Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A Reward for the Hardworking Older Brother

‘Why is Tsukishiba-sensei here?’

That was the first simple question that crossed Toru’s mind.

But even without much thought, the answer came to him naturally.

Hiyori, being a teacher, probably came to the rooftop as part of her rounds checking the school grounds.

He quickly came to that conclusion.

However, Hiyori’s expression seemed somewhat awkward, as if she was hesitant to say something.

Eventually, she gave Toru a wry smile.

“I-I was surprised. I just passed by Kanai-san, and she seemed to be crying? So I came up here wondering if something happened on the rooftop…”

“I-Is that so…”

Toru looked up at the sky and covered his eyes with his hand as Hiyori explained the reason in a timid tone.

It seemed she hadn’t directly witnessed it, but if she passed by a girl leaving in tears and then saw a boy up ahead, it wouldn’t be hard to guess the situation.

That’s probably why Hiyori looked awkward.

For Toru, it was essentially the same as having the confession scene witnessed, leaving him with mixed feelings.

“…Well, it’s mostly as Tsukishiba-sensei guessed. Kanai confessed to me just now, and I turned her down.”

“Eh?! S-So that kind of thing really does happen on the rooftop…”

Hiyori was surprised when Toru honestly confirmed it, but there was also a hint of joy in her expression, as if she had witnessed a scene she longed for.

He felt a slight pang of suspicion but decided not to pursue it further, deeming it unnecessary.

“But I understand. Kuwa-kun is mature and handsome, so it’s not surprising that you’d get confessions.”

“Well, it’s not something to be praised for.”

Toru averted his gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed by her praise, as if it were a matter of course.

Perhaps because they were alone, she wasn’t as tense as she was during class and interacted with him naturally, making him feel a bit flustered.

“To be honest, I think Tsukishiba-sensei is more likely to get confessions than me.”

“Me? Never.”

“Eh?”

In response to his slightly embarrassed question, Hiyori nonchalantly replied that she had never been confessed to.

Toru’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected answer, but she continued with a shy laugh, as if to say he was overestimating her.

“Because I went to all-girls schools from elementary school to university.”

“That’s quite something.”

“It’s simply because my father is overprotective.”

Hiyori replied with a wry smile to Toru’s half-surprised, half-impressed comment.

He had thought she was somewhat unguarded, but it made sense if she had little interaction with the opposite sex other than her family until she became a teacher.

He could somewhat understand, having a younger sister himself, although the vector was different. However, he couldn’t help but think that her father’s doting was a bit excessive.

Unaware of Toru’s thoughts, Hiyori looked at him with a slightly concerned expression.

“You turned down the confession… Was it because of Kana-chan?”

“…Yes. Even if I were to get a girlfriend, my priority would still be Kana.”

“Hmm. It’s true that I’d probably feel lonely if I, as the lover, wasn’t prioritized.”

“Exactly.”

Toru’s father was often away from home on weekends due to work, so if he were to go on a date, he would have to take Kana with him.

On the other hand, if he waited until Kana was older, it would require a lot of patience from his partner.

Even if he understood that Kana needed his care, his partner would become increasingly dissatisfied if they had little time to spend alone together.

Moreover, there was no guarantee that Kana would even warm up to his girlfriend.

Faced with these accumulating issues, it would be tough for a girl his age to handle unless she was exceptionally caring.

Therefore, Toru had to be cautious about relationships.

“I’m happy that someone likes me. But I don’t think I can go out on dates and neglect Kana.”

“I see…”

After listening to his circumstances, Hiyori looked down with a serious expression.

But soon, as if she had thought of something, she looked up.

“Kuwa-kun, could you lower your head a little?”

“Eh? Why?”

“It’s a secret until you do it.”

“That sounds suspicious… Well, whatever.”

He was suspicious of what she had in mind, but he decided to go along with it so he could pick up Kana quickly.

There was about a 12-centimeter height difference between Toru and Hiyori, so it was probably more convenient for him to be shorter.

With that assumption, he lowered his head slightly as instructed.

He waited, wondering what her intention was…

“Then, excuse me.”

“…Eh?”

With those words, Hiyori’s hand gently rested on Toru’s unsuspecting head.

Not only that, but she began to stroke his hair gently, careful not to mess it up.

For a moment, he was stunned, unable to comprehend the situation.

Then, as understanding dawned on him, a burning heat surged through his entire body.

He kept his head lowered but looked up at her. Hiyori’s cheeks were flushed, but she continued to stroke his head with a serious expression.

