Three days after the consultation with Miss Rushia. ”……”
Miss Rushia was sitting in my living room.
With her snow-white hair and red eyes, she had a charming, rabbit-like quality to her.
On top of that, today she wasn’t wearing her usual traditional garb.
She had come by this morning dressed like a sheltered young lady from a prestigious family, in a white one-piece dress and a straw hat.
“Okaya, the manuscript is finished. I brought it because I wanted you to take a look.”
It seemed her fax was broken, so she had gone out of her way to deliver the revised draft all the way to my house.
Apparently, she got my address from Editor Kamimatsu… There was something off about that. Even if it was for work, would someone like him just hand over a person’s home address?
Well, since she had already come all this way, there was no point in turning her away, so I ended up letting her in.
“Okaya… uh, what do you think?”
As I read through the manuscript, Miss Rushia asked me. “Yeah, it’s wonderful.”
“R-really! I asked Ichika to have these clothes tailored for me, but does that mean they’re really wonderful?”
“? No, regarding the manuscript…” “…Ah, I see.”
Lushea Sensei slumped her shoulders.
Dammit, she must have been asking about my outfit.
Come to think of it, she’s wearing quite a cute dress today.
So, she bought new clothes and wants me to praise them? She has a surprisingly childish side to her how. Cute.
“You look great in that outfit. Your usual kimono is lovely too, but that ladylike style suits you well as well.”
“! R-really?! Fufu, really… fufufu.”
Lushea Sensei wore a dazed, melting smile.
Even with her mature demeanor, she’s still just a child at heart, isn’t she? How adorable.
“I’ve reviewed the manuscript. It’s truly remarkable work. To polish it this thoroughly in just three days is impressive.”
“Aah! That’s entirely thanks to you, Okayama.”
Lushea Sensei said, her cheeks blushing.
「I merely offered some advice. You’re the one who wrote it, so I expect you to be proud of your work」
「Ah, no… that’s not what I meant…」
Teacher Rushia fidgeted awkwardly, her eyes darting side to side.
「…I wrote it because I wanted Okaya-kun to read it. Because I wanted him to praise me… I worked really hard on it」 「…I see」
The image of Teacher Rushia overlapped with the figures of Akari and her sister from ten years ago.
Back when she was a tutor at the cram school, the twins would study hard at home for their tests because they wanted me to praise them. But… 「Teacher Rushia」 「Hm…?」 I leaned in close to the teacher’s face. 「O-Okaya-kun…?」 Her crimson eyes were glistening. Ah, so that was really how it was. 「Hmm…」
With her face flushed bright red, Teacher Rushia closed her eyes and pursed her lips. I poked her forehead. 「You look sleep-deprived」 「W-What…?」
Teacher Rushia opened her mouth in surprise.
「Haven’t you barely slept these past three days?」「Ah… yes, I suppose so…」
「Putting yourself through the wringer to finish a good manuscript is pointless if it leaves you too sick to function」
Akari and her sister had experienced the same thing.
Wanting to get high scores on their exams, they had studied all night and fallen ill. This young woman was likely in the same boat.
“Professor Lushia, your dedication to crafting a high-quality manuscript is truly commendable for a professional. However, managing your health is also part of the job. If falling ill is an option, it’s ten thousand times better to shelve the manuscript.”
Professor Lushia blushed, but she pursed her lips tightly. ”…You’re being unfair, Okaya.” “Yes…?”
“Teasing my heart like this… so kind, yet so unfair…”
I had absolutely no idea what she was trying to say.
I used to work part-time at a cram school, but back then, I was dealing with elementary school students.
A child’s heart—especially that of an adolescent girl—is… difficult to understand. That goes for both Akari and Naeko.
“Hey… Okaya. Today is… you know. It’s not just about looking at the manuscript…” “Do you have some kind of issue to consult me about?”
“Aaah. It’s something… something very important. Listen, I…” Just then— “Wait, hold on a sec!”
The living room door burst open, and the twin high school girls walked in.
“Weren’t you guys supposed to be going shopping?…”
When Professor Lushia came to my house, I had already sent them a LINE message beforehand.
Saying that I was meeting with a writer and to not come over. “Y-You… are Akari!”
