Act I: My Ex-girlfriends Come to My House â Part 2
That evening.
âI cameâŠâ
Kohaku came to my house.
I was not at all confused when I welcomed her.
I had told her before we parted that I was âin the mood to relax at home.â For those who donât know, it means âletâs have a date at home todayâ for Kohaku and me. Of course, this time it means letâs talk at home, not on a date at home.
âCome in.â
âY-Yeah. Sorry to bother youâŠâ
After saying this in a muffled voice, Kohaku went up to the house. I led her into the living room and sat her down in a chair opposite of me.
Kohakuâs eyes were downcast and she fell silent. Itâs been three years since we were alone together, so itâs understandable to be nervous.
Iâm nervous too, but not as much as Kohaku. If I can start a conversation with her, we might be able to talk like in the old days.
âStill, I never thought Kohaku would show up in front of me as a teacher! I was so surprised I thought my heart was going to stop!â
From the time when we were dating, Kohaku had a tendency to be too sensitive to the other personâs facial expressions. When I started a conversation with her in a friendly manner to relieve her tension, her cheeks relaxed slightly.
âWhen I opened the door, Touma-kun was standing there. I was surprised too. Maybe the God of Love thought, âYou two shouldnât have broken up,â and brought us together.â
âEven so, itâs impossible to get back together.â
âY-Yeah. I guess so⊠Weâre teacher and student.â
âThatâs part of it, and doesnât Kohaku have someone she likes in the first place?â
Kohaku twitched and shook her shoulders. She then looked at me with a downcast look on her face and seemed reluctant to say anything.
ââŠActually, that was a lie. I didnât like anyone.â
âWhat? Is that so? So does that meanâŠyou still like meâŠ?â
âYes. Iâve always liked you, Touma-kun.â
Kohaku said with a serious expression on her face.
I donât think sheâs lying, and thereâs no advantage for her to lie like this. I think itâs true that Kohaku likes me. âŠBut,
âThen why did you dump me?â
âThatâs⊠Touma-kun, you like to kiss, donât you?â
âI like it, but⊠Donât tell me you dumped me because I wasnât a good kisser?â
âMhmm. You were a good kisser, Touma-kun. You were good at kissing from the very first time we kissed⊠Did you practice at home?â
I did! But itâs embarrassing to admit!
But I nodded, because if I didnât admit it, the conversation wouldnât go anywhere.
âTouma-kun liked to kiss, but I felt sorry for him that he only got to kiss me once in a while⊠It wouldâve been a waste to spend your precious youth in a long-distance relationshipâŠâ
She thought I wouldâve been happier dating a girl from the same neighborhood and backed out in tears.
Indeed, at the time, Kohaku used to apologize to me a lot. She apologized for going to school so far away from home. I told her not to worry about it at the time, but apparently she was very concerned about it.
âI mean, I would miss seeing you only once in a while, but it wouldâve been much better than the pain of breaking up. I really liked Kohaku. You could have at least talked to me about it.â
âYouâre so kind, Touma-kun, I thought youâd stop me if I talked to you about it. But I should have chosen my words more carefully. I dumped you in such a terrible way⊠You hate me, donât youâŠ?â
âHow can I hate Kohaku?â
Kohaku, who had been apologetically looking down, looked up as her face was flicked.
ââŠEven now, do you still like me?â
âI do.â
When I admitted it, Kohakuâs face lit up.
I was stunned by her happy smile. Kohaku is so cute when she smiles.
âSo we both like each other, yesâŠ?â
âIt seems so. But⊠We canât get back together.â
Because weâre teacher and student. Kohaku seems to know that it wouldnât be a good idea for us to get back together, and she looks as if she had just woken up from a happy dream.
âI know. Iâm a teacher. If the school finds out that weâre dating, even Touma-kun might get looked at with white eyes. âŠBut Iâd be happy if we can get along when itâs just the two of us, like when we used to be.â
In order to have a peaceful school lifeâand to protect Kohakuâs life as a teacher, itâs better to act like a stranger, even if itâs just the two of us. If anything, we shouldnât even be alone together.
But I do like Kohaku. I canât turn down a girl I like when she says, âIâd be happy if we can get along.â
âI understand. When we are alone, I will treat you as an ex-boyfriend, not as a student.â
âIâm happy⊠Thank you, Touma-kunâŠâ
Her droopy eyes were filled with tears, and Kohaku beamed with happiness.
At that moment, my stomach rumbled.
