The story we started

[From the time, since I graduated from university and took over the teaching position, I have been a teacher for nearly fifteen years. No matter which country I am in, I am definitely a senior in the education system. In Japan, a country that values ​​seniority above all else, I am even more senior. All new teachers have to respectfully call me "senior" when they see me. Whenever the school has any benefits and benefits, they will first consider me and several other teachers with the highest seniority, and then other teachers.]

【It stands to reason that Shizuka Hiratsuka should have no worries at work. She only needs to continue living her life as usual. Then she can find a good man to marry at a social gathering or through a matchmaker, have children, work until retirement, and enjoy a peaceful life with her children supporting her. Her life can be said to be completely smooth, so smooth that she can see the future after she is buried.】

[But Shizuka Hiratsuka is not satisfied with this. She wants to do better. Otherwise, she would not choose to be a teacher, but continue to be a young lady at home and live an upper-class life attending various high-end banquets. ]

[——Yes, Shizuka Hiratsuka's family background is not ordinary, and she is not short of money. This can be seen from the fact that she lives alone in a luxury apartment, drives a limited edition Aston Martin to and from get off work, and wears high-end brand-name clothes and smokes cigarettes.]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka used to be arrogant. After graduating from university, she refused the job arranged by her family elders. After a big fight, she chose to start her own business and become a teacher.]

[Many elders in the family were puzzled and angry about why she chose to be a high school teacher, a job that was not even worthy of them, but out of blood ties, they could not bear to see her suffer like many college graduates who had just entered the society, so they gave Shizuka Hiratsuka a little financial assistance and left her alone.]

[Although the little bit of financial assistance they understand may be a little different from what ordinary people understand, it doesn't matter. They all hope that Shizuka Hiratsuka can change her mind with the passage of time and the blows of reality, and return to the stage that truly belongs to her.]

[But no one expected that after nearly fifteen years, Hiratsuka Shizuka was still working as a teacher alone and did not choose to go back. This made the elders unable to tolerate her willfulness any longer.]

[Thinking of the ultimatum her family had sent her not long ago and the blind date they had introduced her to, Shizuka Hiratsuka sighed silently again, her brows full of fatigue and boredom.]

【To be honest, even she herself was beginning to feel bored.】

[Unlike when she first entered society and thought she could do anything, after years of working and working, Shizuka Hiratsuka has matured in both her character, experience, and vision. She already knows her limits, what she can do, what she can't do, and her strengths and weaknesses.]

[This includes one's own teaching ability. ]

[When she first became a teacher, the students she taught were actually of the same generation as herself, so Shizuka Hiratsuka understood the students' thoughts and feelings very well. Coupled with her own good looks and approachable personality, she easily blended in with the students and was welcomed by almost all of them.]

[However, as time went by and her teaching work continued to grow, Shizuka Hiratsuka's thinking became closer to the "older generation" of teachers whom she despised when she was a student. Or, in other words, she has in fact become the "older generation" to herself.]

[Especially when there was a class whose age difference with her own students exceeded the maximum age difference of "twelve", Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly found that she had begun to not understand the current students. ]

[My generation used to like to read Jump's shonen magazine, discuss their dreams, and strive to get into their ideal university, but this generation of students prefers to indulge in the Internet, or chase after popular idols and traffic stars, as well as various hit dramas. Rather than striving for internal competition, they prefer to lie down and do nothing... Whether it is vision, ideas, ideology, or other aspects, Shizuka Hiratsuka can no longer talk to the current students. ]

[The recent incident of a student getting pregnant in class made Shizuka Hiratsuka doubt her ability to teach and judge people. She knew both students involved and had a very good impression of them. Putting the boy aside, she still remembered that the girl was very well-behaved, the kind of girl who loved reading. She had a chubby face with two dimples when she smiled, which was very cute. She had a good relationship with her and often talked to her about study and further studies during her spare time and vacation. Shizuka Hiratsuka also had high hopes for this student named Suzumiya.]

[Therefore, if she hadn't heard the principal's confirmation with her own ears, Shizuka Hiratsuka would never have been able to associate an unmarried pregnancy with her, and the most serious thing was an unmarried pregnancy in high school. This completely shattered Shizuka Hiratsuka's impression of this girl.]

