Our Teacher is a Yakuza Princess

Chapter 37

Shin's head shot up to stare at Minami in surprise. Luckily, the other boys didn't notice, since they were all staring at Minami as well.

"Yankumi?" Uchi asked Minami in a puzzled tone.

"Well, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you." Kuma added. "She likes seeing her old students."

"Is he right?" Noda turned to Shin, who managed a nod.

Minami wasn't done, however. "Going to tell her?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Shin upped the level of his glare with no effect.

"Tell her what?" Uchi glanced at both Shin and Minami suspiciously.

"That he's-" Suddenly, Shin leapt from his seat and reached across to try and strangle his former friend. Minami, with a surprising display of agility (almost like he knew how Shin would react), darted out of the way and finished his sentence moments before Shin reached him.

"He's in love with her!" He shouted, then was instantly put in a chokehold.

"What?" The rest of the boys asked in shock.

"Has been for years." Minami choked out.

Kuma moved over to release his friend from Shin's death grip. "Shin…" he warned.

Shin begrudgingly let Minami go and sat back in a huff. Minami, no worse for wear, mouthed, "It was worth it," and watched his masterpiece unfold.

"But, but… Yankumi?" Uchi stared at Shin open-mouthed.

"Wait…" Noda was staring at the ceiling, obviously reviewing everything from high school with this new knowledge. "Everything makes so much more sense now! Well, not everything, but still…"

"When he said she looked nice in that awful outfit…" Minami supplied with a grin.

"When he kept going along with her crazy ideas…" Uchi realized.

"When he knew what she would do with that shoplifting thing…" Kuma joined in.

"Guys, guys," Noda sat up with a fascinated smile. "He only ever smiled when she was involved."

Everyone looked up as they thought back. "You're right!"

Uchi also remembered past evidence. "And that's why he kept staring at her when she wasn't looking!"

Shin crossed his arms and tried to ignore the shouts around him. "I have the worst friends in the world," he grumbled to himself.

It was finally Kuma that took pity on him. "Shin, we're just teasing because we're happy for you."

"Yeah," Minami said, settling down. "I mean, we all understand."

Uchi nodded. "Yankumi means something special to all of us."

He was on the verge of forgiving them when Noda piped up.

"I thought you said she wasn't alluring?" He teased, which set everyone to giggling again.

"And that having feelings for her was ridiculous?" Uchi chimed in.

Since there was no dealing with them like this, Shin drank another cup of sake and tried to ignore the fact that he was pouting.

"So," Minami asked in a more serious tone, once the laughter had died down. "Are you going to tell her?"

Shin sighed. "I… I don't know. Maybe. I don't know if she even…" He sighed again. "I don't know."

The boys glanced at each other, then Shin.

"Good luck." Minami wished him sincerely.

"It'll be fine." Noda told him.

Kuma patted him on the back.

"You could always challenge her to a duel." Uchi suggested. "That could work."

They all laughed, and even Shin grinned a little. He let them tease, because he was the one in love with her, and even he thought it was ridiculous.