1.
One winter day. The time was 9:00 AM.
I was lounging around on the living room sofa, making the most of my short weekend off. In another five hours, I'd practically become one with the sofa.
Ah, I wish they'd give me about three more days off a week.
It's not a two-day weekend, but a two-day work week.
If that happens, everyone will quickly become a loser. I can blend in with the ordinary too. And there won't be anyone to support me anymore... I guess it would be better if I were the only one who becomes a loser. Yeah, that would be good.
As I wandered between ideals and reality, my phone vibrated, indicating an incoming email.
The sender is...
"Professor Hiratsuka, huh..."
I reflect on my experience during summer vacation. Back then, when I decided to ignore them, I got bombarded with emails and phone calls. Even Mary would be surprised. And then, to top it all off, she used Komachi to lure me in—she was so thorough. There was no escape.
So, what should I do...? No matter what happens, I have a feeling it won't end well...
While I was thinking about that, I received three email notifications. Huh, what does that mean?
"Hikigaya-kun, do you have some free time today? If so, I'd like to go out for ramen. What do you think?"
"Hikigaya-kun, do you have some free time today? On a cold day like this, ramen is the best, right? Would you like to go for some?"
"Hikigaya-kun, it's cold, isn't it? How about some ramen? It's today."
"It's cold, Hikitani-kun, ramen today."
...The ending is starting to sound like some kind of gibberish document... The content has been drastically altered and simplified.
Ignoring this could have serious consequences later...
"Okay, I understand. What time and where should we meet?"
send.
"Okay, let's meet at Kaihin Makuhari at 11:00."
Huh, I already got a reply? What, it's only been about 8 seconds? What's going on?
Honestly, Professor Hiratsuka... she's so scary. Well, I guess it's okay since I don't mind going out for ramen with her. ...Though it's amazing that I don't mind at all.
Even so, this meeting time is quite early. I wonder if the teacher has something else to do afterward. Well, there's no point in thinking about that. I need to hurry up and get ready to leave.
I'll let Komachi know so she doesn't have to make lunch.
"Komachi, I'm going to go grab some ramen for lunch."
"Hey, is it just you? Or is it Professor Hiratsuka?"
I'm being considered as a candidate...? What does "teacher" mean to Komachi? And seriously, stop asking about being alone with a tag question at the beginning. I am almost always alone, but... I actually wanted to go alone...
"It's with Professor Hiratsuka. I just got an email from him."
"You two get along well! Have a good day!"
She waved her hand dismissively, her gaze fixed on a magazine that looked like it had an average score of around 25.
It seems Professor Hiratsuka has become quite close to Komachi...
By the way, that magazine had similar content in the summer issue, didn't it? Big brother doesn't want you to get involved with a guy who's easily swayed by techniques you learned from a magazine like that, does he? In fact, I'd rather you stay with no one and support me for the rest of your life.
2.
When I have something to do, and there's only a small amount of time left before it's due, I suddenly lose focus even on things I normally do. I wonder if that small amount of time is one of the most wasted moments in life. If I looked it up, I bet there's some kind of academic name for it. I'm not ambitious enough to use those little pockets of free time to study or do something to improve myself. I'm not like some kind of jade gardener. Hmm, was it garden jade? Tennis? ...Tennis? ...I wonder if I'll bump into Totsuka. I want to capture on camera every single movement of Totsuka as he slurps and swallows his ramen.
I wasn't really motivated to play games or read, so I headed to the meeting place a little early.
We're almost at the meeting place, and it's currently 10:30. ...I guess I'm way too early...
As I walked along, thinking about how to kill time, I spotted a familiar woman ahead in my field of vision.
"...Hiratsuka-sensei...?"
"Oh, Hikitani. You're already here? Impressive."
The teacher was already waiting. Huh? Isn't that early? It's still 30 minutes before class!
I was surprised by how fast it was, but what caught my eye most was the teacher's attire.
Instead of her usual masculine attire, she was wearing a trench coat, a soft orange turtleneck, and a black pencil skirt. The outfit, which perfectly accentuated her glamorous figure, clearly revealed the teacher's mature, feminine side, and I couldn't help but gasp.
"...what up?"
I was completely frozen, and the teacher looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked me a question.
"Oh, well, um... I was just mesmerized."
I said it so easily! I was so flustered!
"Uh...oh, right, haha. ...It was worth putting in that much effort..."
Huh? Wait, what? What's with that cute reaction? What's wrong, teacher?
"But why are you dressed like that? And why did you come so early...?"
Honestly, I'm surprised. If we're just going out for ramen, couldn't we dress a bit more casually? Is going out for ramen always such a big deal for you, Professor? Now that I think about it, you were wearing a dress when we went out for ramen in the summer, too. That was kind of spontaneous, though.
"Oh, well, the reason I set the time earlier was because I thought we could spend a little time together before eating ramen. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about that."
yeah?
"Oh, it's not like we're going out somewhere for a big meal or anything. I mean, going for ramen with Hikitani is fun, but I thought it would be nice to go to a cafe or something like that. So I tried to dress up a bit... Haha, even though I'm a grown-up, I got all pumped up because it's been a while and arrived 50 minutes early."
Hmm?
Wait, 50 minutes ago? What, the teacher arrived 20 minutes earlier than me? Huh?
"Well, if it's too much trouble, we can just quickly grab some ramen, okay? I invited you rather suddenly, and all I've been talking about is ramen..."
...Hmmmm?
"...So, what do you think?"
She holds her handbag in both hands and gives me a sidelong glance.
...Who is this cute girl? Is she really Ms. Hiratsuka?
She's acting all shy and reserved, but her appearance exudes mature sexiness. Honestly, the impact of this contrast is insane. What's going on here?
I-I don't really have any reason to refuse... I-That's all!
"Well, that's fine. I'm free anyway."
"...I see. That's good."
The teacher's smiling face is so dazzling, it's almost unbearable.
...I wonder if everything will be alright today? The teacher is looking at me with such a happy expression. It's making me so nervous.
To be continued.