Chapter 12 Former Student and Junior Colleague
Former Student and Junior Colleague
“Explain what you said earlier! What’s going on… no, what happened!?”
Sahara-san grabbed my arm and looked at me with a serious expression.
The meeting had ended, and I’d tried to slip away quickly to avoid being caught…
But as you can see, I was intercepted before I even made it back.
Thankfully, this was a quiet shortcut with little foot traffic, so I was spared.
If this had been a busy shopping district, it would have been too embarrassing…
“Let’s calm down for now. I’ll tell you what happened some other time. Besides, don’t you need to get back to your place soon?”
“This is way more important than that!”
“Hey, Sahara-san.”
I lightly flicked Sahara-san on the forehead.
It wasn’t hard, but she held the spot I’d flicked, looking at me with a dissatisfied expression.
“…That hurt, Ariga-san.”
“Well, you shouldn’t say careless things then.”
“But…”
“No ‘buts’.”
“Ugh… okay.”
Like a scolded child, she shrank back, looking downcast.
Seeing her like that, I met her eyes and began to speak slowly.
“Listen, remember what I told you during your training? The most important thing is the kids. Our job is to carry their futures, so you can’t dismiss anything as ‘just something trivial.’”
“…I understand.”
“If you forget that, you’ll never truly see things from the clients’ perspective. Got it, Sahara-san?”
“…Yes, I get it. It was just a slip of the tongue.”
“Alright, that’s good.”
“Haah… treating me like a kid again…”
I smiled and patted her head gently.
In response, she puffed out her cheeks in a pout, looking annoyed.
“So, what exactly happened? I trust you, Ariga-san… but surely, you didn’t cheat on your wife, did you?”
“I didn’t. It’s the opposite. She cheated on me.”
“…Your wife cheated?”
“Yeah.”
“Even though you went out of your way to take paid leave, even if it was inconvenient, on her birthday?”
“…Well, yeah.”
“And even though you spent time choosing a present and made an effort to surprise her?”
“Y-yeah…”
“You were even called a ‘wife-con’ at work! Unbelievable! Poor Ariga-san! At this rate, you’ll die from heartbreak!”
“Yeah, I really feel like I might die. Thanks to her, my life is almost at zero…”
Mostly from the embarrassment…
Wait, was everything I did for my ex-wife an open secret?
Just thinking about it made my face burn with embarrassment.
I fanned my face with my hand, trying to cool down a bit.
“I’ve decided. I’ll go knock some sense into her. Then we’ll figure out the rest.”
“Calm down! That’s not necessary!”
“I can’t forgive anyone who hurt the senpai I respect! I’ll just grab an awl from home and—”
“Since when did you become so violent? Stop it right now.”
“Don’t stop me, senpai! Let me go!”
“Seriously, it’s fine. Just knowing you care about me is enough to make me feel better… Besides, getting involved now won’t do any good.”
“…Senpai.”
Her eyes glistened with tears, and she looked at me with a sorrowful expression.
Despite having such expressive emotions, she never showed this side to her students.
If she did, she’d connect with them even more.
Though she seems stiff and inflexible, deep down, she’s the most compassionate person I know.
That’s why she’s genuinely upset about what happened to me, even angrier than I am.
Proof of that is her terrifying statement, “If I find her, I’ll deal with her myself.”
Seriously, I’m lucky to have such a great junior colleague…
As I was lost in these sentimental thoughts, a voice echoed through the empty alley.
“Hey~ Ariga-cchi! What are you doing in a back alley? Oh, wait, is this a secret rendezvous?”
“A-Ma-Miya-San, you have such a sense of humor. I was just on my way home.”
“Hmm? Amamiya-san…?”
Sahara-san didn’t seem pleased when I mentioned “Amamiya-san.”
She furrowed her brows slightly, a look of displeasure crossing her face.
But she seemed to understand the situation.
So, instead of whining or clinging, she simply shifted her gaze to Amamiya-san.
Then, after a few seconds of silence, Sahara-san politely bowed first.
“It’s been a while, Amamiya-san.”
“Rika-chan, long time no see~.”
“Oh my, you’ve changed so much… I didn’t even recognize you at first.”
“Well, it’s been a while since we last met, right before I entered university! Isn’t it amazing how much I’ve grown since then?”
“Yes, getting into your first-choice university was impressive, but… it seems your personality has regressed to that of a child.”
“Haha, Rika-chan is so funny! You’re so good at making sarcastic remarks~.”
As Kanade laughed, clutching her stomach, Sahara-san simply smiled.
…I don’t know why, but even though they’re both smiling, the atmosphere isn’t getting any better.
“You’re not as prickly as you used to be.”
“And you’re not as rigid as a rock anymore, Rika-chan~. You’re a bit softer now. You don’t even get mad at jokes. Good for you~.”
“…I suppose so.”
“See? See?”
It’s definitely not my imagination.
What is this… this chill I’m feeling?
I tried to step back and make my escape… but both of them grabbed my arms.
“It’s strange to leave without a word, isn’t it, Ariga-san?”
“Come on, it’s fine, right? He needs to get back to work anyway, don’t he?”
I could only manage a strained smile.
Honestly, I had no idea what to say.
I didn’t understand why the atmosphere between them felt so strange either.
All I could feel was a cold sweat dripping down my back, reminding me of my discomfort.
To calm these two down…
As I racked my brain for a solution, Sahara-san glanced at her phone to check the time and sighed in resignation.
“Well, I’ll let it go for now. It’s getting late, and I need to get back to my place.”
“Y-yeah, I have to open the door and stuff too…”
“But, senpa—no, Ariga-san. Let’s go out for drinks sometime! That’ll cheer you up!”
“Uh, I appreciate the thought, but… Sahara-san, can you even drink?”
“Ah… I’ll just push through somehow…”
“That doesn’t sound very reassuring.”
“It’ll be fine! Sahara Rika will repay her debt to her senpai and lift your spirits, even if it means drinking myself under the table!”
“No, no, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“There’s no problem at all!”
Her enthusiasm felt more like a disaster waiting to happen.
She’s so determined that she might not stop until she collapses…
But she doesn’t seem willing to back down from this plan… Hmm.
“If that’s the case, I’ll come too~!”
““What?””
Cheerfully raising her hand, Amamiya-san flashed us a peace sign.
“It’s better to have another woman around in case she drinks too much, right?”
“I guess that’s true…”
“I doubt that’ll be necessary, but… fine, do as you like.”
After a moment of hesitation, Sahara-san must have realized she didn’t want to cause me trouble.
Reluctantly, she nodded her approval.
Then, for some reason, the two of them stared at each other.
It felt like sparks were flying between their locked gazes.
“Amamiya-san made me suffer a lot as a rookie… but this time, I’ll reclaim my dignity as an adult!”
“Hehe, it’s a showdown, then, Rika-chan!”
“…Do whatever you want.”
I let out a strained laugh and shrugged my shoulders.