Chapter 746: 46. Bento
“Ding ding ding~”
As the familiar school bell rang again, the atmosphere in the entire teaching building became more relaxed. The ring penetrated the headphones on Fisher’s ears, making the voice of the lesson being played inside become vague.
“Inspired by the eponymous 1989 novel.”
“If you have more than one girlfriend, you’ll probably die.”
Listening to the voice coming from the headphones, Fisher blinked and then stared blankly at the textbook in his hand. Only then did he realize that the text above was simply a topic his classmates were discussing about love.
The recording on the tape merely replicated that sentence; the previous sounds he heard were just auditory hallucinations.
Fisher’s brow twitched, and he unconsciously closed the English dictionary he had spent the morning memorizing beside him. On the desk lay Jasmine’s earlier English test paper.
It was marked in red: 69/100.
Hmm. It feels worse than being a beginner myself.
Looking to the side of his desk, he noted that no one was sitting there—just a nameplate hanging beside the desk,
“Visiting English Teacher, Hela.”
It’s all that woman’s fault for what happened in the clubroom, which left Fisher feeling a bit uneasy upon returning.
Fortunately, after coming back, Jasmine seemed to have stayed in the classroom due to her lessons and hadn’t left to find him. Correspondingly, that instigator Hela hadn’t returned to the office either; Fisher had no idea where she had gone.
“…”
As Fisher squinted at the smiling ID photo of the woman with an angelic face on that office nameplate, suddenly a warm breath brushed against his ear and sent a tingling sensation through his earlobe.
He quickly turned to look, only to see Jasmine, wearing a school uniform and holding a small cloth bag, looking at Fisher with curiosity.
“Jasmine?”
Fisher was momentarily taken aback, pulling his body back a little from Hela’s desk. Upon seeing Fisher’s flustered expression, her look turned slightly suspicious.
Unexpectedly, she didn’t directly ask anything; instead, she raised the small cloth bag she was holding, puffed up her cheeks, and said to Fisher,
“Mo had already agreed with Teacher Fisher to go to the rooftop to eat bento together during lunch break. I waited for you up there for a long time but didn’t see you.”
“…”
Fisher glanced at the small box she was holding, vaguely guessing it contained lunch or something similar. However, he wasn’t very clear about the terms from another world.
He smiled apologetically and said to Jasmine,
“Sorry, Jasmine, I was preparing lessons and forgot.”
“I see.”
Jasmine looked at the English textbook on his desk with understanding, didn’t press further, and reached out to grab Fisher’s sleeve, pulling him up as they walked out of the office together.
“But eating is very important; you can’t just skip meals for work, right, Teacher Fisher?”
Watching Jasmine scold him about his daily routine like a teacher, Fisher smiled helplessly and stood up, following her outside.
At this time, it was indeed the lunch break soon after class. Many students in the classroom had pulled out food they had brought from home, and after buying some drinks and snacks downstairs, they sat together, chatting while enjoying their lunch.
Watching those groups of peers, Fisher suddenly recalled what Tang Zeming Asuka had said.
She said she had very few friends at school.
With Jasmine holding onto his sleeve, Fisher looked at her back. The beauty of her long black hair unfolding represented youth, gradually making Jasmine’s figure overlap with that of Tang Zeming Asuka, causing a similar sense of regret to settle on her.
“Jasmine, do you have any particularly close friends in class?”
Hearing the sudden question from behind him, Jasmine nodded slightly and replied as they walked,
“Of course, I have good friends like Isabel and Milica. They are exchange students though; they are going back to their school this semester. I don’t know when I can see them again.”
“…”
Even impressions that haven’t been polluted by the abyss can also appear in dreams?
And it occurs in such a reasonable manner.
While understanding the operation of this dream at a deeper level, Jasmine took Fisher to the rooftop position. The staircase leading to the rooftop was blocked by a tightly locked iron door, but Jasmine skillfully pulled out a key from her pocket, opened the door, and revealed the space leading to the rooftop.
After walking up a few steps and pushing open an unlocked wooden door, the unencumbered rooftop came into view.
