Chapter 667: INTERNAL CONFLICT
Misaki and Emi faced each other in the kitchen.
Misaki looked happy and excited, while Emi had a helpless expression on her face. She could not believe what her life had become within a few moments. A soft giggle came from one of the housekeepers cleaning up the kitchen.
“I told you it would be perfect!” Misaki declared proudly. “When I saw it, I just thought of you.”
Misaki was indeed quite pleased with herself. The apron and the chef’s hat she bought for Teacher Shi were so adorable. More importantly, the pair matched her own.
With the new look, they would be motivated to bake.
Maybe, she could get some photos.
Emi sighed as she caught her reflection in the backsplash of the tiled wall. The apron had a picture of a giant panda sleeping with some bamboo in its mouth and its butt in the air. That was not enough. The chef’s hat had the same motif as panda ears.
.....
Misaki’s apron was not better, but for a child, it was alright. The picture on it was a crazy Shiba Inu with a tongue sticking out, and the hat had small floppy ears.
“You did not have to. I brought my apron.” Emi said for the third time, even though she knew it means nothing.
Misaki pretended not to hear once again. “Let’s take a photo to commemorate our first lesson.”
Emi did not want a photo of herself in the ridiculous outfit seeing the light of day. She had built an image of herself as a responsible adult. If people saw her, she would not know where to put her face. She might have to walk like a criminal covering her face.
“This is interesting.” A new voice sounded at the door of the kitchen.
Emi looked up and saw Yagi standing there with an amused look on his face. She wanted the earth to open up and swallow her there and then.
“Uncle, don’t we look cute?” Misaki was like an energetic little dog as she looked at him.
“Yes, very cute.” Yagi could barely conceal his chuckle, especially when he noticed the embarrassment on Emi’s face.
“Can you take a photo of us?” She asked.
“Of course.” Yagi immediately took out his phone.
He was planning to take a photo anyway, so he obliged happily. He was glad to do it without being sneaky because Emi did not look like she wanted to be seen by anyone.
“Wait!” Emi spoke up quickly. “I do not think you should take a photo. If you share it, it could invite a lot of questions.”
“Don’t worry, Teacher Shio. I will not share the photo. It is just for me.” Misaki said.
She was not stupid to share the photo because her friends would probably want to have Teacher Shio teaching them too. That would bring her favourite teacher trouble, and she would not get enough attention.
Emi was left without recourse for the issue.
“I will print out a copy for her,” Yagi added to give her comfort.
Printing out the copy would reduce the chances of Misaki sharing the picture as opposed to receiving it on her phone. It was not foolproof, but it was better than nothing. With this promise, Emi allowed herself to pose with Misaki.
“Teacher Shio, make a cute pose.” Misaki looked up with dissatisfied eyes.
Emi turned to her and poked her forehead with an index finger while laughing. “You are getting too naughty. We need to get started.”
Yagi captured several photos, but none could compare to the last one. Misaki was looking up at Emi while Emi had genuine laughter on her face. The picture was warm and natural.
“Alright, I will leave you to it. Misaki, listen to your teacher.” Yagi said. “Emi, if there is a problem, I will be in my office.”
Emi’s eyes widened, and she looked at Yagi in shy surprise. It was not a big deal for him to call her by her name directly, but she felt a little awkward. She did not know why it caused her little heart to jump like a little bird.
She knew she should not have thoughts about Yagi Seiryo.
However, every time she saw him, the fire in her heart grew a little more and more. She was afraid that she would sink deep into the feelings and might even end up falling in love with him.
In an ideal world, it might have worked between them. Even if she was Misaki’s teacher, they could date like normal people with minimal conflict of interest.
But the violent incident earlier reminded Emi that they were from two different worlds.
She was not sure she could take being involved with the underworld. The specific activities of the yakuza did not concern her, per se. However, she could not be involved in it. That kind of environment might raise what she tamed.
And more importantly, her family would never let her be involved with Yagi.
It was already a compromise for them to let her go. The freedom was probably only temporary, and she might end up returning home.
Sure, she had the option of defying her family and doing what she wanted without care. She knew her family would always forgive and welcome her back. But she never wanted a relationship where she could not be honest with them.
Another issue was the need to hide her background from Yagi.
How could she ever be with someone if she could not share everything about her life?
Emi sighed.
“Teacher Shio, why are you sighing so loudly? Oh, am I doing it right?” Misaki asked with excitement.
Emi broke out of her thoughts. The two of them were working in the kitchen side by side. The staff prepared two portions of everything so that Misaki could work on her own as she followed Teacher Shio’s instructions.
At this moment, the two were preparing the dry ingredients. The process was quite simple because they only needed to measure ingredients and place them in a bowl. Unfortunately, Misaki was not a careful chef.
Already, her Shiba Inu apron was covered in a significant amount of wheat flour. Emi could not figure out how she got so much flour on the workbench and herself.
But she seemed to be having fun.
It was a little gratifying to see the girl people thought was a little demon with happy and shining eyes.
