Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Recovery
What should I do…?
“…Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
I ended up accompanying her here, but when I thought about it carefully, why did I even enter sensei’s house?! It might be overthinking, but I had a feeling this wasn’t good.
However, I couldn’t just leave sensei alone when she was sick.
Reaffirming my desire to repay her kindness, I spoke to sensei.
“Um, sensei… If you need anything, I can get it from my house…”
“It’s alright. I have medicine.”
“I understand.”
Yeah, there was nothing more I could do.
As expected, I wasn’t the kind of protagonist who could properly take care of someone in this kind of situation. Rather, I would only be a bother by staying here, so I should leave quickly.
“W-well then, I’ll be going. Sensei, take care…”
As I turned my back to sensei and was about to excuse myself…
A soft warmth clung to my back.
And even without turning around, I immediately knew what that warmth was.
“Eh? Ah, eh? S-sensei? Um…”
“…I’m sorry. The fever made me a little dizzy.”
I thought there was quite a bit of distance between sensei and me…
Well, putting that aside… I-I can’t move!
Being clung to from behind was one reason, but more than that, sensei’s chest pressing against me more firmly than usual, and her moist breath dampening my back, were all directly stimulating something primal within me…
No, forget about that now! I have to get her to bed!
“A-are you alright? Let’s get you to bed quickly!”
“…”
There was no reply from sensei. Looking at her face, her cheeks seemed redder than before.
Then I realized what I had just said.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that…!”
“Fufu, I haven’t said anything yet. You’re panicking too much.”
“S-sorry.”
“Could it be… you were thinking something naughty?”
“No, not at all…”
“Then… you weren’t thinking about it?”
“Eh?”
I couldn’t hear the last part clearly; her voice seemed to fade away.
When sensei moved away, I turned around and saw her wearing a soft smile. It was that same enveloping, mature smile she had shown me before. Her eyes behind her glasses were clear, and I felt like she could see right through me.
Then, her lips, flushed more than usual, gently formed words.
“I’m sorry for holding you back. And thank you for worrying about me.”
“It’s nothing… I didn’t do anything, and… I’m sorry. For giving you my cold…”
“It’s not certain that I got it from you. And even if I did, I wouldn’t blame you. I’m your homeroom teacher, and yet… I knew you were working hard, but I didn’t realize you were pushing yourself.”
“…”
She knew I was working hard? Since a long time ago?
What did she mean?
As I placed my hand on the door, thinking, a voice called out from behind me.
“Well then, good night.”
“Yes, good night. Um… please get some rest.”
Even after that, I couldn’t come up with any answers while lying in bed, lost in thought.
***
The next day, sensei didn’t come to school.
After hearing about Morihara-sensei’s absence from the vice-principal, Arai-sensei, I was consumed with guilt and worry, and the day passed in a flash.
“Ah, Asano-kun…”
“…Okuno-san.”
“Are you alright? You’ve been looking down all day, like you’re feeling down.”
“…Yeah, I’m fine.”
After what happened before, I thought she wouldn’t talk to me anymore, but Okuno-san, who still spoke to me like this, must be a kind person. If I didn’t know the fact that “people who are kind to me are kind to everyone,” I might have inadvertently fallen for her.
This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.
Sensei… I wonder if she’s alright?
“…Um, if you’re okay, then… If you want, we could go together today… Huh? He’s not here…”
Not knowing what to do, I rushed to the shoe rack.
***
“Ha… ha…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Whoa!”
I was just about to ring the doorbell at sensei’s house when sensei herself called out to me from behind. It was too sudden. There wasn’t even a proper description of the scene.
And she was awfully close.
Sensei was wearing a thick-looking coat and a mask, which gave off a strange intimidating aura.
“…This scent… It’s Arai-sensei, isn’t it?”
“Eh?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Sensei, how are you feeling…? Is it alright for you to be outside?”
“I’m fine now. I just went out shopping for a bit.”
Sensei was carrying a fairly large shopping bag in her right hand.
She must have walked to the nearby supermarket.
Well, in any case, I was glad she had recovered.
As I was feeling relieved, sensei’s hand touched my back.
“Asano-kun.”
“Yes?”
“Won’t you… come in for a bit?”
“Eh? But…”
“It’ll be quick.”
At sensei’s words, somewhere amidst the nervousness and anxiety, I felt a bit of relief.
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