The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 6: Reunion Part 2

Reunion Part 2

A student he hadn’t seen in over two years.

Compared to her middle school days, she had a more mature appearance, but there was no mistaking her.

“… “

For a brief moment, he was stunned, trying to understand the situation. He had to restrain himself from bursting into joyous cries like “Wow!” After a moment to grasp the situation, he stood up.

He confirmed that the counseling room was not in use and entered with the student, Komachi Sae, or rather, Komachi Sae, was with him.

Once they entered, it happened right away.

“Sora-kun, Sora-kun, Sora-kun, Sora-kun!”

Her yellow eyes sparkled, and she called his name while bouncing up and down.

“Sora-kun… it’s the real Sora-kun…”

“The real one! Huh? Was there a fake one?”

“There was one just a moment ago.”

“Oh… I see.”

(Where did she see the fake one?)

She was overflowing with joy, but her cheeks twitched at the sudden horror twist. Still, he thought.

Nothing has changed.

She had a slightly strange air about her, and she could be a bit inarticulate at times. But above all else, she felt nostalgic.

“Sora-kun, Sora-kun, why are you here?”

“Oh, it’s actually quite common for teachers to get transferred like this. I’ve been assigned to this high school from my previous workplace starting in April.”

“Does that mean you’ll be with me until I graduate… Sora-kun, you will be my teacher?”

“Yeah, so please take care of me as always.”

“!”

They were both experiencing unbelievable events. She had finally grasped the reality of the situation, and her eyes, which had been squinted like slits, became perfectly round.

“Also, here, you should call me ‘Sora sensei’ instead of ‘Sora-kun.'”

“… “

She seemed to have lost all enthusiasm the moment she said this.

(Heh, she really hasn’t changed a bit…)

It was quite easy to read her. These words sum it up.

“Of course, when it’s just the two of us, I’ll call you ‘Sora-kun.’ After all, it’s been 751 days since we last saw each other.”

“Even so, you can’t do it at school.”

(Man, she’s calculating this so quickly…?) he thought but refrained from commenting. Instead, he maintained a firm stance, knowing it would take all his strength to do so.

Honestly, he understood her desire to call him by that name.

There was a part of him that wanted to be called that just as much.

If he let his guard down a bit, he might say something like, “Well, I guess it can’t be helped,” but right now, he was in the position of a teacher.

He couldn’t bring his personal life into his work hours.

“In that case… let’s go with ‘Sora-kun sensei.'”

“Well, um… I’m not so sure about that. Just to be on the safe side, let’s not.”

“Can I call you ‘Jito-chan’? That would make us even.”

“That’s quite different from the other one, isn’t it?”

“…”

(Yes, she seems really dissatisfied…)

For some reason, her surroundings seemed warped.

By the way, she started calling him ‘Jito-chan’ around two months after he became her home tutor.

She asked, “If you were going to give me a nickname, what would it be? It doesn’t have to be related to my name, Sae.” She had asked, and he answered with “Jito-chan,” which she seemed to like.

She said it was “cute.”

Normally, he called her “Sae-san,” but when she was studying absentmindedly or lost in thought with a chocolate croissant in her mouth, he used this nickname.

This nickname, “Jito-chan,” had a great effect. When he called her that in the former situation, she would snap to attention and focus on her studies. In the latter situation, she would chew on the chocolate croissant in her mouth when he called her that.

Even though they hadn’t seen each other in over two years, memories from the past were flooding back one after another.

“By the way… Sae-san, your last name has changed, hasn’t it? Did your mother remarry?”

“Yeah, my mom got remarried, so now I’m Komachi Sae. I get along really well with my new dad, so it’s okay.”

“I see, that’s reassuring then.”

For a child, a remarriage meant gaining a new parent. Troubles often arose during such transitions, but he had heard that the family policy was to allow Sae the freedom to attend school.

As she said, there was no doubt that she was leading a smooth life.

She smiled warmly, and then…

“Hey, Sora-kun.”

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Sae’s tone grew heavy, and the corners of her eyebrows drooped.

“Sora-kun… or, Sora-sensei, there’s something I need to apologize for.”

“Huh? Apologize? Why?”

“Because thanks to you, I was able to want to go to school again, and I passed the high school entrance exam. But I still can’t come to school every day…”

“Oh, I see. Well, we can sit down if you’d like?”

“Yeah.”

Talking about something serious while standing around would be quite difficult. He pulled out a chair for Sae to sit in and took a seat in front of her.

And then, he answered her earlier question.

“Well, if you’ve been missing school without any particular reason, I might have had some thoughts, but Sae-san, you aren’t like that, right? So there’s no need to apologize. In fact, I’m really proud of you.”

“Huh…?”

“Because Sae-san, you chose her path and are working hard to follow it. Not everyone can do that. I’m proud of you for that.”

“Is that… really?”

“Of course.”

Although she had taken a different path from the one he had taught her as a home tutor, she had grown so much. If he were to speak his true feelings as her homeroom teacher… he would want her to come to school every day, but it was not something that just anyone could do, taking on so much work that she couldn’t attend school every day.

It was an amazing achievement that couldn’t be put into words.

“You’ve become quite remarkable. Really.”

“I’m so happy that you think that, Sora-kun…”

As she expressed her feelings with narrowed eyes, she blushed and looked away shyly, her lips softening.

“Oh, and by the way, I’m still using the tablet you gave me, Sora-kun.”

“Really? But… I guess there are new models out now, right? Ones with more tools for drawing and stuff. Wouldn’t it be easier with your illustrations?”

“Nah. I can’t do my best without your tablet.”

“Haha, well, if that’s what you like, then that’s great.”

“Yeah.”

(Does that mean she’s attached to her current tablet…?)

The nuance in her words seemed a bit off, but maybe he was overthinking it.

While watching her nod approvingly, he noticed Sae speaking up.

“It’s all thanks to you, Sora-kun, that I can work on something I love.”

“No, no, it’s not like that. I haven’t done anything.”

“No, that’s not true. Thanks to your advice, I followed through with it and grew a lot. You told me, ‘You only need to surpass your past self by just 1%,’ and ‘In the end, the one who’ll be on your side is the self who worked hard.'”

“Huh…?”

His expression unconsciously froze.

“You also said, ‘Effort that becomes a habit is a treasure—'”

“S-Sa-Sa-Sae-san? Uhm, maybe let’s stop there, okay? Right?”

In a split second, he held up his hand, signaling for her to stop.

At that moment, he remembered.

Back then, there was a trend of famous quotes from great people circulating. He had been deeply impressed by them.

But he didn’t remember saying such embarrassing things.

Now, as he had aged, he realized something. Quotes like those sounded cool because they came from accomplished individuals. When someone like himself said them, they sounded shallow and cringeworthy.

Moreover, he had been nothing more than a naive college student back then.

“There are still words of encouragement I can offer.”

“No… Well, that’s enough. I, um, I’m really happy because I know you’re working hard, Sae. Yeah. So, let’s keep it a secret from everyone in the class, okay?”

“Sora-kun, are you really happy? If you’re happy, then we’ll keep it a secret.”

For some reason, an odd exchange condition was proposed, but if it meant keeping it a secret, then it was a cause for celebration.

“I’m really happy. Truly.”

“Hehe, I’m really happy that you think that, Sora-kun.”

With a somewhat greedy response, she blushed and looked away shyly, smiling.

The exchange of words and reactions mirrored their previous conversation. It felt like a loop, but Sora didn’t sense any discomfort.

Feeling utterly embarrassed, he wished there was a hole he could hide in.

And then, as he lowered his gaze, he noticed something—the bag from the bakery on the floor.