That’s How I Met With The Woman Who Saved Me From Drowning

I decided to go simple with my outfit. It was a simple meet-up with a teacher—nothing more, nothing less. I was certain she wouldn’t come in a fancy dress similar to the one she wore yesterday. After all, this wasn’t a date.

She had told me to meet her in front of the station at 1 p.m., but I arrived a bit earlier. In all honesty, I felt like an overwhelming queasiness began to envelop me. I was already in trouble after completely ignoring her whilst eating yesterday, but now I was anxious due to the suddenness of this meet-up.

Before the clock hit one, Sensei arrived. Thankfully, she wasn’t wearing a fancy outfit. Instead, she was wearing a casual green blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt. She still looked more stylish than me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“I just got here, so it’s fine.”

“I see. Well then, shall we go?”

I followed Sensei into a dark alleyway. She wasn’t trying to kill me, was she? Before I could begin to panic, we arrived at a mysterious place with a neon sign. At first, I was sceptical of the place, especially since it was just in a dark alleyway, but when we entered, I was astounded to find myself in a high-quality-looking ramen place. There were only two or three people inside.

“Welcome, Riho-chan.” The old man at the till proclaimed

“Hello, Nobusuke-san. Two of the usual, please.”

“Sure thing! I see you brought a guest, and a young, good-looking fella at that. Welcome to my ramen shop.”

“Thank you.”

“Please sit wherever you want.”

Sensei and I sat at the corner table, furthest away from the door. Sensei claimed that this was her usual seat whenever she went there.

The aroma of simmering broth wafted through the air, ensuring me that they were cooking up something appetising. The soft, ambient lighting cast a gentle glow on the wooden furnishings, giving the space an inviting charm. I could feel the warmth coming from the kitchen. The sizzle of ingredients meeting the hot pan was the main source of sound, besides the sounds of people slurping away at their meals.

Our food finally arrived. It looked like a normal bowl of ramen. As I took my first spoonful, the rich broth danced on my taste buds. The warm broth was simmered to perfection, giving it a lovely richness. It hugged my tongue, allowing me to feel the love used to make it. The thin noodles entwined with the broth, carrying a powerful essence with every bite I took. There were enough vegetables and toppings, which added a layer of crunch to this culinary masterpiece. With every bite, all my worries seemed to evaporate. It was a harmonious blend of craftsmanship and tradition, one of the best and most satisfying bowls of ramen I had ever had the pleasure of tasting.

“Did you enjoy it?” Sensei asked me

“It was phenomenal.” And that wasn’t even an exaggeration.

“Nobusuke-san makes the best bowl of ramen in town.”

“Yeah. At first, I was a bit doubtful, especially because it was in the middle of a dark alleyway, but I’m glad you brought me here.”

“Did you think I was trying to kill you?”

“No. No. Of course not.”

That was a lie.

“Well, that’s the cool thing about this place. No one knows that a place that sells perfect ramen exists here.”

“I agree. Is there a toilet here?”

“Yes. Just go through that door, then take a left, and there should be one there.”

“Thank you.”

“When you return, we’ll start talking.”

I felt somewhat threatened by that line. After that delicious meal, I had completely forgotten why we came here in the first place.

I quickly rushed to the toilet. There was this feeling of dread when it came to my attention that I would have to confront Sensei and address the weighty and serious matter at hand. She was the one who saved me from nearly dying a year ago. I had no idea how to talk to her about it. All I wanted to do was run out the door and never look back, but I knew I couldn’t run away from this talk. So I washed my face and composed myself before returning to the table.

There she sat, looking like a businesswoman about to have a meeting with a shareholder. To me, this might have been the most important conversation of my life. I sat down and prepared to listen to what she had to say.

“I assume you know why we’re here, Kurosawa.”

“I think I have an idea.”

Anxiety began to creep up my shoulder. I was certain this talk was going to be brutal.

“Then… you are the boy I saved from drowning a year ago, right?”

“And you are the person who saved me from nearly dying a year ago, right?”

“So it seems we both knew our true identities.”

The intensity had become too much for me to handle that I felt like vomiting. I awaited her next sentence.

“Thank goodness.” She said, slouching back in her seat. “I’m so happy that I was right.”

That was not the response I was expecting.

“I can’t believe you’re the boy I saved. I’m so glad to know you’re doing well.”

“Wait. You knew it was me the whole time?”

“I suspected that you might have been him, but I wasn’t too sure. But then I recognised the scar beneath your hair, and then I instantly knew it was you.”

I was both happy and downright confused about the current situation. I couldn’t believe Sensei knew it was me all this time.

“But…”

I knew there was a ‘but’ coming.

“It seems like you aren’t as relieved as I am to know the truth.”

Truth be told, I simply viewed her as a beautiful school nurse, but when it was revealed that I had already met her in a chance encounter a year ago and that she was my saviour, it made me a bit uneasy about how to approach her.

“I see that I make you uncomfortable.”

No, that wasn’t it.

“I don’t blame you. It must have been a traumatic experience for you. Learning that I was the one that saved you that day must have brought back some terrible memories.”

No, she was wrong.

“I was so excited to learn that you were doing okay that I completely ignored how you would probably feel about this.”

I wanted to say something, but the words would not come out of my mouth.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ll keep my distance from you from now on.”

“I don’t want that!” I shouted.

I felt a small number of eyes inside the shop looking at me. Sensei also looked very surprised by my sudden outrage. But she was wrong about everything, so I had to clarify everything.

“You don’t make me uncomfortable, Sensei. I was just unsure about how to talk to you after learning the truth. I didn’t want to ruin the relationship we already had before the truth came out. So, I’m sorry for keeping my distance from you yesterday.”

I couldn’t tell what her face looked like since I was bowing my head down, but I imagined she had an expression of surprise and bewilderment. I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I looked up and saw her sincere and pure face looking at me, her eyes portraying a sense of relief and gratitude.

“Thank you, Kurosawa. I’m glad you told me how you felt.”

“Huh?”

“If you’d like, I would still like to continue having our casual talks at school. Maybe we could even become friends, if you’d like.”

Friends, huh? I only saw her as the school nurse, my Sensei. But the idea of being friends with her intrigued me.

“I don’t mind.”

“Good.”

A rush of relief washed over me as the weight of the serious conversation lifted, providing me the freedom to breathe once more. After paying, we walked back home. I thanked her for the meal, and we went our separate ways.

When I returned home, I collapsed onto my bed, thankful that my relationship with Sensei did not end abruptly.