Can I Still Be Your Heroine Even Though I'm Your Teacher?-Volume 3 Epilogue - Both a Teacher and a Lover

Epilogue

Both a Teacher and a Lover

The hustle and bustle of the cultural festival felt distant here, and the quietness seeped into my body. I was sitting alone on an old, abandoned bench behind the pool building, lost in thought.

Hidden from view by the building, the area was rarely traversed by people, allowing weeds to grow freely at my feet.

【Reiyu: Good work today. Kaguya-chan said she’s heading home first. I want to talk to you too, but where are you now?】

I managed to reply, and after a while, Tenjō-sensei appeared.

“Yuunagi-kun, if you stay in a place like this for too long, you’ll catch a cold.”

Despite being at school, -Sensei called me by my first name.

“You came in your maid outfit?”

“I wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

“You’re quite straightforward today.”

“I try to be as honest as possible when I’m with you.”

“Why did you come? We could have talked after returning to the apartment.”

“Kuhouin-san asked me to comfort you.”

She’s considerate even when she’s having a tough time herself.

“What if someone comes?”

“No one’s going to come here at this hour, that’s why you came here too, right? It’s a good spot for a private conversation.”

Tenjō-sensei sat down next to me.

“There’s too much we can’t say in front of others when it comes to you, Tenjō-san.”

I spoke to her with the same sense of distance we had in the apartment.

“Adults have a lot of things they want to say but can’t.”

“Like pretending to be drunk to act spoiled?”

“Ah, you knew!?”

“I kind of figured.”

“...I’m so embarrassed I could burst into flames.”

Tenjō-san covered her cheeks with her hands.

“...We always need some excuse, some accident or coincidence, to touch each other, don’t we?”

Our communication was indirect, hinting at things, tracing the contours of what was really important.

It was thrilling in its secrecy, but right now, I wanted to be as honest as possible.

“I’ll be blunt. Ultimately, love is always accompanied by lies, big or small. We hold back to make ourselves look better, or we stay silent about inconvenient truths. I think there’s no such thing as a love that’s completely free of lies, both good and bad, towards oneself or others.”

“Yeah.”

“But lies are so exhausting.”

I confessed my true feelings, free of deceit.

I would never take on the role of a boyfriend again.

It was that stressful for me.

I couldn’t justify my own lies for my convenience.

“I agree.”

“It’s tiring to watch what you say to avoid getting caught, to suppress spontaneous reactions. And yet, the subtle attitudes and atmospheres that can’t be completely hidden—eventually, Akira found out.”

That was the price I paid for the lies I had told.

“It seems so.”

“I’m sorry.”

“People who love you notice because they pay close attention. I understand that feeling all too well.”

“But I properly finished playing the boyfriend role at the cultural festival.”

With a sense of relief from finally shedding all burdens, I instinctively rested my head on Tenjō-san’s shoulder.

“You did well. Thank you.”

Tenjō-san stroked my head as it lay there.

“Were you worried I might fall for Akira?”

“Yes, I was worried every day. I kept chanting to myself that I was fine, continuously lying to myself.”

“And you, who doubts like that, believe in eternal love?”

I vented my frustrations, which I usually kept to myself.

Today, I was too tired, and my brakes just wouldn’t work.

“It’s because I’m worried that I rushed here dressed like this! And because you’re important, I find myself torn between prioritizing my own feelings and your future.”

She revealed her feelings, and a sad hue colored her face. I took in the cold autumn air to clear my head and heart.

Before the day was completely over, I decided to summarize everything up to today.

I confessed my feelings with no lies or deception.

“My future, no matter what, is with you. Living each day with you, that’s the resolution I’ve made. It doesn’t matter what society thinks or what’s considered normal. From the moment I fell for Tenjō Reiyu, my neighbor and teacher, comparisons became meaningless. You are the only one for me. I just want to be happy with you. So if it means not saddening you as a teacher, I’ll follow the law and adhere to good decency to the death. Even s*x, I want it, but I’m holding back.”

I pleaded earnestly.

“You’re too good of a man. Too cool.”

“That’s my way of proving my love.”

“...Am I really okay for you?”

“There’s no one more attractive than you.”

“I’m older, you know?”

“The person I fell in love with just happened to be born earlier.”

“I’ll become a grandmother first.”

“The age difference won’t matter once we’re adults.”

Would Tenjō-san still worry about such things even when we grew old together as a married couple?

I thought even that side of her was endearing.

“The age of a woman is a delicate matter.”

“Then, please look forward to it because I will love you with all my might so that you won’t even have time to worry about it.”

As I contemplate the future, a mischievous smile naturally comes to my face.

“Please, go easy on me.”

Tenjō-san places her hands together on her lap and bows politely.

“Yuunagi-kun, I’m just an adult who’s involved in your life for a brief moment as a teacher. It’s contradictory for someone who’s only temporarily in your life to desire eternity——I’ve come to realize that such reservations were suffocating my true feelings.”

Tenjō-san reflected on her past behavior in this way.

“Um, can I share something I’ve realized from this experience?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Love can’t be satisfying with just seriousness, nor can it last with just fun. Especially if you’re fixated on eternal love.”

“Yeah.”

Tenjō-san listens seriously even to the words of a younger man.

Usually, we are conscious of our positions and age differences, but when it’s just the two of us, we are equals.

