Let's do it again, Yukino.

"Your teacher, that is, me, looks forward to the day when you get into Tokyo University, and I look forward to you becoming an outstanding man that people look up to."

Those comforting words lingered in that small office, persisting for a long time.

If someone were to ask Chunri, is gratitude the right thing to do?

Haruhi would tell him without hesitation that it was the right thing to do.

The fact that many people are even considering the validity of this question shows an incredibly slow-witted level of awareness.

Kindness is something that cannot be ignored, much less belittled with words.

Therefore, Haruhi chose to repay this kindness with practical actions.

"As a way of repaying you, teacher, I also prepared a gift for you these past few days, as a small token of my appreciation."

This was something he and Xiaoxue had been preparing for their teacher these past few days. Xiaoxue had even gone to see her sister for it, but for some reason, Xiaoxue didn't choose to come with him to deliver it to Teacher Hiratsuka. Instead, she came alone.

According to Haruhi's idea, Hiratsuka Shizuka, who is almost forty and still unmarried, will surely be moved to tears when she sees this gift.

As for Xiaoxue, she didn't want to come with him, perhaps because she was a little shy, Chunri thought to herself.

"Don't worry, it's not something vulgar related to money."

He took out something that looked like a notebook and placed it in front of his respected teacher, Hiratsuka.

"This is a record book that I compiled with a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. It's a list of unmarried men in Chiba's high society. The vast majority of these men are quite well-known in politics or even business. It also records their contact information, home addresses, eating habits, personalities, hobbies, and even some unknown private secrets."

that moment,

Hiratsuka Shizuka's slightly touched smile instantly froze on her lips, while the self-satisfied boy continued to talk incessantly while holding the notebook.

In the office, a soft sound, seemingly a deep breath, was heard, and Hiratsuka Shizuka's white coat fluttered without any wind.

In an instant

A deafening sound could be heard.

A plume of dust billowed into the sky from the office.

Then, a young figure flew high out of the office.

Yes, you read that right, he really did fly straight out backwards.

Startled by the loud noise, Hachiman, who was about to return to the classroom, turned around and looked at the boy who had crashed into the corridor wall and was in a rather pitiful state. He clicked his tongue, shook his head with inexplicable sympathy, but did not hesitate to speed up his pace back to the classroom.

"Get out of here! Haruhi, you bastard!!! I never want to have anything to do with you again!!!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice was very loud.

Hearing the angry roar from the office, she too, leaning against the snow at the corner of the stairs, covered her beautiful face with her hands, her expression full of reluctance.

I told you from the beginning, you idiot.

Even with the deepest gratitude,

There were no unethical return gifts either.

Your gratitude

It could only mean that hell lay ahead...

(P.S.: Okay, here's the fourth update. Please recommend continuing, thank you!)

Chapter Thirty-One: Her Two Gifts

"That violent teacher... Poor Xiaoxue, my life is so miserable. I only meant well, wanting to repay my teacher, but who knew that woman would actually... actually..."

Sitting on the hospital bed in the infirmary, Chunri wanted to roar to the sky, but just as she was about to shout, she felt her throat was hoarse and unbearable, and the swear words she wanted to say were silently swallowed back.

The boy looked rather disheveled. Putting aside the numerous internal injuries he had sustained, his relatively fair face was covered with a few bandages, making him look anything but comical.

While lamenting, the boy also reassessed Hiratsuka Shizuka's fighting strength.

I originally thought that the Eighteen Palms of Descent was the pinnacle of martial arts on campus, but at that time, the woman's ultimate invincible Iron Mountain Lean made people despair and wait to die.

“I remember you told me before, Xiaoxue, that the old woman only knew a little bit of simple and crude fighting techniques that were not up to standard, right? Who did she learn that set of Bajiquan that combined softness and strength from? If it were an ordinary person, they might have really died on the spot.”

"I also know Aikido. You didn't know that all these years ago, did you?"

Snowfall casually uttered a remark tinged with schadenfreude.

The wind from outside blew in through the curtains, carrying the distinctive medicinal smell of the infirmary into the nostrils of the young boys and girls.

"That's enough. If you can't howl anymore, then stop howling. People will think you're Naomi Watanabe."

Xiaoxue frowned, somewhat disapproving of Chunri's pitiful wails.

She, who had been sitting quietly next to him reading a book, couldn't help but pat the mattress next to her to stop the boy from continuing his antics.

"You're telling me what to do? I'm wronged, I'm wronged, is that not allowed?"

Springtime rarely yelled at Xiaoxue. He genuinely felt like crying but had no tears left. However, sitting on the hospital bed and howling wasn't his style. He was extremely frustrated at the moment.

