In Tokyo: They are heavily dependent on me

Chapter 109. Dreams

As it turned out, the rain lasted longer than expected.

Through the thin glass, Xun looked outside. The dense rain cast a hazy hue over the surrounding scenery. The sound of raindrops hitting the glass became more frequent, and she could vaguely sense that the rain was intensifying.

The soil was soaked, and the odor it emitted seeped into the room.

Even though it's June, the temperature drop after the rain made my skin feel icy cold.

There's no way I can go back in this rain.

Xun sighed in distress, and as she was about to stand up, she heard the sound of a door opening behind her.

It was Ms. Shoko's mother who came in carrying orange juice and watermelon.

"Um... Hoshino-san, could you please come out for a moment?"

"Is... someone calling me?"

"If it's possible, please."

"Okay... alright, I understand."

The sliding door closed again, and Kaoru followed Shoko's mother downstairs. With the dull thud of their footsteps on the wooden floor, the two entered the tea room used for entertaining guests. After hearing the voice "Please sit down," Kaoru nervously took a seat.

Before her lay a cup of pre-brewed tea. Under the watchful gaze of her mother, who wore a smile on her face, Kaoru stiffly grasped the teacup and gently sipped the tea.

"From childhood to adulthood, Shoko has always been the very willful type. When faced with trouble, she only chooses to bury it in her heart, stubbornly saying things like 'It's nothing.' But I am, after all, her mother. Even though we had some conflicts in the past, I am still the person in this world who understands her best. Even if she doesn't tell me, I can sense many things."

Shoko's mother's words revealed her concern for her daughter.

Kaoru lowered her head, gazing at her slightly swaying face reflected in the tea.

"So, when I heard Shoko say to me, 'I don't want to be a teacher anymore, find me another job,' I knew that this girl must be hiding something important from me. There must be a reason why she suddenly said something like that. Although I don't understand her reasons for making this decision, there is one thing I am quite clear about."

Shoko's mother continued speaking with a sigh.

"Shoko truly wants to become a teacher. Whether in the past or now, becoming a teacher makes her happy. It's a dream she's always wanted to achieve. So I'd like to ask Hoshino-kun to let this dream continue. Compared to the current Shoko, I like the incredibly stubborn Shoko who was much more determined in doing things."

As a mother, it's no surprise that she cares deeply for her daughter.

The gaze that lingered on her unintentionally may have already revealed her inner thoughts. Although Shoko herself was unaware of it, her mother was already fully aware of everything.

It is precisely because of these aspects that she chose to entrust everything to such a seemingly insignificant person.

Xun drank the tea in her cup in one gulp, then stood up.

"I see."

The sound of the sliding door closing rang out.

------------

After dinner, the rain that had been falling for almost half a day finally started to subside. However, considering that buses and coaches had already stopped running, leaving was clearly an unrealistic idea.

After explaining to Rin that he would probably not be back until tomorrow, Kaoru lay in the tatami-floored bedroom, the light-colored ceiling reflected in his eyes.

Since there was only one room left, Kobayashi naturally shared a room with Shoko, while Kaoru, being a man, was isolated in another room.

"Let me go! I don't mind sleeping with Hoshino-kun!"

There have even been such incidents before bedtime.

Finally... it ends with Kobayashi being reluctantly dragged into the room by Shoko-sensei.

After lying in bed for half an hour, Kaoru repeatedly adjusted his sleeping position. The surrounding air was eerily quiet. Finally, he curled up on the tatami mat and sighed.

Insomnia... was to be expected.

I can't sleep at all...

Judging from the lit phone screen, it was close to midnight, so it looked like I might have to stay up late tonight.

As Xun naturally thought of these things, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that a pop-up message for an unread message had suddenly appeared on his phone screen. He turned to the side, intending to reply, but then froze.

Are you still awake, Hoshino-kun?

I can't sleep either, want to come down for a walk together?

------------

"You really weren't asleep, Hoshino-kun?"

Downstairs, Ms. Shoko stood under a streetlamp not far away. The rain had stopped, and swarms of mosquitoes danced around the orange glow of the lamp. Bathed in that soft light, Ms. Shoko looked like she had been waiting for a long time.

Perhaps to avoid mosquito bites, or perhaps because of the cooler temperature after the rain, Shoko was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants. Upon seeing Kaoru appear, she waved her right hand in their direction.

Kaoru's hands, which were tucked into her pockets, clenched involuntarily as she slowly approached Shoko.

"Teacher...I'm sorry..."

"Relax a bit, Hoshino-kun feels so unfamiliar to me now."

Hearing Shoko speak such comforting words in a calm and composed tone, Kaoru's cheeks involuntarily drooped, and her gaze focused on the ground.

In short—

Shoko leaned forward, reaching out her right hand to stroke his hair, but then hesitated, and finally just gently patted his shoulder.

Are you able to understand your teacher a little better now, Hoshino-kun?

—That sentence was naturally left unsaid.

Shoko gazed at Kaoru with gentle eyes.

"Hoshino-kun, it's so kind of you to come see me. Even though it's only for one day, it's fine to treat it as a trip. So I want to leave you with unforgettable memories. If Hoshino-kun finds this day troublesome, I'll feel really guilty."

"......I see."

Kaoru struggled to lift her face, and when her eyes met Shoko's, it was as if the positive and negative poles of a magnet were touching and she was firmly attracted to her.

With a gentle smile on her face, illuminated by the orange lights behind her, Shoko's expression was so tender that it was almost unforgettable.

By the time he realized it, this thought had already formed in his mind.

"Let's go, Hoshino-kun."

Shoko turned around, took a few steps into the shadows not reached by the light from the streetlights, then turned back and spoke in a voice tinged with helplessness and heartache.

"Hoshino-kun, the Hoshino-kun who stands still like this is not the Hoshino-kun I remember who was overly proud in the face of everything."