My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 172

“So? What do you want to say?”

I asked while rolling up the parchment I was looking at and tying it with a string. Tina naturally sat on the edge of the bed. With her feet swinging back and forth, she smiled brightly.

“Actually, nothing.”

“…Huh?”

So, you came all this way at night for no reason? It’s almost eleven o’clock!

“Are you hiding something?”

I brought a chair over and sat in front of her.

“Isn’t it just because I wanted to see my Teacher?”

Came just to see me for no reason…
Such a statement is way too easy to misinterpret! While I won’t assume anything until she outright admits she likes me, I can sense it intuitively.

Women don’t just approach men they have no interest in.

“Alright. But what did you want to do when you saw me?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“I thought a lot about what I should do before coming in. But now that I see you… just seeing you is enough to make me happy. Hehe.”

“…Is that so?”

It seemed like an emotion that one can only feel at a young age.
She looked so fresh and innocent. Just watching her was utterly adorable.

“Ah… what is it?”

“Huh?”

“When you look at me like that and smile, my heart goes thump-thump…”

For rare moments, Tina said this while her cheeks flushed.

Did I smile without even realizing it?
Thinking back, after the third activation of Expression Management Skill, I became able to control my expressions a bit.

Considering I can use my previously stiff facial muscles, if I activate it a few more times, the passive skill might turn into an active one.

That would make it even easier to manage my expressions.
I could remain calm in public and speak kindly to those I want to keep close.

“So it’s a thump-thump, huh? Tina sure uses cute expressions a lot.”

I gently ruffled her hair. It smelled like soap.

“Is it cute?”

“Of course. Have you never thought you were cute?”

“Um… I don’t think so!”

“Is that so?”

At fourteen, isn’t it the age when you start caring about your appearance? I think I was like that back then, too.

“But… I have thought about wanting to be seen as cute by you, Teacher. Ah, but I didn’t act like this because I was conscious of you or anything!”

“I know.”

I nodded, pulling my hand back.
Tina showed her unique behaviors in ways that made it clear when she was being fake. For instance, she would look around after doing something.

However, it seemed like she had no hesitation and acted without worrying about others’ opinions when she did something.

“Do you know?”

“When you’re interested in someone, your eyes naturally go to them. Don’t you know that, Tina?”

“That’s right! I totally get it! For some reason, whenever I feel empty, I look for you, Teacher. When I’m training hard, I also want to be patted on the head until my hair gets tousled and receive compliments. I wanted to have these pointless conversations with you. But I always felt sad because there were never any people around you.”

Listening to her quietly, I felt a bit embarrassed.
While frankness might be part of her personality, how many people could directly say such things while smiling?

I imagined Tina would use this honesty as a weapon to captivate many men.

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Hehe!”

Her brightness made me feel good, too.

“And about what I wanted to say…”

She fidgeted her fingers and cautiously began to speak. I didn’t answer but looked into her eyes.

“I’d like to use the remaining wish now, so can I talk a lot and get praised?”

“Aren’t we already talking?”

“B-but, you’re speaking so stiffly. Can you speak softer… like when we met in the Aioum Kingdom? Oh, and you don’t have to use honorifics.”

Is that possible?
Although my Expression Management Skill had softened quite a bit, I still couldn’t control it as I wished.

Still, should I give it a try?
Seeing the excitement in her eyes, I felt like I couldn’t say no.

I moved my chin slightly and loosened my lips. Tina tilted her head, looking at me curiously.

“I’ll do it a little.”

My tone was still the same; however, if I think about it, the intonation was softer.
A more affectionate voice came out than I expected, topped with a gentle smile.

Seeing that, Tina’s mouth widened, exposing her gums, and she began to wink.

“Hehe! Yes!”

Watching her smile made me feel even more uplifted.
I slid my chair back to the desk and sat next to Tina. The bed creaked.

“How do you want to hear your praises?”

Even if she wanted a ton of compliments, I didn’t remember everything she had done one by one.

“Um… I’m not sure? How should we do it?”

As I watched her hesitate while stealing glances at me, I gently grabbed her head and pulled it down. She accepted my touch in surprise.

Thud.
I placed Tina’s head on my thigh.

“This should be fine.”

“Um…”

Tina’s eyes widened as she stared at me and blinked repeatedly. A lap pillow is indeed optimized for stroking the other person’s head.

I might not be able to tousle her hair as she wished, but she would surely feel my calm touch.

“Put your legs up on the bed and lie down comfortably.”

“Is it okay?”

“Yeah.”

It was funny how she sought permission only in situations like this when she usually didn’t bother asking for it.

“Alright, lie on your side.”

“Huh? But, I want to see your face, Teacher…!”

When you stare at me with those big eyes, it makes me feel awkward. And, it’s uncomfortable to stroke your hair like that.

Forcing her to lay on her side, her lips poked out, as if she was showing her discontent. It seemed she was protesting strongly. I couldn’t help but chuckle silently, brushing her black hair back.

