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

Chapter 4: Quiet As The Depths of The Earth - Part Fourteen 'I wish Mom would just go away' Such a wish, almost like a soliloquy, echoed as if it were a divine revelation in my head. Togawa-san too felt her mother was a hindrance. Just confirming this made a heavy weight lift from my chest, which was the most pathetic kind of relief. 'That's not right.' I feel the same way, Togawa-san. 'No matter what form they take, a mother is still a mother.' I really hope she just disappears soon. My true feelings were mouthed silently as I tried to maintain appearances. The environment of the staff room forced the guise of a teacher upon me. For now, at least. After a moment's pause, Togawa-san asked, 'What do you think, Maekawa Itsuki?' This shift into my first name showed just how much she saw through me. She was right. At this point, Togawa-san could see my true feelings instantly. 'It's painful not being able to see you.' Even with that, I still hid the majority of my true feelings. Casually visiting Togawa-san's house after work was never an option, but even stopping by was impossible as long as her mother was there. Our relationship would be reduced to a proper one. That's when I'd truly be the teacher who took advantage of a student's family problems to make a move on her. The public's evaluation of me would be completely accurate. Yet, despite knowing this, I still wanted to push forward. I wanted to reach out more and more. I couldn't let our connection end because of that woman who lived there, simply because she was her biological mother. I fully understood the jealousy and resentment Togawa-san felt for my husband. "...Ah" I leaned back in my chair, gazing at the ceiling as if admitting defeat. That woman was in the way. I was clutching a sharp emotion I previously never felt before. My palms were torn apart, spilling vivid red blood from jealousy and frustration. * * * Constantly being conscious of Togawa-san staying with her mother made me feel an unhealthy irritation. While trying to not to let it show, I carried out household chores—a typical weekend. My stomach was always clenched, painfully persistent as if I was sleep deprived. If a curse could alter reality, perhaps the news would be reporting a mysterious death this morning. Just imagining her mother touching Togawa-san was enough to drive me insane. No, I've definitely already lost it. To even be jealous of her own parent... Meanwhile, my husband was engrossed in his building game again. Perhaps influenced by his recent experience, today he was constructing a giant rickshaw. He was meticulously crafting a rickshaw so large a single person couldn't possibly pull it. While absentmindedly watching him, I washed the dishes after lunch. "I wonder if there's an exam to become a rickshaw driver," he mused, arranging and destroying blocks to shape the wheel. "Thinking of changing careers?" I asked. "No, no," he replied, then reconsidered, murmuring, "Hmm, I wonder..." "Was it that fun?" "Well, maybe," he replied. I finished washing the dishes and said to him, wiping my hands, "If that's what you want to do." I'm living as I please, after all. "I think you should go for it." I no longer have any right to reproach my husband for anything—except if he were to harm Togawa-san. That alone is the one line that, if crossed, I could never forgive, no matter what else in this world I might overlook. No one would be an exception. The moment it happened, every tie and every title would fall away, and they would be nothing more than an enemy. My husband gave a half-hearted “I guess so,” in reply, and then, "You know, you're kind, but..." "Eh?" Just as he was about to continue- "Wa-ra-biiiiiiiiii mochiiiiii!" I heard a sudden voice from outside, and my shoulders jumped. My husband paused his game, saying "What's that?" The voice came from the road outside our apartment, and it sounded familiar. The noisy 'warabi warabi' was quickly followed by "Ichi-gooooooo!" and approached quickly. Before my husband could even get up from the sofa,I had already pressed myself against the window to see who it was. "Ah." A rickshaw, a blonde pulling it, and Togawa-san sitting in the back. It was the source of the commotion outside our apartment. Hoshi-san, who was looking up, spotted me and waved with a mischievous grin. Her blond hair, which seemed to absorb the sun, was a blindingly brilliant mass of light. I removed my apron, informed my husband quickly, "I'll be back soon," and dashed out of the room. The sandals I put on mistakenly were too big and threatened to trip me, so I kicked them off halfway down the stairs, choosing to go barefoot. I felt the heat of the summer in the outer corridor and the stairs under my feet. I wondered why they'd chosen this location, but as I went down, I realized they were making a commotion because they didn't know where I lived. Considering the level of chaos that could easily prompt our neighbors to call the cops, I was on edge. Moreover, Togawa-san. Togawa Rin. Now, she was incredibly close to my husband. I felt a premonition in the beating of my heart. Something was beginning, and something was ending. As if I were witnessing the luminous end of a star. Once I was downstairs, Hoshi-san and the rickshaw were gone, leaving only Togawa-san behind. As soon as she saw me, tears welled up in her eyes. The tears glinting in the strong daylight were beautiful but they shouldn't have been there. Seeing Togawa-san crying alone meant I had no choice but to run. Togawa-san also ran toward me and threw herself into my arms without hesitation. We were on a public street with nothing to shield us. The neighbors could see. But, Togawa-san was in my arms. I embraced her, enduring the scorching heat beneath my feet. At last, Togawa Rin stood beneath my apartment. Like a large wave that had finally soaked the edge of the sandy shore. "I don’t want to go home… let’s go to your place, Sensei." Her fragmented feelings spilled out like tears, struggling desperately to convey something. Even within those few short words, the ideas of ‘home’ and ‘returning’ were unmistakably there. The one making Togawa-san cry was that woman. That woman... "What happened? At home, did something—" Mid-sentence, Togawa-san pressed her lips to mine, silencing me. Confusion, fear of being seen, and love pooled upon our joined lips. With my husband potentially glancing from a window above, exposed to his view, Togawa-san and I formed a perfect connection. Seamlessly, from the kiss, Togawa-san buried her face in my chest, pleading earnestly, clinging onto me. "Hey sensei... let me stay over."