To You 150 Years Ago by Tsuzuro Hibi

‘A date with the teacher? I’m so excited!’

‘“Date” might be the wrong word. It’s pouring with rain, and I can’t very well let a schoolgirl go home alone so late.’

In stark contrast to the teacher, who was as cool as ever, my cheeks were completely flushed.

　Her handsome profile, her lustrous black hair, her supple, feminine figure, and her calm tone of voice. Just for this moment, sitting in the passenger seat of her car, I have it all to myself.

For someone like me, who’s head over heels in love with my school teacher, this is nothing short of lucky. I’m grateful to the rain.

“It looks like there’s been an accident further down the road. We’ll take a detour home.”

“I’m happy because it means I can spend a little longer with you.”

“There you go saying things like that again…”

As soon as we turned off the main road, the number of lights dropped sharply. With the rain making visibility poor on the night-time road, the teacher was driving cautiously.

“Oh. Hey, Sensei, did you know? This area’s famous for being haunted. They say women are particularly targeted… or, wait. You’re not scared at all, are you?”

“No. I try only to believe what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”

Before I realised it, the car was picking up speed. …It feels much faster than I’d ever imagined from the way she’s driven so far.

‘Let’s take it a bit slower on the way home. We’re all alone together, after all.’

‘……’

……Even if I was just teasing a little, isn’t it strange that my sincere teacher would ignore me like this?

‘Teacher, are you feeling unwell?’

‘……’

Sure enough, something’s wrong with her. What’s more, the way she’s driving without slowing down makes me feel as though my life is in danger.

‘Hey, Sensei!’

“I want to get there quickly. Over there. To a place where we can be happy.”

It was as if my words weren’t even reaching her ears. As my heart raced and I found it hard to breathe, I realised something was terribly wrong with the situation when I saw the headlights of a car coming in the opposite lane.

The rain hitting the windscreen was bright red.

A chill ran down my spine. Startled, I pulled out my mobile and turned pale.

　……Why? Why is there no signal?

“Sensei! It’s dangerous! Let’s stop for a moment, shall we?”

There was no one else left in this world. The car was hurtling at breakneck speed towards something terrifying.

“It’s all right. As long as we’re together, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

—At that moment, I was certain this person was not my teacher.

The teacher I love would never say something like this. Above all else, she’d be worried about my safety.

…I’ll sort this out. I’ll make sure she becomes ‘Sensei’ again.

I touch her thigh and gaze at her profile.

‘If you were your usual self, you wouldn’t be scaring me like this, would you?’

Even though she’ll never accept my romantic feelings.

　Because she’s a wonderful teacher who always takes her students seriously.

‘…You’re not that girl. …Where is my girl?’

Just as she said that, I thought she was glaring at me… but then her eyes widened and she immediately looked straight ahead.

‘I’m s-sorry. It’s dangerous to look away whilst driving; I’ve been completely out of my mind.’

“……No, it’s fine. I’m glad. You’re the teacher I like.”

Realising the teacher had returned to normal, I felt a sense of relief.

“……Um. I’m truly sorry, but my memory’s a bit hazy from partway through…… Did I do something rude……?”

I thought about telling the teacher, who was asking me this with a look of confusion and anxiety, about the strange events of the past few minutes…… but in the end, I decided against it.

　She’s such a responsible person; even if she’d been possessed by something, she’d probably be tormented by guilt for putting me in danger.

“No, nothing at all? You said you liked me, you know♡”

“……Even I can tell that’s a lie.”

Because I want her to stay just as she is, the teacher I like, and never change.

　　　　　☆

This is something I heard later.

That area, rumoured to be ‘haunted’, is apparently where, long ago—in the early Meiji era, when Japan’s first and only ordinance prohibiting homosexuality was enacted—a young lady of the nobility, despairing of her future, committed double suicide with her servant.

It’s just my theory, mind you… but I think the teacher was possessed when we walked down that road. Perhaps we were mistaken for a pair of lovers in the throes of a tragic romance, and it tried to recruit us to its ranks.

　But you know, that’s not the case. I’m the one with a one-sided crush, and the teacher still only sees me as a student.

So, I have no intention of stopping. I’ll keep moving forward towards the world you all wished for.

If only, someday, it could be just the two of us.