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 - 6

Chapter 6: The Cool Female Teacher Sees Through Everything

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Lunch break. A summons played over the school broadcast.

『Minato Kashiwagi, second year. Please come to the chemistry preparation room immediately.』

As the eyes of the entire class gathered on me, I stood up with a sigh. The chemistry preparation room. It was a place feared by the students as the “Witch’s Laboratory,” and it was the castle of Saejima-sensei—Kyoko Saejima.

＊＊＊ 

“Excuse me.”

When I opened the heavy door, a mix of a distinct chemical odor and the scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air. In the back of the room, buried under a mountain of documents, sat Saejima-sensei in her white lab coat.

“Oh, you’re here. Have a seat.”

“…Sensei, could you please stop summoning me over the broadcast? It makes me stand out like I’ve done something wrong.”

“In fact, you have done something—in a good way, that is.”

Sensei smirked and placed a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of me. It was rare for a teacher to serve coffee to a student, but this woman didn’t care for trifles.

“I’ll get straight to the point. How is Kisaragi?”

Sensei’s eyes glinted sharply. I took a sip of the coffee and answered honestly.

“It’s going almost too well. As of yesterday, she’s practically caught up on everything she missed in Math II. That girl absorbs things at an abnormal speed.”

“Ho…”

“Since she hadn’t been studying until now, her thirst for knowledge is incredible. She absorbs everything like a dry sponge. Honestly, the day might be near when I have nothing left to teach her.”

When I reported this, Sensei nodded deeply with satisfaction.

“I see, I see. …Well, you see, I got a call from Kisaragi’s mother this morning. She was thanking me through her tears. She said, ‘My daughter woke up this morning and sat at her desk on her own accord.'”

“That is good to hear.”

“Yeah. You melted the ice called ‘fear’ that she had been carrying since April. You’ve done quite a job, Kashiwagi.”

Sensei said this as she unwrapped one of her usual lollipops. Then, keeping it in her mouth, she stared intently at my face.

“…What is it?”

“Nothing. I just thought your ‘expression’ has changed quite a bit.”

“My expression?”

“Yeah. When we talked before about Aikawa dumping you, you looked like it was the end of the world, didn’t you? Your eyes were lifeless, like a dead fish.”

She hit a sore spot. At that time, I truly felt like my value as a person had been completely denied. I could even suspect that Sensei’s immediate push for me to go to Kisaragi’s place was all part of her plan.

“But look at you now. The light has returned to your eyes. Your back is straight. …How should I put it? You have a refreshed look, as if an evil spirit has been exorcised.”

Sensei thrust her hands into the pockets of her white coat and narrowed her eyes playfully.

“There’s no doubt you saved Kisaragi… but it seems Kisaragi saved you too, didn’t she?”

My heart skipped a beat. I wondered just how much this woman could see through.

“…Saying I was saved is an exaggeration. I’m just teaching her because I was asked to.”

“Hmph, not very honest, are you? Well, fine. As a teacher, nothing makes me happier than seeing two people find the partner who can fill their missing pieces.”

Sensei downed her coffee in one gulp and then said, as if suddenly remembering something.

“Come to think of it, there was one person whose piece remained missing.”

“…Who?”

“Aikawa.”

At the mention of my ex-girlfriend’s name, my eyebrows twitched slightly.

“I saw her results from yesterday’s quiz… It was disastrous. Zero points.”

“…I see.”

“Until now, she was able to get points thanks to an ‘auto-answer machine’ like you, but the facade has been stripped away. …At this rate, she’ll definitely fail the next final exams and head straight into supplementary-lesson hell.”

Sensei spoke flatly, yet in a tone that seemed to be testing me.

“What will you do? Will you lend her a hand out of pity for an ex?”

To that question, I shook my head without hesitation.

“Hardly. I have my hands full being Kotone Kisaragi’s tutor. …Besides, it’s far too selfish to try and pick back up a ‘tool’ you threw away just because you’re in trouble.”

“You pass.”

Sensei clapped her hands and laughed.

“That’s the spirit. Don’t sell your own value short, Kashiwagi. You should shine in the place that needs you.”

The chime rang. It was the warning bell. I stood up from my chair and bowed.

“Excuse me. …Oh, thank you for the coffee.”

“Yeah. Come report to me again. I’m looking forward to it.”

I left the preparation room and walked down the hallway. Sensei’s words remained in my heart.

『 Kisaragi saved you too.』

She was right. Because she called me “Sensei” and needed me, I was able to look forward again. That was exactly why I had to protect this relationship. I wouldn’t let anyone—not even my ex—got in the way.

It was just as I was about to return to the classroom with renewed determination. At the corner of the hallway, I ran smack into Rina Aikawa, who was pale-faced and holding a textbook open.

“Ah…”

The moment Rina saw my face, she was visibly shaken, and then she immediately looked at me with pleading eyes. In her hand, she clutched a math assignment printout covered in blank spaces.

What terrible timing… 

With Sensei’s advice in my heart, I quickened my pace to pass right by her.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

T/N: I agree! Be with someone that can appreciate your worth!