Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 12 - Chapter 2.5

5

The next day was December 10, a Saturday.

He spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry. Then he gave Nasuno a bath. Mai came over for lunch, and they cooked and ate together.

She had a magazine interview that afternoon, so he saw her off and left the house himself just past four. He was teaching at the cram school at six.

He’d left early because he was champing at the bit, for obvious reasons.

Sara’s homework.

It was due today, but all he had was a blank sheet of paper.

Leaving the house wouldn’t help with that, but Nasuno seemed disinclined to provide any answers. At the very least, he hoped moving around would help him feel less stir-crazy.

Even if he arrived at work early, he could at least do class prep.

Maybe an idea would hit him on the walk in.

That was but a faint hope, and he arrived at Fujisawa Station no closer to figuring out the nature of Sara’s Adolescence Syndrome. He definitely needed a hint.

He dragged his feet up onto the pedestrian overpass—and a voice called out from behind him.

“Um, Azusagawa-sensei.”

A male voice.

That alone didn’t bring a face to mind.

Wondering who it was, Sakuta turned around—to find himself staring at a wall. A wall made of a Minegahara uniform and a large bag stuffed with a basketball uniform. Toranosuke Kasai stared down at Sakuta from a height of nearly six foot three.

“Sorry to bother you.”

“What’s this about?”

“Do you have a moment to chat?”

“Sure, but…me?”

He’d had no contact with the boy before.

“Yeah.”

“Not Futaba?”

“You, Azusagawa-sensei,” Toranosuke said, almost on top of him.

“Then…in the cram school?”

“Er, no, I’d rather not…”

The boy’s gaze wandered. Sounded like he didn’t want anyone to hear this.

“Then somewhere closer.”

Since Sakuta was here early, he had time to talk.

They wound up sitting in the restaurant Sakuta also worked at. This earned them a look from the waitress—Tomoe—but she also seated them in back, ideal for hushed voices.

Each ordered drinks only and settled down across from each other, armed with coffee and cola, respectively.

“So what’s on your mind?” Sakuta asked, pretty sure it would be Rio. That was the only topic they really had in common.

But Toranosuke brought up a different name.

“I think you oughtta keep an eye on Sara—I mean, Himeji.”

A bolt from the blue, it took him a moment to catch up. Why’d he call her by her first name, then correct himself? Careful about what? Questions streamed past him.

“How so?”

He was clueless, so he decided to go one step at a time.

“You’re Sara’s third teacher, Azusagawa-sensei. Himeji’s, I mean.”

“At this point, just use her first name.”

“Fair.”

Toranosuke nodded readily. Anyone could tell he was a pretty serious kid.

“I’m aware of what happened with her previous teacher,” Sakuta said.

Sakuta worked here part-time, but that teacher had been full-time, in his late twenties.

“And you know why she’s not his student anymore?”

“Basically, yeah.”

Bluntly speaking, he’d tried to hit on a student, and that obviously hadn’t turned out so well.

“Sara’s first teacher got replaced for the exact same reason.”

This was news to him.

“He also fell for her?”

“……”

A silent nod.

“I’ve heard any number of kids at school have asked her out, too.”

“She does seem the type.”

Breezy, well-mannered, straight-A student. Someone who smiled a lot and brightened every room she entered. She wasn’t the least bit shy, either. More than just approachable, Sara actively reached out to others.

It felt entirely natural all the boys would fall for her. Sakuta’s class was no exception—Kento was yet another of her conquests.

“If you’re worried about the attention she gets, look out for her yourself, Kasai. You’re on a first-name basis, right?”

“It can’t be me,” Toranosuke said firmly.

“Why not?”

“She lives next door…”

“How’s that a problem?”

It didn’t seem like an issue, but Toranosuke wasn’t done.

“Our parents are close, so we grew up playing together.”

“Childhood friends?”

“Basically.”

He didn’t sound too concerned about what to call it. Perhaps their relationship was such a constant in his life that he never bothered thinking about concrete definitions.

“And…until junior high, I thought I loved her.”

Suddenly, romance entered the conversation.

“We were always together, and everyone teased us about looking like a couple…”

“That happens, yeah.”

