On the way, in her drunken state, Shizuka cried and made a fuss, wailing pitifully.
She clung to Haruto, insisting on getting married.
Unfortunately, it was already late at night, and the Civil Affairs Bureau had long since closed.
By the time they reached their destination, even the taxi driver's gaze toward Haruto had changed.
It was a look of deep admiration.
The place where Shizuka lived was a rather upscale residential complex. After all, this long-haired beauty was quite the wealthy woman.
In the taxi driver's eyes, being able to captivate a rich woman to the point of making her cry and beg for marriage was nothing short of legendary.
If the circumstances were different, he might have even asked to become Haruto's disciple. But human emotions do not always align. While the taxi driver was in awe, Haruto just felt numb inside.
He carried the still-unruly Shizuka and made his way into the complex.
After searching for a while, Haruto finally found the apartment address listed on her ID.
Shizuka's wallet contained several keys.
After several failed attempts, Haruto simply retrieved the Skeleton Key (SCP-005) from his Kamui space and opened the door.
(You brat! Are you seriously using an anomaly as a spare key?!)
Stepping into the entryway, Haruto set Shizuka down on the step inside.
Looking at her current state, he simply decided to take off her shoes for her.
A pair of feet rested in his hands, separated only by a thin layer of black stockings.
If someone with a particular fetish were to see these black-stockinged feet, they would probably treat them as a priceless treasure, perhaps even willing to be stepped on if it meant such an honor.
Though Haruto had no such peculiar interests, he still had to admit they were quite beautiful.
Thinking back on carrying Shizuka all the way here, Haruto realized something.
This black-haired beauty, who usually wore a white lab coat, had an incredibly well-maintained figure.
Her waist was slender, yet the curves in all the right places were perfect. Her body was also exceptionally flexible.
It likely had to do with her martial arts training.
With a perfect face, an ideal body, and the ability to fulfill any older-woman fantasy…
Not to mention, when drunk, she was unbelievably adorable, making one want to tease her endlessly.
So why was someone like Hiratsuka Shizuka still single?
Did all the men in the world have terrible taste?
That thought crossed Haruto's mind.
Throughout the night, he had experienced firsthand the sheer anxiety this older beauty had about marriage.
The sheer pressure of an unmarried woman past the ideal age was almost terrifying. And yet, the fact that Shizuka was still unmarried was, in itself, a miracle.
As Haruto was lost in thought—
Shizuka suddenly opened her eyes.
Their gazes met.
Haruto smiled slightly, intending to explain, but then he noticed her gaze shifting downward.
Haruto followed her line of sight and realized—
He was still holding her stocking-clad foot.
Not only that, but in his absentmindedness, he had even absentmindedly played with it a little.
Haruto hurriedly let go.
Just as he was about to come up with an excuse, Shizuka tilted her head slightly and said,
"Do you want to read some manga together?"
Haruto: ?
Before he could process the situation, Shizuka wobbled to her feet, grabbed his hand, and led him toward the bedroom.
Inside, aside from a large pink princess-style bed, there were two massive bookshelves filled with manga.
It was like a child's room.
Haruto glanced around and quickly deduced that this wasn't her usual residence.
Shizuka was both a chain-smoker and a heavy drinker, yet there were no ashtrays or signs of alcohol here.
The entire room was spotless, without any signs of frequent use.
It was probably a spare apartment that was regularly cleaned by housekeeping.
No wonder none of her keys fit this place.
As he was piecing everything together, Shizuka pushed him onto the bed, then ran to the bookshelf, carefully selecting a manga.
When Haruto took a look, he realized it was a romance manga—
One he had never seen before.
That was odd.
Back when he first arrived in this world, he had researched the manga industry thoroughly, planning to make it his side business.
Moreover, he genuinely enjoyed reading manga. It was rare for him to come across one he hadn't seen.
Glancing at the publication date, Haruto suddenly understood why.
This manga was over twenty years old.
Ah, well.
Haruto unconsciously glanced at Shizuka from the corner of his eye.
