Can I Still Be Your Heroine Even Though I'm Your Teacher?-Chapter 3Volume 1 .11 - A Relationship Like Waves
A Relationship Like Waves 11
“Hey, Yuunagi-kun, don’t you like Kuhouin-san?”
She asked this with full confidence but completely off the mark.
“Are we back to that topic? You’re persistent.”
“But Kuhouin-san is cute, isn’t she? There are quite a few boys in the class who steal glances at her during class.”
She approaches with an attitude that says, ‘Come on, try consulting with this Onee-san.’
“Has the cockroach(Goki) incident messed up your head?”
“Don’t even abbreviate it! Don’t ever mention that name!”
She smacked my arm.
“Anyway, Tenjō-san, your love-life savvy seems pretty low.”
“How rude. I’ve never had a boyfriend, but I’ve been confessed to plenty of times.”
Given that there’s no intention to brag too much, it’s probably true that Tenjō-san is not interested in love.
Nevertheless, I am curious about her views on love.
“Then, give me advice on how to date someone I like.”
Tenjō-san, with a knowing look, elaborates on her method for successful romance.
“Love is a short battle! They say women stop seeing a man as a romantic interest if too much time passes after meeting. So, the key is to meet and talk a lot in a short period to turn on the other person’s love switch.”
“What’s a ‘love switch’?”
I immediately ask.
“Um, it’s about making the other person feel excited, I guess?”
“How exactly do you make someone excited?”
I rapidly fire another question.
“Aren’t you rushing too much!?”
“I’m just asking for advice, Onee-san. Now, please answer me.”
I kept pressing for an answer with a laugh, not giving her time to think.
“Wait a minute.”
“Eh, you can’t answer without thinking?”
“Yuunagi-kun, you’re being a bit mean.”
“Is that so? Besides, your earlier answer was just something you heard from someone else, right?”
“How did you know!?”
Tenjō-sensei was surprised by my guess.
“Because it doesn’t sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
“My love-expert friend is the one who told me that advice, so it’s not wrong. Frequent interactions are super important!”
“You don’t practice it yourself?”
“You’re poking at a sore spot, aren’t you?”
Tenjō-sensei looked up at the night sky, trying to divert the conversation from herself.
“Have you noticed something?”
It’s been almost a month since we started having dinner at my place.
During the day at school, at night in my room, I talk to Reiyu Tenjō more than any friend or family member.
“What is it?”
“…The woman I interact with the most is Tenjō-sensei, you know?”
Reiyu Tenjō is undeniably beautiful.
Many are drawn to her, but they understand that their relationship can’t develop beyond a certain point.
She and I belong to different worlds from the start.
We just happen to be in close proximity during this particular period of our lives.
I should be satisfied with the fortunate chance of being near her and having conversations with such a beautiful woman.
A charming person can make those around them happy just by being there.
Or perhaps——drive them mad.
Maybe I’m just one of those people too.
When I put it into words, the emotions I had been suppressing in my heart began to stir.
My heartbeat quickened, pulsing intensely. My mind felt feverishly hot, trying to block rational thought.
It’s not just driven by physiological desire.
Removing rational limitations like the age difference, status, and common sense, my honest feelings for Reiyu Tenjō, as just a man and a woman, were clear.
Yuunagi Nishiki sees his teacher as a realistic romantic interest.
Her every expression shown through our days together——laughing, crying, being happy, anxious, angry, pleased, surprised, and laughing again——all of them are dear to me.
My love switch had been turned on long ago.
I am hopelessly in love with Reiyu Tenjō.
“————”
Tenjō-sensei swallowed her breath and froze.
It seemed like she couldn’t catch up with the shocking realization that the common sense she had always taken for granted had suddenly been overturned.
“Should I say it again?”
I turned back to her, who still hadn’t moved, and asked.
“No! It’s okay! I heard you!”
She hurried to catch up with a stiff expression.
It seemed she was shaken.
“Ah～～uh, no-no, someone older like me is definitely out of the question.”
Tenjō-sensei fluttered her hands as she vehemently denied it.
I wonder why she gets flustered like this despite not being interested in younger guys.
I wish she would play it off more jokingly if she’s trying to feign ignorance.
She should dismiss it with the composure she shows at school.
Her half-hearted reaction makes me want to expect something from her.
“Look, no matter how much we eat together, it’s like being almost family, right? I’m in the position of a reliable Onee-san.”
“It’s difficult to think of Tenjō-san as an Onee-chan.”
“Sorry for being unreliable…”
“Please don’t sulk. I like you just the way you are, Tenjō-san.”
“Stop teasing an adult!”
“I’m just being honest.”
“That makes it worse! I can’t take it seriously when you say it so casually while we’re walking down this night street!”
“Oh? If the situation was right, it would be okay?”
That’s good to know. I’ll make use of it someday.
“It’s not about that!”
“Am I bothering you?”
“Right now, it’s a problem whether I get too close or stay too distant from you! That’s the only thing that’s clear!”
I knew it, my relationship with Tenjō-san was like the ebbing waves.
Always in contact, yet the boundary is unclear.
We can’t draw a definitive line to make things black and white.
“I wonder if this kind of answer is a bit unfair,”
She mutters as if mocking herself.
“Not at all. Thanks to that, I can stay close to you.”
If Reiyu Tenjō was as perfect and flawless as she appeared, I probably would never have gotten involved in her private life.
It’s quite ironic.
“——That kind of thing can lead to misunderstandings with girls.”
“What?”
“Never mind! “
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Before we knew it, we had arrived at the drugstore, and Tenjō-san sprinted ahead.
“Okay! Now that we’re here, let’s end this topic! Understand?”
Tenjō-san swiftly turned around and pointed at me firmly.
The lights of the store behind her illuminated her figure.
Even though it was night, she seemed dazzlingly bright, and I squinted my eyes.
Upon entering the drugstore, we threw all the necessary cockroach control supplies into the basket.
As we were about to head to the checkout, I stopped in front of another shelf.
“Do you still have something else to buy?”
“The light bulb in your hallway was out, so we might as well buy a new one.”
“You’re very observant. Thank you.”
Tenjō-san nudged me with her elbow as if to say, ‘good job.’
“Ah, but do you know the size of the light bulb?”
“Our apartment layouts are the same. The fixtures are identical.”
“Remembering which one fits is quite impressive, isn’t it?”
“I’ve changed it before.”
I added the light bulb I picked out to the basket.
“I always think about buying one, but I always forget. Thanks for noticing.”
“If the hallway was brighter, I wouldn’t have mistook the swimsuit for something else.”
That area, especially near the bathroom, had been dark, so it was firmly etched in my memory.
“Really? Or did you actually just get excited by the swimsuit?”
She teased, peeking into my face.
“Just go and pay the bill, please.”
“Aha, you’re trying to dodge the question.”
“…well, as a guy, swimsuits are a special case.”
“Hmm. If you join the swim club, you’ll see them all the time.”
Tenjō-san said this and headed to the register.
Certainly, Tenjō-san has a great figure, so she must look good in a swimsuit.
The highly functional, tight, thin fabric that wraps around her enchanting body undoubtedly emphasizes her toned figure and feminine curves.
Just imagining it is intense enough, so I wonder if I could stay calm upon actually seeing it.
