I am a teacher at a girls' school in Tokyo

Shinohara Shiori gently brushed her long hair.

"Teacher Pingchuan, what happened has happened. We need to face it. There is nothing wrong with admitting it."

"..."

"So for Shiori, it must be the one worn by Mr. Hirakawa that she would be more acceptable than the one worn by others, right?"

"..."

"Uh... that's right, too."

Hirakawa Tetsufumi smiled reluctantly and put the pajamas in his hand back into the closet.

"In that case...Shinohara-san, just pick one for yourself."

"Ah."

Shinohara Shiori was satisfied.

……

Tetsufumi Hirakawa no longer cared about Shinohara Shiori, and quietly walked out of the room and went to the living room.

"What happened has happened, and we need to face it. There is nothing wrong with admitting it."

In fact, it is really correct.

He actually said something similar, right?

Since it has happened, we cannot pretend it didn't exist.

He definitely said this to Shinohara Shiori.

But it turns out that is easier said than done.

He used this reason to resign because he couldn't ignore the fact that he had been with his student, Shinohara Shiori.

His faith as a teacher had been destroyed, and he was too embarrassed to continue standing in that position.

But what happens after you leave your job?

In fact, he has been avoiding it, avoiding the memories related to Shiori Shinohara and avoiding his feelings for Shiori Shinohara.

He regarded this avoidance as forgetting, thinking that forgetting was the beginning of a new life.

But it's not.

Simply avoiding is just avoiding, and it is a sign of cowardice.

True forgetting is to be able to face it with a normal mind, treating it as an ordinary little thing.

If he had really "forgotten" Shinohara Shiori and "forgotten" the feelings between him and Shinohara Shiori, he would definitely not have been so surprised the moment he saw her.

So he had not forgotten.

The avoided memories and emotions were merely locked in a corner of his mind until Shinohara Shiori appeared in front of him, as if holding a key and easily opening his lock.

Then, the memories and emotions returned intact.

Not forgotten at all.

If forgetting is the beginning of a new life, then facing something calmly should be the first step to forgetting.

Face it calmly and treat it as an insignificant matter. Then, this insignificant matter will be mixed up with other insignificant matters in daily life, and the difference will become indistinguishable. Then, they will be forgotten together.

Deliberate avoidance actually highlights the uniqueness and importance of this memory, instilling in the brain over and over again that "it is special, it is special".

So, after that, he should change his mindset and face what happened between him and Shinohara Shiori, right?

Thinking about this, Tetsufumi Hirakawa lay on the sofa in the living room and gradually fell asleep.

Then, he had a dream, a dream with Shinohara Shiori.

The blocked, or protected, memories entered his dream intact.

That unforgettable summer festival, fireworks, and the kiss of the beautiful girl.

A sweet and sour kiss with orange-flavored shaved ice.

……

The fireworks in the dream are still brilliant.

Chapter 279 So, face it calmly

The light from the rising sun in the early morning seeped into the living room through the transparent glass windows.

The darkness in the field of vision was gradually dispelled, and it was covered with a hazy light.

In this way, under the stimulation of light, consciousness gradually became clearer.

However, what really woke up Tetsufumi Hirakawa was the swaying shadow that blocked out the light in the dim light before his closed eyes.

There were some noises in my ears, such as footsteps and breathing.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa opened his eyes.

So, in the light that filled the living room early in the morning, everything in front of me was clearly imprinted in my eyes and entered my mind.

It is the face of a young girl.

Crystal clear skin, sparkling eyes, small nose, thin lips... Shinohara Shiori squatted beside the sofa, with a slight smile on her lips, staring at him quietly.

"Good morning, Mr. Hirakawa."

After opening her eyes sleepily, the girl opened her mouth and uttered a pleasant sound.

The sound is imprinted in my mind.

Tetsufumi Hirakawa looked at Shinohara Shiori in a daze, a little confused.

In the dream that I just woke up from, the face of the girl shining in various lights under the fireworks overlapped with the one in front of me.

The person in front of me seemed to have really walked out of a dream.

It was not until several seconds later that his brain became completely clear, and Tetsufumi Hirakawa finally figured out why Shinohara Shiori was here, instead of wondering if she had just come out of a dream.

He blinked and spoke.

"Shinohara-san?"

