When I Asked My Sensei Who Was in Her Thirties to Let Me Take Responsibility for My Actions, She Bro

The next day. Monday, November 9th.

The flow of time neither stopped nor accelerated, but passed by as usual as it was a matter of fact.

After what happened yesterday, to be honest, it was difficult for me to face Shinozuka-san.

But running away wasn’t the solution either. I gathered myself and sat on my usual last seat by the window.

Without playing with my smartphone, I calmly watched the scenery of cars passing by on the road. I heard footsteps nearby, and soon after, a bag was placed in the seat next to mine. And the owner of the bag gently tapped my shoulder and showed me a soft smile. The one who approached me was none other than Shinozuka-san.

“Good morning, Minato.”

“M-morning…”

I timidly returned her greeting. But I wasn’t being overly cautious. I was just captivated by Shinozuka-san’s new hairstyle.

Her chestnut-colored hair which was usually tied in a ponytail was no longer seen, but today, her hair was neatly cut down in a medium bob.

Just by changing her hairstyle, she gave off a completely different impression.

“I’m sorry about yesterday… I suddenly went home.”

“N-no… It’s me who should apologize.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot since I got home yesterday, and I realized that I still like you, Minato.”

“…But I…”

“I know. I actually thought about cutting my hair short and cutting off my feelings for you, but I changed my mind.”

“Can I ask why?”

“I was rejected by you, but cutting my hair after a heartbreak seemed cliché to me. And besides, it’s not like we can never be together. As long as my feelings for you haven’t cooled down, I think things can stay the same.”

“I see…”

As she looked down, Shinozuka-san smiled wryly.

She then leaned forward to shorten the distance between us and confidently declared,

“That’s why I haven’t given up yet. I don’t think a couple who has such an absurdly large age gap can last long.”

I furrowed my brow at her remarks.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Is that so? I’ll keep an eye on things for a while… But if there’s an opening, I’ll go for it. So you better guard yourself well.”

“Uh, okay.”

She pointed her index finger at me and advised me sternly.

I was bewildered and nodded my head in return.

“You fell for a troublesome girl, didn’t you, Minato?”

“I can’t believe you’re the one saying it…”

“Yeah, I’m aware of it. Oh, by the way… I’m returning this to you.”

Shinozuka-san rummaged through her bag, took something out and then held it in her right hand.

She quickly opened her hand and showed me what she took out.

“A hair scrunchie?”

“Yeah, the one you bought for me.”

As she said about it, memories of the past flood back to me.

It was from when we were in our first year of high school. She begged me to buy it for her as a birthday present. Oh, so that’s why she’s not wearing a ponytail today.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to return it.”

“No, I’ll return it. If you change your mind and decide to choose me, give it back to me.”

She grabbed my right hand, forcing the hair scrunchie into it.

However, she didn’t let go of my hand.

“I changed my mind. It’s embarrassing to return my old stuff to you.”

She said this while squeezing my hand with pressure.

“Um… W-What are you doing?”

“Let’s transform that hair scrunchie into a high-quality item!”

“…Huh?”

“3, 2, 1—”

With the countdown reaching zero, I let go of the scrunchie that was in my hand.

The feeling of the scrunchie that was there just moments ago disappeared. I looked down at my right hand, and there was a piece of paper. Shinozuka-san no longer had the scrunchie in her hands either. The trick itself was probably simple, but her skill was exceptional.

“Wait, what is this?”

“Use it well. If you don’t have anyone to go with… I’ll go with you.”

There were two tickets in my right hand. They were tickets for the Illumination event held at the amusement park we went to recently. The event takes place from late November to early January.

“No, I can’t accept this.”

“The fact that you can’t accept this straightforwardly shows how stubborn you are Minato.”

“Ugh…”

“Well, it’s also an apology to Sakuramiya-sensei.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Just try not to give me any openings from now on. Otherwise, I’ll get in your way again~♪”

Shinozuka-san gave a light smile and then looked away from me. From then until the start of the morning homeroom, we didn’t exchange any more words.