âAre you hungry, Touma-kun? I can cook for you if you want.â
âThen please.â
âIâm going to put my all in it~. Iâll call you when itâs done, so just relax.â
Kohaku bounced with enthusiasm and went to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator, seemed to have decided on a menu, and immediately started cookingâ
Pin, pon.
As soon as the doorbell rang, Kohaku stopped cooking and crouched down. She even hid her face with a frying pan.
ââŠWho is it? Your parents?â
She asked in a small voice.
I can understand why Kohaku would want to hide her face. Because I havenât told my parents about our relationship.
I wanted to brag to my parents that I had found a cute girlfriend, but Kohaku didnât want that. She was also five years older than me, so I guess it would be hard for her to say proudly that we were in a relationship.
On top of that, Kohaku has become a teacher. In her position, itâs only natural for her to hide her face. âŠWell, even if she hid her face, if my parents saw her like this, they would surely be suspicious of her. But I respect her determination to hide her identity.
âMy parents live abroad, so they wonât be back anytime soon. Maybe itâs a newspaper advertisement or something.â
After reassuring her, Kohaku resumed cooking.
The doorbell rang again. I went to the front door by myself and looked through the peephole to see what was going on outside.
It was Akari.
I thought my heart would stop.
Why is Akari here?! How did she find out where I live?! Wait, this isnât good! If she keeps ringing the doorbell at this rate, Kohaku will come!
Besides⊠Even if I donât know what she wants, I canât ignore Akari.
I told Kohaku that I like her, but I also like Akari. And having seen her anxiously pressing the doorbell, I canât use the answering machine.
Kohaku is cooking right now, so I can handle this without her knowing.
Determined, I went outside.
âTouma⊠You came out.â
Akariâs eyes were moist with happiness.
She was probably worried that I might use the answering machine.
âI didnât think Akari would come. How did you get my address?â
âI contacted Uncle. I said I wanted to play with Touma for the first time in a while so I asked him to tell me your address.â
By Uncle, she means my father.
He is a relative of Akariâs.
Shortly after I was dumped by Kohaku, I met her at a relativeâs funeral service, and she comforted me when I was dragging out the sorrow of my lost love. At the time, I had no romantic feelings for her, and thought of her as nothing more than âa kind, relative older sister,â butâŠ
We started to play together often, and before I knew it, we were in love with each other.
âI was surprised when I heard where Touma was. I had no idea he lived next door to meâŠâ
Seriously?! Youâre next door?!
Iâve been living next door to both of my ex-girlfriends?!
âThe school, and the address, itâs all so coincidentalâŠâ
Itâs already amazing with one, but to be sandwiched between the two is⊠If I had friends, I wouldâve found out about this sooner. I spent most of my spring break at home instead of going out.
âItâs fate, donât you think? I wonder if this is the God of Love saying that âthe two of you shouldnât have separated.ââ
âŠI remember hearing this line somewhere.
I donât think this is true, butâ
âIf not, feel free to deny it. âŠAkari, do you like me or not?â
âI love you.â
Akari, who affirmed without any hesitation, looked at me anxiously.
ââŠWhat about Touma? Do you like me?â
âW-Well, I like you, butââ
âIâm glad!â
She hugged me tightly. Her soft b*****s were pressed against my chest, and her delicious fragrance tickled my nostrils, making my heart beat faster.
âH-Hey, I know youâre happy, but itâs not a good idea to hug me, donât you think?â
When I told her to calm down, she released her embrace with a regretful look on her face, and with an apologetic expression on her face,
âIâm sorry for suddenly hugging you⊠I thought you hated me⊠I never thought you still liked meâŠâ
Akariâs eyes moistened and she smiled happily. Iâm as happy as she is. But I canât be openly happy about it.
Because I just had a similar exchange with Kohaku earlier⊠I have only one word in my mind, âShuraba.â (T/N: This means scene or place where chaos/trouble/problem is going to happen. Go*gle it for more details.)
âYou donât have to apologize⊠But you see, weâre teacher and student. I like hugging Akari, but hugging each other in public isnât good. Of course, that doesnât mean we can do whatever we want at home.â
I hastily added.
If she went into the house now, she would run into Kohaku. It would be a shuraba if my two ex-girlfriends, who want to reconcile with me, met.
Iâm sorry Akari, but Iâm going to have to ask you to leave after hearing the reason why you came to my house today.
