V6 Epilogue 1: Golden Value part 2

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Translator: Soafp

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And so, a serious match with our lives on the line began.

Sanjoji-sensei kicked off from the wall, moving forward underwater in a dolphin kick until she surfaced.

There was no diving start, so it was hard to gain distance right away with a burst of speed.

I counted carefully for five whole seconds. I was swimming crawl, and judging from my average time for fifty meters, it would probably be a close race. I took a deep breath, dove underwater, and pushed off the wall.

I moved forward mindlessly, pushing the water's resistance aside with my hands. Strangely enough, I felt calm. The silence underwater.

For about twenty-five meters, I could manage with just one breath. I caught sight of Sanjoji-sensei beside me. We were neck-and-neck, and I edged slightly ahead. We reached the turn, pushed off the wall, and turned around.

The gap between us slowly widened. I was so absorbed in swimming that I wasn't even thinking about winning or losing.

“I made it!”

I reached the goal just a little ahead and turned around—

—In that moment, a chill ran through my entire body.

A surge of intense fear. My mind panicked, but my survival instincts kicked in.

“Sensei, look out!”

I was desperate. I kicked furiously, trying to rush over to Sanjoji-sensei. But in the water, I couldn't move as quickly as I wanted. My frustration grew, along with my panic. A life-or-death crisis right before my eyes.

(Oh no—why is this happening!? What do I do… at this rate, Sanjoji-sensei will—)

My chest tightened in desperation. My heart pounded wildly as visions of the worst possible future flashed before my eyes. A primal pull toward death.

I reached out with all my strength, but only grasped empty water. My balance slipped.

“Crap—!”

Out of control, my body was dragged underwater. Water flooded my mouth as I thrashed.

Even now, the danger was closing in. But my body wouldn't respond.

“Kokonoe-kun!? Are you alright, Kokonoe-kun!?”

Noticing that I was about to drown, Sensei stopped her backstroke and rushed toward me.

“Grab onto my shoulder!”

She pulled me up from the water and headed for the poolside.

“Cough! Cough!”

“In a time like this—yes, that's right. First, artificial respiration, then chest compressions!”

“Cough—sorry. More importantly, if we don't—hey—wait—”

Sanjoji-sensei gave me mouth-to-mouth.

So this is what it feels like when you get it while conscious…

Such a pointless thought crossed my mind as my sluggish brain finally began working again.

“I will absolutely save you! I'll definitely save you! I won't let you die!”

“Pwah! I'm fine, I'm alive. I'm fully conscious—mmph—!”

She gave me mouth-to-mouth again. Fresh oxygen filled my lungs. We were both confused.

“I refuse to lose you here! Because you are my—”

“Pwah! Hey—look, I'm totally fine now—wait, you can't hear me!?”

“Why won't you wake up!? I have something I want to tell you—something I need you to know—”

I'm already awake, Sensei.

While she gave me mouth-to-mouth a third time, I somehow pushed her back.

“Take that!”

I gave her a light chop, and Sanjoji-sensei snapped back to her senses.

“Hah!? …Kokonoe-kun?”

“I've returned from the brink of the underworld.”

I said something unnecessary, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“Thank goodness… I'm so glad… I was really worried, you know!”

She hugged me tightly. We stayed like that for several minutes, holding each other until she calmed down.

“By the way, you looked so panicked earlier—what happened?”

Once she regained her composure, reality set back in. Oh no. This wasn't the time to relax!

“That's right. We need to get out of here! There were sharks—two sharks!”

I remembered the nightmare I saw right after reaching the goal. I had spotted sharks closing in.

“Sharks? Kokonoe-kun, this is a pool. There aren't even fish here, let alone sharks.”

“That's impossible! Those were definitely sharks—wait, huh?”

A strange doubt crept into my own mind. Obviously, Sensei's explanation made more sense.

I crossed my arms and tilted my head. Nervously, I peered into the pool, but of course there were no sharks.

Still, the image of the sharks approaching was burned vividly into my mind.

“For you to get that shaken… maybe you were mistaken?”

“Mistaken…? But what in a place like this could I possibly mistake for a shark…”

A brightly glimmering dorsal fin. The moment I saw it, I instinctively decided it was dangerous.

