Chapter 71

"Are you looking for a job lately? I think I've seen you these past two mornings."

The woman is a working professional several years older than the man, so it's more natural for them to start conversations.

The female student nodded.

"I applied for teaching positions, but I didn't get any offers."

"Are they all university teachers?"

Actually, from a woman's perspective, she could start by becoming a junior high school teacher.

"My daughter is going to high school, so I'd like to start by becoming a high school teacher."

It seems it wasn't a misunderstanding; the little girl from a couple of days ago was indeed this female student's daughter.

But it seems like she's just started looking for a job, and her daughter is already this old... Or is it just that the child looks young?

The woman was so engrossed in her thoughts that she kept looking at the female student who was close to her, but before she knew it, her attention was drawn to the female student in front of her.

Although the female student initially seemed unremarkable, upon closer inspection, she proved to be a rare beauty. As women themselves, they were probably better able to understand her charm.

Upon seeing the water droplets on the female student's head, the woman instinctively reached out and stroked the student's head, gently wiping away the rainwater.

This gesture was somewhat intimate, but fortunately they were of the same sex and there was a significant age difference between them.

The female student lowered her head, her face slightly flushed, after being suddenly touched on the head.

"Thanks..."

Perhaps sensing the woman's friendliness and gentleness, the female student asked after a while:

Are you... a local?

The woman shook her head.

"I used to be from another place."

She only came here to work a few years ago, and both her work and living arrangements were chosen in a hurry.

The bus doesn't seem to be coming yet.

I don't know if it was because of the rain and traffic jams that I arrived a little later than usual.

It's okay to chat for a while.

The female student was a little surprised.

Why come to a city like this?

Although Maple Plain City has developed quite well in recent years due to its promotion as the hometown of Magic girls, in the female student's memory, before she went to university, it was always a poor and remote place with few people.

The woman looked very elegant, and she seemed to be wearing many designer brands that I couldn't identify. She was also very beautiful, like someone from a big city.

After hearing the question, the woman pondered for a moment—

"I've come... to find my sister."

Normally, she rarely tells others why she came here, but for some reason, she didn't hesitate to tell this woman, who was much younger than her, the reason.

Perhaps it was because she felt the female student's demeanor was somewhat similar to her younger sister's.

However, her younger sister isn't the type of woman who would have a child at that age.

"Younger sister?"

The female student looked up with some curiosity.

"We've been separated for a long time. I heard that she might be in this place... so I came here, found a job, and am looking for her."

Women are generally honest.

However, the reality is probably quite different from what the female student imagined.

It seems women have quite a few stories to tell.

The female student listened for a while, and before she knew it, water droplets had gotten into her glasses, blurring her vision. She had to take them off and wipe them.

She calmly took off her glasses, took out a glasses cloth from her bag, and at that moment the woman saw the female student's face after she took off her glasses.

After taking off her glasses, the female student's appearance seemed to become clearer. It was a very beautiful face with a melancholy air that matched the rainy day. Although she was still young, she gave the woman a sense of déjà vu.

The woman holding the umbrella stood there, stunned.

The female student, unaware of what was happening, slowly wiped her glasses with a cloth, water dripping from her hair.

Suddenly, the woman's voice lost its composure as she asked:

"Um... what's your last name?"

The female student, having cleaned her glasses, looked up, her eyes calm. After a moment's thought, she replied:

"Haihara."

"... I also have the surname Haihara."

Although she changed her surname after she came here.

The female student surnamed Haihara seemed oblivious to everything, her expression gloomy yet indifferent, and she said with a hint of surprise—

"That's quite a coincidence."

Chapter Three: Been Haunted by the Strange Aunt

Ever since Haihara told the woman her last name, the woman has been acting a little strange.

However, it is indeed a coincidence that the other person has the same surname as her. After all, her surname is very rare. Even Haihara herself thinks that the surname might have been made up by Gosho Aoyama. At least before meeting women, Haihara had never met anyone else with the surname Haihara.

The woman's full name was Haihara Ryo, Haihara thought sounded much better than her own name.

Miss Liang is a mature and beautiful woman who looks like a high-earning professional. She is also very gentle.

After that, they waited for the bus and sat together.

After that, Ryo-san seemed to look at her from time to time, as if she wanted to say something, but didn't say anything, which made Haihara a little embarrassed, as she wasn't the type to be good at chatting with people.

Having an older sister sitting next to her was a happy thing, but Haihara was more concerned about the interview that was about to begin.

