Unspeakable bubbles

"That's unfair! That's unfair!"

"Xiao Shan went too far!"

The classroom erupted in noise. Ms. Eve was everyone's Ms. Eve; how could they let Xiao Shan have her all to herself? No, absolutely not!

"I want to go with the teacher too!"

"Me too"

"No, no, Ms. Eve belongs to Xiaoshan!" someone shouted anxiously.

"That's not up to you. I'm going to Xiaoshan's dorm tonight."

"I'll go as well"

"Me too"

"Then I'll..."

Ms. Eve, who was passing by, stopped in her tracks when she heard the noise coming from the classroom.

"What a group of energetic kids," she couldn't help but think.

Section 8, Chapter 008: Short Legs, Slow Walking

"Go for it, Xingzi!"

"What are you guys doing? Don't lose to the girls!"

"Shot! Goal!"

"Oh yeah"

"Go! Go!" Bubble shouted from the sidelines.

The playground, the game, the shooting—well, clearly a bunch of kids are playing football.

It wasn't the kind of competition that followed the rules strictly, since we didn't have enough manpower, and some people were too young to play and could only provide off-field assistance.

The basic rules are there: one point for each goal scored. As for the rest...

"Xiao Shan, you're the goalkeeper, why are you in front?"

"Mind your own business! How can I let you steal the spotlight all by yourself, Kyoko!"

Shouting and yelling, she ran as fast as she could. Xiao Shan tripped over her own feet and landed face-first on the ground with a thud.

"Chance!"

A dark-skinned, sunny-looking boy suddenly accelerated while dribbling the ball.

I got this point!

Shouting inwardly, fueled by an indomitable spirit and a subtle inner turmoil, the boy unleashed astonishing speed.

quick!quick!quick!

The boy felt he had never been so fast before. Closer, closer, the undefended goal was right in front of him!

"Don't even think about it!!!"

The boy unconsciously slowed down when he heard the voice of the girl he had always cared about.

"There's a flaw!"

For some reason, the boy slowed down, and before Kyoko could think, she made a sliding tackle.

"Hehe, the ball is mine now."

Kyoko regained control of the ball and was beaming with pride, as a huge cheer erupted from the sidelines.

She looked down at her opponent and noticed that the boy, who was slowly getting up, didn't seem annoyed.

He gave a bright smile: "Wow, you're amazing, Xingzi. I still can't beat you."

"Of course, that's for sure."

"You're a hundred years too early to beat me, Yang-kun." The girl looked arrogant, but her heart was pounding.

'What should I do? Was that too rude of me?'

'Could you be a little gentler next time? But... but I'm always like this in front of Yang-kun. What if I suddenly change my attitude...'

Xingzi's mind was in turmoil. Looking at the boy's cheerful smile, she felt a little angry again for some reason.

"The people behind, keep up, and we'll score another point!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

With mixed feelings, Kyoko also played on the court today.

.................................................. ................

"Another bowl, please."

In the cafeteria, Xingzi handed an empty bowl to the window.

“…” A robust middle-aged man silently filled his bowl with rice.

"Apricot, apricot"

"What's wrong, Bubble?" Xingzi mumbled, eating rice in a daze.

"Isn't there too much rice? And Xingzi, you just ate a bowl."

Looking at the small half-bowl of rice that she had struggled to finish, Bubble was shocked by the class monitor's astonishing appetite.

"I'm growing, so I need to eat more."

Xingzi picked up a piece of radish, ate a couple of bites with her rice, and suddenly said, "Sigh, it would be nice if there was meat."

Glancing at the pickled radishes and boiled cabbage on the table, Xingzi said with some anticipation, "It's almost the end of the month, and there will be delicious food at the end of the month."

Bubble was a little confused. "Delicious?"

"Mmm, it's delicious."

Xingzi didn't say anything more; she buried her head and ate her lunch.

Not long after, someone said, "Uncle, another bowl, please!"

At the school gate, Eve greeted the middle-aged man with a smile: "Captain Araki, thank you for your hard work."

Araki Mamoru rarely showed a smile. "Ivy-sensei is going out?"

"Yeah, a little earlier this time. Bubble just arrived at school and wants to have some fun tonight."

“Oh,” Captain Araki said, realizing something. He took out a notebook. “Teacher, please fill out the entry and exit form… that’s the rule, please understand.”

"Hehe, why are you being so polite, Captain?"

Looking at the smiling woman in front of him, Araki Mamoru felt a pang of emotion.

He admired Eve from the bottom of his heart.

It is not easy for a young woman to persevere in this special position.

There are no pretty clothes here, no close friends, and certainly no considerate boyfriend.

The food was poor, consisting of only bland soup and water every day.

The accommodation is basic, with only essential living facilities.

The salary isn't high, it's not low, and it's not particularly attractive.

Most importantly, even freedom is restricted. One can only go out once a month, and the time spent outside cannot exceed five hours.

The teachers here have come and gone, and many of them leave in disgrace after less than a month.

How long has Ms. Eve been here?

Five years, a full five years.

'How many five-year periods are there in a lifetime?'

That's why he and his colleagues turned a blind eye to Eve's skirting the rules.

For example, we go out to buy groceries at the end of each month to enrich the children's meals.

For example, she would secretly hide a few packets of snacks in her pocket every time she came back.

Araki Mamoru felt that he had become 'smooth' since he met Eve.

To be honest, we shouldn't have let Bubble bring that small bag of snacks she was carrying in yesterday.

'I'm getting old too.'

Feeling a bit self-deprecating, Captain Araki resumed his poker face.

After carefully checking the registration form and finding no errors, he said to Eve, "Ms. Eve, you are only away for five hours. Please return to school on time."

"Okay, I'm leaving."

Eve waved to Araki and the others, then quickly left while considering the ingredients for tonight's meal.

What she didn't know was...

"salute!"

When Eve had disappeared from sight, Captain Araki and the other 'guards' saluted in the direction she had left.

.................................. .................................

"Eat, eat, the world is big, but the belly is the biggest."

When the time came, a girl with a big appetite took the lead and ran to the cafeteria.

"One meal, a little more trouble."

Soon after, a bowl of fragrant rice was served.

Just as Xingzi was about to take it, a small dish of braised pork was handed out through the window.

"Huh?"