Chapter 170

Haibara, who always had a Haihara expression and was hard to read, cried like this after eating the cookies.

When Teacher Suzuki touched Haihara's skin with her fingers through a tissue, she had a very strange feeling.

This woman, I never knew she could shed such warm tears.

Haihara lowered her head, her slightly disheveled bangs obscuring her eyes, but her breathing lacked its usual calmness; instead, it trembled slightly.

"I clearly... didn't do anything."

She said in a low voice.

Teacher Suzuki was initially flustered, but after seeing Haihara crying, she breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and walked to Haihara's side.

She reached out and gently patted Haihara's back, bending down to comfort her in Haihara ear:

"It's not your fault, you didn't do anything... I know that perfectly well."

Seeing Haihara sobbing softly, Teacher Suzuki wanted to do something. After thinking for a while, she reached out her arm, stroked Haihara's Haihara, slender neck, and gently embraced her in her arms.

This, of course, left Haihara stunned; for a moment, she didn't even know what was going on.

She was held in Teacher Suzuki's arms like an adult comforting a child.

"Those kids are going too far. They know nothing, yet they're spouting nonsense about you."

Teacher Suzuki's voice was very soft and low.

It was a beautiful sound that seemed to be heard clearly only when held close to the ear.

As Haihara stood there, she felt the softness and warmth of the woman's chest, the incredible touch, and the faint sound of a heartbeat. Her initial emotions gradually calmed down.

Her warm tears soaked the front of Teacher Suzuki's clothes, but Teacher Suzuki didn't seem to mind at all.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do, and I don't know how to help you."

The woman's apologetic voice rang in Haihara's ears.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with Teacher Suzuki.

Haihara's usually aloof and sluggish heart was stirred at this moment in a way that was hard to explain.

It seems that... no older woman has hugged her like this since her mother passed away.

Even when the headmistress embraced her, it was with a complex mix of desire and passion.

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

Haihara seemed to realize how strange it was for her to do such a thing with a female teacher who was about the same age as her, and muttered something awkwardly.

Although she cherished the warmth of his chest, Haihara didn't want to trouble him like this.

"You must be very tired lately, right? You must be under a lot of pressure. You can come to me whenever you feel exhausted. I feel Haihara you're always keeping to yourself. You should complain to someone sometimes."

In the quiet office, Teacher Suzuki comforted Haihara like a mother. Haihara, who was initially at a loss, gradually began to cherish this long-lost warmth.

At that time, Haihara thought, "Teacher Suzuki is truly an incredible person. There really are such gentle and beautiful women in the world."

However, even so...

Remembering the malicious rumors she had heard, Haihara blinked, her gaze slowly dimming.

Although the warmth she felt at that moment was wonderful, she probably never had the chance to see the woman in front of her again for some time afterward.

Not long ago, when she was being bullied by several girls, the appearance of Teacher Haihara left a brief mark on Kuroki Yuka's heart, but it didn't change anything.

These awful people won't change their thoughts or their character because of a few unpopular words.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that there was a growing amount of discussion about her among those around her.

Kuroki Yuka also has a way to resolve these discussions.

If she just confronted the girl who harassed her that day, or even beat her up, the people around her would probably be afraid of her.

But the real problem for her wasn't these behavioral issues.

Everything around her annoyed her.

Just like before.

An annoying person, an annoying voice, an annoying appearance, and a strangely familiar and irritating environment.

Even though she left her old school and came here, why is everything still the same as before?

She used to think that, apart from her own environment being a cage, the world outside the cage must be wonderful and different. But it wasn't until she flew far away and came to a strange place that she realized this was the norm in the world.

Where should we escape to find a quiet place?

The world she lived in was like a nightmare from which she could never wake up; everything was going in the terrible direction she had predicted, and she began to feel lost and helpless.

After that, a voice began to guide her in doing something.

The voice was sweet and light, much like the voice of a friend from the past, like an angel with wings of Asuka.

And in her mind, the voice said:

'--Go to hell.'

Upon hearing that voice, Kuroki Yuka seemed to snap out of her daze. She paused for a moment, then calmly murmured to herself:

"I see..."

When she started thinking like this, Kuroki Yuka remember what happened in the process. She only realized what was happening when she arrived at the platform of the open-air staircase.

From here, you can see the entire school grounds; the view is very expansive.

But usually, not many people come to this area.

However, Kuroki Yuka was not inside the platform at this moment, but standing outside the railing.

A cold wind blew against her, ruffling her hair.

