Teacher's Bet 18+

Chapter 7: ↳ a trail of breadcrumbs⁷

"ARE YOU OKAY?" Nishinoya's concerned face swam before (Y/N)'s vision.

Eyebrows furrowed with worry, the bubbly boy walked besides her as they headed towards their last lesson of the day. Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she attempted a small smile which felt too forced on her part. "Yeah I'm good...I guess."

Not looking like he believed it, Nishinoya pouted. "You've been acting weird the whole day, is something wrong?"

(Y/N) almost paled at the words because he was right - something was incredibly wrong. In several aspects. The girl chose not to elaborate because she still had to deliberate whether she's losing her mind or not.

They entered their designated classroom, moving past their classmates to take their seats. A hand grabbed her elbow, stopping her from moving as she turned to questioningly look back at the spikey-haired boy.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" said Nishinoya seriously, managing to keep his tone low as to stop others from overhearing. "I'm always here."

This time she managed a more realistic smile, shoulders relaxing slightly. "I know. I'll tell you later and thank you" she replied sincerely.

Nishinoya smiled brightly, showing her a thumbs up. "I'm your guardian at the end of the day. I'll always have your back" he barked loudly.

Laughing, she rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah short-stack." Before he could even manage a retort, their History teacher; Miya Osamu arrived. "Take your seats now" he announced, face devoid of any emotion as they scrambled quickly to their places.

"Today we'll be starting your topic essays for the semester so I want you all to come up with your research question and outline. They are to be submitted at the end of class and I will start setting up appointments over the next few weeks to further discuss your essays." They all listened carefully, fully understanding the importance of this and how much the grade will weigh for their overall mark at the end of the year.

"If you feel like you are stuck on finding a topic of interest then feel free to approach me or visit the library" he informed. "However I expect absolute concentration or you will find yourself struggling in this essay and let me remind you how much the percentage carries towards your overall grade." Face stern and serious, nobody dared to utter a single word as they all just listened closely.

Even Nishinoya sat up straighter in his seat - probably the straightest he's ever been.

Unlike his twin, Miya Osamu was more refined and composed. Their facial features were strikingly similar, except for their hair and eyes. It was evident in how the two men taught their lessons, just how different they were.

Where Miya Atsumu was more open and outgoing, on more than one occasion going off-topic much to their enjoyment. His brother on the other hand held a tight grip over them, making sure no work was missed and that every submission was done to utmost perfection.

The silver-haired man was more closed-off, by no means was he strict or rude, he always made sure to provide them with the best teaching material. He was very passionate about the subject, that was obvious with how much knowledge he held, and most of the times it was incredible to listen to - paying rapt attention.

(Y/N) thought about her possible research question, flipping through the textbook for inspiration. If she was being honest, she had a bit of difficulty on settling on one idea, not exactly sure which would be the better option. Thankfully, the importance of this essay completely pushed her mind away from the eventful day, shoving the thoughts to the back of her head; for the time being.

In the end, she decided to make outlines for both ideas and have Miya sensei look over them and help her decide which would be best. The rest of the class worked in silence, coming up with ideas and writing down notes that would be helpful to structure their essays. The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day as Miya sensei made his way around the classroom, briefly talking and checking their research questions.

(Y/N) shook her head at Nishinoya's expectant face who stood waiting for her at the door. 'I need to ask him some questions' she mouthed wordlessly.

Pouting lightly, albeit he nodded in understanding. He waved goodbye with a large grin plastered across his lips, following the other dismissed classmates of theirs who already got the approval from the silver-haired man.

A few others stayed behind, nervously going over their ideas one last time as they patiently waited for Miya sensei's final word. Time ticked away but (Y/N) waited quietly, letting the others go before her since she knew hers would take a small while. Finally after ten minutes, the girl was able to present her ideas to him, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously as he silently scanned her two ideas. The two of them being the only ones to remain in the classroom.

Miya sensei's steel eyes darted upwards to glance at her lips briefly, momentarily watching as the girl rolled the flesh between her teeth, head bowed as she stared at her feet, seemingly lost in thought. Clearing his throat, the silver-haired man straightened up. "Both of these ideas are actually quite good. Not very commonly done so I feel like if you manage to pull one of these off, you'll get a very high grade."

He smiled lightly, looking a tad bit impressed. "Any preference towards one in particular?"

(Y/N) shook her head. "Both ideas were pretty interesting and well I'm not sure which one would be better so I was hoping to ask you for your opinion."

"I feel..." started Miya sensei, holding out one of the papers to her. "...This one would be easier to research and would give you more points." She took the paper, looking at the question he's chosen.

Meeting his grey eyes, she felt relief flood her system. "Thank you! Makes my life a bit easier now" the girl laughed lightly.

"How about you come by tomorrow lunch and I will provide you some materials? I got some books at home that I feel will be quite useful. Examiners tend to prefer book citations over the Internet" he said smoothly, taking a seat atop one of the desks and folding a leg beneath him.

Nodding, she agreed to stop by tomorrow. "Thank you once again!" beaming a small smile, her shoulders relaxed under the heavy weight that just disappeared.

He smiled gently, noticing the enthusiasm. "No problem (L/N). It's my job to assist my students."

Bowing her head politely, she said her goodbye and walked towards the door however she felt her heart stutter in her chest at the words that rang out behind her.

"I look forward to working closely with you over the next few weeks (Y/N)."

And this time, she did notice the use of her first name.