[It was this incident that made Shizuka Hiratsuka doubt herself, because she had never doubted it before it happened, and Suzumiya, who was close to her, had never mentioned it to her. It was obvious that she did not trust herself in this matter, just like other people she did not trust. ]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't imagine what Suzumiya's expression would be when she came to class with a belly that couldn't be concealed at all, or when she received the notice that she had to drop out of school because of an unmarried pregnancy. ]

[Is he angry that she and that boy named Ming Hai did something that would greatly change their lives and futures without telling anyone, or is he sad that she didn't tell him about this matter, even though he has a very good relationship with her?]

[Angry? Not sure, because the person is no longer with us, and the funeral has been notified to be held next week. Shizuka Hiratsuka also received an obituary from the other party's family, hoping that she can attend the funerals of the two students as a teacher. ]

[Sad? I don't know, because the people involved are already dead. Now she can only see the two people for the last time at the funeral. After the funeral, the bodies will be cremated. The dead are the greatest, and all emotions have no meaning to them who have already left this world.]

[So now all Shizuka Hiratsuka feels is confusion and doubt about her own abilities. ]

[Am I really capable and qualified to continue teaching students now? Am I sure that doing so will not mislead the students? Or will something similar happen again?]

[The phone call from her family yesterday was like adding a chip to the already tilted balance of thought, causing Shizuka Hiratsuka to accelerate the speed at which the balance of her mind began to tilt to one side.]

[She pushed the floor with her toes, causing the chair she was sitting on to spin continuously on the floor, while Shizuka Hiratsuka kept looking at the light above her head that was not turned on, until the light of the setting sun gradually faded from her confused face and the campus outside the window was shrouded in the dark night.]

[…Perhaps, it’s time to end this job and return to the stage that truly belongs to me. ]

[Looking at the light that kept changing its angle in her field of vision depending on the chair she chose, this thought came to Shizuka Hiratsuka's mind. ]

【She wants to quit her job as a teacher.】

59. Zaimokuza Yoshiki has a promise

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, Health Center. 525txt.com

"Hmm... I didn't expect that my future self would start thinking about this aspect? I really don't know how to evaluate this."

Shizuka Hiratsuka, who was also holding an unlit cigarette like herself in the video, scratched her long, straight black hair that reached below her waist and sighed helplessly.

Although I have this tendency now, it is only at the stage of thinking about it. Unlike my future self, I have basically made up my mind and it seems that I am about to give up my teaching career and go home to inherit the family business.

As an adult, Shizuka Hiratsuka is not surprised or ashamed of the decision and idea of ​​giving up in the future. Although this choice goes against the oath she made when she first chose the teaching profession, "to make the students I taught proud that I am their teacher", she has long lost the passion and emotion of her student days and has become mature and rational. She can understand her own feelings in the video.

Just as she had said to Hikigaya Hachiman, this world is neither gentle nor correct. Under the influence of time, the most powerful force in the world, even the most passionate and upright people may become extremely unfamiliar to their former selves in the future, not to mention a small oath that no one knows about.

From ancient times to the present, countless people have been changed by the world and gave up the vows they once made. Now, there is only one more small Shizuka Hiratsuka in the future. Even if people know about it, they will just sneer and say "Another person who says but cannot do". Then people will forget about it and devote themselves to their own life trajectory. No one will remember that there was once a passionate teacher in the world who was frustrated by reality and gave up his ideals.

It's just that the education world has one less "Teacher Hiratsuka" and the upper class society has one more unmarried "Miss Hiratsuka" who is old. It won't cause any ripples and no one will feel sad. In this country where it is shameful to cause trouble to others, this is really the most suitable exit ending for a frustrated adult.

However, maybe it is not a bad thing that she can see her future self's choice through this video. Since even her future self has made this choice, maybe she can consider her future life path while she is many years younger than the "self" in the video.

Although her life path after giving up her teaching career was basically just returning home to inherit the family property, recruiting a man to marry into the family, or marrying another wealthy young man for an alliance.

"..."

Yukinoshita Yukino, who was sitting beside the hospital bed, heard the hidden meaning in Hiratsuka Shizuka's sigh, and she remained silent.

As perhaps the only person at Sobu High School who knows Shizuka Hiratsuka's true wealth and power, she felt a sense of sympathy for the choice made by the future Shizuka Hiratsuka in the video, because this might also be the situation she will face in the future.