âSo why did you come to my house?â
âI wanted to apologize to you, Touma. Iâm sorry for the terrible way I behaved at that time.â
Akari bowed her head deeply and I told her to look up. âŠAkari looked sincerely apologetic.
âDonât make that face. Iâm not angry. You must have had a reason for dumping me even though you liked me, right?â
âNo matter what the circumstances were, it doesnât change the fact that I hurt you. Iâm really sorry.â
âI said you didnât have to apologize. Just tell me what was going on. Why did Akari lie to get me to break up with her?â
âThatâs because⊠Iâm a bad woman.â
âBad woman? Akari?â
As far as I know, Akari isnât bad.
She is tall, shy, has a sour face, and she once made a child cry on a date because of her tendency to blurt when she doesnât know the person sheâs talking toâAt that time, she was just trying to help a lost child by calling out to him. Itâs true that she scared him, but Akari was only trying to help a child in trouble. Akari scares small children because of her appearance and tone of voice, but she is really a kind woman. Thanks to Akari, I myself was able to overcome my heartbreak.
âI was an adult, and on top of that, I was going to be a teacher, but I was dating a high school student⊠That is unacceptable.â
Yes, Iâve seen the occasional news story about a teacher who was arrested for dating a studentâŠ
âIf itâs a serious relationship, itâs safe.â
âBut only if people knew if it was a serious relationship or not. If it got out that we were dating, even Touma might get looked at with white eyes⊠Thatâs why I decided to break up.â
In other words, she backed out for my sake in tears.
âI donât care if the world looks at me funny. I donât care what anyone says about me, Iâm happy just to have the woman I like by my side.â
She gave me a big hug.
Despite her cool appearance, Akari is a sweet and affectionate girl who loves to cuddle. I also like to hug her, so I canât help but hug her back.
But I would be in trouble if Kohaku saw me hugging her like this. So I gently released the embrace, and Akari stared at me sadly.
âI want to hug you moreâŠâ
âI want to hug you too, but I donât think we should hug each other here. Donât you know? Over there is Shirasawa-senseiâs house.â
âI know. She greeted me the day she moved in. Shirasawa-sensei seems like a very kind person, but⊠If she saw me hugging Touma, would she tell the principal?â
âI donât think Shirasawa-sensei would tell on us, but itâs better if weâre not seen. Letâs not hug each other outside.â
âThen⊠Can we hug at Toumaâs house?â
Not good. Akari seems to want to come in.
But I canât invite her in. Because Kohaku isâ
âDinner is ready.â
Kohaku appeared without warning.
Kohaku and Akari looked at each other, and after a pauseâŠ
âEh? Ehh?! Akamine-sensei?! What are you doing with Nijino-kun?!â
âShirasawa-sensei too, why are you at his house?!â
Oh no! Itâs going to be a shuraba! I have to somehow cover this up!
âActually, I met Shirasawa-sensei by chance at the entrance! And since we live in the same apartment building, she decided to treat me to dinner! Isnât that right, Sensei?â
âT-Thatâs right! Iâm a home economics teacher. Itâs my duty to take care of my studentsâ nutrition! Akamine-sensei too, why are you here? It was Akamine-sensei who rang the doorbell earlier, wasnât it?â
âAkamine-sensei came to provide on-site counseling for me! I was very anxious about fitting in with my new class⊠When I met with Akamine-sensei at the infirmary, she recognized my anxiety, and we decided to have counseling together since we live in the same apartment building. Isnât that right, Sensei?â
âAs he says.â
âI see. Leave the rest to me, Akamine-sensei, and you can go home.â
âI canât do that. Counseling is the duty of a school nurse.â
âDoes the counseling have to be today?â
âYes. Otherwise, thereâs a risk that it will interfere with his ability to attend school tomorrow.â
âBut he says he doesnât need counseling.â
âHe didnât say that.â
âI think he did.â
âI donât think he did.â
The two of them are speaking on my behalf. Neither of them wants to leave my side.
âLetâs not stand around and talk. Why donât you two come inside?â
Both Kohaku and Akari are supposed to act as teachers in public. They should be able to handle themselves so that my relationship with them will not be revealed.
At my suggestion, they nodded and entered the house.
â â â
Kohaku made fried pork with ginger.
It was served with a rich sauce for my preference for strong flavors.
But I canât taste it.
Iâm too nervous to taste it.
