dmims Page 137
Page 137
He is no longer a student.
I am no longer his teacher.
The balance of power between the two has shifted slightly.
"Um......"
Yukino Yukari looked at Aoba, her pupils reflecting his image.
It was as if starlight entered my eyes.
Suddenly.
The weariness on her face disappeared, and she smiled gently, raising her head slightly, just like always.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Aoba..."
This time, the word "classmate" was not added.
Upon hearing this, Aoba's smile deepened, and he turned and walked towards the izakaya.
Yukino Yukari took light steps and followed in his footsteps.
There wasn't much communication between the two.
Perhaps it was because it was our first meeting, or perhaps it was because the misunderstanding from before had not yet been resolved.
In short.
Aside from the joy of meeting, there was also a slight awkwardness between the two.
"Lord Aoba!"
Aoba, who had just entered the small shop, was greeted by Yamabuki Otome's farewell.
"Huh? You're leaving too?"
"Because we are welcoming Lord Aoba tomorrow, I would like to go back and prepare some things."
Otome glanced at Yukino Yukari, who followed Aoba in, and a knowing look appeared on her lips. Then she explained why she was taking her leave.
"Is that so?"
Aoba didn't think much of Otome's farewell, and simply nodded:
Be careful on your way back.
He had a lot of confidence in Otome's abilities, but he was afraid that she would run into the prosecutor's office again on her way back.
Yamabuki Otome understood and nodded slightly.
He bypassed Aoba and, as he passed Yukino Yuka, curtsied slightly to her, appearing somewhat familiar with her.
This is a custom from a large family.
Yukino Yukari's doubts deepened, but as a teacher, she didn't show it on her face and nodded slightly in return.
That was considered a return gift.
After Yamabuki Otome left, there was one more customer in the shop.
To be precise...
It was Mrs. Nishimiya, who had just finished get off work.
Yaeko Nishimiya hadn't even had time to change out of her work clothes.
His face showed signs of fatigue.
"Mrs. Nishimiya".
Aoba smiled and nodded at her.
"Aoba-kun, thank you so much for your help tonight."
Nishimiya Yaeko spoke weakly but seriously.
Aoba waved his hand, indicating that it was unnecessary.
He looked at Xiaoxiaozi, who was fast asleep in her mother's arms.
"Need any help? 380"
"No need, I can manage."
Mrs. Nishimiya's refusal was quite decisive.
This is perhaps the strong quality that the other party must possess to survive in this place.
Aoba did not insist on this further.
After exchanging a few pleasantries.
Nishimiya Yaeko then left with Shoko in her arms.
Here...
In the end, only he and Teacher Yukino remained in the small shop.
"Teacher Yukino, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Please have a seat."
Aoba smiled apologetically and turned to look at Yukino-sensei.
She still seemed indifferent to everything, just like before. Although she was very kind, she always gave people a sense of distance.
"It's nothing, you go ahead with your work."
It seems that Yukino Yukari just stopped by today.
She sat at a table on the right side of the front hall, curiously looking around Aoba's izakaya.
"Did Xiaojing tell you the location?"
Aoba took all the remaining tableware from the table back to the kitchen.
That's when I asked from the kitchen.
"Um, Hiratsuka-kun... no, I should call you Hiratsuka-sensei now."
When she talks about her students, she always wears a gratified smile:
"I only asked her briefly before, but I didn't expect her to take it to heart and actually find you."
Was it just a simple question?
Qingye listened as she emphasized the first half of the sentence, and after a moment of stunned silence in the kitchen, she shook her head.
Still so dishonest.
Teacher Yukino...
Back in school, Aoba struggled to fit in with her peers.
So he often stays alone in the pavilion by the playground.
Occasionally, Saitama and Futaro would come over, and Hiratsuka Shizuka would also come over for a free meal.
Over time, his unsociable behavior naturally became widely known.
Although Aoba didn't care, Yukino Yukari, his teacher, was very concerned about him.
Once, in the pavilion, Aoba asked her the same question.
"Teacher Yukino, is fitting in important?"
"Of course, humans are social animals... sometimes being a loner can lead to being abandoned."
"So, teacher, you don't eat in your office because you've been abandoned by the other teachers?"
"Of course not!"
Even now, five years later, Aoba can still recall the expression on Yukino-sensei's face when she shook her head.
She's not as frank as a little girl.
"Aoba..."
Inside the dull izakaya.
Even though the two knew each other well, neither of them spoke.
After looking around the shop, Yukino Yukari gazed at her former students through the curtain.
That figure was very upright.
No...
Or rather, it has always been that way.
It seems that five years have left no trace on him.
And myself...
Yukino lowered her gaze slightly, looking at her reflection in the tea.
Five years. . /Umbrella Zero (Qi Ershi's Death).
I'm not as young as Xiaojing, after all.
Even if I figured it out in these five years, what then?
He is still very young, while she is already an old woman approaching thirty.
I was born before you were born; you have not changed, but I have already grown old.
Five years ago, she ran away because of a teacher-student relationship. After meeting him again, she still couldn't make a decision.
Age once again became an insurmountable barrier between the two.
Yukino Yukari pursed her lips, her eyes seeming to well up with tears, and then, as if lost in thought, she softly called out to Aoba in the kitchen:
"Aoba."
"You go ahead with your work, I have something to do..."
Hearing the slight change in Yukino-sensei's emotional tone, Aoba, who was still in the kitchen, sighed helplessly.
Gently shake the water droplets from your hands.