Chapter 166: A Blessing to Still Be Able to Meet (Long Chapter)
"Shizuka, wake up. Wake up. You don't want to be late on the first day of school."
In the familiar room, the soft morning light fell from the window onto the fluffy carpet. The game console still sat on the lounge chair in the corner, with several finance books scattered across the desk. On the inner side of the bed, a giant teddy bear was being squeezed by a pair of beautiful hands, its neck losing its shape...
"Ugh~, what time is it?" Shizuka opened her eyes reluctantly. Seeing Akishin, she gave a soft smile and reached out her arms. "Akishin, give me a hug so I can wake up~"
Akishin's face wore a resigned, doting smile. He reached out and hugged Shizuka gently, lifting her from the bed.
"You're already an adult, yet you still ask for hugs."
"Hehe, isn't it because I have you? What's wrong with enjoying a morning hug from my own boyfriend? What's wrong with it! Do you have an objection?"
"Fine, fine, no objections. From now on, I'll hug you every day to help you wake up, my Lady Shizuka."
Noticing a few stray hairs sticking up on Shizuka's head, Akishin took a hairbrush and gently brushed them straight. Despite sleeping all night, her hair remained incredibly smooth, flowing all the way to the ends like a waterfall.
Shizuka sat on the edge of the bed with her eyes narrowed, smiling as she enjoyed her lover's service. Once her hair was brushed, she pushed Akishin out so she could change out of her pajamas and into her daily suit set, topped with a white lab coat.
Except for the bunny slippers on her feet, she had transformed back into the usual bold and gallant Shizuka. She then went to the bathroom to wash her face, brush her teeth, and apply her makeup...
By the time Shizuka came downstairs, the table in the living area was already set with a simple yet beautiful breakfast: corn porridge, bread, milk, a small plate of braised beef, and a side of kimchi.
As they ate, Akishin suddenly asked, "Shizuka-chan, are there any major or important school events this semester?"
Public schools in Japan are far more relaxed than in China. Not only are the study hours shorter, but there's basically no homework, and there are always plenty of activities, festivals, and celebrations. Such festivals are mostly concentrated in the autumn, which was this semester's period.
Akishin generally didn't keep track of such things and had no interest in them. He was only bringing it up now to start a conversation. Regardless of the festival, he was usually the one taking it easy.
However...
Shizuka's position seemed specifically geared toward handling these things. When the time came, it would be better for him to help her shoulder some of the workload.
—Shizuka's birthday had fallen on the day right after the confession. As a first gift, when Shizuka and he woke up in bed together, he gave her the first greeting: 'Shizuka, happy birthday.'
That evening, Akishin had personally baked a cake and prepared a table full of delicious food. They hadn't invited anyone else; it was just him, the Hiratsuka couple, the eight servants, and the Nito couple who had rushed over to celebrate Shizuka's birthday together...
"Major or important school events..."
Shizuka picked up a piece of braised beef and held it out to Akishin. He naturally took it in one bite. Shizuka thought for a moment and said, "There are, and not just a few. I was exhausted last year, and it's going to start all over again..."
She set her chopsticks down. Suddenly, Shizuka looked like a salted fish that had lost its dreams, her entire aura turning gloomy. "Since it's already autumn, first there's the School Anniversary. After that, the Sports Festival. Then I have to take the students on a trip—the second-year School Trip, which I think is to Tokyo. Aside from that, there will likely be a Joint Social Event with another school..."
Shizuka sighed dejectedly. "Just thinking about so many tasks that require my personal participation makes me feel so tired. Maybe I should just resign today~, then I wouldn't have to deal with any of this, ugh~"
Akishin smiled. He knew well enough that Shizuka's talk of resigning was just a joke; if he actually asked her to resign now, she certainly wouldn't agree.
This was Shizuka: a bit selfish, a bit arrogant, and a bit of a tsundere, but the rest was all tenderness... Akishin said softly, "Don't worry, Shizuka. I'll help you this year. If anyone dares to dump too much work on you, let them come and find me..."
"I was waiting for you to say that. Akishin, you're the best." Shizuka hugged Akishin, happily kissing his cheek once.
Akishin froze for a moment, touching the spot where she had kissed him. He looked at Shizuka, whose face was slightly flushed as she stared straight ahead, intently counting the grains in her corn porridge.
Akishin chuckled softly, picking up a piece of beef and placing it in front of Shizuka...
...
"Shizuka-chan, sit properly and hold on tight."
In front of the Chishima residence, Akishin arrived on a bicycle. Shizuka sat sideways on the back seat, her legs together. She tucked a beautiful strand of hair behind her ear and gently pulled on the hem of Akishin's shirt.
