Curiously.

"Can I at least ask why?" You fold your arms as you lean back in your seat. "I never knew Mrs. Tang to be the... adventurous sort."

"She's - well..." A frown of discomfort and hesitation creases on Nicole's brow, but eventually she relents. "Mrs. Tang's been... frustrated. She came from one of those very traditional families - strict upbringing, arranged marriages and the like."

"That's a surprise."

"We've always known her to be on the uptight side," admits Ms. Larson. "But I didn't know it was that bad until I - " At this point your teacher glances carefully to the side before continuing, her voice hushed into a whisper. "Her husband came from another similar family. Ex-principal, and a full twenty-five years older than she is. No children, no sex life. She couldn't get off at home, what with her parents and in-laws being the prudes that they are. Apparently she took to relieving herself in the staff toilets."

"And that's when you found out."

"She forgot to lock her cubicle that day. Lucky for her, I happened to be the one to open it," Ms. Larson sighs. "She was so terrified of being caught, she was nearly in tears. It's not like she could tell anyone about her... circumstances."

"All right, I get the idea. What's that got to do with me?"

"I'm asking you as a favor for a friend." Your teacher looks at you with the most serious gaze you'd ever seen her sport. "If Hitomi's family finds out about what she's been doing, there's no telling what they'll do to her. And with the way she was begging me not to tell anyone, I don't want to think about what they'd actually do."

You pause for thought. This is all very juicy information indeed, and Ms. Larson looks like she'll do anything to keep the news under wraps...