I am a teacher at a girls' school in Tokyo

I have no idea what this girl is thinking.

Just like that, under the embarrassed gaze of the teacher beside her, Shinohara Shiori just watched quietly, and through the rain curtain and the diffuse water vapor, she cast a gaze with a certain emotion into his eyes.

At the same time, she remembered a Japanese poem that she had seen in the Kokin Wakashu:

Deep in the mountains, no birds are singing.

My heart is deeply locked with longing for you,

But I wish you knew me.

"I wish you knew me." She thought, grasping the hem of her plaid skirt with her fingers.

Chapter 168: A Girl’s Heart is the Most Unpredictable

A girl’s heart is the most unpredictable.

Looking at the girl who was silent but staring at him with a certain look, Tetsufumi Hirakawa really didn't know what to do.

What is this doing...

You can tell that he is in a bad mood, but it is hard to understand. He doesn't say anything, but still says "anything is fine".

He can't read minds or see through other people's thoughts at a glance.

"Um... Shinohara-san, when you feel unhappy, it's better to speak out. Also, you should relax and do something to distract yourself... Okay, let's not talk about this. I think everyone understands this."

Halfway through his talk, facing Shinohara Shiori's unchanging gaze, Hirakawa Tetsufumi chose to give up.

Everyone can say this kind of empty talk, but it doesn't mean much.

Also, adolescent girls are really troublesome and hard to understand.

Shinohara Shiori continued to stare at him.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa turned his face away embarrassedly.

The look in this young lady's eyes always makes people feel a little bit unbearable.

Is this the aura of a young lady from a famous family? It's really amazing.

After complaining in his heart and thinking for a while, Tetsufumi Hirakawa continued speaking.

"Well... since Shinohara-san said anything is fine, then I'll really say anything."

"..."

Still no response, but he could sense from the corner of his eye that the young lady's gaze was still fixed on his profile.

If you don't deny it, then so be it.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa raised his umbrella.

"What should I say..."

Raindrops falling from the sky made the vision slightly hazy. Walking on the wet ground could bring up some puddles of water.

As he walked, looking at the rainy night in Kyoto, just like the one when he went running before he got sick, Tetsufumi Hirakawa thought.

"Let's talk about what happened to the teacher in Kyoto?"

"..."

The willful eldest lady refused to answer and just stared at him quietly.

Forget it, whatever happens is fine.

He responded to Shinohara Shiori's gaze with a smile, and Hirakawa Tetsufumi's voice cut through the sound of rain.

"Well... last Thursday, the teacher went to Kyoto to deal with the wind orchestra issue... I didn't plan to talk about the wind orchestra issue, so don't worry."

“On Thursday afternoon, I got off the train and officially arrived in Kyoto.”

"After I put my luggage at the hotel, I went to visit the wind orchestra of Uyama Girls' High School with Mr. Ogasa."

"When I was at school, I separated from Mr. Ogasa because of something and wandered around the school."

"I was walking around and ran to the rooftop, and then... do you know what happened?"

Hirakawa Tetsufumi's usual calm voice, mixed with the sound of light rain, floated into the girl's ears.

Although it was a question, I didn't actually want Shinohara Shiori to answer it.

After a brief pause, Tetsufumi Hirakawa continued speaking.

"I met a...problem student. After all, the probability of teachers encountering problem students is quite high."

"..."

The teacher seemed to be on to something.

Shinohara Shiori's eyes moved.

And Hirakawa Tetsufumi responded to her with a slight smile.

"In short, the student thought I was too young, not wearing a teacher's uniform, and didn't look like a teacher at all."

The word “too young” was emphasized deliberately.

Indeed, this deliberate emphasis on behavior is indeed a bit childish - which also proves the point of youth.

"So, you treated me as some suspicious person who sneaked into the girls' school."

"Actually, I don't look like that kind of person anyway, do I?"

Tetsufumi Hirakawa looked down at the Moritani logo tattooed on the chest of his uniform.

"No matter how you look at me, I look righteous."

"..."

There was a hint of helplessness in Shinohara Shiori's eyes.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa sensed this small change and smiled.

"Okay, let's get back to the point."

"After that, Mr. Ogasa came and called me, and indirectly proved my identity, and I left like that."

"Then, that night."

The tone of Tetsufumi Hirakawa's voice changed, becoming a little bit higher.