A gust of autumn wind blew, tossing her long black hair. The sun had just risen in the east, casting a golden light over the streets. It felt warm. On the sidewalk, office workers hurried along while students strolled leisurely, and early birds were hunting for worms in various spots...
Today was the first day of the new semester, and the students were full of energy. It was strange; when school was in session, they longed for holidays, but once the holidays arrived, they missed the start of school.
Akishin pedaled the bicycle with Shizuka on the back toward the school, drawing many gazes along the way.
Shizuka's face was red, but she kept a smile. She felt like she had returned to her own school days. However, she had been an adult for many years now. Riding a bike to school was romantic, but it felt a little embarrassing.
"Akishin, after this, we should probably just walk to school, or otherwise, use the car."
"...No problem."
Akishin looked around, understanding Shizuka's meaning. Even though they had just started their relationship, they weren't school students. As adults with official positions, they had to consider appearances.
He could be thick-skinned and not care, but Shizuka still had a strong sense of pride—even if the looks they were getting were mostly just envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Hmph, feel free to be as envious as you want, because I have a girlfriend as beautiful and sweet as this. Remember, she has a nickname at school: Shizuka-Kawaii!
Hm, those students have a bit of taste.
Ring! Ring!
The sound of a bicycle bell came from behind. Two bicycles hurried up to Akishin's left and then slowed down.
"Chishima-sensei, Hiratsuka-sensei, good morning."
"Ho-ya! Chishima-sensei, you're flaunting your affection so early in the morning. Look at everyone's stares; I'm feeling jealous."
It was Yuika and Kaiko. Kaiko was looking at Akishin with a wide grin.
"He's just giving me a ride to school, what 'flaunting' are you talking about? Kaiko, don't talk nonsense." Shizuka's face turned beet red as she glared at Kaiko, but her words carried no weight.
She noticed the surroundings; it was true that many students were looking their way. The closer they got to the school, the more students they encountered, and she began to feel increasingly self-conscious.
"Is that Chishima-sensei and Hiratsuka-sensei? Hiratsuka-sensei is sitting on Chishima-sensei's bike. How romantic! Are they dating now?"
"You didn't know? They officially got together a week ago. It's already all over the school class groups..."
"I'm so jealous of Hiratsuka-sensei, finding a boyfriend as handsome and strong as Chishima-sensei. And poor me, I don't even have anyone pursuing me right now..."
"Damn it, the one to be envied is Chishima-sensei! That's Shizuka-Kawaii over there. She might be a bit rough, but that's part of the charm. Damn, I'm so jealous... no, I'm so hateful..."
"Hey, hey, don't call her Shizuka-Kawaii anymore. Hiratsuka-sensei has a boyfriend now. Be careful or Chishima-sensei will beat you up..."
Snippets of conversation like that drifted from the passing students. Akishin heard some of it and only smiled. Students really loved discussing things like this.
"Kondo, how is the reconstruction of Itomori Town going? Have Mitsuha and Yotsuha arrived yet?"
Akishin looked at Yuika, who was quietly observing the surroundings, and looked for a topic of conversation.
Itomori Town was being rebuilt, and all the original residents were to receive a new housing unit. While it certainly couldn't compare to their old private homes, they couldn't complain much either.
It was a natural disaster. The government provided aid as quickly as possible, offering free medical care, living subsidies, and minimizing the impact. After that, allocating a new house to every household was seen as fulfilling their responsibility. Even the most critical media couldn't say anything negative right now.
Were they going to blame the government for not detecting earlier that the comet would split?
Don't be mistaken—there were actually people like that!
But they were quickly drowned out by countless insults.
Furthermore, for the new semester, all students from the original Itomori High School had to be reassigned to other schools. This was also allocated by the government, though some students chose to transfer schools on their own.
Among them were the Miyamizu sisters, who would be attending school in Chiba City.
Miyamizu Toshiki had contacted Akishin to mention this, also intending to invite him for a meal. He didn't explicitly ask for any favors, but the fact that he reached out actively proved there was an underlying request.
Akishin had sent a message to Director Okazawa and forwarded the Miyamizu sisters' academic records.
Director Okazawa had agreed quite happily. The next day, he sent a message saying it was settled. After that, Akishin didn't worry about it further—for a student, the most visual way to show achievement was through academic grades.
Hearing Akishin's question, Yuika pondered for two seconds before giving a calm smile. "Thank you for asking, Sensei. Our family home is almost finished. Mitsuha and Yotsuha came to Chiba yesterday. Yotsuha is in the same school as Komachi, and Mitsuha is coming to our Sobu High School. I haven't met her yet, but we chatted on LINE. They asked me to thank Chishima-sensei on their behalf..."
