Lunch was over, and although Yu Muyuan invited me to rest in her office, I declined, thinking about the tasks I still had to complete.
Afterward, I arrived at the classroom early. One important reason for coming early was to avoid that jerk, Sakurako Mochizuki!
Although I arrived a bit too early, the result didn’t disappoint me.
As soon as I entered, I noticed four girls sitting in a circle, eating their packed lunches while chatting and laughing about something.
If I remember correctly, these four girls have always been close.
This was a golden opportunity to make progress on my task, and there was no way I’d let it slip by.
The girls noticed me too, all smiling brightly and waving at me.
I smiled back politely, but inwardly, I couldn’t help but grumble.
Is this what differential treatment feels like?
If this were the old me before my rebirth, I’d probably be lucky not to be ignored by them.
But now, they’re actually smiling and waving at me proactively.
“Teacher, have you eaten? Want some of my bento? I made extra and want to feed you.”
“I want to feed Teacher Guiye too.”
“Me too.”
“Me too.”
One of the girls said she wanted to feed me, and the other three immediately jumped on the idea.
While being fed by beautiful girls sounds like a treat, considering we were in a public place like the classroom, where passersby might gossip if they saw, I politely declined with a smile.
“No need, I’m already full. I just came to check on the classroom.”
“Oh, I see…” The lead girl looked disappointed but then made another request.
“Teacher, your face looks so soft. Can I pinch it?”
“I want to pinch Teacher Guiye’s face too.”
“Me too.”
“Me too.”
Here we go again, just like before.
But as their dignified Chinese teacher, even if I’ve become a loli, my face isn’t something just anyone can pinch.
So, I planned to refuse, just like before.
“No way, I’m your teacher… Whoa!”
“I’m pinching!”
Before I could finish, one of the students reached out.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, I couldn’t defend myself in time before the other three joined in.
“I want to pinch too!”
“Me too!”
“Let’s all pinch Teacher’s cheeks~”
“Let go, let go, you jerks! My face is gonna get all squished~!”
Ignoring my protests, the four students gleefully pinched my tender cheeks.
It took a long time before they finally let go, satisfied.
“Hehe, Teacher Guiye is so cute. I want to pinch your chubby little face again.”
“So soft, I want to pinch more~”
“How about we do it again? There’s hardly anyone in the classroom, and Teacher can’t resist anyway.”
“!!! No way! Absolutely not!” I protested loudly.
Who bullies their teacher like this?!
“Ahem, I think that’s enough. Otherwise, Teacher Guiye might avoid us next time,” said the girl with glasses, smiling.
Phew, finally someone normal.
But even if you stop pinching, I’m definitely avoiding you all from now on!
Ugh, what kind of students grab their teacher’s face and pinch it like that?!
“Hehe, sorry for being rude just now. It’s just that Teacher is too cute, and we couldn’t help ourselves. We don’t really have anything else, so if you’re busy, you can go ahead,” the lead girl said with an embarrassed smile.
Hmph, even if you apologize now, I won’t forgive you! I’m mad!
Just wait, I’ll get my revenge by calling on you four during class!
No, wait—if I get mad over this, wouldn’t that make me as petty as those overly sensitive girls?
So, this isn’t about being mad or getting revenge.
It’s, um… caring about my students’ learning progress!
Yes, that’s it—caring about their classroom engagement.
And the best way to check that is by calling on them during class.
So, I’ll be extra attentive to these four’s participation from now on.
It’s not petty revenge or anything.
Since the lead girl said there was nothing else, I naturally took the chance to slip away.
I didn’t want to stay and risk getting my cheeks pinched again.
At that moment, the system’s voice chimed in.
“Congratulations, Host, on earning the favor of four students. One more to go.”
Oh, nice! Just one more, and I’ll gain that legendary stamina to charm ten girls without breaking a sweat.
Since those weirdos are still eating and not here, maybe I should seize the moment and finish this now.
With that thought, I scanned the classroom again.
But everyone else was still eating, and besides those four girls, there was no one else…
Wait, there’s another girl in the corner.
For some reason, she was sitting with her head down, her long black hair covering her face.
I rummaged through my pre-rebirth memories, and soon a name matching her image popped into my mind: Xia Qingyang.
As her name surfaced, more related memories flooded back.
This girl was one of the people whose feelings I toyed with before my rebirth.
Unlike her refreshing name, Xia Qingyang was always a bit unkempt.
She changed a bit when we were together, but after we broke up, she reverted to her old ways, maybe even worse.
If I wanted to protect my identity as a reincarnator, the smartest choice would be to avoid talking to her.
But…
I walked over and, to avoid seeming like a reincarnator, I pretended to confirm her name.
“You’re Xia Qingyang, right? Why aren’t you eating?”
“Canteen food, bad, not going.”
Xia Qingyang didn’t look up, keeping her head down and her face hidden behind her hair.
Phew, her way of speaking is just as I remembered—saying as little as possible, with a cold tone.
“But if you don’t eat, how will you handle the afternoon military training?”
“Fake sick, skip it. Instructor, loud, annoying.”
No training, no eating, no talking to classmates—what are you even here for?
I wanted to ask that, but if I did, I’d be no different from the teachers I hated as a kid.
Plus, I know that pre-rebirth Xia Qingyang once threatened to jump off a building over school issues with her parents.
It was only after Yin Yihong and I persuaded her that she reluctantly came to school.
So, I knew I had to be gentle here, or it would backfire.
But, speaking of which, why do I feel like someone’s been staring at me weirdly while I was thinking?