This kind of gave away her age, didn't it?
Shizuka, however, was absolutely thrilled, excitedly recommending the manga to him.
Her words were filled with longing for romance.
She even declared that after graduating from university, she was determined to find the most handsome and most brilliant boyfriend in the world.
Haruto simply smiled, chatting with her about manga and love.
Before long, the alcohol took its toll again.
As they talked, Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice trailed off, she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Seeing this, Haruto gently ran his fingers through her silky black hair and prepared to leave.
But as he tried to get up, he noticed something—
Shizuka was tightly clutching his arm.
He tried to pull free but quickly realized that unless he used force, he wouldn't be able to escape.
"...What is this?"
Haruto chuckled helplessly.
In the end, he simply leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Hiratsuka Shizuka's forehead before lying back down.
(T/N: Nothing lewd happened~)
---------------
The Next Morning
Shizuka woke up with a splitting headache.
"Ugh, hangovers are the worst. I swear I won't drink this much again next time."
A familiar lie every drunk person tells themselves.
Dazed, she rubbed her temples and slowly sat up.
After a long moment, she finally opened her eyes, only to be met with complete confusion.
"Where… am I?"
Looking around at the youthful, cutesy decor of the room, Shizuka felt a bit lost.
It had been ages since she last stayed here.
Did I drunkenly reminisce about my youth and decide to sleep here? Seriously?
Please, tell me I didn't throw up in the room. Please, no.
Praying that she hadn't made a mess, she scanned the room.
Then her eyes casually drifted to her side—
Shizuka: !!!
Her gaze snapped back.
Her eyes locked onto the spot beside her, her pillow.
A young man was lying right there, fast asleep.
His sharp eyebrows, his nose, and his lips had a soft, rosy hue. Even in slumber, his face was mesmerizing.
With just one look, it was hard to tear her eyes away.
How can someone this good-looking even exist?
Shizuka stared in a daze for a long while before snapping back to reality.
Wait a second.
Isn't this… my student?!
She was instantly struck by lightning.
What the hell did I do while drunk?!
Her pupils trembled as she desperately tried to recall the events of last night.
She vaguely remembered being upset that this kid had skipped class, so she called him while drinking.
Then… he actually answered?
After that, she seemed to have ranted at him on the phone and even told him the location of the izakaya.
And then…?
Then she somehow ended up with a boyfriend and even insisted on getting married. Only stopping because the Civil Affairs Bureau was closed.
Shizuka clutched her head.
None of this adds up!
Just how much of a mess did I create out of singlehood anxiety and alcohol?!
Suddenly, she bolted upright and checked her clothes.
Seeing that she was still in the outfit she had worn to go drinking, she breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't that she was worried about being taken advantage of; she was more concerned that, in a haze of loneliness and dopamine, she might have been the one to force herself onto her student.
Because she knew her own strength.
She also knew just how bad her singlehood anxiety was.
It wouldn't be impossible for her to have done something insane.
As she relaxed, she lifted the blanket slightly to check on Haruto.
And there, underneath the covers—
Was a manga book.
Shizuka blinked.
Seeing it, memories of last night slowly came back to her.
Shizuka: …!
At that moment, she felt like she had died a social death.
Dragging her student to read a shoujo romance manga with her and even talking about love—
Just let me die already!
As she sat there, covering her face in despair, she suddenly noticed something, Haruto had woken up and was looking at her.
Their eyes met.
Then, Haruto's gaze shifted downward.
Shizuka followed his gaze—
She was still holding up the blanket in a rather… suggestive manner, as if caught in the middle of something inappropriate.
In that instant, Shizuka truly wanted to die.
"So… what's our relationship now?"
At the worst possible moment, Haruto dropped the bombshell.
Shizuka: O.o
Seeing her sheer, toe-curling embarrassment, Haruto couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Well then, Ms. Hiratsuka Shizuka— Are we officially dating now?"
Haruto's teasing smile faded into something serious.
Shizuka froze.