The story we started

[After changing into casual clothes, Yukinoshita Yukino walked out of the train door carrying a shoulder bag, and also looked up at the familiar platform in front of her, her eyes were a little dazed. ]

[This is the place she has been away from for many years since she was admitted to university. It is also the hometown where she has the most memories since she was born.]

[Wearing a white dress, Yukinoshita's black hair formed a sharp contrast with the color of the dress she was wearing. Coupled with her own outstanding appearance comparable to that of an idol in the entertainment industry, she attracted the attention of almost everyone in the station. There were all kinds of looks, including surprise, jealousy, and admiration.]

[Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been accustomed to this kind of gaze for many years, was not moved at all. She walked out of the platform, and the hem of her white skirt swayed in the air as she walked forward.]

[The destination she is about to go to is her former alma mater, Sobu High School, just like Shizuka Hiratsuka. 】

[Yukinoshita Yukino met some of the most important friends in her life at that school, and also left indelible memories there. ]

[Many years have passed, but the scene of that high school and the faces of those people are still as vivid in my memory as yesterday, as if I had never left.]

[And now, Yukinoshita Yukino will return there again to fulfill her promise on behalf of her friend. ]

63. Reunion with an old friend after a long absence

[Chiba Prefecture, near Sobu High School, Aido Restaurant. bookzun.com]

[“This restaurant didn’t exist before…Did it open after I left?”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka stopped walking past this restaurant with her backpack on her back, lifted her sunglasses and looked up at this small restaurant that she had never seen before. She touched her chin and muttered to herself. The fish logo behind the restaurant sign and the eel aroma wafting from inside made her a little eager to try it.]

[Gu~]

[At this moment, her flat belly also let out a long groan, reminding her master that she was hungry.]

[“Oh my, I was in such a hurry to get out this morning that I only ate one piece of bread.”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka touched her stomach awkwardly, and faced with the fragrance that kept coming from her nose, she walked into the small shop without hesitation.]

【“Welcome! What would you like to eat?”】

[A young woman wearing an apron and with long wine-red hair, who looked like the proprietress, trotted over with a menu in hand, her slightly round face full of smiles.]

【“Let’s have some grilled eel rice.”】

[Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced around and saw a poster of an eel rice on the wall that looked pretty good. Her eyes lit up and she raised her voice slightly.]

[“Okay! Anata~give me a plate of grilled eel…rice.”]

【“……?”】

[The proprietress was writing the names of the dishes on the menu happily, and while writing she looked up at Shizuka Hiratsuka.]

[But as she stared at Shizuka Hiratsuka's face hidden under her glasses for a longer time, a sense of familiarity began to emerge in her heart, and the speed at which the pen in her hand moved on the notebook gradually slowed down until it stopped completely, and her eyes gradually changed from happy to full of suspicion and uncertainty.]

[“Um… is that Mr. Hiratsuka?”]

[In order to confirm whether the familiar feeling in her heart was true, the proprietress put down the notebook in her hand and asked tentatively. ]

[“Hmm? Do you know me?”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka was stunned when she heard someone calling her last name. She took off her sunglasses and asked the lady boss.]

[“Hiratsuka-sensei! Is it really you? Long time no see!”]

[When the proprietress saw Shizuka Hiratsuka take off her sunglasses and reveal that familiar face, her expression became very pleasantly surprised. She put down the menu book in her hand, reached out and held up Shizuka Hiratsuka's slender hand that was placed on the table and spoke. Her attitude was so enthusiastic that Shizuka Hiratsuka even felt a little uncomfortable.]

[“Uh… who are you?”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the eager proprietress in front of her and couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed, because this person obviously knew her, but she had forgotten who she was. This kind of thing was extremely rude to the Japanese who valued etiquette. ]

[“Eh? Mr. Hiratsuka, have you forgotten who I am? I’m Sagami! I’m Sagami Minami from the 2nd grade F class that you used to teach!”]

[The lady boss named Sagami Minami became anxious when she saw Hiratsuka Shizuka's expression. She let go of Hiratsuka Shizuka's hand and gathered her long hair that fell to her chest behind her, pretending to have short hair and said to Hiratsuka Shizuka.]

