“Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!” Kai shouted by the front gates. “Let’s plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”
He felt like he’d reverted to a child. Before him was a typical stand-alone house. A two-story building, not unlike Kai’s own home, except this one belonged to the Miyakawa family. It was Kai’s first time here, but Reina told him the address over LINE.
“Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun, let’s plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”
“Don’t shout my name so loud! You’ll embarrass me to the whole neighborhood!”
The house’s front door swung open, revealing Jun and her furious expression. Her chastising left her breathing heavily.
“Well, I was worried you might not hear me.”
“Well guess what, I can! I just need at least one minute to put some darn clothes on!”
Now that she mentioned it, Jun was wearing just an extra-large T-shirt like it was a dress. This attire was far more feral—er, free—than Kai was used to. The straps of her bra also peeked out from the wide collar. Kai’s sister was firmly in the no-bra camp of comfiness, but he figured that going au naturel had to be more tiring once you reached Jun’s size.
“Geez, I told you I’d handle it for a reason. Of course you’d come anyway...” Jun pursed her lips. It was a pose Kai recognized—the one that said she was secretly happy. “I swear, Kai, that part of you is so boyish.”
“Whatever that means.”
“Anyway, why not come in? Just, uh, make sure you run away if you’re about to get clocked.”
Kai paid no mind to her threats as he waltzed on in. If he let this day slip past, then the Miyakawas would leave on their family vacation, and Kai would be stuck agonizing over it for three days. Like hell he was running away.
The foyer had a distinctly regal feel to it, partially from the mix of Eastern and Western architectural aesthetics, and partially from the imposing stance of Royalteach as he stood smack-dab in the middle of it. Sure enough, he wore a well-pressed dress shirt and slacks as though they were battle armor, weekend or not. Given how loud Kai had been, his sudden springing into action came as no surprise. He stared Kai down from the step above the concrete entryway atop which Kai stood. Jun might not have meant to ask “why not come in?” as a question, but Royalteach clearly intended to be the answer.
“I told you I didn’t approve of your cavorting with my little sister, did I not? Nakamura, you do understand that words mean things, correct?”
Royalteach crossed his arms like a big shot as he took a stab at sarcasm. Kai didn’t take off his shoes. He stood his ground, stared back, and said:
“I just came to hang out with a friend. What’s the problem with that?”
Kai didn’t mean to say that as a taunt, but it sure sounded like one. He didn’t come all this way to beat around the bush. He wasn’t leaving with just the sense that he could’ve made something work.
“You have some nerve, Nakamuraaa.”
A vein surged on Royalteach’s forehead. This was where the battle would begin. Jun held her breath to watch over them...
The curtain lifted upon the duel of wits between Kai and Royalteach.
“You merely came to visit a friend, you say? In broad daylight?”
“Of course. It’s the truth, after all.”
“If you want to lie, I suggest you come up with something less laughable! Who would ever believe such a slapdash excuse?”
“Well, Teacher, what do you base your theory that I’m dating Jun on? You can’t tell me you seriously took gossip at face value, can you? Of course not; teaching is such a venerable position that it’d be an insult to imply that.”
“I’ll have you know I did my research! You’re together with Jun almost every day after school, aren’t you? Jun’s the one visiting your house. Who would do such a thing other than lovers?!”
“I don’t know. That sounds an awful lot like a personal bias. Is it that strange for close friends to spend every day together?”
“You’re a boy, and Jun is a girl!”
“Why, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re suggesting that men and women can’t possibly be friends. Are you sure you don’t have a personal bias here?”
“...Look. My little Jun is ridiculously cute. You’re not going to tell me I’m alone here.”
“Oh no, I agree that she’s super cute.”
“I’ve got you! Fool that you are, you admit it outright! Nakamura, your ulterior motives are clear for all to see! When faced with someone as cute as Jun, no man could resist the urge to make her their girlfriend! A hungry wolf cannot resist the allure of a fresh cut of meat! High school boys are nothing more than beasts! I know. I’ve been a high school boy before!”
“You’re kidding! Men aren’t complete barbarians! No matter how cute Jun is, we can still maintain our dignity!”
“Your theory might hold for typical cuteness, but not for the ridiculous cuteness of Jun!”
“Jun may indeed be the cutest girl on the planet, but my point still stands!”
Kai was howling. His shouts wouldn’t be deterred by Royalteach’s unyielding resolution.
Meanwhile, Jun grew redder at each consecutive blow they traded as she scrambled to get a word in. “Okay, I get it!” “I’m cute, I get the point!” “Please just leave it at that, I beg you!” “Awawawah...”
Sadly, Kai and Royalteach were too focused on their duel to pay her any mind.
“Then can I ask you something, Teacher?”
This was it. Kai funneled his concentration into this one counterattack.
“What is it? It’s a teacher’s duty to answer a student’s questions.”
“You’re super popular with the girls at school, aren’t you?”
“...Fortunately, yes, I am. However, I try not to leave any boys behind.”
“So, you’re aware that a ton of girls have the hots for you.”
“What a vile turn of phrase!”
“If you’re such a hit with the ladies, then it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet for you, isn’t it? You could have your pick of any girl in school, can’t you?”
“Wha... How preposterous! Don’t you dare joke about that! No teacher would even consider putting his hands on a student!” Royalteach’s face instantly flushed, as though he took the very insinuation as a disgrace.
“But aren’t all men beasts? Aren’t we all hungry wolves?”
Assured in the strength of his assault, Kai assumed the expression of a fool as he haughtily picked apart Royalteach’s argument. The ever-annoying Momoko proved an excellent mental model for this move.
“I’m a grown adult! Don’t compare me to a brat in the throes of puberty!”
“Soooo, that’s why you say it’s only natural for you to hold on to your dignity, hmm?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying!”
Royalteach was dead serious, from his expression to his shouts. He really was a good teacher; he was sincere even when talking to a high schooler. That’s why Kai had to get real. He did away with the cheap shocks to hide his own faults and the provocative acting. He laid his whole heart bare as he got serious, too.
“Well, I don’t want you insulting me, either!”