A Strange Master-Pet Dynamic
Even while she dried her hair, my teacher kept peeking at me through the crack of the half-open door, as if she felt somehow guilty about whatever I was doing.
The moment I glanced away to grab the salt, one of her legs had already slipped out into the hallway.
What on earth was she playing at? This wasn't a game of Red Light, Green Light.
"What is it, Teacher? Want me to dry it for you? Is that what you're after?"
"No! That's not it! I-I can dry it myself!"
Well, of course she could dry it herself.
"Just saying. You kept glancing over at me while you were drying, so I figured that might be what you wanted."
"No… it's not that. I just felt a little bad."
"Bad about what? The only one who did anything worth apologizing for today is me."
"Even so… I'm the adult here… I'm the teacher…."
"Then go finish drying your hair properly and come out, Miss Responsible Adult~"
"…Fine. You know, looking at you now, you've got a bit of my dad in you…."
I sent my slightly sulky teacher back into the bathroom and returned to cooking.
Talking with her and making the trip to the hospital had eaten up a good chunk of the evening, so anything that took too long was out of the question.
And considering what was actually in the fridge….
Oh, right.
"Master~ Can I use the food in the fridge?"
"Ah, yeah! Wait—no! Don't call me Master!"
"Sure, sure. I'll use it, then."
"Ugh!"
I really had to stop. Teasing her was just too much fun; I kept doing it without thinking.
I needed to cut it out already.
Anyway, after weighing the ingredients and the situation, tonight's winner was stir-fried spicy pork.
Strangely enough, everything I needed was right there.
You don't usually find meat in the fridge of someone living alone, but there it was.
I did wonder for a second whether it was okay to pick the menu by myself for a shared meal, but if she was a woman from this reversed world, there was no way she could dislike spicy pork.
I was 99.9 percent sure of that.
Spicy pork alone felt a little bare for a main, so I portioned out the surprisingly varied side dishes already in the fridge, scooped the rice I'd cooked earlier in the electric cooker, and made a lightly sweet rolled omelet to go with it.
Once the finished pork was plated and set on the table, dinner was ready.
I was just about to call for her when—
"Ah! You startled me! What are you doing…?"
"*Slurp.* Oh? Nothing, just… it looked delicious."
She had already finished drying her hair and was standing right behind me.
Coming from the person I was cooking for, those words were genuinely nice to hear—but she'd just given me a scare, so I couldn't resist teasing her a little in return.
"What looked so delicious? The pork? The omelet? Or… me?"
"……!!"
What… why wasn't she reacting?
"Teacher~?"
"……."
"What the heck."
I gave her a gentle shake, but she still didn't move, so I left her standing there and carried the dishes to the table, then brought over utensils and water.
She still hadn't budged an inch.
Even so, the food couldn't be allowed to go cold, so I decided on a firmer approach to snap her out of it.
If she'd been a guy friend, I would've smacked her upside the head with righteous indignation—*I personally cooked for you and you're letting it get cold?*—but she was a woman, my teacher, and my benefactor.
So I packed every ounce of gratitude I felt into a method a woman from this reversed world would probably enjoy, and went to wake her.
I stepped up to my blankly staring teacher and—
*Lick.*
I licked her cheek.
Wh-what did I just hear?
I wasn't sure.
It felt like an error message had popped up inside my head.
I'd finished drying my hair and snuck up behind Chan, planning to startle him a little as payback for all the teasing. All I had to do was jump out and scare him… but the moment I saw him humming to himself while cooking in my kitchen, every thought drained out of me. I could only stand there and watch.
It wasn't because of the common-sense rule about not startling someone while they're cooking. His figure simply looked too adorable.
It felt as if every light in the world had gathered around Chan alone.
I don't know how long I stood there staring blankly. Only when he finally turned around did I manage to snap back to myself. I wiped away the drool I hadn't even realized was there and scrambled for an excuse.
Chan calmed his startled expression and said to me,
"What looked so delicious? The pork? The omelet? Or… me?"
"……!!"
Wh-wh-wh-what did he just say?!
This kid was an absolute delinquent.
No matter how many times I'd already made a fool of myself in front of him, to treat his older teacher like *this*—
If this had been District 57, where crime and ethics didn't exist, I would have taught him a very thorough lesson with my body….
…No. No! Cancel that thought, cancel! That was something a teacher must never think, something a human being must never think.
It was all because of that ridiculously cute face of his.