Because there were no railings, the iron door below was locked.
Humans are always afraid of heights yet dignified, for standing high allows them to see far. The air is fresher here, and the scenery is pleasant as it is the first place to update with the changes in weather.
From a height of seven floors, the atmosphere of the city, which had just experienced winter rain, surrounded the distant towering metropolis in a hazy mist. However, from that city’s direction, no sounds of a bustling crowd emerged, leaving Fisher feeling a sense of quietness, an tranquility unassociated with civilization.
“Teacher Fisher, come eat!”
Turning around, he saw that Jasmine had already spread out the large cloth bag containing the bento on the dry ground beside the staircase, forming a rectangular space like a picnic mat. She opened the two food containers inside and set out the utensils.
She had already removed her shoes, sitting on the cloth like a duck, with two small feet wrapped in black socks underneath her skirt, looking extremely cute.
Jasmine first glanced at the lunchboxes, then her eyes lit up as she looked up at Fisher with a smile, lifting his portion and exclaiming with surprise,
“Today, my mom made fish balls! It looks so delicious.”
“Fish balls?”
Food from another world? He didn’t understand.
Fisher blinked and sat across from Jasmine as he watched her skillfully use the chopsticks made of two wooden sticks to pick up the food from the container, while his own utensils, considering foreign factors, consisted only of a spoon.
Feeling curious, Fisher looked at the chopsticks in Jasmine’s hands and asked,
“I’ve been wanting to ask, what are these called? They look very convenient.”
“These are chopsticks! Teacher Fisher, do you want to try? But when I taught you to use them before, you couldn’t quite manage it.”
Jasmine’s cheeks were slightly flushed as she chewed on the rice, resembling a hamster with two peanuts stuffed in her cheeks. Hearing Fisher’s question, she generously handed him the chopsticks.
Tentatively, Fisher took the two sticks from her hands, holding one in each hand. He attempted to replicate the actions Jasmine had just demonstrated; however, unlike her smoothness, Fisher felt as though two vertical pillars were jammed between his fingers, making it awkward to use them.
“…”
He wobbly held one hand under the food container; with the other, he struggled to pick up a fish ball. But that fish ball was slippery, sliding off no matter how he tried to grasp it, he simply couldn’t get a hold of it.
Just as Fisher was considering switching to a simpler object to try, he accidentally flicked his fingers, and the fish ball sprang out like it was on a spring.
“Pew!”
Oh no.
Fisher froze slightly and instinctively reached out to catch the flying fish ball. However, Jasmine had already opened her mouth first without moving her body; her neck tilted slightly like a small cat, and she bit down at the fish ball mid-air, catching it perfectly in her little mouth.
“Wow!”
She started chewing absentmindedly, and when the flavor of the fish ball broke free, she blushed in realization and said shyly,
“I-I was afraid of wasting it, so I ate mine for you, Teacher Fisher.”
“It’s fine. Besides, you just opened yours and finished it all. How could there be any left for me?”
“…I’m sorry! Wuwu.”
Jasmine glanced at the large fish ball, which had mysteriously disappeared into her stomach, and blushed even more, perhaps thinking that it was the fish ball’s fault for rudely intruding upon her lips and invading her belly.
Fish balls, a capital crime!
Fisher didn’t mind, as there were still two fish balls left in the lunchbox, which canceled out his desire to quickly master the use of this foreign utensil.
In comparison, the language of this world was simpler; as long as he understood the logic and spent a morning memorizing all the common vocabulary and grammar, using it wouldn’t be an issue. With additional practice, mastering it would simply be a matter of time.
Fisher helplessly returned the chopsticks to her. Seeing Fisher looking a bit discouraged, Jasmine thought for a moment and smiled reassuringly,
“This can be a bit tough for foreigners; we only got used to it from a young age. It’s okay, Teacher Fisher. We have so many foreign teachers at our school, but I heard that only Hela-sensei can use these. Most of them can’t even get used to the food here.”
Hearing her seemingly unintentional comforting words, Fisher’s trained instincts suddenly went off in his mind.
