In a crossover anime, the only way to become stronger is by marrying a wife.

One of the main reasons why people with social anxiety are socially anxious is that they are not quick-witted enough. They tend to overlook or misunderstand many things, resulting in them having no friends at all.

"I feel like I don't need to study anymore."

Goto Ichiri then chuckled. "See, I'm strong enough already... Ouch! That hurts!"

Tsukikawa Hiiragi gave her a flick on the forehead in a bad mood.

"Do you know that if you master math, physics, and chemistry, you can go anywhere in the world without fear?"

Tsukikawa Shuu said, "And if you don't acquire more knowledge, you might get scammed. Absolute force can't solve all problems."

"Woo..."

Goto Ichiri covered his forehead, which was sore from being hit.

"I've been tricked by you," she thought to herself.

"By the way, there's something I need to verify."

As Tsukikawa Shuu spoke, a small dagger appeared in her hand.

This is a high-quality military dagger obtained in a dungeon.

"Try cutting my arm with this dagger." Tsukikawa Shuu handed the dagger to Goto Ichiri.

Goto Ichiri blinked, puzzled.

“It’s alright, just give it a try,” Tsukikawa Shu said, then stretched out her arm.

Goto Ichiri took the dagger and then stabbed it into Tsukikawa Shuu's arm.

However, there was no sign of blood flowing out.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce the skin, it was deflected by a strange force.

At the same time, Goto Ichiri felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if he had suffered some kind of backlash, and almost fell over.

Tsukikawa Shu quickly helped her up.

[You are suspected of attacking players outside the Inner World. The system is issuing you a warning.]

A window appeared before Goto Ichiri's eyes.

"W-what happened?" Goto Ichiri asked, rubbing his dizzy head.

"It seems that apart from entering the inner world, players cannot attack other players, or at least cannot attack them directly."

Based on Goto Ichiri's situation, Tsukikawa Shu made a preliminary judgment.

Without this rule, many weak players in the alternate world would face an even more precarious situation.

In the Otherworld, one can only use force to deal with enemies, but in the real world, there are many more ways to use them.

For this very reason, the mechanisms of the inner world tend to protect the weak in the original world. Otherwise, if someone manages to develop a little advantage in the inner world, they will be suppressed by various powerful figures when they return to reality, or even murdered.

Players cannot fight each other outside of the Otherworld; this is a protective mechanism.

If the underworld also becomes a game dominated only by the powerful and wealthy, then it would indeed be very boring.

After helping Goto Ichiri to a nearby bench to rest for a while, and waiting until she was clear-headed, the two continued walking towards the school.

Unsurprisingly, the two were late again.

Fortunately, the disciplinary committee member had also gone back to class, and the two of them skillfully climbed over the wall to enter the school again.

……

While the existence of the Otherworld has indeed had an indelible impact on most players, for Tsukikawa Hiiragi and Hiratsuka Shizuka, daily life remains as peaceful as ever.

The school festival is approaching, and all the classes are busy preparing their performances.

School ended early today, and all the classes were still there, cleaning the classrooms and preparing props or rehearsing.

Hiratsuka Shizuka was still wearing her conservative business attire: a white shirt and black trousers, a classic suit.

It was just that it was a hot day, so she didn't wear a vest or tie underneath.

With one hand on his hip, he directed the students to start cleaning the classroom, looking so smug he was practically smoking a cigarette—of course, smoking is prohibited on campus.

So Hiratsuka Shizuka went to the Service Club to smoke.

Tsukikawa Shuu was also semi-forced to stay and work.

It must be said that Hiratsuka Shizuka's choice was indeed very correct. Given Tsukikawa Shu's physical abilities, he could handle many physical tasks directly.

Just as Tsukikawa Shuu put down the two large buckets of water outside the classroom, Hiratsuka Shizuka walked over.

"Tsukikawa, we need water to clean the windows over there. Go and fetch two more buckets." Hiratsuka Shizuka said, one hand on her hip.

“Hiratsuka-sensei, while this work isn’t tiring for me, it’s not like you’re ordering me around like this,” Tsukikawa Shu said.

"This isn't because you're useful; it's an opportunity for you to prove yourself."

Hiratsuka Shizuka patted Tsukikawa Shu on the shoulder and said matter-of-factly, "Besides, you and your girlfriend were late this morning too. Who do you think covered for you all the time you were late?"

"Let's consider this as making amends for our mistakes."

Even though the two of them have crossed that line in their relationship, they are still the same as before.

Tsukikawa Shuu doesn't respect his teachers much, and is even quite mischievous. Hiratsuka Shizuka doesn't care, and with her somewhat cunning personality, she uses Tsukikawa Shuu to the fullest extent because she thinks he's useful.

Of course, the two had a very good relationship from the beginning.

"My teacher is also my girlfriend," Tsukikawa Shuu said matter-of-factly, "and my wife as well."

"...Don't say things like that in public."

Upon hearing this, Hiratsuka Shizuka nervously covered Tsukikawa Shu's mouth with her hand, her voice immediately becoming much softer, and her face flushed slightly.

Looking around, I saw no one in the corridor and the classroom was still bustling with cleaning, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

"How many times have I told you, you are not allowed to mention our relationship in public."

"It won't work if no one sees it."

Hiratsuka Shizuka stood with her hands on her hips, looking very serious.

But the faint blush on her face added a touch of cuteness to her serious expression.

“But a teacher can’t keep it a secret forever,” Tsukikawa Shu said.

"Of course I know……"

Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly became very vulnerable, fidgeting with her sleeve and shifting her gaze, "But it's not the time to announce our relationship yet."

Chapter 45 Teacher, you don't want to be found out either, do you?

"But Hiratsuka-sensei, speaking of which, I don't know if you know the popular Chinese saying, 'If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass.'"

Tsukigawa Hiiragi said.

"That's absolutely right."

Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded and smiled, "How about I give you a little red flower? Then you can perform like a primary school student in front of the whole class?"

“No, Hiratsuka-sensei, the word ‘grass’ is actually a verb.” Tsukikawa Shu shook her head.

"A verb?" Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't understand.

“Yes, it’s a verb that evolved from the homophone ‘操’ (cāo),” Tsukikawa Shuu said.

"..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka then realized what Tsukikawa Shu was trying to do.

"What do you want to do?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka never expected that Tsukikawa Shu would not only ignore her words but also push her luck even further.

Faced with Tsukikawa Shuu's relentless advance, Hiratsuka Shizuka was forced to retreat step by step.

Finally, she was forced to lean against the classroom door.

School has been over for a while now, and most students have gone home or joined clubs. The rest are busy cleaning or setting up the classrooms, and there is no one passing by in the corridors for the time being.

Noisy sounds could be heard from inside the classroom as the cleaning continued in full swing.

If someone comes out of the hallway or opens the classroom door at this moment, the two people will be caught red-handed.

"you dare?!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka was somewhat annoyed, but dared not speak too loudly or resist.

He didn't expect Tsukikawa Shu to be so bold, daring to be so lewd in a place where she could easily be seen by others.

If there's any noise, it'll easily attract other people's attention.

……

However, at that moment, footsteps could be heard coming from the stairwell at the corner.

"Stop right now!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka seized the opportunity to push Tsukikawa Shu away, then quickly straightened her clothes and hair, though her face was slightly flushed.

Two girls walked over from the end of the corridor. They were none other than the only two members of the Service Club: Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama.