My Ex-Girlfriend Who Dumped Me, the Top Student, Is at Risk of Failing and Repeating a Year—but I’m Too Busy Tutoring a Former Shut-in Beauty To Get Back Together With Her - 21-22

Chapter 21: A World Just for the Two of Us Under the Covers

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Boom!

Another roar of thunder echoed, vibrating deep in my gut.

“Hyauu!”

“……Hey, wait!”

With a short scream, Kisaragi slid into my futon. There was no time to stop her. She pressed herself tightly against my back and clung to me, wrapping her arms around me through her pajamas.

“He-hey, Kisaragi! It’s cramped, and you’re too close!”

“No…… don’t leave me……!”

Her voice was desperate. I could feel her body trembling rhythmically against my back. Was she acting? No, this shaking was the real thing. To think that she, who was usually so dignified, would be this terrified by a bit of thunder.

(There’s no way I can kick her out.)

Turning away a frightened student so coldly was something I couldn’t do as a teacher—no, as a man. I braced myself and let out a long breath.

“……Fine. Only until the thunder stops.”

“Mhm…… thank you, Sensei.”

Having gained my permission, she let out a sigh of relief and pressed herself even closer to me. Through the single layer of thin fabric, her body heat, her softness, and her heartbeat came through vividly against my back. The sweet floral scent from her bath filled the futon, paralyzing my thought processes.

(Calm down, Minato Kashiwagi. This is evacuation guidance. This is disaster relief. There isn’t a shred of guilt involved.)

I desperately told myself that and tried to keep my body stiff and still. However, the “bomb” behind me was relentless.

“……Your back is big, Sensei.”

“You’re just small.”

“It’s warm……. It smells like you, Sensei, and it’s very calming.”

“These clothes belong to your house, don’t they?”

“Ehehe.”

Kisaragi buried her face in my back and took a long, slow breath.

(Please stop. That breath is hitting my spine and giving me chills.)

“Hey, Sensei.”

“……What is it?”

“Your heart is making a huge sound, Sensei. It’s echoing all the way to my back, you know?”

“……Be quiet. You’re just mistaking it for the sound of the thunder.”

“Fufu. My heart is being loud too, you see.”

She put strength into her arms and hugged me as if she wouldn’t let me escape.

“……Though it’s not just because of the thunder.”

A meaningful whisper tickled my ear. My reason let out a creaking scream.

(Don’t misunderstand. This is the suspension bridge effect. She is just clinging to me because she is in an extreme state right now. It’s separate from any affection for me as an individual.)

If I didn’t analyze it that way, I felt like I would turn around right then and there and pull her into a hug.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!!

At that moment, the loudest lightning strike yet occurred. The impact was enough to make the window glass rattle and vibrate.

“Kyaaa!”

Kotone screamed and reflexively sought out my body. I, too, had moved reflexively. Wanting to protect her, I rolled over inside the futon and caught her body from the front, holding her tight.

“——!”

I felt as if the world had stopped. A dim room. Inside a futon. Inside my arms was the trembling Kisaragi. When I looked down, her face was right there. Long eyelashes wet with tears. Moist eyes. Slightly parted lips. We were at a distance where our breaths brushed against each other.

“……Are you okay?”

“……Mhm.”

Kisaragi gripped my chest tightly and looked up at me with upturned eyes.

“Because you protected me, Sensei…… I’m not scared.”

“I see. ……Then, that’s good.”

(I have to pull away.)

Even though I knew that in my head, my body wouldn’t move. It was because her eyes were staring at me as if to draw me in.

“Sensei.”

“……Yeah?”

“You know, as long as I have you, Sensei, I’m not afraid of anything anymore.”

Her hand touched my cheek. A cold, gentle hand.

“School, thunder, the future…… if you’re by my side, Sensei, everything is fine.”

“……You’re overestimating me.”

“No. You are my shelter, Sensei. ……I’m absolutely never letting you out.”

It was like a monologue, yet it was a firm declaration of monopoly. The light dwelling in her eyes was stronger than the lightning, binding me in place. I couldn’t say anything. I could only clumsily stroke her head. 

A pleasant silence fell. The storm outside didn’t matter anymore. The inside of this futon was the entire world.

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The next morning. I woke up to the chirping of small birds. The typhoon had vanished like a lie, and dazzling morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains.

“……Nngh.”

I felt a presence at my chest. When I looked, Kisaragi was sleeping soundly, still clutching my pajamas. A defenseless sleeping face. Her long eyelashes cast shadows. In the end, she hadn’t left my arms until morning.

(Though I wasn’t able to sleep a wink.)

With dark circles under my eyes, I gave a wry smile and gently stroked her hair. Strangely enough, the feeling of happiness outweighed my sleepiness. Due to this event that crossed the line of staying over, our relationship had reached a point where it could no longer be explained within the framework of “teacher and student.”

As I stirred while trying not to wake Kisaragi, the smartphone by my pillow buzzed and vibrated.

Is it from her mother? I thought as I looked at the screen. At the name displayed there, my sense of happiness chilled in an instant.

『Rina Aikawa』

My ex-girlfriend’s name was displayed on the screen. Moreover, there were more than ten missed call notifications piled up. What on earth happened while we were spending a sweet night together?

The storm was supposed to have passed. However, inside my smartphone, a different, muddy storm was about to blow violently.

