Hasegawa-sensei's gaze swept the room, her usual calm barely hiding a spark of curiosity. She was always the observer, and right away, I could tell she sensed the tension. The air felt thick, heavy in a way it hadn't yesterday.
Next to me, Kato kept glancing between me and Sena. Her pencil just hovered, frozen over her notebook. Across the row, Sena was practically stabbing her homework, her pencil's lead snapped as she pressed down way too hard. Shoulders tight, face set, she looked like she wanted to scream but wouldn't let herself.
"Romi," Hasegawa-sensei's voice sliced through everything. "Come solve this equation on the board. Now."
Her tone was sharp, but her eyes were sharper. She wasn't just testing my math—she wanted to see what was going on between me and Sena, and she was using the board to do it. I stood up, and I could feel her eyes following me, watching how I moved, how I kept my gaze away from the back row.
Sena didn't look up, but her pencil stopped. She was listening.
I grabbed the marker and started writing. Every squeak on the whiteboard felt like it might drag out everything from yesterday. Hasegawa stepped closer, voice dropping low just for me.
"Romi, something's off today. Are you going to tell me what's going on with you and Sena?"
I kept my eyes on the board. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sensei. We're just being ourselves."
"Really?" Her voice went razor-thin, heavy with disbelief. She stepped even closer, her perfume distracting for half a second. "I've taught long enough to know when something has changed. Whatever happened, it's poisoning this class."
She crossed her arms and just waited, pink blouse stretched tight, expecting an answer I wasn't going to give. I stared at the numbers, pretending her stare wasn't burning a hole in me.
Splak!
She slapped the whiteboard, making her big chest swing freely due to the impact. The whole class jumped.
"Stop lying to me," she snapped. "You're not even paying attention. This calculation is a mess. This isn't you."
I blinked at the numbers. "Sorry. I got distracted. I'll start over."
"No. Sit down." She pointed straight at my desk. "Your head's not here. Kato, your turn."
I headed back to my seat, staring at the floor. Kato hurried up, moving with this quiet precision that made my own mess feel even worse.
Hasegawa didn't go back to her desk. Instead, she walked over to Sena. "You made mistakes here, and here too, Sena. You're just as distracted as Romi."
"Whatever," Sena muttered, trying to sound like she didn't care, but her shoulders practically touched her ears.
"Something's bothering you. Want to talk about it?"
"It's nothing." Typical Sena—her walls always come up fast. But her hand shook. Hasegawa waited, just stood there, patient, watching for the moment she'd let something slip.
"You know what? Let's cut this assignment to twenty-five questions instead of fifty."
Sena's head shot up. "...Really?"
"Quality over quantity, right?" Hasegawa smiled, reaching out to brush Sena's hair—a small, gentle touch. "Take your time. No need to rush."
As she walked away, I caught it, a tiny smile on Sena's lips. Her shoulders relaxed. She turned back to her work, focused and calm again.
Class rolled on after that, no more trouble. When the bell rang, the hallway was chaotic. Students from other classes who were attending the same summer classes as us were running around the hallways. There weren't that many of them, at most three students per class, but that was enough to make a racket. I started gathering files for Hasegawa. She handed me a stack, her eyes catching mine, heavy with something I couldn't quite read.
"Take these to my office, Romi."
Inside the office, I did what I always did: locked the door. I sorted the files on her desk while she sat back, crossing her legs with this relaxed confidence. Her professional mask slipped—she just lounged there, not caring how much her short skirt rode up or how the black stocking hugged her thigh.
"Romi, it's just us now," she said, voice steady. "Tell me what really happened between you and Sena. I'm your sensei. Maybe I can help."
I let out a long sigh. The secret was just too heavy to keep anymore. "I can't hide it, Sensei. Do you remember yesterday, when your blouse got stuck in the drawer?"
Hasegawa's eyes shot wide, her cheeks turning pink. She clearly remembered—the torn fabric and the uncontrolled moan of her. "What's that got to do with this?"
"Sena saw us. Well, not everything, but she heard enough. When she walked in, we looked bad. I ran after her, tried to explain it was just a dumb accident, but she didn't buy it. She blackmailed me, Sensei. Said she'd keep her mouth shut if I did whatever she wanted. I ended up taking her to dinner just to keep her quiet."
"How'd that go?"
"Awful, at first. She took full advantage—ordered the priciest things, emptied my wallet. Classic Sena. But then, it actually got kind of fun. We laughed, we messed around, it almost felt like… romantic. Then I asked if she had a boyfriend."
