True Confessions
11:
The days leading up to
the Graduation were a blur to Yankumi – at least they seemed that way.
Although, she had assumed that the remaining days would be slow and rather
uneventful, Kyoto-sensei had gone out of his way to make sure that the teachers
had meetings every morning dealing with students and preparations for the Grand
Event. It didn’t help that the bespectacled man still insisted on Class 3-D not
being ready for the ceremony and Yankumi was beginning to get really irritated
with his attitude. Unfortunately, she knew she’d have to suck it up for a while
if she hoped to keep her job. The news that he would become the new principal
in the next school year was something she was definitely not looking forward
to.
On the other hand, things
had been going rather well with Shin. He would come back to the house after
spending time with his friends to spar with her and she was glad to see that he
was getting better with his skills. She had even caught him having a go with
Kyou-san the other day and both men seemed to be having a good time getting the
best of each other. She deliberately ignored her grandfather’s knowing looks,
trying to scowl each time he looked at her or tried to catch her gaze. She
wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing that he had been right in his
assumptions about Shin’s feelings.
She walked him to his
apartment each evening, now enjoying the impromptu or spontaneous shows of
affection. She welcomed his kisses with ardor but still felt a bit shy whenever
he made a move to go even further. She could sense the frustration within him
and felt a bit guilty about it. However, she knew that she didn’t have much
time left. Shin would be leaving in a month or two and then she would not see
him for almost a year.
She sighed and sat
cross-legged on the floor, staring at her white tracksuit. She had thought of
wearing a dress or skirt suit or something effeminate enough for the ceremony,
but yet…she couldn’t get herself to do so. She was so used to her daily wear
now it seemed like a travesty to look any different. She groaned and fell to
the floor in a fetal position, her gaze drifting towards the class picture on
her dresser. It was a melancholy feeling which had been building up for the
past few days. Tomorrow would be the last day she’d see all members of Class
3-D in one room. She’d be lucky if she could see any of them ever again. Many
were going to other parts of the country or even leaving the country to
pursue their goals and dreams. She would no longer see their puzzled or jeering
faces whenever she walked into class. She would never hear their collective
cries of ‘Yankumi’ or their expressions of gratitude whenever she did something
good for them.
Subconsciously, she wiped
away the tear that had slid down her cheek. She was going to miss them all so
very much but she told herself that it was a part of the territory. Perhaps
that was one of the reasons why teachers didn’t try to get too attached to
their students. They were probably setting themselves up for this day when they
would eventually go their separate ways.
And what about Shin?
“Shin…” she whispered
softly, feeling an even deeper ache in her chest. It was bad enough that she
had finally acknowledged her feelings for him, but to have him leave again…it
was just too much. A part of her wished she could make him stay and yet she
knew it was a selfish request. This was his dream and it had caused a rift
between he and his family. Who was she to stop him as well? She knew he would
never forgive her if she was to do such a thing.
“I’ll cherish the few
days we have together,” she whispered to herself as she sat up slowly. “To make
sure that he never forgets me when he goes away. But first…”
She reached into her
drawer and pulled out the small black velvet box a certain man had given to
her. Opening it up slowly, she bit her lower lip as she stared at the breathtaking
diamond necklace. She had barely seen Shinohara sensei since that night.
However, it was much better this way because ‘breaking up’ with the young
lawyer was going to be so much easier to do.
It was
Kuma who noticed the t-shirt in the corner of the room and he picked it up
slowly.
“Hey, isn’t this the
shirt that Yankumi was wearing the other day at school? What’s it doing in your
apartment, Shin?”
Shin, who had been
arguing with Uchi over how ramen ought to be cooked, spun around quickly to
stare at the glaring evidence of Yankumi’s last night with him. She had brought
two shirts with her that night – something about being too cold and had taken
off one when he had turned the heater on. Shit! How could he have left
something like that lying around the place? And just what could he say to the
curious gazes that were now being trained on him.
“So?” he finally said
with a shrug, turning away again to hide the twin spots of color on his cheeks.
He opened up the packets of ramen with more force than necessary, knowing full
well that his friends were not going to let this go any time soon.
“So!” Uchi cried out in
disbelief as they all surrounded him with barely concealed excitement. “You
and…and…”
“Yankumi are lovers?!”
Noda screeched with an exaggerated shudder as the others burst into laughter.
“I don’t believe it!”
