The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 34: Sae's Room - Part 3
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Click HereSae’s Room – Part 3
“I’m starting to get a little sleepy,” Sae said after several tens of minutes had passed.
As time went by, her words gradually became fewer, and eventually, she began making small sleepy sounds while using her thigh as a pillow. However…
“Hey, don’t pretend to be asleep.”
“Huh!”
Sora interjected abruptly.
While it was true that he had set up the situation so naturally that there was no apparent unnaturalness in the circumstances, there were other elements that could have given it away.
“S-So, Sora-kun… How did you know? I was quite confident…”
“That’s not true, right? You had a smug expression on your sleeping face.”
“Huh?”
“…Huh?”
Was it an unconscious smugness, or did she genuinely have confidence? Her eyes widened in surprise.
“S-So, did I really… have a smug expression?”
“Yeah.”
“And you noticed right away?”
“I pretty much noticed right away.”
“G-Geez…”
She was taken aback to hear that her facade of confidence had crumbled so easily, and her face turned increasingly red.
Then, she suddenly launched an attack.
“S-So, from now on, you’re not allowed to look at my face. Forget about my sleeping face too!”
“What!?”
Because Sora was providing her with a lap pillow, he was in a position where he could look down at her from above.
Due to this positioning, his chin was pushed up, and he was forced to look upwards.
He wisely extended his elbow to prevent her from pushing him away with force, making it impossible for him to look down.
“I got it! I won’t look anymore!”
As he firmly promised while enduring the pain in his neck, his hand was finally released, and he gained her freedom.
“…”
“…”
It was a bit mean, but he was curious. When he tried to sneak a glance at her face without her noticing, a cushion had mysteriously appeared on Sae’s face from the bedside. It was a complete defense.
“It was a failure to pretend to sleep while giving me a lap pillow.”
“Why did you even pretend to sleep in the first place?”
“I was curious about what kind of monologue Sora-kun would say.”
“Haha, just for that reason?”
Nod.
With the cushion firmly held in place on her face to prevent it from shifting, she nodded.
“Could it be… you were worried that I might say something bad about you?”
“No, it’s the opposite… I thought you might say something that would make me happy. Like, ‘cute’…”
It sounded like she was begging. No, it seemed like she wanted to hear that.
She said this while hiding her face behind the cushion, making it impossible to see her expression, but it was clear from the muffled laughter that she found it amusing.
“Heh, I don’t do this sort of thing for just anyone. Only for special people.”
“…If you say that, I should never have pretended to sleep in the first place.”
A voice that sounded like a quiet regret could be heard.
“Sora-kun… Just give me a little more time. My face is still really hot right now.”
“When you say that, it makes me want to remove that cushion…”
“If you do that, I’ll have to report you for misconduct.”
“Well, that’s why I shouldn’t say scary things…”
She tightened her guard further, using her forearms to prevent the cushion from being peeled away, while issuing threats.
Sae applied pressure in a way that made him worry, “Is she able to breathe?”
Of course, for the sake of avoiding any suffocation, he naturally voiced his concerns.
“I won’t peel it off, so relax. I’ll wait patiently.”
“Okay…”
Apparently feeling uncomfortable, the firmly pressed forearm that had been holding on let go.
She was curious about his current expression, but upon seeing his ears turn bright red, that curiosity quickly dissipated.
***
A few minutes later…
“Alright, Sora-kun, let’s do some drawing together. With the graphics tablet.”
Sae removed the cushion from her face and stood up as if nothing had happened, making this sudden proposal.
“I have two pens, so it’s okay.”
“Drawing? I’m really terrible at it, you know? I draw so poorly that people would laugh if they saw it.”
Sora had never received a rating higher than a C in art or crafts, and when he once tried to explain something by drawing on the chalkboard at his previous high school, he received reactions like:
“Teacher, what’s that picture!?”
“Haha, that’s amazing!”
“You’re drawing so confidently!”
“Oh no, the balance is incredible!”
He was making such a commotion that he decided not to use drawings in his classes at his current high school.
“Hehe, I want to see it, so will you draw something? lap pillows are nice, but since you came all the way to my place, I thought I’d like to do something else too.”
“…You won’t laugh, will you?”
His terrible drawings would be seen by a professional illustrator, no less. And this was one of his students whom he had been acquainted with since his university days. The embarrassment of being laughed at would be several times worse. But Sae responded sincerely.
