Episode Seven: I Entrust It to You ―December 2033―

“Fundamentally, the fault lies with my own failure to foresee this. I too had been a passenger in Hisako-san’s car during my student days, which made me complacent. But times have changed. I should have avoided situations where I was alone with a pupil, simply because we are of the same sex. …It was I who acted rashly.”

“…Why do you keep saying it’s all your fault⁉ It’s me who’s been causing you trouble all along!”

“Because I am the adult, and you are the child. Responsibility must always be borne by the adult.”

“Then at least make excuses to the headmaster! He was talking as if those completely malicious rumours were facts!　Like how you didn’t want me walking home alone at night, or how I kept pestering you… anything would do!”

Why do I get so emotional whenever it comes to you? I don’t want to trouble you, I don’t want you to dislike me, but I can’t control my feelings properly and it frustrates me.

“I’ve always been bad with words. I’m also poor at discerning the subtleties of others’ feelings, so I’m not good at communicating with people. I thought it best not to risk making things worse by awkwardly explaining myself to the headmaster.”

“But… but! If you don’t say anything, you might not be able to keep teaching! Is that really okay?!”

“If it protects your future, Uehara-san.”

“Why?… don’t you give up, teacher!”

The dam seemed to have reached its limit. Before I knew it, tears were spilling from my eyes.

“You really are… such a kind girl, Uehara.”

The teacher gently wiped the tears from my cheek with the sleeve of her blouse.

It was always like this. I had to change the teacher’s mindset – always putting me, her pupil, first and neglecting herself – or I’d never persuade her to reconsider.

“If you can’t value yourself, then I’ll value you all the more.”

“Thank you. Just knowing you feel that way is enough to make me happy.”

A vague resolution like that seemed unlikely to sway the teacher’s heart.

“What about the students in Class 2-1? You were working so incredibly hard because it was your first time being a homeroom teacher!”

“If I’m suspended or dismissed, I suppose I’ll be removed as homeroom teacher… I feel truly sorry for the students. I wanted to see their growth with my own eyes for a whole year… but it can’t be helped.”

“So why are you giving up…?”

“Because I’ve already made up my mind. Uehara-san, it’s the final sprint period before the Common Test. I cannot allow something like this to take away your precious time. Please put this matter behind you and focus on your final push.”

　Leaving me behind, still unconvinced, the teacher was about to move on to her closing remarks.

“Wait, teacher… I don’t want to… Didn’t you become a teacher because you admired Hisako-san…? Wasn’t this the job you wanted so badly you overrode your parents’ objections…?”

Which word had triggered her? The teacher’s expression stiffened for just an instant, but she quickly returned to her usual self.

“…Even if I cease being a teacher, I can still convey what matters. Hisako-san entrusted me with these vital words: ‘There are as many lives as there are people. Each person has a story only they can write.’ Now, I entrust them to you, Uehara-san. …My life and yours are different. From now on, please weave the story only you can write.”

Stop it. It sounds like a farewell letter. Like a teacher’s death poem.

　I don’t know how to leap over the line you’ve drawn.

No matter how many times I try, I just plummet pitifully to the bottom of the cliff.

How can I make you not give up on being a teacher? I thought my exam prep had improved my academic ability, but if my brain can’t be used in moments like this, it’s meaningless.

I felt like I was being swallowed up by dark, cold emotions.