Her pair of dull, lifeless eyes were revealed.

Looking down from here, you can see the school square appearing very small.

It's really tall.

She probably has a slight fear of heights, but looking straight down like this, she didn't feel much fear.

What does it feel like to count down your last moments?

It must be quite amazing.

Every second I'm mustering my courage.

Every moment is an attempt to back down.

She stood there like a silent statue, waiting quietly, yet she sensed someone approaching from behind.

Someone has arrived.

Kuroki Yuka turned her head and saw the face of a woman who looked somewhat dejected.

... Teacher Haihara?

She blinked, looking confused and at a loss.

But the woman didn't say anything to her. She just took out a cigarette, put it in her mouth as if she hadn't seen her, and then skillfully lit it with a lighter.

The smoke quickly caught fire, sending up plumes of white smoke.

Seemingly noticing that Kuroki Yuka was looking at her, Haihara glanced at her, then at what she was holding. After a moment's thought, she took out a cigarette from her pack and handed it to the side.

"Want one?"

Haihara had a cigarette dangling from her mouth, and she waved the hand that was offering her the cigarette.

Kuroki Yuka has never smoked.

I also have little interest in smoking.

But she doesn't seem to really dislike the smell of cigarettes.

Her mother used to work all day and when she got home very tired, she would smoke on the balcony. At that time Kuroki Yuka could still smell a little bit of smoke.

"Generally speaking, would teachers encourage students to smoke?"

Kuroki Yuka found it somewhat amusing.

Haihara, however, didn't seem to care much. She put the cigarette away and started smoking by herself.

After exhaling a puff of smoke, Haihara placed her arms on the railing and let them hang down lazily.

"Since you're going to commit suicide anyway, there's no harm in trying."

The teacher is still the same as always.

They never know how to be tactful when they speak; they just go straight to the point.

Kuroki Yuka's expression dimmed slightly.

However, she quickly changed the subject:

What kind of person is the teacher?

She asked a question that seemed very strange for a student.

Just like Teacher Haihara said, she's probably planning to do that kind of thing soon, so it's probably okay to be a little casual in this situation.

Haihara, who was smoking, glanced over when she heard her words.

The smell of smoke drifted in the wind, Kuroki Yuka remembered. It seemed that Teacher Haihara was smoking a very strong-flavored cigarette, which caused Kuroki Yuka to cough a few times.

However, she is still standing outside the railing, swaying slightly after coughing, giving the impression that she is about to fall.

"Who is it? That's a strange question."

The woman spoke in a hoarse voice, as if she had just smoked.

"I've been teaching you for a while now, and you've probably heard about what's been happening lately."

"In short, I've never been very popular, I have few friends and no lover, I've always been an insignificant, shady character, and that's how I've survived until now, that's all."

After saying that, Haihara flicked the ash off her cigarette.

Kuroki Yuka didn't want to hear these things at first, but after hearing them, she felt an unexpected sense of peace.

It sounds like a very ordinary life, one that can be seen through at a glance.

"I quite like Magic girls."

Suddenly, she heard the woman say this.

Kuroki Yuka was stunned for a moment, thinking she had misheard.

She glanced at the older woman smoking beside her, and saw this listless, gloomy adult, who was playing around with a cigarette between her fingers and constantly exhaling smoke. It seemed that this was the adult who had just said the words she hadn't expected.

"... A teacher?"

She couldn't believe the woman in front of her liked Magic girls.

"Generally speaking, girls would like it, right? I used to be a girl too, and I imagined that one day I might be chosen to become a Magic girl or something, but until now, no mascot has come looking for me..."

Teacher Haihara said this with a self-deprecating tone.

At that moment, Kuroki Yuka remembered that when the other person was helping her, she had carefully straightened out that Magic girl picture book for her and even looked at it for a while herself.

Was she perhaps a little curious about the contents of that document back then?

At this moment, Kuroki Yuka remembered her time at her old school.

When her friend encountered the same situation, none of the teachers at school intervened; they all adopted an indifferent, adult-like demeanor and stood by coldly.

She once thought that all teachers were like that.

But Teacher Haihara did that kind of thing not long ago...

If my teacher back then had been Haihara, would things have been different?

"Teacher Haihara, what should I do if I were in my current situation?"

She was a little curious.

What would Tsuruta -Teacher Haihara across the face that day, do now, facing everything around her?

She thought Haihara would be like those adults in movies who seem a bit unreliable but are actually very cool, saying something inspiring or philosophical.