Chapter 8: The Search

Mafuyu was on her way to the store today. Last night, she'd realized that she'd run out of trash bags, forcing her to leave some garbage out in the open. It was also convenient as she could use some more pre-made meals.

It was a comfortable sunny morning. A bit of heat still lingered from summer but it wasn't nearly as oppressive as it had been only weeks ago. Fortunately, a nice breeze kept her cool.

She passed by the park and came to a stop when she spotted someone among the trees. Kita-kun. He hadn't noticed her. In fact, he was staring down as he wandered through the grass.

Mafuyu approached. When he was within earshot, she asked. "Are you looking for something?"

He turned his head up and smiled when he recognized her. "Oh, hi sensei. I am looking for something, although I'm having some trouble."

"What is it?"

"Just an eyepiece for my telescope. I thought I put it in my backpack, but it must have slipped out or something."

"Have you been searching for a while?"

Kita-kun smile became a bit more forced. "Just the past hour. It wasn't cheap, but I've been to all the obvious places already, so I'll probably be here for a while."

"Then I'll help and save you some time."

His eyes widened. "Oh no, that's okay. I don't want to bother you."

"You won't be. This eyepiece is important to you, correct?"

"Yeah, it's part of a set Aunt Hikari bought for me."

Mafuyu nodded. "Then it's not a bother at all. Tell me, where have you already looked?"

Kita-kun pointed out the places where he'd set up his telescope. He'd started out there and gone in a fairly straight line, following his path out of the park. As he'd progressed in his search, he'd spread out more.

He knew for certain it was in the park because he recalled checking to make sure his backpack was properly zipped up before leaving. It was likely that he'd forgotten to pack it because he would have heard the metal object hit concrete or asphalt if it had dropped out on his way home. He must have dropped it on the grass and dirt of the park.

She spent the next half-hour going through the park, sharing information with Kita-kun about the ground each of them had covered. It was the longest amount of time she'd spent with him without studying. She tried to keep his mood up with conversation and learned that Kita-kun had gotten his telescope two years ago with his own money. Light pollution was still an issue around town but last night he'd tried to spot a feature on the Moon known as the Lunar X. When sunlight hit this spot at a certain time it was visible as an X for only a few hours.

Despite her efforts, his desperate demeanor succumbed to discouragement with every passing minute, which was unacceptable for Mafuyu. She'd seen behind Kita-kun's usual impassive expression and found a playful young man who made jokes and traded barbs with his aunt, a diligent student who'd excelled under her care.

Mafuyu would have offered much more than half an hour to assist him, but that proved to be unnecessary. She spotted a glint in the grass covered by some leaves, reached in, and pulled out an eyepiece.

She raised her voice to around the level she used for classroom lectures. "Kita-kun, I've found it." She held the eyepiece up, careful not to get specks of dirt from it on her fingers.

He rushed over, his lips spread wide in a relieved grin. "Oh wow, you did! Thank you so much!" She handed the eyepiece to him.

Then, in a display of emotion she hardly would have expected from him, he hugged her. Not tightly, she could have easily pushed him off, but it was so out of place that she could only stand there frozen in shock.

"You have no idea how much this means to me, sensei." Kita-kun's voice, usually a joking or indifferent tone, was now choked full of emotion. "Not just the eyepiece, but everything you've done."

Mafuyu appreciated the words. Truly, she did, and that may have played a role in why she delayed so long in reacting to his hug.

With a push she ended the embrace, removing herself from his arms. "S-stop! This is inappropriate Kita-kun, we're teacher and . . . and student."

She went silent at the look in his eyes. The shock and pain in them made it seem as if she'd slapped him, like they couldn't have come from anything less.

Those emotions disappeared. His features became wooden and he spoke. "Sorry, sensei. You're right. I didn't know what I was thinking."

It was like Mafuyu's first meeting with him, and the few times Fujimura had spoken about him came to mind. How he was cold and indifferent around most people. The sheer difference between that and the Kita Jurou his aunt was familiar with.

That hug must have meant a lot to him. It had to have been a monumental effort to open himself up to her like that and she'd shoved him away.

Mafuyu couldn't tolerate the hug, of course. What she'd said was true. They were student and teacher, but still, she should have removed herself from his arms more carefully. Without such force.

"Bye," he said, and walked off.

She tried to put the words together in an apology. To make up for being so unknowingly hurtful. Yet she couldn't, and he walked off.

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Jurou put the eyepiece in its case and into his backpack. He'd cleaned and polished it until it might as well have been brand-new.

Then he went over to his bed and lied down. He beat his head into the pillow.

"Fucking stupid," he muttered to himself. "What the hell was that?"

The pillow was too damn soft. He should have used his desk and slammed his forehead against it until he never did something as stupid as hugging Kirisu-sensei again.

Jurou barely even hugged Aunt Hikari anymore. It was insane that he'd done it for someone who wasn't even family.

He knew why he'd wanted to hug Kirisu-sensei. He'd been happy, grateful, relieved that he'd gotten his ten-millimeter eyepiece back. But that hadn't been all. He had a crush on Kirisu-sensei. Even so, none of that was an excuse for him to go brain-dead and actually hug her!

Jurou touched his chest, the spot where she'd pushed him away. And why was he so fucking upset about that? She was right. She was a teacher. He was a student.

That was what she should have done.