V6Ch1: Sunset Beauty part 2

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Translator: Soafp

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“It's ready, Sensei.”

I set the plates down on the table with a small clink. Steam was rising from the freshly made dishes.

We were at Imachizuki. Since I get trained by the head chef there a few times a week, this kind of thing is second nature to me. Besides, if I'm going to cook, it's more rewarding when there's someone to serve it to.

“…Thank you. I'm jealous of how good you are at cooking. It looks delicious.”

She praised the food, but her voice lacked energy. She's always composed, so seeing this frail side of her felt strange.

I'd invited Sanjoji-sensei to dinner after school. I thought she'd turn me down flat, but the fact that she agreed to come might mean she's really mentally worn down.

Of course, there's nothing improper about this, but considering the current situation, it probably wasn't the best time for us to be seen together. Still, I couldn't just leave her alone—after all, she's someone I owe a lot to.

“I thought maybe you haven't been sleeping well, so I made dishes that are good for sleep.”

“…You really can't hide anything from me, can you?”

Sanjoji-sensei gave a tired smile. She really didn't look well. Given everything that's happened, it's no wonder she's not sleeping.

The meal included pork, rich in B vitamins, and a soup made with shellfish. I added celery, which is full of tryptophan—a compound known to help with insomnia. I also used plenty of soybeans. I kept the seasoning mild but made sure the nutrition was top-notch.

“This is so fancy… I almost feel bad eating it.”

“I'd be more upset if you didn't eat it. I made this special menu just for you, Sensei.”

Preparing meals that match someone's condition and preferences—it's a valuable experience.

“…It's not the image itself that scared me,” she said quietly. “What scared me was dragging you into this… and realizing that someone out there hates me that much. I felt like that hatred had been shoved right in my face.”

She lowered her gaze. I understood what she meant—but there's no point in dwelling on it.

“If you say that, then what about me? I get people hating on me all the time, even when I haven't done anything. These days, even when a company launches a new product, random people jump in with complaints and outrage. You can't let yourself get dragged down by that kind of thing.”

It's not always the victim's fault. Sometimes people get targeted just because they're there.

Like that time when Hinagi got caught up in something. She hadn't done anything wrong—it was just someone lashing out over a messy romantic situation. But still, she suffered for it. No one would've blamed her for holding a grudge. Yet she forgave them. With a big heart. It must have been incredibly hard.

And me? I just got toyed with by that minstrel duo afterward. Unfair, really.

“You're not afraid of anything, are you? Is there anything that scares you?”

“Yuri-san.”

Lately, Yuri-san's growth spurt has been picking up steam. At this rate, it won't be long before Berlin's walls of reason come crumbling down.

“I'm picking up a vibe here… like there's some kind of untouchable topic I shouldn't touch.”

Sanjoji-sensei displayed terrifyingly sharp intuition. That was close. If she'd asked for a detailed explanation, I wouldn't know how to respond. It'd probably be classified as inappropriate literature, and I'd end up getting a pink warning postcard.

Still, it's true that grudges are frightening. They often spiral into irreversible situations.

“Sensei, you're beautiful. Haven't you ever had any drama in your love life? Like rejecting someone too harshly in public after a confession and humiliating them? People hold grudges over that kind of thing all the time.”

“Huh? Oh, no, nothing like that! I'm going to a marriage agency, and I haven't had a single successful match… I never imagined the age barrier would be this formidable…”

Sensei gave off a gloomy black aura. Those guys seriously have no idea what they're missing.

“You said earlier that if someone's holding a grudge, it might be me. But I've never once resented you. Which means, whatever grudge it is, it's not a big one.”

“…I hope that's true. Your rare kindness is truly precious.”

Sensei gave me a gentle smile. When people try to deal with things on their own, their thoughts often spiral in the worst directions and wear them down mentally. Being able to talk to someone or having someone by your side makes a difference.

Sanjoji-sensei doesn't seem like the type who's used to that kind of support, given her position. That's why I invited her out to eat today. I wonder if I was able to help her, even a little.

