After Kotomi Izumi left the third music classroom—
Momoka Mito, after finishing a violin piece at a leisurely pace, didn't continue playing through the rest of the lunch break like she usually did. Instead, she packed up her violin, grabbed a bottle of water, and walked out. Rather than returning to Class 2-B, she turned and headed for the music teachers' office, also located on the fifth floor.
Knock knock knock.
Momoka gave the door a symbolic knock, then pushed it open without waiting and walked in with a cheerful grin.
"Miss Koishi, have you eaten lunch yet?"
She entered the music teachers' office, where Ami Koishi was the only one inside, and casually locked the door behind her.
It had been months, but Momoka had finally worked up the nerve to secretly order delivery—burgers and fried chicken. She was enjoying them with great relish when a sudden knock at the door startled her so much she nearly choked on the bite of burger she had just taken.
It couldn't be helped...
After all, the principal was Ami Koishi's father. Though he doted on her like a princess, he strictly forbade her from eating fast food like burgers and pizza. Every time he caught her sneaking some, she got a thorough scolding. As a result, whenever she did indulge, she unconsciously ate faster, afraid of getting caught again.
Even though she was already a college graduate and a full-fledged teacher, she still had to worry about sneaking burgers behind her dad's back. Honestly, she should never have applied to a high school where her father was the principal!
Every time Ami Koishi thought about this, she regretted it a little. Back when she was a student, even though her father spoiled her, he was always busy with work and often gone for weeks. She knew he was a principal at a high school somewhere in Chiba City, but not exactly which one.
After graduating college, she decided to apply to be a high school music teacher. With her credentials—and the general shortage of music teachers—her interviews at various schools had gone smoothly.
In the end, Ami Koishi chose to work at Sobu High School.
She hadn't told her father she was applying, thinking she was grown up now and should handle job hunting on her own.
But during the first all-school faculty meeting after joining, Ami stared dumbfounded at the man sitting in the principal's seat—while her father also stared dumbfounded back at his daughter.
What is my dad doing here?!
What is my daughter doing here?!
To this day, Ami still found it hard to believe. Of all the high schools in Chiba City, she had picked Sobu High.
Because of that, she didn't dare order burgers for lunch even when she wanted to. If her dad wasn't busy, he might drop by the office to check if she was eating properly. And if he saw her eating fried food again, he'd definitely scold her just like when she was a kid.
So yes, Ami often regretted choosing Sobu High as her teaching post.
However...
After she met Momoka Mito, she often felt glad...
That she had ended up teaching at Sobu High.
"Ah! Momoka—cough cough—Mito-san, you scared me to death! Don't you usually practice violin in the third music room during lunch?" Ami took a sip of Sprite before she could speak normally. That burger bite really had choked her.
"I missed you, so I came to see you. And check if you're eating properly," Momoka said, stepping forward. Seeing that Miss Koishi was, once again, eating burgers, she let out a resigned sigh. "Sigh... Miss, how many times do I have to tell you? Fried foods like burgers should be eaten in moderation."
"This is a grilled beef burger... not fried."
"You think I can't see that box of fried chicken on the side of your desk?" Momoka pointed straight at the box of drumsticks.
"Ugh—Why are you lecturing me too, Mito-san? I'm the teacher, you're the student! I'm just craving it today, so I'm eating it!" Ami puffed out her cheeks in frustration. Despite being a teacher who worked hard to appear mature and reliable in front of students, she always acted like a spoiled kid in front of Momoka.
"Okay, okay, I get it~ Go ahead and eat. I won't scold you. I actually came to ask about something—the key to the second music classroom. I want to borrow it for a while."
"Huh? Who are you lending it to?" Ami quickly asked. She was fine with letting Momoka manage the keys to the three music rooms, but that didn't mean she could lend them out casually.
After all, these were school property. If anything happened, as a teacher, she'd be held responsible. She wouldn't mind taking responsibility herself, but what she really feared was if something went wrong and it affected Momoka—especially with just over a year until her college entrance exams.
"To Kotomi Izumi from Class 1-F."
"Huh? Izumi-san? Don't tell me... she thinks the music classroom is comfy and wants to use it for naps or something?"
