Chapter 11: Plans

Jurou neared Kirisu-sensei's apartment. Usually, today was when they had their study sessions, and that's what Aunt Hikari believed they'd be doing.

Truth was, he didn't know what they'd be doing either. Jurou had asked sensei that they stop their sessions and for her to tell his aunt not to get upset about it. She hadn't though, but only because she'd asked him to hear her out before making the final decision. If he said no, then she'd agree to his request.

Kirisu-sensei's apartment. He'd only been there once before, when he'd brought her drunk self home. He hadn't seen much inside. Why was she inviting him here instead of the library like usual? It was weird, and it didn't give him a clue as to what she wanted.

He climbed the steps and knocked on the door. Kirisu-sensei opened it. He'd wondered whether she'd wear something more casual in her own home, but she was dressed in her usual outfit.

"Welcome, Kita-kun." She said in a formal voice. "Come in."

"Okay." He walked inside, took off his shoes, and looked around. Huh, her apartment was dirtier than he'd thought it'd be. There were cobwebs in the corners and dust all around, this place needed a vacuuming and wipe down.

"Are you looking for something?" she asked.

"Sorry, it's just the last time I was here I thought I saw garbage bags lying around."

"What?!" She stared at him, incredulous. "What would make you think that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's what I thought, although I do think this place could use a clean-up. There's a can and plastic carton next to that shelf." He pointed them out.

Kirisu-sensei rushed over and swiped them up. Her face was red. "I-ignore that. I thought I'd cleaned up better."

Jurou laughed. "You know, Aunt Hikari told me you're disorganized like her. I never believed it until now."

She turned away. "Never mind that. Just sit down in there and wait, I have something important to discuss with you."

Jurou went into the directed bedroom and sat at the low wooden table. The cushion was nice and comfy, and he took a brief look around. There weren't any decorations or personal effects, just a normal room except for a case covered by a cloth.

Kirisu-sensei returned and sat down on his left at the neighboring side of the square table. "Kita-kun, I'm sorry for asking you to come here when you asked for the opposite, but it's necessary. First, I have to ask, did you truly mean what you said before? About your feelings for me?"

Her eyes were so keenly focused on Jurou that he had to turn away.

"Yes, I was," he said. God, it was so embarrassing to say it again.

She relaxed. He hadn't noticed the tension in her body before, but her posture eased and her face softened.

Why? Where was she trying to go with this? He'd thought she'd try to convince him to keep studying with her, not ask him about his crush.

"What I ask may be strange and surprising," she said. "But I want you to consider it carefully. Will you do that for me?"

Jurou nodded. "I will."

"A romantic relationship between a student and teacher is wrong." Slowly, Kirisu-sensei's hands reached for one of his. Her hands were soft and cool compared to his own, her fingers enclosed his. She stared at them before suddenly looking up into his eyes. "However, would you still like to try?"

His mouth hung open. "Wh-what?"

"This is my response to your confession. I return your feelings, I'm attracted to you as well."

Jurou was blown away. He yanked his hand out of her grasp like she'd burned him. This . . . this was insanity. He'd fantasized about stuff like this, but it was actually happening. What?

"Are you serious?" he asked. "This-this isn't a joke or prank or something?"

She frowned, although her eyes were gentle. "Do I seem like the kind of person who'd do that?"

No, no she wasn't. Yet that was more likely than what she was saying.

"But-but you could be fired or something, right?"

"Yes, and I accept that. This means a great deal to me, Kita-kun. If you were to even tell someone about this conversation, you could demolish my career. However, I trust that you won't, regardless of your answer. Which you still haven't given." Her last comment had a desperate edge.

"I . . . I . . ." Jurou struggled to find the words.

Kirisu-sensei's eyes were downcast. "Kita, do you truly have feelings for me? This doesn't seem like the behavior of someone who would."

"Of course I do!" His words gave her a start. He could hardly believe that his hesitation had worried her. "It's just . . . it's all too much. I need to be alone. To think, I'm sorry, I'll be back in a few minutes." He headed straight for her door.

"Wait!"

Jurou didn't even slow down. In fact, the second he left her apartment, he ran down the steps. He kept going through the streets until he had to catch his breath and stop in an alley.

He pressed his back against the wall. Kirisu-sensei liked him back. More than that, she wanted to try for a relationship. What was he supposed to say to that? 'No' was hardly an option, but what if he said yes? He didn't know anything about being a boyfriend.

Actually, would he even be that? Even if he said yes, it still didn't seem right for a teenager like him to be the boyfriend of a mature woman like Kirisu-sensei.

He shook his head. What exactly he'd be wasn't important. What was important was what would happen if they actually started a relationship. Would she still like him after they spent more time together? He had no idea what she could even find attractive about him. What if those reasons faded or she had the wrong impression of him and wouldn't like the real him? The possibility was terrifying.

