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open post.
OVERFLOW & OPEN POST
— continuations & et al. let's have fun! —
OVERFLOW & OPEN POST
— continuations & et al. let's have fun! —
OVERFLOW & OPEN POST
— continuations & et al. let's have fun! —
OVERFLOW & OPEN POST
— continuations & et al. let's have fun! —
As we discussed!
One might think it would be easy to narrow her down, but she has yet to tell him enough about herself to make it obvious. And he’s also tried not to push her on any details that she didn’t openly give. Her hair color is by far the most distinct feature that he knows but she isn’t the only Idol with pink hair.
He realized that when he looked at numerous pictures of them. However, what comes of their relationship isn’t something at the forefront of his mind right now. He’s filling in for a Teacher at this University. They will be out on injury for two months if not more. He sternly told the class as he stood in front of them that just because he’s subbing, that doesn’t mean they will be able to take it easy.
He may work them even harder than their original Teacher, just to drive that point home. He couldn’t have them thinking that he would be a pushover because he’s a Sub. And with class having ended, he sat behind his desk going over assignments as the students made their way from the classroom. It would take a few days, but he’s sure he will figure out which students here are worth his time and which aren’t.]
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And without even noticing it, she had gotten into the habit to talking to one guy daily. She knew he was older than her, and a teacher… which wasn't anything to go off of. After all, there were plenty of male teachers in their thirties in Japan. She figured their relationship, if you could call it one, wouldn't go much farther than this; he'd eventually lose interest and move on, right? It made Sonico a little sad to think about, so she put it out of her mind for the time being.
With such a densely packed schedule, she somehow still made time for her classes. She was still an amateur model and performed at small venues, so she wasn't as famous as she was rumored to be one day; she was still quite popular on campus, though. The first time she saw him, her heart skipped a beat and it took everything to not scream — it was him! He was her teacher?! The class and whatever he had lectured was a complete blur; Sonico hadn't paid attention to anything, her face red as a beet as she avoided eye contact with Yujiro the entire time.
As her classmates filed out of the room, some to head to their next class and others, like Sonico, who was only a part-time student, were heading back home. She was still seated, hurriedly putting her assignments and notes in her bag. Sonico was tempted to check her phone… if it really was him right in front of her, she had to ask. But what happened after that? If it was the guy she'd been talking to, she would have blown her cover. Sonico abruptly stands from her chair, trying to scurry out of the room unnoticed. ]
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It isnt a strange sight to him. Students often needed to rush off to their next class or what have you. He isn't sure what she is rushing to next, but he still settles her paper on top of the pile. ]
Sonico. Could you hang by for a few moments?
[He says before looking back to the paper in front of him. He certainly hasn't caught on that this girl in his classroom is the same one he currently is talking to on that dating app. If he knew..well, he would have been just as surprised as her. This wasn't planned and he couldn't have set things up so he would become her teacher.
Things just happened and he ended up in this position where she would be seeing him every day that she isn't in class. Hearing that she is popular wouldn't have been a surprise either. A girl with the looks that she has no doubt gets a lot of attention from interested individuals.
He glanced up to take note of how many students were still in the room. There is a few, but they seemed to be on their way out. He didn't want to have a conversation with a student about their performance when there are other students still in the room. Whether she comes up to his desk or not, once all the students are gone and the door closes behind them, he looks up to her.]
Were you distracted in class? Some of your answers on the assignment were written in the wrong place.
[He says this whole he slides her paper across to her. On the page, he circled where she wrote in the right answers by the wrong questions. It's something one could easily be failed on, but it seems like a silly thing to do to him when she obviously knew what the right answers are.]
Usually, this is something I would give you a failing grade for. But I'm new and I thought it couldn't hurt to be a bit generous. Especially if there are more pressing matters that kept you from filling out your assignment correctly.
