I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

"This is... so embarrassing..."

Within seconds, Kazusa felt herself sweating profusely, and she figured she'd need to take a shower later.

"Kazusa-nee is so cute when she's shy."

"You... Waaah—!"

Himekoji proceeded gradually, never going for a passionate kiss or French kiss right away. Like a middle school student in their first love, he gently touched her with his lips until Kazusa started to get used to it and even began to actively ask for kisses. Only then did Himekoji become a little more serious.

"Isn't that...enough?"

Panting heavily, Kazusa tried to push Himekoji away. If there were any light, you would see that she had turned into a cooked shrimp, not only red but also steaming.

In Chapter 270, towards the end, [Touma Kazusa] gave him a thorough critique.

Seeing that she had reached her limit, Himekoji did not push her luck any further. After giving a soft "hmm," she released Kazusa's head, and the two slowly separated, only holding hands with her.

After all, Himekoji didn't want to be known as someone who would say, "Why are you so skilled at this?!"

"It's so sweet..."

"What?"

Kazusa asked blankly, not knowing what she was referring to.

"Kasa's lips."

"Bastard...pervert, filthy scoundrel! Frivolous!"

While cursing, Kazusa wiped her mouth. Although she had seen kissing scenes in various TV dramas, when it came to doing it herself, her mind went completely blank and she couldn't do anything. She could only mechanically press her lips together. Later, Himekoji taught her by example, and she learned a little. Then, Kazusa recalled that she had started to take the initiative to kiss later on, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed again.

"Would you like to do it again?"

"No way! You wish! That was your Christmas present. If you're not happy with the present you give me tomorrow, I'll be very upset."

"Tsk tsk tsk, Kazusa is really strict."

"BAKA, I'm going to take a shower. This time I'm really going to sleep."

"OK, good night."

After saying goodnight to each other, Himekoji gradually felt sleepy and fell soundly asleep before Kazusa returned from her shower. He neither saw nor felt the wet tears on Kazusa's cheeks.

And so, after waking up, the trip for the three of them was basically over. After buying some local specialties, the Himekoji family had already come to pick them up. As for the Kazusa family's car, it was driven back by another driver. Since they didn't have to drive, the two sitting in the back seat quickly put their heads together and fell asleep, just like a pair of close sisters who could talk about anything. Himekoji sat next to Reiko, lowered her seat, and closed her eyes to rest.

"Little Master Qingren, how was your time?"

"Well, that was quite a haul."

"Really? That's wonderful! By the way, your wife really loves the gift you gave her."

"I'm glad you like it. Have you sent over all the other gifts I asked for?"

"Not a single one was missing; they were either delivered to the recipients or placed in their mailboxes by 10 a.m. this morning."

"Thanks, I'll take a nap too. I didn't sleep well last night... I'm so sleepy."

"Do you need a lower back massage after you get home?"

Miss Reiko freed one hand and gently tapped Himekoji's waist, causing him to suddenly tremble.

"Ahem—, that's not necessary."

It's not quite that bad yet, but it seems quite promising now?

Ji Xiaolu gave her mother a simple purple jade bracelet as a gift, while she gave her father a video game console of a certain brand. Her father had built a game room at home for himself, but he almost never had time to play and always complained about it, so Ji Xiaolu gave him a game console, although the price was vastly different from that of her mother's bracelet.

Of course, in the end, this is still the parents' money, it's just that Himekoji is using it.

He sent Kasumigaoka a video and a set of lingerie. The video was taken by the security camera in the bar when they first met. As for the lingerie, it was Himekoji's mischievous idea. He really didn't know what to give Kasumigaoka, so he simply gave her a set of lingerie that he liked. As for the size? All the girls' sizes at the All-China Martial Arts High School are in the archives. He could just look it up.

He gave Mariya a corset, which she actually had to wear, otherwise her waist would look thicker than that of a girl of normal build. He gave Jasmine a photo album of world-renowned gemstone catalogs and their locations. The other members of the student council also received gifts from Himekoji. He also gave Yukinoshita a silver bracelet with several silver letters punched through and strung together. The letters were, of course, the initials of her cat's name.

The gift for Yoko was a recent photo of Kazusa. Seeing her daughter so healthy will put her mind at ease and allow her to focus on her recovery. The gift for Hiratsuka Shizuka was a bonus item from an old manga she liked. She had wanted it before but couldn't get it, but Himekoji managed to get it for her this time. The gift for Kazusa was a series of sweets that she and her mother made together, which Kazusa thoroughly enjoyed.

Other people he had some dealings with also sent gifts, more or less, but they were all prepared by Miss Reiko; he only glanced at the list.

