Interlude 4
Each Their Own Way Ho
In the car on the way back from the sea, there was hardly any conversation.
The sound of the radio continued to flow as if to fill the silence, but it didn’t reach my ears.
While concentrating on driving, I found myself wishing that we would never arrive at my apartnt in Tokyo.
That way, the ti spent with him next to wouldn’t have to end.
If so, the fun holiday would continue indefinitely——
I’m aware of the contradiction within myself.
Under the pretense of being an adult, I was sealing away my true feelings.
Glancing at him next to , he was staring intently outside the window.
His reflection in the window glass still retained a hint of innocence.
He is a high schooler, although it’s easy to forget because of his usual mature behavior and actions.
There’s a part of that wants to close my eyes to such an obvious fact.
“Hey, Sensei. Can’t we just go sowhere else?”
He murmured as he chase the lights of the oncoming traffic.
“Go sowhere, and then what?”
“Sothing might change if we weren’t teacher and student.”
A love hotel along the highway caught my eye.
Could we forget the cumberso reality and just be a man and a woman, ignoring our positions and ages?
“I want to be of help in your life. In any form I want to support you. That’s sothing that won’t change.”
But the man sitting next to is soone I care about, and at the sa ti, he is also my student.
“So, would you date if I were an adult, Reiyu-san?”
For the first ti, he called by my first na.
Just that made my sunken heart feel like it was floating.
“I wonder. I’m not sure if we could start dating right away.”
“Nothing changes then.”
“…But, after going out to eat a few tis and listening to my complaints or sothing like that, maybe I could co to fall for you.”
‘If only’ is a sweet dream. It can be comforting, or it can reaffirm the emptiness.
Nishiki Yuunagi and Tenjō Reiyu are surely connected at heart.
What hinders that connection are insignificant yet significant elents like age and status.
Things that will change over ti. But that future feels endlessly distant to now.
“To be so devoted and empathetic to a student’s worries, Tenjō-san, you truly have a calling as a teacher.”
“That’s the best complint for .”
After that, the conversation ceased.
Just for a mont, I regretted being a teacher.
***
“Yuunagi-kun, we’ve arrived.”
“Ah… sorry, I fell asleep.”
“You were sound asleep.”
It seed he had fallen asleep midway due to the comfortable vibrations of the car and fatigue.
“This place is…”
The place we had arrived at was not the apartnt where we lived.
“Why are we near my parents’ house?”
“I got the address from Kaguya-chan.”
“When did you two get so close? No, never mind that. Once you’ve made up your mind, you really go through with it thoroughly, huh?”
His attitude seed superficially back to normal.
“Make sure you talk things through properly. Dragging things out won’t do any good.”
“Straight to the point, huh? That’s harsh.”
As if resigned, Yuunagi-kun unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.
“Thank you for driving ho.”
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and took one last glance at the driver’s seat.
“Take care.”
I watched his figure disappear around the corner.
Alone in the quiet car, I let out a deep breath.
I tried to calm my emotions to ensure a safe drive back.
“No good, no good. Don’t even think about it!”
I chanted to myself as if to suppress my emotions and cap them tightly.
“——I can’t be your lover because I’m your teacher.”
But as a woman, I want to cry over the sadness of parting.
If he goes back to his parents’ house, our relationship as neighbors will end.
My heart is breaking at the thought that we will be just a student and a teacher again.
When I reflect on the long life ahead, I wonder how much ti one can really spend with the family they were born into.
Thinking like that, the ti a child spends with their parents is incredibly precious.
Especially since Yuunagi-kun’s family is waiting for his return.
He still has a place to go back to.
A family that loves him.
It’s more unnatural for a teacher and student to live separated by just a wall.
I can’t prioritize my feelings alone, and I can’t take away a part of his life just because I want to.
“This is correct. This is for the best. Because this is the right thing to do.”
I laid my face on the steering wheel, trying to convince myself.
Physical distance doesn’t necessarily dampen affection.
But knowing we were neighbors has brought our hearts closer.
How much that saved .
Just having him next door ant I could avoid the loneliness of solitude.
Even though my head understands it’s not right, my heart can’t be deceived.
I’ve long since fallen for Nishiki Yuunagi-kun.
He’s younger, my student, and my neighbor, yet I can’t help but see him as soone I want to be with.
Unable to endure my emotions, I impulsively called my best friend.
I told her everything about today.
『…Giving up your holiday to solve a student’s family issue, you’re really playing the good teacher, huh? You’re too kind.』
“I don’t feel like it’s giving up my holiday, that’s the problem.”
『 I’ll join you for so drowning-your-sorrows drinking tonight.』
“Don’t you have a date planned?”
『 Any guy who gets upset over a sudden reschedule is a no-no for … You’re really struggling, aren’t you, Reiyu-chan?』
“I think I’ll end up making a fool of myself.”
『 We’ve been friends for so long, don’t worry about it now.』
“Female friendship is nice.”
『 It’s because you’re special to , Reiyu-chan.』
“Thank you. But I’m really tired today, and I have work tomorrow.”
Even in such a terrible state, I end up thinking about tomorrow—such is the sad life of a working adult.
That night, he did not return to the apartnt.
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