Afternoon.
Just after school, Kuzeha Yuu received a request from Shizuka Hiratsuka.
"You really can exorcise spirits, right?"
Shizuka, dressed in a fully buttoned-up shirt, sat in her chair and looked at Kuzeha Yuu seriously.
"Shizuka-cute-sensei, didn't you see it yourself yesterday?"
Kuzeha Yuu replied a little helplessly, not even bothering to use honorifics anymore.
Surprisingly, Shizuka didn't react to the way he addressed her.
After a moment of thought, she said again,
"I have a senior I know. She's been suffering from a strange illness for years without any improvement..."
"You think it's caused by an evil spirit?"
Shizuka nodded.
"Her birthday is coming up soon. I'd like to ask you to take a look. Even if it's not spiritual, at least we can rule it out."
Looking at her expression, Kuzeha Yuu figured she just wanted to give it a try.
After a short pause, he asked,
"Is there a reward?"
Shizuka was stunned.
She had expected Kuzeha Yuu to ask more cautious or serious questions, but his first concern was payment.
Still, this meant he had essentially agreed—and that he completely trusted her as a teacher.
Shizuka felt a bit moved, crossed her arms, and smiled, "Don't worry about that. Her family's pretty well-off."
"Then no problem!" Kuzeha Yuu snapped his fingers. "Let me notify my first disciple—we'll head out right away!"
"Disciple?" Shizuka blinked.
When she saw the timid-looking Miko Yotsuya, she completely froze.
"This classmate Yotsuya… is your disciple?" Now she was seriously starting to doubt their relationship.
"Yotsuya got talent, don't underestimate her!" Kuzeha Yuu reached out and gave Miko a little head pat.
Halfway through, he remembered she wasn't his little sister and casually withdrew his hand.
"Yotsuya, practice the techniques I taught you today by yourself."
Miko nodded, though for some reason she felt a little disappointed.
....
On the subway.
It was rush hour, with people flooding in at every stop, constantly squeezing Kuzeha Yuu and Shizuka into an ever-smaller space.
"Shizuka-cute, don't you have an Aston Martin?"
"Yeah, but it broke down a couple of days ago and still isn't fixed."
Shizuka shrank back awkwardly.
She regretted her decision.
It had been so long since she'd taken the subway, she had completely forgotten the feeling of being crushed during peak hours.
She should've just taken a cab.
But then again…
"Kuzeha Yuu-kun, is 'Shizuka-cute' really how you should be addressing your teacher?"
At her words, Kuzeha Yuu slightly lowered his head—there were barely ten centimeters between their faces now.
He could clearly feel her breath, and even see the tiny peach fuzz on her fair cheeks.
Even with the slight staleness of the subway air, his nose was filled with her delicate, refreshing scent.
"I think it fits perfectly! With a face like yours, you can totally carry the nickname 'Shizuka-cute.'" Kuzeha Yuu replied softly.
His words made Shizuka blink a little awkwardly.
"Smooth talker…"
(TL: Is he?)
She turned her gaze away with a soft hum.
Another stop came, and more passengers flooded in.
Now the space between them was basically zero.
Kuzeha Yuu could clearly feel her impressive figure pressing up against him.
Just as Shizuka tried to step back again, Kuzeha Yuu wrapped an arm around her waist and stood in front of her, carving out a small space in the crowded carriage.
Her back leaned against the wall of the car, and his arm fully shielded her.
It was the first time she had felt such a strong sense of security—and it came from her own student.
"Mm, it's easier to breathe like this." Kuzeha Yuu said lightly, and Shizuka nodded.
Suddenly, taking the subway didn't seem so bad after all.
For Kuzeha Yuu, the surprise was even greater.
Trait activated!
[Trait Ability Activated!]
[Congratulations, Host has acquired a Purple Trait: Preach & Teach!]
[Preach & Teach]: When the host conducts a special lesson, the target's learning speed triples!
...
After getting off the subway, Shizuka seemed to forget all about the contact they had shared, and began explaining about her senior.
"Rena-senpai used to be a teacher at Sobu High too. When I first joined, she was the one who guided me..."
"She lived in the hospital for years, but with no improvement, she recently moved back home…"
As she spoke, she led Kuzeha Yuu to a high-end luxury apartment complex.
They entered one of the towers and rode up to the 30th floor.
When he saw the nameplate that said "Nakano Residence," Kuzeha Yuu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Rena-sensei… Nakano Rena?"
Shizuka looked at him in surprise.
"You know her?"
Kuzeha Yuu shook his head.
Of course, he didn't know her personally—he only knew the name.
But her five daughters…
He was very familiar with them.
In both his past life and this one.
He just didn't know if they still remembered him.
Shizuka pressed the doorbell.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
A red-haired girl in loungewear, headphones around her neck, glanced at him.
She gave Shizuka a silent nod.
"Sensei, you're here."
She quickly fetched two pairs of slippers, shot Kuzeha Yuu another glance, then walked off without a word.
"I forgot to mention—Rena-sensei has five daughters. Quintuplets!"
"That was Miku just now. She's the introverted one."
Shizuka explained while changing into slippers.
Kuzeha Yuu followed her into the Nakano residence.
A massive living room greeted them at a glance—at least 300–400 square meters of luxury!
Bang!
"Ow… Miku, why are you blocking the way?"
Suddenly, a soft body bumped into Kuzeha Yuu.
He turned to see a girl in nothing but a towel, wet hair hanging over her shoulders, rubbing her forehead.
"Wait a sec…"
She realized something wasn't right—Miku wouldn't feel this firm.
She looked up sharply, her eyes narrowing until she could barely see—then just barely made out the boy's face.
"A-A boy?!"
Startled, she jumped back, but stepped right onto the water dripping from her hair and fell flat onto the floor.
"You must be Nino, right? Don't worry, this is the exorcist I brought."
Shizuka's voice stopped Nakano Nino just before she could scream.
"Sensei?"
"Exorcist?"
Nino recalled vaguely that Itsuki had mentioned something about this…
Then she suddenly became very aware of how cold the floor was—and the fact that she was wearing nothing under her towel.
She hurriedly adjusted it, covered up as much as she could, and scrambled to her feet in a panic.
"Damn it, Miku! You knew I was in the bath and still answered the door?!"
Red-faced, she muttered angrily as she fled back to her room.