Chapter 8

Sunday was a rest day.

I was playing on my phone while Sayaka was hanging up the laundry outside. She seemed to be in good spirits; she hummed and finished the work rather quickly.

Honestly I felt bad about doing nothing while she did all the housework, but she wouldn't let me help. She said it's faster if she did it on her own; it's what she said every time I offered to help.

I wonder if this is the response all husbands get when they try to help with housework.

I don't mean that saying that me and Sayaka are married, because we're not, but it was undeniable that this lifestyle resembled what newlyweds must be like.

After she finished the housework, Sayaka examined the bookshelf I had in the corner of my apartment.

"You sure have a lot of books, Seiji."

"That shelf only has some of my books," I said. "After university, I left most of my books at my parent's place because I didn't have enough space here."

"Eh~ The other Seiji also loved to read."

"He's me, after all."

Sayaka crackled with gentle laughter, and began shifting through the shelf. Something on the shelf caught her attention.

"What's this?"

She pulled out a large black folder.

"Oh, that's a photo album. It has pictures of — wait!"

Sayaka had already begun flipping through it. Pictures of me when I was a baby, going to kindergarten, going to middle school...

"Ehh?" Sayaka sounded surprised.

"What?"

"Why are there no pictures of you after middle school?"

"Oh, that's because around the time I graduated middle school, smartphone cameras became popular in Japan, and nobody would use traditional cameras and print out their photos."

"Aw, that's a shame. Looking at pictures like these is more fun than looking at a phone."

"It's just a sign of the times."

"Hey! That's my catch phrase."

I laughed. Sayaka chuckled.

"But...tell me, what were you like in high school and university?"

"It's nothing special. I was just the typical guy — neither popular nor unpopular."

"Ehh~ That's too simple. Did you not have a harem of girls confessing their love to you?"

"Do I look like the kind of guy? Maybe the other Seiji was like that, but not me."

"Before you mentioned that you hadn't dated for five years. Does that mean you've dated while you were in university?"

I froze. I glanced at Sayaka. She was right; I did mention that before.

...

Her memory was frightening.

Or maybe it was just the way women were once they got serious.

“Well?" She looked at me. I didn't dare to meet her gaze. Suddenly her presence had become intense.

"I guess I did have a girlfriend before."

"You guess?"

"I mean I did have a girlfriend when I was in university."

"Oh-ho... What was she like?"

"Uhm..." My shoulders shrank together. Why was I reacting like this? I was like a husband who had gotten caught cheating.

I glanced at Sayaka. There was a lazy smile on her face. When she saw my expression, she burst out laughing.

"You look like a man who got caught cheating on his wife," she said.

"Ugh..."

I was powerless before her.

"The girl I dated was someone I met at university," I said. "She was in the same degree program as me, and on the first day we both got lost, ran into each other, and searched for the lecture room together. That's how we got to know each other."

"Ehh~ That sounds so clichéd."

"Well, I'm sorry for having a cliched first love story."

"Hmmm, it's a shame I wasn't born earlier, or else we could've been a university couple."

I didn't know what to say to that.

"Say, Seiji... Would you have fallen for me if I was a college girl?"

"Hahhh?"

I looked at her.

"Isn't that what most guys want? Either a JK or a college girl."

"Where did you read that?"

"Here and there on the Internet..."

I sighed. What kind of sites has this girl been looking at...?

"How did you two break up?"

"It's hard to say. We dated for about two years. I was serious about her, but during those two years she changed a lot, and I guess I wasn't good enough for her anymore. She stopped returned my calls and avoided me, and I finally understood when I saw her walking around on campus while holding hands with a young professor."

"So she snagged herself a man with steady income."

"That's life. Girls tend to grow up faster than guys, and she quickly realized that the world outside of university was a tough place."

To be honest, that was the reason why I stopped dating. Something about this experience caused me to become disillusioned with humanity.

Sayaka knelled behind me and put her arms around me. She hugged me from behind. I could feel her breasts on my back.

"It's okay, it's okay. Your precious Sayaka is here for you. Don't lose faith in true love~"

"Hey..."

"Heh-heh~ Did that make you feel better?"

"I don't feel anything in particular when thinking about her. It's just an old memory."