After several silent strokes, her previously protruding lips were now pulled back. Meanwhile, the corners of her mouth had turned up into a grin.

“Feeling good?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

Now, I’ve started stroking her head…
What should I say as a compliment?
Should I acknowledge her for supporting me unconditionally without any doubts? Or compliment her appearance instead?

While pondering briefly, an unexpected question popped into my mind.

“Hasn’t Tina ever questioned my actions?”

“Questioned? Well… I guess I haven’t?”

Tina said this matter-of-factly, without losing her smile.

“Even knowing I’m a Hero and that I accepted you?”

“I didn’t think you’d take me in with no purpose from the beginning. Honestly, I figured we might end up sleeping together. But I thought you were still better than Dink since it seemed you had plenty of money.”

Tina seemed carefree in her usual behavior, but one could see she had a surprisingly pragmatic side.
I wondered if her tendency to show a serious side occasionally stemmed from this.

“But soon, I realized you were a kind person. To be honest, your expressions were stiff, and your way of speaking emotionless, so I thought I wouldn’t be able to connect with you… But I sensed care in every little action of yours, and whenever you worried about me, I felt a certain sincerity that made my heart race. I think I was glad to receive the kind of attention I’d never had from my parents.”

Did she really think like that?
I’d hardly asked her thoughts since I was just teasing her. She must have endured hardships that hurt her feelings, just like the other races, Iris and Maria.

With a sense of sympathy, I gently brushed her hair back.

“After living together for a year or two, it became familiar, and I just found it fun. The way you could speak casually to such a high-status person and carry yourself confidently… It was cool in a way.”

“Is that so?”

I can’t believe you think that’s cool. You have quite the unique taste!
I barely suppressed a laugh that almost escaped me.

“You asked if I ever questioned you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It would be a lie to say I haven’t, but you’ve always been the one guiding us on where to go next. I don’t think the things you do are wrong. I guess that’s my answer.”

“Is that so?”

Since Iris and the other Heroes accept me, I feel more convinced that what I’ve done so far wasn’t wrong. I felt a surge of confidence.

“Thanks for thinking like that.”

“I’m grateful to you for bringing me in. Teacher… I mean, Praus Oppa.”

“Oppa…?”

Hearing ‘oppa’ after so long was quite surprising.
Everyone I’ve met here has been older than me, so I never had the chance to hear it. Now that I do, my lips couldn’t help but twitch.

“Calling you ‘oppa’ feels like a stretch, given the nine-year age gap.”

“Well, I think it’s okay for me to call you that! If it’s uncomfortable, I’ll only do it when it’s just the two of us.”

“…Fine. Do as you wish.”

She’s using her wish quite well.

“Today, you seem laid-back, Oppa!”

“Who’s the one using the wish? But isn’t it almost time for bed?”

Checking the time, it was close to midnight.

“Already? I want to talk more with you, Oppa…”

But if I fall asleep here, that’d be a problem, right?
While no one would think anything of us sleeping together, there might be some who would look at it strangely.

“Sleeping well will improve your skin and help you grow taller.”

“Then I’ll sleep here!”

“What?”

“Yap!”

Tina suddenly jumped up and hugged me. Overwhelmed by her strength, I collapsed back onto the bed. Tina, looking down at me, grinned like a playful child.

“Are you not leaving then?”

“No, go away.”

“Then try to push me out! Hehe, I’m not going to lose to you anymore, Oppa!”

“Is a Hero allowed to be this cowardly?”

“I’ll only be cowardly in front of you. Ehehe!”

No, seriously, go away!

*

Knock, knock.

“Teacher, pardon the intrusion. Last night, Tina didn’t come back… Oh?”

“Hmm. What is it?”

As I frowned at the weight in my chest and rose, I noticed that Tina was asleep, snuggled up against me.

“…Y-You spent the night with Tina?”

“T-Teacher… Please explain this!”

The two people exchanged incredulous glances between me and Tina.

“Ah… I think she just dozed off while we were talking. We slept together a few years ago, so it’s not something to worry about, right?”

“Things are different now!”

What’s so different about it…?
From my perspective, whether it was a few years ago or now, not much had changed except that our bodies grew a bit.

“…Don’t worry, nothing happened like you’re thinking.”

“Ugh… Kids, greetings~!”

“T-Tina! Tell me what happened last night!”

“Um… I think I got closer to Teacher… Can I say that I was happy since he was the first one I opened my heart to…?”

Tina mumbled sleepily and inched closer to me.

“I just… had fun.”

“F-Fun…!”

The two Heroes looked at the smiling Tina and shouted as if they were distraught.

“N-Next is my turn!”

“No, it’s my turn!”

Seeing the fire ignite suddenly between the two of them, I let out a yawn.

“Quiet…”

“Teacher, let’s have fun today, too.”

She smiles sleepily and says it well. Does she realize what kind of situation this is because of whom?

With a deep sigh, I started another loud day.