The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 23: Nanase’s POV Sora’s Home Part 6

Nanase’s POV

Sora’s Home Part 6

After spending some time in the restroom, Nanase returned to the living room, timing her entrance with caution.

“Huh? Something’s changed in your posture.”

Her eyes widened as she noticed.

In her line of sight was Sora, sitting on the couch with his head drooping, almost like he was sleeping on a train.

“He probably did this so he wouldn’t fall into a deep sleep. I guess he wanted to be able to wake up immediately if I called out to him.”

Before going to the restroom, he had just been lying down, succumbing to sleepiness.

He had mustered the energy to sit up, but it was easy to imagine that he had used up all his strength.

“Heh, that’s so typical of Sensei. But maybe he can relax a bit more?”

Nanase smiled softly, narrowed her eyes, and crept closer to him, being careful not to make any noise.

Then, she knelt in front of the couch and peered at his sleeping face, curious.

“Sensei, are you really asleep, or are you pretending?”

“Suu…”

“Are you really asleep?”

“Suu…”

The only response she got was soft, rhythmic breathing.

“Hey, are you really sleeping?”

Seeing the change in his posture made her a bit suspicious.

Calling out softly, she extended her index finger and gently poked his cheek.

As a result, there was no reaction at all. He remained completely unresponsive.

“Heh, he’s completely out. Even though he always acts so high and mighty. You idiot.”

The moment she was sure he was deep in sleep, Nanase couldn’t resist teasing him.

Her mischief didn’t stop there.

Now, she extended her thumb as well and playfully tugged at Sora’s cheek.

“Uh…”

With this slightly more escalated attack, a slightly annoyed sound escaped him, but he still didn’t wake up.

If she pulled a little harder, his expression would likely become even more serious.

“Who’s the one saying ‘be careful with alcohol’ now?”

Seeing the expression that seemed to be affected by her lecturing, Nanase was filled with a sense of satisfaction as she continued speaking.

“Sensei, since you’re weak with alcohol, you should start by taking care of yourself.”

This was the first time she had deliberately engaged in such behavior, trying to get someone drunk.

How had this first-time endeavor gone so smoothly? The answer was simple: Sora was a bit of an airhead.

Despite having a weak constitution for alcohol and drinking stronger alcohol than usual, he increased the pace of her drinking as she teased him.

Changing his sleeping position to avoid falling into a deep sleep was commendable, but it didn’t change the fact that he was quite intoxicated.

If there was no intention on the other side to wake up, this sleeping position had no purpose.

“With you being rolled around like this… What will you do if something happens? I won’t know anything, really. There are people who would try to take advantage of a drunk person, you know.”

She whispered the same warning Sora had given before going to sleep.

As if to prove her point, she moved a little while blushing.

She took his limp right hand that was hanging down and intertwined her fingers with his.

Making his hand relax into a lover’s clasp was too easy.

“Whoa… Your hand is so warm.”

Drinking alcohol can make your body feel warm as it improves blood circulation. The degree of warmth varies from person to person, but in Sora’s case, it was warm enough to say that it had a significant effect.

“And, like… you’re so different from me. Your veins are even popping out…”

Nanase muttered while holding his large, rough hand. Despite complaining, she didn’t let go of his hand, feeling the unusual texture.

“You don’t even notice this…”

“Suu…”

This time, while looking at his sleeping face, she squeezed his hand with more force.

In the quiet living room, the only sounds were his breathing and her own held breath. His defenseless posture, the sensation of their hands connected, and Sora’s body temperature that she could feel directly.

(In a situation like this, I could…)

“Hey!”

Just as her wicked thoughts were about to overflow, Nanase snapped back to reality and quickly released his hand.

(Oh, that was close… I must have triggered some strange switch just now…)

Normally, this would never happen. She was shaken by the sensation she had experienced in her current state, where her rationality was fading away.

She retreated while making noise with her footsteps, her face reddening as she peeked at his condition. He was still breathing steadily.

Even when she brushed her hand roughly or made loud noises, the situation remained the same.

“Geez… You’re way too oblivious. Seriously. You’re just asking for trouble like this. Wake up now. You’re wide open, so at least hide your wallet.”

Now that her impure thoughts had been dispelled, her feeling of exasperation took over.

“Sigh… If I become Sensei’s girlfriend, I’ll definitely have to handle things like driving you home from drinking parties.”

Considering how easily he got drunk this time, there was a possibility of being taken advantage of by some strange woman.

Nanase, now feeling a bit annoyed, left the living room and went to the bedroom, where she vacuumed and brought the futon back. She gently covered him while he slept.

(It would have been easier to cover him properly if he just lay down…)

She smiled wryly as she thought that.

“Now…”

With her playful mischief toward him over, she shifted her focus. Glancing at the clock, it was 10:25 PM. There was still time to do what she had been thinking about today.

“Well, Sensei, I’m going to use your kitchen without permission now. I’ll open the fridge, use seasonings, and even use the dishwasher, but you can blame it on the fact that you’re sleeping.”

she declared firmly.

She turned off the lights in the living room, turned on the kitchen lights, and started opening the fridge and taking things out.

These were the ingredients he had generously paid for at the supermarket. In other words, the things she should have taken home with her.

“Leaving it all up to me like this… I won’t know when to stop. Well, I’ll have to show him that I’ve graduated from that kind of thing.”

Driven by these thoughts, she began preparing a meal.

She made a tomato soup with lots of vegetables, an avocado and tomato wasabi salad, an egg salad, and a crab and egg tofu dish with sauce. Since she had a limited selection of ingredients, some of them were used in multiple dishes, but she chose dishes that would be easy to eat even with a hangover.

“…I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

She left the soup pot as it was and carefully wrapped everything else before placing it in the refrigerator.

After finishing her task, she glanced at the clock again. It was now 11:10 PM.

“Oh, shoot.”

Upon realizing that the time had passed beyond the agreed-upon time with Sora, she hurriedly began preparing to leave.

(If I say, ‘I fell asleep too!’ it would be easy to stay over… but he’d blame himself for not sending me home. It would be something like, ‘He couldn’t send me home.’)

While she wanted to be selfish and stay longer, considering his situation, she couldn’t be so clingy. Their next promise, to go shopping together, was what allowed her to restrain herself.

With her preparations for returning home completed in less than five minutes, Nanase approached the still-sleeping Sora.

(Even though he’s Sensei, he can be taken care of too.)

She noticed that the futon on his shoulder had slipped down and quickly moved behind the sofa to fix it.

“Suu… Suu…”

“…”

Even in the midst of her actions, his peaceful sleeping breaths were audible. Once she finished this, it would be time to part ways.

(…It’s already time to say goodbye…)

In that moment, she was overwhelmed by a sense of sadness. When would they meet again? Would she ever see him in such a relaxed state again? Perhaps, thanks to today’s experience, they would stop doing things like drinking together. This sight might never be seen again.

At this parting moment, knowing that there was a possibility she might never see it again, something inside her came unhinged.

“…Sensei, see you again.”

Nanase extended her hand from behind Sora and…

“Take care of yourself.”

She buried her face into his neck from behind, tightly hugging him.

This timeless moment lasted less than five seconds.

“…I-I’m going. Seriously.”

With a bright red face, Nanase left behind those words and quickly rushed out of the living room.