Kissing My Student, It's Over if We're Caught-Chapter 5Volume 2 - Hashima Gin - Recent Surprise: The Recurrence of a Disaster

The day after Yuzu left Kirihara’s house, encouraged by Kirihara, I decided to return to my own home.

Entering, I found all of Yuzu’s personal items gone. Her clothes, cosmetics, toothbrush, everything.

The only thing left was the futon Yuzu had used.

Lifting it to air out on the balcony, I caught a faint scent of Yuzu’s body cream.

…Her favorite scent. It was a nostalgic smell.

Naturally, the constant contact I had with Yuzu over the years had also ceased.

To fill the gaping hole in my chest, I threw myself into work.

I even asked Kurei-sensei if I could handle the creation of the final exam questions by myself, and I cleaned my desk and drawers.

Basically, I kept my mind and hands busy to avoid dwelling on unnecessary thoughts.

Perhaps due to a change in her mindset, Kirihara said she’d try to refrain from clinging to me for a while.

Since Yuzu was gone, the weekday cohabitation had ended. For weekends, rather than automatically going to Kirihara’s house, we agreed to consult each other and decide.

We continued to communicate via smartphones, but so far, there have been no invitations for secret meetings.

For the first time in a while, I was able to focus solely on work.

This continued for several days until Kurei-sensei approached me.

“You seem to be busy trying to forget something unpleasant. Or is it just me?”

“…Ah, sorry. Was my work sloppy in any way?”

“That’s not what I meant. You just seem different than usual.”

I had once sought advice from Kurei-sensei and received helpful guidance.

Not reporting back to her seemed impolite.

“Would you like to go to that bar after work?” I suggested.

She readily agreed. That evening, we found ourselves sitting opposite each other at the same seats as before.

“…I see. So, that happened. It must have been tough.”

“Well… yeah, it is what it is.”

“True. But you did the right thing, didn’t you?”

“Are you referring to Kirihara?”

“Not just her, but Yuzu too. In my opinion, you two hadn’t properly parted ways.”

Kurei-sensei traced the rim of her cocktail glass with a melancholic expression.

“Despite still loving each other, you lied for the other’s sake, desperately convincing yourselves that parting was for the best. When in reality, it wasn’t necessary… Well, it’s hindsight. If Yuzu had found happiness with someone else after the breakup, there wouldn’t have been an issue.”

“…Yes, I hope—she finds someone like that from now on.”

“It’s likely to be a lingering breakup… A misaligned button, a difference in timing led to divergent paths…”

“Hmm…”

“But I think you did the right thing. You properly ended things, told her there was a future where you chose her, and preserved her pride. Isn’t that why she thanked you? It was a ‘thank you’ meaning she can now move on, right?”

“…I hope so.”

“Don’t dwell on it. Life is full of moments where a slight shift can make a big difference.”

Kurei-sensei shared a story from her past.

She once mentored a student promising in sports who had performed excellently in competitions but made a crucial mistake in a practice match, derailing everything.

“It wasn’t even an important match. Just a small error. Yet, everything went wrong… However, that led him to consider different paths, and now he’s happy. He’s graduated, but we still keep in touch occasionally.”

After smiling, Kurei-sensei continued kindly.

“Making mistakes is part of life, and so is starting over. Live each day without regrets. Eventually, something will come your way. Keep your chin up. After all, I don’t think you have any reason to be down.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you have someone willing to share your pain, right?”

She was referring to Kirihara, which I quickly realized.

“That girl may be young, but she has her mature aspects. Rely on her, and she’ll support you. You’re meeting her this weekend, aren’t you?”

“No… I was thinking of holding off.”

“Why not rely on her when you’re feeling down? Women find reassurance in being needed by men, you know?”

…Hearing that from Kurei-sensei made me consider visiting Kirihara after all.

“Since you have someone special, let her cherish you. That, in turn, will be cherishing her… Surely.”

“…Yes, I’ll think about it. Thank you for everything.”

