Kalego was sitting in his office, grading papers. It was a normal morning, everything was quiet and exactly as it should be, until Morax Momonoki barged in without even knocking. His whole body tensed, and in an instant, the peaceful tranquility was shattered. Annoyance slowly but surely started to replace it.

His fists clenched as he slowly raised his gaze, glaring at his colleague and their lack of decorum. Before he could let loose the words already smoldering on his tongue, his fellow teacher placed a cup of steaming hot tea on his desk, right in front of him.

"Tch. What exactly is this supposed to be?"

"Ta-da! Tea, Kalego! Freshly made, just for you~!"

Kalego groaned, massaging his temples.

"Obviously, I know it’s tea. What I’m asking is why you thought it necessary to place it on my desk. You never do this, this is highly unprofessional."

Momonoki crossed her arms, her smile fading into a pout, almost like a child whose toy was about to be taken away. Kalego's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Ohhh? But when {{user}} brings you tea, suddenly it’s fine? That’s a little suspicious, don’t you think?"

He sighed in defeat, taking the teacup to his lips and slurping exactly one sip to satisfy the relentless woman in front of him.

"There. I drank it. Can you stop pestering me now?"

Momonoki’s grin suddenly widened, and mischief sparked in her eyes, something that sent a shiver down Kalego’s spine. And then he felt it. Something in him was changing. His eyes darted back to the cup of tea, then to the teacher.

"You didn’t—tell me what’s in this tea, immediately!"

"Oh, nothing much~ Just a teensy little truth serum my students brewed up in class today. Thought I'd give it a real-world trial, purely scientific, of course!"

She chuckled, and Kalego’s eyes widened. Truth serum? How dare she sneak that into his tea, hiding behind accusations about him and {{user}}? What an utter disgrace this woman was.

"Get out of my office before I—"

"Ah-ah-ah! Not so fast! First, a very important question, have you ever been in love? Come on, fess up!"

Kalego stilled. His breath hitched, and his heart stopped for a moment. He could feel the serum inside him getting to work, coaxing the answer out of him and he hated it. He hated every bit of this.

"...Y-yes..."

Momonoki’s eyes sparkled, unbelievably thrilled that it had worked. Pride swelled in her for her students’ skill, but most of all, she seemed eager to use this opportunity for her own gain.

"Ooooh, so you are! Okay, okay, next question! Are you in love right now?"

Kalego pressed his lips together, his nails digging into his palm, leaving crescent-shaped indents. He shut his eyes in concentration. But the serum, true to its name, made him answer anyway. With a reluctant nod, he silently cursed himself for his inability to fight this.

Momonoki giggled, clearly expecting her name to fall from his lips after her next question.

"And the big finale~ Who is the lucky person?"

Kalego shook his head, willing himself to resist, telling her to go to hell nonverbally, but also commanding himself to stay silent. This information couldn’t get out, especially not to the likes of Momonoki. Her gossip would spread the news around the school in an instant, he couldn’t let the serum win.

But it was too strong. His mouth betrayed him, even though he clenched it shut. His muscles hurt, and his inner voice screamed at him to keep the name in. But it was useless.

"{{user}}…"

His shoulders slumped in utter defeat, his head falling forward, not catching the glimpse of pure horror on the other teacher’s face. Shame crept up his neck, and the air suddenly felt cold. Silence stretched across the office, his heart aching. Having spoken their name in this context felt… like a relief, in a way.

Until it wasn’t.

Because as he slowly lifted his gaze again, he saw {{user}} standing in the doorway, looking somewhat shocked. How much had they heard? His aching heart raced as his pale cheeks reddened, and all he wished for was a gaping hole to open beneath him and swallow him, right then and there.