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With her heart beating fast, her pulse skyrocketing to a ridiculous pace the closer she became, Sonico smiles weakly as she stood in front of his desk in an attempt to feign that she was completely unfazed by the fact that her literal online situation-ship was only a foot away. Does he suspect anything? Did he know? Sonico tries to remain still, but eventually started to fidget in place under the weight of awkwardness. ]
Y-Yes, Takahashi-san? Is… something wrong?
[ Her eyes flit to the desktop, zeroing in on her messily scrawled writing, every answer in the wrong place on a paper she barely remembered finishing. Right — the assignment, of course. He hasn't figured anything out about her identity and was simply doing his job, and Sonico had singled herself out as a problem student on his first day!
At least he wasn't the type of professor that went out of their way to embarrass or mock their students, and only when the last of her classmates were out of the door and they were left alone does Yujiro finally confirm what Sonico feared. Nervously, Sonico averts her gaze, sheepishly rubbing her arm. ]
I-I just… [ Swallowing the growing lump in her throat, Sonico anxiously glanced back at her paper; where she had filled in the blanks with her answers, she had somehow given the correct answers for problems they did not belong to. She needed an excuse… confessing to him that she was his dating app not-girlfriend was out of the question — he'd probably think she was crazy. Besides, he was on the job; it'd be completely unprofessional! ] S-Sorry, Takahashi-san. I'm… I'm feeling a little under the weather, as all. Thank you for being kind enough to n-not fail me. I've had a migraine all day and… it's really hard to focus.
[ She felt guilty for lying as soon as her words came out of her mouth, but it had to be done. Sonico shouldered her bag, the blush on her cheeks deepening to a beet red. ]
I-I can redo the assignment properly i-if you like.
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She seemed hardly focused enough on what was in front of her to be able to pull off something like that. And he can’t imagine what reason she would really have to do something like that either other than some type of blackmail material. And what reason would she have for that?
He settle his gaze on her as she says she can redoing it. He could say no for a few different reasons. He could say it and just give her a passing grade, he could say it and give her a failing grade. But he doesn’t feel cruel enough to fail her or nice enough to give her a passing grade without her properly doing the work.
He reaches off to the side and grabs a blank assignment and places it on his desk in front of her.]
I wouldn’t always give a student this chance, Sonico. Even if they are feeling under the weather. Some would lie about that just to get out of a bad grade. But it is my first day here and you seem like a sweet enough girl.
[The thought that she could actually be lying does cross his mind. But something did indeed distract her from earning a passing grade. As a teacher, he should foster a good relationship with his students that seem like they will excel in the class, right?]
I’m only a substitute teacher. But if there is something else wrong, you don’t have to be afraid to tell me. Conversations that happen between me and my students can be considered confidential.
[Barring some sort of need to bring it to other authorities.]
Perhaps it isn’t easy to do on our first meeting, but you can place your trust in me.
[As he sits here looking at her, though, she does start to look somewhat familiar, even if he can't place it right now. That creeping thought isn't something that plays on his face as he maintains the completely neutral gaze.]
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Her lie was certainly taken out of a page from the "lazy excuses for university students" handbook, but somehow he seemed to believe her… or better yet, he was still a new substitute teacher who had no reason to not believe her. Which definitely worked in her favor, but Sonico still felt guilty for it; she'd have to make up for her lie by being a good student, especially with his generosity and kind words. ]
Thank you, Takahashi-san. I'll work harder next time.
[ He was a lot more casual outside of work, but it was to not surprise that he was being so professional; every professor had two sides to them, but it felt strange that she was seeing it firsthand. To him, she was nothing but his student, and it felt surreal that he wasn't aware of anything beyond that. Sonico bows her head as she took the paper, silently grateful that her impromptu acting lessons were paying off and that he decided to give her a second chance when most professors would just fail her outright. ]
I-I'll definitely keep that in mind, Takahashi-san. You're very nice, [ She smiles softly as she raised her head from bowing, turning away to take a seat back at her desk. The assignment wasn't difficult; she just hadn't been paying attention as she wrote done her answers. Now that she was thinking clearly, the notes she had taken on this particular subject came back to her, and she finished it in under ten minutes; assured that all her answers were now in their correct blocks this time. And yet, she gives into the temptation to at the very least hint at their connection. Even if it meant they had to stop speaking to one another, she couldn't just ignore their relationship… if that was what it should be called. She felt her heart beat faster as she returned to Yujiro's desk, placing the paper face-down. ] Everything should be correct now… um, I-I have to go, thank you again, Takahashi-san!