“Wait… No way… But if that's the case… Could it be…!?”

When I reached the truth, a shiver ran through my body. My chest felt tight. I didn't want to believe it.

“Did you figure out the cause?”

I grabbed my phone, which I had placed somewhere dry, and carefully entered the pool.

“Sensei! From that spot, swim toward me on your back like before!”

“Uh… I don't really get it, but if it'll satisfy you…”

Seeing my urgency, Sanjoji-sensei agreed without hesitation.

I recorded her graceful backstroke on video.

“No way… Damn it! Poseidon, you b*****d!”

On the screen were, without a doubt, two fierce sharks.

“…I swam like you asked, but did that clear things up? You look pale…”

Looking worried, Sensei came closer. I showed her the video.

“Please look at this, Sensei.”

At the stern tone of my voice, the teacher tightened her expression.

Without a sound, the embodiment of tyranny crept closer. I was left speechless at the slaughter about to begin.

“The teacher’s bre*sts floated on the surface as she did the backstroke, and they looked just like a shark’s dorsal fin—”

“I am not a shark!?”

“It’s not a dorsal fin, it's a chest fin, right?”

“That's not the point! You drag it out all this way and this is what you come up with!?”

“But they looked like a shark’s, I swear.”

“Even if you say it cutely like that, no! And pouting won't get you out of this one!”

It was all because they were too big. Who would ever guess that the dorsal fin was actually a chest?

From my point of view at the surface, it looked exactly like that. Of course I misunderstood!

“What are you going to do about this? All this noise for that terrible punchline—no one's going to be satisfied!”

Much ado about nothing. And because Sensei's “mountains” shook, this is what happened… chu.

“Wearing a golden bikini was my mistake. It reflected on the water and I made a snap judgment…”

“This is all your fault! Sit there in seiza!”

I got lectured.

…Yeah, I was wrong. I'm sorry.

---

[Sanjoji PoV]

Honestly, this kid…

Sitting by the poolside, I glanced at the boy next to me.

(Really. Do you have any idea how worried I was…)

When I saw Kokonoe-kun almost drown, my heart nearly stopped. My mind went blank, and all I could think was that I had to save him no matter what.

I can't imagine a world without him anymore.

The fact that he brought me here to the pool today was also because he was considerate of how exhausted I'd been from the recent string of events.

I owe him a debt I can never repay. If he hadn't been there, I'm sure my spirit would have been broken long ago. I probably would have already quit being a teacher.

And if that had happened, it wouldn't have just been me—Toki-san and Okamoto-kun would have also had to face the consequences of their crimes and had their lives ruined.

It was the worst possible ending. And it was thanks to him that we avoided it.

When my tears had run dry, when I'd hit rock bottom, when I had nothing left to cling to—he was the one who reached out his hand to me.

“My marriage hunting hasn't been going so well lately.”

“People just don't have an eye for quality, huh?”

I kicked the water lightly with my feet.

It's odd to be talking about this with a student, but Kokonoe-kun has a way of listening that makes it easy to talk.

It felt like a peaceful, gentle moment… one I hadn't experienced in a long time.

“…It's probably my age. No one ever approaches me anymore, and I'm constantly reminded that I'm worthless. I knew it already, but facing it directly is harsh and depressing.”

It was half the truth and half a lie.

Because deep down, I wasn't even that serious about marriage hunting.

But maybe that's just a pathetic excuse to protect myself.

“Maybe… after everything I was holding on to was resolved, I've been left bewildered by this freedom I have now.

It's like my feet aren't touching the ground. I don't know how to live from here, or what I should aim for.

I've lost my purpose.”

Misaki-san, Okamoto-kun… and Kokonoe-kun.

Lingering emotions that had been weighing me down for years.

I had kept teaching out of inertia and a kind of obsessive sense of duty.

But now, I have none of that.

I'm literally empty.

“And what's left… is a worthless woman.”

I ended up belittling myself.

Maybe what I wanted was for him to deny that.

Because he's always the one who gives me hope—because it's him—maybe I wanted him to make me give up.

