Tenth Period: Izakaya and Worry Counseling
I left the classroom with a lingering sense of unease.
7:00 PM arrived.
I was waiting by the fountain at In’ōji Station, as we’d planned on Line, when—
“Atsutooooo-kun!” Char came running toward me, waving her hands enthusiastically, her bright voice clearly audible even in the crowd.
“Sensei, good work. Y-You don’t have to run so fast...”
“Ehh? Because I get so happy when I found Atsuto-kun!” She gave me a cheerful smile that didn’t look like she’d just finished work at all.
Her vibrant smile completely blew away the vague anxiety I’d felt after talking to Benika.
“Alright! What kind of fun are you gonna teach me today?” Char asked, her eyes full of expectation—she’d probably be wagging her tail if she were a dog.
“Let’s see...” I was about to look up to think of a place when—
—Grooowwllll...
“Ah...” A long, low sound echoed from Char’s stomach.
“S-Someone’s tummy is rumbling!”
“It came from you, Sensei.”
“Auh...” Char’s face turned red, and she looked down.
I didn’t think it was that embarrassing. It was 7:00 PM, after all. She had to be hungry.
“Sensei, how about we grab a bite to eat first, and then go hang out? I have a recommendation, if you’d like.”
“Atsuto-kun’s recommended place?! I want to go!” Char leaned in close, her eyes sparkling.
“Then let’s go.”
We walked toward the downtown area for a while.
“Alright, we’re here!” I stopped in front of a familiar restaurant, and Char’s eyes lit up even more.
“Ooh! Today’s lesson is ‘Izakaya’!” Char was excited by the classic atmosphere: the faded sign and the red lanterns hanging outside.
“I’ve always wanted to come here! Japanese salarymen come here after work to complain about their bosses and blow off steam, right?”
“That’s not always the case.” I pointed out, and Char giggled.
“...Umm? No, no! I almost fell for it! That’s bad!” Char suddenly switched, puffing out her cheeks and making an ‘X’ with her hands.
“Why not?”
“Underage drinking is bad!”
“I won’t be drinking alcohol, of course.”
“Then your uniform!” Char pointed at me, giving me a pointed look.
Normally, we’d be turned away, but there was a reason I chose this place.
“My mother’s high school classmate is the Okamisan (female manager) here, and my family comes often. I think she’ll let us in even in this clothing.”
“Hmm. Well, in that case...?” Char’s eyes were still skeptical, but I was sure the Okamisan would be fine with it.
“Let’s go in, anyway!”
“Ah, Wait! Hold on!” I took Char’s hand and pulled open the izakaya door.
＊＊＊＊＊
Inside, it was bustling with salarymen, as expected for 7:00 PM. They were all chatting happily, drinking beer and sake.
“Ooh! Th-This is an izakaya...! I don’t hear anyone complaining about their boss, though!” Char whispered in awe, clenching her fists in front of her chest, all her earlier resistance gone.
“It’s just an image, I guess...” I replied.
Just as I was waiting, “—Atsuto-kun?”
A small woman spotted me and hurried over. This was Satsuki-san, the Okamisan who was my mother’s high school classmate.
“H-Hello.”
“You’re not with your family today, are you? ...Oh?” Satsuki-san glanced at Char and grinned.
“You got yourself such a cute girlfriend without telling anyone...”
““Sh-She’s (I'm) not my (his) girlfriend!”” Char and I denied it simultaneously. I knew she’d misunderstand!
“Oh, she’s not?”
“...Please don’t ask any further.” I replied, thinking it would be too complicated to explain the teacher-student relationship here. Satsuki-san just gave me a knowing, “Well, he is a boy his age,” with a grin.
...I don’t think I cleared up the misunderstanding.
“By the way, is this uniform okay?” I asked, pointing at my clothes. Satsuki-san thought for a few seconds.
“Be discreet. And no alcohol.” She cautioned us, then led us to the back of the restaurant.
“Thank you! Oh, and please, please don’t tell my mother about this!” If my mother found out I was here with a woman alone, she’d interrogate me endlessly. And if my parents knew, my sister would definitely know. That network was not to be underestimated.
“Hmm... I shouldn’t tell her?”
“Absolutely not!” I glared, and Satsuki-san laughed mischievously. “Just kidding, just kidding. I’ll keep it a secret.” She returned to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry...” I apologized, thinking it must be annoying for Char to be mistaken for my girlfriend. Char shook her head vigorously.
“N-No, not at all! Actually, umm... I don’t mind it...”
“Huh? Sorry, I didn’t quite hear you...”
“It-It’s fine if you didn’t hear it!” When I asked again because I couldn’t hear the second part, Char’s cheeks flushed again, and she shook her head.
“Let’s go in already!”
“Oh, right!” I was hurried along and opened the door to the private room. Char looked around the room.
“Wow...!” Her blue eyes sparkled like a child in front of a toy store.
“Atsuto-kun, this is amazing! There are so many menus!” Char pointed at the papers with menus written on them, plastered all over the wall.
There were a lot, but I thought most places had this many menus.
“Is this a lot?”
“Yeah! It’s a huge amount! American bars don’t have this many menus!” I learned that American bars didn’t have restaurants like izakaya where you could eat a full meal while drinking.
“Atsuto-kun! Over here, over here!” Char patted the seat right next to her. This was a four-person tatami room, though...
“S-Sitting side-by-side?”
“Yeah! Because that way I can talk closer to Atsuto-kun!” Char pleaded with a charming smile. “Hurry up!”
“Okay, excuse me...” I sat down next to her, and Char immediately started ordering from the tablet on the table.
First, beer. Then motsuni (giblet stew), yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), assorted sashimi, karaage (fried chicken)...
“Isn’t that too much to order?!”
“I eat this much when I’m hungry!”
