As it turned out, Haruto’s original plan popped as easily as a bubble.
He had originally intended to use the seemingly considerate move of “walking a classmate home” to create an environment where he could be alone with Natsuha, using the opportunity to build up favorability and perhaps even take their relationship a step further.
However, reality ruthlessly dealt him a heavy blow.
Natsuha’s home was in a rural area far from the school.
To get there, even taking a bus required a full 40-minute commute.
Such a long distance made Haruto’s idea of walking her home instantly impractical.
In the end, Haruto could only sigh helplessly and settle for the next best thing: walking Natsuha to the station.
At least he could accompany her for that stretch of the way; it still counted as spending time together.
At this moment, Natsuha’s face was flushed, as radiant as the clouds at sunset.
Her body couldn’t help but feel slightly warm as she seemed to be trying her best to restrain her inner shyness and nervousness.
In Natsuha’s eyes, the Haruto before her was handsome and considerate; he radiated a unique Charm that made one want to get closer to him.
She thought to herself: if he could become her boyfriend, wouldn’t that make so many people envious?
After all, an excellent and caring boy like Haruto was truly hard to come by.
“Ring, ring, ring—”
Just then, the crisp and loud school bell suddenly rang, breaking the subtle and beautiful atmosphere between the two.
Haruto had no choice but to return to his seat.
The new teacher responsible for Physics walked in, pushing open the classroom door with light and confident steps.
She was dressed in a stylish and appropriate professional outfit, her long, glossy black hair draped casually over her shoulders.
With a faint smile on her face, she gave off a friendly yet professional vibe.
Standing at the podium, she cleared her throat and said in slightly unpolished Japanese, “Hello everyone, I am the new teacher in charge of your Physics class. I am from Korea, and you can call me Hanna.”
Hearing the name “Hanna,” Haruto’s heart skipped a beat.
The image of Hanna from the ABBB doujinshi “Teacher’s Kindness” instantly surfaced in his mind.
His eyes widened as he marveled inwardly.
Heavens, there are even Manhwa elements here?
His future days certainly wouldn’t be lonely.
He began to feel full of curiosity about this new teacher, while also looking forward to his future campus life a bit more.
The hour-long class passed quietly while Haruto was in a conflicted state of drifting off and listening intently.
Finally, school was over.
Haruto quickly packed his textbooks, slung his shoulder bag, and left the school with Natsuha in high spirits.
Along the way, Haruto carefully observed his surroundings, his eyes scanning every corner for fear of missing the blond-haired punk’s silhouette.
That punk was like a ticking time bomb, keeping him constantly on alert.
However, after walking for a while without seeing the annoying blond-haired punk, Haruto breathed a secret sigh of relief.
He knew he couldn’t just wait around; he had to take the initiative, so he immediately switched into flirting mode.
Haruto turned his head slightly and said to Natsuha with a gentle smile, “Classmate Shinomiyajima, do you know if there’s any good Japanese food around here? Speaking of which, I haven’t been in Japan long and I’m not very familiar with this area. Could you show me around?”
Natsuha was slightly stunned for a moment, then a sweet smile appeared on her face as she nodded gently and said, “No problem at all.”
Faced with such a simple and sincere request, she naturally wouldn’t refuse.
After all, in her heart, she felt that Haruto was staying by her side to protect her, a sentiment that made her feel warm and secure.
“There’s a good Japanese yakiniku restaurant just up ahead. The meat there is tender and the seasoning is very unique; it’s always packed. There’s also a takoyaki shop; their takoyaki are plump, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, topped with special sauce and bonito flakes—it’s delicious and usually quite busy. Do you eat sushi, Lin-kun? If you do, there’s a sushi shop over there too. The chef’s skills are exquisite; every piece of sushi is like a work of art and very tasty too.”
Natsuha explained while gesturing with her hands.
“Is that so? I happen to be a bit hungry after school. I want to buy some takoyaki to fill my stomach. Classmate Shinomiyajima, can you take me there? I’ll buy a portion for you too, my treat.”
Natsuha quickly waved her hands, a blush creeping onto her face as she said, “No need, Sawamura-san, you’re being too kind!”
Since they had plenty of time after school, Natsuha eventually couldn’t resist Haruto’s enthusiastic invitation and took him through the entire snack street near the school.
The snack street was incredibly lively with people coming and going, and the aromas of various delicacies were mouth-watering.
Common Japanese snacks like takoyaki, sushi, and oden were everywhere, each shop decorated uniquely to catch the eye of customers.
Of course, there were also many internationally famous snacks scattered throughout the street; whether it was fragrant grilled meat skewers or sweet and delicious ice cream, everything made one want to have a taste.
Haruto said excitedly as they walked, “Indeed, there are many delicious things near the school. Thank you for bringing me here to get familiar with the area, Classmate Shinomiyajima.”
Natsuha lowered her head slightly, a shy blush on her face.
She was about to speak when her stomach suddenly let out a “gurgle.”
The sound wasn’t loud, but both of them, standing so close, heard the noise from Natsuha’s body.
Natsuha’s face instantly turned red to the tips of her ears.
She lowered her head in embarrassment, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
This was a snack street; it would have been fine if they hadn’t come, but once they walked in, the drifting aromas were like an invisible hand tempting one’s appetite.
Tempted by so many delicacies, even Natsuha, who usually didn’t eat much junk food, was indeed a bit hungry.
Looking at Natsuha’s embarrassed yet cute appearance, Haruto couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection.
He gently took Natsuha’s hand and led her to a shop selling takoyaki and oden.
Taking money from his pocket, he said to the owner, “Boss, I’ll take some of these and some of those.”
“You got it!” the owner replied enthusiastically with a bright smile, skillfully operating the pots and placing pieces of oden into a bowl.
Natsuha watched as the food was continuously placed into the paper bowl.
Startled, she looked at the owner in confusion and said, “No, I can’t eat all that. Not so much.”
The owner looked up, glanced at Natsuha, then at Haruto, and laughed.
“Haha, if you can’t finish it, let your boyfriend help you.”