Honestly, ever since Chan had come into my house, I hadn't been able to calm down at all.
Even when I took the teacher certification exam, my heart hadn't pounded like this. I had no idea what was going on.
I kept replaying the way he'd licked my hand with his tongue earlier today, pleading with me.
And then—
Right as I was recalling that intoxicating sensation, something far too similar brushed across my cheek.
I turned my head on instinct, and there… Chan was licking me with his tongue.
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what?!"
"What are you doing, Teacher? The food's getting cold. Eat first."
"You can't just… l-lick someone's cheek like that? Normally?"
"Is it that weird for a pet to lick its owner's face?"
"……You little—!"
"If you don't sit down right now, I'll take it as a request for more and keep licking. For the record, next time I'll start from the bottom and work my way up, so decide carefully."
Did this child actually think that counted as a threat?
If anything, I wanted that tongue all day long.
And he said next time he'd start from below and work up…….
No… stop right there.
I had a strong feeling that if I kept thinking about it, I would definitely do something irreversible, so I emptied my head and sat down at the table.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd ever used the dining table Dad had insisted on buying because "you can't eat on the floor."
Thank you, Dad.
On the table sat the spicy pork, the rolled omelet, and the side dishes from my fridge, all neatly portioned into bowls.
"Wow, you made all of this, Chan?"
"Yes. Why? Does it make your heart race thinking I'd make a good husband?"
"…Just eat. Thanks for the meal."
"Yes, Master. I hope it suits your taste."
"……It's Teacher."
"How is it?"
"Huh? What the—whoa! This is insanely good! You're really good at cooking! No, seriously, this is crazy. You can get this kind of flavor at home?"
"I cooked while thinking of Master, so it turned out that way. They do say the best seasoning is love, right?"
"……*Mmph.*"
I had to endure….
If I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in a prison cell, I had to endure, Cha Sara!
I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they might break and held on for dear life.
Right. Better to think about something else.
Whales are mammals that breathe with lungs,
ants can easily lift things dozens of times their own body weight.
And… and also….
I kept stringing together useless facts to deliberately redirect my attention, when Chan, who had been quietly eating, spoke up.
"Master… Teacher, I don't really talk in my sleep, so don't worry. I don't snore either, and I don't grind my teeth. No sleepwalking or anything like that, of course."
"…What is that supposed to mean."
What on earth was he talking about.
Why would he suddenly say something like that to me.
For a few solid seconds I couldn't make sense of it, so I turned it over carefully in my mind until I reached one conclusion.
But… even if Chan loved teasing me, would he really go that far…?
"What do you mean, 'what is that supposed to mean'…?"
"…Are you trying to mess with me again?"
"I'm one hundred percent serious."
"Then what's the point of saying that! Don't tell me you actually think we're going to s-sleep together?"
"…So Teacher is the type who makes her pet sleep on the cold floor. Understood. I'll do that. I'm not used to it, but I'll adapt as best I can."
"No, that's not it! Of course I'll put a blanket on the floor and sleep there, and you can—"
"That won't work. I've already caused you plenty of trouble, but I didn't come here to be a burden. I came strictly to be raised as a pet."
"But still…."
It was hard enough hearing that kind of thing delivered with such a serious, solemn face.
Chan fixed me with one of his rare earnest expressions and pressed the point.
I couldn't make a growing teenage boy sleep on the floor… but I also couldn't share a bed with him….
"Anyway, if you tell me to sleep on the floor, I'll be a little disappointed, but I'll do it. But I will not allow Teacher to sleep on the floor."
"…Even though I'm the owner?"
"Even if Teacher is my Master."
"You naughty pet…."
"…I just haven't finished my training yet, so would Master mind giving my body a little education?"
"*Ghk….*"
Because of you, Chan, I'm going to need a dental appointment very soon.
But come to think of it—
"Um… don't take this the wrong way, okay? It's not that I think that way, but wouldn't asking to sleep in the same bed also be imposing?"
When I said that, Chan put on a seductive little smile.
"Is there a woman alive who would hate sleeping in the same bed with a high-school boy who looks like me? Are you serious?"
"…Th-there could be…."
"Then that woman is either unhealthy or a lesbian."
"Not necessarily…."
"Is that so? Is our Master like that too?"
He didn't finish the sentence, but it was written all over his face: *I already know you like me, so don't bother with the excuses.*
…My pet was far too lewd.
No! He's a pet, a student! A student….