Stealing Spree

Chapter 2164: Concern



"Sensei, should I continue reporting to you even when there was nothing of interest that happened?"

I asked once I finished my not-so-interesting report for today.

I mean, nothing much of note happened yesterday other than Nina sneaking inside and me taking her to our club.

Hayashi-sensei's reaction to it was mild. Or more like, she approved of how I handled it.

I also told her how Taku returned to the Student Support Club. When she heard about the condition Saki put up for him to still be a member, Hayashi-sensei looked at me meaningfully as though she was waiting to hear about my opinion on it.

I never said anything though. I support Saki's decision. I'll just have to keep an eye out for them.

Back to the present, Hayashi-sensei answered my question after staring at me for a while.

Most likely, she discerned whether my question stemmed from not wanting to continue coming here or not.

Although I didn't really mind seeing her everyday like this, I couldn't understand what's the benefit of this.

"Do you remember why I asked you to report to me?"

"Of course, I do. Wasn't it because I went too far in dealing with Sugiyama?" I swiftly answered.

Hayashi-sensei nodded. Then she leaned closer to me, her piercing gaze seemingly trying to dig deep into my consciousness. With how close our distance became, her strong fragrance wafted to my nose which somehow stimulated my senses, making my eyes glued on her.

I'm not certain what she's attempting to invoke here but I faced her gaze without blinking or faltering.

When she noticed that, Hayashi-sensei paused before clearing her throat.

While maintaining her authoritative tone, she said,

"There's the answer to your question... Onoda, I'm not having you report to me because I want to hear how your day went. You're reporting to me as part of your punishment for going too far. I won't stop you if you want to keep things from me or lie about the entire report but you still have to do this. I'll tell you when you can stop. On another note, I find your insight interesting so keep at it."

Ah. I see. My report doesn't matter that much to her. What matters is my presence and my commitment to come here every day.

With a sigh, I put on a defeated smile, "I understand. I'll keep reporting even if nothing interesting happens."

Once again, she stared at me for a few seconds as though she was trying to read my mind. Following that, Hayashi-sensei pursed her lips as her hand dropped on my shoulder, "You now have a reputation to maintain, Onoda. Don't let your impulsiveness drag you down." My impulsiveness, huh?

Is this her concern for me again? While I understand where she's coming from, I can't really help it when the situation calls for it.

Maybe if I one day reported another incident of violence with me as the perpetrator, I'd hear an earful lecture from her again. As for whether she'd still side with me or not depends on how I would frame that incident.

But most likely, my standing in her eyes would lower. She's still an educator first and foremost. Rather than solve things with violence, she most likely wanted me to understand that I shouldn't always put that as my first choice.

Unfortunately, I'd probably do the same thing again. As long as it involves the welfare of my girls, I'd probably be more emotional than logical.

Of course, just like what I did in Shio's case, I could also choose a different route but that one is an exception, I guess? If things escalated, Shio and Nao could be inconvenienced.

In Saki's case, I also held back by not injuring the silent guy enough that he needed to be bedridden.

"... Sensei, what reputation are you talking about?"

That's all I could reply to after arranging my thoughts.

If it's my reputation then... it isn't really that good, right?

"You may look down on your reputation but I heard enough to believe that you're one of the most influential students right now. In less than three months, you've already made a name for yourself, shameless brat. And do you know the scale between the positives and the negatives? It is 8 to 2."

At this, Hayashi-sensei smirked as she gestured with her fingers.

I curled my brows at that. I could understand if it was 8 to negative and 2 to positive but with the way she said it, it seemed to be the opposite.

How did that happen?

"Surely, you jest, sensei." That's all I could answer.

Due to that, the woman next to me let out a giggle.

With the glint on her glasses seemingly turning sharp, Her hand on my shoulder tightened its grip as she turned my body to face her.

"I'm telling the truth, shameless brat. You're unaware of your surroundings because you keep on focusing on your girls. But that's how you're seen right now. Keep at it and you'll be able to truly succeed Shizu."

"... What if I'd rather focus on my girls than the whole student body?"

"Ah. Of course, you'll say that. You're like your father in this sense. You both keep on focusing on one thing and neglect the rest."

Alright. I'll let that mention of my father pass. She's right about it, after all.

"Am I wrong though?"

Hayashi-sensei swiftly answered as she removed her hand from my shoulder.

"No. You're not. If that's your choice, no one's going to stop you. But Onoda, we're talking about your reputation, aren't we? Think about it, what's the most ideal situation for you? A school where you're scorned because of your bad reputation or a school where you're praised by the majority?"

Ah. What an idealistic situation... While I could answer that it didn't really matter which of those two examples was better, I guess it would surely be better without me being labeled as

a scourge everyone had a beef with...

"Alright. You get your point across, sensei. Thank you... But how did we arrive at this topic when I only asked about the report?"

"You tell me."

Hayashi-sensei playfully grinned. Looking at how she tried to avert her gaze, she probably also had no idea how our talk swerved in this direction.

But well, seeing her smile like this was like a breath of fresh air. Isn't she always frowning and scowling at me? What an improvement.

"Forget it... I appreciate your concern, sensei. I'll keep your words in my mind. So, before I

go... Do you really not want a massage?" I cheekily asked which immediately froze that smile

on her lips.

Almost in an instant, the woman's lips trembled as though she was reeling in her

exasperation.

"You're still at that? I already said- Huh? You shameless brat!"

With a surprised yelp escaping from her mouth, I cut off her rejection by grabbing her hand

and opening it up for a hand massage.

"Hmm? You don't want a head or shoulder massage so... let me at least help you with this.

Relax your muscles, sensei."

Even though she tried to curl her fingers and stop me. A simple push on a sensitive spot on her palm made her lose all resistance.

Her hand wasn't all that soft. It was rough around the edges, most likely from her studies of medicine. She wouldn't just put on a play as a school nurse without properly being certified as

a qualified one, right?

As I started massaging it, its delicateness became more emphasized. Perhaps the sensation was too much for her, Hayashi-sensei ended up placing her other hand on top in an attempt to

hinder me.

I looked up at her and smiled, "Sensei, don't worry. I'll get to that after this one."

"You brat. That's not what I'm trying to tell you!"

Despite her exasperation, Hayashi-sensei could only close her eyes and endure without truly

pulling her hand away from me.

And like I promised I grabbed her other hand soon afterwards, completing my task.

By the time I finished, Hayashi-sensei's forehead somehow dropped on my shoulder while breathing heavily. It was too stimulating for her.

When she noticed that I already finished, she hurriedly lifted her head and pouted at me. I thought she was going to scold me but she probably changed her mind.

With her face akin to that of someone sensually stimulated, she pointed at the door, wordlessly telling me to scram and leave her alone.