The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 31: Sae's Room - Part 1

Sae’s Room – Part 1

“Yes. When Sae graduates from high school, would you consider making her your wife?”

“What!? Are you still making that joke!?”

“I’ve been saying it seriously all along! Sae is a really great catch, you know? She’ll only get cuter from now on, her hobbies won’t cost you a thing, and she’ll earn just as much as I do.”

Afterward, Sae’s mother had an exchange that would never happen during a home visit.

“Sae-san, is it okay to come in?”

“It’s fine. In fact, come in fast.”

With some time to spare before dinner, Sora knocked on Sae’s room and entered.

How many years had it been since he visited this room…?

He felt a strong sense of nostalgia and remembered Sae as a junior high school student. He could feel the growth of his former student.

“Is the conversation with Mom over? Are you free now?”

“It just ended a little while ago, so I’m free. But speaking of which, your mom hasn’t changed at all from before, right? I was honestly surprised.”

“Yeah, she’s always like that.”

“Haha, it’s kind of pitiful to say that.”

Sae was also at the age of rebellion.

It was natural for her to feel that way as a daughter, but from Sora’s perspective, she was a kind and easygoing person who brightened up the atmosphere.

“By the way, in the few years I haven’t seen you, the interior of your room has changed a lot, hasn’t it? It used to be a student’s room for entrance exams, but now it looks like a full-fledged workroom.”

In the past, there used to be a large study desk, but now it has been replaced by a stylish L-shaped desk.

Inside the glass cabinets, there were autographed color photos, signed books, and signed merchandise of various people.

They were probably collected at parties where people from the same profession gathered.

And on the walls and shelves, there were products she was involved in—merchandise of virtual YouTubers, also known as “Vtubers,” tapestries, and figures from the “Jito-chan” series with their signature stern expressions.

It looked like what’s commonly referred to as an “otaku room,” but the fact that most of it was her own merchandise was quite impressive.

“The graphics tablet that you gave me is here, Sora-kun.”

“Oh! It brings back memories… You’re still using it, huh?”

“Of course. If you hadn’t given me this, my dream of becoming an illustrator wouldn’t have come true. It’s my most precious treasure.”

In this day and age, there should be newer, more convenient LCD tablets available, but she was still using the one he had given her.

It was quite worn now, with scratches and signs of heavy use, but those marks were the result of Sae’s hard work.

Just looking at her achievements conveyed her effort, but seeing the actual tool she used made Sora even more impressed.

“You know, if this precious treasure ever becomes unusable, I plan to display it in this room.”

“Huh, display it?”

“Yeah. I’ll put it in the most prominent place to get energy from it.”

“Haha, I see.”

This graphics tablet, so dearly cherished, would undoubtedly be a happy machine.

And seeing it, the one who had given it as a gift couldn’t help but smile with joy.

“Oh, before I forget, I want to show you something I prepared for you yesterday, Sora-kun.”

“What is it!!”

“It’s in the closet… this bag.”

Saying that, Sae opened the closet and proudly presented the bag.

“Everything inside here is a gift for you, Sora-kun.”

“D-Do you mean…!?”

“Yes. They’re all signed by me. I carefully selected valuable items.”

While Sae spoke calmly, she was a highly famous illustrator with over 400,000 followers on social media.

Many of her fans would probably be desperate to have these signed items.

“W-Wait, is it okay to receive so many? I feel like there are around ten…”

“There are twenty.”

“Huh!? You signed that many just for me!?”

“If it’s for Sora-kun, I’ll sign as many as you want. I think you might have trouble finding a place for all of them since they’re all girls, but will you take them?”

“Of course, I’ll take them! Thank you so much!!”

There were no anime goods or anything else in Sora’s home.

Certainly, finding a place for all of them would be challenging, but these were gifts she had taken the time to sign amid her busy schedule.

He would proudly display them.

Receiving merchandise born from Sae’s hard work, inspired by the graphics tablet he had given her, was deeply meaningful and carried a sense of uniqueness.

“If you keep these for a long time, I’ll work hard to sell them for a lot of money someday, so look forward to it.”

“I’ll never sell them.”

“Even if you’re struggling financially?”

“Even if I’m struggling financially, I won’t sell them. I won’t give them to anyone.”

“I’ll make them worth a million yen in total.”

“No, these items are worth more than a million yen.”

“…That’s just like you, Sora-kun.”

With a grin that clearly had a 100% nostalgia filter applied, Sae interjected, squinting her eyes.

There was nothing more heartwarming than knowing she valued the gift this much.

“Hey, what should we do until Mom’s food is ready?”

“Well, let me think… What would you like to do, Sae-san? By the way, right now you can have exclusive access to a school teacher for studying. Isn’t that a pretty good deal?”

He appealed to his strengths, having not thought about what to do beforehand.

In reality, many students would find these words quite appealing. However, she, who had a long history with him, would never fall for that line.

“Studying is a no-go. That’s a waste.”

“Ah, haha… I feel a bit conflicted as a teacher when you say that.”

“I want to rely on you, Sora-kun. I want to do a lot of things like we used to.”

“Things like we used to? Could that be…?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not sure how to put it, but… isn’t that a bit too much? It’s a little risky and, well, in various ways…”

“It’s not like that. Besides, in order to work harder, I need to rely on you. It’s a recharge.”

Sae, who stubbornly said such things, then sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her.

…

Observing this situation silently, Sora realized that his former student was becoming even more stubborn.