“T-Tsukishiba-sensei? Why are you stroking my head…?”

“Um…”

Unable to hide his agitation, he asked her the reason.

Hiyori, looking embarrassed, opened her mouth.

“Maybe It’s a reward for Kuwa-kun, who’s working hard as an older brother?”

“Y-You’re the one doing it, so why are you asking like that?”

“Because! I wanted to do something for you, and this was the only thing I could think of…”

Hiyori replied, flustered, to Toru’s half-lidded gaze.

Even though he thought, “What’s that?” he didn’t say it out loud because he didn’t want to lose the pleasant sensation of having his head stroked for the first time in a long while.

‘I’m the worst, aren’t I?’

He felt disgusted with himself for taking advantage of Hiyori’s kindness.

But if he voiced his self-deprecation, it would be the same as rejecting her thoughtful gesture.

Trying to reason with himself and avoid any inappropriate thoughts, he decided to ask her why she did this.

“…Um, I don’t understand why you’d stroke my head just because I’m working hard as an older brother.”

“It’s exactly what I said. I wanted to praise Kuwa-kun for working hard for Kana-chan’s sake.”

“It’s normal to do things for your little sister.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh?”

Hiyori denied his response that it was a matter of course.

And with a gentle, compassionate smile, she met Toru’s gaze.

“I told you I have a younger sister, right? I’ve tried my best to take care of her, but even if it’s for my family, I don’t think I could have done what you’re doing when I was in high school. That’s why I understand how hard you’re working, Kuwa-kun. Don’t you think it’s normal for me to want to praise you?”

“—!”

His heart was shaken to the point where he couldn’t even utter a modest “You’re overestimating me.”

If he hadn’t been facing Hiyori, he might have shed tears. He couldn’t hide his confusion at the unexpected surge of emotion.

Even without that, his heart was pounding loudly, and his face was probably flushed beyond control.

Yet, he didn’t feel like hiding his face because he didn’t want to escape Hiyori’s gentle gaze.

“Somehow, we’re quite similar, aren’t we?”

“Huh?”

Toru’s eyes widened in surprise at Hiyori’s unexpected words.

But she continued, seemingly unaware of his reaction.

“We’re both living a life distant from youth. Remember, I told you I went to all-girls schools from elementary school to university? So, how should I put it… I kind of envy the typical youth experiences, like confessions.”

“…”

Toru was at a loss for words at the envy expressed by Hiyori, who was blushing slightly.

“I became a teacher because I thought I might be able to experience a bit of youth if I spent my school life with everyone. It was a bit of an impure motive.”

“…I think it’s more cute than impure.”

“You don’t have to point that out!”

Hiyori puffed out her cheeks and retorted when he responded to her unexpectedly self-centered reason with a lighthearted joke.

At least with the way her classes were going now, it was doubtful whether she could experience youth, let alone get along with the students, but he kept that to himself.

Eventually, as if satisfied, Hiyori gently removed her hand from Toru’s head.

Toru couldn’t help but feel reluctant, but he reminded himself that she was still on duty and he had to pick up his sister.

“I have to go back now. I’m sorry for chatting for so long when you have to pick up Kana-chan.”

“…It’s okay.”

Although he was confused, he didn’t feel unpleasant at all.

In fact, he felt rather fortunate to have been patted by such a beautiful woman like Hiyori.

Of course, he would never tell her that.

Hiyori nodded at his reply and walked towards the rooftop entrance.

Just when he thought she was going back inside, she poked her head out from the door.

Toru tilted his head in confusion, wondering what was going on. Hiyori put her index finger to her lips and smiled at him.

“This is a secret!”

“Y-Yes!”

“Telling someone my real reason for becoming a teacher, and stroking a boy’s head like I did just now… Kuwa-kun, you’re the first for both. —So keep it a secret, okay? Don’t tell anyone.”

“!”

“…Yes.”

After making him promise not to tell with a gesture that could even be considered flirtatious, Hiyori went down the stairs.

Toru was left standing there, covering his flushed face with his hands and looking up.

He put his hand on his chest, trying to calm his loudly pounding heart, but it was to no avail.

After regaining some composure, he let out a long sigh.

“…That’s not fair.”

He muttered those words, picturing Hiyori, who had brought forth the emotions he should have felt during the confession with just a single word, “secret.”

He scoffed at himself, thinking he couldn’t show this expression to anyone. It took him another ten minutes or so before he could finally leave the school grounds…

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