Probably out of envy.

“It didn’t seem like the worst idea, and I assumed eventually we would end up together.”

“But you didn’t.”

Sakuta knew perfectly well that Toranosuke was now asking Rio out.

“Yeah. One day, I realized what I thought was love didn’t even come close to the real thing.”

“When you fell for Futaba?”

“Yeah.”

The truth came out before he could second-guess his answer.

“……”

“……”

“Huh?!”

There was a very long pause before he looked shook. He jaw dropped, and his lips flapped as he searched for words and found none. He settled for letting his eyes swim. Trying to cover the awkwardness, Toranosuke took a sip of cola, but he messed up and wound up coughing.

“H-how?” he managed at length. It had been a full thirty seconds after Sakuta had dropped that on him.

“I saw you at school, practically glowing while you asked her questions.”

“……”

Another long silence followed. The boy looked like he was on the verge of clutching his head.

“She’s a tough nut to crack, but good luck.”

“Th-thanks… Wait, no, that’s not the point!”

His bulky frame all hunched up, Toranosuke attempted to get the conversation back on track.

“So what are Himeji’s feelings for you?” Sakuta asked.

“I believe they were favorable.”

“Past tense.”

“I’m not sure about now.”

Fair enough. He wasn’t her. Sara’s feelings were hers alone. And if she herself wasn’t fully aware of them, how could anyone else be? Like Toranosuke himself, before he met Rio. It didn’t take much to provoke confusion, misunderstanding, or self-deception. And it was hard for anyone to extract themselves from that.

“To your eyes, what sort of girl is Himeji?”

“Meaning…?”

“Cheery? Well-mannered but in a relatable way? Has she always been like that?”

“Yeah. Ever since kindergarten. Always at the center of the crowd, smiling. Everyone flocks to her.”

“Same in grade school?”

“Yep.”

“And junior high?”

“Yep.”

“On top of which, they thought you two were dating.”

“……”

It sounded like the perfect life. She’d probably never experienced any real setbacks until Toranosuke effectively dumped her.

Which likely meant it had been a real blow. Shocking enough to cause Adolescence Syndrome. Things were adding up, but it also felt a bit too simplistic.

“Long story short, you dumped her…”

“I didn’t do that.”

“Functionally speaking. But once you two were through, she got real popular, and that worries you?”

“Yeah. So I’d like you to keep an eye on her.”

“But why come to me?”

Sakuta and Toranosuke hadn’t really spoken before. There had to be some reason why he’d suddenly broach a subject like this.

“I hit up Kunimi-senpai for advice yesterday, and he said to go to you.”

“That guy always has to stick his nose in.”

“And also…you’re not like her previous teachers. You’ve already got a great girlfriend.”

“True…”

That kind of made sense, but it also felt a bit off base. At the very least, he got why Toranosuke would assume anyone dating Mai Sakurajima wouldn’t accidentally fall for Sara.

“Please, Azusagawa-sensei.”

Toranosuke bowed his head.

Keeping tabs on a girl too popular for her own good was hardly Sakuta’s territory. It wasn’t a problem a part-time cram school teacher should be worrying about at all.

“I just teach math.”

But Toranosuke was serious, and Sakuta couldn’t exactly ignore his request. He had the dual obligations of someone older and a teacher, even if only in name.

Most of all—Sara was his student. The shared dream had given them an odd connection. She’d assigned him a tough assignment to figure out her Adolescence Syndrome, so arguably he was already keeping an eye on her.

And what Toranosuke had told him might well have something to do with her symptoms. It certainly seemed worth considering.

“Okay, then. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Only then did Toranosuke finally raise his head.

“Thank you.”

He looked relieved in a way that betrayed his youth. And the fact that he could recognize that was a powerful reminder for Sakuta that he himself was no longer in high school.

They settled the tab and left the restaurant just past five thirty.

While they’d been talking, the sun had gone down, and the streetlights flickered on.

Toranosuke had a class to attend, so they walked toward the office building that housed the cram school.

Their conversation had taken up the time Sakuta had originally intended to devote to Sara’s homework, but it had given him some unexpected insights.