“Maybe we should just go to a love hotel already.”

“Shall we, then?”

“Wait—what!?”

That's bad. This might be more serious than I thought. Jokes like that are only okay because Sensei usually shoots them down with a scolding. It's like someone afraid of ghosts agreeing to visit a haunted house and then realizing they can't back out. That's usually the person who ends up getting haunted.

“Good thing I recorded that just now…”

“Eh!? What are you doing!? Delete it! Right now!”

Recording with a smartphone is easy these days. I make sure to always keep evidence—just in case.

“Oh, right!”

Looking at my phone, an idea hit me.

“Sensei, could I borrow your phone for a sec?”

“Did your battery die or something? Sure, go ahead.”

She handed it over without hesitation. Her level of trust scared me a little.

“There we go… and I'll just set mine up too.”

“What are you doing?”

“Just some self-defense precautions, like a dashboard camera.”

“Huh… I see?”

I handed her phone back. You never know what might happen these days. Risk management is key.

“Yaaawn…”

Sensei rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn, averting her gaze, a bit embarrassed.

“…Sorry. That was unbecoming of me.”

She must've gotten drowsy from the warm meal. Nothing wrong with that.

“Why don't you take a short nap? It'll help you feel more refreshed.”

I sat down beside her and patted my thigh.

“Wait. That's not what I think it is, is it…?”

That's right—it was a lap pillow. That somewhat questionable but beloved tradition of using a human as a cushion.

“Um… Kokonoe-kun? Isn't a lap pillow something a woman usually gives a man…?”

“Equal Opportunity Napping Act.”

“You say that like it's clever, but it's really not.”

If we're going to talk about equality, then who gives the lap pillow shouldn't matter. That's how it should be.

“Anyway, equal opportunity and equal outcome are two different—yaaawn.”

“Come on now. I'll wake you in about twenty minutes.”

I gently lowered her down. She must've been really sleepy—she barely resisted. Too long of a nap would affect her nighttime sleep, so it's best to keep it under thirty minutes.

“There there, you're getting sleepy… so sleepy…”

I wiggled my fingers hypnotically.

“I'm not a dragonfly… I'm not a… yaaawn…”

“Turns out you were a dragonfly.”

Sensei's body gradually relaxed as sleep took hold.

“E-excuse me… I can't believe I'm letting a student do this…”

“Lap pillows are safe.”

“That's not the issue… I… can't… stay awake…”

“Is it finally time for the third verse of my lullaby collection—Mother's Lullaby, Sister's Lullaby… and now, Teacher's Lullaby.”

“…Please don't.”

“Bu-bu-pa! Bu-bu-pa! Tse-a, tse-a! HAYO!”

“That's a rap!?”

With the bouncy rhythm, her eyelids drooped heavier.

“It's okay. I'll definitely do something about all this.”

I softly repeated the words I'd said back at school to reassure her.

Once her eyes fully closed, she began to breathe in a slow, steady rhythm.

“…That being said, where do I even start…?”

If she's suffering this much, then the situation might be more serious than I thought. I might not have the luxury of time. The harassment might not be over yet.

“Just so it's clear, I'm not planning on doing anything weird to Sensei while she sleeps, okay!?”

Nobody was listening, but I said it anyway. I'm a gentleman, after all.

“…Huh? Where… am I…?”

Blinking against the light, Sanjoji-sensei slowly opened her eyes.

“This is a love hotel.”

“A… love hotel? Kokonoe-kun, why are you in my room…?”

She was still groggy, probably not fully processing the situation.

“You're the one who said we should come here.”

I played back the recording on my phone:

‘Maybe we should just go to a love hotel already.'

‘Shall we, then?'

As soon as she heard it, Sensei bolted upright in shock.

“W-Wait, I finally crossed the line with a student…! This really means—”

Noticing something strange, the teacher glanced around. Our eyes met.

She quickly checked her clothes and turned pale when she saw they were disheveled (just messed up from turning over in sleep).