【“…It’s you, Sagami!?”】

[When Shizuka Hiratsuka saw Sagami Minami with short hair, she immediately felt a sense of familiarity. After thinking and recalling for a while, the image of a girl wearing a white lining and a short skirt from Sobu High School, who often walked with two other girls, suddenly appeared in her mind. ]

[That girl looks exactly like the lady boss in front of her named Sagami Minami, but she lacks a mature temperament. Thinking back to who the lady boss in front of her is, Shizuka Hiratsuka said in surprise.]

[“Teacher Hiratsuka, you finally remembered!”]

[Sagami Minami saw that Hiratsuka Shizuka finally remembered her, and happily put down her hands that were holding her hair, patting her apron and saying this.]

[“It’s been a long time since we last met. Are you married already?!”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced at the silver ring on the ring finger of Sagami Minami's right hand, and the nickname she called out to the kitchen staff when she was copying the menu. She immediately concluded that her former student should be married. She was filled with emotion for a moment. She didn't expect that the student she saw again after many years was already married.]

[At the same time, she also felt a little angry and fearful. She was angry because she had been single for so many years, but she didn't expect that even her students were married now! ]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka was panicking because she immediately recalled her high school friends. After they graduated, got married, and had children, they always made fun of her at every class reunion for being the only one who hadn't married yet. If they knew that even her former students were married and she was still single, they would probably make fun of her even more cruelly at future gatherings!]

[Thinking of this, Shizuka Hiratsuka's scalp suddenly went numb, and even the chair under her butt seemed to have grown sharp needles, making her feel very uncomfortable.]

[“It’s not just that~ Hiratsuka-sensei.”]

[Sagami Minami looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka's surprised expression and shook his index finger with a little pride. He put his hands to his mouth in a trumpet shape and turned around and shouted to the kitchen again.]

[“Anata, come out quickly! Look who’s here!”]

[“Coming, coming, coming right away!”]

[A boy came from the kitchen. The next second, a rough hand with the same ring as Sagami Minami's on the ring finger brushed away the curtain with the Q-version eel logo in the kitchen. A brown-haired man wearing a standard chef's uniform, a headband on his head, and a small tuft of mustache on his chin walked out of the kitchen with a smile on his face.]

[“I’m here, dear! Who is here——Hiratsuka-sensei!?”]

[When the man was talking, he saw Shizuka Hiratsuka taking off her sunglasses and revealing her true face beside Sagami Minami. He ran over with a look of surprise on his face. He hugged his wife's shoulders while Shizuka Hiratsuka was looking at him in confusion. He and Sagami Minami smiled and looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka.]

[“This is a rare guest! I haven’t seen you since I graduated from high school, right? Mr. Hiratsuka!”]

【"Who are you--"】

[Shizuka Hiratsuka did have an impression of this man this time, so she was even more stunned. In her memory as a teacher at Sobu High School, the couple in front of her had never had any intersection when they were in school, and the possibility of them being together was basically zero.]

[Because this man was one of the core members of the leading live-action group in Sobu High School. Although his appearance and grades were average, and his personality was not outstanding, he could still be considered a campus celebrity to some extent, although it was thanks to that group.]

[And if Shizuka Hiratsuka remembered correctly, this guy had someone he liked back then. Although the other person didn't like him, the fact that he liked the other girl was basically known to everyone in the class who could read the atmosphere. They also knew how passionate and sincere his feelings for that girl were. It was basically impossible for him to fall in love with someone else and choose to be with a girl he didn't know well.]

【“——Tobu!?”】

[“Hey! Long time no see, Hiratsuka-sensei!”]

[A man named Tobe Sho, who was in Class F of the second year when Shizuka Hiratsuka was a student at Sobu High School and was one of the four strongest members of the current group at Sobu High School, hugged his wife's shoulders and gave Shizuka Hiratsuka a thumbs-up with a smile. He showed his perfectly whitened teeth because of this smile.]