If he could just say one thing to make it clear that I have no future, maybe then I could stay the way I am forever.

So I could throw away this sweet dream.

“By the way, I heard they've recently managed to recreate alchemy.”

“Alchemy?”

The ultimate goal was supposed to be to create the Philosopher's Stone and achieve immortality.

To recreate that? What a strange story. But Kokonoe-kun showed me an article online.

“Is this… true?”

“Science is amazing, isn't it? The endless human quest for truth.”

The article said that using a particle accelerator, they had managed to transform lead into gold.

“…I had no idea. My lack of knowledge is embarrassing.”

The world changes. History and common sense are always shifting.

And I was falling behind.

“There's no such thing as a worthless person. If lead can become gold, then if something has no value, you just polish it.”

“Polish…”

I think I understood what he meant… but at my age?

“Besides, even I've been proving your value this much, and it's still not enough?”

The way he looked at me made me feel awkward, like I was being treated as a spoiled child.

I hugged my knees tightly.

“But… someone like me—”

“That's what the golden bikini is for.”

“Wait—do you mean physically shining!?”

Armor that could make my tarnished self shine.

Is he saying that I have the same value as gold?

“Does that mean… you think I'm attractive…?”

I asked, trying to read his expression, wanting to know how he saw me.

“You should learn from Himiyama-san a little.”

“Misaki-san is still young, and even from my perspective as another woman, she's beautiful… but why is it that you're always on the defensive with her, yet you're always on the offensive with me!?”

I asked the question that had been bothering me.

For some reason, he's always so proactive with me.

I thought he might avoid answering, but instead, he replied confidently and without hesitation.

“I've learned that in relationships, distance is important.”

“That's true. Everyone has their own comfortable distance.”

“Himiyama-san comes on strong, so if I went at her the same way, it'd be game over right away.”

“That's your reason!?”

It was oddly convincing. I agreed.

“You're more reserved, so I have to be the one to take the lead.”

“Your idea of distance sounds like the forbidden fruit that only creates constant drama…”

“This apple's delicious. munch munch“

“You're always eating…”

Maybe with his mentality he could handle it, but for me, it was just one heart-throbbing moment after another.

“Sensei, do you long for marriage?”

“At my age, I've attended several friends' weddings. They all looked so incredibly happy.”

It's such a wonderful day—being blessed by everyone, wearing a wedding dress, standing next to the person I love, and cutting the cake together… I think that's a natural dream for any woman.”

Someday, that day might come. It's only recently that I've been able to think that way.

I've kept a lid on my own happiness all this time. Maybe I had a chance in the past. Looking back, I did have encounters. But I pretended not to notice and let them go.

I had firmly believed that I must never be happy. How could someone like me—someone who drove a student into the depths of misery—pursue my own happiness? There's no way God would ever allow such a thing.

But now—Even if God doesn't forgive me, he forgives me. Then that's the truth.

“Perfect timing. I made this thinking we could eat together.”

Kokonoe-kun stood up and took something out of the cooler bag.

“Cake? You're as skilled as ever… Honestly, I'm jealous.”

It was a small round cake, but in the center, pale pink strawberries were neatly arranged.

“You treated me to homemade pudding, so I thought I'd prepare a handmade cake.”

“I didn't treat you! Still… it's quite an original shape…”

“I modeled it after your pudding and made a nipple cake!”

I silently raised my fist, ready to smash the cake.

“Please calm down, sensei!? Look, here! I was meticulous about the strawberry color—”

“Why do you waste your hard-earned skills on such nonsense!?”

“Without dreams and romance, there can be no human progress.”

“You can't distract me with that!”

“I even recreated the mole with chocolate.”

“You're not even trying to hide your intentions!?”

Kokonoe-kun started to cut the cake with a paper knife, then stopped.

“Sensei, would you like to cut it together?”

There was no hidden meaning in those words. It was just because earlier, I'd said I “admired” that.

But for me right now, those words were like sweet temptation—like the cake itself.

“…Is that alright?”

Hesitantly, I gently placed my hand over his.

Feeling each other's warmth, we slowly moved the knife up and down.

“Sensei's nipple is sinking in…”

“It's not sinking in.”

