“The one who wears the shoes that fit conquers the world.” (Bette Midler)

1

“Kyaa ♡ I’m here!”

I freeze in shock.

“Why the hell are you at my place… We decided on a meeting spot on LINE last night.”

“I woke up early anyway, and there was something I forgot to ask. Coming straight here is faster.”

Ayase-san points her phone at me.

Click!

“Hey… what are you taking!?”

I’m literally just-woke-up: T-shirt and boxer shorts. No way this photo is going on any dating profile.

“Sensei… lewd…”

“The lewd one is the girl photographing a guy like this!”

“Not that—look down there.”

Cheeks faintly pink, she glances downward.

I follow her gaze—my shorts are… noticeably tented.

“UWAA!?”

I frantically cover myself with both hands.

Now I understand why her face was red.

“Delete that right now!”

“Ehh, no way ♡”

Click!

“Sensei’s naughty gravure shoot. Gonna take more ♡”

Click, click.

“You little—!”

“Ehehe~ ♡ If you want me to delete them, come take my phone ♡”

“You—!”

Annoyed, I free one hand and reach for the phone—

“Ah…”

“Kyaa!?”

I lose balance, topple forward, and pin Ayase-san to the floor.

“—! You okay?”

I push myself up and ask.

I only took a light bump, but she became my cushion—I’m worried.

“Ah ♡”

“Eh?”

What was that sound?

And this feeling…

“Um… I’m fine, but… it’s touching me.”

“Ah…”

She points it out, and I finally notice.

As I tried to get up, my hand had landed squarely on her breast.

“S-Sorry!”

I yank my hand away.

“No, I mean… not just that, um… the other thing too…”

“Eh… ? Ah!”

For once she looks genuinely flustered.

That’s when I realize my now fully hard thing is pressing right against her thigh.

“N-…! Sorry!”

I scramble off and turn my back to her.

I groped her breast and then pressed an erect adult male crotch against a teenage girl—how could I do something so awful?

I’m mortified. I can barely look at her.

While I’m trying to figure out how to reset the conversation,

“U-Um… don’t worry about it too much. I’m not bothered. Hey, I brought sandwiches—eat? You definitely have no breakfast ready, right?”

She stands and smoothly changes the subject.

“…Yeah, let’s eat.”

Still averting my eyes, I answer.

As an adult and a teacher, being the one comforted by a student is pathetic, but with her cheeks still faintly pink, I could only manage that.

▼　▼　▼

I change into proper clothes and calm down a bit.

We sit across the low table eating the sandwiches she brought—egg, tuna, ham set, plus yogurt drinks.

“By the way, what was that thing you forgot to ask?”

She mentioned it the moment she barged in.

“That? Less something to ask, more something to check. Seeing is faster than explaining. We’ll do it after sandwiches.”

“Check?”

What could that possibly mean?

I find out the moment we finish eating.

“Okay, let’s start ♡”

Ayase-san stands and BAM! throws open my closet.

“Eh, what are you—?”

“Wardrobe check ♡”

Winking, she starts pulling out shirts one by one, then even opens the clear storage drawers I use as a dresser.

“I’ve seen most of these at school. So this is the kind of underwear Sensei wears…”

“STOP! Don’t touch those! Don’t unfold them!”

“…Fine, fine. I’ve seen what I needed to see anyway. Totally as expected. With this wardrobe you can’t take good photos, and even if you get a date it’ll flop. Sensei, your fashion sense is straight-up old-man.”

“Old-man…”

“Total teacher vibes.”

“I am a teacher.”

“That’s the problem! Even when we went out as Sakuran I thought your clothes didn’t match your age. You’ve got a baby face and cute features—wasting them! Even what you’re wearing now, don’t you think it’s old-mannish?”

“U…”

She’s right. The more she says it, the more “teacher = old-man” feels true.

“Dating isn’t school! There’s that saying—the one who wears the shoes that fit conquers love!”

“I think the original is about shoes conquering the world…”

I vaguely remember it from when I researched fashion in college hoping to get popular.

“…Maybe, but whatever! First we’re buying clothes, Sensei! Simple white sneakers are fine—you already have those, I checked the shoe cupboard. Then photos!”

Destination: four stations away. There’s a big river, wide riverbank—perfect photo spot.

“And there’s a vintage shop near the station where my friend works part-time. We’ll buy there. Let’s go!”

