Chapter 9: The Unease When I Encountered My Girlfriend and Childhood Friend on the Way Home After Being Called Out
The Unease When I Encountered My Girlfriend and Childhood Friend on the Way Home After Being Called Out
During the holiday, the school building was quiet except for the voices of the sports clubs practicing out on the field. When I opened the staff room door, the sound echoed through the hallway as I stepped inside.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh! Sawada-kun, over here!”
Sitting on the sofa in the quiet staff room, Mihara-sensei raised her right hand and motioned for me to come over.
“Sensei, what’s this about, calling me in on the very first day of Golden Week?”
“Sorry about that. It’s because of some adult circumstances.”
“What kind of reason is that supposed to be?”
“Come on, take a seat, take a seat.”
Sitting on the sofa facing her, I couldn’t help but notice that Mihara-sensei’s outfit was much more revealing around the chest than usual. If I relaxed even a little, my eyes might have been drawn to that deep valley.
“…”
“Sawada-kun?”
“Ah, yes.”
“The reason I called you is because I was wondering if you’ve done anything bad in the gym.”
“The gym? What do you mean by that?”
“So, you’re saying you have no idea what I’m talking about?”
The only thing I could recall about the gym was Ayane and Minato doing that, and I didn’t think just overhearing it would be enough reason to be called in, so I tried to come up with an excuse.
“It’s not that I don’t remember anything, but I’m not in a club, so… sometimes I just eat lunch alone on a bench near the gym.”
“I see. But you know, food tastes better when you eat with others.”
“Is that so? I don’t really feel the difference.”
“Hmm. But you were near the gym during lunch break, right?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
The tense atmosphere felt like an interrogation. Mihara-sensei seemed unsure whether to dig deeper into my personal life, so I decided to steer the conversation myself.
“Sensei, did something happen? I haven’t been secretly doing anything, you know.”
“Hmm, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“It’s a bit personal, but… you have a girlfriend, right?”
“Yes, Tachibana Ayane from Class 2-C.”
“Has anything happened between you and Tachibana-san recently?”
I wondered how much she already knew, so I chose a safe, neutral answer.
“Nothing in particular, at least for now.”
“For now, huh.”
“We’re still just an inexperienced couple, after all.”
Mihara-sensei seemed to be trying to connect what she’d already heard with my response, as if searching for the truth.
“…Mihara-sensei?”
“…”
“Did something happen at the gym during lunch break?”
“!!”
Mihara-sensei’s startled reaction told me she was silently urging me to confess. Realizing she wouldn’t let me go otherwise, I sighed and opened my mouth.
“Ah, I get it now, Sensei. I’ll just come clean.”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
I stood up to make sure no one else was in the staff room, looked around, then sat back down and faced her again.
“Well, um… excuse me for a moment.”
Just as I was about to tell her part of what I’d seen Ayane and Minato doing in the boys’ basketball clubroom, the phone in my pocket began to vibrate.
“Sensei, may I answer this call?”
“Go ahead. But you know phones are technically not allowed in school, right?”
“Sorry about that.”
When I took out my phone and checked the screen, it was a call from Natsuki.
“Natsuki?”
[Onii-chan, come to the gym right now. Those two just went inside.]
“Got it. I’ll be there right away.”
After hanging up and putting my phone back in my pocket, I stood up, but Mihara-sensei stopped me.
“Sawada-kun? Where do you think you’re going when we’re in the middle of talking?”
“Mihara-sensei, what you want to know will be clear soon. Let’s go to the gym together.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
When I mentioned going to the gym, Mihara-sensei seemed to catch on. As we walked out of the staff room together, I asked her a question.
“Sensei, are there any clubs scheduled to use the gym today?”
“Not today. The teachers on duty are all supervising outdoor clubs.”
“I see. From here on, please keep your footsteps quiet.”
“Huh? Oh, alright.”
We walked down the reddish-brown brick path leading away from the school building, where Natsuki was waiting by the entrance of the gym.
“Onii-chan.”
“Thanks, Natsuki.”
“Yeah. I saw the two of them when I left the clubroom, so I followed them and they went into the gym. I thought it might be something like that.”
“So you’re Sawada-kun’s little sister.”
“Yes, I’m Sawada Natsuki from Class 1-A, Mihara-sensei. But more importantly, over here, Onii-chan.”
Natsuki led us to a spot where one of the ventilation windows was open just enough for the sounds inside to be heard.
“Sensei, Onii-chan, from here on we should walk quietly.”
The three of us moved silently and stopped beneath the open window. Leaning my back against the wall, I whispered softly into Mihara-sensei’s ear.
“Sensei, no matter what happens, please don’t move until the end, okay?”
“Huh? Alright, I understand.”
The three of us listened closely for voices from the other side. The reason my heart didn’t waver must have been because something inside me had already broken.
“…Ayane. Ryouta didn’t try anything with you, did he?”
“Nothing happened. Natsuki-chan was home, after all.”
“I was worried, you know? I could only tell how you were doing through the phone.”
“Come on, worried or not, Ryou-chan is my boyfriend.”
“Even though we’ve been doing this over and over?”
“Ah… but Ryou-chan is the one I lo— wait, I’ll take it off now.”
“Nope. This time, I’ll do it.”
“Wait, Minato?”
Since Ayane knew that as a non-club student I had no idea about club schedules, she used club activities as an excuse to come to school and meet Minato.
“W-wait, not in the clubroom…”
The moment I heard Ayane’s moan, Mihara-sensei started to move as if to burst into the room, so I quickly wrapped my arms around her from behind, covered her mouth, and held her still.
“Sensei, I’m really sorry, but please, let’s just wait until it’s over.”
“Mmph…”
“Please, Sensei. If not, my heart will…”
Hearing my words, Mihara-sensei suddenly stopped resisting. I released my hand from her mouth and let go of her waist.
“Sawada-kun…”
When she softly whispered my name, I noticed her eyes glistening faintly with tears, likely out of sympathy. On the other side of the wall, Ayane and Minato, unaware of our presence, continued their act until they reached their peak together, then went silent.
“…Sensei, let’s go back.”
“…”
As I started walking back toward the staff room, Natsuki silently took my left hand. The warmth of her small, soft hand seemed to calm me. Meanwhile, Mihara-sensei stood with her back against the wall, looking up at the sky, too shocked to move.
Back in the empty staff room, Natsuki and I sat together on the sofa at the back. After a quiet moment, the door slid open and Mihara-sensei returned.
“…Sawada-kun, how long have you known?”
“I found out for the first time two days ago. I don’t know how long those two have been involved, but Ayane and I have been dating since last summer. Can I go home now?”
“Yes. You can go for today. I need to take some time to sort things out myself.”
“We’re going home.”
As Natsuki and I left the staff room, we pushed our parked bikes toward the school gate, only to run right into Ayane and Minato standing there and talking together.