What I said was a lie. Thinking about my ex-girlfriend did hurt, and having Sayaka here with me did soothe the pain that came with those bitter memories.

Honestly, ever since Sayaka appeared in my life, I realized how much more fun life could be. Having someone to talk to after work and on a weekend was truly a blessing, and it made me want to go outside instead of spending the whole day sleeping and watching TV.

"Let's go outside," I said.

"Eh? Where to?"

"Last weekend we didn't get to see the cherry blossoms, right? And today's weather is so nice, it'd be a shame to stay inside all day."

"I guess you're right. It's also a good chance to wear the clothes I bought last week."

We changed into our outdoor clothes, and twenty minutes later, we were on our way to the station. I picked a place that was six stations away, in the next town, so that we wouldn't run into anyone from school.

While we were on the train, I felt Sayaka's hand brush against mine. I glanced at her and she looked the other way.

Did she want to hold my hand?

"Not here," I whispered.

"Then it's alright once we're off the train?"

I didn't answer her question.

We got off the train and walked to the local park, where they were several groups having a sakura viewing party.

Along the way, Sayaka took hold of my hand and I didn’t pull away. She seemed so happy that I didn’t want to ruin the mood.

It had been years since I've gone to see the sakura trees bloom. Living on my own meant that I spent most weekends alone, and going out to a park was just too troublesome if I was by myself. I didn't have a girlfriend either, and going with guy friends would just feel weird. This resulted in many weekends just reading books, sleeping and cleaning.

"Seiji! Look!"

Sayaka pointed at a long row of sakura trees. All of them were in full bloom, their falling pink pedals covering the ground like carpet.

I was a breathtaking sight.

Sayaka pulled me along, away from the crowds, down the line of trees. Eventually we ended up in a spot where there was no one.

A gentle breeze ruffled the low branches of the sakura trees next to us; several pink pedals landed on her head. I reached out and picked them off her.

"What a gentleman you are," she teased me.

"It's what any man would do."

"It's not what I would let just any man do."

She said those words without changing her tone, without any warning.

I couldn't help but feel a jump in my heart, and my face felt a little hot.

"Heh-heh~ I finally got you," Sayaka said and poked my cheek. "Look at you blushing like that. Does that mean that you finally see me as a woman?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

She pouted her lips.

We continued walking around the park. I watched Sayaka walk in front of me.

Sayaka turned, and the sunlight enveloped her. The trees rustled, the falling pedals surrounded her. It was as if nature embraced her. Her smile was gentle, her eyes serene. Suddenly she appeared older, as if she had suddenly grown up.

Maybe it was the sunlight, or the way she smiled.

"Wow..."

I didn't know what else to say.

Seeing her like this reminded me of an important fact: this wasn't the Sayaka of this universe.

The Sayaka of this universe was supposed to be a second year student. This Sayaka was a third year. She didn't belong here.

But if third year Sayaka was happily married to me in her universe, then why did she come here?

What happened to me, her…to us, in her universe?

“Seiji… Thank you."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"What's this about? It sounds like you're going to disappear."

"No way! I would never suddenly disappear — especially after God spent so much effort getting me here."

She was right. God did break cosmic laws to get Sayaka into my universe — even at the expense of interrupting second year Sayaka's timeline.

"Hey Sayaka, what happened in the other universe?"

"Eh?"

"You told me that you came here because you love me. But it never made sense to me. If we were married and happily together in your universe, then why did you beg God to let you come here?"

"That..." The joyful expression fell from her face. She averted her gaze.

I said nothing. I waited for her answer. Part of me could already guess what it was, but I had to hear it directly from her to confirm my suspicions.

Sayaka opened her mouth, but a different voice sounded from behind me.

"Seiji-sensei? What are you doing here?"

I turned around and saw Hina-sensei.

"Hina-sensei?"

"I knew it was you! I saw your back and thought that shape looked like you."

Hina-sensei came over.

I glanced in Sayaka's direction. She had hidden behind a row of sakura trees, and walked away at a calm pace, in a way that invited no attention.

I breathed out a silent sigh of relief. Even though it was sudden, Sayaka reacted quickly.

Now it was a question of whether or not Hina-sensei had seen us holding hands.

"Are you here to look at the sakura trees?" I asked.

It was a stupid question, but the most natural way to carry on the conversation.