[In Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes, Tobe Sho's teeth seemed to be shining, and with Sagami Minami showing a happy smile next to her, she felt a stinging light blooming from the couple. ]

[The name of this light is called the winner of life. 】

64. Sobu High School Past -in-

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, Health Center. 133txt.com

"My future self is actually married? And to that Sagami!?"

Tobe Sho looked at his future "self" on the phone screen with a dull expression, his eyes full of disbelief.

Just like other classmates of Sobu High School, when Zaimokuza Yoshiki, Yuigahama Yui, Yukinoshita Yukino and other students of Sobu High School appeared in turn and played the protagonist and important supporting roles, Tobe Sho had been looking forward to his appearance in the video, fantasizing about what kind of person he would be in the future and whether he would also have a place in this story of the future.

He didn't ask himself to become a character like Zaimokuza Yoshiki and Kousaka Kyosuke, who had so many scenes that one could tell at a glance that they were the protagonists of the story, but he should at least be the protagonist of a unit drama like Yuigahama Yui, or even an important supporting role like Yukinoshita Yukino. After all, Zaimokuza had an outrageous past like his future, whose present was completely different from his present, so Tobe Sho felt that his request was not too excessive.

But what Tobe Sho didn't expect was that his future self did appear as he wished, but as soon as he appeared, he gave his present self a big surprise.

Not only was my future self already married! But I was also married to a woman I had never met before! My wife was not Hime!

This news hit Tobe Sho, who had been fantasizing that he might have a chance to win over Ebina Hina in the future, so hard that his originally straight back hunched over. He looked as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant, and even older than he did in the video.

His dejected look made other friends around him look at him with some concern. Guessing what Tobe Sho was thinking, Hayato Hayama sighed silently.

However, Hayato Hayama thinks that this is not a bad thing, because the fact that Tobe Sho likes Ebina Himena is basically known to everyone in their small circle, including Ebina Himena herself. The only poor kid who doesn't know this is probably Tobe Sho himself, who thinks he has hidden it well.

It is precisely because Ebina Hina is also aware of this, but she did not say anything, which actually expresses her attitude towards this matter very clearly and directly.

Hayato Hayama has always been worried that one day Tobe Sho will really confess his love to Ebina Hime in public. Not only will he fail then, but he will also bring humiliation upon himself and become a laughing stock. The relationship in the small group that he has tried so hard to maintain will be completely destroyed. Not only will the two parties involved no longer be able to be friends, but their relationships with all the rest of the people will also become extremely awkward.

The appearance of the future married Tobe Sho has cut off the resentment and hope that the current Tobe Sho had when he knew that the future Zaimokuza and Ebina Hime were once a couple. Judging from his current state, this relationship that originally had no possibility of starting has come to an end.

The two people who knew what was going on in this way can at least remain friends. To some extent, they can stop the loss in time and avoid the fate that Hayato Hayama had expected, which would have triggered a chain reaction. It is a blessing in disguise.

And now, Hayato Hayama could only pat Tobe Sho on the shoulder silently, silently comforting him who was lost.

In Class F of the second year, Minami Sagami stared in amazement at the video on her cell phone showing her future "husband" hugging her shoulders with a smile on her face, and her eyes twitched slightly.

"My future self actually married that Tobe Sho? The man who was known as a follower and fence-sitter in Hayama and Miura's group? The man who had no skills at all!?"

Sagami Minami almost wanted to burst into curse. If she was marrying Hayama Hayato, who was the core of the current group, there would be nothing to say. But what Sagami Minami couldn't tolerate was that her future "self" would actually marry Tobe Sho, who was a complete follower and a clown. This made her, who was so vain, simply unable to tolerate this and felt that her future self was simply trampling on her life.

Future me! Are you really smiling so happily? What's so good about a man who is good for nothing and has no value! ?

Regardless of what the parties involved think in their hearts, the story in the video continues to develop.

[“I didn’t expect that you two would end up together. This is really beyond my expectation.”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka took a sip of the tea that Sagami Minami brought over, looked at the smiling couple opposite her, and said with a sigh.]