“W-Wait just a—”

I grab her arm as she tries to drag me out.

“If someone sees us… Kato-sensei lives nearby…”

Current Ayase-san looks nothing like school Ayase-san—no one would connect the dots at a glance. Still, better safe.

“Kato-sensei? I just saw him at the station. Probably off to practice, so we’re good. Let’s—go!”

“Hey… at least don’t cling to me!”

“I know, I know. Not here.”

“Not anywhere!”

After that exchange, we leave the apartment.

2

“Isn’t this a bit too youthful?”

At the vintage shop, I shrink back.

The window display screams trendy—definitely Shibuya/Harajuku vibes.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Sensei still looks young.”

“Eh… really? Wait, that’s not the—”

For a second I feel flattered, but I still hesitate.

Ayase-san literally pushes my back with both hands.

“Come on, in we go!”

Guess I have no choice.

(Well, I’d never enter a place like this without her anyway.)

That alone makes the “guidance” worthwhile.

Pushed inside.

(Just as I thought…)

Super stylish interior. Total away territory for me.

But for Ayase-san it’s home turf.

She calls out like she’s at a friend’s house.

“Yo~ Rena-chi here~?”

“Saku-cchi!”

Instant nickname reply—makes sense, friend’s workplace.

But something bugs me.

(Rena-chi… Saku-cchi… that voice and those nicknames sound familiar…)

I look toward the voice.

“…Geh.”

It’s my student—Uzaki Reina, “Rena-chi.”

“What the hell are you thinking!? Why bring me here…!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Rena-chi’s safe.”

“You kept going on about our ‘secret relationship’!”

“I never said I wouldn’t tell anyone, and you’re the one who told Rena-chi you were on matching apps in the first place! Plus she can’t say anything about us anyway.”

“Eh, what do you—”

“Ah— stop right there!”

Uzaki suddenly clamps Ayase-san’s mouth and locks her arms around her neck.

“G-Give… give…”

Ayase-san taps out, then continues,

“But honestly, wouldn’t it be better to just tell her and get her help? About Kato-sensei.”

She looks at Uzaki.

“Listen—Rena-chi is Kato-sensei’s relative—”

“Yeah, he told me. ‘I have a relative in your class, take care of her’…”

That’s when I notice Uzaki’s face is bright red.

(This reaction… no way…!)

The words slip out.

“Uzaki-san, don’t tell me you’re in love with Kato-sensei…”

“Bingo! Sensei, sharp! Rena-chi’s first love is—”

“SAKURAAA!”

Uzaki grabs Ayase-san by the collar like a yakuza.

Dead serious anger.

“Say one more word and I spill all your secrets too. Including Sensei using dating apps.”

“Ugh, that’d be bad… fine, I’ll stop. See, Sensei? Now we all have dirt on each other, so no one talks ♡”

“…O-Okay…”

What a twist.

And a troublesome one.

Because Kato-sensei is head-over-heels for Kinumozaka-sensei.

Uzaki has to know that.

(Come to think of it, on the first day of term when Kato-sensei asked me in the hallway what I thought of Kinumozaka-sensei… that was why…)

Kato-sensei is 100% oblivious to Uzaki’s feelings—I know the guy.

Relative + age gap + dense as a brick.

The only sliver of hope is that Kato-sensei’s chances with Kinumozaka-sensei seem slim…

Sorry, Kato-sensei, but I can’t help smirking a little.

“—Anyway, topic closed!”

Clap! Ayase-san claps her hands.

“Let’s start the makeover, Sensei!”

▼　▼　▼

After that I learn all sorts of things: which shirt colors suit my skin tone, which cuts make legs look longer, current trends, etc., while trying on outfits.

“Skin tone—you mean like blue-based or yellow-based?”

I’ve overheard girls talking about it.

“Exactly. Blue-based summer, yellow-based autumn, etc. Sensei, you’re definitely blue-based summer.”

“Yeah, total blue-based summer.”

Uzaki agrees with Ayase-san, but it means nothing to me.

“Blue-based summer matches cool tones—blues, off-white, gray…”

“Then… something like this?”

“No, I think this one’s better.”

Uzaki starts picking, Ayase-san comments, and suddenly three full outfits are lined up for me to try.

Ayase-san chooses.

“All good, but for profile photos this set feels the freshest and most likeable.”

She points to one.