"Mh-hmm! Are you here alone?"

I tried to answer as normally as I could.

"Yes, I am alone here."

Hina-sensei said nothing. I continued.

"I felt tired of staying at home all the time, so I just thought it might be nice to take a trip to the next town. It's been years since I've gone to see the sakura season, so..."

Hina-sensei's expression was blank, then she suddenly smiled.

"What a coincidence, same here! Shall we go together?"

"S-Sure..."

I honestly wanted to find a way to ditch her, but there was no excuse. Just like the time when we ran into each other at the shopping mall, the conversation gave me no way out.

Part of me thought that I should just say that I wasn't feeling well, but if I wasn't feeling well, why come out in the first place?

If I said that I was going to go for an early lunch, then Hina-sensei might say that we should eat together.

I was trapped — again.

[Sayaka]

God told me that it wouldn't be easy. God said that this universe might reject me, because I was a foreign agent, an outsider — someone who didn't belong.

And God was right.

I watched as Hina-sensei dragged Seiji away.

Just as Hina-sensei called out Seiji, I managed to hide from her line of sight by ducking behind a sakura tree. It also helped that I was in casual clothes and not in my uniform. It was likely that Hina-sensei caught a glimpse of me, but didn't take notice because I looked like any other person.

Why did Hina-sensei show up every time I was on a date with Seiji?

Why did she interrupt every time?

It’s so frustrating that I wanted to scream.

Hina-sensei pulled Seiji further and further away from me. I balled my hands into fists and gritted my teeth.

I wanted to run after them, and tell Hina-sensei that she couldn't have my precious Seiji. She gets to see him every day at school; today was supposed to be my turn to spend time with him.

I stopped myself.

My frustration was getting to me. In this universe, I was still a student. If anyone found out that Seiji went on a sakura viewing date with one of his students, it would be very troublesome. Not to mention that the cosmic dissonance would come undone, bringing the cosmic laws into full chaos.

I couldn't see Seiji and Hina-sensei anymore. I turned and walked into the opposite direction, away from them.

In my home universe, I also went on a date like this with Seiji.

Hmm, that was a nice memory. It happened just a few days after we became lovers.

——————————

[A Sakura Memory]

We were at a park during the sakura viewing season.

"Sayaka, stop it!"

"Eh-hehehe~"

I grabbed his hand, while my other hand wrapped around his arm. The way I clung to him made it clear to anyone who saw us: we were lovers.

"Other people will see and think that we're lovers."

"And that is exactly what are." I strengthened my grip.

It was our second date.

During our first date at the mall, Seiji didn't even want to hold my hand. He said that we were too close to school and that someone might see us.

This time was I determined to this our new normal.

"Don't worry," I said. "I'm not wearing my uniform, and you look young in that collared shirt you're wearing. Nobody will suspect that there is something immoral going on."

"Well - "

"And it's not immoral anyway," I said, adding emphasis to my words.

Seiji sighed.

I had done my research. This park was six stations away from the town where Seiji and I lived. No one from our school lived in this town, and no one from our school would come to this park because there was an even better park with even more sakura trees just two stations away.

Truly this little park felt a little lonely. But it was exactly what I wanted.

In addition, there was an old love hotel nearby. So if the mood was right, then...heh-heh~

We walked among the sakura trees, admiring the pink pedals. The air was filled with a gentle sweet scent, as though the trees were announcing themselves to the whole world.

Eh?

Seiji put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.

"Seiji?"

"There is no one here, so..."

We walked behind a row of sakura trees, to a spot where the cherry blossoms were the densest, and it was there that I looked up at him with my eyes closed. I felt him hesitate for a moment, then he put his hands on my shoulders and put his lips on mine.

That first kiss was short and chaste, like it was his first kiss.

I opened my eyes.

"Only one kiss?” I said with upturned eyes. I read in a magazine that this was a turn on for all men, regardless of age or social position.

“Erm…”

Seiji averted his eyes. I wanted him to pull me even closer, but he held back. He still didn’t see me as a woman.

"That felt good," I said.

"Yeah."

"There is someplace I want to go."

"Where is that?"

"You'll see."

"Okay, but before that, there is somewhere I want to take you."

"Oh, s-sure."

There was something insistent about the way he said it. Was it somewhere really important to him?

