Chapter 64: Wild Grass (Ye Cao)
At eight-thirty, Shizuka walked into the office right on time. She looked half-awake, still wearing her usual white lab coat; it seemed she'd had another night of poor sleep.
"Good morning, Shizuka-chan."
Chishima Akishin set his book down and raised a hand in greeting. "How was your sleep last night? It really would be better if you cut back on the alcohol."
Shizuka flinched, snapping wide awake. Panic suddenly flooded her expression as her face flushed a deep crimson. She didn't dare meet Akishin's eyes, stammering out her reply: "G-g-g-good morning, Chi... Chishima-kun. I slept very soundly yesterday, don't you worry."
The other teachers in the office turned their heads. Seeing the usually stoic Shizuka blushing like a schoolgirl, a flash of astonishment crossed their eyes, which quickly morphed into strange, knowing looks directed at Akishin.
Could it be that those two...?
There was a definite possibility!
Didn't they go to the Kendo arena together yesterday? They were always together, even sharing the same desk...
Shizuka didn't notice the shifting expressions of her colleagues. Akishin noticed but didn't pay it any mind. Hiratsuka Shizuka sat at her desk, still refusing to look at him.
Akishin asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Shizuka-chan? Your face is very red. Are you sick?"
"No. You're the one who's sick. There's no way I'm sick; my body is perfectly healthy."
Shizuka defended herself while pulling out her textbooks. She kept her gaze averted, as if she felt she had lost her usual composure. She grabbed her water bottle and chugged a large amount of cold water.
"Well, it's good that you're not sick. If you are, you should... you should say so."
"...I know."
Akishin checked the time; the first period was nearly over. It happened to be Class 2-J's Chinese lesson, so he began preparing his materials.
"Um... Chishima-kun, did I say anything bad yesterday?"
"What?"
Akishin was pulling out a Pinyin textbook. The cover featured a cartoon boy and girl holding hands with happy smiles, topped with three bright orange-red Pinyin symbols.
Shizuka's voice was so quiet he hadn't caught it clearly; it sounded like someone mumbling in their sleep.
Shizuka still wouldn't look at him, but her voice got a fraction louder. "I mean yesterday! I drank alcohol and got drunk, right? So... did I say anything... inappropriate?"
She didn't remember it clearly. Even if she had bits and pieces of the memory, it felt surreal, like a dream. On the other hand, she felt a strange reluctance—though she didn't know why she needed to confirm it so badly.
Akishin turned his head, looking at Shizuka's beautiful, blushing face. In this moment, she didn't have that "cool and free" aura she carried when holding a cigarette. Instead, she looked like a pure, shy girl.
"You did say something," Akishin said softly. "But it wasn't anything bad."
"T-t-tell me... what did I say?"
Shizuka's posture went rod-straight, her body stiffening. Her hands were clenched tight on her lap. Her eyes were fixed on her own hands as if a flower were suddenly blooming from her palms.
Akishin answered, "Shizuka-chan asked me... what kind of girl I like."
"R-really? Then, then, then... how did you answer? No, wait... never mind, it's better if you don't ans—"
Akishin didn't wait for her to finish. He just smiled and said, "I told you that I like girls like you, Shizuka-chan."
"..."
Shizuka went silent. Her fists clenched even tighter, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Right then, the bell for the next period rang loudly. Shizuka snapped out of it, stood up abruptly, hugged her textbooks to her chest, and glared at Akishin with wide eyes that seemed almost watery.
"I have a class."
Then, she beat a hasty retreat from the office.
Leaving Akishin sitting alone at his desk, sinking into his own thoughts: 'Something's wrong! The book didn't say it would be like this? Did I misread it? Misread? No, that can't be it. Truly, you can't trust everything written in books!'
"Chishima-san, class has started!"
"Right, I'm on my way."
Hearing the reminder from a teacher across the room, Akishin stood up, shook his head slightly, and walked toward Class 2-J.
'Did I really overstep?'
As he'd thought before, Akishin had never been in a relationship. He didn't understand the intricacies of interacting with girls, and he usually lacked the courage to step forward.