"I was out strolling and something happened at a convenience store."

"A boy is verbally harassing a convenience store clerk. What do you think a teacher would do if they encountered such a situation?"

"..."

Shinohara Shiori finally spoke.

"Teacher Hirakawa, would you like to intervene and solve this problem?"

"Correct." Hirakawa Tetsufumi was very satisfied. "Of course, I stepped forward immediately and chased the boy away."

"Later, when I was paying, I discovered that the girl was actually the student from that morning."

"What a coincidence, isn't it?"

The two of them walked around the corner of the campus corridor holding umbrellas, and the shoe cabinet appeared in their sight.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa continued.

“The next night, I went to the convenience store again.”

"That student was still working there part-time, and then the harassing boy came again."

"No matter what, I can't just stand by and watch, right? The teacher has stood up again."

"As a result, this time it was a little different. The boy did not retreat again, but chose to call for help - well, he was a Yakuza."

"Jidao, this is my first time meeting him in real life."

"..." Shinohara Shiori lifted her long hair, "If Mr. Hirakawa is worried about the Yakudo, Shiori's house can also be..."

"Oh... this is not necessary..."

From what the girl said, she wanted to help solve the problem...

Tetsufumi Hirakawa was stunned for a moment and then refused.

"I'm not asking for help, but--"

His voice rose in tone, and his volume increased a bit, enough to be heard over the sound of the rain.

There was a sense of confidence in his words.

"Even though they called over a dozen people, they were no match for me. I easily defeated them and made them promise not to harass that student again."

"..."

It was a rainy day with dark clouds all over the sky. Suddenly, the teacher next to me exuded an aura that was enough to dispel the moisture.

His posture is enough to be described as high-spirited and vigorous.

"Isn't it awesome?"

There was a smile on the corner of his mouth that showed that it was not worth mentioning.

However, this attitude quickly disappeared in the sound of the continuous rain.

He looked at the shoe cabinet in front of him and waved his hand: "Well, it's okay. It doesn't matter if Shinohara doesn't believe it. After all, this kind of thing seems... too fake no matter how you say it. Just think of it as a teacher telling you a story. It's just something casually said."

Talking casually and walking nonchalantly, Tetsufumi Hirakawa walked into the shoe closet with Shinohara Shiori.

However, when she was putting away the umbrella, Shinohara Shiori suddenly shook her head and a girl's voice sounded in her ears.

"Teacher, Shiori believes it."

"..."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa, who was also preparing to fold his umbrella, stopped, thinking he had heard it wrong.

After a few seconds, I realized what I had heard correctly: she did say she believed it.

He looked at Shinohara Shiori, somewhat surprised.

"Believe, why believe?"

It was a little unexpected. After all, according to common sense, this kind of thing was more like bragging and should not be believed.

Just like that, amidst the puzzled gazes, from the moment he met her today until now, Hirakawa Tetsufumi finally saw a smile on the corner of this young lady's mouth.

The corners of her mouth curved up in a beautiful arc, and she looked straight into his eyes, with his face reflected in her eyes.

Behind her was the slightly dim sky on a rainy day and the rain falling continuously. Shinohara Shiori looked at the teacher in front of her with a smile, looking at his face that made her feel at ease.

She spoke, and the girl's clear voice intertwined with the sound of rain.

"Of course I believe in Mr. Hirakawa."

"because……"

"Before Mr. Hirakawa persuaded Shiori's mother to let Shiori stay in the wind orchestra, I also thought that such a thing was absolutely impossible."

"But Mr. Hirakawa did it."

“Knowing it is impossible, yet doing it anyway.”

"From then on, Mr. Hirakawa has always been Shiori's most respected and trusted teacher."

"No matter what it is, I believe Mr. Hirakawa can do it."

The girl's smile, though only light and fleeting, contained emotions and trust so strong that it seemed to clear the sky.

The raindrops behind her and the sound of rain in her ears seemed to be covered up.

I have to say, at this moment, staring at the girl's face, Hirakawa Tetsufumi was a little dazed.

-

It was not until Shinohara Shiori walked towards the shoe cabinet and passed by him that he came to his senses and turned around to follow the girl's figure.

He wanted to say something, but the girl beat him to it.

She stopped, turned her back to him, and spoke softly.