Calling it a "life talk" felt a bit too formal. But the problem was, Hiratsuka-sensei didn't look like she was joking. Aoki Kei couldn't sha
Calling it a "life ta;l" felt a bit too formal.
But the problem was, Hiratsuka-sensei didn't look like she was joking.
Aoki Kei couldn't shake the feeling that he'd done something wrong—something bad enough for her to come at him with this kind of serious energy.
He mentally reviewed everything he'd done since enrolling at Shuuka Private High School.
Aside from some minor disagreements with Yukinoshita Yukino, he was sure he hadn't caused any real trouble.
So with that in mind, he slung his guitar over his back, picked up his bag, and stood up.
Following Hiratsuka-sensei's lead, he walked down the hall toward the teacher's office.
They arrived after a short walk.
The office was unusually empty—most of the teachers had probably already gone home or were off doing other things.
Hiratsuka-sensei sat down at her desk, cleared a few things away, then pulled out a cigarette from her pack.
She didn't light it, just held it between her fingers like she was feeding a habit.
Her gaze locked onto Aoki Kei, but she didn't speak right away.
After a pause, she set the cigarette on the desk and gestured toward the chair across from her.
"Sit, Aoki."
Usually, when they talked in the office, there was a hint of a smile on her lips.
But today, her expression was completely blank.
Also, she normally wouldn't refrain from lighting a cigarette just because he was in the room. That was already strange.
Something was definitely off.
Aoki Kei obediently sat in the chair she pointed to, trying to quickly piece together anything he might've overlooked.
But no matter how much he thought about it, he came up with nothing.
To avoid saying something stupid and making things worse, he wisely chose to stay silent and wait for Hiratsuka-sensei to speak first.
The room remained quiet for a moment.
Then, finally, Hiratsuka-sensei let out a soft sigh.
"I went to that bar... 'Morke'... during lunch today," she said. "Mind telling me, Aoki, why you didn't say anything about quitting your job?"
Aoki Kei froze for a second.
Ah. Right. That.
He'd completely forgotten.
Back then, he'd made the decision to quit his part-time job without telling her.
He didn't want to burden Hiratsuka-sensei, the PTA, or the school board.
He thought he was doing the right thing by keeping it to himself—choosing to bet everything on joining a band instead.
From his perspective, it was a considerate move.
Less trouble for a teacher who was already taking on too much.
But from Hiratsuka-sensei's point of view, learning about it this way would probably feel like a betrayal.
Of course she'd be upset.
Aoki Kei stayed quiet, still choosing his words carefully.
Hiratsuka-sensei sighed again when she didn't get a reply.
After a short silence, she spoke again.
"I just think... something like that—whether it was a job change or something else—should've been mentioned to me, even briefly. I mean, I..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Aoki Kei understood what she was trying to say.
"After all, she worked so hard to help me with all that stuff."
Hiratsuka Shizuka was the kind of person who said what was on her mind.
If she was upset, she'd tell you straight up.
That's exactly why she called him here today.
But she was also thoughtful.
She'd clearly thought this through before confronting him.
She knew her sense of responsibility toward Aoki Kei wasn't something he had asked for.
That's probably why she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
————————————————————————
Looking at the slightly pained expression on Hiratsuka's face, Aoki Kei finally gathered his thoughts.
If he'd done this without a good reason, it would've just made him an inconsiderate idiot.
But the truth was, he did have a reason.
And he wasn't some clueless protagonist from an old anime—of course he was going to explain himself.
"The bar owner was understanding, but even she wouldn't be okay with me taking the same two days off every week like clockwork," he said calmly.
"And if I'd turned you down when you offered help—well, someone as responsible as you would've definitely tried to find another way to help me."
"That's why I decided to accept your help, but also quit my job without telling you."
He blinked.
"Rather than troubling you further or constantly worrying about the school board, I figured I'd just bet everything on something new. So yeah... I hid it. That was wrong. If it made you feel bad, I'm sorry."
It was a clean, logical explanation—flawless, even.
"..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had been feeling a bit down, now felt like punching herself.
Because of her well-meaning—but short-sighted interference, she'd accidentally pushed Aoki into quitting a job he hadn't wanted to give up.
And even after all this time had passed, she hadn't realized.
Instead, she barged in here ready to lecture him like he was in the wrong.
She'd even made him apologize.
The tension she'd held in her posture, the way she kept her chin slightly up while watching him, all melted away.
Her presence shrank by a good twenty percent.
Now, she looked more like a kid who'd gotten scolded than a teacher with authority.
"I didn't mean to put you in such a difficult position..."
Compared to Aoki's calm and clear reasoning, her excuse sounded feeble.
Seeing her sudden shift in attitude, Aoki Kei couldn't help but chuckle.
It really was just a misunderstanding. No need to keep the mood so heavy.
"Don't worry, sensei. I did mess up by not telling you."
Then, suppressing a grin, he put on a serious expression and said:
"But honestly... it's because you're just too cute. I couldn't bear to keep troubling you."
"C-Cute?!"
Hiratsuka's eyes widened slightly.
A faint, almost imperceptible blush crept onto her cheeks.
"A—AOKI!" she shouted, throwing away any pretense of being the composed adult in the room.
After a brief hesitation, she stood up decisively.
The blush faded as quickly as it came, but the guilt in her heart had softened just a little.
Standing tall again, she clenched her fists and slowly enunciated:
"You—DARE—FLIRT—WITH—YOUR—TEACHER—HUH?!"
"It's not flirting, I swear!" Aoki Kei immediately took a step back in retreat.
Hiratsuka paused.
Aoki Kei used that moment to rattle off an explanation at lightning speed:
"I know society doesn't approve of a beautiful woman your age dating a student, and I understand how that could be misunderstood, but that was clearly a joke!
It's a teacher-student relationship and there's like a twenty-year age gap—sorry, Hiratsuka-sensei! See you tomorrow!"
Before she could react, Aoki Kei turned and bolted from the office.
Hiratsuka didn't chase after him.
She let her clenched fists fall to her sides and bit her lip lightly for a moment.
Then unable to help herself—she let out a quiet, amused sigh.