I turned out that the place Seiji wanted go to was an Italian restaurant. It was a tiny little restaurant tucked away in an alleyway near the shopping street. He said most people didn't know about this place, and it was a little expensive, but he wanted to treat me to some really good food.

When I heard those words, I thought my heart was going to melt.

Honestly I felt a little disappointed when he didn't want to hold my hand during our first date.

It was as if he was resisting the thought that we were proper lovers. But now he was treating me as proper girlfriend, a woman - his woman.

After the meal (which was delicious, the best pasta and pizza I ever had, although I did feel a little guilty once I saw the number on the bill — an unbelievable sum for a student like me), we walked along the shopping street.

It was evening already, and most shops were closing up. There were a few people in suits on their way home (Japan's salarymen worked even on weekends, Seijo told me), a group of teenagers chatting outside an arcade, an old couple walking hand in hand.

Bit by bit, I led him away from the shopping street. Step by step I nudged him closer to the residential area. A little while later, we stood in front of the love hotel.

"Do you wanna go in there?" I asked in a whisper.

Seiji was blushing from head to toe. So was I.

"Do you wanna?" he asked.

"Don't ask such stupid questions."

The mood was tense, but in the end we didn’t go in. There were too many other people around and neither was of was ready.

——————————-

I sighed. I wanted a repeat of that date (I even looked up the address to the love hotel, just in case if Seiji fell for my feminine charms during the day and his male instincts took over), but Hina-sensei interrupted us. Hina-sensei also interrupted us when we were at the shopping mall.

There is no way that this was all a coincidence. Not when we were six stations away, in the next town.

There was no way Hina-sensei could've interrupted us on purpose either. She had no idea where to find Seiji over the weekend.

It was almost as if something was guiding Hina-sensei to meet us wherever Seiji and I went. Like a homing missile aimed at destroying my life with Seiji.

But who sent this missile and why?

Even though God transported me here, it looks like something out there was weaponizing Hina-sensei to be the harbinger of failed romances.

Suddenly anger rose in my chest.

I came all the way to this universe and someone was using Hina-sensei to get between me and Seiji. Someone dared to get between me and Seiji.

There is no way I would allow this to happen.

I turned around and walked in the direction Seiji and Hina-sensei went.

I pulled out a face mask and a pair of sunglasses out of my purse. This was the disguise I always carried with me, just in case if I ran into someone I knew outside. With this, even Ayumi wouldn't be able to recognize me.

It didn't take me long to find Seiji and Hina-sensei. They were walking in another part of the park, admiring the cherry blossoms.

I couldn't get close enough to hear what they were talking about, but judging by their body language, the mood seemed to be good. Hina-sensei was walking very close to my Seiji; every couple of steps her shoulders touched his arm.

Che... This was a typical move when a girl was walking around with a guy she liked.

Seiji didn't seem to be responding to her.

I could only see their backs, but I could feel that Hina-sensei was getting bolder. Maybe it was the feeling of running into each other in a park like this that gave her courage.

As they walked, the back of her hand brushed against his. Her other hand tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Jealousy. Irritation.

Hina-sensei behaved exactly like I did when went on my first date with Seiji.

During those times, my shoulder would touch his arm, my hands would against his. I would carefully research what type of outfits he likes and doll myself up accordingly (he likes girls in pleated skirts, chunky sneakers and a sweater, not too much makeup and not too much jewelry).

His tastes were surprisingly pure for an adult.

I continued to follow them, waiting for an opportunity to take Seiji away. My plan was to wait until Hina-sensei went to the bathroom to fix her makeup, and then take away Seiji while she was in there.

It was a simple and fool proof plan.

So I followed them. And kept following.

A few guys came to hit on me. I shooed them away.

Hina-sensei never went to the bathroom.

How was that even possible?!

Every girl would need to go the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup; it was one the unbreakable laws of the universe!

Heh - I think someone was really toying with me.

I broke cosmic laws to get to this universe. And now someone else was breaking another kind of cosmic law to control Hina-sensei.

In the end, they left the park as the sun was going down. They wandered around the neighborhood streets until they ended up at the local shopping arcade street.

It was early evening, and the street was full with students, housewives and office workers trickling out of the local station.

Where were they going? Hina-sensei walked with a vague sense of purpose.