"Ah."

"What are you doing here?"

Shinohara Shiori stood up and answered his question with a smile.

"See when Mr. Hirakawa wakes up."

"What's so interesting about this."

Hirakawa Tetsufumi answered casually, but as he spoke, his voice gradually became unnaturally smaller.

Because Shinohara Shiori stood up, her face that was originally in the field of vision was replaced.

From the height of the sofa, lying sideways and looking straight ahead, all one could see was the hem of the girl's skirt.

The pleated skirt swayed slightly as the girl stood up, like rising and falling waves, vaguely revealing the girl's white thighs from her stockings to the hem of her skirt.

A touch of white tenderness with a swaying skirt, just woke up but not fully awake to see this scenery, it's really...

It's really quite bad.

It took about two seconds for my not-so-clear brain to get rid of the subconscious instinct of staring.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi raised his head and moved his eyes away from the girl's legs and upwards.

Miss Shinohara's face came into view again and their eyes met again.

After staring at each other for several seconds.

"Teacher Hirakawa, what's wrong with you?"

Shinohara Shiori looked at him with some confusion.

"...No, it's nothing."

I was stunned for a moment because I was looking at the other person's legs... It was a bit bad.

As he shook his head, Tetsufumi Hirakawa stretched out his hand from under the thick quilt, propped himself up, and prepared to get up.

However, after sitting up, Tetsufumi Hirakawa, who was about to stand up, silently stopped the action of getting up.

The living room was quiet for a moment, and Shinohara Shiori's eyes were still on him.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi met her gaze and smiled gently: "Shinohara-san, could you please leave for a while?"

"Huh?" Shinohara Shiori seemed confused. "Why? No clothes?"

"Uh... that's not the reason."

It's because of a normal physiological reaction that all men have in the morning...

Isn't it too embarrassing for a young girl to watch this? It's also not decent.

"Anyway... let's just leave for a while, okay?"

"..."

Shinohara Shiori still looked at him with some confusion, but fortunately, in the end, she said "Okay" and left temporarily.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi breathed a sigh of relief, took this opportunity to lift the quilt, stood up, and went to the bathroom to change his clothes.

Everything is back to normal.

……

Next, in order for the girl to wash up, she went to a convenience store not far from her home to buy a toothbrush and towel, and also bought breakfast.

While having breakfast, I chatted with Hisata on Line and said good morning.

As for Shinohara Shiori's matter...he currently doesn't understand what this girl is thinking, so he can't explain it for the time being.

But since they had agreed that she would tell him the reason tonight, he could tell him after tonight.

Just like that, after finishing breakfast, Tetsufumi Hirakawa looked at the young lady opposite him who was gently wiping the corners of her mouth with a tissue.

"Student Shinohara."

"Yeah." Shinohara Shiori wiped the corner of her mouth, put down the tissue and answered him.

"I'm going to work now," said Hirakawa Tetsufumi, "so what are you going to do after that?"

"Hmm..." Shinohara Shiori thought for a moment, "Shiori will wait for you at Mr. Hirakawa's house."

"..."

"..."

"Can't you?"

"...It's not impossible." Hirakawa Tetsufumi sighed helplessly, "It's up to you. Then, will you explain the situation to me tonight?"

"Shiori will." Shinohara Shiori nodded.

"That's it." Hirakawa Tetsufumi stood up, "I'm leaving."

He didn't have time to ask further questions now because he had to go to work.

"OK, all right."

No matter what Shinohara Shiori is trying to do, or what problem she wants to ask him for help with, we will know after tonight.

Let’s talk about it then.

Just like that, putting the matter behind him for the moment, Tetsufumi Hirakawa said goodbye to the girl who had come to his house for no apparent reason, opened the door, and walked towards the tram stop.

However, while riding on the tram and standing on the tram in a daze, Tetsufumi Hirakawa suddenly remembered the dream he had last night.

Or should it be called a dream? More accurately, it was a replay of reality, a memory that I thought I had forgotten invading my mind once again.

Shiori Shinohara, Miss Shinohara, her former student, the person with whom she had once been ridiculously together... How should he face her now?

At least, it has been proven that deliberate escape is useless.

He knew his own thoughts clearly, and he also knew the uncontrollable emotions in his heart when the girl reappeared in front of him.