Our Teacher is a Yakuza Princess

Chapter 31

Time passed...

.

Love was found...

.

Shinohara Tomoyo sighed. He had been waiting in line at one of his favorite eateries for a good part of his lunch break, and he was fairly certain they were out of the good pudding by now. The available tables were disappearing by the minute, and he was still eight people from the cash register. Plus, there was the slightly more serious issue of Yamaguchi-sensei he still had to deal with.

The fact that she was part of a yakuza family had been niggling at the back of his mind since her secret came out in that magazine. He mentally cursed at the awful reporter who had nearly cost Yamaguchi her job. Truth was, he liked her. Not seriously, or at least, not any more seriously than any of his other female friends, but he enjoyed spending time with her. Of course, he enjoyed spending time with Fujiyama-sensei and Kawashima-sensei as well. He sighed again. He often wondered if that was as strongly as he would ever feel about a woman – that he liked her.

While he did enjoy Yamaguchi's energy and her dedication to such troublesome students, what Tetsu-san had said that day also kept bothering him.

"Ojou is in love with you, but I will not give her up."

He had said, "Alright. I wouldn't have it any other way." Because it was true. He welcomed Tetsu-san to the fight for Yamaguchi's heart, because she deserved a serious contender – which he was not. And he was fairly certain that Yamaguchi wasn't in love with him. She probably just had a crush, and even so, she must know that they could never actually be together. Yamaguchi may not be part of the yakuza technically, but he had heard enough stories from his friends in the Organized Crime Unit to know that blood ties were considered sacred in that community. She might not be the fourth head yet, but that could easily change. And if they were to seriously date or marry, he couldn't have that tie linking him to the underworld while he was a detective. So it was either asking her to give up her family, or asking him to give up his career – which was unfair for both of them.

Shinohara made a face. The good pudding was all gone! He would just have to settle for the vanilla. Which only reminded him of his mother not-so-subtly asking when he was going to find someone to settle down and raise children with. He repeated his answer to himself.

"When I find the right woman."

His face fell. He was well into his thirties, had a demanding job, and had no one he was passionate about. That's what he truly wanted. That spark, that urge, that desire that make people look and act ridiculous. Someone he couldn't wait to see, someone that made him happy, someone he would fight for no matter what-

"Sorry, but... make that four of us."

That boy – Sawada-kun. Shinohara had never really taken him seriously until that moment. He knew Sawada was a good kid, from when he was caught after rescuing his sister, and how regretful he looked after Yamaguchi had left the holding room. He understood that Tetsu had probably been in love wither for a long while, and he knew that Kashiwagi didn't have a chance with her, but he had been considerably startled when that boy popped up out of nowhere to declare his interest. And the way he had said it sounded almost indifferent, careless, casual, but there was no mistaking the fire in his eyes. At that moment, Shinohara wished he had a tenth of the resolve he had seen in Sawada-kun's eyes that day.

Suddenly he was at the register, and after he had paid, he looked around and realized that every single table was taken. He gripped his tray tighter and scanned the room again. Aha! There! In the very back corner was one small table with its occupant leaving. He fought through the crowded room, and triumphantly claimed the table with his tray... just as another tray was set down.

Confused, he looked up. Then up. And up some more until he was standing completely straight. Across the table was a tall, beautiful woman who was staring at him... until he realized he was also staring at her.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I didn't think this table was taken. I'll find some... where... else..." His words slowed as he glanced around the room and thought it had gotten even more crowded than before.

The woman smiled. "Well, there are two chairs, you know. We could share the table." He looked back and saw a teasing glint in her eyes.

"That's very true," He agreed, unaware he was grinning back. "Thank you for your generosity."

"I'm Yoshizumi Sumire." She told him with a slight bow as she sat down.

"Shinohara Tomoyo." He returned.

He soon found out that she was a financial newspaper columnist, she loved detective stories, she did aikido, and that she had an amazing laugh. He quickly realized that she kept expecting him to be intimidated by either her height or her job, and was very self-conscious about both. Trying to subtly set her at ease, he started talking about his sister, who was only an inch shorter than his own six feet, and often wore heels that made him feel like a midget. He was rewarded by another amazing laugh.

Glancing down at his watch, he very quickly did a double take. He had been sitting there for an hour! How in the world did time pass that fast? Apologizing profusely, he grabbed his tray and was about to leave before he realized that he really wanted to see her again. Unsure of how to articulate this, he simply stood by the table, holding his tray awkwardly.

Trying to suppress another smile, Yoshizumi-san remarked, "You know, this is one of my favorite restaurants. I come here most every day, usually around eleven. I might even come back tomorrow."

Shinohara stared a moment, then grinned. "You know, I didn't get the pudding I liked this time. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow and try again."

Yoshizumi-san looked at him with a soft expression that for some reason caused Shinohara's insides to somersault. "Sounds good to me."