Chapter 144

Especially when Takanashi feels that the other person seems to be more outstanding than herself in appearance.

Are you a student at Kaedehara High School?

The other person started chatting with her quite naturally.

After thinking for a moment, Takanashi answered her.

Upon hearing the affirmative answer, the girl's smile brightened even more. Takanashi found it hard to believe that such a pure and beautiful smile truly existed in the world.

"Did you come to the celebration with your class? I've had that experience before."

This person seems to be a natural at making friends.

For some reason, Takanashi Shiori felt that the other person looked familiar, not in terms of their face, but in terms of their bright and warm, sunny aura, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

She wasn't very good at dealing with this kind of person, but she nodded nonetheless.

"It's a class activity."

"It's so nostalgic! Were you in first grade? Who was your homeroom teacher?"

The girl looked nostalgic.

Just as Takanashi was about to answer, he spotted two women in the distance.

Because they were all very tall and all women, Takanashi instinctively looked over.

Among them was a beautiful woman wearing a black yukata, with her black hair elegantly styled in an updo.

Her first thought was, who is this beauty?

She looks like a cold and glamorous dancer who would appear in a classical stage play. Although her temperament has an unbelievable sense of the past, it also gives people a hazy, old-fashioned filter, making her seem particularly ethereal and mysterious.

But then she felt that cold, aloof demeanor was very familiar.

Coupled with her exceptionally tall figure, which is rare for a woman, a name quickly came to mind for Takanashi.

"Teacher?"

She muttered to herself.

Although she wasn't wearing her usual ugly oversized glasses and had even braided her hair properly, there was no doubt that the woman was her teacher, Haihara.

I never imagined I'd look so beautiful after taking off my glasses and putting on makeup.

But... who is that woman next to Teacher Haihara?

Takanashi looked more closely and realized that she recognized the woman.

With long black hair, an outstanding and dignified demeanor, and a tall and graceful figure, even though she wasn't wearing her school uniform as meticulously as usual, no one would fail to recognize her.

She recognized him immediately, of course.

This caused confusion.

That person was undoubtedly the perfect Student Council, Kazama Kiriori, who excelled in academics and sports, had an outstanding appearance, and was popular with everyone.

Compared to her usual dignified and elegant image, the Student Council now resembled an ordinary girl, holding the teacher's hand and chatting happily with a cheerful expression.

But why is that person... standing next to Teacher Haihara at this very moment?

Takanashi Shiori couldn't take her eyes off them for a moment, her mind filled with questions about why Teacher Haihara was with the Student Council president.

Speaking of which, the Student Council used to be Teacher Haihara's student.

The Student Council does seem to really like Teacher Haihara.

It's also possible that the Student Council came to the celebration, happened to run into the teacher, and ended up together.

But her woman's intuition told her that it was strange for the Student Council Teacher Haihara.

After a while, she saw this scene.

The Student Council slightly tiptoed, put his arm around Haihara's shoulder, and naturally brought his face close to the woman's. Although the two were facing away from her and their appearance was not very clear due to their long hair, Takanashi Shiori still clearly understood what had happened.

The Student Council kissed Teacher Haihara.

After witnessing this scene, Takanashi Shiori was stunned...

"... Huh?"

What...

What just happened?

Having inadvertently witnessed this scene, Takanashi's mind was in a state of chaos, and she wasn't even sure what emotion to express at that moment.

Without realizing it, she tightened her grip on the candied apple in her hand, while her other hand, which had nowhere to go, clenched tightly.

Would a typical student-teacher relationship involve this?

What is their relationship?

As for Haihara, even after being kissed, she didn't react much, just seemed used to it.

This made Takanashi feel even more anxious.

Noticing that Takanashi hadn't answered her question and seemed to be in Takanashi, the girl waved her hand curiously in front of her to bring her attention back to reality.

However, it doesn't seem to have any effect.

She didn't seem to care much and continued talking to herself:

"It was about two years ago, when I was a freshman in high school, and I participated in this celebration just like you."

"Back then, I was taught by a very young teacher."

"That teacher is Teacher Haihara, do you know her?"

... Teacher Haihara?