“Good morning.”

“Good morning. But this is not the time to be exchanging greetings. I was just about to say… we had s*x—”

Her eyes narrowed as her thoughts finally caught up.

“This is strange. This is a love hotel? No matter how you look at it, it's not.”

She pressed forward with undeniable pressure. Her face up close looked a little healthier, which was a relief.

“No, that alarm just now was my alarm clock.”

“Please stop with alarms that make my heart almost stop!”

“I figured this way you wouldn't oversleep.”

“Are you trying to kill me!?”

Sometimes when using a phone alarm, it keeps going off every few minutes with the snooze function, and even though it's loud, if you're really asleep, you don't notice at all. It's troublesome.

“You didn't do any pranks or anything, did you?”

Her heart was still pounding as she held her chest. People are most defenseless when asleep or having their hair washed at a salon. Her concern was perfectly reasonable.

“Don't worry. I tried drawing on your forehead once, but I wiped it all off nicely with a wet tissue. It was too cliché and not funny, so I gave up.”

“You already did! No, I mean, not that kind of prank…”

After she rolled over, she pressed her face hard against my stomach. It was quite a struggle.

I understood what she meant. She was overly concerned about her clothes being messed up.

“…Tch. I really didn't want to say this.”

“W-What did you do? Since you comforted me, I might overlook a little, but…”

Swallowing hard at my hesitation, she waited.

“Your sleeping posture was surprisingly bad.”

“Ugh, that's one of the top three things I don't want to hear from anyone!”

I didn't want to say such a harsh thing either!

“It's not Sensei's fault! It's because my thigh is too hard!”

Damn it! Because of you, I embarrassed the teacher!

“Please stop hitting your own thigh so violently!”

“I thought it might get softer.”

“Your violence knows no limits!? It was already soft enough!”

“Oh, really? Then I'll stop.”

Looks like my thigh got off lightly. I need to make it reflect on this later.

“You seem a bit better now. That's good.”

“…Maybe so. I feel a little better, like some of the fatigue has lifted.”

It's only a small relief, but if she sleeps well tonight, she should improve.

Her sharp comebacks were returning too. That's how she should be!

“Um… how long was I asleep?”

“Not long.”

I pointed at the clock. At most, a little over twenty minutes. She looked comfortable sleeping, so I hesitated to wake her, but if she fell fully asleep here, her body would get stiff. She'd want to take a bath too, and probably Inukichi would be worried (maybe).

“It's the first time a man's given me a lap pillow… it was really comforting.”

“I thought you'd find my muscles too hard, maybe I should wrap a towel around a golden eye snapper to use as a pillow—”

“That's way too fishy.”

Right, I hadn't thought about the smell. Maybe human warmth is more important.

“But really, thank you. I'm so grateful… Honestly, I never expected you'd care this much and do all this. I treated you so badly—”

“Don't say that. You'll just get depressed again. Come on, let's clean up!”

I lightly patted her back to stop her from slipping back into self-reproach and urged her to act.

“Ah, wait! My bra—”

Oops, I accidentally unhooked the bra she was wearing and immediately apologized.

Why do I always do this?! The underwear makers must be to blame!

“Unhooking the clasp again…”

“Is now the time to talk!?”

Yes, I'm the one at fault. Sorry about that (bows deeply).

We cleaned up the table together and washed the dishes.

“Thanks for the meal… and for the lap pillow.”

“You're so polite.”

She said that many times in just a few minutes. I didn't think I did anything special, but if it lifted her mood even a little, it was worth it.

“There's an old saying: empty words of thanks aren't needed.”

“Th-That's true, but I don't plan to just say thanks without meaning it—”

The flustered teacher suddenly realized something and hesitantly spoke.

“Is… saying thanks with words enough?”

“? What do you mean?”

Himiyama-san is the same way, but sometimes at times like this, she says things I just can't understand.

“That was nothing! It was just my mistake! Please forget about it!”

“I didn't do it to get your thanks, so don't worry about it.”