Given what each had told him, Toranosuke was likely the boy who’d broken her heart without her ever telling him how she felt.

And after that—she got very popular.

He couldn’t tell if that romantic interest was the result of Adolescence Syndrome or not. He’d never encountered any symptoms that could cause that. But the timing made it hard to rule out completely. Unless his lack of other clues just made him want to connect the two.

Rationally speaking, there was every chance the two were unrelated.

With Toranosuke out of the picture, the boys who’d long nursed crushes on her might have stopped keeping it to themselves. It could easily be as simple as that.

Sakuta was no closer to an answer to the homework assignment. But thanks to Toranosuke, he wasn’t entirely empty-handed.

“You got Futaba’s class today?”

Toranosuke looked pretty stressed out. Since they’d left the restaurant, his movements had been so stiff Sakuta could almost hear the joints creaking. Every part of him radiated tension.

“Yes, but that’s settled.”

“How so?”

“I…had a dream.”

“A dream.”

“One where she rejected me on Christmas Eve.”

“Uh-huh.”

That didn’t seem like a coincidence. This was the third Christmas Eve dream. Sakuta and Sara’s, Nana’s dream Tomoe had told him about, and now Toranosuke’s.

“You’ve heard of the #dreaming thing?”

“What did Futaba say, exactly? In the dream?”

“Mm? Uh…‘I can’t date a student.’”

“So you’re gonna give up?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure what to do. Even after that dream…I still can’t get her out of my head. But I knew it probably wouldn’t pan out from the get-go, so…I dunno what to say.”

His line of thought petered out, and he wound up apologizing.

Earnest, honest, awkward, and unsteady. The sincerity was almost uncomfortable to watch. But it also made Sakuta want to offer more.

“If it were me, I’d say, ‘If I pass the exams at my first-choice college, go out with me then.’”

Toranosuke was still in his second year. He had a full year to persevere.

“……”

The advice seemed to stun him. Like he still hadn’t processed the meaning.

“That is, if you’re serious about her.”

“I—I am. I’ll give it a shot…!”

His mind caught up, and his voice squeaked, a mixture of panic and glee.

“And if you don’t want her grumbling at you, hit the books.”

“Yeah, of course. Uh, Azusagawa-sensei, seriously…”

Toranosuke turned to thank him but then flinched instead. His eyes flicked past Sakuta’s shoulder, to where the station lay.

“Sorry, I gotta run,” he blurted, and he dashed off toward the school.

A moment later…

“Azusagawa?” a voice behind.

“’Sup, Futaba.”

Rio had been coming their way.

That explained why Toranosuke had fled the scene. He would have to sit through class with her later, so this was not a promising sign.

“Was that Kasai with you?”

Anyone as tall as that boy stood out in a crowd. Even from a distance, she’d have recognized him.

“They’re childhood friends.”

“Who and who?” Rio asked, lost.

“Kasai and Himeji. He shared a few things.”

“Was that all?”

“That’s all.”

“……You didn’t say anything unnecessary?”

She was already giving him a reproachful look.

“Only what I deemed necessary.”

“That’s probably what I’m talking about.”

Clearly, Rio wasn’t done complaining at him. But before she could say anything else, a new voice interrupted them.

“Teach!”

Bright and bouncy.

Sara came running over from the station.

Beaming all the while like she was having the time of her life.

“Look at this!”

She reached into her bag, pulled out a folded sheet of paper, and spread it out to show him.

It was an answer sheet covered in circles indicating correct answers. Not a single response was crossed out. Full marks.

“Oh dear,” he said. “We’re supposed to be reviewing the answers you got wrong today.”

Without mistakes, there was nothing to be done.

“Praise comes first!”

“Well done.”

“I’ll go on ahead,” Rio said and headed inside.

“I’m coming, too!” he said. Sara followed him.

All three got on the same elevator. Rio by the buttons, Sakuta diagonally behind her, Sara at his side.

“……”

No one said a word.

“Sure is cold today.”

“It is.”

“Sure is.”

“……”

Another silence settled.

In hindsight, this was an awkward grouping. Toranosuke had functionally dumped Sara because he’d fallen for Rio.

The tension remained palpable all the way to the floor the cram school was on.