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[-Continuation-]
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[-Hachiman's POV-]
"Hey, I am still here, you two..." Ms. Hiratsuka interjected, her tone a mixture of mock annoyance and a hint of genuine hurt, snapping me out of my thoughts.
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, and gave us a pouty look.
"Oh, we know." I replied, smirking slightly. "We just figured you were too busy recovering from the [Mental] damage you just received."
Yukinoshita gave a small, approving nod, as if to say that my retort had her unofficial endorsement.
"You two are impossible, you know that?" Ms. Hiratsuka threw her hands up dramatically.
"We learn from the best." I quipped, glancing at Yukinoshita, who returned my look with a small nod of agreement.
Ms. Hiratsuka sighed theatrically, but there was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "If I am the best example you have, then you are both in serious trouble."
"True. I really don't want to follow in your footsteps." Yukinoshita quipped, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.
"You are being really mean to her. Remember, she is the one paying the bill today." I pointed out, hoping to lighten the mood.
"So you are more concerned about the bill than her feelings?" Yukinoshita shot back, her eyebrow arched in disbelief.
"Same, same…" I muttered with a nonchalant shrug.
"They aren't the same." She countered, her tone dry but tinged with amusement.
"Besides, it is not like she is paying the bill out of sheer generosity. It is our hush money." I added with a smirk while placing my index finger on my lips.
"Now that I think about it, should a teacher really be doing this?" Yukinoshita mused aloud. "Going out like this without any form of approval or oversight."
Ms. Hiratsuka didn't miss a beat with that jab.
"Of course not. That is why I am paying for your silence." She replied smoothly, lifting her now ramen bowl as if toasting to her own audacity.
You are going to spill the soup…. Be careful.
"Isn't that even less becoming of a teacher…?" Yukinoshita pressed, her tone filled with faux concern that almost masked the glimmer of mischief in her eyes.
However, Ms. Hiratsuka continued eating without looking the least bit agitated.
"Teachers are human, just like anyone else." She replied with a casual shrug.
"We make mistakes, whether we are aware of them or not. It comes with the territory of being an adult."
I watched as Yukinoshita's expression shifted slightly, her playful demeanor giving way to a more contemplative one.
"Won't you be reprimanded if you get caught?" I asked, fully aware of the implications.
If she gets into trouble, me and Yukinoshita will probably get dragged into that too.
"That won't happen." Ms. Hiratsuka waved off my concern with a flick of her wrist, her tone light and dismissive.
"At the very least, they will just call me in as a formality, offer a few stern words about professionalism or whatever, and keep it at that." She exuded a nonchalant confidence that almost made me believe her.
"Can you really call that scolding…?" I was in agreement with Yukinoshita.
Ms. Hiratsuka drank up the remaining soup in her bowl, and neatly wiped her mouth with a napkin, before turning to us.
"It's different. Being told not to cause trouble and being asked to clean up after it are completely different."
I frowned, struggling to follow her logic. "I don't get it."
She chuckled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Well. A scolding usually means a bit of a verbal smack on the wrist. They might tell me to watch my step, but that's more of a formality. When it comes to real trouble, they are not just telling me off, they are expecting me to handle any fallout."
Yukinoshita nodded slowly, clearly understanding more than I did. "So, it's about the level of responsibility you're expected to shoulder?"
"Exactly." Ms. Hiratsuka said, smiling at Yukinoshita's insight. "If I make a mess, they want me to clean it up, not just promise I won't do it again. It is the difference between a slap on the wrist and actual accountability."
So basically, if it were a serious issue, they would expect more from you than just a verbal warning?
"Maybe it's because we don't have any experience being scolded? It is kind of hard to fully understand it." Yukinoshita placed her lightly gripped hands on her chin and was lost in thought, digging through her memories.
"What do you mean 'we'?" I interjected with a hint of frustration. "I have been scolded enough in my life."
Yukinoshita glanced at me, a hint of surprise flickering in her eyes. "Oh, right. I suppose you have had your fair share of reprimands."