“Ding ding ding!”
Not good, there’s malice!
Just as Fisher was about to scoop up a fish ball with the spoon, the fish ball inexplicably froze mid-air. Jasmine had already started using her chopsticks to take a small lump of rice and put it in her mouth. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she looked at Fisher and said,
“By the way, Teacher Fisher, this morning, some students from Class A said they saw you leaving with Hela-sensei. Was there something important going on?”
Here it comes!
Fisher maintained a calm expression, but Hela’s previous words echoed in his mind once again.
Although Hela’s words couldn’t be wholly trusted, given her many deceitful pasts, believing her usually led to entrapment. However, the matter regarding Jasmine and this dream was something Fisher genuinely agreed with.
Why?
Because with Jasmine’s question just now, the rain-dispelling clouds had unexpectedly begun to gather ominously again, accompanied by faint flashes of lightning, yet there were no sounds of thunder. At this moment, Jasmine’s seemingly casual question was filled with a hint of crisis.
On the flip side, having a warning was better than having none. Relying solely on experiential judgment of women’s psychology could lead to pitfalls, but perhaps sensing naturally may allow Fisher to handle this situation smoothly?
Fisher didn’t respond to Jasmine; instead, he suddenly reached out and touched Jasmine’s face.
Jasmine didn’t dodge; she instinctively shivered her shoulders, causing her face to jiggle slightly.
“Don’t move.”
“Eh?”
Jasmine blinked her sparkling big eyes, and the next moment, Fisher’s finger gently brushed against her lip muscles, lifting a grain of rice stuck there.
“Did I get rice on the corner of my mouth?”
“Ah.”
Seeing that the rhythm of questioning was disrupted, Fisher instead smiled at her and asked,
“Is Hela-sensei really that important, that you didn’t even notice you had rice on your face?”
“It’s not that! It’s just because I heard what the students said, so I was a little concerned.”
Jasmine lowered her head, her face slightly flushed, placing the lunch box on the ground. She unconsciously pinched her skirt with her fingers.
“It might be my problem; every time I see Teacher Fisher mention other women, I feel a bit insecure. Like with Renee, if it were just Renee, it wouldn’t be so bad. But since Hela-sensei is from the same country as Teacher Fisher, and she’s so beautiful, lively, and kind; because she teaches, I worry that Teacher Fisher will forget about our past.”
Ah, what kind of image does Hela hold in your heart?
Fisher’s expression darkened, but he largely understood where these thoughts stemmed from.
Years ago, Hela had left a huge shock on the inexperienced Tang Zeming Asuka, inevitably leading to a change in her inner world. Who could have guessed that beneath that angelic exterior and warm words lay a soul akin to a demon?
Fisher rubbed his forehead, letting out a sigh inwardly.
Even in her dreams, Jasmine still carried a hint of insecurity; that perception was something no words could fix, as it was how she truly felt, rendered unsolvable no matter how soothing the words might be.
After a moment of silence, Fisher suddenly reached out and gently pinched her chubby little face, making her delicate features puff up, resembling a little red octopus.
Fisher scooped another fish ball with the spoon and, as if feeding, placed it into her little mouth. After seeing her wide-eyed surprise, he withdrew the spoon and said,
“Last one, I’m eating this myself.”
While Jasmine chewed, she poutily argued,
“Clearly, this is the one you fed to me; how did it suddenly shift topics when there were still things to discuss about Hela-sensei?”
Fisher smiled slightly but didn’t affirm; he simply chuckled and patted Jasmine’s head, saying to her,
“Jasmine, just be yourself. The cheerful you now is truly more beautiful than anyone else, really, Jasmine.”
Fisher gently traced her lip corner with his hand, which had often carried a sullen look throughout her dreams; it was only now, in this moment of dreams, that her lips would curve up at the edges.
Just that hint of brightness might already be considered exceptionally beautiful.
Fisher couldn’t help but lean down, wanting to kiss her, yet he hesitated, fearing that his kiss would alter that curvature. Especially since Hela had just been in contact with him, who knew if there was some lingering effect similar to the previous “strawberry mark.” After careful thought, he decided against it.
