Chapter 4.5
This chapter was translated by Jokertrap-Ran and proofread by kuririn, yuugs, and dei-hime.
It was finally New Year's Eve.
Night had fallen in no time at all as I dedicated myself to a big clean-up session.
Chizuru Yukimura: "I think it's about time I turn in for the day..."
I planned to go pay my first respects of the year at the shrine, so I didn't want to stay up too late. Plus, I was starting to get sleepy, too. The futon was starting to look too tempting as I glanced at the wall-mounted clock. It was a few minutes before midnight.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Oh, it's almost New Year's."
I took note of the clock's moving hands as I brushed my teeth, changed into my pajamas and prepared for bed. Once I was all ready for bed, I sat on top of it, waiting for the very moment the day changed.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Another ten seconds..."
Five more seconds. Four, three, two...
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
And the date changed. The world was now welcoming the 1st of January, 00:00. The quiet welcome of a New Year. It's an annual occurrence, but a special one, still. For some odd reason or another, I was especially excited for this New Year, too.
Chizuru Yukimura: "I should pray for this year to be a good one when I go to the shrine later..."
I set an alarm on my phone so I wouldn't oversleep before turning off the lights. But, right before my finger met the light switch―
Chizuru Yukimura: "Wha..?"
My phone started ringing out of nowhere, making me yelp in surprise. ‘Who would be calling at such a time...?’ Wondering who it was, I pressed the incoming call button.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes, Yukimura speaking."
A familiar voice met my ear.
???: "Hello, Yukimura-kun. I apologize for calling at such a late hour."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Sa―...!? Sannan-sensei...!? Uh, umm... Happy New Year!!"
Keisuke Sannan: "Yes. Happy New Year to you, as well. I apologise for the sudden call. Would you be surprised if I told you...I called because I wanted to hear your voice?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "...I was already surprised..."
Keisuke Sannan: "Hehehe..." He chuckled, seemingly amused with this entire exchange, but… I couldn't help but be curious if he really meant what he'd just said.
I pondered over it for a moment before deciding to go for it. I opened my mouth to speak:
Chizuru Yukimura: "Um, Sannan-sensei―"
Keisuke Sannan: "Yukimura-kun, would you mind if I asked you something? It's a little uncouth, though."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes?"
Keisuke Sannan: "It's the 1st of January today, yes?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes, that's right."
Keisuke Sannan: "We are also in winter holidays right now, so I suppose you'll be going to pay your first respects of the year like the rest of the students?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Y-Yes. That was my intention."
Keisuke Sannan: "What are your plans? Are you going with someone else?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "I don't have much planned. I was going to head there alone when morning came."
Keisuke Sannan: "Then, how would you feel about me accompanying you?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Eh?" ‘He wants to come with me? Is that really okay?’ I found myself at a loss.
However, it seemed like Sannan-sensei had taken my silence the wrong way, and started speaking again as if to convince me.
Keisuke Sannan: "Ahh… That was a rather strange way to put it. Allow me to rephrase. Yukimura-kun. Will you come to the shrine with me?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "......" ‘I wonder why I feel this way?’ Hearing him invite me out again made my heart start to pound… I responded, "...I stumbled upon my words earlier because I was just surprised by your invitation. I never thought that you'd invite me out with you." I took a deep breath after explaining.
Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm really happy you invited me. Certainly, I'd love to go with you."
I jumped into bed the moment the call ended. I'd agreed to have my first shrine visit with Sannan-sensei. I was really nervous, but I had to sleep. Otherwise I might oversleep...! My eyelids fluttered shut, and I waited impatiently for the drowsiness I’d been feeling before to settle back in.
We'd agreed to meet sometime early in the morning, when the sun had yet to rise.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Good morning, sir."
Keisuke Sannan: "Good morning, Yukimura-kun. I believe the last time we saw each other was at the Christmas party."
We exchanged simple greetings with each other as he came to pick me up in front of my house. We walked side-by-side.
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
Leaving my house together with him while it was still dark out… It was an inexplicably strange feeling. An extraordinary sight, actually.
Keisuke Sannan: "...Is something the matter?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "N-No. It's nothing!"
Keisuke Sannan: ?