“I believe that a buildup of rational seriousness leads to trust. But being too fixated on seriousness can be painful, and unfounded worries stemming from anxiety might even lead to mental distress.”

“Ugh, that hits too close to home.”

Tenjō-san makes a pained expression.

However, the presence of the dark Reiyu had already vanished.

“On the other hand, being too honest with your instincts can easily cause trouble. You might hurt someone important or damage their trust.”

“I get it! Balancing reason and instinct is tough. I’m always wobbling.”

Tenjō-san empathizes with my earnest concerns.

Even if we can’t solve them right away, just having someone else know about them lightens the heart.

“But it’s okay to waver like that.”

I respond with a relaxed tone.

“What happened, you suddenly sound like you’ve reached enlightenment?”

“The essence of the excitement in love is exactly that very wavering.”

“Then wouldn’t it get boring once it stabilizes?”

“Not at all. I think it’s just right for a lasting relationship to have the leeway to enjoy the situation with openness, even if you share secrets that can’t be told to others. Like this.”

I take the hand of the woman I love who is sitting next to me.

No one is likely to come. It’s okay to be a little bold.

Tenjō-san intertwines her fingers with mine in surprise, but soon after.

“Also, the eternal love I envision is about pouring endless affection and drowning in it.”

“Eh?”

“I will continue to love you forever. I won’t ever let you feel bored or lack excitement. My sea of love is boundless.”

I made a grand metaphor, if I do say so myself.

To show an intangible love, such an analogy is necessary.

I will continue to nurture a love as vast and deep as the ocean until I die.

Such trivial matters as age or status pale in comparison to the vast ocean.

“So, there’s something I’d like you to change.”

“What is it?”

Tenjō-san hesitates, wondering whether to speak.

“Why not be honest now?”

Encouraged by me, she bites her lower lip before speaking up.

“You know, it’s been over half a year since we found out we’re neighbors. I’ve been calling you by your first name, but Yuunagi-kun, you’ve always used my last name.”

“I meant it as a form of respect for someone older, is that strange?”

“It’s not strange! It’s not strange at all! But, you know...”

Tenjō-san falters in her words.

“Please tell me. I want to fulfill Tenjō-san’s wishes.”

I wanted to know.

“...Maybe it’s okay for you to start calling me by my first name?”

Tenjō-san mumbles and the end of her sentence trails off ambiguously.

“————”

“So, you mean not ‘Tenjō-san,’ but your first name.”

I carefully confirm.

“Y-You don’t have to force yourself! We are neighbors, equals. But it’s not just that. Being addressed by my last name feels a bit lonely. If possible, I’d be happier with something more intimate... Yes, as a sign of trust and affection!”

She expresses her wish while flustered.

I take a deep breath.

Then I place my hands on her shoulders.

Our eyes meet.

The tension between us reaches its peak.

“Tenjō-san.”

“Yes?”

“——Reiyu-san.”

“Yes!?”

“Reiyu-san!”

“Yes!”

“Reiyu-san, I love you.”

“I love you too!”

Reiyu-san finally clearly expresses her feelings of liking me with words.

“I’m so happy to hear those words, I feel like I could die of happiness...”

Choking up, I feel like I’m about to break down in tears.

Being genuinely told “I love you” is more comforting to the heart than being deceived by a mere physical relationship.

I am filled with an unprecedented sense of relief.

Gaining confidence in our relationship, I know that I will come to like her even more tomorrow than I do today.

“——Yuunagi-kun, we still have time, let’s go on a date at the cultural festival.”

Reiyu-san stood up and took my hand.

“Isn’t it problematic for a teacher and a student to walk side by side on a date?”

“Just borrow the class parka you’re wearing. You’re wearing a maid outfit skirt underneath, right? If you cover your face with the parka and wear a mask, you won’t be recognized immediately. It’s a good disguise.”

“Is it really okay?”

Can such a dreamlike scenario really come true?

Even though I’ve always longed for it, I become hesitant when it’s right in front of me.

“I want to create memories with you too.”

“Let’s go.”

The days of being a bystander to my youth are over.

I’m going to enjoy my adolescence in the present, together with the person I like.

“Okay, raise your arms so I can take off the top.”

“Eh, I can take it off myself.”

“Just do it!”

As told, I raised my arms.

Reiyu-san grabbed the hem of the parka and flipped it upwards.

I closed my eyes the moment it came off my face.

In that instant, I felt a soft and warm sensation on my lips.

When I opened my eyes, the person I love most looked resolute, as if all hesitation had been swept away.

“Was that just now...”

“Because it’s special.” freēnovelkiss.com

“Is that okay under the Neighbor Agreement?”

Still lacking a sense of reality, I blurted out something that could dampen the mood.

“Is it, you know, the momentum from the cultural festival? Don’t ask anything more!”

“Then I can’t help it.”

Ah, there really was something magical about the cultural festival.

“Yes, as an apology for making you feel anxious all this time. And I’ve reached my limit of patience too.”

“It’s not good to hold back your feelings, huh.”

“That’s why I want to make it clear! I am—”

Reiyu-san was beaming with a smile as bright as the sun.

I will never forget this moment for as long as I live.

“I’m your teacher and your lover!!”

My youth will never fade.

There’s no graduation from the eternal love with Sensei.