Hasegawa leaned forward, sunlight stretching across her desk. "And?"
"She said no. Then she teased me, asked if I wanted to be the one. I snapped. I told her it could never happen. Called her immature, arrogant, a blackmailer, a pain in my ass. In short, my words at that time were very painful to hear. I thought she could accept them. But I didn't expect her to break down like that. She grabbed her stuff and ran out, crying. That's why everything's a mess today."
Hasegawa's face softened. "You went too far, Romi. You really hurt her. Underneath all that attitude, Sena's still just a girl. Once again, just a girl!"
She shifted in her chair, not even noticing the way she was sitting. Her skirt was lifted, revealing her black lace panties under black stockings. All her attention was on me. "Words cut deeper than you think, especially for someone who wears armor to hide how fragile she is. You need to apologize."
"But was I wrong? I was being honest! She literally blackmailed me! Why am I the villain?"
"Because you crushed her heart instead of just her argument," Hasegawa said, her voice steady. "Sure, blackmail is wrong. But humiliating her in public? That's no better. You could've handled it differently. You didn't have to break her down."
"Why should I care? She never cares about my feelings. She mocks me, laughs, bullies me."
"And you think stooping to her level makes you better? Look at what you did. You're strong, Romi. You can take her taunts. Sena's not as tough as you. Don't measure her by your standards." Her voice was still calm, but I felt the weight behind it. She stood up a little, putting some space between us, but her eyes stayed locked on mine. "You're supposed to be the mature one. You're supposed to rise above this."
I let her words sink in. Part of me was proud, she thought I was the better person. But something about it just didn't sit right.
It felt unfair.
"You're not helping, Sensei. You're just like everyone else. Never on my side. I'm the victim here, but somehow, I'm always the bad guy. I shouldn't have even told you."
Hasegawa's face softened again, her sternness melting into something kinder. She drew a slow breath. "I'm not saying you're completely to blame. But look at what's happened. Everything you said was true, but it still hurt her. Maybe a part of you feels like she deserved it—like karma finally hit her. But this isn't good for you either, is it? You're both miserable. It didn't have to end up like this. You hurt her, Romi."
"I'm hurting too, you know…"
Then, out of nowhere, Hasegawa cupped my face in her hands—gentle, warm. Her eyes weren't sharp anymore. They were soft, almost motherly. "I know you're hurting. Your feelings matter too. But someone has to apologize, for everyone's sake. And let's be honest, Sena's not strong enough to do it."
Then she pulled me into a hug, pressing me against her chest until I could barely breathe. Her scent, sweat and perfume, filled my nose, and suddenly I just melted. My pride, my anger, all of it just dissolved. I hugged her back, arms around her tiny waist, holding on tight. Before I knew it, a single tear slid down my cheek and soaked her blouse.
"So what do I do now, Sensei?"
She stroked my hair, her touch gentle, her voice soft but sure. "Apologize. For real. Not because you have to, but because you're the one who can."
She pulls back a little, looking straight into my eyes. My tears have soaked the front of her pink blouse, but she doesn't care.
"Alright. If my apology fixes everything, I'll do it." Hasegawa leans in and plants a quick, gentle kiss on my forehead. It's so soft that I felt like a goddess giving me her blessing.
For a second, her smile is warm—softer than I've ever seen. The usual sternness in her face melts away.
"That's the right call." She steps back and adjusts her blouse, still damp. The professional mask slips back on, but I catch a glimmer of kindness in her eyes.
"Come on, let's finish sorting those files. We're almost done."
I get back to work, but I can still feel her lips on my forehead. It's like something permanent now, impossible to shake off.
Not long after I finish, someone knocks. I should have guessed who it was, but when I open the door, I'm honestly caught off guard.
"Kato?"
She stands in the doorway, fidgeting with a sheet of paper. Her eyes flick between me and Hasegawa, uncertain and a little curious.
"I… Sena asked me to turn in her assignment. She didn't want to come herself since she thought she might run into you."
"Bring it here, Kato," Hasegawa calls from behind me.
"Where's Sena?" I ask, actually worried about her for once.
"She's waiting in our classroom. I felt bad for her, so I helped her finish this. I also promised to take her to a cafe after. She just wanted me to drop it off."
I glance at sensei. She gets it, gives a small nod. That's all I need. I grab my bag and bolt for the classroom, hoping I'll catch Sena there.