I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

These words, like a warm flash of lightning, instantly cleaved away all the gloom in Yui's heart.

She froze.

She had expected to hear words of comfort or be dismissed as a child's joke.

But unexpectedly, the teacher... actually...

He neither condemned her actions nor judged whether she was right or wrong.

He simply and gently affirmed her desire, a desire that even she herself found shameful.

An unprecedented emotion, more intense than mere liking, quietly took root in her heart.

At this moment, the outline of the title "Teacher Lynn" began to blur in her mind, and in its place came a clearer and more dazzling figure named "Lynn".

She felt as if everything around her had disappeared, leaving only his calm words and those gentle eyes that seemed to encompass the entire world.

"I…"

She opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't say a word. She could only nod vigorously, forcing back the tears that were about to spill from her eyes.

...

lunch break.

To give my nerves, which had been under pressure all morning, a break.

Lynn went alone to the corner behind the teaching building, to the vending machine area where almost no one ever came.

He had just tossed in a coin, ready to buy a can of energizing black coffee.

"... "

A petite figure appeared out of nowhere, silently standing beside him.

It is the dome.

She didn't know how long she had been waiting there, nor how she had managed to shake off the boys and the "knights" who kept trying to surround her.

She simply stood there quietly, tilting her head back, gazing at him with her calm, unwavering gray eyes.

Lynn stopped moving.

Before he could even speak, Qiong had already stepped forward.

She slightly raised her small feet, encased in black stockings, her taut toes revealing the slender and supple lines of her calves.

He then inserted the coin into the vending machine and pressed the button for the black coffee he was about to buy.

"Clang."

She bent down, her skirt swaying slightly with the movement, took out the can of cold coffee, and then turned around.

She didn't say anything, but simply held the can of coffee in both hands and handed it to Lynn.

This is a quiet, persistent, ritualistic dedication.

Lynn silently reached out and took the can of coffee.

However, this time, simply accepting it didn't seem to put her at ease.

The moment he took the coffee, Qiong's small hand, which had been gripping his sleeve, tightened even more instead of loosening, as if afraid he would disappear from her sight in the next second.

Lynn's "emotional perception" understood everything in an instant.

Beneath that calm, gray aura lies a surging, intense possessiveness, like a deep-sea undercurrent, and... a violent fluctuation of "unease" and "fear" that can no longer be ignored.

Yuihama's "trembling declaration of war" at breakfast ultimately threw a boulder, enough to set off a tsunami, into her seemingly calm heart.

Before Lynn could react, Qiong's overly straight back, which had been tense, suddenly relaxed.

It was as if the last string supporting her world had not "broken," but rather that she herself had "loosened" it.

She raised her eyes, and those silver eyes, which always carried a hint of aloofness, were now gazing at Lynn quietly and intently.

There was no question, no plea for help, and not even the slightest fear in those eyes.

There was only a kind of fatalistic, self-evident certainty.

You will catch me.

This thought, like a silent radio wave, passed between the two of them.

Then, the instant Lynn understood that look in her eyes, Qiong's body, like a vine plucked from its trunk, softly and resolutely fell towards him.

That wasn't a fall due to loss of strength, but a resolute commitment.

Lynn's heart skipped a beat, her body reacting faster than she thought, her arms instinctively opening to pull her firmly into her embrace.

Her cheeks, hot and comforting, pressed against his arm.

His smooth, silver hair, like a waterfall under the moonlight, brushed against his arm, bringing a clean and breathtaking fragrance.

Through the thin school uniform shirt, Lynn could clearly feel her whole body trembling slightly.

It wasn't the fear before the fall, but the relieved thrill of landing safely.

She gambled all the possibilities of whether she would be shattered to pieces on him, and he didn't let her lose.

She neither hugged me nor spoke.

She simply used this almost sacrificial method, like a young animal finally returning to its only nest, to place the center of her entire world on him.

This has long since gone beyond the scope of concern or confirmation.

This is a morbid declaration, wagering on "trust," more arrogant and unquestionable than any other language—

[Onii-chan, see, you really didn't let me fall.]

Therefore, you can never...

Lynn held the long-forgotten, cold can of coffee, her body stiffening slightly.

He didn't push her away in the end, but just stood there quietly, letting her absorb the warmth that made her feel at ease.

Chapter 63: A Battleground of Two Choices? I Choose Mrs. Yuihama

On the way home after school, the setting sun turned the sky into a warm, marmalade-like color.

At the entrance of Zongwu High School, groups of students poured out, like birds returning to their nests, chirping and chattering, full of the unique and inexpensive vitality of youth.

However, the scene at the school gate today is somewhat different.

Countless gazes, filled with envy, jealousy, or heartbreak, all focused on the three figures walking together.