[ Before he could take a look at what she had written, Sonico rushed out of the door and down the hallway, too embarrassed to stay after what she had wrote on the bottom of the paper: "I think we're talking on that anonymous dating app, I hope you're not mad that I'm 18." Beside it was her actual phone number.
If he wasn't interested, she figured he'd just ignore it and they would never talk about this interaction ever again. But Sonico hoped… that maybe he felt the same. ]
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Alright, Sonico. I will you next class.
[That’s all he says before she scurries out of the classroom. She finished it rather quickly, which he expected. What he didn’t expect was the message tagged on at the end. He froze in place as he saw it. His reaction would have been visible to anyone if they were in his classroom with him. She’s the..girl that he has been conversing with.
Would he have still treated her the same way if he knew ahead of time? Perhaps. He couldn’t show her favoritism because of their knowing each other ahead of time. But he would have wanted to speak with her more in person. She’s the girl that he has been talking with, it seems so surreal but he has no reason to doubt that it is the trust. Her hair color lines up and he thinks he may have seen her face on a magazine before. He taps his pen on the page and wondered what exactly he should do.
It isn’t until later in the evening that he comes to a decision. He dialed in her phone number to call her. It felt strange to be taking this from the realm of an anonymous app to now speaking with their actual voices. While she knew what he looked like beforehand, he now knows what she looks like.
Undoubtedly she is an attractive girl. One that would have no problem breaking into the idol industry with the right breaks and the right people in her corner. He waited until she picked up the phone before she spoke.]
You could have told me it was you, Sonico.
[It’s not an unpleasant surprise, just fully unexpected. He’s not sure if calling her is even the correct move. He’s now her Teacher and she has a career as an idol. They shouldn’t be having any interactions that are less than professional. But there is no way he can deny wanting to continue what they had going. Except now, they would fully know who each other is.
He never would have even asked to meet her in person unless she wanted to. But that choice has been taken out of their hands.]
But I assume that is the reason why you were so distracted in class.
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She shook her head, deciding to put him and the university campus behind her and out of mind for the time being. It was perhaps fortunate she lived off-campus; far enough into the city that no one but a select few knew where she lived. That way… maybe they could see each other sometimes. Sonico glanced at her phone — no new messages or missed calls just yet.
She had the day to herself; well, the next few hours, at least. Later that evening she had already told her grandma she'd be willing to help at her diner, not to mention she had five little hungry mouths to feed who were now meowing at her for attention and cat food, and a homework assignment from her previous class… there were others things to focus on other than him. Placing her phone face down on the kitchen counter for the time being, Sonico turns her attention to the five kittens nudging and climbing onto her legs, giggling as she opened up their favorite cans of food, giving each of them a large portion.
With them focused on their meal, Sonico could also focus on her assignments. One of which she had to do online, as she was not a full-time student due to her idol and modeling career taking precedence over her education; however, she still took her schooling seriously. She certainly wasn't the best student, but she was on the right track for her degree.
Halfway done with her assignments, Sonico noticed her phone was ringing in the kitchen where she had left it earlier. Not noticing the unfamiliar phone number, Sonico answered the call blindly… only to realize, with shock, just who was in the other end. ]
Ah! Takahashi-san! [ She nearly drops her phone, but manages to steady her hands enough to hold it up to her ear. "You could have told me it was you, Sonico." Flustered by his audacity (she was expecting a text first!) Sonico awkwardly chuckled. ] I-I was nervous… ah, a little bit, yeah… like, what are the odds, you know? You sent me pictures of yourself and stuff so seeing you in real life was…
[ Unexpected? Surreal? Sonico isn't sure what else to say. What if she said the wrong thing? This is why she wished he texted her first! ]
You're… um, p-pretty good looking.
