“...ma'am please?”

He clasps his hands together while smiling wryly at me.

But...

“No. My decision is final.”

“But—”

“It was your fault.”

“But I had a fever po ma'am. I can't help it!”

That's true. But you did it to yourself.

“I came across your Facebook post about your rainy basketball game two weeks ago.”

“I didn't expect I'll get a cold po ma'am.”

“You should have first finished your school tasks before playing then.”

“I have an excuse letter.”

He pulls out a folded paper from his pocket.

“So?”

“This is unjust!”

I know I'm being cruel and inconsiderate. But this will teach you to know your priorities.

“Learn your lesson then. Please leave mister Martini.”

I know you'll understand me mister Martini.

“Ma'am!”

“............”

I continued checking the worksheets from my other class.

“Fuck.”

He curses under his breath while going out of the room.

It's fine. He's just mad.

*Knock!*Knock!*Knock!*

Somebody is here. It's most likely Mr. Reverren.

“The door's unlocked.”

He pushes the door open.

“Good afternoon ma'am!”

The time is currently 12:28.

“Several more minutes and you'll get zero.”

The end of lunch is by 12:40, and I would have marked his summative test with zero.

“Eh? You serious po ma'am about giving me a zero score?”

“Yes.”

Of course I will. You need to learn to be always on time.

“Come on po ma'am. I don't want an egg on my record.”

“That's why be glad you barely came on time.”

I will feel regretful if I would need to ruin his perfect record. His tests and quizzes scores since the very first one has always been perfect.

It made me wonder whether if he really needed my help last time.

“You can always make me come ma'am.”

“...?”

Huh? What are you talking about?

“Fufufufu.”

Whatever.

“Kindly put the worksheets on this side of my table.”

“Alright.”

*Thud*

“Then please close the door after you leave.”

I need to continue checking now. There's a lot to finish.

“........”

“........”

“You are really cold ma'am, aren't you?”

Eh? What?

“Why'd you say that?”

“It seems like you're so eager to make me leave.”

Oh. Because I still have to check the summative tests of three more classes including our class mister Reverren.

“I'm working mister Reverren.”

“But you can just say, ‘Thank you. You can leave now. Please close the door’.”

Ah. Did I sound impolite to him?

Oh no. That wasn't my intention.

I was just... I...

“...Thank you.”

I feel ashamed. I hope I am not expressing it on my face.

“Fumu. I am wondering ma'am...”

He sat on my guest's seat. He's looking at me with a squinted eyes and that default smile of his.

“What is it?”

“Are you perhaps a truly cold person?— ”

Eh.

“No I'm not!”

!!!

“Oh..”

I... I freaked out. I hope it won't anger mister Reverren.

“I apologize.”

Truly... I'm sorry.

“It's fine po ma'am. But why are you acting coldly then?”

Fuu~. Fortunately he doesn't mind it.

And acting coldly.. but I'm not.. It's just because.... Uhh..

“That's not what you really want isn't it?”

I..... No. I can't... I can't say that. He might think I am being dramatic.

“Mr. Reverren, please leave.”

He needs to leave now.

“Later po ma'am. We're still talking. Communication is necessary for intimacy. Don't you want the two of us to become close to each other?”

Closer? But that's not proper isn't it? What if.. uhh.

“But you always seem to seldom talking to others.”

Because I might react terribly that will anger them.

“And most people will leave immediately because.. well you're scary.”

I know that. I know it's my fault. But it's better than angering them. Or... hating me.

So it's fine.

But...

“Why are you still here then mister Reverren?”

“Ohh. Because I understand that you're not really a scary person, ma'am.”

T-That's... Please don't say that. You'll just leave as well once you witness my terrible side.

“And it seems like you're just really pretending to be cold.”

“You should try replying when someone is talking to you po ma'am. Because it sounds like I'm the only one talking here.”

I just hope I could.

“I don't understand what's truly going on but... Whatever is causing you to be ‘cold’.. well... You should remove that.”

It's not that easy..

“You should change ma'am so that you could better up your interpersonal relationships.”

!!

“It's not for you to decide whether I should change Mr. Reverren.”

