I am a teacher at a girls' school in Tokyo

As he responded, the atmosphere took a sharp turn for the worse, and even the summer air could not save the chilly atmosphere.

"..."

"..."

After a long silence, Hisada Masu had already turned her gaze forward and began looking at the unfamiliar streets of Kyoto, as if she was touring the city very seriously.

As for whether this is really the case in his heart, it is not difficult to guess that he is probably not as calm as he appears on the surface.

It was not until she got tired of the scenery that Hisada Maki spoke casually and naturally as usual.

"Teacher Hirakawa."

"..."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa didn't even have time to react. He waited for several footsteps before he came to his senses.

"Hmm?" he responded.

Hisada Masu's voice was not loud, and her tone was very light.

"Can you tell me what you have been doing these days?"

"……OK."

After thinking for a while, Tetsufumi Hirakawa answered the question.

"At first, I went back to my hometown, locked myself in my room, and kept thinking about how to solve the problem."

"Well, then why are you in Kyoto again?"

"On the one hand, I couldn't figure out what was going on because I was in the room. On the other hand..."

"What's the other side?"

"I was kicked out by my parents."

"Huh?" A surprised voice.

"Because - I feel annoyed when I see your room door closed every day." Tetsufumi Hirakawa used the tone of his mother in his memory.

"…Hirakawa-sensei's mother?"

"Ah."

“He seems like a very interesting person.”

"...It's probably fun to watch the fun, but it's still a bit troublesome when I face it myself."

There was a little chuckle in my ear.

A smile appeared on the corner of Hisada Moki's mouth again.

"Is that so?"

"Yes." Hirakawa Tetsufumi also tried his best to smile, "For example--"

He thought back to his childhood and wanted to give examples, and Hisada Masu listened attentively.

"Like what?"

"When I was little."

"Ah."

"To be honest, I have always behaved more maturely than my peers since I was a child."

"is it?"

"Of course." Hirakawa Tetsufumi affirmed.

When he was almost in kindergarten, he began to recall memories of his previous life.

Then, continue talking.

"Then?"

"Then, because I was too independent, my mother got upset with me. One day, she knelt down in front of me and cried, asking me if I didn't like her."

"Eh..." The voice sounded troubled.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi also seemed a little helpless: "My father was beside me at the time, but he didn't say a word. I guess he was a little overwhelmed. Then, my mother cried even harder, and asked my father with red eyes if he didn't like her either."

"..."

"..."

"...and then what?" Hisada Moki became interested and turned to look at him.

"Then, at the age of 4, I touched her head and comforted her. I followed her words and began to blame her father for being indifferent to her. I said things like 'How can you not be sensible at all' and 'Why don't you come and comfort her quickly', and so on."

"Puchi--" Hisata Masu imagined this scene in her mind and then laughed.

After laughing for a while, he said, "This picture seems very funny."

“So, it was probably fun to watch the fun,” Hirakawa Tetsufumi concluded, and then he laughed, “But I was really troubled at the time. The four-year-old me took on responsibilities that I shouldn’t have.”

"uh-huh."

Because of this example given by Tetsufumi Hirakawa, the atmosphere improved slightly, and the footsteps that had seemed heavy before became crisp.

"Anyway——"

In the re-energized atmosphere, Tetsufumi Hirakawa brought the topic back on track.

"That's how I came to Kyoto to relax."

"Well. So, what were the results of relaxing?" asked Hisada Masu.

"The result is..."

The night view of Kyoto, under the street lights, the eyes of the two are together again, staring at each other.

Hisada Moki's eyes were slightly puzzled, waiting for his answer.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa never gave his answer.

"What is the result?" Hisada Masu asked again.

"The result is..." Hirakawa Tetsufumi paused again, and then spoke it out in the sound of the evening breeze.

"I really like Mr. Hisada."

"..."

"..."

A couple passing by were attracted by the scene and looked back curiously.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi and Hisada Masaki's pace gradually slowed down and they fell behind them.

The female teacher blinked in confusion.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa was still looking at her seriously.

"..."

"..."

Until a moment later——

"Eh--?"

There were some loud and panicked noises on the streets of Kyoto.

"Teacher Hirakawa... what did you say?"

She was totally unexpected. This sudden confession and the gaze from the front made her at a loss as to what to do.

"too suddenly."

Hisada Masu quickly turned her face away, her profile turning crimson in the night.

"..."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa's expression was serious and solemn. He stared at the teacher's profile, took a deep breath, and continued speaking.

"If, Mr. Hisada didn't hear clearly, I can say it again."

"..." Hisada Masu looked to the right, raised her left hand and grabbed a strand of hair on the left.

"Teacher Hirakawa...it's OK..."

The voice is very soft, shy and embarrassed.

"..."

"..."

After the two of them walked forward for a long distance at an extremely slow pace, in the quiet night breeze, Hisata Moki finally felt the temperature of her cheeks drop a little.

She turned around again.

"..."

"..."

Hirakawa Tetsufumi's eyes were always fixed on her unwaveringly.

Her vision began to wander.

"This... is too sudden..."

"It's also very sudden that Mr. Hisada comes to Kyoto."

"..."

"..."

"Why are you suddenly saying this...?"

“This is what I came up with after coming to Kyoto.”

"……What's the meaning?"

"That's what I mean." Hirakawa Tetsufumi caught Hisada Masu's erratic gaze and said, "I really like Hisada-sensei. I can't avoid him."

"..."

"..."

The air in summer is too hot, so hot that my cheeks burn.

Hisada Moshu finally couldn't help it and lowered her head.

The sight was indeed gone, but the air - despite being complained about, still acted as a medium uncomplainingly, transmitting the flat voice into her ears.

"Teacher Hisada guessed correctly. What I have been struggling with these past few days is the emotional aspect."

"It's very tangled. Very tangled."

"I don't want to deceive Mr. Hisada. Mr. Hisada is so cute. If I plan to deceive her, I will feel guilty."

"But, I really don't dare to tell Mr. Hisada."

"So... that's all I can say."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa took a breath.

"Teacher Hisada, I'd like to explain to you what I've been thinking these days."

"In the past few days, I have been thinking about how to face the upcoming appointment."

"Should I sort out my feelings before confessing to Hisada-sensei? Or should I just ignore it and be with Hisada-sensei first?"

"I just can't find the right approach after thinking about it."

"As for the former, it was clearly an agreement, but I failed to fulfill it. Mr. Hisada will definitely be disappointed, right? I don't want to see Mr. Hisada disappointed."

"As for the latter, I don't want to feel guilty about my own heart. If I don't sort things out clearly and end up being with Mr. Hisada without knowing the whole story, I'm deceiving Mr. Hisada and myself at the same time."

"Neither approach is good, and I don't know what to do."

"..."

At this moment, Hisada Masu stopped and stared at the ground.

The phrases that kept coming to her ears, such as "with Mr. Hisada", completely confused her mind.