-----
-----
The moment Lucian finished that lightly teasing "definitely," Yukino Yukinoshita's carefully prepared counterattack died in her throat.
Her pale lips pressed tightly together, and a rare flicker of panic and embarrassment flashed through her deep blue eyes.
Right then—
A gentle, mature female voice drifted naturally from behind them.
"That was a wonderful Moonlight Sonata. Yukinoshita, your playing would stand out even in a professional conservatory."
The sudden praise shattered the fragile tension between them.
Yukino snapped back to her senses, her back straightening instantly.
Yamanaka Sawako approached.
Turning her head, Yukino's earlier flustered irritation had already vanished, replaced by a calm, polite distance.
"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Yamanaka. I still have a lot to improve," she said with a slight nod.
Sawako smiled, her gaze naturally shifting away from Yukino to the tall figure seated at the piano bench.
"You must be Teacher Lucian, the new homeroom teacher for Class 1-B today, right?"
She dipped her head slightly, her smooth brown hair slipping over her shoulders, her whole demeanor radiating a gentle, intellectual maturity.
"I noticed you at the podium earlier. I didn't expect you not only to be so young and accomplished, but also to have such a refined appreciation for classical music."
Faced with a colleague's polite and friendly approach, Lucian couldn't very well keep sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a female student.
He stood up calmly, closing the evaluation form in his hand.
"You flatter me, Miss Yamanaka. We're both newcomers. I came to sit in on your class today to learn. Your classroom atmosphere is excellent—your gentle and patient teaching style is definitely something I should study."
"Oh my, Mr. Lucian, you're too kind."
Being praised face-to-face by such an absurdly handsome and composed young teacher clearly pleased Sawako, even if she had a hidden rock-and-roll soul.
She lightly covered the corner of her mouth with her fingers and stepped a little closer.
"Since we're both new, we should look out for each other at school."
"Of course."
"By the way, are you getting used to Sobu High yet?" Sawako continued, as if she'd found common ground. Her tone carried the easy familiarity—and slight complaints—shared between new teachers. "I went to the staff cafeteria yesterday at noon. That signature curry pork cutlet… well, let's just say it was way too sweet."
"I completely agree," Lucian said with a knowing nod. "And the student cafeteria—trying to grab the limited yakisoba bread feels like stepping onto a battlefield. Looks like I'll have to start bringing my own lunch or eating outside."
The two of them stood beside the piano, chatting naturally about the school cafeteria's flaws.
Meanwhile, Yukino Yukinoshita—
She sat upright at the piano, chin slightly raised, watching the man who had just been shamelessly teasing her—who had even called her "cute"—now chatting and laughing with another woman as if nothing had happened.
Her gaze cooled.
Then, with subtle precision, she extended her hand holding a black pen and jabbed the blunt end firmly into the outside of Lucian's thigh.
"…Hm?"
A sharp sting shot through his leg. Lucian paused mid-sentence and instinctively looked down.
Yukino was still sitting perfectly straight, her beautiful profile as cold as ice, as if she had done nothing at all.
But her blue eyes tilted toward him, and in a low, icy voice, she said:
"Mr. Lucian, your conversation with Miss Yamanaka is blocking the light on my sheet music. Would you mind stepping aside a little?"
Perfectly reasonable. Completely justified.
…And yet, there was clearly something else behind it.
Lucian glanced up at the lights, thinking, How am I even blocking anything?
Still, he cooperatively stepped half a pace to the side.
Then—unbelievably—he turned back and smoothly picked up the conversation again.
"By the way, Miss Yamanaka, is there a quiet café near the school that's good for lesson planning?"
Clang—!
A harsh, heavy note exploded from the piano.
Yukino's fingers slammed down onto the keys, her once-cool face now dark as storm clouds.
This dense idiot. This shameless flirt. Even if she were dying from poison in the future, she'd never go to him for help again!
The jarring noise instantly cut off Lucian and Sawako's conversation.
Just as they turned in confusion, a decisive figure strode toward them at full speed.
"Hey, hey, what are you two chatting about so happily over here?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka grabbed Lucian by the back of his suit collar and yanked him several steps away from Sawako.
"Miss Hiratsuka?" Sawako looked at her in surprise.
With her arms crossed, Shizuka put on the air of a strict disciplinarian and shot Lucian a fierce glare.
"Lucian, did you forget what you're here for? As an auditing teacher doing evaluations, you're absolutely not allowed to have extended conversations with the teacher being evaluated during class. That's the rule!"
"And you two—brand-new teachers—daring to openly complain about the school cafeteria in the classroom? If the principal hears about this, do you still want your performance bonus this month?"
After such a perfectly justified scolding, Sawako could only offer an awkward yet polite smile.
"My apologies, Miss Hiratsuka. I was the one who kept Mr. Lucian talking…"
"Alright, that's enough. This music class is about to end anyway."
Shizuka cut off the slightly too-friendly cross-department interaction without hesitation, grabbing Lucian's arm and dragging him toward the door.
"Come on, Lucian. You've got a supervised study session this afternoon. Back to the office to prepare. Yukinoshita, keep practicing and don't let this guy distract you."
Watching Lucian being forcibly dragged away, the icy expression on Yukino's face finally softened—just a little.
She looked at his retreating figure with quiet satisfaction, her lips parting slightly.
"Take care, Miss Hiratsuka."
"....."