It's mine. And I can't do it.. I couldn't do it even if I wanted to.

“Oh right. I apologize po ma'am. Fufufu. I'm just trying to help. I'll be sad if you'll grow old with no friends.”

I have friends.. I.. Yes. They're my friends.

“Ma'am, do you have a boyfriend?”

!! W-What..?!

Why did you suddenly asked me that?

That caught me off guard. What if I had shown it on my face?

“Ma'am.”

No please leave!

“I'm working mister Rever—”

“Ma'am? A boyfriend?”

Ahh. He's so persistent!

“..I have none.”

“Have you been looking for one lately?”

Why is he asking this?

“No...”

“Then, do you want one?”

Please stop. I feel embarassed.

“Why are you asking me this personal questions?”

“Because I want to know more about you.”

Uhh— Ah!

T-To know more about me huh. Arehh.. but that's..

“Curiosity is voracious po ma'am.”

I see. He's just curious.

“Beside, can't I try to help a friend?”

What?

“A ‘friend’? When did we become friends?”

A friend? I don't know if he's just saying that, but it makes me happy for some reason. Hehehe.

But...

“Just earlier. Don't you want it po ma'am?”

I don't know.

“I see. I'm being unfair am I not? Fufufu. Well, because of your attitude, it's not easy to get close to you. You know ma'am how's a relationship works out? It's through ‘mutualism’ or that's what I call it.”

“..?”

“Every individual has their own ‘preferences’ or desire. It's like we're pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. A piece could or couldn't fit to the other unless you modify it.”

“........”

“The you today doesn't fit with others. That's why I told you to change. Or perhaps you should change them.”

I.... I understand.

“However, I understand that you're not truly cold. And besides, your kind doesn't conflict with my desire or preferences. So I could be your friend fufufu.”

I... That's..

“Unless you don't want to.”

I didn't say that!

“Hmm.. I'll take that silence as an affirmation.”

“.......”

“Alright! Fufu. From now on, me and you ma'am Iris are friends!”

Ohhh..

Did I just got myself a friend? That's nice.

“Uhh..”

But is that fine though? He'll probably ends up leaving as well. So should we still become friends?

“You look like your conflicted, albeit it's not shown on your face.”

What? He noticed. What if he assume that I hate him because of my expression—

No. He said it couldn't be seen on my face.

Then how did he noticed?

And right. Why do you want to be my friend?

“Why do you want to befriend me Mr. Reverren?”

“Is it bad? Oh. Fufufu. Are you worried that I might be planning something? Using your status as a teacher perhaps?”

No! That will be terrible of me to think like that.

“Don't worry po ma'am. I won't do something like that.”

No! I wasn't thinking of it!

I should tell him.

“So.. what does friends do?”

No. That's not what I wanted to say!

“Getting to know each other. Friendship is progressive po ma'am. And it's never-ending. Moreover, friendship is the foundation for an

even greater intimacy.”

I see.

“Communication is necessary ma'am.”

Communication.. ahh. It will be hard on me. I gotten so used to not speaking to others.

But... We're friends so I should...

“Alri—”

“But you don't need to force yourself po ma'am. Do it slowly until you're comfortable to do it fufufu.”

I.. Okay.

Thank you Mr. Reverren.

My friend, huh. Hehe.

“Ma'am...”

“Yes?”

“Let's eat lunch together po next week.”

Eh? What? Isn't that what c-couples do?

Is that proper?

No. It's just for our friendship. I'm just thinking too much.

“Alright.”

*RIIIIII~IING~*

“Oh. Time's up. I need to go now ma'am.”

“Alright. Take care.”

“Good bye po ma'am. See you next week.”

*Creak~*

The door closes slowly.

Then silence.

Friends huh.

So we're now friends.

“Hehehe..”

I can't believe I just made a friend!

I think I'm glad I helped mister Reverren last time.

That's when he starts acting weird after all.

So he wants to befriend me.

Friends eh..

Hehe... I think it will be fine..

“Hehehehehe.”

I just need to be more careful now.

I can't be emotional in front of him. Or he might get angry and that's the end of our friendship.

Fuu~

I'm both happy and scared..