Shiye’s residence, which doubled as her office, wasn’t far from the bustling city center. If you went out the back door, you’d find a small park, making the area quite peaceful.
This was a brand-new, three-story villa with a small yard and an open-air balcony on the top floor. You could say the environment was rather nice.
Inside, it was also clean and tidy, warmly decorated, and, under the soft yellow light and a few potted green plants, it really did feel a bit like home.
“Ah~!”
After a day of running around, Shiye flopped onto the living room sofa, burying her face in the fluffy orca pillow and nuzzling against it. Then, like a cat, she stretched out lazily:
“Mmm—ha~!”
“Teacher really is adorable.”
“Wah!!”
Still basking in her relaxed happiness, Shiye almost fell off the sofa. Luckily, she managed to brace herself with her hands, then curled up, hugging her black-stockinged legs. Her fair cheeks quickly grew hot and red.
It was just too comfortable—she’d forgotten there was someone else… There was still an Evil God here!
As for why Yumiya was in her home, it was because Yumiya, under the pretense of being “the teacher’s assistant,” helped guide her here, then—right in front of her—used a fingerprint to unlock her door, and led her inside.
Not only did she warmly introduce the various facilities in the house, she even said she’d make her dinner, acting as if it was her own home.
“Th-this…” Shiye’s gaze wandered.
It seemed her dignity as a teacher had collapsed on the very first day…
“It’s all right. After all, this is Teacher’s home. Teacher can do anything here.” Yumiya leaned against the wall, looking at her calmly.
Getting comforted by her own student!
Yumiya’s thoughtfulness only made Shiye feel even more embarrassed, her small hands almost squeezing the orca pillow into a humpback whale.
“Head pats~”
Eh?
Just as Shiye was about to turn into a steam-powered princess, a hand landed gently on her head, softly rubbing back and forth. She looked up to see Yumiya leaning down, giving her a slight smile before withdrawing her hand:
“Teacher is just too cute, like a little kitten. I couldn’t resist patting you. I’m sorry.”
“Uwah…”
How could you act so freely with your teacher? That’s seriously disrespectful!
No, her dignity as a teacher had already taken a hit. If she didn’t teach Yumiya a lesson and make her keep some distance, her dignity might just vanish for good!
“You—”
“For you.”
“Huh?”
Before she could say anything, Yumiya set down a tray from the kitchen. On it was a mug filled with steaming, dark-brown liquid, giving off a rich aroma.
“As an apology, I made hot cocoa for Teacher. I hope you like it.”
But then again.
The words of reproach that had reached her lips were swallowed back down. If the student apologized like this, what else could she say?
It was like punching cotton, only for the cotton to turn into cotton candy. She was frustrated, but her mouth was sweet.
“It’s all right, but don’t do that again, okay? And… thank you for the hot cocoa.”
Grumbling a little, Shiye took the mug and took a small sip. Her brows immediately relaxed.
“So good…!”
She looked at Yumiya in surprise and found the other girl watching her expectantly.
When she praised her, Yumiya’s eyes narrowed gently, like a silver crescent moon:
“As long as Teacher likes it, I can make it for you every day if you want.”
Eh, an angel?
Shiye felt Yumiya was radiating a holy, motherly glow.
Wait, no… an Evil God?
Was there really an Evil God like this?
For a moment, Shiye was in a daze.
How was this Evil God so different from the ones she’d encountered before?
Could it be because her body had turned into a girl, so her personality changed too?
Was that even possible?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
“But your ex-girlfriend was an Evil God, wasn’t she?” her rational side reminded her.
“Shut up!” her emotional side retorted, “Evil Gods are humanity’s mortal enemies. Even if she’s become a girl, her evil nature won’t change a single bit. Don’t let your guard down, Shiye!”
“I don’t need you to tell me that…” Shiye muttered.
“Eh? Teacher?”
Yumiya tilted her head. Silver hair slipped from behind her ear and fell to her shoulder. Her silver-gray eyes looked at Shiye, utterly clear.
“…Does Teacher not want it?” Her face was expressionless, but the disappointment was obvious.
“N-no, not at all! Yumiya’s hot cocoa is delicious. If possible, I’d like to have it again.”
Feeling flustered, Shiye rolled from one end of the sofa to the other, escaping Yumiya’s reach. Her stockinged feet touched the warm wooden floor, and she hurriedly walked toward the office as if running away:
“I still have a lot of work, so I’ll get busy now. Yumiya, call me when dinner’s ready, please.”
With that, she pulled the heavy wooden door to the office shut. The room instantly quieted.
“Phew…!” Shiye let out a breath.
She’d escaped on instinct…
So close! She’d almost been swayed by Yumiya!
It must all be a plot by the Evil God. Yes, definitely.
Hmph, too bad I saw right through it.
The former legendary investigator thought herself exceedingly clever.
Time to calm down. As long as she was in the closed space of her office, she felt safe. Time to organize her thoughts…
The Invincible Office Domain, activate!
Knock, knock, knock!
Eh?
A rhythmic knocking at the door, and the Invincible Office Domain was easily breached by the detestable Evil God.
“Teacher, you forgot your hot cocoa!”
A little silver-white head poked in from behind the door.
“Eh? Uwah… Thank you, Yumiya…”
“Hehe… It’s all right, just call me Yumiya.”
Yumiya spoke as she handed the mug over.
To avoid being disturbed again…
Shiye steeled herself, snatched up the mug, and gulped it all down in one go.
“Pwah! Yumiya’s hot cocoa really is delicious. I finished it in one go without even noticing!”
She handed the empty mug back to the astonished Yumiya:
“All right, I’m going to work now, okay?”
“Eh? Mm, all right. Then I won’t bother Teacher anymore.”
Having finally sent away the Evil God, Shiye’s office returned to silence. She sat down at her desk, turned on her computer, and planned to push aside her worries and focus on work for a while.
Whenever she felt troubled, she would distract herself with work.
She opened the app and checked this week’s performance tasks:
“The secondary objectives are kind of like side quests. Failing them won’t mean a failing grade, but I won’t get all the rewards.”
“The rewards… Dream Points are the currency here, right? 200 points—not much, not little. But this lottery ticket is really tempting. In system novels, it’s usually some kind of ability or item?”
Muttering to herself, Shiye opened the document on her computer:
“There’s still some time. I’ll prep my lesson plan first. As for winning the students’ approval… I’ll check out the classroom tomorrow and think about it then.”
When she thought of students, the image of Tendou Miyuki popped into her mind.
If she could help it, she’d really rather not get involved with her.
Shiye shook her head and tapped out the first character on the keyboard, then frowned slightly.
She rubbed her lower abdomen gently.
Did she drink the hot cocoa too quickly? She felt kind of bloated… and a little warm…