The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 12: Counseling Room.

Counseling Room.

“Stupid.”

“Huh?”

“Stupid.”

“What?”

“You’re stupid.”

After getting permission to use the counseling room, in the middle of their conversation, Sae was pounding on Sora’s hand on the table as she complained.

Whenever Sora withdrew his hand in a timely manner, Sae would energetically hit the table as if she was hitting him.

“I won’t be satisfied until I hit you a bit more.”

“So, should I let you hit me a bit more?”

“Yeah.”

She nodded with a happy expression.

“No.”

“….”

And soon after, her expression turned sulky.

Sora’s nonchalance stemmed from the fact that he wasn’t afraid of Sae at all. Even though they were sitting face-to-face, from Sora’s perspective, only the upper part of her body was visible over the table. With her small stature, baby-face, and distinctive but cute squinted eyes, she didn’t have the intimidating elements.

“Speaking of which, I was embarrassed when I told everyone that ‘I stole and ate the bread’. My friends teased me about it.”

“But don’t most people not know that you are my former student?”

“People said so because they didn’t know. They said things like, ‘Be careful not to have your food stolen when you become a private tutor,’ or ‘It’s bad to steal other people’s food.'”

“Haha, I see.”

Sora chuckled while understanding the situation. It made him happy to hear these things first hand since he knew about her middle school days. He believed it was essential for her to have a more enjoyable high school life.

“Anyway, I have something I want to ask you, Sora-kun.”

“What is it?”

“Did you have a girlfriend when you were in college? I never heard about it.”

“Well, you know… In college, there are new encounters and all sorts of things. Maybe it didn’t feel like a question about the past, like, ‘Do you have a girlfriend?'”

“That might be true.”

She nodded slightly and seemed satisfied. Then she tilted her head.

“Are you really not in contact with her anymore?”

“Of course.”

“Why did you break up?”

“Oh, well… we didn’t break up because of a fight or anything. It’s more like we drifted apart due to various circumstances and our schedules not matching up anymore… something like that. Hey, Sae-san, are you interested in talking about love?”

“I’m just curious about Sora-kun’s love life.”

“Haha, well, it’s natural to be curious about someone’s romantic history among acquaintances.”

It’s a little embarrassing to talk about past circumstances to your students.

Sora scratched his cheek and changed the topic.

“By the way, what about you, Sae-san? Have you ever been in a relationship?”

“Huh?”

“Do you already have a boyfriend!?”

She reacted with wide eyes, showing surprise. Flustered, she started waving her hands frantically.

“Don’t get the wrong idea… I’ve never been in a relationship with a guy.”

“Oh, really!?”

“Yeah… It’s embarrassing when you react like that.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Sae’s kindness and her cute personality should make her popular. That was Sora’s honest opinion, but due to his position as a teacher, he refrained from expressing it.

“But once I was in high school, someone confessed to me.”

“Oh! But you turned him down because… you like someone else?”

“Yeah… I like someone else.”

“Really!?”

She spoke softly and shyly, her actions suggesting genuine embarrassment. Sora had briefly thought she might be joking, but her fidgety behavior and the way she avoided eye contact indicated she was telling the truth. His initial surprise quickly turned into amusement.

“…Haha, but I see. Sae-san, you’ve reached that age where you start falling in love.”

“Yeah. I want to start dating soon.”

With a serious expression, she looked at him, seemingly wanting his understanding or approval. Sora figured it was a feeling shared by anyone who had experienced falling in love.

“I’m sure you’ll be just fine, Sae-san. That person you like, isn’t it a classmate? I mean, our class has quite a few lively kids, but they’re all good students.”

“I won’t tell you the details because I’m copying you.”

“That’s a shame.”

Learning about the romantic lives of students who were doing well both in school and work was quite interesting to Sora. He wished he could ask more, but probing too much would likely make her uncomfortable.

“However, I’ll tell you three things, Sora-kun.”

“Oh?”

“The person I like is better than any of the male classmates. And he’s cool and kind.”

“I see. Since it’s someone you like, he must be a good person.”

“Yeah…”

Whether she was happy to hear her crush being praised or not, she squinted her eyes while her mouth softened. This was undoubtedly the expression of a young girl in love.

Sora thought to himself, ‘If Sae-san ever starts dating that person, I’d like her to introduce him secretly…’ as he imagined who that person might be.

Just then, the door to the counseling room creaked open. It seemed someone had come to use one of the several available rooms.

“Well then! Let’s leave the small talk here and discuss things like your attendance rate, Sae-san. I actually did some research on it over the weekend.”

“You researched it on your day off?”

“Even though it’s my day off, I’m still your homeroom teacher, you know? Sae-san, I think it’s tough for you too, but let’s do our best to graduate with everyone.”

“I’ll do my best…”

With that, they shifted to a more serious conversation, leaving behind their friendly chat.