They walked further into the shopping street, then made a turn into a small side street.

You've got to be kidding me.

It was the small Italian restaurant Seiji took me to before (in my native universe).

My breathing grew heavy. I gritted my teeth.

Was this universe mocking me?!

For Hina-sensei to take Seiji to the same restaurant after interrupting us every single time – !

They entered the restaurant and took a window seat. There was a candle on the table. It looked romantic.

All I could do was hide around a corner and watch.

-------------------------

[Seiji]

"Let's get something to eat~"

Hina-sensei walked in front of me, her hands behind her back.

I stared at those hands. Even though I was a guy, I wasn't that dense; I could tell that she wanted to have more physical contact with me. Otherwise she would've walked a little further apart from me. A woman wouldn't let her hand touch a guy's hand so carelessly unless she intended to do that.

The whole time I was thinking about Sayaka. Where was she? Was she okay? She had a copy of the key and some money, so she could buy dinner and go home.

I glanced back several times throughout the day and didn't see Sayaka. Either she was really good at stalking people, or she had really gone home.

Something told me that she wouldn't go home like this, so it had to be the former.

"Seiji-sensei, did you hear me?"

"Sorry, what?"

"Gezz, you've been out of it all day! I asked you what you wanted to eat for dinner."

She didn't ask me if I wanted dinner. She asked me what I wanted to eat for dinner.

The way she asked the question made it difficult for me to back out, and since we were already here, it was only natural for us to eat dinner together.

An adult man and woman eating dinner together after viewing cherry blossoms all day.

Common sense dictated what would happen after that, and I had to avoid that outcome.

"How about some tempura and udon?" I suggested, nodding my chin at a Hanamaru Udon.

Technically this counted as fast food and was an unsuitable place for a date, but I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"It's the weekend and we worked so hard," Hina-sensei said. "Let's go eat something fancy!"

"S-Sure."

Hina-sensei made about the same salary as I did, so I couldn't say that I was too poor for fancy food.

In fact I had saved up quite a lot, since I never travelled, rarely went shopping and didn't have a girlfriend.

Staying single is the easiest way to save money, sadly.

Hina-sensei took the lead, and led me to a restaurant in a little side street. It was a quaint little Italian restaurant.

I asked Hina-sensei if she had been here before, and she shook her head.

"I just thought this side street looked kind of mysterious, and there's actually a fancy Italian restaurant here. It feels like a secret hideout."

She spoke with the giddiness of a child.

I glanced back. I saw a girl wearing sunglasses and a mask, even though the sun had gone down already. That was Sayaka.

I couldn't see her expression, but my instincts told me that her eyes were murderous.

Hina-sensei pulled me into the restaurant.

We were promptly seated (the restaurant was quite empty; not many people dined out with the way Japan's economy was), and we ordered the set menu for two, since neither of us was familiar with Italian cuisine.

Hina-sensei rested her chin on the palm of her hand.

She made comments about how nice the atmosphere of the restaurant was, and that she was looking forward to tasting Italian food for the first time.

I asked her if she had been to Europe before, and she said that during her university years she went to Europe for half a year, but never got the chance to go to Italy.

We talked about random topics like that until the appetizers arrived.

And it was then that her tone of voice suddenly changed.

"Sorry for dragging you in here, but there is something I need to talk to you about," she said.

A chill travelled up my spine. Suddenly the childish expression on her face was gone, and she spoke with a serious tone.

"What is it?" I asked.

"At the park earlier today..."

Cold dread sunk into my stomach. My heart stood still.

The entire day we had talked about frivolous topics: colleagues, work, our hobbies, current movies and TV shows. What could she possibly be referring to?

"Before I called out to you at the park, I saw you with someone. Who was that?"

My breath stuck in my throat.

"I was alone," I said.

"Hmm, but I saw you holding hands with a girl."

"Is that so..."

"She looked quite cute and quite young. Is she your girlfriend? The air around her didn't make her seem like a college girl."

Hina-sensei looked at me, her eyes were cold and distant.

"Was it a high school girl?"

I stared at the table. My vision grew blurry. I could hear my own heartbeat. I could feel the end of my life approaching.

"You're not answering? I'll take that as a 'yes' then."

Hina-sensei's voice didn't contain accusation or disappointment — just coldness.