“I knew it was Ruchia! Just as I suspected! You’re dangerous!”
Akari stomps over here.
Nanako follows closely behind her.
“What were you two doing alone together, huh?”
Standing in a rigid posture, Akari blocks the view, with Nanako clinging to her back as if hiding behind her. “It was work.”
“But Okarin wasn’t told anything!”
“I-i did ask you! It was your lovely little sisters who answered!”
The twins let out a sharp huff through their noses, clearly annoyed.
“So it’s true… that you and Okaya are living together?”
With a creak, the teacher Ruchia stands up and glares at Akari. “Uu…”
While Nanako shrinks back further into hiding, Akari stares right back at her.
“Yeah. Me and the older lady behind me are living with Okarin.”
“W-Whaaat? Nana, wha-wha the hell is this?!”
…I had driven the point home to them, telling them to keep it strictly under wraps. I guess they’re just kids though; I can’t help it.
“T-This is— Teacher! W-W-What’s happening here?!”
Sensei Rushia stared at me with wild, swaying eyes, lunging toward me to grab me.
But her momentum carried her forward, and she stumbled toward me. “Dang—!” I caught Sensei Rushia in my arms.
”~!!!!!!?”
“AAAAAAAH!!!!”
Sensei Rushia’s face turned as red as it could possibly go.
As the high school girls gaped and screamed…
“Tee-chee…ry…”
Sensei Rushia passed out. ★
Some hours later, Sensei Rushia opened her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Okaya… I got all worked up…” This was my bedroom.
It seemed Teacher Rushia had suffered a mild case of heatstroke.
Combined with her lack of sleep, she had apparently lost consciousness.
“It’s fine now, Okaya. Sorry to worry you.”
I grabbed Teacher Rushia by the shoulder as she tried to get up. “Okaya…?” “Please rest a bit longer.” “B-but…”
“I was on the verge of heatstroke. It’s not something to take lightly. In the worst-case scenario, it’s a fatal condition. Please make sure you get proper rest.” “U-uh… okay…”
The teacher obediently lay back down on the bed.
I took the towel from Teacher Rushia, soaked it in water, and placed it on her forehead. ”………… heh” ”?” “Is something wrong?”
“No… it’s just been a while since a man tended to me like this. It’s a bit… no, actually quite pleasant.”
…There was something familiar in this child’s eyes.
That’s right… the same eyes as Nainako and the others.
Eyes carrying discord over their parents, starving for parental affection… that is what these eyes were.
“Um… Karin? Are you okay?”
The fusuma sliding door opened with a clatter, and the twins walked in.
“Aah, it’s nothing. More importantly, do you two understand?” “Y-yes… I’m sorry.”
Nanako and her sister bowed in unison.
“I apologize for interrupting your work, Sensei.” ”…” “Sensei?”
“Oh, uh… don’t worry about it. I wasn’t acting like an adult myself. I’m sorry.”
Once things had settled down, I needed to explain the situation.
“Sensei, may I have an explanation regarding living with these girls?”
“B-Before that… there is… something I’d like to ask of you.” ”?” “Yes?”
Ms. Rushia glanced back and forth between me and the twins, then said softly, “N-Namae…” “Yes?”
“Please… stop it. And… please stop using honorifics with me too.” “W-Why is that?”
Glancing briefly at Akari and her sister, Ms. Rushia raised her voice.
”…I don’t want to lose to these two.” “Huh?” “I… I just have to!”
Some teachers find that approach easier to work with.
As for me, since the other party is a business partner, I find using honorifics easier to deal with…
“Got it, Rushia. Is this okay?”
“A-ah! That’s fine! No, actually, I prefer it even more!”
I don’t quite get it, but she seems to like how I address her.
”…Akaariii~ What am I gonna dooo~”
Nanako clings to her little sister, on the verge of tears.
“That girl is so incredibly cute~ She’s small, slender, and beautiful… We have no chance against her.”
“It’s okay! At least we’ve got these big boobs! Keep your head up, sis!”
”…I-I get it! Hmph!”
The Akari group is doing some really stupid things.
”……For now, you guys sit down. Given how things have turned out, I’m going to explain everything.”