“So I just buy that one?”

“Hah? What are you saying? We’re buying all of them, obviously.”

“Eh…?”

“Not just for photos—dates too. You can’t wear the same outfit every date. Didn’t you even notice I wear different private clothes every time?”

“…Ah…”

Come to think of it… yeah, always different.

“You really didn’t notice!?”

“N-No, I…”

Death glare.

“…The worst. You’re not even looking at me properly? Same as when we dated as Sakuran!”

She’s right.

I avoid looking at her too much because it makes me weirdly conscious and embarrassed.

Obviously I can’t say that.

“But guys generally don’t notice that stuff, and lots just wear what they like over and over…”

“Excuses.”

Cut down in one word.

“And ‘guys are like this’ or ‘Sensei’s type’—I don’t care. What matters is the judge: girls. If you’re failing, you have to fix it properly.”

No comeback.

“Also, this shop takes pretty much any card or pay app, and you get friend discount 10%. Super deal!”

Uzaki flashes a peace sign. Nice, but…

“How much total?”

A bit anxious—I’m a 26-year-old high school teacher. I earn more than a fresh grad office worker, but not exactly swimming in cash.

“Wait, calculating.”

Uzaki scans tags into the tablet register.

“Round down… about 25,000 yen.”

“Cheaper than I thought.”

Right after starting uni I splurged at a select shop—three shirts cost about the same.

“No big brands in there, and everything’s second-hand. We picked with your wallet in mind ♡”

Uzaki winks like it’s obvious.

Ayase-san adds,

“Fashion isn’t about money, Sensei. Otherwise normal high school girls couldn’t be stylish, right?”

True.

“So we’re buying, right? I worked hard picking!”

Uzaki smiles with pressure.

“If Sensei buys, I get commission~ Pretty please?”

“…Fine. I’ll buy.”

“Yay! Now I can get that new accessory I wanted!”

“Wait a sec.”

Ayase-san cuts in.

We both look—What? What?

She holds out a pair of fake glasses.

“Plus these. Thinner frames than your current ones will look cooler. Try them.”

“H-Hey!”

She snatches my glasses and puts the new ones on me.

She steps back, satisfied.

“Yep, suits you. Way cooler. Hair could use work too, but you just got a cut, so this is fine for now. We’ll get proper ones with prescription later.”

“Uh…”

I check the nearby mirror. Vision’s blurry, but if she says it’s cool, maybe?

“Also, why not switch to contacts? You’d look better without glasses. I’m wearing contacts right now too.”

“Putting stuff in my eyes freaks me out.”

“That’s adorable ♡” / “For an adult,” Uzaki piles on. “You know most high school girls wear contacts, right?”

“S-Shut up…”

“Well, these fake ones are fine. Plenty of girls like glasses guys. So we’re adding the glasses. Only 1,000 yen, pocket change.”

Pocket change or not, will I ever wear them again…? But if it makes photos better, fine.

Card payment complete.

“Okay, Rena-chi, just the first set and the glasses for now. Bag the rest.”

“Roger!”

“Sensei—change!”

She hands me the belt-included set and I head to the fitting room.

“Like this?”

“Yep, perfect perfect. Right, Rena-chi?”

I step out; Ayase-san greets me with a huge smile.

“Looks good, looks good.”

Uzaki nods, satisfied.

(Do I really…?)

Full-length mirror: there stands a fresh, approachable young man—at least kinda. Definitely younger-looking than usual, yet still clearly an adult, not a student.

(These two are pretty good at this.)

I secretly praise my students.

Actually, it looks great.

Uzaki neatly folds my old clothes, bags everything, and hands it over.

Ayase-san grins.

“Then, Sensei—time for the photo shoot ☆”

3

Click, click…

“Yes, perfect~ But your smile’s a little stiff. More natural~ There we go. Sensei, say cheese!”

After leaving Uzaki at the vintage shop, we moved to the riverbank. I was now completely under Ayase-san’s orders, striking poses like a model while she snapped away.

Of course I’d switched to the new fake glasses too. Everything was blurry.

Click, click…

(What even is this situation…)

I felt like an idol from a gravure spread in a manga magazine.

“Sensei, stop squinting!”

“Ah, sorry.”

Bad eyesight can’t be helped, but I opened my eyes wide.

“That’s it! Looking good, looking good ☆”

I had no idea what was going on, but being told “looking good” made me get into it. I even tried a slightly cool pose.

