1.20 - A Story About a Married Teacher Who Becomes Obsessed With Her Female Student

Chapter 1: "The Scent of the Sea Doesn't Reach Me" - Part Twenty "This girl has been banned from other places for hitting on the staff." "Oh, really?" "No, you see, it wasn't exactly like that—it all turned out like that due to some complicated circumstances. I found out later that she was a hostess... Anyway, I've never even been to that place. How does someone get banned without ever going? Now that I think about it, was I sort of the victim here?" When my eyes asked the silent question as to what on earth this conversation was about, Hoshi-san answered. "Oh, it's just that I like women. It's a pretty common preference," she said, openly and without any hint of secrecy. Strangely enough, this revelation didn't surprise me. Why didn't it? It felt as though some part of me already knew, like it was something I was familiar with and found easy to accept. "That's why you come to hostess clubs. It's obvious, isn't it?" "I had my suspicions, but is that so..." "Don't you have any resistance to this kind of thing, Sensei?" "Well, uh... I haven't really thought about it... Oh, Togawa-san! Surely, you mustn't have... What I mean is, have any improper intentions..." "Rin isn’t my type, so trust me, I wouldn’t make a move on her," Hoshi-san said, waving her hand dismissively. "I just spoke to her briefly when she was wandering around in her school uniform and helped her out a bit. She seemed a bit careless, you know?" "Oh, I see... Thank you." "Why are you thanking me, Sensei?" "Because I'm a teacher." Responding as such, Hoshi-san chuckled teasingly, "You're a good teacher." But really, rejecting Togawa-san just because she's not her type—how high are her standards? "Togawa-san, I suppose it's odd for me to say this, but she's very cute," I offered. "Yeah, she's quite the beauty. Not so much a classic beauty, but more on the cute side, like a big, friendly dog. But she's not my type because she's tall." "Tall...?" That connected with her earlier, rather open statements. "I'm really into shorter women," she clarified. "You do realize that has a bad ring to it, don't you? I just prefer shorter women." "But liking shorter women often means you go for younger ones, doesn't it?" "Well, you know! Sometimes!" Hoshi-san bellowed, trying to cover the sensitive topic with sheer volume and fervor. My perception of her sharpened, and I realized the hostess with us was indeed tall, confirming my guess at Hoshi's selection. After clearing her throat, Hoshi-san declared, with no shame now, "Short women with big busts are the best." "How refreshing for someone to be so openly driven by desire." "Well, they do say everyone has their preferences..." It was a topic difficult to tackle casually. "What about you, Sensei? What's your type? I might've asked before, but who cares." As the attention shifted to me, the scenery around me blurred. "Uh, well, regardless of type... I'm married, you know?" I said, showing my wedding ring, to which she responded with a casual, "Oh, I see." "So, what kind of Rin do you like?" "Why limit it to Togawa-san?" "Why not, right?" Hoshi-san nudged the hostess, who laughed and said, "Rin-chan, huh?" "You know Togawa-san?" "Yes. She's been here before." "Wh-what!?" "I brought her along that time," Hoshi-san admitted with a mischievous grin. "What were you thinking?" "She wanted to come, so I thought why not! Her mother knows almost everyone around here anyway." "Togawa-san's mother..." Maybe Togawa-san wanted to see the place herself, even just a little bit. "When you say 'wanted to come'..." "Rin-chan had a great time. The hostess beside her begged for fruit from the other guy, who jokingly suggested going on a date to the greengrocer's instead. She laughed at that exchange." "Awful customer, they should have banned them." "Yet somehow, they didn't." "Since her age was an issue, we said Rin was twenty." "Togawa-san, at twenty..." Why did I swallow hard? "And she was in her school uniform no less." "Why didn't you stop her?" Getting more parched from shouting, I refreshed my throat with the conveniently placed glass in hand. The drink felt smooth going down. "Isn't it fine for a twenty-year-old to wear a sailor uniform?" "Of course not!" Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp. "Well, let’s sit back and get the full story, shall we? Hey, hostess, no extensions, alright?" "Hey, what are you doing adding more drinks to that?" "The glass seemed ready to be empty. It’s probably not very tasty, though..." "What kind of concern is that...? You seem dizzy, maybe it's time to stop drinking." "The real action starts now." "What action!?" The conversation remained clear up to that point. It was a hostess club. Yes, that’s right, I ended up accompanying someone to a hostess club and chatting with Hoshi-san. The hostesses were professional, and yet, from the moment the drinks arrived, my memory is a haze. "I don’t have a mom at home, so if I were to leave you somewhere, it’s best it’s here," Togawa-san said, pulling open the curtains. The sunlight streamed in, accusing, as if to highlight my transgressions. With the curtains swaying, the motes of dust danced in the radiant light. I faced the fresh morning suggestive of the end of the rainy season, all the while feeling the dull throb at the back of my eyes. I raised my head and the breath slipping between my teeth reeked strongly of alcohol. It was a testament to the version of me from the night before. "I drank until I couldn’t remember anything... and then ended up here...?" "When you arrived at my place, you mistook it for school," Togawa-san giggled, as though recalling a fond memory, causing my forearms to tremble. "Um, I’m... your teacher, and..." "I know that," she replied, puzzled by my sudden admission. I struggled to articulate the shock that had silenced me. "As a teacher, with standards and discipline to uphold, coming here intoxicated... behaving like... trash." I wanted to vocalize how outrageous it was for a teacher to drown in alcohol and require the care of a student. "Perhaps, I’m trash," I commented, with a voice that was ironically high-spirited. Behind my eyes, it felt as though they were spinning. An odd laugh – almost a sobbing sound – escaped my lips as reality set in. I couldn’t help it. "Here, here, have some more tea," Togawa-san said, extending a gentle arm to support me. I was being cared for by a student, my own student. With a groan, I grasped the tea and took large gulps, feeling the moisture spread through my alcohol-soaked body. My vision continued its uninhibited spin. Moreover, it was morning. The day had already begun. I realized I had stayed out overnight without contacting my husband. But hadn’t he tried to reach me? Had that happened? Was I even able to respond if it did? Was he worried, had he called the police? What was happening? Anxiety, regret, guilt, and a nagging sense of betrayal formed a fortress around my conscience. Togawa-san's ’s laughter blended with the sunlight, yet it sparked countless negative emotions that bubbled up and burst within me. Even if it was a student's house, that I slept in someone else’s bed, there was an unsettling nagging down to the core. Nothing happened… it’s nothing… should have been nothing. But looking at Togawa-san, I couldn’t shake an uncomfortable feeling. Something was gnawing away at me, but what could it be?