I am a teacher at a girls' school in Tokyo

Hirakawa Tetsufumi smiled.

Shinohara Shiori reached out and grabbed her long hair that was flowing forward.

After waiting for a while, the sky became brighter and brighter.

"Okay, Shinohara-san, it's really about time we go now."

"Yeah." Shinohara Shiori finally nodded and left Hirakawa Tetsufumi's shoulder.

But his hand was still around Tetsufumi Hirakawa's arm.

"Where to go next?"

"Is it time for breakfast?" replied Tetsufumi Hirakawa.

"What about after breakfast?" Shinohara Shiori continued to ask.

"Let's find a place to rest. We haven't slept all night."

"Where shall we rest?"

"Of course we're going home. It's time for Shinohara-san to go home too."

"..."

"..."

Shinohara Shiori stared at Hirakawa Tetsufumi.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi smiled and looked at the girl.

"Shinohara-san, it's almost time to end the youth."

"..."

Shinohara Shiori was quiet for a while, and the smile on her lips gradually faded in the endless land breeze.

The seemingly romantic atmosphere suddenly changed.

She tilted her head.

"Has Mr. Hirakawa figured it out?"

"Yeah, I can see it."

"When?"

"Well..." Hirakawa Tetsufumi thought for a moment, "Last night, Shinohara-san, you went to the restroom at the amusement park and found that the water was out... I was just kidding."

Hirakawa Tetsufumi laughed for no apparent reason.

After laughing twice, he stopped and became a little serious.

"Hmm... If I were to say when, I can only say that there are doubts in many places, but I am completely sure that there is something wrong with Shinohara-san. It was you who said not long ago that you wanted to watch the sunrise."

"Is that so?" Shinohara Shiori put her finger to her chin, "Teacher Hirakawa, can you tell me what aspects of Shiori were exposed?"

"Of course." Hirakawa Tetsufumi nodded. "First, before Mr. Shinohara came to see me the night before yesterday, he came to see me on the way that night and asked me a lot of questions... Is this a scouting trip?"

"Hmm, so this is what made Mr. Hirakawa suspicious?" Shinohara Shiori nodded thoughtfully.

"Secondly, if you have any questions, you can tell me first. But Shinohara-san probably wanted me to believe him, so he didn't tell me until I saw the 'man in black'... He wanted me to see it with my own eyes, right?"

"That's right. It's also to prevent Mr. Hirakawa from having too much time to think."

"Third," Hirakawa Tetsufumi continued, "When escaping from the amusement park, even though she was a young lady, Shinohara-san was a little too calm. It was like she wasn't worried about being caught at all... Shinohara-san needs to hone her acting skills a little more."

"Acting? Shiori remembers it."

"Fourth, it's still about acting. Shinohara-san's subsequent behavior doesn't seem like she was forced into a marriage by her mother... This one seems more like bait, just waiting for me to take the bait."

Shinohara Shiori laughed: "But it seems that Mr. Hirakawa still chose to take the bait?"

Hirakawa Tetsufumi's tone was somewhat helpless: "What can I do? I have great trust in Shinohara-san, and I made the promise myself. Although I have some doubts, I have chosen to ignore them for the time being."

"Then it seems that Shiori has betrayed Mr. Hirakawa's trust."

"Yes, I was deceived... As expected, the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive. Zhang Wuji's mother was right."

The deceptive beautiful girl smiled with her hands covering her mouth.

"And then? What's the most important reason for seeing through it?"

"Well... Shinohara-san, do you think that most people would still want to watch the sunrise after something like this? And you want to watch it with me... Are you really waiting for me to take the bait?"

"Then why did Mr. Hirakawa come with Shiori when he obviously saw through it?"

"If you want to know why..."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa looked at Shinohara Shiori carefully.

"Shinohara-san, I like you."

"……Um?"

Shinohara Shiori never expected this answer and was stunned for a moment.

"Shinohara-san is very pretty. She's so pretty that it makes my heart beat faster."

"Especially when you told me that you wanted to watch the sunrise and wanted to watch it with me, I looked at you and I really couldn't refuse you at all."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa sighed.

"So that's how it is." Shinohara Shiori nodded to show that she understood, and the corners of her mouth rose again.