“No JoJo stands, please.”

Happy she recognized it, but apparently not her taste.

“If you want weird poses, I can make you do the Umapyoi dance.”

“Hard pass.”

The shoot continued normally after that—

“Got tons! ♪ Let’s see which ones are best~”

Swiping through her phone, Ayase-san reviewed and picked.

“Yep, this is the winner.”

She showed me.

“Look look, Sensei! Refreshing, solidly handsome everyman vibes, right?”

“What kind of compliment is that…”

I swapped back to my real glasses and looked.

There I was, sitting on the riverbank slope, soft smile.

Somehow artsy-hipster, like an old indie album cover.

“See? Super good, right?”

“I… guess…?”

“It is!”

She doubled down.

Fine, if she says so, it must be true.

I’ll go with that.

“Okay, main profile photo decided! But while we’re at it, one more—”

“Wai—!?”

Suddenly she threw her arm around me.

Pressed close—click!

“Ah, blurry, and I made a weird face…”

Pouting at the front-cam shot, she immediately readied again.

“One more. Smile smile ♡”

“Why are we taking a photo together…?”

“Just do it. Smiling brings fortune! Cheese ♡”

“Hold o—”

Click!

She checked.

“Hmm, your face is all serious, but it’s very Sensei-like ♡ Look!”

In the photo: Ayase-san flashing a peace sign, me behind her looking shocked and reaching for the phone.

“…Delete that. And how is that ‘very me’?”

“No way ♡ This is today’s commemorative photo ♡ Ehehe ♡”

She grinned at it again.

Is collecting these her hobby?

It’s objectively terrible.

I genuinely didn’t understand her taste.

Back then, I really thought that from the bottom of my heart—

“Well, profile photos done! Reward me with lunch ♪”

We went to a pasta place she’d always wanted to try, ate, got profile text lessons—and parted in the evening.

(It’s my day off and I’m absolutely wrecked…)

Back home, I collapsed face-first onto the bed.

Pasta was about 4,000 yen for two.

Including clothes and transport, it cost less than my worst-case scenario, but I was still drained—wallet and body.

Gotta get a girlfriend fast to make it worth it… but I didn’t even have the energy to open the app.

I hadn’t even received the edited photos yet—she said she’d process them.

“—Wait…”

Perfect timing—ping.

LINE from Ayase-san: a photo titled “Date with Sensei ♡”

I instantly replied:

Stop it, even as a joke!!

Hard to tell it’s her, but if it leaked it’d be a disaster.

She sent back “yes yes” + exasperated shrug sticker, then the final edited profile photos.

“Good grief,” I sighed.

But the photos were genuinely great.

It was me, yet somehow not me.

Weird feeling.

With these, I felt like I could actually get a girlfriend.

I saved the two-shot too, just in case.

Then immediately updated my profile with the new pics and the lessons I’d received.

The results were astonishingly fast.

▼　▼　▼

Wednesday, mid-week, in the middle of mid-term exams.

Back home, TWINS notification:

『Message from Suisho-san』

It could only be thanks to Ayase-san’s photo edits.

My profile was now drowning in likes compared to before.

(She really was confident for a reason…)

I owe her big time for this.

One of those likes was from Suisho-san.

We’d already exchanged messages three times.

The vibe was excellent—I had a feeling a date was imminent.

She’d even said my photos made me look “kind and wonderful.”

Heart racing, I opened the new message:

How about dinner this weekend? I’m bad at typing… I think talking in person would be better.

Exactly as hoped.

Hell yes! I mentally fist-pumped.

Of course!

I replied, and since Saturday was a school day:

Sunday works for me.

Added:

Any foods you want or hate? Allergies? Anything you’re craving…?

Ayase-san taught me that kind of consideration is crucial.

Instant reply: “There’s a place I want to go.”

Perfect—she picked. Easiest and safest.

A few more messages and the date was set for Sunday.

“Yes!”

Lying on my bed, I opened Suisho-san’s profile and grinned like an idiot.

Cute woman with a Kinumozaka-sensei vibe mixed with my middle-school ex.

The kind any guy would fall for.

The fact that someone like her was into me—

(I can’t wait to meet her…)

Then a call from Ayase-san on LINE.

Perfect timing.

I owe a lot of this to her too.

(I’ll tell her it worked and thank her.)