In a sense, this is also a problem and choice that children of wealthy families will encounter when they want to start their own business. According to certain data and information that only people like them know, only a very small number of children of wealthy families can actually start their own business. Basically 99 percent of them choose to return home and inherit the family business. No matter how reluctant they are and how many grand words they say, they are completely shattered under the merciless pressure of reality.

Compared to these two women who are the only ones who can understand each other, other people's focus is completely different.

"Teacher Hiratsuka, not only do you live in a luxury apartment, but you also drive a limited edition Aston Martin to and from work? Could it be that you are a young lady from a wealthy family who has come out to experience social life?"

Zaimokuza, who knew the least about Hiratsuka Shizuka, was stunned by the information revealed in the video. He turned his head in disbelief and looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka who looked unhappy next to him, his voice full of envy and jealousy.

"…Have you ever seen a teacher of ordinary means use a car like an Aston Martin as a means of transportation? You are really worthy of realizing this now, Zaimokuza. Whether in or outside the video, now or in the future, you are so slow."

Hiratsuka Shizuka took the cigarette from her mouth and held it between her right hand, looking at Zaimokuza with a helpless expression.

Unexpectedly, after getting her personal confirmation, Zaimokuza's expression suddenly changed. He respectfully held up Hiratsuka Shizuka's hand holding the cigarette with both hands and placed it in front of his eyes. A polite smile appeared on his fat face, and his eyes were bright and he stared at the stunned Hiratsuka Shizuka with deep affection. It seemed as if stars were shining in the depths of his pupils, and he looked quite like the future "Zaimokuza Yoshiki".

"My dear beautiful lady, are you still in need of a bodyguard? If you are, you can consider me. I don't even need a salary, as long as you provide me with food, accommodation and support! My stomach is not very good, and the doctor said that I am most suitable for living a gigolo!"

"Alas!"

Seeing Zaimokuza's greedy face and his philistine look of begging for a rich woman to support him, Hiratsuka Shizuka's mouth twitched, and she withdrew her hand that was held by Zaimokuza with an expression of disgust, raised her foot and kicked him in the chest, causing him to scream and fly backwards, and fell on Hikigaya Hachiman, who had just woken up and was trying to sit up on the bed, and pressed him down again.

"Whoa!"

"Well!"

Zaimokuza's huge weight pressed Hikigaya Hachiman's hands and feet up, and he twitched radially for a few times before collapsing powerlessly on the bed. Even the four legs of the bed trembled due to the combined weight of the two people, making an extremely dangerous creaking sound.

"Get lost! I don't need your protection now, it's better to ask your future self to protect me!"

Seeing the ashamed expression of Hayato Hayama beside her, Shizuka Hiratsuka retracted her slender thigh that she had kicked out, and said unhappily with a speechless expression.

However, after Zaimokuza's commotion, her originally depressed mood improved a little, and she even showed a helpless smile on her face.

Thinking of this, Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly had something in her heart. She looked at Zaimokuza with some surprise, who was holding Hikigaya Hachiman, who was foaming at the mouth because of being pressed by him, and shaking him wildly with an anxious look on his face, shouting "My best friend!!!". Hikigaya Hachiman was almost shaken out of existence by him. This scene made Yukinoshita Yukino, who was standing next to them, hold her forehead in silence and Yuigahama Yui, who raised her hands in panic and uttered "Ah! Ah!" but didn't know what to do. At this time, Hikigaya seemed to be breathing out more than breathing in, and looked like he was about to collapse.

...Could it be that this guy did this on purpose, just to make me feel better?

【Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, bellissimoricordo restaurant. 】

【07:45 p.m】

[“It’s him, it’s him, it’s him, our hero~ Little Nezha! The mountains and the earth, the sky will——”]

【Da da da--】

【Zaimokuza, dressed in a waiter's uniform, was smiling as he used a knife to cut a slice of watermelon on the chopping board. He was humming a folk song he learned from a local kid with a lollipop when he traveled to a neighboring country, while swinging the knife downwards without even looking. The watermelon slices flew as the knife went up and down, and the sound of the blade hitting the chopping board created a melodious song. Each slice of watermelon he cut was of a very similar thickness and had a neat appearance, showing Zaimokuza's superb knife skills.】

[He smiled as he threw the cut watermelon into the steaming iron pot next to him, watched the watermelon being engulfed by the bubbling curry in the pot, and then stirred it with a large spoon. He kept singing songs, and his smile never stopped until he scooped up the curry with a spoon and poured it over the heated white hair next to him that had just been taken out of the microwave.]