"But it's not just this." Hirakawa Tetsufumi continued, "The most important reason is to face it calmly."

"Face it calmly?"

"Yeah, face it calmly - I told you, Shinohara-san."

"I like you, and I shouldn't deliberately avoid this fact. If I really want to forget you, I'd better face it calmly."

"So I decided to watch the sunrise with you."

"For me, this is the prelude to forgetfulness. For you, Shinohara..."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa slowed down his speech and spoke in a light tone.

"Shinohara-san, by comparison, I don't like you that much, and therefore I rejected you——"

"Is it true? I like you and have had some wonderful moments with you, but even so, I still choose to reject you. Doesn't this better reflect my determination?"

"What do you think?"

Hirakawa Tetsufumi asked softly.

"..."

"..."

"It really shows your determination to refuse, Mr. Hirakawa..." Shinohara Shiori nodded in agreement.

Chapter 286 Christmas Eve, Restarting the Dream

At the seaside after sunrise, the golden sun hangs over the blue sea, casting sunlight from the side.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi faced Shinohara Shiori, and the girl nodded slightly in agreement with what he said.

"So, now, it's time to end this?"

Hirakawa Tetsufumi reached out and slowly moved away Shinohara Shiori's hand that was on his arm.

"I like you, but I will only reject you. This is my answer, Shinohara-san."

"..."

I didn't deny that I liked her. On the contrary, I admitted it quite frankly. But, even if I liked her, even if we had just watched a beautiful sunrise together, all I could give her was rejection.

Does it show determination to refuse? It is indeed very firm...

Shinohara Shiori looked at the former teacher in front of her, who had a gentle expression and even a faint smile, and did not speak for a long time.

The plan had been seen through long ago, and failure seemed inevitable.

But, she had planned for so long not just to prepare for failure.

Shinohara Shiori stood in the wind, her long hair fluttering in the air.

"Teacher Hirakawa, have you made a decision?"

"Of course it is."

"You will never change it again?"

"Well, it will never change again."

"Why do you reject Shiori even if you like her?"

"You have to reject Shiori even if you like her."

"This is really an answer that Shiori would hate." Shinohara Shiori sighed softly.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi also sighed.

"Isn't it because Shinohara-san is so willful that this happened? She's so capable of making up stories."

"What if Shiori likes Mr. Hirakawa? What can we do?" Miss Shinohara said in a capricious tone.

"Yes, yes, yes, I know. But, I'm sorry."

"Sorry it's too early."

"Too early?" asked Tetsufumi Hirakawa.

Shinohara Shiori smiled and put her arm around Hirakawa Tetsufumi's hand, which had been taken away from her.

"Well, it's too early. Didn't Mr. Hirakawa want to show your determination to reject Shiori? You have to reject her even if you like her."

"Yes."

"Then stay with Shiori for another day." Shiori Shinohara threw herself into Tetsuo Hirakawa's arms and pressed her cheek against his chest.

"If you can still say no to Shiori after spending a day with her, then Shiori will recognize Mr. Hirakawa's determination."

"…Does it have to be like this?" Tetsufumi Hirakawa looked at the girl in his arms.

"Ah."

"Isn't that enough now?"

"Not enough, Shiori doesn't approve."

"..."

"You can't be afraid, Mr. Hirakawa?" Shinohara Shiori suddenly raised her face from Hirakawa Tetsufumi's arms and greeted the morning sun.

"Your heart rate has quickened."

She poked her finger where her heart should be.

Hirakawa Tetsufumi smiled helplessly.

He looked directly at the girl in his arms, her delicate face only a few centimeters away from him.

"I've already told you that I like Shinohara-san, and of course my heartbeat speeds up when you run into my arms like this."

The beautiful girl threw herself into his arms.

Shinohara Shiori chuckled at him.

"Then do you want to hug Shiori?"

"I do." Hirakawa Tetsufumi admitted honestly.

"That……"

"Absolutely not."

Tetsufumi Hirakawa will not be tempted by beauty.

He reached out his hand, placed it on the girl's shoulder, and gently pushed her away.

"Okay." Shinohara Shiori said, "Do you agree to Shiori's request?"

"..."