Kasumigaoka gave him a photo album and a scarf. The album was full of photos she had secretly taken of Himekoji and her own private photos, which were quite eye-catching. The scarf was made of ordinary silk thread, with some messy stitches in some places, probably because she knitted it herself. It was a very simple beige-gray color. He had already received the gift from Kazusa. Yukinoshita didn't give him a gift, but Hihama sent him a card. Mariya sent him a bag of candy, but they all had strange flavors, including some that were super spicy. Jasmine sent him a bath photo of Mariya. What a thoughtful child. Yoko sent him a card and a few photos of him recovering from illness. Hiratsuka Shizuka sent him a bottle of white wine. Seriously, is it really appropriate for a teacher to give a student wine?

The gift his mother gave him was a book called "Borjia" by Alexandre Dumas. Himekoji had naturally read this book many times before, but the one his mother gave him was a 19th-century French first edition. Although surviving copies are not extremely rare, they are still hard to find, which is probably something his mother was proud of.

As for the gift from her father, well, it's another piano. I guess it's because one of them was taken to the school before, so her father added another one. However, Himekoji still prefers her own piano, so this one from her father naturally ended up near the rooftop.

Monday arrived, and since almost everything had been settled before Christmas, the student council had been doing almost nothing for the past few days. In that case, Himekoji didn't want everyone to be idle and come to the office, so he immediately told them not to come for the next three days and then leisurely went to the Service Club after school.

As soon as I entered, Yuihama immediately stood up and greeted me, "Yah hello! It's been a long time~"

"Hmm, long time no see. Did you like the gift I gave you?"

"This is amazing! It's so cute!"

As she spoke, Yuihama turned her head slightly to show Himekoji her earlobe. It seemed that she was now wearing the earrings he had given her. Of course, the gift was chosen by Reiko.

"Well, I'm glad you like it. I also received your greeting card. Thank you for your message."

Himekoji put down her schoolbag and sat down. At this moment, Yukinoshita was also engrossed in reading. She had arrived a little earlier than Himekoji, and greeted her with just a glance. As for the gift, it had already been mentioned in the morning.

Chapter 271 Something's Wrong, [Hiratsuka Shizuka] Has Malice

"Ah, I'll go get some water."

The water dispenser was in the hallway outside. Yuihama took Yukinoshita's small water bottle and went out first, leaving only Himekoji and Yukinoshita in the room.

"Winter break starts tomorrow..."

Actually, there wasn't much to do today. Aside from explaining various holiday precautions and assigning homework, that was it. If we hadn't done nothing on Friday, we could have just had the day off today. But all the teaching activities that day were canceled to make way for the special event on Cupid's Day.

"That's right, it's winter break, and I'll be busy again."

This year is an odd-numbered year for Himekoji. She spends her winter vacation in Japan in odd-numbered years and in Italy in even-numbered years. This is roughly equivalent to a couple in China discussing whose family to visit for Chinese New Year. No matter how busy the government is, there will always be a few days of New Year's holiday. In even-numbered years, Himekoji will take advantage of that time to go to Italy with her parents. And every time, someone will deliberately bring up the incident where her father was almost thrown into the Adriatic Sea.

"Oh, right... um—actually..."

Yukinoshita stammered, but couldn't get to the point. She raised her hand to run her fingers through her hair, and the setting sun shone on her slender wrist, giving it a faint silver glow. It was a bracelet that Himekoji had given her. It was a very simple silver bracelet, without any gemstones or crystals, but it had taken some effort to make.

"Actually what?"

After asking the question, Yukinoshita shook her head and said nothing more. She simply picked up her handbag, rummaged through it, and then looked up at him hesitantly.

"This... is for you."

Yukino took out a gift wrapped in colored paper and ribbon and handed it to Himekoji, but although her hand was reaching out, her face kept turning away.

"I wanted to deliver this Christmas present directly to you..."

"Thank you!" Ji Xiaolu gently took it, shook it slightly, and asked, "Can I open it now?"

"Yuigahama-san is coming back, right...?"

Although she didn't say whether it was okay or not, her words essentially meant no. Himeko nodded, put the gift box into her handbag, and Yuihama quickly returned, deftly pouring tea. Hikigaya also came over.

"I'm going back."

Curious about what Yukinoshita's gift was, Himekoji excused herself. Although Yuihama made a polite attempt to persuade her to stay, Himekoji left anyway. After leaving, she unwrapped the gift in the empty corridor. When she finally opened it, she found that it was a box of chocolates that she had wrapped herself. Upon opening it, she saw that the mold was in the shape of a cat, probably because it was hard to find a mold in the shape of a panda.