I felt like what set us apart―the boundaries between 'teacher' and 'student'―were much thinner than usual today. I couldn't help but notice that when I stood beside him, both dressed in plain clothes, he simply looked like any other adult man. A sudden onslaught of nervousness that I hadn't felt before filled my heart…
It was still dim outside when we finally reached the shrine. A white mist formed every time we exchanged words, disappearing as it dispersed into the air.
Keisuke Sannan: "...Are you cold?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "No, I'm quite alright."
I answered immediately, without hesitation. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he made a sound of disbelief, clearly sensing something more. And so, he reworded the question.
Keisuke Sannan: "You're chilled, aren't you?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Just a little."
Keisuke Sannan: "It's a bit rude of me to be dragging a woman out before dawn. I deeply apologize for that."
Chizuru Yukimura: "No, no! I'm really fine!"
He seemed a little troubled by the situation. I said...
[The mornings feel great in winter!]
[I'm completely awake now thanks to that!]
Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm completely awake now thanks to that, since I wasn't really able to fall asleep yesterday."
Keisuke Sannan: "Oh...?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "I'm still not sleepy in the slightest, so it's totally fine! But if we had met each other at a time where the sun had already risen... I'd have been too sleepy to function then, and this shrine visit we're doing together for would've been a completely wasted opportunity."
Keisuke Sannan: "Heh… I couldn't quite fall asleep either, after calling you. To tell the truth, I was wide awake."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...! You, too?"
Keisuke Sannan: "Yes. I have not slept ever since our call. I never thought that we would be the same in that regard." His eyes crinkled as he smiled, flattered as he was, and I returned it.
Chizuru Yukimura: "So, I guess deciding to meet up during dawn really was the right choice after all. ...It's a little cold, but I really mean it when I say that I don't mind feeling a bit chilly."
Keisuke Sannan: "Right... Although, personally, I'd like you to be so warmed up that the cold doesn't bother you in the slightest."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...... Wha―!?"
Keisuke Sannan: "I'm something like a teacher myself, so I have to establish a line between us as an adult and a minor. The public’s eye is always watching, so I cannot do things that might cast doubt upon us… You understand, don't you?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Yes, I do..."
Keisuke Sannan: "Ahh, of course. Your opinion will always be of higher priority here."
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
Somehow… He was saying all that with a smile, but… I really couldn't tell how much of it was a joke and how much of it he really meant. I knew that I probably couldn't hide my embarrassment, since it showed in my expressions and gestures, even radiating out from my pores, probably.
He probably noticed it, but he only smiled kindly in return without mentioning it.
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Umm..."
Keisuke Sannan: "Is something the matter?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "N-Nothing..."
Sannan-sensei wore his usual, gentle smile upon his face, and yet...
‘I wonder why?’ He seemed a little different today. He didn't feel like the school nurse, but rather more like someone closer to Sannan-sensei, the man himself...
Keisuke Sannan: "Yukimura-kun? Are you really alright? Your cheeks are paler than usual. Are you sure you're not cold?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "I-I'm fine..."
Even though he noticed my discomfort, his poker face didn't falter in the slightest.
...Maybe he wasn’t as kind and gentle as I’d thought after all.
It wasn't dawn yet, but it was still New Year's. The shrine was more crowded than I thought it would be. The line we were in moved slowly. We eventually passed through the entrance and made our way down the path to the shrine…
At last, we reached the area where we had to cleanse our hands and mouth with water before visiting, the worship hall finally in sight. Sannan-sensei seemed unfazed by all of it, smoothly going through the procedures. I wondered if he visited shrines often. I, on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves. I was being careful not to make mistakes and coming off as weird. However...
The way Sannan-sensei watched me with an enigmatic smile as I did really left an impression on me. It was as if he was enjoying the sight of it…
The sun had already risen by the time we were done with our shrine visit.
Keisuke Sannan: "A new day has broken... It is New Year's Day."
Chizuru Yukimura: "It is… The first sunrise of the very first day of the New Year feels incredibly refreshing."
He casually spoke up as I mumbled as much, looking up at the now-bright sky.
Keisuke Sannan: "Yukimura-kun, do you have any other plans for the rest of the day?"
In response to that, I said…
[Nothing in particular…]
[Preparing breakfast once I get home]
Chizuru Yukimura: "Nothing in particular, but..."
