Disclaimer: It would be nice to own Oresama Teacher. Instead, I am an owner of a college degree if that counts—who am I kidding, no it doesn't.

AN: So here it is, the last chapter. It only took my entire college career to get here, but it's here now. Enjoy!

Teach Me One Last Thing

Part Ten

Somehow, Takaomi managed to avoid Mafuyu for a full month after she kissed him. A part of her was impressed, seeing as he lived next door. Yui would be proud of his stealth technique. The other part of her was severely disappointed. The embarrassment, the anger, and the sadness, faded… but there were times when something reminded her of him, and all those emotions flooded back in.

Mafuyu successfully distracted herself with friends. Yui and Aki were still around, and Ayabe even invited her to spend a weekend with his family. Things were still awkward around Okegawa and Kangawa, but she knew they would be fine eventually. She didn't have that same faith in Takaomi however.

Mafuyu forced herself out of bed before eight again today. She had important things to do now that she had graduated. Things like finding a job. Finances had been getting exceedingly tight for the past year, but now things were at tipping point. Her mother couldn't afford her to live out here anymore, but at the time her mother told her this, she wasn't too worried since Mafuyu expected to line up a job for herself after graduation. Mafuyu had expected to have a job by now, but she was still looking. If she didn't find one soon, she would have to move back home after all.

She looked through the job ads once more and had applied to every single one she was eligible for… except for one.

PE Teacher Assistant needed at Midori Ga Oka Academy.

Takaomi was fully immersed in running the school for the past month. Just because it was summer didn't mean things would quiet down. If anything, the school was much busier than usual with repairing buildings, getting new supplies, interviewing hundreds of people for jobs. Today was his fifth day of interviews in a row, and so far he only managed to fill a handful of the spots that needed to be before the school year started.

However, Takaomi was grateful for the busyness at work. It kept his mind off of other things. He stood by the window of his office, the old chairman's office, and looked down at the school grounds. His eyes wandered to the school entrance gates, where graduation only happened a short while ago. Mafuyu looked so happy that day.

Before he could get lost in his thoughts, his secretary, one of the few jobs he filled, came in.

"Mr. Saeki, your first interviewee is here to see you." Takaomi tore his gaze from the window, and slowly sat himself at his comfy chair. Fortunately, the old chairman kept this office immaculate, so there were no repairs in here to worry about. He let out a deep sigh and prepared himself for another long, mostly likely unsuccessful day.

"Send them in." His secretary left, and walked back in with the candidate. Takaomi put on his most charming fake smile as the candidate walked in.

"Hello…" Takaomi's voice died in its tracks.

"Hi, Takaomi." Mafuyu stood shyly at the door, quietly closing it behind herself. She hesitated to come to the chair in front of his desk. After a still moment, she got her courage and walked over to the desk. Takaomi's eyes trailed after her, and he knew she must be feeling that dark aura of his by now. Why was she such a stubborn girl?

"Mafuyu if you're not here for the job, then leave so I can find someone that is." His patience for interviewing people and for dealing with the mess between them was at an all time low.

"No, I am here for the job," she bit out as she sat down in the chair in front of his desk. He looked hard at her for a moment. Maybe to make her more uncomfortable, or maybe because he missed looking at her, he didn't think too long about it. She actually had a dress shirt on and was wearing proper business attire. It looked so odd on her. It made her look like a woman.

"Really?" He arched an incredulous brow at her.

"Yes! Trust me, I looked around at other places, but this is the only place I haven't applied yet," Mafuyu huffed at him, as she fiddled with the hem of her jacket. She obviously didn't like wearing the thing though.

"Fine." He held out his hand for the paperwork, and she plopped it onto his palm. He spent a few minutes looking through the paperwork, though there wasn't much to look through. This was a job that only required a high school degree as long as she was supervised by a licensed teacher that he still had yet to hire. Takaomi took his time just to see how much of this tension she could tolerate. He knew he was a complete sadist when it came to her… but he also knew she was a complete masochist to him.

"Everything seems to be in order. But you're missing one reference." He stacked the papers together and pushed them back towards her.

"What do you mean? I have three references—"

"One of which is me. You need to find another one." Maybe he really did not want to give her the job, but that was the truth. It would be improper to hire someone who did not meet all the requirements. Mafuyu was looking intently at her lap, where he saw her hands were balled up into fists. She really wanted to hit him. Maybe a full on fight between the two of them would settle what happened.

No, it wouldn't. If anything, he wouldn't be able to restraint himself from her then.

"I don't know why I wasted my time on you." That hurt more than she would ever know. He knew she was talking about more than the job. Takaomi refused to address the situation though; doing that would make this all the more painful for both of them. He had enough pain and stress as it was.

"Better luck next time. Tell my secretary to send in the next one, will you?"

Mafuyu wanted to break the chair over his head, but she didn't want to ruin a perfectly good chair. She was halfway through the door, before a terrible urge came over her. Before she could catch herself, Mafuyu blurted out, "Why did you do that bet?"

Takaomi stopped his writing, and his eyes met her smoldering ones. He was quiet for a while, and she almost thought he was going to deliberately not answer her. However, as typical of Takaomi, he replied when her patience was at her thinnest.