“I thought you didn’t
like her that much,” Minami said, having to sit down on the floor. He was
laughing so hard he could barely get the words past his lips.
It was only Kuma who
didn’t join in the mirth. He had a small and almost thoughtful look on his
face. “Well, I’m happy for him,” he said suddenly.
Collective cries of ‘Eh!’
filled the room as the four boys (Shin included) spun around to face their
blond friend. Kuma looked embarrassed and then he shrugged lightly.
“Yankumi’s a fun woman to
be with. Sure she’s crazy…and has some issues of her own…”
“Not to mention she likes
to fight and beat us up,” Uchi murmured.
“Or that she’s sometimes
clueless and acts like a little kid,” Noda agreed with a slow nod.
“Or that she’s so totally
cool and helps us out and is not like any of the other teachers we’ve ever
known,” Minami finished quietly.
Shin’s cheeks grew even
darker as he listened to his friends. He wasn’t sure of what to feel. Should he
be happy that his friends finally understood a reason for his attraction to the
older woman or should he be pleased that they were no longer laughing at him?
He idly wondered how they would react when they discovered that she was a part
of the yakuza. Now that would really have them talking! However, a firm hand on
his shoulder had him turning to face the smiling visage of Kuma.
“Kuma…”
“It’s okay, Shin,” the
big boy said as the others gathered around him again with smiles on their faces
now. “You should have told us earlier though.”
“Yeah, that you and the
teacher were sleeping with each other,” Noda teased, nudging Shin gently.
“We didn’t sleep…” Shin
began defensively but he was silenced by Uchi’s puzzled question.
“What about Ayumi? Does
she know?”
Shin felt his good mood
disappear as quickly as it had appeared. He sighed and reached for the kettle
to pour the hot water into the bowl of noodles. He hadn’t forgotten about Ayumi
and knew that he would have to speak to her soon. It wasn’t going to be pretty
but it had to be done and soon. But how? How was he going to make her listen
and understand him without causing an ugly scene?
“Uchi,” he finally said
quietly. “I’m going to need your help.”
The day
for the Graduation turned out to be a beautiful one and Yankumi could almost
pretend that it was just going to be another day of class…if it wasn’t for the
sight of everyone dressed in their best and looking relatively somber (or in
the case of Kyoto-sensei, extremely pleased). She sighed heavily as she
walked down the empty hallways. She reminisced about the times spent running
down these steps or walkways, trying to rescue or search for one of her
students. She could still see them eating in the cafeteria, complaining about
her being a cheapskate and not buying better meals for them.
“Damn it.” She wiped away
the tears quickly. She wasn’t going to cry anymore. She thought she had
convinced herself of that at home today. She really was getting too soft for
her own good.
“Oy! Yankumi!”
She spun around quickly,
blinking at the grinning visages of Noda, Minami, Uchi and Kuma. Shin made up
the rear and he looked embarrassed about something.
“You guys…! Shouldn’t you
be in the auditorium…?”
“Congratulations,” Minami
interrupted as he placed an arm around her shoulders. “You had better take good
care of Shin, you hear?”
“That’s right,” Noda
added as he held out his hand for a handshake. “He’s our boy, you know.”
Uchi sniffled
dramatically. “Awww, he’s all grown up now!” He suffered a cuff to his head
from Shin who was trying his best not to blush at his friends’ antics. He
caught Yankumi’s wide-eyed look and he shrugged lightly as if to say it wasn’t
his fault. She was red-faced and trying to ward them off at the same time.
“Sto…stop it!” she
stammered weakly, aware that her heartbeat was quickening with pleasure. Pleasure?
Well, it did help that the boys were on her side. She had assumed they would be
disgusted at the thought of her being with their friend but apparently not.
“And start going to the auditorium before I kick your asses!”
“HAAAAAAAI!” They yelled,
all laughing as they ran off towards said building. Shin thought he could make
his escape as well, but he was stopped by Yankumi’s hand on the scruff of his
shirt.
“Stop right there, Mr.
Valedictorian,” she said firmly. “Care to explain just what happened?”
He motioned for her to
release him, since breathing was becoming a bit difficult and once she did, he
caught her wrist in his hand and pulled her into an empty classroom barely
giving her a chance to protest.