She continued to speak. "Based on what I saw...my guess is that the girl is Yamamoto Sayaka?"

I couldn't breathe. I wanted to throw up.

"No answer? I'll take that as a ‘yes’ again."

The waiter arrived with the next course. Hina-sensei picked up fork and knife. I didn't move.

"I'll ask you a few questions, and depending your answers, I will report you to the school."

I gulped.

In other words, this was going to be the fight of my life.

"Are you dating Yamamoto Sayaka?"

"No."

"Then why were you holding hands with her?"

"There are reasons, and it's complicated..."

"Don't mess with me!"

She slammed her fist on the table. The waiter glanced in our directed and didn't dare come closer.

I said nothing.

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me anything, then I'll just tell the school, and you can tell the whole story to the investigative committee."

I had to talk my way out of it. Telling Hina-sensei the truth was out of the question; she wouldn't believe me anyway.

I had to come up with a story that contained grains of truth and many lies.

So I told her this: Sayaka had run away from home and showed up at my doorstep. She seemed like a good student, but in fact she had many problems at home. I told Hina-sensei that I contacted her family, but her family didn't seem to care at all about their daughter. So for now, Sayaka was staying with me until we could figure things out.

"I was holding her hand at the park because she was scared to be seen," I said.

For a while, Hina-sensei said nothing.

She looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"Did you really do nothing to her?"

"We've worked together for over two years; do you really think I would date a student?"

"Hmm..."

I couldn't tell her that another me in a parallel universe got married to said student.

"Did she try to do something to you?"

"What kind of question — "

"You might not know, but you are very attractive to the female students," Hina-sensei said, her voice very serious. "In the bathroom, I've heard many of them say that they wouldn't mind dating you. They even talk about how to seduce you if they ran into you on a weekend."

"That kind of thing..."

"And I know that it might be difficult for a man to resist the charms of a youthful high school girl. So I'm asking you one last time: did something happen between you?"

This was a question I could answer with full honesty.

"No."

Hina-sensei stared at me for what felt like a long time. Eventually she let out a breath and leaned back into her chair.

"Fine, I believe you."

I breathed out a silent sigh of relief.

"But there is something I need to ask you: why do you let her stay at your place? You should realize that when someone finds out, you will be the one in trouble — especially because of your job."

"I know that, but still...I can't just leave a student who needs help."

Hina-sensei put a finger on the table. I looked at her hand, feeling confused. What did she mean by that? There was nothing but the table cloth there.

"Have you read the contract when you signed it?"

"Of course."

"Our duties as government employees who work as teachers extends to the school building to the school gate — that's it. Anything that happens to the students outside of those gates is not within our professional concern. In fact if we were to get heavily involved with our students outside of school, it would raise suspicions."

She looked at me in the eyes.

"Simply put, it is not our job to care this much about our students. That's why they have parents. And if the parents fail them, there are different branches of government who are authorized to step in. Our duty as teachers begins and ends on school property.”

Those words were cold and direct and true. I remember during my training I was warned not to get involved with students outside of school — no matter how dear they were to me.

I was a teacher, not a parent.

"I know that," I said. "But I just can't leave her."

"Do you love her?"

"What? I already told you that I didn't do anything to her."

"I know. I'm asking a different question. Do you love her?"

"I..."

My voice faded. I couldn't find the words to answer her question because I didn't know the answer.

"Let me ask this another way. Would you go this far if it wasn't Sayaka?"

I stared at the table. Would I take all these risks if it wasn't Sayaka.

"Would you go this far if it was a male student?"

My breathing was heavy.

"I don't know."

Hina-sensei sighed. I looked up, and she seemed a lot more relaxed.

"We all have our favorite students," she said. “Teachers are human too, it's unavoidable."

"Right."

"I trust that all your answers are true. You never were a good liar anyway. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your little secret."

She really meant it. The tense atmosphere between us cleared. I let out a deep breath. Both of us picked up fork and knife and continued to eat.

The main course arrived.

It was two different pastas, meant to be shared.

"Still though," Hina-sensei said, her mouth half full with food. "I always thought that Sayaka was a good kid. You really can't tell that her situation at home is so bad that she would run away."

"I guess so. We almost never meet the parents after all, so it's hard to tell what kind of lives these kids have outside of school."