[Today is the seventh day since the appearance of the unconfirmed life form No. 21, and it is also the second day after Zaimokuza, Kousaka Kyousuke and others conducted the experiment of awakening the omnipotent form element. ]

[The element awakening experiment conducted yesterday, or rather this morning, ultimately ended in failure.]

[After Zaimokuza used his superb recovery ability to repair his burns, at his insistence, the three of them experimented three times in one night, just to match their number, and the result was without exception that Zaimokuza turned into a human-shaped pillar of fire. After the last time, he was so tired that he didn't even have the strength to transform. He was sent back to this restaurant by Kousaka Kyousuke in a police car before dawn in the early morning. After sleeping for less than four hours, he woke up and did his own work.]

[Although Zaimokuza's physique has changed since he got the belt, he should have been depressed all day after experiencing the double blow of mental and physical failure of the experiment and lack of sleep, and he should not be as energetic as he is now, even overly active, which is obviously abnormal.]

[Even Ms. Kawasaki Saki, the boss of Zaimokuza in name only, the "slave owner" in reality, the bloodless and tearless capitalist, felt this, and today she kept turning her head suspiciously while working at Zaimokuza, who had a smile on his face all day.]

【Something's wrong! 】

[Miss Sakisaki looked at the white rabbit with a smile on its face, carrying curry and rice towards the customer, and frowned, thinking that things were not so simple.]

[“Dear customer, this is our special watermelon chicken curry rice that you ordered. Please enjoy it! Eat it while it’s hot. It won’t taste good if it’s cold~”]

[Zaimokuza put the curry on the table with a perfect smile that was full of tenderness, and turned to the high school girl in school uniform in front of him and said, this smile was like a filter, with a pink background and twinkling little stars looming around it. ]

[Sure enough, it’s not right! ]

[Miss Saki's eyes gradually became serious. Why did this white-haired rabbit, who always liked to slack off, become so diligent? ]

[“Ah? Oh, oh! Thank you!”]

[The girl who had been secretly observing Zaimokuza's perfectly curvaceous profile from the corner of her eye was stunned by his sudden turn of head and a frontal attack. After she came to her senses, she spoke in a low voice with a red face, her face almost lowered into the curry rice in front of her, not daring to look at Zaimokuza's face right in front of her.]

[The girl heard from her excited friends that a handsome waiter who was as handsome as a top star in the entertainment industry had come to this restaurant. At first, she didn't believe the news because she had heard countless similar rumors from her bad friends before. As a result, when she really went to meet him at the place they told her, she saw some ugly guys with thick beards on their faces that made people wonder if they were genetically regressive and their silly smiles completely shattered the girl's inner feelings of "encountering an unknown handsome waiter in a restaurant and starting a rosy youth love story." ]

[So she didn't take the news to heart until she walked a long way to buy something and it was too late to go home for dinner. She happened to pass by this restaurant and when she saw the name of the restaurant, she remembered the news her friend had told her before.]

[This slightly aroused her curiosity, and she walked in with the thought, "It's too late to go home anyway, so I might as well have a meal here." She didn't care if she was cheated again this time, because her purpose of coming here was just to have a meal.]

[And the result... Feeling the breath of Zaimokuza still around her, the girl's heart beats almost 300 times a minute, her face is red as blood, and she laughs wildly in her heart as her friends say, "Well done! Well done! I finally became a human being!"

【“——!?”】

[Just when the girl had already imagined how she would get married in the future, where she would live, how many children she would have, and whether she should change her name right now, a sudden touch on her hand interrupted her thoughts, and her mind went blank.]

[“Ah? Ah, Ah!???”]

[Looking at the hands in front of her that were holding her own hands and holding them up, and the handsome face and affectionate eyes of the handsome white-haired guy she saw when she looked up, the girl's expression was completely stiff, her thoughts were running wild like a derailed train, and she let out a panicked scream.]