“Don’t mention it. Now that you’re here, why not have a light meal? This place is known for its cocktails, but the cheese and prosciutto are delicious too. Maybe we should order a salad. I can’t finish it alone, so I never get to order it.”

Despite being the one who invited her, Kurei-sensei ended up treating me.

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But thanks to her, I felt much better.

…I hope Yuzu can confide in someone and move on as well.

After dining with Kurei-sensei, we shared a taxi back to the apartment. It was just past 9 p.m., a decent hour to part ways without affecting tomorrow.

Since my place was further, I contacted Kirihara from the taxi.

“Can I come over this weekend?”

“Is that okay?”

“I want to. Is that a problem?”

“If that’s what you want, I can’t help it. I’ll be waiting.”

A jumping with joy sticker was sent, and honestly, I felt relieved.

…For now, it seems there’s no one like Yuzu marking me.

I’m curious about Kirihara’s condition, so I’ll intrude just for this week.

“…Hmm?”

As I reached the floor of my apartment, I noticed an odd scene.

Encountering people in the rarely populated apartment corridor was unusual. And there was someone there.

In front of my door… or so it seemed?

Sitting in a despondent crouch.

…The person seemed to notice me too and quietly stood up.

Not with joy, but with a heavy, laborious movement.

…A familiar figure approached.

Approaching with an awkward gait, the person stopped in front of me.

Silent, waiting for my response, they muttered weakly.

“…Good evening.”

“…Hey.”

It was Yuzu.

Hunched over, shoulders hunched, she began to speak in a tiny voice.

“I finally ran out of options and returned to my parents’ house, but as expected, things went south. I couldn’t last more than a few days. …Could you, perhaps, help me?”

“…”

“…”

“Before I answer, there’s something I really want to say, okay?”

“…Yes.”

“After disappearing like that, to come back after just a few days—”

“Don’t say it~~~! I know it best and it hurts the most~~~!”

Yuzu broke down, wailing pitifully.

I could only let out a sigh of resignation.

For now, to avoid bothering the neighbors, I took Yuzu outside the apartment building.

Yuzu was still sobbing.

Even Yuzu, with her usually off-kilter sense of distance, seemed genuinely distressed this time.

“I never thought it would actually happen…”

“…What do you mean?”

“I figured there was a slim chance, given it’s Yuzu, that this might happen…”

I had thought it unlikely… but this was indeed Yuzu.

How incredible…

“…Actually, I’ve already thought of a plan in case you came to me for help.”

“Eh…?”

“There’s someone willing to take you in until you find a job.”

“Really!?”

“We’re in this situation; I’m not the kind of person to lie and give false hope… Let me make a call, wait here.”

After making a call, the response came quickly.

Tap-tap-tap, I typed the message and let out a sigh.

“Okay, they said. Let’s go. Do you have luggage?”

“Just this bag again!”

“…I see.”

Proudly stating that with just a bag showed that something was indeed wrong with her.

Relieved not to be tossed aside, Yuzu’s steps lightened.

“Kind people do exist… Hey hey, who am I going to be staying with?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Leading Yuzu, we headed towards the station.

I stopped Yuzu, who was about to enter the gates, and asked her to wait a bit.

“Eh!? Why bother buying a ticket…?”

“You’ll understand soon.”

Our destination was just a few stations away.

After alighting from the train, we began to walk again towards our destination.

“Huh? That station just now… Eh? No, no, that’s impossible, right?”

Ignoring Yuzu’s muttering, I continued to lead the way.

As we neared our destination, Yuzu became quieter.

Arriving in front of the house where Yuzu might be staying, she was speechless.

“Uh, Gin, um…?”

“What’s wrong… Not going in?”

“…”

“…At least listen to what they have to say, I think.”

After a moment of hesitation, Yuzu finally nodded, “I’ll go.”

She nodded back and entered the property, ascending the stairs.

Ringing the doorbell of the designated room, the door soon opened.

“Good evening… Welcome, Yuzuka-san.”

＊＊＊

Our destination was Kirihara’s house.

If Yuzu accepted Kirihara’s proposal, the two would live under the same roof.

What happens next… remains unknown to anyone.