Chapter 49: As Long As He’s Happy

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The beautiful, coolly aloof female teacher sat on a bench in the courtyard, her long, light-brown hair falling around her shoulders and drawing the eyes of countless male students.

The weather was pleasant that day, and she wore a fitted beige turtleneck sweater. It clung to her breasts, revealing every graceful curve, while below, the alluring sweep of her hips and the proud, rounded shape of her buttocks complemented her jeans, making her all the more captivating.

At that moment, a faint melancholy clouded the collagen-rich face of the beautiful teacher.

Sayuri Sato.

Though she had been at the school for only four years, she had already become the most beautiful woman in the history of Kitahara Daif峰 Private High School—and the one known as its most heartless teacher.

There was no denying that her reputation had become so poor that even students from other schools had heard of it. Yet some younger boys still could not resist casting her longing glances.

At twenty-eight, a woman was at the height of her beauty.

With her tall, proud legs, her towering breasts, and her cold, breathtaking face... many boys could not help fantasizing in their dreams about an encounter with this beautiful teacher. They yearned for her cool gaze to fall upon them, and for her to take up a riding crop and toy with them to her heart’s content.

If gentle girls were the moons shining in their hearts, then an arrogant, icy beauty like their female teacher was the cinnabar mole that left behind a faint, unforgettable longing.

Sayuri Sato was troubled. Kitahara had not come to class that morning, and after making inquiries, she had learned that he had been injured. She had originally planned to bring him a gift and visit him at home, perhaps taking care of him while she was there. But when she reached into her pocket, she discovered that she was out of money.

“Sayuri, you don’t look very happy.” Asuka, the English teacher sitting beside her, cast her a curious glance.

“I have a little something on my mind...”

“Let me guess. You’ve fallen for someone?”

Sayuri’s eyes widened. Pressing her lips together, she snapped angrily, “Don’t say things like that. There are so many students here. What if someone hears you?”

“...”

Asuka blinked, unsure why her friend had reacted so strongly. Still, she asked soothingly, “Then what’s the matter?”

Sayuri pursed her lips, looking a little embarrassed. After stammering for a long while, she finally said in a small voice, “I have a younger brother. He’s been ill lately, and I want to go see him, but I don’t have any money to buy him a little gift.”

In Japan, people generally brought a gift when visiting someone’s home. Gifts were also customary for occasions such as moving house, when neighbors would bring small presents as a gesture of courtesy.

Sayuri wanted to visit Kitahara’s home, but reaching into her pocket had reminded her that she could not possibly arrive empty-handed. She was simply too short of money.

Even so, she was embarrassed to ask to borrow any.

Sayuri disliked borrowing money from others. She felt it was a humiliating thing to do. She had hands and feet and could support herself through her own earnings, so why should she borrow from someone else?

But...

Kitahara was sick.

She truly wanted to go see him.

Yet she could not show up at his door empty-handed. So Sayuri had no choice but to set aside her pride and force herself to ask her best friend for help.

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“Your younger brother?”

Asuka frowned.

She and Sayuri had graduated from the same university and had known each other for many years. How could she not know what those three younger brothers of Sayuri’s were like—men who would drain her dry without a shred of gratitude?

“If you don’t have money, then don’t buy anything.”

“They have hands and feet. Why don’t they earn money for themselves?” Asuka said angrily.

Seeing her anger, Sayuri hurriedly shook her head and muttered, “He’s not one of my brothers back home...”

“He isn’t?”

A trace of confusion appeared in Asuka’s eyes. She stared at Sayuri for a long moment and noticed that her friend kept avoiding her gaze, not even daring to meet her eyes. Immediately, Asuka’s interest was piqued.

“Oh...” she said with a grin. “If he isn’t your brother back home, then where is he from? Someone you met in Tokyo? Do I know him? What does he look like? Is he handsome?”

Faced with her best friend’s barrage of questions, Sayuri’s mind nearly went blank. She had no idea how to answer. But when she heard the final question, she still could not help murmuring, “He’s very handsome. He’s a gentle boy who treats me very well, and he’s quite young.”

“He’s a wonderful person. I feel that there might be a future for us... so I want to go see him.”

A future?

Amusement flickered in Asuka’s eyes. It was incredibly entertaining to hear such an embarrassingly sweet confession from this icy beauty.

When her friend merely smiled in silence, Sayuri grew both shy and irritated. “Are you going to lend me the money or not?”

“I will, I will, of course I will. But... so little Sayuri likes younger men, does she? No wonder you rejected that middle-aged businessman the other day.” Asuka laughed.

“...”

Sayuri pressed her lips together.

The businessman her friend referred to was someone Sayuri had met at a party a few days earlier. He was capable and accomplished, but domineering by nature, the sort of man who insisted on having everything his way. Sayuri believed that his wealth would please her mother, yet she herself could not accept him.

She was a strong-willed woman, too.

She would never apologize of her own accord after doing something wrong. Two stubborn people living together could only make for an unhappy marriage.

Kitahara, on the other hand, was somewhat of a schemer, but he truly treated her with consideration. He would comfort her of his own initiative and give her affectionate hugs. A younger man like that was exactly the kind Sayuri liked, and she did not mind supporting Kitahara in the future.

As a teacher at a private high school, she earned a considerable income. Supporting a househusband would not be difficult.

If she had not been giving her money to her family, Sayuri’s life would certainly be several levels more comfortable by now.

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Sayuri had occasionally allowed herself to indulge in fantasies.

After she married, her three younger brothers would no longer need her support. Then she could earn money and hand it all over to Kitahara... It would be another way of giving him money.

It sounded wonderful.

Asuka looked at her with a mischievous smile. “Buying a gift is fine, but shouldn’t you prepare a little extra money, too?”

“Extra money?” A trace of bewilderment passed through Sayuri’s eyes.

Only after Asuka whispered into her ear did a blush suddenly spread across the cool, aloof teacher’s face. Embarrassed and indignant, she reached over and pinched her friend’s cheeks.

“You idiot! Who told you to say things like that? Kitahara and I are completely innocent.”

“I know. Completely innocent—in the same bed.”

Asuka teased her. “At first you call him your little brother, and later you have him call you—well, Sayuri is clever. You know younger men are energetic.”

“I’m not speaking to you anymore.”

Her friend’s mouth was an endless stream of vulgar jokes. With a huff, Sayuri turned her face away, cheeks puffed out in anger. The girlish expression made Asuka stare in a daze.

An ice queen acting spoiled was devastatingly powerful...

Asuka hurried to placate her. “All right, all right. I’ll lend you the money. It’s not as though I have three younger brothers to support, so borrow as much as you like.”

“...”

Sayuri knew her friend was once again making a pointed remark about her family. Unable to hold back, she said, “You don’t understand, Asuka... We’re family. Family shouldn’t keep score over every little benefit. As the eldest sister, if I’m able to help them, then of course I have to do as much as I can.”

“And when they marry, take wives, and even buy houses, you’ll be the one arranging everything for them. What about you?” Asuka asked, repeating a question she had no idea how many times she had already asked.

“I...”

Sayuri opened her mouth.

If Kitahara wanted to marry her... but she had no money left to contribute to their household, would he eventually turn to someone else?

“Have you ever thought about yourself?”

A trace of pain flashed through Sayuri’s eyes. In a low voice, she said, “I’m fine.”

“As long as he’s happy.”