The moon hung elegantly in the night sky, casting a silvery glow over the apartment balcony. Shido leaned against the railing, gazing out at the scene below, where countless colorful city lights twinkled brilliantly. Yet in their own neighborhood, all was quiet and peaceful as most people had long since gone to bed.
It was night time, and after Shido had finished playing the guitar and singing, Rumia, Frieren, and Mahiru gathered around him, curious about how he could be so talented. Rumia and Frieren might have already guessed the reason, but Mahiru had no idea. Shido simply shrugged and casually said, "I guess I'm just naturally good at this."
Mahiru puffed her cheeks adorably at his answer. Though she wasn't entirely satisfied, she didn't press him any further.
The four of them then began to play different kinds of games, from board games, card games to video games and many other. They were having so much fun that they didn't even notice how late it had become.
Later, Mahiru returned to her apartment to take a bath and change into fresh clothes. When she came back to Shido's apartment, her refreshed appearance caused him to stare, slightly dazed. Mahiru lowered her head bashfully, her cheeks turning bright red. It wasn't until Frieren pinched his cheeks, turning them red, that Shido finally snapped out of his daze.
Rumia and Mahiru couldn't help but laugh at Shido, who kept pleading with Frieren to let go of his cheeks. What they didn't realize was that it might eventually be Frieren who would be on her knees and beg with a lewd voice.
The four of them watched a movie first before they decided to go to bed as Frieren was already yawning. The bed was quite big and the three of them were quite petite except for Rumia who had a big asset on her chest.
Mahiru on the other hand, although wasn't as big at Rumia, it was still around C. Meanwhile, Frieren, lying between the two blonde angels, couldn't help but furrow her brows, feeling slightly overwhelmed as she was sandwiched between two soft, but suffocating masses.
...
At the same time, as Shido relaxed on the balcony of his apartment, his phone suddenly vibrated.
When he saw the caller, a smile involuntarily spread across his face as he hadn't expected her to call at this hour.
"...H-Hello?"
A nervous voice could be heard on the other side of the line.
"Shizuka, what's wrong? It's rare for you to call me at this hour. Did you miss me?" Shido revealed a playful smile as he teased Hiratsuka over the phone.
"D-Don't be ridiculous! I-I don't miss you, you idiot!" Her voice wavered with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment, though a he could already picture her blushing madly.
"Eh?" Shido sounded disappointed then said sadly yet with a trace of warmth and longing "I miss you, though."
Hearing his deep yet tender voice, Hiratsuka felt a rush of heat climb to her cheeks, making her blush even harder. She gripped her phone tightly, afraid she might drop it at Shido's heart-melting words.
"Fuwa~"
Shido caught the soft, breathy sound escaping her lips, understood that her mind was becoming overwhelmed and fuzzy.
Shido felt an irresistible urge to see her face at this moment as he know it would be really lovely and cute. Yet he shook his head and spoke again, still hearing Hiratsuka's embarrassed little sounds through the phone.
"Shizuka?" His soft voice floated from the phone, making Hiratsuka's already weak legs tremble. It felt as if he were whispering right behind her.
Yet she knew she had to reply. "…I… miss you… too, Shido…" Though her face burned bright red with embarrassment, she managed to say the words.
Shido, listening to her shy yet words full of love. He marveled quietly to himself, wondering what kind of adorable creature his girlfriend was.
"Me too… I miss you too, Shizuka."
"…Un."
While she was embarrassed, she also felt her heart was leaping with joy. The affection coming from his voice was just too much for her to handle.
It might be her first time having a relationship, but she must admit that it felt truly wonderful. She then thought that it might be the same emotion those couples she usually saw are experiencing.
Previously, her friends who have their own boyfriends or lovers would look at her with pitying eyes, thinking her beauty was wasted since she hadn't experienced love. Now, she finally understood that feeling as she looked at Mafuyu who was her colleague and also a teacher at her school.
She was glad that she met Shido, otherwise she wouldn't know this kind of emotion. But, if there was something that made her head ache, it was because Shido was the same age as her students.
""…Right, you said you wanted to enroll, didn't you?" Recalling the reason she had called, Hiratsuka asked Shido though her cheeks still felt a little hot.
"Yes. What about it?"
