The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 36: Epilogue.
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Click HereEpilogue.
The illustrator SaKu, who gained around 300,000 followers in just one year, now had a total of 770,000 followers on Twitter. Meanwhile, Komachi Sae, formerly known as SaKu, dressed stylishly and stood at the entrance of a certain apartment building.
“Sora-kun is here. Just as I ‘called’ him.”
“Oh! Sorry for making you wait… haha. You don’t need to emphasize it that much.”
A year ago, she hadn’t been able to get his phone number, and when she was a student, this would have been impossible. She emphasized her happiness in being able to do things she couldn’t before, and she was now at Sora’s house, as mentioned in their conversation.
“Sora-kun, here’s a present.”
“Wow, you brought something amazing again. Is it… alcohol?”
“Yeah, it’s a token of appreciation from when I collaborated with a company that makes cocktails.”
“Oh, I see. Is it okay if I open it?”
“It’s okay.”
Sae, who hadn’t yet turned 20, handed him a black rectangular box with SaKu’s signature in gold letters on two sides as part of the design.
When he carefully opened the box, inside, he found a grape cocktail with a cute illustration drawn by Sae on the packaging.
“Wait, hold on. Isn’t this brand incredibly famous!?”
“Yeah, I got the opportunity because I worked hard.”
“Wow, that’s really impressive…”
Seeing her put in such effort made him feel more motivated as well.
“Oh, sorry for just standing here and talking. You can come inside.”
“I’ll be right in.”
Sae entered the living room after arranging her shoes.
Sae, who had become a full-time illustrator, had visited this house about six times since April. She came at a pace of about twice a month.
The reason wasn’t because she was his girlfriend, but because she presented him with items related to her work.
However, on the days she came to his house like this, she didn’t leave right away; they spent time together.
“Sora-kun, what should we do today?”
“Well, let me see. By the way, Sae-san, until when can you stay today?”
“Until around 7 p.m. I have a bit of work piled up, and I came here for a change of pace.”
“Haha, I see. You’re really busy even on your days off.”
“I messed up my schedule a bit.”
“Eh…”
He wanted to ask, “Are you sure you’re okay?” but she had never missed a deadline before.
Her professionalism had grown along with her accumulating achievements.
“In return, my schedule will calm down a bit soon… When that happens, how about we spend the evening outside together?”
“That sounds good. Just make sure to let your mom know.”
“Got it.”
While her previous demands as a student had faded due to her becoming a full-time artist and no longer having student restrictions, glimpses of her former self still occasionally surfaced.
“Well, you can stay at this house for more than four hours, so… how about watching a movie together?”
“I’m in! I want to watch ‘Dororo.'”
“Got it. I’ll set it up for you.”
In today’s convenient world, you could subscribe to a monthly rental service and watch almost any movie without buying DVDs.
“By the way, have you eaten yet? If you haven’t, I can make something, Sae-san.”
“Umm…”
“What’s wrong?”
“If Sora-kun cooks, we won’t be able to sit and watch ‘Dororo’ together. But I also want to eat your homemade food…”
Bringing up that hint of her former self, she presented him with a dilemma that couldn’t be resolved easily.
“Should I make a simple dish? How about omurice?”
“Thank you. Please leave out the green peas.”
“But isn’t it important for the presentation?”
“While the color might improve, those peas definitely don’t go with omurice.”
“Haha, you just don’t like them, right? Well, forcing someone to eat something they dislike isn’t good either… I’ll leave out the green peas.”
“Sora-kun, you are kinder than Mama.”
While she praised him, it wasn’t just about him being kind enough to remove something she didn’t like.
“By the way, if I were your mom, I’d make you eat it for the sake of a balanced diet.”
“Woah… People who can cook always talk about balance…”
She must have been made to eat a lot of things she didn’t like for similar reasons by her mother, judging by the way she looked uncomfortable.
“Because it’s generally not good for your health if your diet is unbalanced.”
“…I think being able to eat what you like is part of being human.”
“Oh? Is that a SaKu quote?”
“Yeah. I’ll tweet it now, and if it gets 1,000 likes, I’ll try rebelling against my mom.”
“You think you won’t lose for sure?”
“I have a feeling I won’t…”
“Haha, what’s that supposed to mean?”
A common understanding between Sora and Sae was that “Sae’s Mom is strong.”
After that, as they ate the meal they had prepared, an hour had passed since they started watching “Dororo.”
Ding dong The doorbell rang from the entrance.
“…Ah.”