“Shin…mmmm.” Dear gods,
but she could never get enough of how good he tasted each and every time they
did this. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body tightly
against his as the kiss deepened. She could feel his hands on her hips and then
down to her buttocks as he cupped them gently to pull her even closer. She
gasped within his mouth as she felt his obvious arousal and her cheeks flared
as she suddenly wondered what it would be like to actually go all the way with
him.
He pulled away gently to
rest his forehead against hers, smirking with satisfaction at her flushed
features and swollen lips. “They figured it out themselves,” he said thickly,
his hands still kneading her firm ass cheeks gently. “You left your t-shirt at
my place and they put two and two together…”
“You didn’t tell them
that we were sleeping with each other, did you?” she gasped in shock. He said
nothing and her entire being flushed with heat. “Shin!”
“I didn’t tell them that
we did it,” he finally admitted with a soft chuckle. “I let them assume what
they want. Although…” He left his sentence unfinished, both knowing the
inevitable question.
“Shin, I…” She looked
into his eyes and slowly felt her defenses crumble. She had read about some
illicit affairs or love sessions being done on tables in work offices, but
seriously, the desks in the classroom – however uncomfortable they might look –
were very tempting this minute. But gritting her teeth, determined not to give
in, she pushed him away and took a deep breath. “Let’s go…no, you go first.
I’ll catch up later.”
He raised a brow at how
evasive she was being but shrugged in understanding. “See you later, Kumiko,”
he said and left the room with a light wave.
“Oh God,” she groaned as
she fell across a desk. “Fantasy Number One – make out with Shin on a classroom
desk, foiled!”
Even
Kyoto-sensei had reluctantly admired Shin’s heartfelt speech. There wasn’t a
dry eye in the house when he was done and as expected all accolades and praise
had been given to the woman who had taught them in the most unconventional of
ways. Despite all of her careful planning and inner pep talk on being strong at
the event, Yankumi had given up and crumbled as her class stood up to cheer and
clap for her. It was too much for her to take. She had felt the urge to wrap
them all in one huge embrace but had settled for cursing Shin out in her mind
for making her emotional.
Getting through her last
‘class’ with the boys was even harder. She had given them words of advice and
encouragement, knowing that she had learned from them as much as they had
learned from her. And although a few of them had laughed at her tears, she
could tell that they were just as emotional as she was and could only mask it
through good humor.
There was no doubt about
it. She loved Class 3-D and she would never forget them for as long as she
lived.
Shin
walked in the midst of his friends, knowing it would be the last time they
would be walking out of Shirokin together. It was a bittersweet feeling and on
impulse he wrapped his arms around Kuma and Uchi’s shoulders, smiling at the
looks of confusion that were thrown his way.
“Eeew, Shin’s going all
gay on us,” Noda suddenly cried out. Uchi and Kuma tried to escape but Shin
held them prisoner, laughing at their exaggerated cries for help from the
‘gayness’! Their happy laughter filled the late afternoon air. They had made
plans to go to a karaoke bar but Shin knew he would have to be at the Oedo
household later on tonight. He couldn’t miss dinner with them since it was in
honor of his graduation.
“Oh…look! Look!” Minami
suddenly cried out, causing the boys to stop as the shiny black
“Hello, boys. Shin,” she
nodded softly. “I hope you don’t mind if I borrow you for a few minutes, do
you?”
Uchi and Shin exchanged a
look before the dark-haired boy nodded softly. “Will it be okay if Uchi came
with me?”
“What for? This is a
matter between you and me…”
“If he doesn’t come then
I’m not coming,” Shin interrupted coolly.
Ayumi smiled tightly and
then nodded. “Fine. Let him come…but the rest…”
“Don’t worry; they’re not
going to be with us.” He stepped back and smiled at his friends warmly. “Let’s
make the karaoke date for another day, ne? Call me later on tonight for the
details.”
Noda, Kuma and Minami,
already knowing what Shin and Uchi had planned, nodded in agreement and watched
as their friends were ushered into the car. As it pulled away from the curb,
Ayumi frowned in irritation at the sitting arrangement. Uchi was between them
and there was no way she could strike up conversation over him.
“We will be dining at
Midori’s,” she began, trying to look past Uchi and towards Shin who was staring
out of the window. “They serve really good sushi…”
“Maybe we could go to a
ramen shop,” Uchi suggested. “The Teruo’s have a really good one, ne, Shin?”
“Ramen sounds good,” the
dark-haired boy replied, hiding a smile. “Don’t you like ramen, Ayumi?”
