CH 2

It was the first day of school after the summer break had ended.

After finishing the opening ceremony, and cleaning the classroom for about 30 minutes it was time after the school hours.

I stretched my body which went stiff because of the hard work I did, stifling a huge sigh of relief. I was thinking of going home and taking a quick nap. But suddenly someone called for me…

“Segawa-kun. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

And with a voice that sounded like a rolling bell, a figure appeared before me.

“It’s okay. Is something wrong? Sakuramiya-sensei.”

It was none other than my homeroom teacher, Sakuramiya-sensei.

She was as beautiful as always, but today she was acting a little strange.

After making sure that there is no one nearby by looking around restlessly, she approaches my ear.

“I’d like to move to a different spot. Is it okay with you?”

“Of course.”

I’m not sure if this is something you can talk about in the presence of people around you.

No way, I am not going to stay in school because my grades are too low?　

No wait, I don’t remember getting any grades or test scores low enough to stay in school. I have been doing my homework and have not missed a single class till date.

If so, then what is it? Is it a problem with me personally? But if that’s the case, there’s no need to move.

I tried to think about various things but unfortunately I couldn’t get an answer.

Well, I guess I will soon find out without prying too hard.

I stood up from my seat and trailed behind Sakuramiya-sensei for about 5 minutes

Then we arrived in front of the door labeled ‘Student Guidance Office.’

“Eh, what did I do…?”

My heart rate started rising rapidly, and my whole body was sweating.

“Ah, it’s different because others won’t ask if I brought you here with me.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that”.

I patted my chest in relief.

I was really worried that I might have caused some kind of problems unknowingly.

Sakuramiya-sensei opens the lock of the student guidance room, carefully checks the surroundings and enters.

“Come on in. Hurry up, quick!”

“Yes!”

She beckons me to come in, and I enter the guidance counselor’s office.

Sakuramiya-sensei immediately closed the door behind me and swiftly locked it. Suddenly I feel like I’m doing something wrong. She is a teacher, so it would be nice to be dignified.

It was my first time entering the student guidance office, it was a room with no characteristics. There was a rectangular desk in the center, with two chairs placed on the upper and lower seats.

There was also a shelf with some books placed on it, and the interior was not worth seeing.

Sakuramiya-sensei sat down on the upper seat near the window and instructed me to sit down on the seat opposite to her.

“What is it that you want from me?”

“Ah, I see. Before that I’m sorry you had to move places on my request.”

“No, it’s totally okay.”

“It’s a little hot in here. Shall I turn on the air conditioner?”

Sakuramiya-sensei stood up from her seat to turn on the air conditioner. She operated a machine attached to the wall and turned on the air conditioner.

“Well, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well, that’s …….”

“…..”

“…..”

“…..”

“…..”

A moment of silence passes.

Sakuramiya-sensei seems to be fidgeting with her eyes darting all over the room and her fingers entwined with a panicky look on her face.

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Is something wrong, sensei?”

“No, no….. I’m fine.”

Currently Sakuramiya-sensei had her face flushed, reaching up to her ears.

She put a hand on her bountiful chest and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

(TLN Notes :- Oppai, hehe~)

After calming down, she takes something out of her bag and puts it on top of the desk.

“As you can see.”

“Is it my imagination? It looks like a marriage certificate.”

“It’s not your imagination.”

“…..”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to be silent about this.”

“You’re asking the wrong person. I’m not a government official.”

“I know about that.”

“Then why are you putting this in front of me?”

“Make a guess.”

“I don’t want to make any guesses Sensei.”

I turned my head to the side and sweat started forming on my forehead.

My homeroom teacher is holding out the marriage certificate to me. She had already filled out the “Wife-to-be” column. Only the “Husband-to-be” column is blank.

The student guidance office falls silent for a while.

Eventually, I could no longer withstand the silence, so I turned my face back to the front and looked through the marriage registration certificate once more.

“Sakuramiya-sensei. May I ask you to explain it to me?”

“……Actually, I have to get married before I turn 30.”

I carefully listened to what Sakuramiya-sensei was saying.

“If I can’t get married by then, my parents will forcefully decide my marriage partner. So in the current situation, I am somehow looking for a marriage partner.”

“Why do you have to get married?”

“It’s a family rule. It’s somehow equal to not having human rights. I was actually offered a blind date when I was 25, I had delayed it somehow previously and they agreed to it. But if I couldn’t decide by the time I was 30 they would choose someone out of my free will, that’s why I decided to find a marriage partner.

Every family has its own rules and regulations.

Even Sakuramiya-sensei’s family is no exception. However, it is somehow complicated when compared to other families.

“By the way, when is sensei’s birthday?”

“September 3rd.”

“Isn’t it tomorrow?”

“That’s right…”

“But it’s still too early to give up. Let’s search even harder from now on. I’ll do my best to help you.”

“…….Ah, well, it’s not like that.”

“Alright, once you’ve decided that, we’ll go to the front of the station to encounter your fated one.”

“You know what to do, don’t you, Segawa-kun?”

I got up from my chair, struck a gut-pose and showed my motivation. However, Sakuramiya-sensei, who may have sensed that my enthusiasm is a fabrication of my own, says that to me in no uncertain terms.

With a waterfall of sweat on my face, I quietly sat back on my chair.

(TL Notes : Someone give this guy a bucket, damn.)

“….. I am telling you.”

“No, no, no, I’m a high school student……a teacher and a student……why me?”

“I’m asking you to take responsibility.”

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.

.

.

.

The memory of three months ago resurfaces in my mind.

Certainly from guilt at that time, I had said, “Please let me take responsibility.”

I thought that my remark had been forgiven as a result, but I never thought it would be dug up like this.

In fact, that day, because of me Sakuramiya-sensei was not able to attend the marriage activity party. If she had attended the party without any incident, she might be living with her husband right now.

“But I… I’m only seventeen. Marriage is supposed to be at the age of 18, right?”

My birthday is on June 11th.

There are still ten months until I am old enough to get married.

The time limit for Sakuramiya-sensei to get married is tomorrow. No matter how much I think about it, we won’t make it in time.

“Rather, that’s my main goal.”

“What?”

“I’m going to tell my parents that I want to marry Segawa-kun, and I will ask them to call off the arranged marriage. But since Segawa-kun is seventeen years old, he is legally unable to get married. I will take advantage of this and find a marriage partner before you turn 18. …….This is the only way out. Please help me!”

“What is that……?

I plumped down on the chair and let out a heavy sigh and somehow I felt weak.

“Sensei please don’t carry the story in such a way as to carry on misunderstandings. I thought I had to marry you.”

“We are a student and a teacher, you know. We both are almost ten years apart. I’m not going to ask you to do that. But I did think I was talking in a way that sounded like that. I didn’t mean to mislead you, but I’m sorry, okay?”

“It’s fine, it’s also my fault for misunderstanding you.”

“I wonder if I can ask for your cooperation sagewa-kun.”

Sakuramiya-sensei looks at me with upturned eyes and tilts her hands slightly to the right.

“If that’s the case. In short, I have to pretend to be your fiancée, right? And as I’m indebted to you, I’m willing to do that much after all.”

“Really?! Thank you very much!”

Sakuramiya-sensei stood up from her desk in joy and grabbed my hands excitedly.

I have little immunity to women, so my cheeks flushed red.

As I was trying to pretend to be calm, Sakuramiya-sensei stared at me with her big eyes. She tilted her head to the side and said,

“Well, I’m sorry once again, but can I ask you to come over to my parents’ house now?”

“………Huh?”