Upon hearing the name Kotomi Izumi, Ami felt a bit hesitant. Kotomi often slept through her class, so the idea of her suddenly wanting the key to a music room made Ami suspicious.
"Don't worry, Miss Koishi. Izumi-san just told me—she wants to use the music room to practice before the culture festival. She's amazing, you know? She's even planning to form a three-person band and perform on stage. Aren't you curious what her performance will be like?"
Hearing that, Ami couldn't hide her surprise.
"Izumi-san wants to form a band? And perform? I can't believe it... She's the type of student who sleeps in every music class... Well, okay. If that's the case, go ahead and lend it to her. You have the key to the second music classroom, right? Just give it to her directly."
Though she was still a little shocked—this was like a student who never did homework and always failed suddenly scoring perfect marks in every subject—Ami thought it over and ultimately nodded in agreement.
Since Momoka had come to her about it directly, Ami was willing to trust her judgment.
"Hehe, I actually forgot the key."
"No wonder you came to me..." Ami sighed helplessly, then took the key to the second music classroom from her drawer and handed it to Momoka—a silent sign of her approval.
"OK! Thanks, Miss Koishi~ I'll have Izumi-senpai come thank you herself later," Momoka said cheerfully as she took the key.
"So... you only came to see me today to borrow the key?" Ami asked, a hint of loneliness on her face.
Momoka shrugged and chuckled lightly. "Feeling lonely being alone in the office?"
And with that, Momoka stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Ami Koishi, and deeply kissed her on the lips.
Momoka had always believed she could never fall in love with anyone—that her heart belonged only to the violin. Until this year's music class, when she met Ami Koishi for the first time.
And before they realized it, they had already become lovers who had shared everything with one another.
"Mito-san... isn't the door still open...?"
"I locked it when I came in. Ami, don't call me Mito-san right now. Call me Momoka, okay?"
"Okay..."
Though Momoka Mito and Ami Koishi had a teacher-student relationship, they were also lovers. And both knew that until Momoka graduated high school, their love had to remain completely hidden—without leaving a trace.
...
When Kotomi returned to Class 1-F and entered through the back door, she flashed an "OK" hand sign at Yukino Yukinoshita.
Yukino responded with a knowing smile.
Megumi Kato, who happened to glance up from her phone at that moment, instantly felt sour. Her own girlfriend was sharing such perfect mutual understanding with another girl—like they were in on some secret she wasn't part of. Jealousy surged within her.
Pouting slightly in displeasure, Megumi deliberately avoided looking at Kotomi when she sat down, pretending to ignore her.
Kotomi, still basking in the joy of successfully borrowing the key to the second music classroom, didn't notice Megumi's mood at all. At that very moment, her phone finished updating Azur Lane.
The new event: "Rondo at Rainbow's End"!
Ever since she saw Elbe's new outfit "Time to Show Off??", Kotomi had been dying to play the new version—she could hardly wait a second longer.
Now that the maintenance period was over and the update complete, she didn't bother checking any new event details. She went straight for the limited construction pool.
"Ugh... As much as I want to pull Elbe—her outfit is seriously so spicy—this event also has the new rainbow ship Ulrich von Hutten. And I didn't save up any Wisdom Cubes or resources in advance!"
Kotomi hesitated. With her current stock of Cubes, materials, and quick finish tools, she could only afford two ten-pulls. She still had over 5,000 gems, but those were strictly reserved for skins! She couldn't bear to spend them on resources.
She hovered over the "Start Construction" and "MAX" buttons, unsure.
Glancing to her left, then right, Kotomi noticed Megumi was still focused on her phone. She blinked, then smiled slyly.
"Megumi~"
She scooted over and, as usual, started acting cutesy.
Pout. Megumi puffed up her cheeks, silently expressing her displeasure—a clear message: I'm not happy with you right now!
Kotomi wasn't dense or emotionally oblivious. She immediately realized Megumi was in a bad mood—and it seemed to be jealousy?!
Even though she recognized Megumi was upset due to jealousy, Kotomi still couldn't figure out why. She could understand Megumi being in a bad mood—everyone had their moments. But getting jealous?