[Although I feel unbalanced, as their former teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka is definitely blessing her students for finding their own happiness.]

[“So, you guys started working right after graduating from Sobu High School, saved up some money, and then came here to open this store, right?”]

[“Yeah! The time before I opened the shop was so hard that I want to cry when I think about it. If it weren’t for Xiang’s constant encouragement, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to stick with it. But fortunately, the business gradually became prosperous after the shop opened, and my life began to get better.”]

[“Hiratsuka-sensei, you really haven’t changed at all. You look exactly the same as you did in high school. People would probably think we’re the same age.”]

[Sagami Minami, now she should be called Tobe Minami, looked at the teacher in front of her who was basically the same as the teacher in her memory when she was studying at Sobu High School, and her tone was full of envy. ]

[“By the way, I heard from others that you, Mr. Hiratsuka, have been transferred to that—what’s the name of that school in Saitama Prefecture?”]

[“Anata~It’s Sakakino Gakuen.”]

[“Yes! It’s Sakakino Gakuen. You are worthy of being my dear wife!”]

[Looking at Tobe Sho hugging Tobe Minami with a sweet smile on her face, the sweet atmosphere between the two seemed to dye the air pink and ooze nectar. This dog food made Hiratsuka Shizuka, who is still single, twist her eyes. She held her breath and drank another sip of tea to extinguish the nameless fire in her heart.]

[“Ah, teacher, the tea stems are standing up! This means you will have good luck today.”]

[Tobe Minami pointed to the tea stems standing up from the brown tea in Hiratsuka Shizuka's cup with surprise and said.]

[When drinking tea, the tea stems stand up. This means good luck is coming in this country's tea culture, but Shizuka Hiratsuka doesn't believe in this at all. In the past, when she drank all the wine and drank tea at a social gathering, the tea stems stood up on the surface of the tea countless times. ]

[But not only did good luck never come, but all the men who saw her blowing the bottle were scared and ran away. ]

[“Oh, really?”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes. She didn’t need to be so reserved in front of her former student.]

[“Teacher Hiratsuka, is there something that brought you back this time? Were you reassigned? If that’s the case, please continue to support our store! We will give you a discount every time.”]

[“No! I wasn’t transferred back. I came back just to meet a student from your class. After that, I’ll go back.”]

[Faced with the four sparkling eyes of the couple in front of her, Shizuka Hiratsuka waved her hands helplessly to deny their guess.]

[“Hey~ Mr. Hiratsuka, you actually came back to see a classmate from our class? Who is it? Tell me, maybe I know him!”]

[Tobe Sho hugged his wife and said with a smile, reaching out to take another cup of tea on the table and sipping it gently.]

[“His name is Zaimokuza.”]

【“——”】

[Just after Hiratsuka Shizuka said this name, Tobe Sho paused in his drinking action, and a few drops of tea in the cup fell onto the apron he was wearing on his chest.]

[“…Hiratsuka-sensei, the person you are here to meet this time is Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, who was in our class back then and was also a member of the Service Club founded by Yukinoshita-san?”]

[Tobe Sho gently placed the teacup on the table and spoke in a low voice after a short silence. The surface of the tea in the cup was constantly swaying, just like his inner emotions that were fluctuating like the tides.]

[“Hmm? Tobu, do you know Zaimokuza?”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka saw Tobe Sho's reaction and immediately realized that he must know Zaimokuza, and asked curiously.]

[“Yes, of course I know him. How could I not know him…”]

【Tobu Xiang smiled, his smile was filled with inexplicable bitterness and complexity. Tobu Nan, who was sitting next to him, was also unusually silent, but just stretched out his right hand to hold his left hand. 】

[Tobe Sho stretched out his right hand and placed it on his wife's slender hand, and the two ring fingers, which also had rings on them, overlapped each other.]

[He raised his head and smiled at Shizuka Hiratsuka who was waiting for an answer with a puzzled look on her face.]

[“When I was at Sobu High School, I was blessed by the guidance of Zaimokuza.”]

【At the same time, at the factory in Togane City. 】

【boom!!!】