Lynn walked in the middle, his left arm firmly held by Sora, while on his right, Yui Yuigahama straightened her back, trying her best to keep up with his pace, maintaining a subtle, neither too close nor too far, yet impossible to ignore distance.

Whispers came like a tide from all directions, precisely reaching Yui Yuigahama's ears.

"Hey, look! To Mr. Lynn's left is that silver-haired transfer student, and to her right is Yui-hama from Class F!"

"Damn, it's Kasugano-san! Why is she so close to Lynn-sensei today? They're even arm in arm! It's like she's declaring her ownership to everyone! She wasn't like this before!"

"My God... what's going on? Why does it feel like there's gunpowder in the air?"

"Idiot! Can't you see that? This is the legendary... battleground!"

"Really?! There really is a scene like this where two women are fighting over one man in real life! How exciting!"

Finally, a gloating, hushed comment made her instinctively tighten her grip on the straps of her backpack.

"Who do you think will win? I bet on the silver-haired girl, look at her acting like she's the queen!"

……

On the left, Kasugano Sora practically draped her entire small body over his arm.

Her delicate, doll-like face rested quietly against his shoulder, her long, smooth silver hair swaying gently with her steps, the ends occasionally playfully brushing against his neck, causing a slight tickle.

She didn't look at anyone; her usually calm and unwavering gray eyes were focused intently on the long shadows of the two of them stretched out by the setting sun.

This is a silent declaration, yet more powerful than any spoken language.

It proclaims that this man belongs to her, her only "possession".

That reckless "fall" during lunch break has made her completely certain that Onii-chan is her only support that will never let her fall.

Therefore, she will do everything in her power to solidify this unique connection.

……

On Lynn's right, however, the scene was quite different.

Yui Yuigahama's mood today is like riding an extreme drop tower; one second she's on cloud nine, and the next she's plummeting to the bottom.

Lynn's words, "Sharing what you like with the people you care about is not something you need to apologize for," were like a divine revelation, dispelling all the fog in her heart.

That long-suppressed, cautious affection was finally given "legitimacy" at this moment.

This made her realize for the first time that she no longer wanted to be that "good person" who only knew how to read the mood and was always giving in.

She doesn't want to give up.

She needs to confront this bubbly love for her teacher, a love as refreshing as summer soda.

however…

When her gaze inadvertently fell upon the silver-haired figure who had completely shut himself in his brother's arms, the courage she had finally mustered burst forth like a punctured balloon.

Instead, a deep sense of guilt washed over me.

She tried to repair the balance that she herself had broken.

Her mind raced, desperately searching for topics that could reconnect her with Xiao Qiong. Finally, she came up with one.

A small, warm secret that once belonged to the two of them.

"Um... Xiaoqiong," she forced what she thought was a natural smile and started the conversation, "How about we stop by and buy a crepe on our way back?"

The images from last week kept replaying in her mind.

It was after school that she led Xiao Qiong past the crepe shop. Although Xiao Qiong didn't say a word, her gray eyes lingered on the chocolate banana crepe in the window for an extra 0.5 seconds.

It was she, Yui Yuigahama, who, as if discovering a treasure, excitedly captured this detail, and then, like a precious gift, bought a copy and handed it to Sora.

She still remembered that when Xiao Qiong took the crepe, the corners of her mouth, which were always pursed into a straight line, seemed to have a barely perceptible, soft curve.

That small, joyful feeling of being accepted is a treasure she has always kept in her heart.

So she mustered all her courage.

"...I remember you liked chocolate flavored food."

However, she was met with silence.

Qiong didn't even spare her a second of his peripheral vision.

She simply rested her cheek on Lynn's shoulder, rubbing it even closer in a languid and contented manner.

That complete disregard was like a bucket of ice water poured over Yui Yuigahama from head to toe, instantly sobering her up.

Her logic instantly became clear: her "goodwill gesture" was not seen as an olive branch of peace by the other party, but rather as an overconfident "provocation."

Qiong's response was not a simple "rejection," but a nonchalant yet overwhelming "declaration of victory."

She not only rejected the "crepes," but she also rejected Yui Yuigahama herself, and the warm past that once existed between them.

Xiao Qiong has completely come to regard her as a "mortal enemy".

At that moment, Yui Yuigahama finally understood.

Was I being too greedy?

No, it's not a question, it's a certainty.

I was just too greedy.

She fantasized that she could bask in the intoxicating tenderness of Teacher Lynn while holding Xiaoqiong's hand and maintaining the friendship that had been so hard to build.

They fantasize that in this cruel war where only one winner is destined, they can naively shout "We all want to be happy" and then truly have a fairytale ending.

How foolish, how ridiculous.

This clear and cruel realization was like a heavy hammer, shattering all her illusions.

Frustration overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.