“It’s okay if you stay seated, Sora-kun. I’ll go.”
“Really? Then please.”
“Sure.”
Sae approached the intercom in the living room and when she turned on the camera, she suddenly widened her eyes and exclaimed, “Huh?”
“Hey, is it Sora? I just suddenly came over, sorry about that. I got some treats from the office, and they said this one’s really expensive!”
“…”
Since it wasn’t on speaker, only Sae could hear this voice.
“Huh? Sora? Are you ignoring me?”
“…S-Sora-kun, for some reason… the actress Nanase-san is here.”
“Huh?”
Trembling with agitation as she conveyed the message.
Sae knew her.
She played the elder sister in the recent daytime drama, and she also had a YouTube channel with over 600,000 subscribers. Sae had even referred to her makeup videos.
If someone like her suddenly appeared before her, it would be natural to react like this.
“Wait, that doorbell was Nanase-san!?”
Sora’s voice, too, reached Nanase through the intercom.
“Wait, what? Sora, seriously, are you with a girl? I’ve been hearing a super cute voice for a while now!”
“Sora-kun is not here right now.”
“Come on, you’re definitely lying! I can hear voices! Just open the door already.”
“…No.”
“What do you mean ‘no’?”
“Because Sora-kun is mine, that’s why.”
“Huh!? What do you mean ‘mine’?”
“Wait, Sae-san, calm down for a moment!”
In the midst of their argument over the intercom, another unexpected incident occurred.
A buzzing sound came from the smartphone on the table.
The screen displayed two words: “The Boss.”
It was a call from the CEO of the company that provided in-home tutoring services, the same company that Sora had worked for several years ago.
Amidst the chaotic situation in front of him and the ringing smartphone, Sora, who had just stood up, faced yet another unexpected development.
Confused, Sora picked up the smartphone.
“Hello, hello, hello! Can you guess who this is just by hearing my voice? Minase Sora-kun??”
“Of course! Hello! Long time no see!”
Hearing the familiar voice and the unchanged enthusiasm, memories of his tutoring days flooded back.
“Well, well! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Are you doing well?”
“I’m doing just fine. You seem to be in great spirits as always, Boss.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, is it a good time for you right now? I have something I want to discuss.”
“Oh, um… Sure. Please wait for a moment.”
Sora glanced up to seek confirmation. In his sight, he saw Sae still glued to the intercom.
“I apologize. Things are a bit chaotic right now. If you could keep it brief, I would appreciate it.”
“OK, OK! Let me get straight to the point, then! So, about that matter… Do you remember Rin-san, the student you used to tutor about three or four years ago? The girl who absolutely hated studying and ran away multiple times before her tutors arrived?”
“Of course, of course! I remember her!”
Sasaki Rin. She was the student who gave Sora the most trouble during his tutoring days. She despised studying so much that she often avoided her tutors, including Sora, whenever they visited her home.
“That’s great! So, it turns out that Rin-chan contacted our company and requested your phone number, her beloved tutor. She wanted to confirm her mentor’s contact information for some reason and mentioned she’d like to catch up.”
“What? Rin-san did that!? I’d be more than happy to share my contact information with her! Please, feel free to reach out!”
“I see, I see. Thanks for the positive response! It makes communication on our end much easier.”
Sasaki Rin was his most impactful and challenging student. Looking back, he had many memories with her. He had been hoping for some kind of connection with her, but he never expected it to happen at this timing.
“Alright, then I’ll pass your phone number to Rin-chan from our side.”
“Thank you so much!”
“No worries at all! We’ll contact you again from our end. Let’s go out for drinks sometime; I’ll treat!”
“Haha, I’ll gladly take you up on that offer.”
“Sounds good!”
The call ended with the familiar tone of the CEO. Sora placed his smartphone back on the table.
He had actually noticed it. From the middle of the call, the living room had fallen into silence. Furthermore, he had sensed a strong gaze upon him.
“Um…”
Once again, when Sora raised his head, he saw Nanase on the screen with a piercing stare, and right next to him, Sae was glaring at him as well.
“Sora-kun, what on earth is happening here? Why is such a famous person at your place?”
“Sora, what’s the deal with this cute girl on the other side? She hasn’t even opened the door…”
Voices from the speaker continued to reach them.
“Um…”
Sora hadn’t done anything wrong. He had nothing to hide, but the intense stares from the two women made him flustered.
As Sora faced the uncertainty of what would happen next, the peaceful music from Dororo continued to play in the background.