But now that he'd finally forced himself to take a step, reality made him feel a twinge of regret. Was it too fast?
They hadn't even known each other for a full month.
A person can't have a "God's-eye view" of their own life. Things that seem obvious to an outsider often lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities for the person involved, because their knowledge is limited to what they see and hear in the moment...
Simple example: You go to confess to a girl who already likes you, versus you go to confess to a girl you like.
Tell me, what's the difference between those two sentences for "you"?
Still, in terms of results, it wasn't bad. Shizuka-chan's expression, though she looked a bit angry, was dominated by bashfulness...
Arriving at the classroom door, Akishin shook his head again to clear the unnecessary thoughts. He put on a smile and stepped inside.
Naturally, he was greeted by a wave of congratulations. The students weren't afraid of him; instead, several joked about wanting him to teach them Kendo.
...
Today, the students of Class 2-F felt very strange. Or more accurately, Hiratsuka-sensei was being very strange.
When she arrived, her face was bright red, her gaze was unfocused, and she frequently spaced out while teaching. She even slipped up and misread the text—admittedly, seeing Hiratsuka-sensei like this kept the eyes of most boys in class glued to her...
It was the first time in a year that anything like this had happened. Suspicions arose—was she sick?
The students were genuinely worried. Some class reps and representatives stood up to urge Shizuka to go rest or visit the infirmary; they promised to study quietly and not cause trouble.
Hearing that only made Shizuka feel more embarrassed. She couldn't exactly tell them the truth, so she could only refuse, insisting she was fine and there was no need for concern.
By the middle of the period, Shizuka's chaotic mood finally began to settle.
The students felt relieved as the flush on Hiratsuka-sensei's face finally faded.
Only Hachiman sat there, staring at Shizuka with his signature "dead fish eyes," lost in deep thought.
The final bell rang. Shizuka hugged her books and headed back to the office, but she found herself unable to go in.
Her heart started racing again, so she just stood in front of the door, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Shizuka-chan, why aren't you going in?"
Akishin, who had just returned from Class J, saw Shizuka at the door and patted her on the back from behind.
"Kyaa!"
Shizuka nearly jumped out of her skin. She glared at Akishin with a mix of annoyance and gritted teeth. "Why do you walk so quietly?!"
Akishin hugged his textbooks and smiled. "I just finished teaching and came back. Shizuka-chan was the one lost in thought, so don't go blaming me."
"...Whatever, it's still your fault."
"Fine, fine, it's my fault. Let's go in together!"
Akishin walked in ahead of her.
Shizuka watched his back. After that little outburst, most of the panic she'd felt earlier had dissipated. She went in and sat at her desk, sharing the large workspace with Akishin.
The morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden hue over the desk. It felt warm and comfortable, the kind of light that made one want to take a nap.
Akishin went back to reading his books without saying anything weird. Shizuka observed him quietly for a while. She let out a soft sigh of relief, then pulled out her Japanese edition of Ye Cao and began to read.
『——I love my wild grass, yet I detest the ground that uses this wild grass as an ornament.』
...
That afternoon, Akishin took Shizuka to meet the school board to discuss the bonus. Shizuka helped him navigate the conversation, fighting for various benefits—when it came to the inner workings of Sobu High, Shizuka was far more knowledgeable than Akishin.
The school essentially agreed to everything, though they did add one condition: they hoped Akishin wouldn't leave Sobu High. Akishin agreed.
It was just an informal request without a binding contract; they were afraid that pushing too hard might actually backfire.
There was one more thing: they were eagerly looking forward to Akishin actually winning the All-Japan Kendo Tournament.
Shizuka's salary also saw a bump, rising from 10 million yen to 15 million. Thanks to Akishin's insistence, she received treatment that was basically on par with his.
Afterward, Shizuka realized that Akishin really wasn't bringing up the earlier incident again. While feeling completely relieved, she simultaneously felt a prickle of annoyance and a sense of loss that was hard to explain...
By the next day, their relationship had returned to its normal state. However, both of them knew they had moved one step closer.
It was a form of testing the waters, mixed with the silent expectations of both parties.
Perhaps, the days to come wouldn't be so bad.
...
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