After leaving Ryouko-san’s room, I immediately made my way to the Director’s Office. Since Kaoru-san was still a few minutes away, I would still have a bit of time to check on Hayashi-sensei.

Sure enough, I didn’t even need to knock twice. The door opened at one with the director, still clad in her labcoat that she’s using to pretend to be our mysterious school nurse, greeting me with furrowed brows.

"You surely took your sweet time." She said as she stepped aside to let me in. She nudged the thick purple glasses perched on her nose before closing the door behind me with a pointed click.

"Well, can you blame me, sensei? You told me that if there’s nothing important, I should hold off on reporting all of my activities for the past few days." I shrugged before turning around to face her.

I don’t know if she’s trying to put some distance between us, but she immediately flinched when I took a step closer to her.

I thought we were already clear about the boundaries we crossed, especially during my last visit, where she let me hold her close to me as we talked about us.

But looking at her right now, she’s probably still feeling a little guilty. On top of that, what we did kept playing over and over in her head.

"I did say that but... Ugh. Forget it." She put a hand on her forehead and sighed, "Nagamine-san will be here any minute. Just sit down and behave yourself."

"Behave? Sensei, you know me better than that. I’m always behaved." I replied

Hayashi-sensei shot me a glare before pointing at the seat I often use whenever I come here.

"I said sit down. Don’t try anything funny today... I..." Her voice trailed as the hand on her forehead slid down to cover half her face. Her cheeks must’ve been heating up and she was embarrassed to show it in front of me.

If she’s going to act like this in front of me, didn’t she know she was just fueling my desire for her?

In any case, since she asked me to behave, then behave I will. No matter what, I’ll still put a layer of respect towards her. Her situation was different from the three women I just met. With them, our relationship was already defined. That’s why it’s easy to act freely with them when we are in a private setting.

But Hayashi-sensei? She still had her doubts and inhibitions. She was still afraid to fully embrace this. Or rather, she’s still in the process of learning.

Slowly, I walked towards the seat she pointed at and settled down without making any trouble for her.

Her eyes followed me as though she was watching to see if I would do something unexpected. But when I settled down obediently, she let out another sigh. A relieved one this time.

"Onoda-kun..." She said in a softer tone as she began moving to the seat opposite mine.

"Yes, sensei?" I put on a smile as I straightened my back like a model student, "Should I brew you some tea?"

Instead of answering me, Hayashi-sensei just stared at me for a long moment. Her expression maintained its sternness but little by little, it melted.

Then she let out a small sigh before shaking her head. "I don’t need your tea, brat. I’m getting swept away by you again."

My smile turned into a grin. "But you like that about me, don’t you?"

"Don’t push your luck," She warned as she crossed her arms, projecting authority despite the faint pink dusting her cheeks. "Nagamine-san will be here soon. But before that, you told me you’d be here on weekends to help her sneak in those pieces of equipment for the dressing room. What happened?"

Ah... Right. Because my special swimming lesson with Yuika-senpai didn’t happen, Kaoru-san, who was supposed to send over those for Yue’s surprise concert, also cancelled it.

I mean, if the truck entered the school grounds, no one would be there to receive it. In the end, Kaoru-san decided to just send it over after confirming the location of the backstage and dressing room today.

"Well, things happened, sensei. It was moved for tomorrow, I guess? Don’t worry. I’ll be there to oversee it."

Hayashi-sensei narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not buying my vague excuse. She tapped her fingers against her arm, the rhythmic sound filling the tense silence between us.

"You better be..." She huffed once before composing herself again, "Anyway, the budget for the cultural festival will all be released later. Including the ones your class won from the workshop. Help Shizu distribute them accordingly."

"Of course, sensei. I’ll make sure they’re allocated properly," I assured her while subtly glancing at the clock on the wall.

Hayashi-sensei followed my gaze and sighed before saying, "So, how long are you going to sit there? Are you not coming over here?"

Hayashi-sensei’s words hung in the air between us. It sounded like a challenge wrapped in a reluctant invitation. The way she tightened her crossed arms and shifted her crossed legs to the other side betrayed her nervousness. It’s like she couldn’t decide whether she wanted me to approach or stay put.

"I thought you wanted me to behave, sensei?"

Despite saying that, I rose slowly, letting my amusement show just enough to make her flush deepen. The plush office carpet muffled my footsteps as I circled the low table between us. When I stopped just inches from her chair, she was already glaring up at me. The way her glasses also angled up brought out more of her mature charms.

"I do. So, sit properly. Here. Next to me," She ordered weakly, gesturing to the empty space beside her.

I complied, sinking into the plush chair with exaggerated care, close enough that our knees touched. Furthermore, my arm slipped behind her and hooked around her waist to pull her flush against me. She stiffened at the sudden contact, her breath hitching—but didn’t push me away.

"Onoda-kun," she warned, voice strained.

"Just following orders, sensei," I murmured, pressing my lips to the shell of her ear. "You said ’next to me,’ not ’at a respectful distance.’"

"Haa... I just can’t win over you, shameless brat."

"I can pretend to lose though. If that’s what you want, sensei."

"Shut up. Nagamine-san will be arriving soon... Stop wasting time."

That’s a signal, right? A green light, telling me to do what I always do to her.

"Sensei, are you sure?"

"Don’t make me repeat it... idiot. Even if I deny it internally, I feel comfortable when you’re closer."

Her voice came softer than I expected. After that, she leaned her head on my shoulder and slightly shifted on her side to make her current position more comfortable.

"I’m glad to hear that, sensei. I know you’re still feeling conflicted but... you should know how happy I am when you told me to come over like this. I didn’t need to act shamelessly just to get closer to you." I murmured as I started caressing her head, my fingers threading lightly through her soft hair.

Hayashi-senpai sighed against my shoulder, her tense shoulders relaxing further as my touch melted away her lingering inhibitions. There’s no need to pretend to give her relief with my massages anymore. The tension and stress she’s feeling were already dispersing just by leaning on me like this.

"Shameless brat," She muttered again but this time, she looked up at me, and a genuine, affectionate smile could be seen on her face. "This is exactly why I can’t stay mad at you."

"Hmm? Because I’m irresistibly charming?"

"Not that! Ugh... Just stay still... And let me savor this moment." Hayashi-sensei dived back on my shoulder again and then she stretched her arm to my chest, clutching it lightly.

In response, I tightened my hold on her and just continued my gentle caresses. There’s no need for words anymore. And there’s no need to escalate it to something more indecent.

I could tell. Her desk was still filled with paperwork she hadn’t finished signing. She’s tired and I have become her refuge.

Like this, ten minutes quickly passed.

And soon enough, a knock came at the door.