Kissing My Student, It's Over if We're Caught-Chapter 3Volume 2 .14 - Kirihara Touka - Happy Moment: "Welcome back," "Im home," "Lets eat"

The cultural festival took place on a Saturday.

Exhausted the next day, Kirihara and I spent the whole day lazing around, watching anime and foreign dramas.

Then came Monday. Though it was a weekday on the calendar, the students had the day off as a compensatory holiday for their midterm exams.

We teachers gathered in the staff room to review the cultural festival.

First, the results of the mock shops put out by the students were announced.

The class I was in charge of had achieved the target of being the top seller by a wide margin.

Prompted by the principal to explain the reasons, I announced that it was all thanks to the students’ efforts.

“While the discussions in homeroom were dominated by a few, from what I heard from the students, leaders used messaging apps to gather opinions, enabling fruitful discussions.”

The principal, vice-principal, and other veteran staff were very interested, noting how much the situation has changed from the past.

I didn’t touch on my own involvement, as it might have seemed like undermining the efforts of Higashi and the others.

The meeting concluded with the principal’s words, “The most important thing is that we finished without any accidents.”

Afterward, we were told we could work on our own things, so I discussed the final exams with Kurei-sensei.

“Once this is over, it’ll already be the third term. A new school year will come in no time. It’s going to get busy.”

Kirihara will also be busy with exams and career planning.

…Eventually, there will be three-way interviews with guardians.

I wonder how Kirihara will manage to deal with her mother at that time…

Unconcerned by my worries, Kirihara herself was full of energy.

“Welcome back~”

When I returned to Kirihara’s home after work, she greeted me with a smile at the entrance.

“I’m home. Did you make dinner again?”

“Yeah. You must be hungry, right?”

Kirihara had her hair tied back and was wearing an apron with a character printed on it. It’s not something she’d choose for school, but Kirihara surprisingly likes cute things like this.

“Thanks, but aren’t you tired from going to school for student council work?”

“Don’t worry about it. It was just in the morning.”

“…Huh?”

As I entered the house, I noticed something slightly off. This fragrance is…

“What’s wrong?”

“No… nothing.”

Curious, I glanced at the kitchen, but only saw pumpkins, eggplants, and onions cut up. Nothing out of the ordinary. …Maybe it was just my imagination.

“Today’s dinner is yakiniku~! I bought some really good meat.”

“Nice. Is this like a celebration for the cultural festival?”

“Well, yeah!”

Kirihara prepared a small hot plate on the table.

It’s the one I bought online recently. It’s a handy device that can easily make takoyaki, sukiyaki, and more.

“I thought about making something more complex, but I was scared of failing, so I went with this. Just cutting raw vegetables and having yakiniku sauce makes everything delicious! …Right?”

“Yeah. …Is that there, though? The star of yakiniku is…”

“Rice! I cooked more than usual!”

“Great job!”

“Yay!”

We high-fived and danced a little together.

After changing out of my stuffy disguise, Kirihara had already started grilling the meat, which sizzled satisfyingly.

On the edge, vegetables were slowly roasting, waiting for their turn.

“Gin, congratulations on your first cultural festival! Let’s eat!”

“Kirihara, you too! Let’s eat!”

I drenched the grilled meat with sauce and placed it on the rice before tossing it into my mouth.

…Ah, delicious!

“It’s really good! This gives me energy…”

Kirihara also looked happy.

“By the way, our class won first place in sales again.”

“You already knew? Everyone did a great job.”

“You too!”

We continued to chat while dropping more meat onto the hot plate.

Kirihara can’t eat as much as I do, but being young, she can certainly put away a good amount of meat.

We kept eating meat and rice, occasionally nibbling on roasted vegetables, and sometimes wrapping the meat in lettuce on a whim.

Both of us couldn’t stop eating and laughed throughout the meal.

“The meat was good. It made me happy.”

“Yeah. …The meat’s contribution was significant, but really, what makes a meal important is the atmosphere, Gin.”