There are ten in total, arranged in two rows. Himekoji picked one out and put it in her mouth. The taste was a bit bland, as if a lot of milk had been added. The sweetness was just right. If Kazusa were to eat it, she would probably be very dissatisfied, but it was just right for Himekoji. It seems that a lot of effort had been put into it. By the way, it's not Valentine's Day yet.

By the time she walked from the sixth floor of the special building into the campus, she had already eaten the three chocolates that Yukinoshita had made herself. Himekoji put the rest back into the box, put them back in her bag, and turned to walk towards the side gate, preparing to go home.

However, at that moment, a bright red Aston Martin suddenly sped towards him from the parking lot. Himeko recognized it as Hiratsuka Shizuka's car at a glance. Of course, Hiratsuka Shizuka would not intentionally hit him. Instead, she dramatically drifted to a stop in front of him, turning the car completely around before taking off her sunglasses and getting out of the car from the left side.

Unlike usual, it seemed she had just finished the Christmas holidays. Hiratsuka Shizuka wasn't wearing her signature white lab coat, nor the trousers that Himekoji found so disappointing. Instead, she wore thick black stockings and an office lady skirt, almost exactly the same outfit she had worn on the school trip. But someone as well-off as Hiratsuka Shizuka naturally had countless outfits like this, some so similar that Himekoji couldn't even discern the subtle differences.

"Hey, kid."

Hiratsuka Shizuka leaned against the car door, seemingly quite pleased with her drifting maneuver and still basking in her smugness. Of course, she couldn't be driving in high heels, so her shoes were probably lying on the passenger side.

"Hey...when did your way of greeting people become so cringey, teacher?"

"Huh? Could it be that the greetings popular in comics these days aren't appealing to young people anymore...?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately started looking around and muttering to herself. When she looked up again, Himekoji was already standing in front of her.

"Is there something you want by suddenly blocking my way?"

If it were someone Himekoji wasn't very familiar with, he would have thought this guy was going to cause trouble, but since it's Hiratsuka Shizuka... it's not surprising that a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) beauty (B) girl (A) can do things that make people's brains short-circuit.

"Is winter break starting now?"

"That's right, it's winter break, although it's not very long."

"Want to grab a bowl of ramen together?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka gave a bright smile and pointed her thumb behind her car.

"Of course, no problem."

"Wait a moment, I'll take the shoebox to the back seat..."

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll hold you."

"What?"

"Oh? I said I'd put it over there for you."

"Thank goodness, I think I've revealed my true purpose." Ji Xiaolu patted his chest and took the box containing Hiratsuka Shizuka's high heels to the back seat. He then sat back in the passenger seat, closed the door, fastened his seatbelt, and Hiratsuka Shizuka got in as well. She looked him over and started the car.

"First of all, when it comes to well-known restaurants near the school, Toranoana is definitely the top choice. The richness of their broth is unparalleled within the Chiba ramen family. As for the noodles, although using Sakeizon noodles has become the norm, they are still not to be underestimated. The fact that the name of this restaurant doesn't include the word 'family' tells you that they have broken away from the old model and forged their own new path. Moreover, their ramen goes very well with rice served with pickles; and if you eat it with seaweed soaked in the broth, it's simply divine..."

When ramen was mentioned, Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately launched into a mini-lecture mode, as if she were giving a lesson to Himekoji. Although he kept nodding and listening, he was quite absent-minded. His eyes were fixed on the area where Hiratsuka Shizuka's OL skirt and stockings met, and he was deeply attracted by it. He even swallowed a couple of times.

Chapter 272 So, [Himekoji Haruto] has been conscripted.

However, Hiratsuka Shizuka seemed completely oblivious to Himekoji's question, still immersed in her enjoyment of the ramen, and continued, "Also, I recommend their shachiyo ramen. Speaking of another representative ramen shop in Chiba, it's 'Masuda-ya,' right? I'm more familiar with the Chiba branch, but they also have a branch in Haimen-Makuhari. Although their ramen is based on tonkotsu soy sauce, the flavor is different from other shops; you can taste their dedication. Especially the onsen egg and chashu, which are either the best or second best in this area. They're also a little different from other ramen shops..."

It seems that when it comes to understanding ramen, Hiratsuka Shizuka is either the first or second most knowledgeable person at Soubu High School. Himekoji listened with a detached ear, while Hiratsuka Shizuka herself spoke with great relish, even occasionally clicking her tongue, as if the rich broth and delicious noodles were already right in front of her.

"Hey, are you listening?"

"Huh—, what did you say? It's a bit windy, I didn't hear you."

"You bastard..." Hiratsuka Shizuka glared at him angrily. Himekoji's heart skipped a beat, but then she shrugged casually as if she had known this would happen all along and said, "Well, it was wrong of me to suddenly drag you to eat ramen... You should at least listen to me for a second, okay?"