I accepted the call.

“Sensei! Sunday—are you free? I found another place I want to go. It’d be perfect practice for future TWINS dates. Exams are over, let’s celebrate—”

Straight to the invitation.

(Heh, she thinks I’ve made zero progress.)

Smirking inwardly, I answered triumphantly:

“Actually, I already have a date that day.”

“…For real?”

Her voice screamed “no way,” and I couldn’t help the smug grin.

4

Sunday—the day of the date with Suisho-san.

I left home in the evening.

At the meeting spot, a shopping center near the station, I used the restroom and checked myself in the mirror.

Wearing one of the outfits I bought with Ayase-san.

Thin-rimmed prescription glasses—the kind she made me get.

Students and colleagues all said they suited me. Even Kinumozaka-sensei complimented me.

“Perfect.”

Just finished when a LINE from Ayase-san:

Grooming okay? Back straight!

Obviously.

I’m good.

I replied and returned to the meeting spot—two minutes early.

I looked around for Suisho-san.

“Shuu-san, right?”

Someone called.

I looked up—and doubted my eyes.

(Wait… what…?)

If this woman was Suisho-san, it was textbook panel magic—worse than even Ayase-san’s case.

If her profile photos were flyweight, real life was super heavyweight.

Horizontal scaling: 140% compared to photos. Skin tone different, beauty level different, and she did not look 23 at all.

Age needed serious upward revision.

This was fraud.

Even a soapland or escort would demand a change.

Never been to either, but still.

(What do I do…?)

I stood frozen in confusion.

“You are Shuu-san, right?” she asked again.

“Y-Yes…”

I couldn’t exactly say “you’re not the person in the photos.”

Her pics were maybe 40% enhanced—enough that I couldn’t outright call her a different person.

“Then let’s go ♪”

She smiled brightly, grabbed my arm hard, and locked it in place.

“E-Eh, uh…”

“You’re taking me to dinner, right?”

She pressed close.

Strong perfume hit me.

And—

(Boobs! Boobs pressing against my arm!)

Proportionate to her size—massive. But it wasn’t sexy.

Just reminded me breasts are basically fat.

Two choices flashed in my mind:

▽ Run 　 Run

But I’m not the type who can smoothly escape.

“Y-Yeah… let’s go.”

The restaurant was already booked, and canceling would cost money.

The food looked good, and this could be practice talking to a woman I met on the app.

I just had to survive today and ghost later.

(Ayase-san is definitely going to laugh her ass off…)

Thinking that, I walked with Suisho-san toward the restaurant.

(Wait… here…?)

More confusion.

We were in a love hotel district.

I had no idea the place she picked was in this area—first time in this town.

Still arm-in-arm, boobs still squished against me, perfume making me nauseous.

Five minutes felt like twenty.

▼　▼　▼

“This is so good~ I haven’t had meat this delicious in forever. More wine and steak okay?”

“S-Sure…”

The restaurant she chose was a hidden-gem style place.

Stylish interior, some solo diners, lots of couples in cozy booths.

We were seated in one of those couple booths.

Atmosphere-wise, perfect.

But—

(She drinks and eats so much…)

As expected from her build.

After the initial champagne, the red wine bottle was already empty.

I’d only had one glass of champagne and one of red.

She’d moved on to white by the glass to match the food.

Her perfume killed my appetite, but I forced myself to eat.

She finished her extra steak.

“Dessert okay?”

She even ordered chocolate fondant.

I passed and got oolong tea.

Partly worried about the bill, mostly no appetite.

She demolished the fondant too.

Then—

“Hey, Shuu-san…”

I jumped.

She leaned in, slid her hand up my thigh.

Whispered seductively in my ear:

“After this… what do you say?”

“…”

Was I being propositioned?

Panicking, her hand moved from thigh to crotch, gently stroking the growing bulge while staring into my eyes.

“Please… I’ve had a lot of expenses lately. Twenty thousand—no, fifteen thousand with full service is fine…”

“Ichigo” = 15,000 yen. Manga knowledge.

“Full service” = everything.

Meaning: sex for money.

She picked a restaurant surrounded by love hotels because this was her plan from the start—prostitution.

(Wait, what about the hotel fee?)

No mention of “ho-betsu” (hotel separate).

She said she was broke, so probably extra.

But 15,000 yen? Isn’t that underselling herself?