The girl's voice came from beside her ear, and Takanashi snapped out of her reverie because Teacher Haihara was suddenly mentioned.

But as soon as she turned around, several people passed by her and stood between her and the girl.

She was about to say something, but after the crowd passed by, the other side became empty; no one had stopped there anymore.

That girl, two years ago... was with Teacher Haihara...

How could they have suddenly disappeared?

The noisy celebration left only Takanashi Shiori alone, lost in the crowd, her heart empty, filled with the girl's words and the scene she had inadvertently witnessed between the Student Council and Teacher Haihara.

Chapter 81 You and Me

That was many years ago, probably when I was still in college.

Haihara had a crush on one of her seniors during her internship at that time.

That senior had very long hair, and you could smell the fresh scent of shampoo when you got close. When you walked behind her, you could always see her beautiful black hair floating in the air, along with the fragrance that wafted out as it swayed, which was very alluring.

Although she can be strict and authoritative at times, she is gentle and reassuring like a cool breeze when she is resting.

Perhaps because they were alumni, the senior often took care of him.

Although she really liked it, Haihara felt it was time to end it.

A few days ago, she packed all her belongings and left the place where she had worked for several months. Although her senior seemed surprised, she still saw her off gently as usual.

Before parting, the senior asked her if she wanted to treat her to one more meal.

Haihara also refused.

There was something that bothered her. Upon reflection, she realized that after working at the company for so long, she didn't really know anyone there.

That's not all.

She has been alone ever since she started high school.

He had no relatives or friends.

When Haihara, clutching a box containing all her work-related belongings, sat alone in the corner of her small rented room, Haihara probably suddenly realized something.

It turns out she was lonely.

She was feeling lonely and in pain.

"..."

Haihara stares blankly as she touches a past photo of herself and her family.

Why is this happening?

Even though she has managed to live alone until now, no one cares about her, and she hasn't met anyone who would love her, just like she wished when she was a child.

This is no one's fault.

Haihara just felt that she looked a little ugly right now.

Ordinary and inconspicuous, they could easily be swallowed up by the crowd, disappearing without a trace. Even if they vanished one day, no one would notice.

She clearly had breath and a voice, yet in this world, she was as if she were completely silent.

Unlike before, there won't be people around who care about me anymore.

"I'll look for a new part-time job tomorrow."

She spoke softly to the photograph.

After her internship ends, she plans to go back and finish her studies.

As for the future... let's talk about it later.

Besides, I haven't even decided what to eat for dinner.

However, no one cooked for her, and it's too late to cook now.

Later, when Haihara rented a room again, she felt a little cold.

Autumn has arrived before we knew it.

If we're in our hometown, the Maple Plain Festival is just around the corner.

She won't be able to go back this year either.

Besides, what difference would it make even if we went back?

When you're sick, you tend to feel down.

After experiencing a serious illness that left her all alone, Haihara felt a long-lost sense of despair.

Haihara rarely cries.

Most of the time, she was cold and sluggish, like a snake.

She rarely cries for others. When others are deeply moved by a movie, she just thinks, "Oh, I see."

She'll probably only cry because she's in a lot of pain, or because of her own problems.

So, many years later, she cried again.

At that moment, Haihara thought that perhaps dying like this wouldn't be so bad.

She lay in bed, covering her face with the blanket, and cried for a long time, wanting to cover her eyes and make everything disappear, but the feeling of being alive was still so clear.

She also remembered how, when her family was still alive, her mother would anxiously surround her, busy taking care of her every need.

But those have all disappeared now.

Even after recovering from the illness, this gloom still lingered.

Why would there exist someone in this world who lives a life of unnoticed suffering, yet remains completely unnoticed by others?

What will happen to her in the future?

If she continues on this path, where will she end up?

"... What should we do?"

That sentence filled Haihara's mind at that time.

When she came to her senses again, Haihara found herself walking down the street. The sunlight was fading, giving way to dusk before nightfall. People were heading home, but she was all alone, unsure of where to go.

The chill of autumn seeped into our bones, making everyone's steps quicken. One withered autumn leaf after another fell to the ground, seemingly foreseeing its inevitable decay.