“I reminded you at the time that Hiratsuka-sensei didn’t need such a gift at all. You were blinded by gratitude and insisted that I prepare such a thing as a gift.”

Yukinoshita, being lifeless, calmly read her novel while answering questions at a leisurely pace.

"But I thought a woman like her, who's almost thirty and still doesn't have a boyfriend, should be interested in men, right? After all, a woman who hasn't had a man's attention by thirty, shouldn't what she needs be a man?"

Thinking of this, Chunri covered her face with a thin blanket and said in a muffled voice.

He didn't lie to Xiaoxue; he was genuinely feeling wronged.

From childhood to adulthood, apart from Xiaoxue, this was the first time he had ever prepared such a thoughtful gift for a woman. However, he never expected that he would be met with a harsh rebuke from her.

That's so unfair...

"I don't think Hiratsuka-sensei is too angry anymore. You can apologize to her after a few days when her anger subsides."

"Not everyone thinks like you. Hiratsuka-sensei has remained unmarried for many years, perhaps she has her own reasons."

"I remember Hiratsuka-sensei once said that she seemed to have had someone she liked when she was a child..."

Xiaoxue smiled helplessly, coaxing Chunri as if she were a stubborn primary school student.

Although she didn't stop him at the crucial moment, it was ultimately due to her slightly dark and vengeful mentality.

Who told that idiot to ask for my permission a few days ago?

He casually rode his bicycle to give a ride to a younger female student at Soubu High School. A little punishment isn't too much to ask, right...?

Of course,

In order not to further provoke the last shred of sanity in this fool, the girl felt guilty and did not say these words to Haruhi's face.

……

"Okay, don't be angry anymore. If you're not angry anymore, I also have a gift for you."

After a long while, Xiaoxue tossed the book aside, and the girl's hands, which had been resting on the hem of her skirt, were now behind her back.

"A gift? You're not kidding me?"

On a spring day when I was feeling a bit drowsy, I suddenly threw off the blanket.

"Yes."

The girl's voice was gentle, and her straightforward words gradually eased the unease in Haru's chest.

"Let's make this clear first: if it's a gift that's purely idealistic, like a kiss or a handshake, then forget it."

Hearing the boy's insincere words, Xiaoxue smiled and shook her head. She stared at Chunri's eyes, which seemed somewhat upturned and sinister to most people.

They are clearly a pair of very beautiful eyes in my eyes...

"Close your eyes first."

She said softly.

At a speed slightly faster than five centimeters per second, having already forgotten his frustration with Hiratsuka-sensei, he obediently closed his eyes.

The next moment————

The boy did not feel the touch between his lips.

However, a short while later, he felt a strange sensation on the bridge of his nose and the base of his ears.

"Alright, open your eyes."

Xiaoxue's voice reached Chunri's ears again, and he obediently opened his eyes, his gaze instinctively falling on the floor-length mirror placed not far away.

Springtime in the mirror didn't look much different from usual, except for a pair of ordinary-looking blue-rimmed glasses on her nose.

However, for some reason, even though it was just a pair of ordinary non-prescription glasses, the moment the boy put them on, his somewhat roguish temperament seemed to be instantly suppressed. With the glasses on, Chunri looked more like a literary teenager with a somewhat cold personality.

How should I put it? It has a slightly similar temperament to Yukinoshita when she wears glasses.

"It's just glasses... I thought it was something else."

The lenses did not have a prescription, but Chunri was still slightly disappointed.

"I saw some non-prescription glasses in the store yesterday and thought they would suit you, so I bought them. And they really are quite effective."

Xiaoxue looked around at the completely refreshed spring day with a satisfied expression.

She really hadn't expected that a pair of glasses costing less than two thousand yen could have such an effect.

"But what's the point of wearing these glasses? To look like an artsy, intellectual type?"

Although I was a little happy to receive Xiaoxue's gift, it didn't quite live up to the excitement of a spring day when such a heartfelt gift as a kiss was expected. I still pointed to the non-prescription glasses on my nose with a bit of a droopy head.

"Weren't you looking for a part-time job these days? I'm worried that your eyes might scare people. At least these glasses can cover it up a little."

She had only intended to give it a try, but now, as she examined Haruhi through the glasses, she found her strangely pleasing to the eye.

She began to understand why her older sister had enjoyed teasing her so much when she was little.

"From now on, except when you're sleeping, washing up, or eating, you'll have to wear these glasses all the time without my permission."

"..."

as long as you are happy.

Although somewhat dissatisfied with Yuki's gift, it wasn't a big deal since it was just a pair of glasses. Scratching his head, Kasuga didn't refuse the order from the head of the Service Department.