Or is that the going rate for her look and age?

(My brain is going weird places—calm down!)

Her palm traced my shape as she whispered:

“You want to do it too, right—?”

“Hey, onii-chan, what are you doing?”

“Eh…?”

A voice from outside cut her off.

I froze.

Suisho-san did too, eyes wide.

I turned.

There stood Ayase-san—full smile on the surface, pure fury underneath.

Of course, in her mature going-out look, not school uniform.

“Shuu-san. What’s going on? Is she really your little sister?”

Suisho-san yanked my sleeve, glaring.

“N-No, this is…”

I had no idea why Ayase-san was here either.

(Little sister…?)

As I floundered,

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, ruining our date?!” Suisho-san’s voice shot up. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Ayase-san with open hostility.

“Date? You, a super-heavyweight, with my big brother? Don’t make me laugh.” Ayase-san snorted, deliberately stressing “big brother” again to hammer home that she was family.

“…Super-heavyweight?” Suisho-san’s face twisted, her voice trembling with irritation. Then she half-glared at me. “Hey, is this kid actually your sister?”

No matter how you slice it, she didn’t buy it for a second.

“Uh, well, ‘sister’ as in cousin… Sorry, give me a sec.” I grabbed Ayase-san’s hand and tried to drag her outside. “Come here!”

“Hey, what are you—!”

“That’s my line!”

The moment I pulled her toward the door—

“ENOUGH!” BAM! Suisho-san slammed the table so hard the whole café rattled. “Just go flirt with your little girlfriend! You sis-con lolicon freak!”

“Wha—!”

Sis-con, lolicon—!

“Hmph, looks like I hit the bullseye. I’m posting your creepy ass all over the internet! Bye!”

She spun around and stormed out, heels clacking.

“W-wait—post on the internet…?!”

I reached after her in panic, but someone yanked my arm from behind.

“Just let her go.”

“But she’s gonna trash me online…!”

Suisho-san was already gone.

If she really flames me on some anonymous board, I’m screwed.

I whipped out my phone, opened TWINS to apologize via message—

“…She blocked me…”

I don’t even have her LINE. No way to contact her.

Maybe report it to the admins—

“Sit down first. Everyone’s staring.”

“Ah…!”

She was right. The staff and every customer in the place were watching the drama.

I bowed in apology for the commotion and sat back down, mortified.

Ayase-san calmly told the waiter we were switching seats. A minute later our drinks were moved to the table I’d just shared with Suisho-san.

…So she’d been eating at the exact same café, watching the whole time.

“…Where do you even get the money for places like this? You’re not doing anything shady, right?”

It slipped out. Normal high school girls don’t just waltz into cafés this pricey. And the way she dresses—definitely not cheap.

“My parents basically throw money at me and don’t care what I do,” she answered, bored, then sipped her drink.

She was ice-cold calm while I was the one freaking out. I felt like an idiot.

“Anyway, ‘expose you online’? She’ll just vent on Twitter or some anonymous board. Something like ‘Guy I met on dating app turned out to be a lolicon dating his little cousin—total trash.’”

Photos or personal info would violate the app’s terms plus privacy laws and defamation, she explained.

“Someone doing sugar-daddy stuff on TWINS like her would be terrified of getting banned. If she really goes nuclear on social media, we just file a disclosure request and sue the hell out of her—civil and criminal. Ooh, I’m kinda excited now!”

Please don’t be excited. Lawyer fees are insane, and you often get nothing back. I saw a TV show about people losing even when they win.

“Besides, you probably don’t need to worry that much. Hang on…”

She scrolled her phone for thirty seconds.

“Found it. Look.”

She shoved the screen in my face.

It was Suisho-san’s burner account—already flaming me exactly as Ayase-san predicted: “Guy from dating app is a lolicon dating his underage cousin, total scumbag,” etc.

“…How the hell do you know her account? And you said photos—”

It was definitely a private burner.

“You were with her for like two hours, right? I was bored out of my mind. So I killed time digging into her. Found this.”

“So you stalked us the whole time? Online and IRL?”

“Stalking sounds so ugly. Call it tailing, surveillance, observation. There’s no way I just ‘happened’ to be at the same café. I followed you from your apartment.”

“Why would you—”

“Because I was free, duh. And I was worried whether you could actually handle a date without me. You’re way too soft—you almost let that sumo wrestler steamroll you.”