The girl opened and shut
her mouth for a few seconds. There was no way she was going to go to some ramen
shop! She was dressed in a dress worth thousands, hoping that Shin would
compliment her on it and yet he wanted to go to some ramen shop?
“Midori has reservations
for us,” she began quickly. “If we can only…”
“Ramen’s much better,”
Uchi said again with a warm smile at the flustered girl. “Honestly, you should
try their soba. It’s heavenly.”
“What are you trying to
do?” she asked through clenched teeth. “This is between Shin and I and I don’t
know why you are here…”
“So you don’t like
ramen?” Uchi asked looking hurt. “Aww…by the way, you look very pretty today, Ayumi-chan.”
Even she had to blush at
the compliment although she still wished it was Shin who had said it. She
lowered her gaze and smiled a little. “Than…thank you…”
“And your hair!” Uchi
continued with a soft gasp as he reached out to brush away a soft red strand
from her forehead. “It’s so soft…and silky…you had it done, didn’t you?”
“I…ah…” Ayumi found
herself staring into the blond’s eager and rather handsome visage. He had
rather pretty eyes…if you stared long enough. “Well…yes, I did…but it’s just an
old hair style…”
“Nonsense!” Uchi declared
with a wave of his hand as if scoffing her modesty. “For a beautiful woman like
you, it’s absolutely divine! No, Ayumi-chan, I won’t hear you say otherwise!”
Shin smiled and turned
his face away. Uchi was brilliant when he put his mind to it and it helped that
his friend did like Ayumi. He listened to their conversation for a minute
before leaning forward to tell the driver which way to take them. Talking to
Ayumi now would be a breeze.
Yankumi
could hear their voices in the living room as she held the small box to her
chest tightly. Shinohara sensei had finally made it to their home tonight and
she knew that this would be the perfect time to let him know about her
decision.
She hovered by the
doorway, watching him talk to her grandfather and Kyou. From her vantage point,
she could look at him for a while without being noticed. He was handsome in his
own right with an almost babyish cuteness about him. There was that stubborn
lock of hair which fell across his forehead although it was always impeccably
neat and tidy. It was a far cry from Shin’s unruly one which looked like it
needed a comb most of the time. Shinohara was dressed in a nice gray suit – as
always. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen him in anything casual before and
for a moment, she entertained the thought of seeing Shin in a suit. Well, she
had seen him in one before but the poor boy had looked rather uncomfortable in
it. She fought back a giggle at the memory but was too late. The men noticed her
presence and both Kyou and Shinohara rose to their feet to acknowledge her.
“Ojou.”
“Ah, Kumiko,” Kuroda
greeted with a warm smile. “Would you like to join us?”
“Actually,” she began
with a matching smile. “I was hoping I could talk to Shinohara sensei outside
for a moment or two…if you don’t mind.”
Kyou and Kuroda exchanged
a look between them while Shinohara nodded in acceptance. “That’s fine with me,
Kumiko. Ojii-san…Kyou-san.” He bowed to the men and motioned for her to lead
the way.
Yankumi took a much-needed
breath as they made their way outside. She sat down on the patio and swung her
legs over the edge, waiting for Shinohara to join her. How was she going to
begin to say this?
“Congratulations are in
order,” Shinohara began with a pleased smile. “It seems you passed your first
tenure as a teacher with flying colors.”
“Ah well…I couldn’t do
that without my students help,” she replied quickly. Without one student in
particular. Oh God! This was going to be so much harder than she thought!
“Is something wrong,
Kumiko?” Shinohara asked softly. To her surprise, he seemed to have leaned
closer and his hand was now lifting hers gently. There was a look in his eyes
she had never seen before
and she wondered why it was so worrisome to her. “Kumiko…”
“Uuum…I…”
“I know what you’re
thinking,” he continued and she noticed that he was blushing. What in the world
was going on? This wasn’t the Shinohara sensei she knew! He was acting…shy?
“Kumiko…it took me a
while to realize this but…” He raised her hand to his lips and placed a tender
kiss on it. “I really, really like you, Kumiko.”
She paled.
“And I am currently
speaking to your grandfather about us possibly…”
No…no! This isn’t
happening!
“…I mean I know you’ve
always liked me and I’m a bit dense to realize it now but I do like you, Kumiko
and I want us to spend the rest of our lives together…”
“No…” she said in a
strangled voice as she withdrew her hand from his slowly. “I’m…I’m sorry,
Shinohara sensei.” She lowered her head and then held out the box to him
without saying another word.