That was puzzling. She had just arrived in the classroom, and it hadn't even been five minutes since she walked in and sat down.
Kotomi mentally retraced her steps from entering the classroom until now. She couldn't think of anything she had done that would justify Megumi feeling jealous.
Besides, the first person she looked at upon entering was Megumi.
And Megumi had been busy on her phone at the time.
Kotomi's large, pink eyes were filled with confusion. She just couldn't understand what she had done to trigger Megumi's jealousy.
Still, Megumi was jealous and unhappy—and even if she didn't know the cause, Kotomi knew the fastest way to fix it...
She glanced around. The classroom was mostly empty. Those who remained were either glued to their phones, reading, or chatting quietly in groups. Everyone was absorbed in their own world and not paying attention to others.
Kotomi looked behind her. Mashiro Shiina had already finished lunch and was now napping face-down on her desk—clearly another late night spent drawing manga.
After surveying the area and confirming the coast was clear, Kotomi leaned over and quietly rested her head on Megumi's lap.
Today, Megumi was wearing mid-calf socks. Resting her head on Megumi's lap, Kotomi was immediately greeted by the soft, warm sensation of her thighs—so comforting that her eyelids began to droop, as if she might doze off right there.
Kotomi looked up at Megumi with a playful glint in her eyes. "Jealous? What kind of jealousy? Who are you jealous of?"
The sudden lap pillow caught Megumi off guard, and she didn't respond right away. Meanwhile, Kotomi's soft fingers slipped into Megumi's hair, gently combing through it.
That light, gentle touch seemed to carry a kind of magic, instantly soothing Megumi's earlier frustration.
"You were exchanging looks with Yukino earlier..."
Megumi felt like a childish girl in moments like this—whenever she let Kotomi stroke her hair, she stopped caring what Kotomi might think of her jealous outburst. She just wanted to say it all in one go.
She wasn't sure when this change had happened.
Since dating Kotomi, Megumi—who used to be the one always taking the initiative—had gradually shifted. Now, she would occasionally act spoiled, like a little girl who hadn't grown up.
And she loved that feeling—loved acting spoiled with Kotomi. Once she started, she couldn't stop. She wanted to see how Kotomi would coax her.
Now that she finally understood why Megumi was upset, Kotomi let out a helpless chuckle. She never expected that to be the reason!
That look she exchanged with Yukino wasn't flirting—it was just her silently signaling that she had secured the second music classroom.
She didn't expect Megumi to catch that. Wait, wasn't she looking down at her phone at the time? She must have been pretending to play on her phone while sneakily watching me...
Kotomi wasn't sure whether to tease Megumi for always pretending to be absorbed in her phone while secretly watching her, or for revealing such a childish side sometimes...
But either way, this version of Megumi was truly adorable.
"Sometimes you really do act like a kid, Megumi... but then again, aren't we all just kids who haven't really grown up yet?"
Still resting her head on Megumi's lap, Kotomi stroked her hair gently. Before she finished speaking, her hand subtly applied a bit of pressure—a silent cue for Megumi to lower her head.
Megumi understood immediately and slowly leaned down.
When her face reached the right height...
Kotomi's cherry lips softly captured hers.
A rare moment—Kotomi took the initiative to kiss Megumi.
She reached up with one hand to stroke Megumi's neck, quietly but intensely seeking to take the lead in the kiss. But in the end, just like always, she failed.
As things deepened, Megumi smoothly seized control.
While Kotomi lay on Megumi's lap, Megumi carefully leaned down, kissing her while grabbing her school uniform coat from the back of the chair and draping it over their heads—like they were simply taking a nap.
"You're even using the coat to cover us? Since when were you this cautious, Megumi?"
"It's not just caution. Kotomi, don't you think kissing in a dim little space like this...—feels even more exciting?"
"You're so devious. Ugh, keep it down. Mashiro's still asleep. Don't wake her up," Kotomi whispered, her face red with embarrassment.
"Okay~" Megumi replied with a small smile. With that kiss, her jealousy had long since vanished.
And now...
She just wanted more kisses.
With the desk as cover and the coat casting shadows over their little space, they created a small private world where the two of them could quietly express their love.
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