She puffed her cheeks, clearly annoyed.

“Or… did you actually want to sleep with her? You’re fine with landmine heavyweights? Is that your type!?”

Her voice was getting louder, accusatory.

“Hey, keep it down…”

We were drawing attention again. And I wanted to say she was a walking landmine herself, but no way I’d say that out loud. Lightning would strike.

She finished her drink.

We apologized to the staff again and left.

Thus ended my match with Suisho-san—in total failure.

We headed to the station together.

5

(…Oh crap. This area…)

The moment we stepped outside my face froze.

The café was smack in the middle of the red-light district. Love hotels everywhere.

It was that time of day—couples glued together all around us.

Definitely not a place to be seen with a student.

Ayase-san noticed too.

“I didn’t realize on the way in, but… yeah, this is that kind of area. So you were totally planning to get some, huh, Sensei?”

“No! She picked the place—I got played!”

“Wanna stop in one~?”

She looped her arm through mine like every other couple.

“Wai—hey—!”

Her breasts pressed right into my arm. Unlike Suisho-san’s, they were firm and perky. Too much stimulation for a virgin—my heart was pounding like crazy.

The whole atmosphere wasn’t helping.

Plus she smelled amazing—completely different from Suisho-san’s cloying perfume.

“It’s good date practice! ♪ Have you ever been inside one, Sensei?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! That’s way too dangerous!”

“Some places have ‘girls’ night’ plans now—girls go in groups and just karaoke. Did you know?”

“Why do you know that?! Have you been?!”

“And you’ve never gone? Kinda suspicious~”

“I never decided I haven’t!”

“But you haven’t, right? So—”

“We’re not going in! And stop clinging—someone might see us!”

I shook her arm off and walked ahead.

“Hey, wait up!”

Of course touts were everywhere—host clubs, soaplands, the works.

“Hey, handsome—”

One immediately latched onto me.

A second later my arm was yanked back.

“He’s with me.”

Ayase-san smiled sweetly at the guy in the black suit and hooked her arm tighter through mine.

The tout backed off.

She turned to me with a triumphant grin.

“Saved you, right? Say thank you ♪”

“…Yeah, thanks.”

“Then let’s keep going like this ♡”

She leaned in, resting her head on my shoulder.

“This way nobody will bother us, and I won’t get hit on by hosts or club scouts either. Win-win, totally safe. Protecting a girl like this is part of being a man, you know ♪”

“…I guess you’re not wrong…”

Defeated by her logic, we walked like that for three minutes until we finally reached the station.

▼　▼　▼

“You’re taking this line, right?”

I stopped in front of the subway gate that went toward her house, not mine.

“Can’t I just come back to your place? You cleaned up planning to bring a girl home if today went well, right? No problem~”

“No, I didn’t—”

I looked away.

“You totally did. You did it for Sakuran too.”

She smirked down at me.

“Kidding, kidding.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve got plans with friends tomorrow, so we’re done for today. Mom’s not home, and neither is her boyfriend, buuut… one condition.”

She pressed her index finger to my lips.

“If you match with anyone else on TWINS from now on, you have to consult me first. We’ll plan the strategy together.”

That mischievous smile—like an idol or actress on TV.

It sent an actual shiver down my spine.

“See ya ♡”

She waved cutely—100 points—and disappeared into the crowd.

I let out a wry laugh.

(If a girl like that were my girlfriend…)

The thought slipped out because her smile overlapped with the one my middle-school ex used to give me.

(…What the hell am I thinking?)

I shook my head hard.

And the moment she said “kidding,” I’d actually felt a tiny bit disappointed. Why?

(I’m seriously hopeless…)

I have to do better next time—reflect on today and level up.

As for consulting Ayase-san…

(If I do, she’ll probably stalk me again under the name of “supervision”…)

I’ll decide depending on the person and situation.

She’ll be mad if I hide it, but if things go well, it’ll be fine.

That’s what I told myself.

6

About a month after the Suisho incident—

I was still hunting on TWINS.

I somehow carved out time after school on weekdays and even managed a few three-way “dates,” but the two I thought went well on the first date turned out to be insurance sales and religious recruitment on the second. Classic romance scams.

“So, did you sleep with any of them?”

On the phone with Master Hakamada—he’d called to check my progress.

“Including Suisho-san? Zero. I turned them all down properly.”