Human relationships are about give and take. It'd be a problem if everyone around me was just a taker who only took from others, but luckily, I feel there are more givers around me. I always benefit from their kindness.

So, doing something for someone else feels natural to me and not a burden.

“That's true… Then next time, you should give me a lap pillow.”

“That's something I could do. But… I'm not very confident about my thighs…”

She rubbed her stocking-covered thigh. Though she said she wasn't confident, she looked nothing like that. Her legs were slender and very beautiful. They must be softer than mine at least.

“I go jogging with Inukichi when I walk him. I want to at least lose a little weight first—”

I couldn't hide my anger at such an outrageous comment. No, seriously, no!

“That ruins everything! Don't you know the recent trend? According to online experts, the thicker a woman's thighs are, the more attractive they are.”

“That's exactly the kind of expert you should never believe!”

Too bad. Online truth.

“Understood. Well… someday, sometime soon.”

She sighed and smiled gently.

I like her smile the most — more than her troubled face, her worried face, her crying face, her regretful face, her depressed face, or her lamenting face.

I'll just do what I can so that those around her can always wear such a smile.

“We have school tomorrow, time to go home?”

“Yes.”

We went outside and looked up at the sky.

“Ah.”

It seemed Sanjoji-sensei noticed too. I hadn't seen because she was looking down.

“The full moon is beautiful, isn't it?”

“Yes. Truly.”

The moon floating in the clear dark night. A rabbit is forced to pound mochi.

I quietly wished that she could always keep that clear smile.

---

[Sanjoji Pov]

Back home, I took off only my jacket and immediately lay down on the bed. My mind was awake.

The brief nap was very effective; the migraine that had troubled me during the day eased, and I was regaining some mental composure. Above all, he had dispelled my anxiety.

“To feel fulfilled in both heart and stomach.”

Just remembering it makes me blush at my words and actions. But maybe I needed that time. If he — Kokonoe-kun — hadn't invited me, I would have been tormented by anxiety, unable to properly eat or get enough sleep today.

Nothing was solved. I still don't know what will happen from now on. But there was someone beside me who cared.

That was the most reassuring and comforting thing of all.

“If it's just a lap pillow, I can always…”

That much was within what I could allow myself. Yeah… no problem at all. I could make that happen.

While making such obvious excuses, I held feelings contrary to my words.

“I'm a failure as a teacher… I just can't say no.”

No matter what it is, if strongly wished for, I can't refuse. Because it's a way of making amends.

Again. Making excuses again… Even though it's not really just that.

Two sides of the same coin. I hid my wavering feelings and held up my smartphone.

Just four characters of insult. Maybe it was the perfect word for me.

“…Will you protect me too?”

An adult clinging to a child. Written out, it sounds so irresponsible and ridiculous.

But he protected Misaki's heart. He saved her. From the edge of hell.

“Is this what I deserve?”

It was fear. The unreasonable cruelty suddenly thrust upon me. Being scorched by malice.

If those words were from Kokonoe-kun, I could bear it. No matter what insults or slanders, I would have accepted them willingly. Because I was fully aware of what I had done.

A cursed memory. I should have been hated. I deserved their hatred.

Yet now, the one trying to help me was him. Following a strange fate, we once again overlapped.

“Kokonoe-kun?”

Just then, a message arrived on my phone. An image was attached.

My heart skipped a beat. If I could clear his hatred, I would do anything—

“Good night.”

Trembling fingertips tapped the screen. It was a simple greeting and a photo of me sleeping.

I was sound asleep on his lap, apparently finding the lap pillow very comfortable.

The tension melted away. I felt no guilt or shame. He didn't make me feel that way.

My guard was down, and a smile slipped out. — It would be nice if he played a prank on me too.

His kindness, worrying about me, was wrapped inside the short message.

“Good night.”

I hugged my smartphone tightly and quietly closed my eyes.

Looking forward to seeing him again tomorrow.

By the way, Vermeer's “The Milkmaid” was drawn on my forehead.

“That's not just doodling quality!?”