“Really?!”
That was a high school boy’s, no, an even greater appetite. Where did all that food go in her slender body (aside from her chest)?!
“Ah, you just thought, ‘Is she secretly fat?’ didn’t you?!” Char, noticing my shock, puffed out her cheeks and gave me a pointed look.
“No, no, no, I didn’t!” Though I did briefly wonder if she was the type to look thin in clothes!
“Boo. No way! Girls can tell! I’m not fat! Look!” Char, still pouting, reached for the hem of her dress shirt and started to lift it up.
“Waaah?! Sensei, no!” I quickly averted my eyes, but Char pulled my sleeve with a frustrated “Muu!”
“I have a waist!”
“I believe you! I believe you! Please put your shirt down!”
—The situation was eventually diffused when the server brought the beer and cola.
Char just did things like that naturally, and it was a problem...
＊＊＊＊＊
A while after we started eating.
“Mmmmmm! This place is really delicious!” Char was chugging her large mug of beer, her cheeks softening with happiness.
“I’m glad you like it!”
“Yeah! I’m totally satisfied! Alright, one more beer!” Char placed the empty mug on the edge of the table and happily tapped the tablet, humming to herself.
I was glad she was having fun, but she was drinking quite heavily tonight. There were already six empty mugs lined up on the table. I was only on my second cup of oolong tea.
“You’re drinking a lot tonight, aren’t you?” I asked, worried about her fast pace. Char’s face was bright red, and she replied with a melted voice.
“Am I?”
“...Yes, you are.”
I almost choked when Char put her hands up like a cat. She was probably doing this because she was drunk, but she was too cute!
While I was suffering internally, Char said, her eyes faraway as she chewed on a piece of karaage, “I just felt like drinking today.”
Felt like drinking, huh...
“Are you a little tired?”
“Hmm... not really tired... but I’m kind of worried.”
“Worried?”
“Yeah. Can you listen, Atsuto-kun?” Char scooted closer to me like a friendly cat. Her warmth was transmitted directly through my thin shirt, and my heart leaped.
“W-What is it?”
“Well, you know Hiruno-sensei?” Hiruno-sensei was a new female teacher who started at the same time as Char—this April. She taught Japanese history, and I thought she was about the same age as Char. If Char was the fluffy type of teacher, Hiruno-sensei was more of the gyaru type.
“What about Hiruno-sensei?”
“Umm, well, about the other day...” Char’s speech was slurred from drinking, but she confided her worries.
Apparently, during lunch break, Hiruno-sensei’s desk was always surrounded by students asking her questions, not just about schoolwork but about other things, too... She had established a position as a kind of all-purpose counselor.
“...I get a little jealous.”
“Well, Hiruno-sensei is pretty popular.”
“...I was told I was cute in America, too.” Char rested her chin on her beer mug, pouting.
Wow, a sulking teacher is great... No, wait.
She was genuinely worried. I had to take this seriously and support her.
“Ah, I know! I’ll change my look to be more gyaru!”
“I think everyone would be more worried if you did that...”
“Hmm, then what should I do?”
“Gah!” Char tilted her head, which landed on my shoulder, and I almost made a weird noise.
She was incredibly touchy tonight, probably because of the alcohol. She’d been tracing a ‘?’ on my thigh with her finger the whole time we were waiting!
“Ah, I-I know! Benika!” I exclaimed. Char stopped drawing the ‘?’ on my thigh and blinked.
“Benika...? Oh, Shirashu-san! What about Benika-chan?”
“She went to ask you a question the other day, right?”
“Ah, yeah! She came once the other day!”
“I saw Benika afterward, and she said, ‘She’s clumsy during class, but she’s a kind teacher who explains things clearly and carefully.’”
At that moment, Char’s worried face instantly bloomed into a smile.
“R-Really?!”
“Yeah. She’s my friend, so I know she’s telling the truth.”
“Ehehe... A kind Sensei...” Char repeated my words with a smile, savoring them.
I understood why she was discouraged comparing herself to the popular Hiruno-sensei.
I’d probably feel the same way if I were in Char’s shoes.
But—
“The fact that you can face each person so kindly, that’s your best quality, Sensei!” I replied, forcing the biggest smile I could muster.
“D-Do you think so?”
“Yes, I do. So, you should be confident.”
...I don’t usually compliment or encourage people, so I felt a little embarrassed.
“...Maybe I shouldn’t worry about comparing myself to others?”
“I think so. Umm—...” The next words got stuck in my throat.
I was seriously debating whether to say it. But—
“A Sensei who’s seriously worried is nice, too, but I think a smile just suits you better, you know...”
“Fweh?!” Char leaned back dramatically, hitting her head against the wall.
Did I just say something too cheesy?! I felt like I got carried away by the atmosphere, but what an embarrassing thing to say!
“W-What I just said was a slip of the tongue...!”
“Ehehe... A smile suits me... Ehehehe.” Char smiled foolishly, wriggling her body.
Then,
“Like this?” She put her index fingers on both cheeks and gave me a huge smile.
Her full-power smile, sparkling like bursting stars, tightened my chest.
S-So cute...! Cute enough to make me forget she’s my teacher!
As I was stunned by Char’s smile, she suddenly shouted loudly, “I know!”
“I’ll cheer Atsuto-kun up as thanks for cheering me up!”
“Eh, cheer me up?” I wondered what she meant.
“Hup!”
“Gah! W-Wait, Sensei?! Th-That tickles... Hahahaha!” She poked my side, and a burst of laughter echoed in the private room.
“Oh! Atsuto-kun is smiling too! How about this!”
“Ahahahahaha!”
—And so, the party continued.
In the end, I walked the completely drunk Char to the station, and that was the end of the day.
I wonder if she made it home okay...
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