When I Picked Up A Stunningly Gorgeous Downer-Type Beauty In Front Of The Entrance. - Chapter 28: I'm not having an affair with the teacher.

I’m not having an affair with the teacher.

I wonder what’s next. Will I finally be made to stand in the hallway with a bucket of water?

Well, it’s lunchtime now, so I hope they at least wait until after the afternoon classes start.

Ugh, so sluggish.

Dragging my heavy body away from the chair, I somehow manage to stand up.

As I shuffle away, a classmate girl notices something and suddenly widens her eyes as if she’s realized.

“Don’t tell me you got caught cheating with the teacher…!”

“It’s not like that.”

“Wha-! That’s not something to joke about! Especially nowadays, it’s not funny at all! I’ve finally started my career as a teacher, and I don’t want to quit just yet!”

Whether she heard it or not, the teacher lets out an exaggerated exclamation.

“That’s not what I meant! It’s different! Don’t get the wrong idea, okay!?”

The homeroom teacher denies it to the surrounding students, pushing her way out of the classroom.

I get it, I get it.

So please stop it. It’s getting suspicious. I might get burned too.

“Whew… Excuse me.”

The teacher, having calmed down her rough breathing, clears her throat to compose herself.

Her face, reddened with excitement, is beyond help, but she seems to have calmed down a bit.

“Don’t take jokes like that seriously.”

“…Alright? Let me tell you something. Girls’ jokes sometimes become true, even if you know they’re lies…”

She gazes into the distance, with eyes filled with bitterness and nostalgia.

For now, I can only sense one thing: girls are scary.

“Well, well. Let’s leave that aside.”

The teacher corrects herself and gets back on track.

“What about Sajou-san? Do you know anything?”

Again? And even the teacher is asking.

I’m getting fed up. I don’t remember being in charge of Sajou-san or anything.

“…Even if you ask me, I’m not sure what to say.”

“But you’re the closest to her, right?”

Yeah, but…

But that doesn’t mean I know everything. In fact, I know more about what I don’t know.

That’s why I don’t even know why Sajou-san isn’t coming to see me… sigh.

“Is something bothering you? Sorry about that. Want candy?”

“Yes, please.”

I respond honestly, and she hands me a candy wrapped in plastic from her pocket.

The individually wrapped candy has “Cough Drop” written on it. What flavor is this?

As I hold it in my palm and tilt my head, the teacher suddenly lets out a dry laugh.

“…So, the grade coordinator, you know, asked me. ‘What were you doing?’

He praised me when Sajou-san came to school, saying, ‘Well done.’ He even told everyone to learn from me. But the moment she stopped coming, this happened… hehe. You know? I didn’t do anything… ahaha.”

“Um, sorry…”

I apologize reflexively.

As the one who allowed Sajou-san to come to school, there’s something I can’t stand about it.

No, I don’t feel guilty, but it’s just… hard to describe.

Chuckling with a dark smile, the teacher hands me a sheet of paper.

What’s this?

I take it as it’s offered, and read the title aloud.

“Invitation to a meeting with three parties…?“

It looks familiar. Well, I received it this morning.

“There’s no second page, though?”

Even though she’s young, she’s got some memory issues… I give her a sympathetic look, and she seems flustered, waving her hands frantically left and right.

“Please pass it on to Sajou-san. And if you could report on Sajou-san’s condition, I’d appreciate it.”

……………..

I’m at a loss for words as I’m told this as if it’s obvious.

I don’t understand why she’s acting as if it’s perfectly normal to just hand it over and casually leave.

“Wait a minute. Why me?”

“Huh?”

What’s with that “You don’t understand” reaction?

Of course I wouldn’t understand. It’s not like I’m the school’s number one idol with the ability to read minds.

“You live in the same apartment building, and you’re close to her.”

“We’re not elementary schoolers, though…”

I’m dumbfounded.

I mean, I shouldn’t have said that, but in this day and age, I don’t think you’d hand a printout to a student who was absent via a friend just because they’re close. Is it the school’s old-fashioned atmosphere, or is the teacher’s common sense outdated?

Thinking about making me stand in the hallway with a bucket seems to suggest the latter.

“Don’t tell me you’re from the Showa era?”

“I’m a brand new teacher, okay!?”

Her choice of words does seem a bit old-fashioned.

She leaves, raising her voice in frustration, “I’m counting on you, okay!?” and I watch her leave, sighing as I run my hand through my hair.

“I didn’t agree to this…”

I mutter as I look down at the flimsy printout.

It’s troublesome. I have reservations. It’s awkward.

But well, it might be just right.

I want to do something. As if pushing me forward, inadvertently creating a chance.