"More than my fair share, actually." I replied, shrugging. "Some days, it feels like scolding is an art form in itself."
Meanwhile, Ms. Hiratsuka studied Yukinoshita for a moment before nodding thoughtfully.
"Then let me scold you properly. I wasn't really planning on doing any scolding, but I guess I was a little too naïve."
Hey, are you not listening? I just said I don't want to.
"No, I am quite all right." I waved my hands in protest, trying to avoid whatever 'scolding' she had in mind.
While I was restless about various things, Yukinoshita looked perfectly calm. "I don't mind since I have never been scolded before."
"Yukinoshita, being scolded isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just means that someone's looking out for you." Ms. Hiratsuka said, her tone softening.
But as I heard her words, I couldn't help but feel like that wasn't the best way to explain it.
If being scolded is a sign of care, what does it mean for Yukinoshita, who has never experienced it?
Does this lack of reprimand suggest that there is no one in her life to offer that kind of attention?
Yukinoshita's shoulders seemed to sag slightly at those words, her gaze dropping to the table.
At that moment, I began to understand that in Yukinoshita Yukino's world, the concept of being scolded - especially by her own parents - had always carried a singular, crushing meaning.
Disapproval.
To her, it wasn't just a critique of her actions or behaviour. It was a judgement on her very existence.
Perhaps, I realized, Yukinoshita had made a choice long ago, to become the girl who never allowed herself to make mistakes.
But is that really the case? Had she truly never made any?
I doubt that.
Everyone makes mistakes.
...and I believed that even Yukinoshita was aware of this fundamental truth.
This again brings me back to the beginning.
If Yukinoshita wasn't perfect and knew it, and if we assumed there were people who genuinely cared about her, why hadn't she received the kind of care that sometimes manifests as reprimand?
The two notions seemed mutually exclusive, contradictory even.
It was actually quite simple when you think about it.
Their way of showing care was just... different.
It was more likely that those around her simply chose to ignore her mistakes - out of love.
Perhaps it was easier for them to overlook her flaws and dismiss them as trivial rather than confront them directly.
Maybe they believed that by doing so, they were protecting her - shielding her from the harshness of criticism and the possibility of rejection.
But in reality, were they just keeping her at arm's length, unable or unwilling to connect with her on a deeper, more genuine level?
When I refer to 'they' - I mean Haruno and her parents.
At that moment, I realized that perhaps the people around Yukinoshita hadn't ignored her mistakes just out of love.
Sure, that might have been one reason.
But maybe they didn't know how to reach her.
Maybe they simply didn't know how to reach her, how to connect with someone who was so fiercely independent, so determined to bear the weight of her own expectations alone.
This made more sense to me.
Haruno, for all her sociability and outgoing nature, might be just as clueless in a situation like this.
And while I hadn't met Yukinoshita's parents, I could imagine how their interactions might have played out over the years
So all I need to do is reach out to her and break the walls she built so high around herself?
Well, challenge accepted.
….
.
As I was lost in my thoughts, Ms. Hiratsuka reached out and gave Yukinoshita's shoulder a gentle, reassuring pat.
"I am looking over you, so don't worry and make all the blunders you want."
Hmm, surprisingly, that was a decently done uplifting lesson.
….
.
After we finished eating and paid the bill, and once we arrived somewhere near our hotel, we got off the taxi that drove us back.
And Ms. Hiratsuka began walking in the opposite direction of the hotel.
"I am going to go buy some sake for a good drinking session. See you. Be careful on your way back." She said with a casual wave.
Is that really okay? I wondered, but before I could voice it, she was already heading off.
Yukinoshita and I waved back, our hands moving almost in sync.
"..." - "..."
We stood there for a moment, side by side, watching Ms. Hiratsuka's figure gradually disappear into the night. The silence between us felt comfortable, almost natural, like the quiet after a shared experience.
"Well, I guess it's just us now. Shall we get going?" I suggested breaking the stillness.
"Uh-Hum…" Yukinoshita nodded softly.
Immediately, Yukinoshita and I began walking towards the inn.
….
.
[To be continued…]
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