[“My lady, you are so beautiful, like a lotus in a lotus pond blooming in the moonlight. This plate of curry rice was created just for you to taste it!”]

[Zaimokuza said affectionately, the street light outside the window shone through the translucent curtains onto his side face, casting a faint low-light filter on half of his face, and the other half was covered with a layer of shadow. The iris of his eyes reflected the girl's gradually red face, and it seemed as if billions of stars were flashing and rotating in the depths of his eyes.]

[“Eh? Hey, hey, hey! Then, then, then, that!?”]

[The girl was originally imagining things, but something that would never happen in her imagination suddenly happened. She looked down at the two people's hands together, feeling the warmth of the other person's palm through the gloves. Her fair face heated up dramatically, and her eyes gradually began to swirl.]

[“If you can only taste this plate of watermelon curry rice once, it would be such a pity for it. It was born at the wrong time. Meeting the right you at the wrong time is the tragedy of its birth! Its unique sweetness is to set off your beautiful face and to tell the world how sweet you are. It is just like the nectar collected and cultivated by bees. Even the king of fruits, kiwi, cannot be half as sweet as you!”]

【Zaimokuza spoke affectionately, and with familiar movements, he took out a stack of postcards from his chest pocket and stuffed it into the girl's other hand holding the rice spoon, wrapping the other's delicate palm and gently closing his five fingers one by one.】

[“Please take these postcards and share the joy of tasting this special chicken curry with every friend and relative you know. Please remember to come back to visit and taste it again. It is waiting for you to come, because it was made for you.”]

「Ahhh… That’s——」

[Chi——]

[Under the girl's red face and mosquito-repellent eyes, Zaimokuza skillfully lowered his head and gently kissed the back of her white and tender hand holding a soup spoon and a stack of postcards. ]

[Looking at the handsome white-haired man kissing her hand and feeling the soft touch on the back of his hand, the girl rolled her eyes and fainted like countless other women who had visited this restaurant before.]

[——As expected, something is wrong!!!]

[Looking at Zaimokuza waving goodbye to the girl who was about to walk out of the restaurant in a daze with a silly smile on her face after finishing her curry rice, Miss Saki gasped, felt the hair on her back stand up, and broke out in cold sweat! ]

[Didn't this rabbit always look desperate when doing this kind of thing before? Why is he so skilled today? Not only is he not reluctant at all, but he also has a happy smile from the heart, and he doesn't even need me to whip him in the kitchen or threaten him with dinner. This is definitely a big problem! ]

["Ms. Saki~ I have something to ask of you~"]

【"ah!?"】

[Just as Kawasaki Saki was trying to figure out what was wrong, Zaimokuza's smiling face with pink bubbles floating around it suddenly appeared in front of her, scaring her so much that she let out a scream, and her slender legs wrapped in black stockings trembled unnaturally, shaking out a moving arc before they stood firm.]

【“???”】

【Zaimokuza tilted his head at her panicked look, his face full of confusion.】

[“Ahem! What’s wrong, Zaimokuza?”]

[Kawasaki Saki's face turned red after she realized what was happening. She pretended to cough a few times to regain her dignity, and then spoke seriously with a few blushes on her face.]

[“It’s like this, I want to take a day off tomorrow~”]

[“Huh? You want to ask for leave again!?”]

【After hearing this, Kawasaki Saki's eyebrows suddenly raised, and she looked at Zaimokuza with an unfriendly look on his face, who was still smiling.】

[I don't blame her for this. Although not getting paid is a bit inhumane, this guy is just a lazy guy. He sneaks out all day long and I don't know what he's doing. Last week he took four days off, which is more than his working hours!]

[This can't go on! Thinking of the female customers who were lost because of Zaimokuza's absence, Kawasaki Saki felt a dull pain in her heart, as if countless Natsume Soseki had flown away from her pocket, and the pain made her almost unable to breathe. ]

[This guy must stay here and continue to work obediently. A worker should have the awareness of a worker and don't even think about disobeying the boss! ]

[The capitalist lady's eyes rolled a few times in her eye sockets, and a treacherous smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.]

[“Of course you can, but you won’t get a day off next week. That means you have to work twelve consecutive days before you can rest!”]

[The capitalist lady was very proud. Now let's see if you dare to ask for leave! Whether to work five days or twelve days, even a fool would know which one to choose! ]