I became the boyfriend of the school's madonna, who had turned down numerous confessions, but somehow, without realizing it, I wasn't just playing a role anymore - Chapter 146

Episode 146: Precarious

As I reached for the door to the living room, I instinctively glanced back.

There stood Sasagawa-sensei, smiling at me with a warm, motherly expression full of gentle compassion.

Before I knew it, I found myself captivated by the smile of a woman more than ten years older than me.

“Please don’t misunderstand—I’m not blaming you, alright?”

Maybe because I didn’t say anything back, Sasagawa-sensei looked at me with concern.

“Ah, no… it’s just, why bring this up so suddenly?”

Snapping back to myself, I opened the door and stepped into the living room while trying to figure out her intentions.

“I’ve been wondering about it since the days you used to pick up and drop off Kokoa-chan. For a student like you to be doing that, I figured there must be a reason.”

“Well… yeah, I guess that’s true.”

Normally, when it comes to picking up kids, it’s either the mother or the father.

In fact, I’ve never seen anyone else around my age coming to get a preschooler.

So from Sasagawa-sensei’s perspective, it must have stood out and stayed on her mind.

“It’s a private matter, and I know it’s not right to intrude on someone else’s family circumstances, so I never said anything before… but Shirai-san, you’re like a little brother to me now. You don’t have to carry everything alone. If anything’s bothering you or if it ever gets tough, you can always rely on me, okay?”

It seemed Sasagawa-sensei was worried that I might collapse under the weight of it all.

A student who’s supposed to prioritize academics, yet spends time taking care of his sister and doesn’t hang out with friends—maybe she thought I was struggling with that.

And more than likely, she already knew I didn’t have any friends at school.

There are plenty of ways she could’ve found out—Misaki’s dad, Misaki herself, or Suzumine-san.

“I take care of Kokoa because I want to. It never felt hard or painful to me.”

I told Sasagawa-sensei what I’d once said to Misaki.

I appreciated the concern, but in reality, it wasn’t a burden.

I wasn’t trying to be dismissive, but I truly didn’t think there was anything to worry about.

“Sometimes, even when we don’t realize it, things can weigh on us. Especially for someone as kind as you, Shirai-san… you might be subconsciously convincing yourself not to blame Kokoa-chan or your mother.”

“…From your perspective, do I look like I’m on the edge right now?”

It felt like that’s what she was implying, so I decided to ask directly.

“Depending on what you mean by that… yes.”

She nodded with a serious expression on her face.