Even such silly banter felt important in the face of a sacred ritual.

This was just a rehearsal. Will there ever be a day, a blessed moment like this for me?

A tranquil moment. Emotions I couldn't contain welled up.

“Hehehe.”

“Could it be that when your anger hits its limit, you start laughing, sensei?”

“It passed the limit long ago.”

“Hiiiiii!”

Kokonoe-kun stepped back. This was fine. He had brought my smile back to me.

“But please, let me say it as many times as I want. Thank you.”

I couldn't stop myself from saying it, carried by my feelings.

“You really do look better with a smile.”

“If you hadn't been here, I might have given in to despair and thrown everything away.”

I surely would have. That's how it was supposed to be. My fate has been changed.

“I've made so many people around me sad until now. Their tear-streaked faces are always in the back of my mind, and I never want to see that again. Happiness is better than sadness, right? So from now on, I want to make sure—at least within the reach of my own hands—that everyone can smile.”

An unwavering, unshakable conviction. He had continued to polish himself to make that conviction come true.

“I…”

He lived with resolve, while I had drifted along. We were exact opposites.

I felt disappointment in my own pathetic self. My rusted soul remained dull and clouded.

I bit my lip in frustration. There's no way someone like me could have any charm.

“Oh, I almost forgot. About that swimming match earlier—technically, I won, right?”

“I thought we'd left that vague…”

“I won't let you. So, as agreed, please reveal one of your secrets.”

“I do have to mentally prepare myself—”

A secret… what kind of secret do I even have? If he asked, I'd honestly tell him my weight, or even my dark past.
Nothing worth keeping secret.

There's nothing I have to hide from anyone—no secret I must keep—

“Yukito excitement.”

Kokonoe-kun's face was expressionless, yet somehow his excitement came across.

(…There it was. The one and only secret I could never tell anyone.)

I could never say it out loud. It was a taboo—something that must never be spoken in society.

“This cake is good, but the pudding still wins…”

Completely oblivious to my feelings, he ate the cake at his own pace.

I followed the pull of my unstoppable heart. For the first time in my life, I stepped off the rails laid before me and went off-track.

Beyond that, there was no set path—only freedom. And the reality called “personal responsibility.”

“Alright. I'll go with this. I only have the one secret anyway.”

“And no, ‘it's inverted' doesn't count.”

“I'm telling you it's not inverted! If you insist that much, do you want to touch and check?”

“Sensei's psychological barriers are lowering by the minute…”

I smiled at the silly exchange. That much, I didn't mind at all.

Not as a teacher, but as no one in particular. Because I—

“Are you ready? I won't say it twice, so listen carefully.”

I turned to face him, peering into those dark, pitch-black eyes—eyes that seemed to pull me in.

“A hopelessly foolish, unforgivable decision. But it's fine. Now—”

In the end, it turned out exactly as Misaki-san had said. She'd probably laugh, feeling she'd won.

“Kokonoe-kun, I—”

“Sanjoji-sensei?”

That dangerous boy looked at me curiously. Honestly, this is what happens when you tease an adult.

『^{I love you}』

“Wha—!”

I hadn't spoken it aloud. But he must have read my lips and understood.

He's strangely skilled at things like that. I want him to know—this is his own fault.

My one secret I could never tell anyone. Only the two of us know. A feeling we share.

A blue sky without a single cloud. It felt like my vision had opened up. What a refreshing feeling this was.

“I have a goal now. For the next two years, I'll work on improving myself.”

I would carry the radiant value of gold within me, so that I would never fade even standing beside him.

“Two years… wait, you're not actually taking Himiyama-san's words seriously, are you…?”

“Speaking of which, Misaki-san was bragging about how she reclaimed and permanently owned some land. Kokonoe-kun, did you buy farmland? With the rice shortage, I can really feel the importance of farmers.”

“Why are you bringing that up now…?”

“Do you have something to hide?”

“Of course.”

“You do!?”

I had to hear the full story. It could affect my own future.

“Just for clearing land huh.”

“You sometimes just casually read my mind, you know.”

Until the day I can say those words out loud, I'll keep it sealed away.