The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 7: Reunion Part 3

Reunion Part 3

“Hey, is that bag by any chance…”

“The bag? Oh, yeah. It’s from the bakery.”

“I thought so! I didn’t recognize it at all because the bag’s color changed.”

He had really relied on that bakery back in the day. Whenever he went to tutor Sae, he would always stop by.

“The shopkeepers missed you because you stopped coming.”

“I guess I did something bad… After I finished tutoring you, I never went in that direction again.”

“And I missed you too.”

“Really? Well then, maybe I should visit again sometime. After talking about it, I kind of feel like having their bread again.”

“Really? On what day and at what time will you come?”

“Well, I haven’t decided on an exact date and time, but I’m planning to go on a day off.”

“Okay. When you decide, please tell me.”

“Haha, sure, I’ll let you know when it’s decided.”

“Thank you.”

(Although this expression might be incorrect, it makes me really happy that even after all this time, she still cares about me. I’m glad I continued tutoring her…)

Back then, he had worked as a private tutor while attending college. He struggled to find his rhythm, failed to establish close relationships with his students, and sacrificed sleep to prepare lessons on his own. He even read books that promised, “You can get along with anyone!” Such was his dedication.

Now, as he looked back, he felt that his hard work had paid off.

“By the way, what did you buy from that bakery?”

“I got two things. Take a guess.”

“First, a chocolate croissant?”

“Correct. There’s one more.”

“And the other… maybe a spicy cod roe, French bread or a pizza bun?”

“Nope. The other one is also a chocolate croissant.”

He frowned. She was looking rather smug.

“I see. So, you haven’t changed at all since back then?”

“Nope. This one that I got from you is the most delicious.”

“Huh? But back then, didn’t you eat one when I went to the restroom without asking?”

“Because you told me to consider it a gift from you… But, I’m sorry about that time.”

“It was just a joke, so don’t worry about it. You’ve already apologized to me plenty of times.”

Back then, he had been shocked when he saw her swiping his bread and eating it, but seeing her enjoy it so much made him feel more amused than angry. In fact, it made him want to feed her even more.

“Oh, I want to show you something.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember our old promise? When I become famous, I promised to tell you my SNS account… my pen name.”

“Of course, I remember! Really, is it okay?”

“Yeah. It’s not nearly enough to repay all the support you’ve given me, but I want you to see the work I’ve done so far.”

“Got it.”

(Hehe, she probably wants lots of praise…)

Right now, Sae had a relaxed smile on her face.

Even if he didn’t see it, he intended to compliment her on her hard work.

“Sure, this is my twitter account. Take a look.”

“Let me see.”

Unaware of what he was thinking, Sae took out a pink smartphone from her skirt pocket and placed it in front of him.

He pulled the smartphone closer and checked her profile.

“Um, I’m an illustrator who loves the Sora (Sky). Haha, indeed, Sora (Sky) is magnificent—.”

“—!!”

At that moment, a loud noise rang out. He lifted his face, which had been directed at the smartphone screen, only to see Sae standing up from her chair, her face flushed red.

“Uh… I’m sorry. I won’t read it out loud anymore.”

“I-I’ll give you the phone for a bit.”

He realized too late that she had felt embarrassed about having her profile read aloud. Sae retrieved her phone and quickly operated the screen with both hands, then handed it back to him.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he began silently reading.

(‘Here are some of my main achievements: Vtuber design, game illustrations, light novel illustrations, ‘Godly Artist Artbook No. 55,’ and the ‘Jito-me Jitorichan Series’ figurine production. For other accomplishments, you can check out this URL…’)

“Huh!?”

He wasn’t familiar with this industry, but he recognized several names in quick succession. Furthermore, there were 414,492 followers listed in her follower count.

He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and counted the digits again, but it was still six figures.

“Is this ‘SaKu’ account… yours, Sae-san?”

“Yes.”

With the affirmation that he saw on the phone’s screen, he looked up at Sae, who was once again making eye contact.

“I thought that if you were impressed, you’d pat my head, like we promised… So, if you think it’s impressive, just for a little while, could you be ‘Sora-kun’ instead of ‘Sora-sensei’?”

“…”

At this request, there was a moment of hesitation.

However, this was the result of Sae’s hard work and a promise.

It might be a bit too lenient as a teacher, but they wanted to praise their student’s effort to the fullest.

“Of course! Sae-san, this is truly amazing! It’s incredibly amazing, seriously!!”

“Uwaa… It’s all thanks to you Sora-kun.”

He stood up from his chair and, as promised, placed hishand on Sae’s head.

“No, no, this is all your ability! I really can’t find words other than amazing… wooowww, I should have known about this sooner considering how hard you’ve been working.”

“All thanks to you.”

“Don’t be so humble! Geez, if you’ve been working this hard, you should have told me earlier.”

“I met you for the first time today, Sora-kun.”

“R-right, that’s true. Haha…”

He patted her head faster as he was hit with a sound argument.

“I’ll work even harder, but while you’re not around, I’ve been doing my best.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m looking forward to your future success.”

She gazed up at him with an upward glance and flashed a peace sign.

“Hopefully, your work will continue to blossom, just like your pen name suggests, ‘SaKu,’ right?”

“…”

The moment he said that, her hand, which was forming the peace sign, began to tremble inexplicably. Then, her head lowered.

“Huh?”

He peered down at her, and for some reason, her face was now red.