“But Jasmine, I’m serious. From now on, both you and I should keep a distance from Hela. Understand?”
“Eh? While such words make me feel assured, but…”
“.”
However, just as Jasmine and Fisher were enjoying their lunch and whispering to each other on the rooftop, they failed to notice a female figure in a school uniform, cautiously peeking through the slightly ajar door behind them, observing the two through the narrow gap in the door.
Upon closer inspection, the girl, slightly biting her lip, was none other than Renee.
But far from being confident about her endeavors, at this moment, as she watched the two outside enjoying their intimate moments, that sense of feeling ashamed within surged in her heart.
Ah.
They are having bento together.
She had indeed heard classmates from Class B mention that Fisher-sensei lived with Jasmine and that sharing lunch together was quite normal, right?
Ugh, how she wished to have lunch with Fisher-sensei too.
What would it be like to taste the fish balls he fed her?
Renee’s throat moved slightly, and the saliva in her mouth unconsciously increased.
In her arms lay a prepared bento, which she had not had the chance to share with the person she had prepared it for.
Just as Fisher and Jasmine displayed signs of getting up, Renee, lost in her own thoughts, fantasizing about a scene on the rooftop with Fisher-sensei, suddenly jolted awake and immediately covered her skirt, standing up like a wounded soldier and fleeing downstairs.
Fearing that the two behind would discover her, the pitiful Renee, turned into a loser by dreams, hurriedly ran down only to unexpectedly bump into someone coming up.
“Thud!”
“Ow, that impact directly knocked the unsuspecting Renee down to the ground. The bento she had prepared for Fisher-sensei bumped against the floor but didn’t scatter everywhere; it just popped open.”
Revealing the red beans arranged to form lines of text mixed with rice inside,
“Fisher-sensei, LOVE!”
“Ugh, that hurts.”
Renee held her leg, sitting in the stairway, but her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the open lid beside her, and her face instantly flushed red,
“Who-who is it? Which blind person…”
She clumsily reached out to close the opened lid, her face showing embarrassment and anger. Just as she was about to angrily scold the person in front of her, she saw a woman in OL attire, wearing pantyhose, who seemed to have just had lunch— a blonde beauty.
“H-Hela-sensei?”
Students naturally held a certain fear of teachers. Even someone like Renee, who had been assigned the role of a troublemaker in her dreams, felt a lapse in confidence upon seeing the teacher, becoming meek.
However, the foreign teacher did not seem angry; she just smiled and gently cradled her cheeks, gazing at Renee with amusement, saying softly,
“Oh dear, it seems like I’ve come across something quite remarkable, haven’t I, Renee?”
Renee’s mouth fell open, her face flushed, and she recalled that Hela-sensei and Fisher-sensei both came from the same place and even shared an office.
What if…
If that were to be leaked by Hela, it would be better to die!
Renee’s eyes welled up with tears as she forced a smile, trembling hands grabbing Hela’s shirt while her voice shook wildly,
“Um, H-Hela-sensei, please, don’t say anything. Is that alright?”
“Oh?”
Hela smiled as she looked at the girl, whose inner thoughts had been uncovered, appearing amused. Then, she glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled invitingly at Renee,
“Alright, but how about we go to a quieter place for a detailed discussion? Perhaps as someone with experience, Hela-sensei can offer you some useful advice?”
At first appearing deflated, Renee’s eyes suddenly lit up hearing Hela’s words.
Experience.
Indeed, as a teacher, she felt reliable, as if she would absorb important experiences from Hela-sensei.
Initially planning to refuse, for some reason, she recalled the pitiful image of herself peeking through the door as a loser, feeling her heart twist slightly, sensing something was off.
So after a moment’s hesitation, Renee cautiously picked up the bento on the ground, looking down like a little beast at Hela, and asked,
“Then please, Hela-sensei? Shall we go?”
“Sure, this way.”
Hela, like a kind older sister, clapped her hands, then walked ahead, leading the timid yet exhilarated Renee in the opposite direction of the office.