"So… which school did you decide on?" Hiratsuka asked, swallowing nervously as she imagined the possibility of Shido transferring to her school.
"Well, I'll be transferring to Fujou High School," Shido replied casually.
"...Oh. Wait! That's my school!" Hiratsuka nodded her head but she suddenly exclaimed when she knew that Shido would really transfer at her school.
"What's the matter? You're getting excited all of a sudden, and I haven't even taken the exam yet." Shido said, confused, wondering what had gotten into her.
"...That's."
"That's?"
"That's the school where I teach..." Shizuka said in a low almost inaudible voice.
"Really? Isn't that great? We can see each other every day," Shido said with a smile, imagining how her expression would be whenever they met at school.
"I-I'm happy about that… but you should know… about our relationship, right?" Hiratsuka's voice trembled slightly as she forced a bitter smile.
After all, their relationship would be frowned upon by others. While dating a student might not be illegal, it would still be painful to see the person you love being regarded with strange or judgmental gazes.
"..." Shido.
"...Shido? Why did you fell silent? ...Are you angry?" Somehow, Hiratsuka became nervous when she thought of Shido hating her for wanting to keep their relationship a secret.
"Haa… I'm not." Shido shook his head and sighed as he heard her voice. He understood her worries perfectly. He hadn't planned to announce their relationship either as it would only cause trouble, and Hiratsuka might even risk losing her job. But if that really happened, Shido would buy the whole school so no one would speak hurtful words at Hiratsuka.
"Also, I'm not opposed to keeping our relationship a secret. At least until I graduate, okay?"
"Un… thank you, Shido!"
Hiratsuka's eyes brightened at his words. Yet a small twinge of sadness lingered as she wouldn't be able to express their love openly. Yet, when she thought about it again, Hiratsuka somehow wanted to bury her face in her pillow since she was too embarrassed.
'I'm not that shameless to openly flirt with my boyfriend!'
Yet Hiratsuka couldn't help but worry that her caution might trouble Shido. They had to be careful in their relationship otherwise everything would crumble if some unknown person spread a rumor, image or video of them together.
Because of that, Hiratsuka thought she needed to make it up to Shido for the time they couldn't spend together. With a face like his, he would undoubtedly catch the attention of the female students at her school. And, of course, Hiratsuka recalled that he had mentioned before that he was living with two other girls.
If Shido were dating someone his own age, it wouldn't be an issue. But he was dating her, someone nearly in her thirties. While Hiratsuka felt happy, a flicker of insecurity gnawed at her, making her wonder if Shido might grow bored of her one day.
Yet, if Shido know what she was thinking in her mind, then he would surely be speechless as she was thinking too much. Instead, he love her so much that he only wanted her to look at him. A woman is like a fine wine, the older the wine, the deeper and more refined the flavor becomes, each year adding richness, complexity, and a subtle warmth that only time can bring.
'It would be good if there is someone I can trust to accompany him when I'm not with him.' Hiratsuka sighed and wondered.
But then, a bold thought suddenly flashed across her mind, making her feel both flustered and slightly ridiculous.
Still, she didn't voice it, keeping her lips tightly sealed, until Shido called her name.
"Ah, yes! I'm still here." Hiratsuka laughed awkwardly, snapping out of her fantasy about the thought that had just crossed her mind.
Shido didn't think too much since he know that she can clumsy at times despite her age.
"So… is that all you wanted to say?" he asked.
"N-No! ...There is still something... I want to say..." Hiratsuka blushed when she said that. He voice trembled a bit as she felt hesitant.
"Hmm?" Shido pressed his ears closer to his phone and smiled, wondering what she wanted to say.
"...I-I." Hiratsuka stuttered when she was about to say it. But then, she steeled her will and grit her teeth before she relaxed her nerves. She then opened her mouth and said softly in a voice that was almost a whisper.
"...I love you, Shido. Uuuh~"
Hiratsuka manage to say those words of affection with both tenderness and shyness.
For a moment, Shido was surprised for a while before a gentle look appeared on his face then he replied with a soft yet deep voice "I love too, Shizuka."
"...Un." Hiratsuka's cheeks was covered with pink hue as her face became heated with embarrassment hearing his words that was filled with warmth and love.