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But she did pick up and he is getting to hear her voice again.]
I wouldn't have thought the chances were anywhere near possible. You could have been attending any skill.
[And her Teacher could have stuck around with no issues arising. But everything seemed to align and then fall into place to make their meeting possible. Even she could have stayed quiet about realizing who he is so she wouldn’t be tempted to interact with him outside of the app. But she would be see him quite often, so maybe she would have been tempted in the end.]
I thought you would be beautiful, but you exceeded my imagination.
[Because for him, that’s all he had to go on. Little details that she would drop about herself, but he never got nearly enough to paint a perfect picture of what the girl he was talking to looked like.]
I’ve seen you in a magazine before. In class, I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it. After I got your message, I thought long and hard on it and realized I have definitely seen you before.
[He can’t recall what the magazine was, but you don’t just fully forget a face as lovely as hers.]
So, our identities are exposed to each other now. How do you want to proceed, Sonico?
[He wasn’t going to assume anything with her. Her career is still one of the most important things to her, he thinks. Just because their conversations felt so much more real now doesn’t mean things have to just. Just because they both know what each other looks like and even knows each other full names doesn’t mean things have to be any different. But it will make things feel different, there no question about that. So, he wants to know what she wants. More important, what she is willing to risk.]
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Y-Yeah… it really was a coincidence to meet up like this. [ More than just a coincidence — it felt like fate. There were hundreds of universities in Japan and yet, somehow, he had been hired to hers; to teach her class specifically. There was no way she could have remained silent about all of this no matter her better judgment. They hadn't exactly started a relationship through the dating app; most of their conversations were pretty casual, albeit some flirting here and there. Sonico had been too nervous to talk dirty at the time and Yujiro had been respectful of her boundaries. So when he says she's beautiful, that he had seen her in magazines but at the time could not place her face… her heart skips a beat. ] T-Thank you, Takahashi-san. I… I'm really glad you think so.
[ How do you want to proceed, Sonico? It goes without saying that she really, really wanted to pursue this. He was handsome — really handsome. But there were other variables to consider; she couldn't just be immature about this and assume that a student-teacher relationship wouldn't get them both into trouble. ]
I-I… I like you, Takahashi-san. I really do. Talking to you really helped me back then. I was lonely a lot of the time, and you were always kind and considerate – you treated me like a person, not a celebrity. [ Sonico walks to her living room to sit down. She takes a deep breath. ] If we really do this, we should probably put down some ground rules, right?
[ Sonico takes another deep breath to gather the courage to what she would say next. ]
If you want… we should meet face to face and talk about this. My house isn't too far from campus… I-I can send you my address.
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I’m happy to know I’ve been able to make you feel so comfortable. And I like you as well, Sonico. I always looked forward to our conversations or receiving a new message from you.
[Even if he didn’t respond immediately when she sent one, whenever he had the free time he would always message her back. It was nice to have that connection with someone, even if it wasn’t in person.
He never tried to pressure her into revealing details about herself or her life. He was sure she would have reacted negatively if he tried. Through all their conversations, he’d grown content with their relationship being just that, two people chatting on an app mostly anonymously. But to think things were changing this fast. And now he had even received an invite to her home.]
Yes, I will stop over. I think ground rules are incredibly important before we do anything else.
[He thinks he knows what most of them will be from her end. She lived under strict rules as an idol. But she is breaking some of the most important ones by inviting him over. She broke them by even chatting with him privately like she had done. But, being her Teacher does give him a bit of wiggle room. He doesn’t think he will ever have to use it, because he knows how to be discreet. He knows how to look for tails or people surveying certain areas. If it is her desire to pursue something more with him than they have no ,he will make sure she is as protected as possible.]
Send me your address and I’ll come over now if that is fine with you.
[He’s never asked if she lives alone. Her living situation had never once been a topic of conversation, because why should it be? But now he would learn about that and much more.]