Why? Because Iâm sitting around the dinner table with my ex-girlfriends. And on top of that, both Kohaku and Akari are eating dinner in silenceâŠ
Of course, you never know what will bring your past to light, and you have the right to keep your mouth shut, but this atmosphere is just unbearable.
Still, as long as we avoid talking about our love life, I shouldnât have to worry about my ex-girlfriends finding out about it. Letâs talk about something harmless, shall we?
âShirasawa-senseiâs pork is delicious!â
âThank you. Nijino-kun, you like strong flavors, donât you?â
âHow do you know what he likes?â
Suddenly, weâre in the gutterâŠ!
Akari gave her a suspicious look, and Kohaku slouched.
âW-Well, thatâs because⊠Nijino-kun has a strong face, so⊠I thought maybe he liked strong flavorsâŠâ
âI donât understand what youâre saying.â
âJ-Just now was just a joke. Um, well⊠A-Actually, when I was making this pork with ginger, I asked Nijino-kun to taste the strong and the light seasoning! Isnât that right, Nijino-kun?â
âYes! Thank you for taking the time and effort to make this! Itâs so delicious!â
Kohaku smiled at me.
âYou seem to be feeling better after eating my food, and from the looks of things, I donât think you need counseling.â
âItâs necessary. To the untrained eye, he may look fine, but a professionalâs eye cannot be fooled. Touma has a lot of anxiety.â
âDid you just say âToumaâ?â
AgainâŠ!
Looked at with suspicion, Akari looked away.
ââŠI didnât say that.â
âYou did, didnât you?â
âNo, I didnât!â
âYou definitely did!â
ââŠActually, I did. But of course, I said it with a reason.â
âWhy do you call Nijino-kun by his first name?â
âItâs for the success of the counseling. By getting to know me, he can tell me what he really feels.â
A good excuse for an impromptu situation. Combined with her serious face, itâs hard to believe that sheâs lying. Kohaku seems to believe it too, but⊠I donât feel at ease at all.
Because even if we got through this day, as long as we live in the same apartment, I canât eliminate the risk of our relationship being exposed.
One day, they might find out about the relationshipâ
Just thinking about this is enough to cause me a mental breakdown. If I donât do something, I will seriously have to go to counseling.
âŠNo more. Letâs stop fooling around. Iâm going to choose one of them after graduation anyway. That was when Iâd tell them about our relationship, but if itâs going to be a mess sooner or later, letâs just reveal it quickly.
âCalm down and listen to me, both of you. To tell you the truthâKohaku and Akari are both my ex-girlfriends.â
The two of them were blown away.
They looked at each other andâ
âEh? Ehh?! You were dating Akamine-sensei, Touma-kun?! When?!â
âAfter I broke up with Kohaku.â
âThe person who dumped Touma is Shirasawa-senseiâŠ?â
âThatâs right.â
I admitted it. I really admitted it. The rest is just a matter of what will happen now.
ââŠShirasawa-sensei, youâre not dating Touma now, are you?â
âOf course not. As a teacher, I canât date my students. âŠAkamine-sensei too, youâre not dating Touma-kun, are you?â
âOf course not. Iâm a teacher. I canât date my students.â
âReally? Arenât you secretly plotting to seduce Touma-kun?â
When the suspicion was turned on her, Akari shook her head firmly.
âIâm not plotting that. âŠHowever, I canât deny the possibility that Touma may seduce me. After all, Touma loved to do naughty things with me.â
Why would you say that after shaking your head so firmly?!
âIs that true, Touma-kun?! Are you trying to seduce Akamine-sensei?â
âIâm not!â
When I did my best to deny it, Kohaku sighed in relief and,
âTouma-kun, you used to love doing naughty things with me, didnât you? Thatâs why youâre trying to seduce me. Is that it~?â
Akariâs eyes glinted.
âTouma, is that true? Are you going to do something naughty with Shirasawa-sensei?â
âNo, I wonât! Weâre not even dating! To begin with, weâre teachers and students! Iâll act like a student, so you two act like teachers!â
The earnest request seemed to resonate with both of them.
âThatâs right⊠Teachers shouldnât do naughty things with their students. Iâll act properly as a teacher.â
âAs a teacher myself, I swear I wonât lay a hand on Touma.â
After confirming that they have no intention of getting ahead of one another, they withdrew their suspicions.
I wondered what was going to happen, but I was relieved that the situation didnât turn into a shuraba.
Now my worries are over. Tomorrow, I will be able to live a peaceful school life.
I patted my chest and chewed on the strongly flavored pork fried with ginger.