Girl Next Door

Chapter Fifty-Five

The following day at school. Kyosuke sat alone at a bench under a large Japanese cherry tree.

He and Risa did not walk to school together that day. He somehow slept in, and it seemed Risa didn't wait for him because of the current situation in their relationship. Kyosuke still held feelings of confusion, and he had no idea whom to approach and talk to about his dilemma. He sat there, hoping someone might approach him and talk to him.

That someone turned out to be Megumi, the teacher he harbored attraction to. The twenty-five-year-old woman saw that the boy was lonely and approached him.

"Matsumaru-kun?" spoke Megumi, hugging to her chest a folder with a bundle of papers in it.

Kyosuke looked up at her, shocked. He still had a small crush on her, and his heart raced.

"Oh, M-Miss Megumi...!" he said.

"Is this seat taken?" said Megumi with a smile, pointing to the space on the bench beside where Kyosuke sat.

"Oh, not really, Teach," replied Kyosuke softly, averting her gaze.

Megumi smiled sweetly as she sat beside him. She put the bundle she was carrying on her lap.

"If I may ask, what are you doing here, all alone?" she asked him.

"Ah, well..." said Kyosuke, "I like the peace and quiet."

"If I remember well, you have a lot of friends in this school," said Megumi. "You should be hanging out with them."

Apart from a deep sigh Kyosuke did not answer. Megumi noticed his depression and inched closer to him.

"What's bothering you, Matsumaru-kun?" she asked with a tone of concern.

Kyosuke took a deep breath before answering.

"Miss Megumi, have you ever loved two people at the same time?"

"What?" said Megumi, surprised at the question. "No, I haven't. But please, tell me about it. You don't have to name names if you don't want to." She gave a smile.

"Well," replied Kyosuke, "there's this girl."

"I see. A girl, huh?" said Megumi with a nod.

"Yeah," said Kyosuke. "And we've known each other for a really long time."

"Ah, Takanaka-san," said Megumi, who immediately guessed whom Kyosuke was referring to.

"Y-You know about that?" said Kyosuke, surprised.

"Sorry," said the teacher with a sheepish smile. "The fact that you guys are neighbors is known all over class, if not all over campus. Tee-hee."

"Anyway, yeah," continued Kyosuke, "like I was saying, I've known her for a really long time, and I may have developed feelings for her."

"I see," replied Megumi, stroking her chin in interest.

"I try to tell her how I feel, when suddenly this popular new girl comes in," continued Kyosuke.

"Hikari-san?" said Megumi, suprised at what Kyosuke had said.

"You knew that too?" grumbled Kyosuke.

"Sorry, sorry!" said Megumi, smiling awkwardly. "It's just you have very popular friends and it's hard to miss them."

Kyosuke gave a sigh before continuing.

"Anyway," continued Kyosuke, "Hikari-san keeps asking me to hang out with her, and I couldn't refuse her, but then, hanging out with her, I forget all about Risa. Now Risa won't talk to me when I try."

"Mhm," said Megumi, nodding.

"I'm so confused, Teach," said Kyosuke sadly.

"Well," said Megumi, "that's a natural feeling when it comes to love triangles. Look, I know what you meant by being in love with two people, but that's not it."

"Huh?" wondered Kyosuke. "What do you mean?"

"You can never be in love with two people at the same time, Matsumaru-kun," said Megumi. "What you feel for the other may just be attraction or friendship, but not love."

Kyosuke listened intently to his teacher.

"You just have to find out which among the two girls is the one you really love," said Megumi. "You don't choose though; you just have to follow your heart." She smiled gently at Kyosuke.

"Miss Megumi..." said Kyosuke.

"Tell me, Matsumaru-kun," said Megumi, "Who is it that you really love?"

Kyosuke paused for a moment before he gave her his answer.

"Risa."

"Good," replied Megumi, smiling. "Then go to her."

A smile crept upon Kyosuke's face as he had the sudden realization that he was truly in love with Risa at all.

"It's true," he said. "I do love Risa. It's her I want."

Megumi nodded in approval.

"By the way, Matsumaru-kun," she said, "you will be cleaning the classroom with Gunji-san after homeroom."

"Oh, yes, Miss Megumi," replied Kyosuke. "Thanks so much for the pep talk."

"Anytime," said the teacher.

Out of impulse, Kyosuke gave Megumi a kiss on the cheek before running off, causing her to blush slightly. She put her hand to the spot where his lips touched her.

"Boys," said Megumi, smiling.

Three hours later, classes have ended, and Kyosuke was cleaning the blackboard in his classroom like he was told to. His cleaning partner was done and had already left, and he was about to get finished himself.

Kyosuke still hadn't talked to Risa, still feeling uncomfortable about talking to her in their current sitiation. Moreover, he was afraid Risa still wouldn't want to talk to him.

He put the eraser back on the blackboard before grabbing his bag and heading for the door. But before he could do that, a girl suddenly entered the room.

To his dismay, it was Hikari, panting and out of breath.

"H-Hikari-san...!" said Kyosuke, as his heart began to thump.

"Matsumaru-kun..." said Hikari, who seemed nervous.

"W-What is it?" asked Kyosuke.

"I was just looking for you," said Hikari.

"Um, why?" said Kyosuke, wondering what Hikari was up to.

"I-I came to tell you something," replied the idol, looking at the floor anxiously.

"What?" wondered Kyosuke, who seemed to share Hikari's mood.

"Um, uh..." uttered Hikari.

Kyosuke waited for what Hikari was going to say.

"M-Matsumaru-kun," she said, walking closer to him, "these past few days I've spent with you were the best I've spent in my entire life."

Kyosuke grew more nervous, as he knew where this conversation was going.

"I've never had so much fun in my entire life," said Hikari, now blushing. "You made me feel like I'm just a normal girl, and I like that feeling. You're one of the few people who don't talk to me as a celebrity, but as a person." She smiled passionately at Kyosuke.

"Hikari-san..." said Kyosuke, heart thumping faster than ever.

Hikari walked even closer to him.

"The truth is, Matsumaru-kun," she said, eyes welling up and cheeks red as beets. "I... love you."