Though the cult one still sends me “praying for your happiness” messages every day. Too scared to block her. Maybe I should report as spam…

“I’ve heard of cases where they sleep with you first so you can’t say no before pushing the sale, but you dodged that.”

“So far, yeah.”

Ayase-san had been watching both times, so nothing could have happened anyway.

“I thought those two were sketchy from the start,” she’d summarized. “No way two women that hot approach you without an agenda. Told you so.”

“But weren’t you supposed to make me attractive enough to pull that off?”

“Even then, come on. Both looked like they’d be long married by now. If they’re not, there’s something wrong with them—I said that, remember? My radar works.”

She had said that…

“Actually, there was one way worse…”

“Oho, trouble? Civil case? Criminal?”

“Not that kind! I didn’t have the guts for that…”

“What then? Someone you could’ve banged? Wait—underage!?”

“No! And stop joking like that—you’re a teacher too.”

The word “underage” made Ayase-san flash through my mind and my heart skipped. But that’s not it.

I hesitated, but it’s Hakamada—he’ll be fine.

(I never even told Ayase-san the details of this one. She had plans that day and didn’t stalk me; I just said it flopped.)

So, this woman suggested we meet at a café. A little gloomy-looking, office worker, same age as me. Shy, quiet, but fairly cute. Said she likes anime and games.

Not exactly my type, but felt like we’d get along.

We were sitting side by side, things were going well, when—

“Before we get into anything deeper… are you interested in this kind of thing?”

She showed me her phone.

My face instantly went scarlet.

Even with the eyes blacked out, it was clearly a photo of about ten naked men and women tangled together.

(An orgy…?)

While I sat there stunned, she continued.

“It’s 20,000 yen for guys… but if you’re interested… ufufu. I can pay the first time. They told me to bring someone I like…”

Being called her type would normally make me happy, but…

“You… participate in these?”

She blushed, embarrassed, but nodded.

(No way… she looks so normal…)

The shock was unreal. She did not seem the type.

“My old partner suddenly disappeared, so I’m looking for a new one…”

“S-sorry, this is a bit…”

Way too intense for a virgin.

Also… isn’t this illegal somehow?

“Sorry. Most people hate this stuff… We have teachers in the group too, so when you said you were a teacher I thought maybe… you’d be okay with it…”

“Please stop assuming teachers are perverts…”

What school are these teachers from? They’d be fired instantly if it got out.

“Then forget I said anything… But just with me—”

“Yes?”

Still looking down, cheeks red, she showed me her phone again.

“Do you dislike… this kind of thing too?”

Another photo: her naked, tied up with rope.

She swiped—next was her in bondage gear and restraints.

(SM play…)

She kept going, eyes feverish.

“I like this too… haah… haah… A kind, serious-looking guy in glasses—who’s actually a sadistic monster underneath—whipping me… it turns me on so much… I love it…”

“Hahaha, so what happened with her?!”

“I turned her down, obviously! Way too extreme!”

She looked super disappointed, but no way. That’s not the world I can handle, and not what I’m looking for right now.

“I had something similar—more like a pimp. ‘I can introduce you to girls,’ showed me a ton of photos. Said some do cosplay if you’re into 2D stuff…”

“Did you do it?”

“Too scared, man. She said there were really young ones too—I was tempted for a second, but no way I’m touching that.”

“I thought TWINS was for marriage so there’s less dangerous stuff. You said that too.”

“There’s just less, not zero. I tried a few other apps—every sketchy person was sketchy.”

He laughed and continued.

“Anyway, from what I’m hearing, you still don’t have anyone you’re seeing regularly?”

Ayase-san popped into my head again.

I haven’t told Hakamada about her.

“…Nope,” I answered.

She’s my student, not a dating prospect. No need to mention her.

“Been there. But you’ll find someone good eventually. Let’s grab drinks next month—Yana too.”

Call ended.

Right then my phone buzzed.

TWINS notification.

【MYU♡ has liked you!】

(Perfect timing…)

Hakamada’s words echoed: “You’ll find someone good eventually.”

(If this is the fated encounter, that’d be nice…)

I opened MYU♡’s profile.

“…Eh?”

It felt like lightning struck me.

I recognized that face.

More mature-looking now, shorter hair—but no mistake.

My ex from middle school—the one Ayase-san sometimes reminds me of.

Sagara Miyu.