The semester was coming to a close at Tomoeda University. The last assignments of Yoshiyuki Terada's lecture had just been turned in and he was staying after class to finish looking them over. Think about it. If you were a college professor, the last thing you would want to do is spend your Sunday grading when you could be doing…well…anything else.
Rika Sasaki had a different reason for staying. Anything to be able to spend a little more time with her favorite teacher. After school hours, the line between them was faded and they could be themselves a little more. Those moments were very enjoyable. They were few and far between, but that's what made them precious. She didn't have to focus as intensely on her studies, and he didn't have to divide his attention among the other students. She could learn more about him and perhaps get a little closer to knowing his true self. The one that he had to subdue a bit when he was trying to teach. If he were too casual with his students they would never get anything done, after all.
A few minutes had passed since Terada-sensei had turned the page and started reviewing the last paper in front of him. Rika had been working on the finishing details for a project in another class and was vigorously taking notes out of the textbook in front of her. He decided to rest his eyes from the scrawled handwriting of his students to check and see how Rika was doing.
She felt his eyes on her and looked up to meet them, to which he responded by quickly looking down at his work again. There was no particular rhyme or reason to it. As with anyone else it's a reflex to look away quickly when someone realizes you're watching. The quiet scratching of pencil on paper broke the short silence, so he knew Rika had returned to her work.
The silence was more than just there though. There was a tension to it. There had been something Terada-sensei meant to bring up to her, but he wasn't sure how she would take it. He knew how she felt…no…how they felt towards each other. They cared for each other. It wasn't necessarily in a romantic way though.
What they had simply came from the heart. They were teammates, colleagues, and close friends. They were fond of each other. There was no other word for it. She could count on him when she couldn't count on anyone else. He was always reliable no matter what came up. He could be open about his concerns about certain things and have confidence in her not to say anything to his colleagues or the other students. She got along well with his parents to boot. They had bonded with each other to a point.
That's why what he had to tell her was so difficult.
It'll be fine, he was trying desperately to convince himself. She'll understand. If it really matters, we'll keep in touch. I'm just following my dreams. His thoughts hesitated. Aren't I? He snapped back to focus.
"So, I took the interview at Hikari University," he said quickly with an attempt at sounding casual, wanting to let the words out and be done.
Her pencil lead broke on the page. "Oh?"
She wiped the broken piece of graphite away and took her sharpener out of her school bag. The words went through her like a knife. She knew there was an opening in a major nearby school and thought he might try for it. It was at a school where he would surely grow and have a significant impact as a new teacher.
She shifted in her seat. "How did it go?" she asked trying to sound curious and supportive.
"It went pretty well. We won't know how well until they make the official callbacks for the final round, but I feel pretty good about it."
He looked up. Was it just his imagination or did she just withdraw a little bit? She sounded encouraging, but her new seating position said something different. She really was mature in that way, he thought. No matter how much it hurt her, she wanted to see her friends happy first and foremost.
He circled the mark on the last paper and added it to the stack of the others. Overall, his students did very well, and as he would have expected, Sasaki-chan had one of the highest marks. She wasn't his star student, but she worked so hard for the marks that she got.
He picked up the papers, tapped them on the desk a few times to align them, and placed them in a manila folder. He walked across the room to set him on the podium so he wouldn't forget to hand them back on Monday, especially considering exams were on their way. His students would need them to prepare. He let out a long sigh as he walked back to his worktable.
As he started packing away his things, Rika took the hint that he would be leaving soon, so she started gathering up her own materials and putting them into her book bag. As he finished packing the last of his things in his briefcase, she went outside the room to get her coat and change of shoes from her locker.
Calm down, Rika. What he just told her brought her worst fears to potential. Her heart was fluttering with questions that she wanted to ask. She nervously fiddled with the lock, trying to open it.
I should just ask him. Put my fears to rest. I could be worrying about nothing, after all!
But the other part of her conscience thought differently.
But it's none of my business. He's my teacher. It's completely up to him if he wants to leave to teach new students. It is his career we're talking about here.
She started when the door clicked shut and she heard his footsteps making their way to the elevator around the corner. Her mind was made up. She quickly put on her jacket, changed her slip-on shoes, grabbed her book bag, and closed her locker, running to catch up with him before she missed her chance. As she rounded the corner she was relieved to see he wasn't gone yet.
