me off and wouldn't say a thing."
Sena's breath was getting shorter and shorter from laughing. She was having trouble breathing, while Kato looked like she's about to combust from embarrassment. "That's classic Sensei. Always so mysterious!"
Kato, whispering, "This is really unprofessional..." Her glasses slip down her nose as she fidgets, clearly torn between being scandalized and just plain curious.
"So? Did you have fun touching her?"
I shrug, trying to play it cool. "I did, until you barged in, Sena. Seriously, ever heard of knocking? It's basic manners..."
Sena's grin wavers, and for a split second, she actually looks embarrassed. "Hey, I always barge in! That's just my thing!"
Kato sighs, shaking her head. "And that's exactly why you shouldn't. It's rude."
"Whatever. At least I got a free show, right?" Sena winks, her usual mischief back in full force. Kato just rolls her eyes, letting her frustration show for once.
Just as I'm about to fire back, the classroom door slams open. Hasegawa's standing there.
A chill runs right through me as Hasegawa fixes me with that icy stare. She stands ramrod straight, and the whole room feels like holding its breath. Her voice is low and sharp, nothing like her usual calm. "Romi. My office. Now."