“I think it might be difficult.”
“Th-that’s okay. It’s good to be honest.”
If she was being this honest, then he had no choice but to accept it.
Upon further reflection, the time spent with Sae was truly precious. Just being able to collaborate with a professional illustrator was a luxury in itself. Although he usually lent her his chest, this time he decided to approach this as borrowing her talent.
“Alright, Sora-kun, you can sit on that chair over there.”
She pointed to a stylish white work chair.
“Um… it seems like there’s only one chair, is there another one?”
“Yeah, there’s another one, so go ahead and sit down first.”
“Thank you.”
When teaching classes, he usually did so standing. He was used to standing for long periods of time, so he didn’t really find it tiring. But if there were two chairs available, it made sense to sit down. He got up from the bed and took a seat in the indicated chair.
“Oh…”
Unlike the chairs in the staff room, this one had a comfortable seating that wouldn’t make you tired even after sitting for a long time. It seemed like they had invested some money in the chairs they used for work.
“Th-this chair is amazing…”
He exclaimed in admiration as soon as he sat down.
“…Oisho.”
“…?”
Such an adorable voice could be heard, and he instinctively sat down.
“Huh? (Why?)”
“Huh? (What?)”
Their respective ‘huh?’s overlapped, each with a different nuance. Their minds went blank, but they quickly understood the situation. She was sitting confidently on his lap.
“Hey, wait!? Isn’t there another chair!?”
“This one is mine.”
“No, no, no, no… This is a human lap, right!?”
“This is what I prefer.”
It seemed like she was already in the mood for drawing, as she showed no signs of being flustered. She remained seated while starting up her PC and graphics tablet to get ready for doodling.
“Okay, Sora-kun. The pen.”
“Ah, thanks…”
It seemed like this position was set in stone, and he was in no position to protest anymore. There was a clear difference between giving a lap pillow and having someone sit on your lap. The latter involved the sensation of their buttocks on your lap.
Sora was flustered, but Sae, who had already switched into drawing mode, calmly asked.
“fufu, what should we draw first?”
“Uh, well… How about starting with something like a drawing game?”
“That’s a great idea! Who should start?”
“You can go first, Sae-san.”
“Got it. Then, let’s start.”
And so, they began a drawing game. Sae swiftly produced the first ‘ri’ on her graphics tablet, creating a beautifully realistic apple with a single leaf—truly an unbelievably skillful illustration.
“Okay, it’s your turn now, Sora-kun.”
“All right… It’s ‘go,’ so…”
He concentrated on drawing, making sure not to think impure thoughts.
“Heh, huff, that gorilla is seriously unique.”
“But, isn’t it kind of poorly drawn!?”
“Nah, it’s not good at all.”
“Well, for me, this is quite an accomplishment!”
Only two rounds had passed in the drawing game, from the apple to the gorilla, but they were already getting excited.
Sora enjoyed Sae’s skillful drawings, while Sae had fun looking at Sora’s unique illustrations. Before they knew it, it was already late in the afternoon, and they had become engrossed in the game.
“Okay, Sora-kun, it’s your turn.”
“Uh, this is bad… The next letter is ‘ra,’ and I’m not sure if I can draw it…”
As he let out a worried sigh, there was a knock on the door of the room.
“Dinner is ready, so you two should come out soon~”
“Yes!”
“Thank you!”
It was a call from Sora’s mother.
“I admit defeat.”
“Yay!”
They decided to end the drawing game on a good note with Sae’s victory. As Sae happily celebrated her win, her expression quickly changed as something was announced from behind the door.
“By the way, Sae, since you’ve been relying on your teacher a lot and causing trouble, be prepared for tonight’s dinner~ I’ve been warning you since yesterday.”
There was an implication like, “I included something you don’t like.”
“Why do you know that I’ve been relying on you a lot? You broke the promise not to peek into my room, Mom!”
“Huh? I just said that for fun, you know? But it turned out to be true, so you can relax now.”
“Ngh…”
Sae’s expression stiffened.
In the game of picture charades, the one who won lost in the other match.
Indeed, as the creator, she made dishes with the assumption that her predictions were spot on.
By the way, Sora had no dislikes when it came to food, and this was truly a punishment reserved for Sae alone.