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Chapter 22: SOS from My Ex-Girlfriend

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Let us wind back the clock a little. It was last night, while the typhoon was at its peak.

Rina Aikawa was trembling on the bed in her room. Thunder echoed outside the window. Normally, on a night like this, she was supposed to spend a long time on the phone with her boyfriend, acting spoiled by saying “I’m scared,” and having him comfort her.

“……Why won’t you pick up?”

The words 『Calling: Hasegawa-kun』 were on her smartphone screen. Even though she had called five times already, she couldn’t get through at all. Far from being left on read, the messages remained unread.

Flash! Boom! 

The thunder roared.

“Kya……!”

Rina covered herself with the futon and, while half-crying, placed another call. 

(Answer. I’m your girlfriend. Of course you need to prioritize me, right?)

On the sixth call, the call finally connected.

『……Ah, hello? What is it, Rina? You’re so annoying.』

What she heard was Hasegawa’s extremely displeased voice and the electronic sounds of a game echoing in the background.

“You finally answered……! Hey, Hasegawa-kun, the thunder is amazing and I’m scared……”

『Huh? Don’t call me every single time for something like that. I’m busy playing an online game with my friends right now.』

“Wh-what’s that! Which is more important, your girlfriend or a game!?”

『The game, obviously.”

It was an immediate response. Rina was lost for words at being treated like that.

『I mean, you’ve been a nuisance lately.』

“Eh……”

『Your grades dropped so supplementary lessons are a given, and you tell me to ‘teach you how to study.’ I can’t deal with stupid women or heavy women.』

Hasegawa’s voice was cold.

『Your previous boyfriend… Kashiwagi, was it? That guy might have looked after you, but I’m not looking for that kind of thing.』

“Wa-wait a minute! I’m keeping myself cute for your sake, Hasegawa-kun! I’m the one who stands out the most in class, too!”

Rina hung on desperately. She had no choice but to appeal to her own values.

『Ah, that. ……To be frank, rather than the current Rina, you know that Kisaragai-chan who was a truant? That girl is on a much higher level than you.』

“——!?”

『Did you see? That neat dress she wore. I want to switch over to that side. Well, her guard seems high, though.』

Her mind went blank. Hasegawa was looking at the woman she hated most, not her. At that moment, she realized her existence was treated as a lower-tier version of Kotone Kisaragi.

『Well, anyway. It’s time for us to part ways. Later.』

Click. Beep—beep—beep—

An impersonal disconnection sound echoed. It was over. She was thrown away as easily as trash.

“……No way, right.”

Still clutching her smartphone, Rina was dazed. Her high-caste status, her boyfriend, and her grades. She had lost everything. All that remained was a pile of supplementary lessons and the remains of her miserable pride. Loneliness and fear came rushing in. 

(Someone. Someone, comfort me. Tell me I “have value.”)

At that moment, the face of the man who once devoted himself to me flickered in the back of her mind.

“……Kashiwagi.”

If it were him. If she said “I’m scared,” he would fly over immediately. If she said “I don’t understand,” he would stay with her until morning to teach her. He was the only one who didn’t betray her.

“That’s right…… If it’s Kashiwagi……”

With trembling fingers, Rina searched for the name 『 Minato Kashiwagi』from her contact list. She unblocked him. He shouldn’t have blocked her. She pressed the call button. The dial tone rang, but he didn’t answer.

“Answer…… please, answer……!”

Two times, three times, five times, ten times. No matter how many times she called, she couldn’t get through. At that time, unable to even imagine that Kashiwagi was spending a warm night with someone else, Rina simply clung to her smartphone like a child seeking salvation.

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And now. A morning after the typhoon had passed. The guest room of the Kisaragi residence.

I let out a sigh as I looked at the notifications on my smartphone screen: 『Rina Aikawa (12 missed calls).』

“……What is that girl doing?”

It wasn’t normal. To call an ex-boyfriend more than ten times in the middle of the night meant it was some kind of incident or she was mentally struggling.

“……Nngh…… Sensei?”

Inside my arms, Kisaragi stirred. While rubbing her eyes, she looked up at me with drowsy eyes.

“From who……? Why are you making such a scary face?”

“Ah, no…… It’s nothing. A wrong number.”

I quickly turned my smartphone screen face down. It was a hard-earned happy morning. I didn’t want to make her worry unnecessarily. However… 

Bzzzt-bzzzt-bzzzt……! 

The smartphone I had turned over started to vibrate again. An incoming call. It was from Rina again.

“…………”

Kisaragi’s gaze became glued to my smartphone. Her intuition was sharp. Was it what they call a woman’s intuition, or was her “Sensei sensor” reacting?

“……Will you answer?”

“No, I won’t.”

I tried to press the ignore button. However, Kisaragi’s hand gently grabbed my wrist.

“Answer, Sensei.”

“Eh?”

“She seems persistent…… talk to her properly and end it, okay?”

Kisaragi was smiling, but her eyes were not. 

『 It is unpleasant for notifications from another woman to keep ringing in front of me.』 That was what she seemed to be saying. I resigned myself and slid the answer button.

“……Hello.”

『Ah, Kashiwagi!? You finally answered……!』

What I heard through the speaker was Rina’s tearful voice. That voice reached Kisaragi’s ears, who was right next to me, clearly.

『Hey, Kashiwagi, help me…… I can’t take it anymore……!』

In the morning silence, my ex-girlfriend’s painful SOS echoed.

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