"I figured you'd hit it off with one of those boys and your… feelings for me would fade. Then I wouldn't have to give you lessons. Or this would happen," he motioned to himself and her, and purposely avoided her gaze. Nonchalantly, he returned to his writing. "Either way, I was assured I wouldn't have to provide any more lessons."

"So you cheated?" Mafuyu gripped the doorframe tightly.

"I suppose so. Now, is there anything else? I have a school to run."

"No." Mafuyu bit out and walked away, not bothering to say goodbye. He really didn't care if he saw her again, she thought. Well, his wish would be granted very shortly.

Takaomi's day was pretty much ruined as soon as Mafuyu left. He interviewed so many people that he lost count, and only the ones who could handle his death aura managed to stay for the whole interwiew. He hired those people immediately, so perhaps the whole day wasn't unsuccessful. Either way, his brain was fried when he got back to his apartment at a horribly late hour. One of the reasons he had successfully avoided (no, not avoided, but chose not to see) Mafuyu, was that his hours at the school were dreadfully long. But Takaomi seriously wondered if he was alright when he came to his apartment hallway.

It was filled with boxes. This hallway definitely did not always have boxes in it. He looked closer, before opening his apartment. Kurosaki was written on each of the boxes with different items, like clothes, kitchen, and bed. She was moving out.

Takaomi realized that was why she came to him for work. She couldn't afford to live here anymore. Takaomi felt his chest tighten. His breath stopped for a moment when he saw her walk out her apartment.

"Takaomi…" Mafuyu greeted as she carried out a large box that partially covered her face.

"Mafuyu… what is this?" His voice sounded so tired to her.

"I'm moving out. My mom can't afford for me to live out here anymore, so I'm moving back home," She replied matter-of-factly. Perhaps that would hide the emotions that she could feel bubbling inside of her chest. She took a hard look at him. He looked so un-Takaomi like now. She could especially see it in his telling eyes. He seemed exhausted and almost… sad?

"I see… so this is goodbye."

"Yeah…" She averted her eyes so he wouldn't see the tears starting to form. Mafuyu was so wrapped up in her own whirlwind of emotions, that she didn't notice Takaomi walk over to her. She jumped in shock when he took the box she was holding and set it down.

Then he hugged her.

Mafuyu didn't want to return it, she was so mad at him. Yet, she did. She clutched onto him as tightly as she could, and didn't care that several tears escaped and got his jacket wet. He held her tenderly, and rested his cheek upon her head. For a second, she thought he smelled her, but she was sure it was just her emotions raging.

"Mafuyu...Please stay." He said into her hair.

"What?" She sniffed at him. She must have heard him wrong.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away. I do that when I'm scared. And you scare the shit out of me, Mafuyu. The way you make me feel is terrifying and uncomfortable and awful and... it's the best I've ever felt," He murmured quietly into her hair. She felt his lips moving against the fine strands of her hair.

"I'm confused..." Mafuyu leaned out to peer at him and arched a brow with watery eyes.

"I know. I am too. All I know is I don't want you to leave. Even though you terrify me, never seeing you again is worse." Unusually gentle, he placed his hand on her cheek and wiped away some of the tears. It was like he was afraid to hurt her, which he never was in the entire time of knowing him.

"Mafuyu, you're the only one who matters to me now." Mafuyu didn't say anything, knowing this was likely true after his grandfather's recent death. Takaomi rarely opened up like this. She could count the times on one hand that Takaomi was this vulnerable.

"I feel guilty for saying that because you were once the little girl who followed me around, and my student. I don't want to rob you of your time experimenting and liking boys your own age." He visibly swallowed and averted his eyes for a moment. After thinking, he turned back with a sad sort of smile and continued. "I thought if I pushed you away you'd realized you don't really want an old lech like me. I thought I was helping you. I've hurt you so much already. Instead I hurt us both more. I'm sorry. I'll do whatever you want, as long as you stay here. Please," He said, though it almost sounded like an order. His voice and facial expressions never gave away his desperation, but Mafuyu could see it in those eyes. There wasn't much he could hide from her in there.

She stared wide-eyed at him. Who the hell was this guy in front of her? Mafuyu was sure he was an imposter, but luckily she had an idea on how to make sure.

"Anything?"

"...yes."

She got on her tiptoes and clutched his shoulders to get a better vantage. Her eyes closed and her lips lightly opened in anticipation. Surely, she felt his lips against hers and knew this was really Takaomi. The way his mouth moved, how his hands rested on her, the way his hair tickled her, and that intoxicating smell of his all proved this was indeed Takaomi Saeki.

In between the kisses, she murmured, "I'll stay if I can get a job."

"The job is yours."

"Good," she smiled into his lips and felt his in return. However, Mafuyu wanted more than just a job then. She knew how he could make up to her.

"Takaomi there's one last thing I want you to teach me." She whispered against his hot mouth.

"Haven't I taught you enough?" He purred into her ear.

Mafuyu broke away, taking his hand, and led him into her half empty apartment. Mafuyu plopped herself onto her bed, the tears in her eyes melted away with the fire ignited inside of her. She slipped a hand to unbutton her shirt as she looked up at him with that passion in her eyes.

"I suppose I can teach you one last thing."

The End!