"Sayaka must really trust you," Hina-sensei said. "It's not easy for a young girl like her to live with a man. Who knows if he'll push her down and have his way with her."

I said nothing. In fact it was me who had to worry about Sayaka attacking me.

Obviously I couldn't tell her the truth about Sayaka, her origins or that our domestic life is like that of newlyweds sans the consummation in bed, so I decided to change the topic.

"You mentioned before that I am popular among the female students? They talk about me in the bathrooms?"

Hina-sensei grinned. "It's not polite to pry into what girls talk about in the bathroom."

"I thought you and I are on the same team."

"Loyalties and promises are null and void past the bathroom border."

"Seriously?"

"But I could let some secrets slip if I my tongue was lose..."

In other words, if I wanted her to talk, I needed to make it worth her while.

Hina-sensei could be unexpectedly cunning.

I called the waiter over and asked for the wine menu. The waiter came back with it, and Hina-sensei snatched it out of his hands.

She ordered two glasses of some very expensive wine.

"Every one has their price, and this is mine."

"Okay..."

I cried inwardly. Give me a break! We both earn the same salary.

Once the wine arrived, Hina-sensei let me in on that secret girl talk.

Apparently quite a few girls had a crush on me. Hina-sensei said that since I my looks weren't 'half bad' and I looked quite young for my age, it made me really appealing to the female students.

Come to think of it, a lot of female students did come to talk to me. I just never made a note of it because I thought they all needed help with homework.

When I said that, Hina-sensei burst out laughing. She said she felt sorry for all those girls who got their hopes up.

I asked for names.

"Hmm~ Should I tell you~?"

Hina-sensei seemed a little drunk. I decided to push ahead.

"Please tell me. I'll make it worth your while sometime in the future."

"Hmm~ Fine."

She listed a handful of names. Among them was Tanaka Ayumi. Sayaka's best friend.

...

Wait a minute. Sayaka's friend had a crush on me? I thought Tanaka supported Sayaka's feelings. Or maybe the Tanaka in this universe was different?

We finished the main course, and the waiter took away our plates. Only desert remained.

Hina-sensei stood up.

"I'm going to leave now."

"Eh? There is still desert."

She smiled slightly.

"I guess you didn't notice because you're so dense, Seiji-sensei, but Sayaka has been following us all day. She must be soooo jealous because I took her man away from her~"

Hina-sensei was clearly drunk.

"You're drunk, I'll walk you home and — "

"You will do no such thing!"

Her voice had a determined ring to it.

"Anyway, Sayaka has been following us all day, and I feel sorry for her. I think she's been waiting outside the restaurant the whole time. So what I will do is leave, then you can invite her in and share desert with her. Poor girl, she must be starving."

She paused, and her gaze turned pensive.

"Although I respect such stubbornness. If only she could direct this will towards her studies."

Hina-sensei left the restaurant with vague but steady steps. The waiter opened the door for her, glanced at our table and saw I was still sitting there. He gave me a look of pity. Man to man. His expression said that this wasn’t his first time witnessing something like that at his job.

I understand buddy.

I’m afraid you got the wrong idea, but I couldn’t be bothered to correct him.

It wasn't until a moment later that I realized: Hina-sensei didn't pay for her share.

Ugh...this was going to be expensive, but it was cheap price in exchange for Hina-sensei keeping my secret.

The waiter came over and asked if there was anything else I wanted. I asked him for two cups of coffee.

He smiled and said it would be on the house.

Again, he misunderstanding the whole situation. He clearly thought that Hina-sensei and I were dating, and that I had just gotten dumped.

"Eh? Two coffees, sir?"

"Yes."

The young man looked confused, but didn't question my order any further.

A few minutes later, the coffees were served. I drank my cup. I waited.

Five minutes later, the door opened.

Sayaka stepped in. She looked a little lost.

"Over here," I said.

Sayaka came over and sat down.

"This is for you," I said and slid the coffee over.

"Eh? How did you know that I was going to come in?"

"I didn't. Hina-sensei told me that you were following us all day and that you were waiting outside."

"Oh okay... Ehhhhhh??"

I told Sayaka about what happened after she and I separated. It turned out that Hina-sensei had seen us long before she interrupted us, and that she knew that Sayaka was following me and her.