“…You’re right. The cup noodles we ate together the other night were also delicious.”

“Those, huh~… They’re amazing but scary because they might make you gain weight.”

“Don’t worry. Whether we gain or lose weight, we’ll do it together.”

“Even though I know you’re the only one whose weight won’t change…”

Kirihara pouted.

…Talking about weight is dangerous.

“Anyway, the meat was really good.”

“Yeah. It was worth the price.”

“…Are you sure about the food expenses? I can pay half.”

“Don’t worry about it. Today is a celebration.”

It was quite a lavish celebration for the end of the cultural festival.

Maybe…

“Wait here for a second, Gin.”

Kirihara went into the kitchen and opened a cupboard.

When she returned, she had plates we usually use for dessert.

On the plates were three cupcakes.

“Happy birthday.”

“You knew?”

My parents and Yuzu had also contacted me that morning.

“It was a while ago, but you told me online. I always register the birthdays of people I’m close to in my phone.”

“I see… Thank you. Did you make these cupcakes after coming back?”

“Yeah~. After the festival ended, I asked Kobayashi-san for the recipe. I know you like sweets, so I mixed in chopped chocolate. I hope it turned out okay…”

When I came back, the sweet fragrance wasn’t just my imagination, it seems.

“Are you happy?”

“…I’m so happy I can’t even react properly, but I’m really happy.”

“That’s good! …Are you full from the meat? Can you eat?”

“I can eat.”

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Nodding, Kirihara placed the plates on the table.

“Can I feed you?”

“Since Kirihara made it, do as you like.”

“Then, excuse me~”

Kirihara moved her chair next to mine. She unwrapped the paper from the cake, cut a bite-sized piece with a fork, and brought it to my mouth.

It was a bit embarrassing, but I honestly accepted it.

“…Oh. Delicious! It’s well made.”

“Really?”

“The texture is fluffy and moist, the chocolate is crunchy, and it’s sweet enough for my taste.”

“Yay~”

“Let’s eat together.”

“Oh, then, just a little bit…”

Taking the fork from Kirihara’s hand reaching for the cake, I cut a bite-sized piece for her this time. Kirihara smiled happily and opened her mouth obediently.

“Hehe. Delicious.”

“Right?”

“Yeah. Thank you for letting me feed you.”

Instead of replying, I patted her head, and Kirihara smiled softly.

“…Hey, Gin. Let’s always eat delicious food together, play games, have fun together… and stay by my side forever.”

Caught off guard by the sudden statement, I didn’t know how to respond.

Judging by how she spoke, Kirihara was serious.

“Sorry for bringing up something so heavy all of a sudden… But, I really like Gin. You might not want to limit my possibilities or tie me down… but I can’t imagine a future with anyone else but you… I love you.”

Maybe it’s unfair, but all I’ve said is “let’s officially get together after graduation.” I haven’t said anything more than that.

It’s for Kirihara’s sake.

Kirihara is mature but hasn’t yet entered society. She’ll see people other than me and grow, and her values may change.

It’s not too late to decide whether to continue walking with me after that.

…If she still chooses me after seeing other people, I won’t let anyone take her.

But deciding now is too early. It’s not for Kirihara’s good.

I can wait, deciding that Kirihara is the only one for me. But it’s not okay for Kirihara to do the same.

Her next words reinforced that sentiment.

“Even if our secret gets out before graduation, I’ll go with you.”

…

…I can’t say that sentiment doesn’t make me happy.

But I can’t accept it.

“No, Kirihara. That’s absolutely not okay.”

I tried to speak as gently as possible, despite the firm content.

Yet Kirihara muttered, “Why?”, sounding hurt.

“I’m happy with your feelings. But if it gets out before graduation, I should be the only one to ruin my life.”

“But I──”

“No. This is non-negotiable.”

Kirihara is far more capable and mature than me.

Yet, I’m still the adult here, and you’re still a child.

When something happens, I’m the one to take responsibility.