He stared at the familiar
case and then looked at her in bemusement. “Kumiko…what…what does this mean?
Don’t you like it? I can always get you another one if this isn’t…”
“It’s not that,” she
finally blurted out, lifting her head to meet his confused gaze. “I
can’t…accept anything else from you because I…I…” She clenched her hand into a
tight fist and finally muttered out the words she thought she’d never say. “I
love someone else, Shinohara sensei.”
She placed the box on the
floor between them and lowered her gaze again. “I hoped and waited for you for
so long and yet you never acknowledged me. Maybe deep inside, I would have
continued to wait for you and if he hadn’t shown up…”
As if on cue, Shin’s
voice could be heard in the background as he greeted Kuroda and met the
enthusiastic welcomes from the kyodai. Her cheeks colored and Shinohara
was sharp enough to notice it. He glanced towards the house and back to the
woman, putting two and two together quickly.
“Sawada,” he stated
flatly. “You are in love with him.”
She sucked in a harsh
breath at his blunt observation. “Shinohara sensei…”
“I understand,” he
interrupted with a small smile as he picked up the box. He held it in his hands
for a moment. “I should have noticed it earlier…especially at the bowling alley
that night.”
“I…”
“I was too late, wasn’t
I?” he finished softly.
She really didn’t know
what else to say and decided to remain silent. A part of her felt miserable at
doing this to him but she knew it was the best thing. She had done the right
thing for both of them. She gasped as her hand was lifted again and the soft
velvet box was placed within it. She stared into his eyes with a questioning
look and met his warm but sad countenance.
“Consider this a wedding
gift then,” he said, watching her cheeks darken with color. She really looked
beautiful then and Shinohara knew that he was probably going to regret his
wasted opportunity for the rest of his life. “I sincerely wish you both the
best.”
He rose to his feet with
a small bow before making his way into the house without a second look. She
remained frozen in place, unable to believe how well everything had gone. She
had thought she would cry like in all those dramas on TV, but as it turned out,
Shinohara had left without much of a fuss.
“You’re such a good man,
sensei,” she whispered softly as she held the box tightly to her chest. “I hope
you find someone good for you someday.”
“Is everything all
right?” Shin asked as he walked out of the house and made himself comfortable
beside her. There was puzzled look on his visage and she found herself grinning
rather ridiculously at his presence. She didn’t know about marriage yet, but
she was definitely not going to let him out of her sights anytime soon.
“And besides,” Shin
continued still looking mildly confused. “Shinohara sensei did something rather
odd.”
“Eh? What did he do?”
“He…” Even Shin had to
repeat the word to himself just to be sure. “He congratulated me and he said it
wasn’t for my graduation either. Kumiko…did you tell him…about…?”
She nodded and rested her
head upon his shoulder happily. “Yeah, I told him about us and I told him that
I…well…I…”
“You what?” he asked,
holding his breath in anticipation. Would she finally tell him the words he
longed to hear?
“That I didn’t have a
crush on him anymore, you moron.” She wrapped an arm around his waist and
inhaled his scent, noticing he was out of his school jacket. She played with
the hair a little, ignoring the impatient look he gave her.
“Ayumi understands too,”
he finally said. “She knew about my father’s decision since my dad called her
dad to let them know that the ‘marriage’ was off. She didn’t like it, but she’s
not going to throw a fit over it….although I think Uchi had something to do
with that.”
“Uchi?” Yankumi asked in
confusion. “What about him?”
Shin smirked to himself.
“Let’s just say that both of them are going to have a beautiful relationship.”
“Ojou, Shin-san,” Tetsu
interrupted with a sheepish smile as he stuck his head out of the door to get
their attention. “Sorry to bother you two, but dinner is ready.”
“Yes! Food!” Yankumi
cried out as she began to rise to her feet, but Shin held her back with a soft
tug on her arm. She fell across his lap and her surprised gasp was captured in
the searing and rather possessive kiss he gave her. When they finally broke
apart, she felt boneless and had absolutely no willpower to get off his lap
anymore.
“Damn you, Shin,” she
muttered against his lips.
“Just so you know who you
belong to,” he responded with a wicked smirk before rising to his feet to lead
her into the room where their presence was eagerly anticipated.
Chapter 12: It’s
always hard to say goodbye…