Chapter 50 End: Epilogue

Epilogue

—Two months after we started dating.

As an important event approached, I tried to calm my nerves by focusing on work.

Typing up current event topics on my computer while watching TV… That was the kind of work I was doing.

Kanade, leaning on the table with her elbows, gazed at me with a soft smile that almost made me lose focus.

…Being stared at this much makes it hard to concentrate.

Smiling wryly to myself, I turned my attention back to the news.

“Political topics are always likely to appear on the test… especially for third-year middle school students. They connect it to civics, so it’s important to stay updated. Also, anything related to the Olympics…”

“You’re making current events questions for test prep again~?”

“Well, they’re popular. I have to put effort into it.”

“Do your best, Shintaro. Just the other day, the students were rushing you, saying, ‘Is the director done yet~?’”

“Haha, I guess I need to hurry, then.”

While listening to various topics on TV, I searched and researched them on my computer. I had to cover everything from past events to recent ones, spanning the period since the last test.

But right now, the TV was covering a criminal case—topics like these aren’t useful for test questions.

—The president of Saotome Construction Co., Ltd. was arrested.

His son is currently in hiding. With multiple additional offenses, he’s on the wanted list—it’s only a matter of time before his arrest… Topics like these are never used for test questions, so I skip over them.

Political topics or new initiatives are much easier to turn into questions, though…

As I rested my chin on my hand, waiting for a relevant topic to come on, Kanade hugged me from behind, leaning her weight against me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… I just felt like doing this.”

“I see.”

“Did you not like it?”

“Not at all. If anything, I’d say, please do. But… don’t you get tired of hugging my back? You do it almost every day.”

“Fufu, it’s just so comforting, you know? Hugging you like this makes me feel at ease.”

Not long after we started dating, Kanade and I began living together.

Well, she’d already been spending most of her time at my place, so transitioning to living together didn’t feel strange or particularly special.

Saying there’s no special feeling might sound bad… but it’s not negative. It’s just that Kanade being here had become so natural that it blended in seamlessly.

Peaceful days.

A life that feels fulfilling even without anything extraordinary happening.

I had become completely immersed in this cozy environment.

Waking up to hear “Good morning” and saying “Goodnight” before bed.

Eating meals together, her presence adapting to my irregular work schedule so smoothly it didn’t even feel irregular anymore.

A life where I could just be myself, without holding back or overthinking.

The life I had always wanted was right here.

…I guess this ordinary daily life is what happiness really feels like.

“What’s up? Thinking about something?”

As I was lost in thought, Kanade leaned in to peer at my face and asked.

“Not really, just savoring the happiness of now.”

“O-oh~… Shintaro, you say things like that so easily, without even blushing.”

“Well, it’s true, isn’t it? If something makes me happy, I say it. If I like something, I say it. If you don’t say it, how would anyone know? ‘Unspoken understanding’ is just wishful thinking.”

“Fufufu, you might be right about that~.”

Kanade smiled happily and hugged my arm tightly.

Then, with a mischievous grin, she poked my cheek.

“Lately, your old Shintaro-isms have been making a comeback, and I’m loving it! You seem more lively, too.”

“Shintaro-isms? Did I say something weird?”

“No, not at all! It’s just… I’m glad you’re back to how you were when you saved me. Oh, but…”

“But?”

“Don’t be too nice to other people, okay? Shintaro, you have a knack for saying the right things at the right time, so tired girls might easily fall for you!”

“I-I’ll be careful…”

“It’s weird for me to say it myself, but experience speaks, you know.”

“When you put it like that, it does sound convincing…”

“Right, right~. By the way, the same applies to people at work, like Rika-chan, for example.”

“Sahara-san? We talk about work sometimes, but nothing’s changed, and there’s nothing going on. Even if there were, I’d never do anything to make Kanade feel uneasy.”

Kanade said, “Good!” in a cheerful voice and hugged me tightly again.

As I felt her warmth along with the softness of her touch, I looked up at the ceiling.

“Hey, Shintaro, are you happy right now?”

“Extremely. I couldn’t feel more fulfilled.”

“Fufufu, I’m glad~. With this, the revenge of becoming happy is complete!”

“The revenge of becoming happy… reven… ah.”

The words Kanade muttered with a happy smile echoed in my ears.

And then, I remembered the woman who had listened to me on that day, when I was at my lowest.

In that moment, everything clicked into place, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Ah, I see.

I had already been supported back then.

Realizing it only now… I truly owe her everything.

“…You could’ve told me who you were, you know?”

“If I had said it then, you’d have just put on a brave face and tried to hide it more. Shintaro, you always try to carry everything on your own~.”

“Haha… You see right through me. You know me too well.”

“Fufu, I sure do~.”

Kanade smiled triumphantly.

After a few moments of gazing at each other, she reached out her hand to me.

“Then let’s go. Shintaro? Of course, holding hands…”

“Yeah, of course. Let’s make sure to greet them properly. Though I am a bit worried about Hibiki-chan.”

“You don’t have to worry! You’ll just get bombarded with questions, that’s all~.”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about…”

When I sighed, Kanade lightly patted my back to cheer me up.

When our eyes met, she gave me an unclouded, radiant smile.

That dazzling smile melted away all my worries.

When I held Kanade’s hand, she squeezed it a few times, as if confirming the feeling.

“Looking forward to spending my life with you.”

“For a lifetime, okay? Let’s do this together~.”

With those words, we held hands and left the house together.

For us now, there was not a trace of the guilt or embarrassment of a teacher-student relationship.

The emotional scars from the past had completely healed.

What replaced them was one single emotion…

A warm, gentle sense of security.

In other words, the feeling that I want to stay with Kanade forever—this feeling of “love.”

The End