Chapter 233

She has a kind of well-behaved girl vibe.

"A while ago, I said something strange after school... I'm sorry."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then lowered her face, her eyes, which gleamed softly, seemed lost in thought.

Kirishima Ai was referring to that incident in the Materials Room some time ago.

At that time, the teacher probably wanted to care about her.

However, she didn't know how to tell the teacher about Silver Feather, and she felt very uneasy, so she didn't say anything at the time, and her attitude towards Teacher Haihara was also very bad.

That was absolutely terrible.

After a while, she still didn't get a response from Teacher Haihara.

However, suddenly, Kirishima Ai felt something very gentle touch her forehead.

She was kissed on the forehead.

The little girl blinked, stood still, and pondered.

Although her face was expressionless, her gaze remained fixed for a moment.

This was different from the lewd, intense, and sticky contact she had wanted before; it seemed like she had only been lightly touched, but Kirishima Ai felt even more satisfied than that.

That's strange.

The woman's tone was a little gentler than before, but it still felt cold and aloof.

"I told you, go back to your mother immediately."

Kirishima Ai touched her forehead, which had just been kissed, her face slightly flushed.

She didn't say anything, she just nodded.

After being kissed on the forehead, Kirishima Ai suddenly had a strange feeling.

Her mother lived nearby.

But here she is, doing things with Teacher Haihara that are closer and warmer than things she does with her mother.

The fact that she came here, said those things to Teacher Haihara, and did those things seems like she's asking Teacher Haihara for affection. Isn't that a bit strange...?

The answers to these questions remain unknown.

Afterwards, Kirishima Ai returned to Shiratori Aoi's side, while Haihara watched the girl's departing figure alone, her face expressionless, but she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

No matter how bold she was, she didn't have the courage to be intimate with another mother's daughter while she was with her.

Fortunately, no one noticed.

Otherwise, her teaching career would truly have come to an end.

As she was thinking this, Haihara suddenly smelled a fragrance.

It's not perfume.

Instead, it has a natural scent that is closer to the fragrance of flowers.

The scent immediately reminded her of a rather memorable busty beauty she had met not long ago.

Soon, she heard that sweet and melodious female voice:

"You two still have such a good relationship."

Turning around, Haihara saw an exceptionally beautiful woman with fair and delicate skin, long dark red hair that cascaded down like soft silk, and a beauty that combined youth and maturity, as pure and radiant as a blooming flower.

The woman was dressed entirely in black today, from boots to a long skirt, from a sweater underneath to a coat on top, giving off a mysterious and ascetic impression.

However, it couldn't hide her figure that made Haihara unable to look away.

She had appeared in a corner not far away, smiling and greeting Haihara.

"Good morning, Miss Haihara. I didn't expect to see you again so soon. It seems we are destined to meet."

Without a doubt, this woman is none other than Tachibana, the innkeeper from the hot spring trip that Haihara and Kirishima Ai went on some time ago.

Miss Tachibana appeared there quite naturally and greeted her.

Thinking about what had just happened, Haihara didn't know when she had appeared there or how long she had stayed.

"You saw everything that just happened?"

Haihara asked a question casually.

Judging from what Ms. Tachibana said, Tachibana must have witnessed almost everything that she and Kirishima Ai did just now.

Although Ms. Tachibana was largely a stranger, this incident brought her to the public's attention...

I wonder if she'll end up in jail.

Ms. Tachibana just smiled as before, as if simply seeing Haihara's face made her happy.

Does this bother you?

She didn't seem to grasp how strange that had just happened, from a common-sense perspective.

Haihara nodded:

"Yes."

After she finished speaking, Ms. Tachibana walked over step by step, just like Kirishima Ai had done before, slowly approaching Haihara.

Compared to Kirishima Ai, who acts recklessly based on her own ideas, Tachibana's every move seems purposeful, or rather, she always seems charming.

She gently took Haihara's hand.

That was Haihara's hand holding the ice cream cone; the ice cream on it was almost melted.

"So how would you like me to stay quiet?"

"Miss Tachibana said in a low voice."

Haihara looked at her for a while, and just as she was about to say something, she felt something cool and slippery on her fingers.

Ice cream dripped onto her hand.

