"I've already said everything I needed to say, and class is over now, so we'll leave it at that." Hiratsuka Shizuka closed her notebook and prepared to leave the classroom.
Just then, Shirai Mio suddenly came up beside her, gently tugged at Hiratsuka Shizuka's sleeve, and asked, "Shizuka-sensei, are you free tonight?"
Although Shirai Mio had only asked whether she was free, Hiratsuka Shizuka already knew what she meant. She smiled and nodded. "I'll come over after work. It should be around seven. Do you need me to bring anything?"
"Probably not. Just ask Chihiro-sensei whether there's enough alcohol left."
"Sure." A hint of anticipation flashed in Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes.
She had been quite busy with teaching lately and had not had the chance to mooch a meal from Shirai Mio in a while. On top of that, Yukinoshita Haruno had told her that Mio would be traveling abroad with her after the break began. If Shizuka did not seize this chance, she would have to wait until Shirai Mio returned from her trip before she could enjoy another feast made by Mio.
After speaking with Hiratsuka Shizuka, Shirai Mio walked over to Shiina Mashiro's classroom.
She did not go inside. She simply stood by the door and watched Shiina Mashiro pack her things.
Before long, Shiina Mashiro came over and asked, "Mio, where are we going now?"
"To buy groceries. I'm making you a feast tonight."
Spring break starts tomorrow, and Shiina Mashiro would also be flying back to England tomorrow morning.
Of course, she would not be going alone. Rita was already at their home. Anyone would worry about letting Shiina Mashiro travel by herself, wondering whether something might happen to her halfway there.
"You can tell me anything you want to eat~" Shirai Mio said with a smile.
"I like everything Mio cooks." Shiina Mashiro naturally wrapped both arms around Shirai Mio's arm, and the two walked toward the school gate as usual.
Back when Mashiro had first transferred in, the two of them sticking so close together always attracted plenty of attention from their classmates. But as time passed, even if they walked around holding hands now, the students nearby would at most give them a couple of extra glances.
After leaving school, Shirai Mio took Shiina Mashiro to the supermarket.
Following a major shopping spree, the two came out carrying all sorts of large and small bags.
The supermarket was not particularly far from the apartment, but carrying so much still made the walk a little tiring.
Just then, a familiar luxury car stopped by the roadside not far away. Yukinoshita Haruno got out, walked straight over to Shirai Mio, and said, "I was just wondering whether I should buy some ingredients on the way back. Looks like there's no need now."
"Senpai, perfect timing. Help us carry some of this." Shirai Mio unceremoniously handed some bags to Yukinoshita Haruno.
Yukinoshita Haruno called over the driver instead and had him take everything back to the apartment, while she slowly walked there together with Shirai Mio.
"Wait. Why didn't we just ride in the car?" Shirai Mio blinked and asked in confusion.
"You didn't mention it, so I thought you wanted to walk." Yukinoshita Haruno replied with an innocent expression.
"If there's a car, why would I choose to walk?" After poking fun at herself, Shirai Mio did not dwell on the matter. They were already almost downstairs from her apartment anyway.
Once back at the apartment, Shirai Mio put down her schoolbag and started preparing dinner. Naturally, Yukinoshita Haruno would not pass up the chance to work alongside her.
As she helped, she asked, "Little kouhai, have you packed your luggage already? Our flight is tomorrow afternoon."
Yukinoshita Haruno had originally wanted to leave that very night, but considering that Shirai Mio still needed to see Shiina Mashiro off, she had no choice but to book their tickets for the following afternoon.
Shiina Mashiro herself did not seem like much of a threat, but because she spent every day living alongside Shirai Mio, Yukinoshita Haruno estimated that Mashiro held a very important place in Mio's heart.
To be honest, Haruno was rather envious.
But it did not matter. While Shiina Mashiro was back in England, it would finally be Haruno's turn to start scoring points.
Whatever it was she had thought of, the corners of Yukinoshita Haruno's lips curved into a pleased smile.
"Senpai, is it really okay for you to leave the country for an entire week? What about your family's work?"
"No problem. I've already handled everything that needed my attention. The rest can be left to other people."
To ensure she could enjoy this trip with Shirai Mio, she had put in quite a bit of effort lately to take care of everything in advance.
Her mother, however, had plenty to say about Haruno's behavior.
After all, she had warned Haruno before to exercise some restraint. By "restraint," her mother meant that Haruno should keep her distance from Shirai Mio, yet Haruno had instead only grown closer to her.
Still, Haruno had handled all of her recent responsibilities so well that even her mother could find nothing to criticize on that front, so she could finally enjoy this break properly.
While the two were cooking, Sengoku Chihiro and Hiratsuka Shizuka also arrived.
Those two drunks had probably been so busy lately that they had not even had time to drink. Now that they finally had a free evening, they started drinking almost as soon as they walked in.
Rita, meanwhile, stayed in Shiina Mashiro's room and asked what had happened lately.
After hearing that nothing particularly special had happened except that Mashiro and Mio were kissing more often, Rita sighed dejectedly. But she did not give up. Since she would be taking Shiina Mashiro back to England this time, she was determined to educate Mashiro properly once they got there.
At the very least, she needed to move things forward between Shiina Mashiro and Shirai Mio.
As if an idea had just occurred to her, Rita leaned closer to Shiina Mashiro and said, "Oh, right. You can try it tonight. Tell her you're about to go back to England. Even if you ask for something a little outrageous, Shirai Mio will probably agree."
"Something excessive?" Shiina Mashiro tilted her head, apparently not understanding what Rita meant.
"You know, that kind of thing!"
After Rita explained what she meant, Shiina Mashiro finally understood.
Seeing the look of realization on Shiina Mashiro's face, Rita continued, "Just try it. It won't hurt to try."
Excited as she was, Rita failed to notice the bedroom door opening behind her.
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