Sayaka made an expression that looked like she finally understood something important.

I continued by telling her that Hina-sensei had seen us holding hands, and she guessed that this mysterious girl was Sayaka.

At that moment all color drained from Sayaka's face.

"What did you tell her?" she asked.

"Once Hina-sensei figured out on her own who you were, there was little I could hide," I said. "I couldn't tell her that you were from a parallel universe, so I said that you ran away from home and that you were staying with me for a while. She grilled me like a detective, but I think I managed to ease her suspicions."

There was a twinkle in Sayaka's eyes.

"What kind of suspicions did she have?"

It was a valid question, but somehow I got the feeling that Sayaka was asking for the wrong reasons.

"She asked if I tried to do it with you."

"What did you say?"

"Of course not. She also asked if you tried to do it with me."

"And?"

"I said nothing of the sort happened."

"Anything else?"

"She asked — "

Do you love her?

I took a sip from my coffee. There was no way I could tell Sayaka that. Because if I did, Sayaka would want to know my answer, and there was no way I could escape unscathed.

"What did she ask?" Sayaka leaned in, her curious face filling my vision.

The waiter cast a curious glance at us. The older woman left, and now the same chair was occupied by a much younger girl. I'm sure I'd be the subject of much gossip among the staff.

"She asked me if I had feelings for you."

Sayaka blinked, then her lips formed an 'O' shape. She leaned back, then sat upright. Her cheeks were slightly red, her demeanor suddenly demure.

"And what did you say?"

"I managed to avoid that question."

"Che..."

Sayaka looked away and clicked her tongue. For whatever reason, she seemed upset by what I said.

The waiter came and put desert on our table.

"Ohhh!"

Her anger dissipated. Her eyes were fixed on the desert.

"I love tiramisu!"

"Hina-sensei said that this was her apology to you, since you followed us all day because of her."

"Ehh~ Getting an apology from a rival doesn't make my happy~"

She totally sounded happy.

Sayaka took off her mask and sunglasses, picked up the small spoon that came with the tiramisu and dug in.

"Hnghhhhh! This tastes so good!"

Her whole body shook with pleasure.

I watched her eat. Seeing her enjoy this desert so much somehow made me feel at ease.

Would you go this far if it was a male student?

Hina-sensei's question rung in my mind. Truthfully, in some ways it was nice to live together with a girl, even if she was still a student. Girls smelled good, and Sayaka herself was easy to live with. Guys on the other hand are messier, and based on my experience in university, two guys living together in one room would inevitably lead to conflict.

The cohabitation I had with Sayaka wouldn't be possible with a male student.

But would I make the same sacrifices for a male student?

I honestly wasn't sure. Maybe not. That was the ugly truth.

"Seiji, you try!"

Sayaka shoved her spoon into my mouth, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hnghhh!" I couldn't breathe.

The tiramisu tasted good. The sweetness was just right. I could picture Italy in my mind.

"I have the same thing here, you know." I pointed at my serving of tiramisu.

"Heh-heh~ But sharing food makes it taste better."

We finished the desert and sipped out coffees. Sayaka ordered a pasta, and we chatted while we waited for her food to arrive.

"Sayaka, we need to be very careful for the next couple of days."

"You mean because Hina-sensei found out that I'm living with you?"

"Yes. This also means that her cosmic dissonance has come undone just like Tanaka's. At this point we really don't know how the universe will react to this, especially because Hina-sensei and Tanaka are close to second year Sayaka."

"Hmm, you might be right. I imagine if it was people I wasn't close to, then any effects would be minor."

"Right. So I guess you just need to lay low for the next couple of days, and we'll have to see what happens."

"Hngh..."

Sayaka clearly didn't like the idea of being stuck at home, but there was no other choice.

"Please, just do this once. I'm worried about you."

Sayaka's eyes sparkled when she heard those words.

"Okay! I will do it for your sake."

I smiled slightly. Why did this exchange almost bring me to tears?

I paid the bill, and we left the restaurant.

By now the shopping arcade street was almost completely empty. All the shops had their shutters drawn. A few people were on their way home, walking through the shopping arcade to get to the residential district. A steady trickle of people came from the direction of the local station.

At some point, Sayaka took my hand. I didn't pull away.

"Let's go home," she said.

"Yeah."