Teachers pet (COMPLETE)

Chapter 109: Hidden Truths

Mailin’s POV

The next morning, I drag myself out of bed, feeling like I haven’t slept at all. My eyes are puffy, red, and swollen from crying all night, and the ache in my chest hasn’t lessened. If anything, it’s gotten worse.

I glance in the mirror and wince. I look terrible—my hair is a mess, my skin pale, and the dark circles under my eyes scream that I haven’t slept. But I don’t care. I don’t care about anything at this point.

I don’t want to go to class. I don’t want to face anyone—not my classmates, and especially not Shota. But I can’t hide forever. So, I pull on my uniform, barely glancing at myself in the mirror, and head to class, bracing for whatever is coming.

As soon as I step into the classroom, I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. The chatter that normally fills the room dies down, and the silence feels suffocating.

“Hey, Mailin,” Kirishima says softly, his voice unusually gentle. “You okay?”

I force a weak smile, but it feels like a lie. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I mutter, heading to my seat. But the moment I sit down, my chest tightens again. The pain of what I saw—Shota with that woman—still haunts me, and I can feel the tears threatening to fall again.

Across the room, Sero exchanges a guilty look with Jirou, who watches me with concern.

“She looks like she didn’t sleep at all,” Jirou whispers, biting her lip.

Sero nods, his brows furrowed. “We have to do something. We can’t let her stay like this.”

But what can they do? They can’t tell me the truth, and they certainly can’t explain why Shota was with that woman. Every look they give me is filled with guilt, and it only makes me feel worse. What are they hiding from me?

---

Shota’s POV

As I watch Mailin enter the classroom, my chest tightens. She looks miserable, her eyes red and puffy, and her usual spark is gone. It’s hard to see her like this, especially knowing I’m the reason for her pain.

But I can’t tell her. Not yet. The proposal is meant to be a surprise, and as much as it hurts to see her like this, I have to stick to the plan.

I catch the worried glances from her classmates, each of them clearly struggling with the same guilt I feel. They want to help her, but they can’t say anything either.

Mailin won’t even look at me. She sits at her desk, her head down, avoiding my gaze entirely. It feels like there’s an invisible wall between us, and I hate it.

“Alright,” I say, forcing myself to focus on the lesson. “Let’s get started.”

But as I go through the motions of teaching, my mind keeps drifting back to her. I can’t bear seeing her like this for much longer. Something has to give.

---

Mailin’s POV

Class drags on, every second feeling like an eternity. My mind is barely present—I can’t focus on the lesson. All I can think about is Shota, sitting up there like nothing happened. How can he just... carry on like everything is fine? How can he look so calm after breaking my heart?

I swallow hard, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to spill over. My chest aches, and I feel like I can’t breathe.

I feel a light tap on my shoulder, and I turn to see Momo looking at me with concern. “Mailin... are you alright?” she whispers, her eyes filled with sympathy.

I nod, but it’s a lie. “Yeah,” I mumble, forcing myself to focus on anything other than the pain. But it doesn’t work. I can feel the tears coming again, and I quickly look away, pretending to concentrate on my notes.

After class, the tension in the air is palpable. As we gather in the common area, my classmates are unusually quiet, their eyes constantly flickering to me. I can tell they want to say something—anything—but they don’t.

Sero sits next to me, his expression soft. “Mailin... you know we’re here for you, right?”

I nod, though I don’t have the energy to respond. They’ve all been acting so strange ever since that night. Like they know something I don’t. Why aren’t they telling me the truth?

Kirishima fidgets nervously. “We just want you to be okay.”

“I’m fine,” I mutter, my voice barely above a whisper.

But I’m not fine. Not even close.

Later that day, I pass by Shota in the hallway, and for the first time, he looks... tired. He glances at me, his expression unreadable, but there’s something in his eyes that makes my chest tighten again. Is that guilt? Regret?

I want to scream at him, to demand answers, but the words get stuck in my throat. How can I confront him when I don’t even know what’s going on? The ache in my chest flares up again, and I hurry past him, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Shota watches me go, his eyes dark with something I can’t place. He doesn’t try to stop me. He doesn’t say anything.

And that hurts more than anything.