"So, I don't mean to pry," she started, finally catching up and standing next to him by the elevator doors. She was trying so hard to sound conversational and sincerely curious, "but if you win the position there, what will happen to us?"
"Us?" he asked with a little apprehension.
"You know, your students," she replied, though that's not what she really meant. She meant them. She cared for him a lot, and didn't want to see someone this important to her walk out of her life. Again, if she couldn't count on anything else, she could count on him.
"Oh." He breathed an inward sigh of relief. "Well, someone very capable would come in to take my place. Pick up where I left off." He could see her beginning to tense from the corner of his eye.
But no one else is capable! she thought. You're the only one!
"It's really not that likely though," he said, trying to reassure her. "It's not even that likely I'd make it in. So many other people are applying that my chances will be minimal."
Are you kidding? You made it into the finals! It's not that unlikely anymore.
A subtle tone announced the arrival of the elevator. Terada-sensei stood back and motioned for her to go in first. She abided and pressed the button to take them to the main level and the parking lot. The doors sealed them inside and the elevator jolted into motion. That wasn't what caused the bottomless feeling in her stomach though. She could feel the pain in her throat as she tried to choke back the emotions welling up inside of her. She could feel her eyes burn as tears threatened to appear, but so far she had managed to keep them at bay.
"So you would just leave then?" she inquired, trying, but failing to sound like her normal self.
"I would have to. It isn't that far away, but I wouldn't be able to commute and have enough time to teach everyone," he said, trying to make his decision sound reasonable.
She chanced a glance in his direction and felt the first tears roll down her cheeks, "But we really like you here!" she exclaimed suddenly.
Like. We. She displaced her feelings to include her classmates. She really loved him, but knew she would never really be able to say that. It was more of an unspoken feeling.
Saying what she was really thinking would be crossing a major line. If the job didn't work out, things would be awkward between them for the rest of her school career. If anyone heard her, he would lose his job. It would be misconstrued as something inappropriate. She just couldn't risk those things coming to pass. The last thing she wanted to do was lose the friendship she valued, or worse, destroy his teaching career because of rumors that he was in a relationship with one of his students.
"I really like you, too." Another chime and the doors to the elevator opened. By this point Rika's eyes were clenched shut as she tried to stop more tears from forming. She was shuddering as she tried, but failed, to control herself.
So much for being mature for my age.
They walked out the main doors of the building and to the edge of the faculty lot. Cool autumn breezes made fallen leaves rustle about their feet. The sky was overcast with light, puffy clouds that foreshadowed the long winter to come. She picked out his car among the few that were left in the lot.
She was still trembling as the emotions poured onto her face. She finally gathered enough bravery to look him in the eye, but he had put on a pair of sunglasses.
Is my response taking a toll on him? Is he trying to hide it from me? She couldn't tell through the dark lenses. Yoshi …
She averted her gaze to the shoulder of his brown suede coat. We've shared hugs so many times before. Now I really need him close. I need him to show me everything will be fine. He may leave soon, but he is here with me right now. That's all that matters.
So much she wanted to express how much this hurt. How much she had come to depend on him. She wanted the embrace that she had felt so often to be her reminder that no matter what happened, everything would be all right in the end.
Suddenly, she heard the rhythmic clapping of shoes approaching where they stood and turned her head in time to see another faculty member making her way towards the building. Rika thought Terada-sensei saw her coming before and didn't want her walk in on a scene that could be misconstrued later. Once she was inside, Rika hoped beyond hope that he would take her in to give her the comfort she so desperately needed…
…but it never came.
Her eyes were clenched shut again. Two more tears fell to the cold cement.
"Well," he started awkwardly, still averting his eyes, "I'll see you Monday?"
Rika looked up at him again. He couldn't bring himself to look back. She tensed her throat to speak, but when no sound came out, she simply nodded, trying to nonchalantly wipe the tears from her face with her gloved hands.
There was a short silence. He turned to take the first steps to his car.
So there's my exposition. Please let me know what you think considering this is my first story. It's not a common pairing, but one I've wanted to try for some time.