I Became a Teacher at an All-Girls Boarding School, and Now the Students and Female Teachers Are After Me~

Chapter 30 – Sakurada Momo’s Situation

Thanks to the sudden appearance of the dorm mother and the subsequent bribe, I managed to regain my composure and untie Sakurada.

That was a close call…

If things had continued as they were, I would have completely lost control and done something irreversible.

“……”

After I untied Sakurada, she sat on the bed with a sulky expression.

“Sakurada, are you hurt anywhere?”

Even though she asked for it herself, she had been tied up for a while. I was a little worried that she might have been injured, but she just shook her head.

As I was trying to figure out what to do with her bad mood, she patted the bed with her hand, still with a sullen face. Seems like she wants me to sit next to her.

Well, nothing wrong with just sitting…

I walked over to the bed and sat down.

As soon as I did, she clung to my arm and buried her face in my shoulder.

“……”

As I let her lean on me, she called out.

“Sensei…”

“What is it?”

“Sensei… Do you hate me now?”

I was surprised by her question.

“Why would you think that?”

“Because… you always turn down my advances, and I thought maybe you don’t like girls who are too bold…”

It seems she’s worried about her actions now.

Her actions have been more than just “bold,” and they could have potentially led to my social ruin. Still, I have to make it clear to her.

“I will never hate you.”

My words made Sakurada lift her head from my shoulder and look at me with a slightly surprised look. Her eyes were a little watery.

“R-really?”

“Yes. You’re a student in my class, I will never hate you or abandon you.”

It might sound too good to be true, and I might be scolded for saying that a teacher’s reality isn’t that sweet. But I don’t want to abandon my students.

I want to treat them with as much affection as I can, because that’s my ideal image of a teacher.

Hah…

That’s what I believe in now, but will I still be able to say this when I’ve gained more experience…? I can’t help but wonder… But for now, I don’t want to break my own conviction.

“But… Aren’t I a bad girl? I know I’ve caused Sensei a lot of trouble…”

“I’m a little relieved that you’re aware of that.”

“Even so, Sensei still won’t hate me?”

“I won’t. Because you’re my student. I’m going to do my best to help you become a great adult, and if any of my students ever get into trouble, I’ll help them, even if it costs me my teaching career.”

“Any students…?”

Sakurada said, pouting her lips.

I wonder if she wants to be treated as a special case, but then I also thought that these girls living in a dorm away from their parents must be starving for someone to depend on.

So…

“Well, I guess I can make an exception for you right now.”

No one is watching anyway. I feel like Sakurada is feeling lonely, so she’s an exception for now.

As she buried her face in my shoulder again, I stroked her head.

Suddenly, a phone’s ringtone echoed in the room. It wasn’t my phone, so it must have been hers.

She just ignored it for a while, but when I asked her, “Aren’t you going to answer it?” she said, “I will…” and reached for her phone on the bed.

“Hello…”

Sakurada said, answering the phone. I thought it would be rude to listen to her conversation, so I started to get up to leave the dorm, but…

“Don’t go!”

she said, clinging to my arm. Her eyes seemed a little desperate, and I couldn’t help but sit back down. She then sighed in relief and resumed her call.

“I-I’m sorry… So, what do you want?” I tried my best not to eavesdrop, but since I was right next to her, I couldn’t help but hear her words.

“I’ve already declined… I have no intention of doing that… It’s pointless to try and convince me. Please try to understand how I feel.”

Sakurada’s tone was polite, but her voice was cold, and it didn’t sound like a pleasant conversation at all.

After about five minutes, she said, “Anyway, I have no intention of doing that,” and hung up.

She placed her phone on the bed, let go of my arm, and walked toward her desk.

She picked up a folded cardboard frame about the size of an A3 paper and opened it. Inside, there was a photo of a middle-aged man who looked about two generations older than me.

Sakurada stared at the photo for a while. Her expression was filled with hatred.

“S-Sakurada? Are you okay?”

I instinctively got up from the bed and walked over to her. She looked up at me with a startled expression and gave me a strained smile.

“Yes… I’m fine…”

However, I could clearly tell she was disturbed.

“If you’re in any trouble, you can always tell me…”

“It’s not a problem that Sensei can solve.”

Sakurada said, cutting me off in a cold voice.

“……”

I was at a loss for words, and Sakurada looked at me with a startled expression.

“I-I’m sorry. Sensei was just worried about me, but I…”

“No, it’s okay. Is there really nothing I can do to help?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to rely on you, but this is my problem, so don’t worry about it…”

She insisted that she was fine again.

As her homeroom teacher, I am worried about her, but her expression told me not to ask any more questions.

It’s frustrating, but if she’s not going to ask for my help, there’s nothing I could do.

“Sensei, I’m sorry for being so mean tonight. I’ll call the dorm mother and tell her that you can leave from the front door.”

“Huh? Oh… okay… Sakurada, are you sure you’re really okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Or do you want to stay with me until morning?”

“Hey, I’m being serious.”

At my words, she finally gave me a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re worried about me. But I’ll be okay.”

She then gave me a light kiss on the cheek and said, “See you later, sensei,” waving her hand.

I was surprised by the sudden kiss, but I decided to just go home for tonight. I left the dorm, saying, “If you’re feeling even a little uneasy, call me right away.”