Can I Still Be Your Heroine Even Though I'm Your Teacher?-Chapter 4Volume 2 .7 - Reflections in the Evening Calm

Reflections in the Evening Calm 7

“Did you manage to feel a bit better about it?”

“Thanks to the wonderful support from my neighbor.”

Before I knew it, her shoulder had been supporting me.

If she hadn’t made me realize it, my relationship with Kaguya might have remained misunderstood forever.

“No matter how hurt you are, it’s better to have a place to return to, a family. From my own experience, you should do it if you can reconcile with your family. I couldn’t forgive my parents’ ways until the end. But you still have time. You have a family waiting for you.”

She looked at the evening sea with a lonely expression.

“Is it possible for me?”

“Leaving it unresolved will only make it harder. Just make a decision and go for it.”

“I’m scared of what might happen if it goes wrong.”

“That’s true for everything. Failure is scary.”

“Even for you, Sensei?”

“There’s plenty of things to be afraid of. But recently, I’ve realized that just a little courage can change things.”

“Sharing that courage could be a turning point in life, huh?”

The neighbor smiled shyly, seemingly embarrassed.

“Even if it doesn’t work out, I won’t let you be alone.”

I felt a push on my back.

“So, go back to your family.”

“Yes?”

I didn’t understand what she meant.

“Did I hear that wrong?”

“No, you heard me correctly, Nishiki Yuunagi-kun. You’re going to end your solitary life and return to your parents’ home.”

It was a unilateral conclusion.

The words just wouldn’t sink into my head.

No, it was more like my mind was outright refusing to understand.

My heart was terrified to accept those words.

“Do you understand what this means?”

The shock made the coffee slip from my hands, staining the sand black.

“Of course.”

“Is it a joke?”

“I’m serious.”

Tenjō Reiyu’s expression was as unmoved as if she was wearing a mask.

She denied all conversation, her attitude making it clear that persuasion was pointless.

It felt as if all the happy times we had shared were turning to sand and being blown away.

I felt a heavy discomfort as if my insides were filled with lead.

My senses dulled, and reality seemed to drift away from me.

Breathing became shallow, and I felt suffocated.

“Did you bring me to the sea just to create one last memory?”

“…”

“Don’t stay silent, say something.”

“It’s for the best.”

“I can’t accept that.”

“Children need a family.”

“What I want most is a future with you.”

“That was an impossible dream. I’ve become sensible. Having my own student as a neighbor is just not nice. It’s nothing but a risk.”

Her explanation was excessively dry.

“All of this is to keep the Neighbor Agreement secret until graduation, right?”

“It’s still May. You have nearly two years until you graduate. That’s too long…”

“It will be here before we know it!”

“Two years for an adult and two years for a child are different.”

“Are you saying you can’t wait and will find another man?”

“I don’t want to interfere with your precious time.”

“I wanted to be with you.”

Nishiki Yuunagi’s youth needed Tenjō Reiyu.

“It’s impossible.”

“It’s unfair to withdraw so suddenly!”

“I need to continue being a teacher.”

“You’re choosing your job over love?”

“You can see it that way if you like. Thank you for all your help, but I’m fine now. You need to go home. Our life as neighbors is over.”

She spoke with formal courtesy.

“…how can you say something so cruel?”

“Clause 4 of the Neighbor Agreement, ‘The Neighbor Agreement can be terminated upon request by either party’.”

She stated it clearly.

“This will be carried out, and the Neighbor Agreement is hereby dissolved. Thank you for everything up to now.”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

I felt as if the sound of the waves suddenly grew louder.

But that was just my imagination.

The incoming waves were very calm, and there was no sound of the wind.

I couldn’t pretend to say “I’m sorry, it was too noisy and I couldn’t hear you well.”

I frantically racked my brain for a way to retract what had just been said.

It was futile.

If she brought up Clause Four, there was no way I could properly oppose her.

Tenjō Reiyu is the type of person who doesn’t bend once she’s made up her mind.

No amount of pleading pitifully or trying to invoke pity would sway her.

When we first established the contents of the Neighbor Agreement, it was intended as a safety device that allowed us to sever ties without hesitation should any inconvenience or trouble arise between us.

However, the situation has progressed since then.

After our relationship had developed to this point, the casual nature of that agreement had backfired.

She had already made up her mind deep down before inviting me to the sea.

I could sense her painful resolve.

“Is it Sensei who will be sacrificed next in my place?”

“Let’s go home. It’s getting dark.”

The conversation was cut off, and we returned to the car from the beach.

I looked back at the sea one last time.

On the horizon, the sun’s lingering glow has completely disappeared.

A sadness gripped my heart like the fleeting light going out.

As the sun set, the sound of the waves became more clearer.

The dim sky and the sea breeze felt unusually cold.

Even though it had been so warm during the day, everything changed so much with the sunset.

It’s still May, not yet summer.

Was everything that happened today just a dream?

Was the sea I saw an illusion?

Everything was sinking into darkness.

Night has come.