"What do you mean I'm making tonight's dinner? You always cook," wondered Obarihime as Akira's words seemed to hit her like an arrow to the heart.
"I just spent an entire day fulfilling the minds of the youth while you were probably doing nothing but waiting for me to return," he said as he walked upstairs and right past her, making her flinch as he did so.
"I shouldn't have to waste anymore of my energy on who is someone as entitled as you," he continued as he entered his study and closed the door behind him.
Obarihime opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.
Then, her stomach began growling, prompting her to rub it and sigh softly.
'I still remember a few dishes Ruri taught me when I slept over. Let's see if my memory will serve me right...' she reminisced as she made her way into the kitchen.
After an hour, she dished up for herself and sat at the dining table, where she began eating with a bright smile on his face.
Then, Akira joined her with a plate of his own and took a bite of the stew.
"This isn't bad. You know, you could teach those kids the use of herbs as well," said Akira.
"I am not going to be a teacher simply because you complimented me," retorted Obarihime as she dished some more food and took another bite.
"Then how about we make a deal?" Akira proposed.
"Mh... I'm intrigued. If I'm going to be a teacher at your mediocre school, I want my own place. I don't want to share a home with you."
Akira looked at Obarihime sadly. "Why? Am I too hot to handle??"
"Stop with the goody two shoes act! I know you're not actually upset about this!" Obarihime shouted.
"You're right, I'm not," Akira quickly smirked. "I'm fucking gorgeous, so the only reason why you'd want to leave is so that you can get away with a bunch of shenanigans."
Obarihime folded her arms. "You make a lot of assumptions without clear evidence. I don't like that."
"What's evidence to a king like me? I hold the power to destroy nations in the very palm of my hand and you think evidence is enough to make me flinch. Cute," Akira said as he gave a light chuckle.
"If you won't allow me to live in my own space, then you can forget about me being a teacher at your school. You already don't want me out of this house. What's another rule to you?
"Do you really think I enjoy being suffocated under your abuse and your stupid rules?"
Akira smiled gently. "It wasn't my intention to make you feel like a prisoner in your own home."
Obarihime pushed her empty bowl away and shook her head. "This is not my home..."
Akira nodded slowly and tapped his finger on the table.
"In any case, I have reason to believe that you'll be useful to your people. Just consider teaching the students for one day. That way, you'll decide on whether it's worth it or not.
"It's not about me anymore. It's about them. They are this town's future afterall."
Akira picked up a cloth, gently dabbed his mouth and pushed his chair back.
He stood up and retreated to his room, ending his conversation with Obarihime. Meanwhile, she looked at Akira's bowl and sighed.
'The ungrateful demon didn't even finish his food...' she said upon noticing that Akira only took a few bites.
The next day, Frill was jotting down some vowels in kobold on the black board of the classroom, her diligent students writing down her notes on their notepads.
As she took down those notes, she heard the door open.
"Huh?"
Glancing over to the sound of the door pushing open, Frill's eyes widened in aghast..
Obarihime entered the classroom and walked towards Frill, her eyes also filled with curiosity.
"Wow. I didn't think that you'd actually be a teacher," Obarihime said in a calm tone.
Although, there was a hint of condescension in her words.
Without responding, Frill pushed her glasses back and continued jotting down the notes on the black board.
Obarihime cleared her throat, which ended up interrupting the students, forcing them to look at her.
With a proud smug on her face, Obarihime tucked her hair behind her ears and stood in the front of the class.
Frill sighed and ceased writing the notes in order to see what Obarihime was planning.
"Morning, children," Obarihime greeted the children with a bright smile. "I'm Obarihime, and I'll be your new Kobold language teacher. Let's get along well."
"Uh," Saori raised her hand.
"Yes, you over there," Obarihime pointed at her with a hint of enthusiasm behind the action.
"I'm Saori. And, we already have a Kobold language teacher. Ms Frill," Saori said, tilting her head towards Frill. "Mr Akira said you'd only be an assistant teacher."
"Assistant?" Obarihime raised an eyebrow. 'Akira...!'
