After club activities ended that afternoon, Haru and the girls walked toward the school gates only to find Shizuka already waiting there.

She wore the same familiar outfit as always, but there was one subtle change: today, her long hair was tied back into a ponytail. The simple switch, paired with her bright smile, gave her an air of energy she usually lacked.

"Hiratsuka-sensei… were you waiting for us?"

The four of them stepped forward and greeted her.

"That's right. I was waiting for you," she said with a cheerful nod.

On the surface, it seemed as though her mood had bounced back. But whether that was true or not only she herself really knew.

Both Yukino and Utaha couldn't help thinking the same thing.

After all, reconciling the image of a mature woman softly humming in her sleep at midnight with the brisk, easygoing Hiratsuka standing before them… was almost impossible.

And yet, it was reality. They had no choice but to believe it.

Not one to waste time, Shizuka got straight to the point. "I've been absent a lot lately, and I feel guilty about that. Since I'm free today, let me treat you all to dinner."

Almost automatically, Yukino responded, "We've already planned to eat Chinese food in Ikebukuro."

Utaha glanced sideways at Haru beside her. "And he's the one treating us."

Megumi remained silent, standing quietly in her usual way. Unless directly asked or the discussion turned serious, she rarely spoke up.

"Ikebukuro, huh? You're right... there are plenty of Chinese restaurants there. I've been before and had beef noodle soup. It was pretty good."

Shizuka's smile widened. "Then it's settled. Tonight, dinner's on me. I'll take you all out for Chinese food."

Haru didn't speak up until now, noticing that she seemed to have recovered well. "You really can take us out to eat? Chinese food comes in so many varieties. Even if you like to wander around, you probably don't know your way around, right?"

"Don't underestimate me!" Shizuka shot him a playful look and smiled.

Then she started counting off on her fingers. "Places like Haidilao, Big Plate Chicken... I've seen them all. I may not have eaten inside, but I know the routes better than you do."

Hearing her boast, Yukino gave a helpless look. "We've already mapped out the route on our phones before you even decided where to go."

Haru chimed in beside her. "That's right... you're late to the party."

"…I see. Well, it doesn't matter. You can show me the way, and I'll treat you all. How's that?"

"Agreed."

Haru was the first to agree.

Yukino and the others had no objections either.

Since Shizuka seemed fully recovered, Yukino and Utaha didn't need to view her through "colored glasses" anymore. Besides, the excuse Shizuka gave was reasonable... she hadn't helped out recently, which contradicted what she had said before, essentially breaking a promise.

Even if Utaha could manage everything alone, it was a different matter. Now that Shizuka was offering to treat them, no one was about to refuse.

When they arrived, Shizuka flipped through her phone, murmuring appreciatively, "Turns out I underestimated it... there's not just Big Plate Chicken. They have hotpot, spicy stir-fry, all kinds of things. Have you tried these before?"

Haru and the others felt a little amused.

Yukino sighed. "If we had, why would we let you lead the way?"

Shizuka cleared her throat and decided to let Haru take the lead. "Amamiya, what did you want to eat originally?"

"Shrimp," he said, pointing ahead.

He had already picked a popular shrimp restaurant. They served spicy crayfish and various shrimp dishes.

"Fine, shrimp it is!"

Shizuka waved her hand generously.

But once they were seated and she took the tablet to order, her expression turned slightly awkward.

Hiding her face behind the tablet, she whispered to Yukino on her left, "What exactly is spicy crayfish? Is this even edible?"

Before Yukino could answer, Utaha on the other side giggled softly. "So Hiratsuka-sensei has such a cute side."

Shizuka blushed and handed the tablet to Haru so she wouldn't reveal how little she knew.

Haru ordered smoothly, adjusting the spice level to ensure it wasn't too much for Yukino and the others.

The restaurant's decor was nice, and even at this hour, there were plenty of customers. Haru heard Chinese spoken occasionally, but mostly it was Japanese. The Chinese he did hear were mostly young people, probably students studying abroad.

Using his [Perception] skill, Haru listened for a while, but didn't catch a single "wocao"(Fuck) in authentic pronunciation, leaving him a little disappointed. Spotting a true Chinese speaker among strangers was as simple as hearing that word said correctly.

When the food arrived, Haru refused the staff's offer to teach them how to eat the shrimp and took it upon himself to show Yukino and the others.

Shizuka's reactions were the most interesting and, in a way, endearing.

It can also be called cute.

Although she was the only adult present and prided herself on being a mature senior, she focused intently on Haru's instructions.

After successfully peeling a crayfish, her eyes lit up with surprise.

Tasting it, she was even more delighted.

But then she heard Utaha whisper, "It's really good, but compared to someone's cooking, it still falls short."

"Why did you use 'someone', senpai? Haru asked, still helping them peel shrimp.

"I don't want you to get too full of yourself, is that an okay answer?"

"I see… you really put a lot of thought into that."

Although the conversation was quiet, everyone at the table could hear it. Shizuka, however, was stunned. Yukino and Megumi agreed with Utaha's evaluation: the food was good, but it didn't match home-cooked meals.

Shizuka realized she was probably the one at the table who had eaten Haru's cooking the least. Yukino and the others had more refined palates; if a dish didn't match Haru's standard, it wouldn't impress them much.

She stared at the shrimp in her hands, suddenly feeling like she was on a completely different layer from Yukino and the others.

No, that wasn't right.

She silently tasted the shrimp again, and it didn't seem as flavorful as before.

Seeing Utaha's composed demeanor at the table and Yukino and Megumi speaking gently with Haru, Shizuka couldn't help but recall that embarrassing "fight" from the other night.

So their private relationship was this close… and I never noticed before.

Her thoughts swirled. Maybe Yukino knew about Haru and Utaha, maybe even tacitly accepted it.

Blushing, she tried to shake off the thoughts but couldn't stop glancing at Megumi.

If Amamiya and Utaha had that connection, what about Megumi? Could it be the same? After all, these four often spent time together, even during training, Megumi never missed it.

By the end of the meal, Shizuka barely remembered the taste of the food.

When Haru went to the restroom, Yukino and the others were surprised that Shizuka said she needed to go too.

Utaha gave Yukino a secretive look: "As expected, Hiratsuka-sensei hasn't recovered yet."

Yukino remained calm; to her, it was normal... what had happened that night was too embarrassing.

Utaha wiped her fingers and sent Yukino a message under the table: From her reaction today, do you think she noticed what happened that night?

Yukino glanced at her phone and shook her head slightly, indicating she wasn't sure yet.

"Utaha-senpai, aren't you eating?" Megumi's voice suddenly rang out.

Utaha smiled, distracted from her thoughts. "No, just taking a short break."

Megumi nodded calmly. "I thought maybe you were going to the restroom too."

Utaha tilted her head in confusion. "Why would you think that?"

Yukino glanced over unconsciously.

Megumi continued peeling shrimp casually, her voice calm. "Just now, the instant Hiratsuka-sensei turned around, her expression seemed off. I thought you might have noticed."

Yukino and Utaha were both stunned.

Megumi saw every change in their expressions.

Sure enough, my guess was right.

Hiratsuka-sensei is troubled too!

~~~~~~~~~~