Yuika was quite surprised when she first got the news. She hadn't expected the Miyamizu sisters to come to Chiba City!
But thinking about it, it made sense. Chiba City had better educational resources than Itomori Town, and they had acquaintances here. Coming here was a natural choice.
Akishin shook his head with a light laugh. "I only did a small thing. Even without me, with their grades, schools would be fighting to have them." This was the truth; the Miyamizu sisters' grades were quite good even by the standards of an elite school like Sobu High School.
Shizuka had heard Akishin mention it once before. Hearing that Mitsuha was coming to Sobu High School, she asked curiously, "Mitsuha is coming to Sobu High School? Which class? Which teacher?"
Aside from being the Guidance Counselor for Class 2-F and the counselor for the school, she also had teaching hours in several other classes—even a few more hours than Akishin taught. Finally, she said with a laugh, "Could she be in one of the classes I teach?"
Kaiko shook her head. "I don't know. Mitsuha didn't say. She probably doesn't know herself."
"True. Chishima-sensei, do you believe someone can swap bodies with another person?" Yuika suddenly remembered something. She pedaled faster a few times, avoiding a bus coming from behind, and pulled ahead of Akishin. Slowing down to let him catch up, she blinked her large eyes and said, "When chatting with Mitsuha earlier, she said she sometimes has strange dreams. She dreams she swaps bodies with someone. She goes to Tokyo, while that person comes to Itomori Town. And Itomori Town was saved by that person, but she can never clearly remember what he looked like or what his name was."
Akishin didn't answer, instead asking, "What do you think, Yuika?"
Yuika shook her head hesitantly. "I... I don't know." She also had that kind of feeling, as if she had forgotten something. Thinking back to the period when the meteorite fell, her memory was always very hazy; she couldn't remember specifically what happened.
If she had to describe it, it was like looking through a window covered in white fog.
If she were the only one experiencing this, she might not have been suspicious—she'd likely not care, as she was a staunch atheist (visiting Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples on holidays was strictly a habit for peace of mind)—but when she asked Kaiko, Kaiko had the same situation. Mitsuha and Yotsuha did as well.
This inevitably raised suspicion.
Shizuka added, "I have that feeling too. It's very strange. Is there really a God?" Both her hands held onto Akishin.
Akishin reflected for a moment. "As for that, I don't know either. If you feel that God exists, then surely He does. Believing in yourself is enough, as long as it doesn't lead to hurting others."
Kaiko grumbled, "Chishima-sensei, you're cheating. Even I can tell that didn't explain anything. That was just a bunch of nonsense..." As she spoke, she swung her small fists twice toward Akishin. But remembering the difference in combat strength, she retracted them and stuck out her tongue instead.
Akishin laughed and shook his head. His memories were still intact, likely due to the Patch. Now he could confirm that Mitsuha had indeed swapped bodies with someone, likely someone from the future.
But he didn't know who that person was either. When he had asked Patch, the only response was that he lacked authority.
"Patch, did Mitsuha swap bodies with someone?"
Patch: [Chishima Akishin does not have the authority to know.]
"What is that person's name?"
Patch: [Chishima Akishin does not have the authority to know.]
"Where does that person live?"
Patch: [Tokyo.]
See? That was the case. How was he supposed to answer? It was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack!
Rather than telling them and making them guess aimlessly, it was better to let them slowly forget.
He could only pray that Mitsuha and that person would still be able to meet, and that when they did, they would remember each other!
...
As far as the eye could see, there were students in groups of three or five, strolling toward the school. On the way, they met Kakeru Tobe, Ebina Hina, and Kawasaki Saki, exchanging friendly greetings.
Ring! Ring!
Arriving at the school, Shizuka got off the bicycle with a slightly red face under the gaze of many students. She straightened her clothes and then pretended to be serious as she walked into the building with the three of them.
Once inside the school building, there was laughter and light chatter everywhere.
At the building entrance, many students who had arrived early stood silently. But as soon as they spotted a familiar face, their eyes lit up, and they began chatting happily.
He remembered Hachiman once saying something like this: he was a Lone Wolf, and a Lone Wolf defines his true self through an aloof pride.
However, while Hachiman might still be able to be aloof, he could no longer be a Lone Wolf...
—Even if they claimed youth was a lie, at least for most students, youth was entirely beautiful. They got drunk on it, enjoyed themselves in it, cried in it, and even considered mistakes as the romance of youth. And they...
They truly deserved the right to enjoy their youth!
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