"Oh, I suppose he didn't tell you. Since there's no actual guarantee that you'll want to continue teaching, you'll be an assistant for the time being," said Frill.
"But, since you're here, you might as well take over the class," she added. "Here are today's notes. Could you finish writing them on the board for me?"
Obarihime's gaze shifted to Frill as she saw her handing her the notebook. With a surprised expression, she furrowed her brows and stood relatively close to Frill.
"I'm not your assistant. I won't do anything you tell me to do," whispered Obarihime.
"I suppose that's fine. Mr Akira did ask me to keep tabs on you and your behaviour towards me and the students," Frill said as she walked to the blackboard and continued writing.
"If I were to tell him that you refuse to follow orders..." Frill continued without batting an eye.
Obarihime gritted her teeth and sighed heavily.
After forcing a bright smile on her face, she walked to the blackboard and snatched the notebook from Frill.
In response, Frill smiled gently and began supervising the students, who seemed entertained by the exchange between Frill and Obarihime.
'How dare she threaten me? Who the hell does she think she is? You'll tell Akira what I did, huh? We'll see about-'
**"Very good. But, just to make sure you don't go against me again," Akira grabbed Obarihime's shoulder and pulled a bone, causing her to scream in a muffled tone.**
Before she could finish her thought, the memory of Akira dislocating her arm began flooding Obarihime's mind, causing her heart to beat fast and her lips to dry up.
With that alone, she decided to maintain her composure and the thought of ruining Frill's life dissipated.
***
The school day came to an end and the students returned to their homes. Frill stretched her arms and yawned, feeling exhausted from today's work.
"Hey," Obarihime called her.
"Mh?"
"Why'd you have to embarass me like that in front of the students? You do know that I'm the granddaughter of the chief, right?"
"Like that has any say in our current state," Frill retorted as she removed her glasses and placed them on the desk.
"What? He reports directly to Akira, so anything he says goes!"
Frill raised an eyebrow. "Funny. That's not how the rest of the villagers see it."
"What are you on about?"
"Your grandfather couldn't do anything against him, that's why Lord Akira is the current ruler. What makes you think that he'll listen to your petty requests? You have a bad attitude and it's worsened by your dumb ideals of power," retorted Frill.
"You little—" Obarihime's eyes dialled back and her veins popped from her hand.
Before she could finish her sentence, Frill shouted, "You made my life a living hell when we were kids! And now, I'm going to return the favour tenfold."
Frill picked up her things and walked out of the classroom. Obarihime watched her movements and gritted her teeth.
"Anger is a good colour in you. I like it," Akira said as he stood directly behind Obarihime.
Obarihime quickly turned her head and backed away. "Akira, you dog!"
"What?"
"What's so good looking about my anger?!"
"It'll allow you to do something useful for a change. Use that anger and hatred you have for Frill and become a better teacher than her, a better woman even
."
"What makes you think that's what I want?!"
"She's only been teaching here for 3 days and the villagers are already talking about her. Turns out men are interested in women who do their work diligently," Akira said as he rubbed his chin.
"The thought of her being better grates you, doesn't it? She's prettier, smarter and everyone already likes her. Meanwhile, you're nothing but yesterday's news," Akira added.
Then, he chuckled and walked away. "Who knows? I might just make her my wife and make her her favourite meals from time to time. Not only that, but I'll take good care of her grandmother as well. She'll never have to work another day in her life."
Akira placed his hand on the door knob and said, "A Teaching experience is a learning experience. You'll know that you do it for yourself."
He closed the door behind him, leaving Obarihime alone to her thoughts as her mind buzzed with confusion and frustration.
'You want to take care of her grandmother?! She hasn't done shit for this community! My grandfather is the one who deserves to rest, not that old tailor hag!' Obarihime spouted in her head.
"Mh?" That's when she realised something that Akira had been preaching to her for a very long time now.
"If I just prove myself useful, he'll take care of me and grandfather...?"
But the thought of subjecting herself to his will did not sit well with her.
Even though her grandfather was in that position, that didn't essentially mean that she had to be as well.
'This is food for thought for another day...'