The school she's going to interview at today is Kaedehara High School.

It is also the best high school in Maple Plain City.

She had previously thought the school had very high admission requirements and hadn't considered it, but after being rejected by several high schools in her hometown, she had no other options.

If she fails again this time, she will have to consider finding another way to make a living, perhaps as a second choice, becoming a middle school teacher.

"..."

Suddenly, Haihara felt as if someone had touched her hair, as if someone had wiped her hair with a piece of paper or something.

She looked up and saw the woman looking flustered and at a loss, using a small towel to dry her hair.

Haihara thought Ryo-san looked strange.

It seemed like he was worried about her.

There's nothing wrong with caring about strangers, but Ryo-san's manner was as if she were worried about someone very close to her, which made Haihara a little embarrassed.

Seemingly realizing that her behavior was somewhat inappropriate, Miss Liang explained in a low voice:

"Be careful... don't catch a cold, you might get sick."

Haihara nodded and obediently let her wipe her hair.

While enjoying the feeling of being cared for, Haihara was also thinking that this was probably the last time she would meet Ryo-san, because after this interview, she wouldn't be taking the bus so early to go for the job interview anymore.

After this atmosphere continued for a while, Haihara also arrived at the station near Kaedehara High School.

Next, it's time to say goodbye to Miss Liang.

It was still raining outside, which gave Haihara a bit of a headache, because she might have to walk into school in the rain, and being all soaking wet would probably leave a bad impression.

Just as she was about to get off the bus, Haihara noticed that Ryo-san was following behind her.

"It's okay, I'll run a bit and get in."

She felt that Miss Liang was a little too kind.

But Miss Ryo simply picked up the umbrella gently, stepped outside, opened it, and said softly to Haihara:

"I work here too, let me give you a ride."

Although his tone was gentle, his determination was so firm that it was impossible to refuse.

What a coincidence! Not only do we share the same surname, but we even got off the bus at the same stop today. Is this fate?

Is Ms. Ryo also a teacher here? Haihara thought she was the kind of female manager who was in charge of a company, or even the chairman of the board.

Moreover, Miss Liang does give off a reliable older sister vibe.

Although Haihara never had any siblings.

Is this because Miss Liang herself had a younger sister?

"Thanks."

Without any pretense, Haihara was sent to school by Ryo-san, ready to complete today's interview in this state.

Although she didn't get wet, Haihara wasn't very confident about passing the interview.

Because she had been rejected in her previous interviews.

She might simply not be suited for this industry, or perhaps it's because of her gloomy demeanor, or maybe because her speech is boring or something.

Haihara couldn't even imagine herself as a teacher.

It will probably be very unpopular with students.

She also can't stand the Problem Child of students frequently skipping classes, and probably can't control it, so she'll just let them do as they please. In that case, she might be questioned by the school leaders and eventually face the problem of losing her job.

After that, Haihara had to go to the interview location and parted ways with Ryo-san.

But before parting ways, Ms. Liang seemed to want to lend her the umbrella.

"Thank you, but no need. The rain should stop by the time I finish my interview."

"How about I go buy you an umbrella? It wouldn't be good for you to catch a cold if you got wet."

"..."

Although Miss Ryo is a very nice person, she is also a bit of a headache for Haihara.

In the end, she declined, as she had to rush to her interview.

The interview process this time was similar to the previous ones, but it was a bit more concise. Haihara introduced herself and then gave a trial lesson on Japanese literature.

I've practiced this many times, and I also have experience from previous interviews, so there's no problem. I'm at least a bit more skilled than the other two interviewers.

After the applause from the interviewers, there were still a few questions to ask.

For example, education level, work experience, future goals, teaching style... and some family issues.

"I had some internship experience before this, roughly..."

Haihara answered slowly.

"However, later on, I had to take care of my daughter, so I didn't consider continuing my studies and wanted to try working directly in education..."

Because her parents died early, no one taught Haihara how to introduce herself in an interview, and perhaps many of her lines are inadequate for an adult.

However, Haihara herself had no choice but to slowly struggle and make her way in the world.

"Thank you, Ms. Haihara. Please wait for our reply in two days."

In the end, for Haihara unknown, the interviewers, who had initially maintained a calm demeanor, began to show signs of distress.

Haihara knew she had messed up again.

This time it probably won't work either.

After leaving the interview room, Haihara remained somewhat dejected.

It's impossible not to feel frustrated after being rejected so many times.

Moreover, she didn't know where she had failed.