Damn it! He never thought he'd have to worry about this. When he'd told her how he'd felt it had been to push her away, not to actually lead to something.

Jurou buried his head in his hands. What was he going to say?

\\\\\

When Kita-kun had ran out, Mafuyu had waited instead of pursuing him. She hadn't expected such panic from him. She'd thought he'd either agree happily or decline in order to protect her career. Nothing remotely like the reality.

Mafuyu clasped her hands together tightly. His anxiety had infected her as well. The anticipation in waiting for his answer was agonizing.

He would come back eventually. His backpack was still here.

There was a knock on her door. She stood up and walked over to it. Once she opened the door, Kita-kun looked back at her and she breathed out in relief.

She led him inside and they sat down at her table. His face was calm. "I'm sorry about that. I have my answer now. If you'll really accept me, then yes, I want to try."

A smile spread across Mafuyu's mouth. She reached for his hand. "Thank you. It will be difficult, but I promise I'll try my best to make sure we succeed."

He blushed. She never would have imagined that. Even after piercing through his cold, aloof shell, hardly anything seemed to faze him. Usually, he could handle most things with a laugh.

"Y-yeah, me too." He looked away from their interlocked hands, but also laced his fingers together with hers more tightly. They were warm. After a few seconds, he calmed down and met her eyes. "I have a few questions though. How is this going to work? I mean, we obviously can't date like most people."

She nodded. "Yes, that's true. I've put a good deal of thought into this and we need to agree on a few rules. Firstly, for our dates, we must have them here or travel very far. The latter only rarely. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. Also, we can not show any affection in public. That one is serious. If you break this rule then I will punish you severely."

He nodded. "No problem. I can control myself during any public study sessions, and we don't even see each other that much at school anyway."

The reminder slightly damped Mafuyu's elation. "That's true, but it doesn't have to stay that way. If you'd like, you could find legitimate reasons to come see me at school."

"Oh . . . okay, I'd like that. I-I mean, I will."

His embarrassment lifted her mood. It was far more amusing than it should be. "We should also change our tutoring schedule. Meet every week instead of every two or three."

"Yeah, definitely. I'll tell Aunt Hikari that I'll pay for it, otherwise she'd end up paying for us to fool around instead of study. Also, on some Friday nights I like to go stargazing, but I can come here instead and hang out with you."

"That would be nice. Although I wouldn't want to take away from your hobby."

"It's fine. I'd rather be with you anyway."

They talked for hours, trying to come up with more ideas on how their relationship could work. Kita-kun also mentioned that he'd considered going camping to areas with low light pollution for his star-gazing. He hadn't gone out yet, but it would be a good excuse for him to spend more time with her.

Mafuyu told him it would be fine for him to call her Kirisu-san instead of sensei when they were alone. In fact, she preferred it that way, although she didn't state why.

It allowed her to put aside the unethical nature of their relationship.

They spoke for so long that they went over the time for their tutoring session. Mafuyu called Fujimura and got permission to keep Kita-kun longer and give him dinner, which she agreed to.

Mafuyu ordered udon from Ogata's shop. She might have ended her sessions with Ogata-san badly, but their udon was high-quality.

It was also especially nice to share a meal with someone.

The opportunity to speak to Kita-kun again was a relief. His smile and cheer were pleasant. Even more so because if he hadn't said yes, all she would have seen were his apathy and perhaps slight sarcasm. And that was if he interacted with her at all.

Unfortunately, their time together came to an end when they finished eating. His aunt would find it suspicious if he stayed much longer. However, before they did, they exchanged contact information. They couldn't risk someone glancing at their phones and seeing messages from each other, so they agreed to use Line.

Mafuyu had never used it before, so she made a brand-new account with the username 'On the Ice'. Kita-kun grew curious about that, so she explained that she used to ice skate, although she didn't tell him to what degree.

Interestingly, Kita-kun didn't have an account either. She'd expected the opposite from a teenager. He chose the name 'Top Ten' as a reference to his own name.

Finally, he stood out in the hall with his backpack.

"Should I come over tomorrow?" he asked.

Mafuyu appreciated his eagerness but she shook her head. "No, let's take things slow for now."

He was slightly disappointed. Even so, the smile on his face persevered. "Okay, well then, bye."

"Goodbye, Kita-kun."

Before leaving through the door, he approached her again. Slowly, uncertainly, he spread his arms out and around her.

Mafuyu embraced him as well. This close to him, she truly got the sense for how much taller he was. His chest and shoulders were broad, comforting.

A few seconds later, he pulled away with a bright face and left.

She turned back to her closet and confronted the heap of garbage she'd managed through some miracle to conceal from him.