Keisuke Sannan: "But?" he echoed, a smile on his face.
Chizuru Yukimura: "You said you were sorry for inviting me out at the break of dawn, right? I still couldn't help but feel that there's an ulterior motive for you asking me out during dawn, and not some other time… Does that have anything to do with whatever's supposed to come after this?"
Hearing my deduction, he gave me a satisfied smile and laughed in return.
Keisuke Sannan: "Indeed, there is something I'd like to show you. Will you come with me...?"
I nodded, and he started to lead the way. We headed in the opposite direction from the rest of the crowd.
And then―
We left the crowd that we were previously in, and arrived at…
(CG get!°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°)
Chizuru Yukimura: "Wow..."
He'd brought me behind the shrine, following one of the paths going behind it. All the passages in the front leading towards the shrine were still as crowded as ever. However, there was no one out here. It was kind of… almost as if I were in a dream. It felt like I was lost in a completely different world.
Keisuke Sannan: "I wanted to show you the sunlight from this angle," his gentle voice drifted from a little ways away. This spot was ticked away a bit, but there was certainly an allure to it.
Keisuke Sannan: "The morning light filtering through the treetops is most beautiful at this hour."
Chizuru Yukimura:: "So that's why you wanted to get the praying done before morning broke..."
We decided to meet that early in the day for that reason. He replied to me all too happily as I expressed that I'd understood what had happened.
Keisuke Sannan: "The people crowding the shrine right now aren't really aware of this place, and most of them don't pass through here either, so they fail to notice the hidden beauty of it. Still, I wanted to share this view with you, at the very least..."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Sannan-sensei... Thank you so much for sharing this with me."
The sunlight that filtered down looked like sparkling beams of light, as beautiful as those cast by jewels… Was it because of the clear and crisp air on this cold day? Or the character that came with the shrine? Either way, the sight lifted my spirits. As we walked down the back paths of the shrine, I let out a sigh of admiration.
Chizuru Yukimura: "It's really a sight to behold..."
A gentle smile broke out upon his face as he gazed at me.
Keisuke Sannan: "Indeed. It is quite beautiful. A welcome sight for sore eyes."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Hmm…?" It was a bit odd of him to phrase it like that, but… "...Right," I smiled and nodded back at him. The world was really illuminated by a breath-taking display.
His smile was just as beautiful. I couldn't help but be blown away by the sight.
Later...
We finally had to leave the area, since it wouldn't do us any good to stay in the morning chill. It was a pity that we couldn't stay longer.
After that, Sannan-sensei took the responsibility of seeing me home, since he was the one who had invited me in the first place…
Eventually, we made it all the way back to my front door.
Keisuke Sannan: "Thank you. Having you accompany me really made for a good New Year's shrine visit. The new semester is going to begin soon, so I suppose I'll be seeing you at Hakuo Academy."
Time flies when you're having fun; our wonderful shrine visit together we had was over in the blink of an eye. Having seen me back safely to the doorstep of my own home, we said our goodbyes.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Sannan-sensei. Um..."
It was a little sad to say goodbye like this, so I couldn't help but feel a little lonely that we had to part ways… Noticing this, he simply faced me wearing another of his gentle smiles.
Keisuke Sannan: "I do wish that I could speak longer with you, but you'll surely catch a cold at this rate. I'll be looking forward to seeing you back at school again."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Alright..."
This might just be a gut feeling, but… In all of our conversations up till now, he'd never said anything to squash the hope building within me. Of course, there were times where he taught me things by giving me advice about certain issues, but… Him suddenly telling me that he wanted to have his first shrine visit of the year with me was really something new. Something that made me feel special.
......
Maybe I was just overthinking it? Those words he'd said earlier probably had no deeper meaning, but there might've been some underlying affection in them.
Still… I strongly believed that he really meant it when he said he would've loved to talk to me longer.
Then, that night…
As usual, after I finished having dinner alone, I went upstairs to my room. A New Year's program was playing on TV, but I just couldn't bring myself to watch it… In my daze, I stared blankly out my window.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Hehe..."
The events that happened today replayed in my head, making me almost giddy. The night of New Year's Day drew to a close as I dwelled on those memories.