Without waiting for Haihara's reply, Ms. Tachibana took the initiative to make a request.

"May I try some? I'm curious about your taste."

Actually, Haihara doesn't have much ice cream left.

If someone tries to steal her ice cream, Haihara should logically feel unhappy and even want to kick them out.

But considering what Tachibana just said...

It seems that for the sake of her reputation, she has no choice but to accept this small request.

After that, Tachibana bent down and took a bite of the ice cream in Haihara's hand.

The woman in front of me was taking small bites of her ice cream, and then licking the melted ice cream that had dripped down her fingers.

After finishing her ice cream, Ms. Tachibana gracefully raised her head, smiled, and said:

Thank you for your hospitality.

Haihara glanced at the cookie tin in her hand, said nothing, and simply took out a tissue to wipe the wet parts of her hands.

It was quite a coincidence that I met Ms. Tachibana here.

She had thought that Tachibana's earlier statement about returning to Maple Plain City was just talk, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

Haihara raised her head and asked curiously:

"Ms. Tachibana, are you here to see the exhibition today too?"

The woman in front of her shook her head.

Ms. Tachibana took out a business card from her breast pocket and showed it to Haihara:

"I came here for some work-related matters, but they don't need me right now, so I just came out for a stroll and took a look at these nostalgic exhibits."

Exhibits that evoke fond memories?

Haihara glanced at the glass cabinet not far away.

Inside are some artifacts that seem to have a significant connection with R'lyeh.

To be honest, when Haihara saw these things, she felt they were very familiar, but she couldn't quite place them.

Haihara suddenly remembered that Tachibana -san had mentioned before that she used to be an archaeologist.

Furthermore, the room also contains many commemorative artifacts and photographs.

Could it be that... the artifacts on display here were discovered by Ms. Tachibana during her previous archaeological work?

So, is the thing she was thinking of also on display here as a cultural relic?

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Fairy Tale

I have a very strange question.

How would you feel if you heard your favorite song somewhere, like online?

Some people might find it wonderful, they might feel happy, or they might simply be a little pleased.

But Haihara would feel sad.

After all, something so beautiful would give her a feeling of being out of reach.

She would think that somewhere in the world, there was such a wonderful person who had a voice she loved and sang the songs she loved.

But she may never meet that person, never know what that person looks like, never get to know that person, and may only quietly listen to that person's singing from some distant place, and feel a little sentimental.

This fact saddened her somewhat.

Perhaps it needs to be a little deeper.

For example, regret, bitterness, or even sorrow.

Haihara remembers hearing a song she thought was very beautiful when she was little. She loved both the song and the voice, and felt very moved every time she listened to it.

But that singer doesn't seem to be very popular. Only a handful of people listen to her songs, and Haihara doesn't even know what she looks like.

After that, Haihara never listened to that singer's songs again, nor did she ever hear anything about that singer again.

Perhaps even if one day she were to brush past that person, she wouldn't recognize him.

Humans are truly insignificant.

Perhaps that's not the case.

Rather, she was truly insignificant.

Throughout, she remained a quiet listener to others' songs, never speaking, and even if she did, no one would hear her.

When she is so small, the world seems so vast.

So much so that her breathing became barely perceptible.

Sometimes, Haihara wonders what would happen if one day she wasn't so insignificant, if her words were heard and cared about by many people.

Will she meet that relatively unknown singer whose appearance she doesn't know?

Or does that mean that all her previous regrets no longer matter?

On the first day of the museum's exhibition in winter, it wasn't as crowded as I had imagined, because the number of visitors was limited on the first day.

In a corner that few people notice, two women are standing very close, whispering to each other.

The museum was heated, and with Ms. Tachibana standing so close, Haihara felt hot and took a small step back.

"Ms. Tachibana, are you familiar with the artifacts on display here?"

Haihara asked curiously.

According to Ms. Tachibana, she came to the museum today for work, and Tachibana probably recognizes many of the exhibits.

The woman in front of him nodded, then her gaze shifted slightly, landing in the distance.

There was Kirishima Ai, who had just been with Haihara, but she had returned to her mother's side. When her mother asked her questions, the little girl looked a little embarrassed and evasive.