Chapter 29 - School Trip – Part 4 (2/2)

But I’m the one with the most progress, though!

“I’ll help you work on it ♡.”

“Rather than worrying about me, you should worry more about yourself…”

Hiiragi-chan who wasn’t listening at all, sat down directly behind me, then put her arms on my shoulders, making it look like we were doing a Nininbaori. [1]

She squeezed with my hands to manipulate the clay

“Over here, you do this ♪.”

This evil teacher knows that she’s pushing her chest up against my back.

“Sensei, this is a little embarrassing… so I would like it if you were to stop…”

“But if I don’t do this, I wouldn’t be able to teach you properly, right?”

The line of sight for all of the boys were focused on the two of us.

“Dammit… if I also did really badly, I would also be able to be intima—I mean, be guided by Hiiragi-chan.”

“What is that, it’s so envia—I mean, I also want to be taught using Hiiragi-chan’s style of teaching.”

“Aah. This is bad. This is really bad. If I don’t get any help I won’t be able to make anything…”

Fujimoto, who was taking sidelong glances at Hiiragi-chan, ended up being helped by the instructor.

“That’s not what I wanted…!”

Pupupu, don’t mind it, Fujimoto. Adding in Hiiragi-chan’s helping hands, the shape quickly took form, quietly turning into a distorted looking bathtub.

“…”

“… Hey.”

“…I-in order to make it well, there is sometimes a need to fail, you know?”

Even if you say that, if we try and remake it, it’ll probably stay the same with your terrible hands, Hiiragi-chan. Since it couldn’t be helped, I secretly put my hands on top of hers.

“Let me try.”

“Ah… yeah… ♡”

In quiet voices, we made a secret exchange.

“Over here, we do this, and this….”

In the end, instead of me being taught by Hiiragi-chan, I ended up teaching her. When that was over, a reluctant Hiiragi-chan returned to her own seat, and faced her own work.

“Mumumumu… It’s difficult…”

She was bad at it, as expected, but, she was able to come up with something after putting in the effort. Since it takes some time for the finishing touches, the finished product would be sent to school at a later date.

In order to tell whose it was, everyone was asked to sign their piece in a unique way. Last time, I just casually wrote down my name, Sanada, but this time, I’ll change it a little bit.

S f o r H

Originally, I was planning on giving this to her, so I’ll just leave it at that. As I set down my own piece, Hiiragi-chan came over to set down her own.

“Ah…”

She let out a small voice, and looked back and forth between my face and the mug that I had made. Fuguu, she let out a funny sound and held down her chest.

“My heart skipped a beat and I thought I would die.”

“Sensei, what did you make?”

“This.”

Bashfully, Hiiragi-chan showed the flower vase that she made? Or at least showed me something that looked like that. Near the bottom, there was a signature.

H f o r S

She working that hard for my sake…? Me as well, I had to hold down my chest.

“Sanada-kun, what’s wrong?”

“Just for a little bit. My heart skipped a beat and I thought I would die…”

Embarrassed, Hiiragi-chan cleared her throat.

“Kohon. I don’t know who you’re giving it to, but I guess we both had the same thought in it?”

“Yeah… so there are other people that also think the same way. I don’t know who Sensei wants to give that flower vase to though.”

“It’s not a flower vase! It’s a mug. I-it isn’t very good though…”

“Ah, it’s got its own spin on it, so it’s just fine.”

“That’s right, it’s just my own twist. It’s a unique work that produces the feeling of it being handmade.”

Meeting eyes with the strong-willed Hiiragi-chan, we both smiled.

“It’s okay, they’ll surely be happy.”

“I-is that so? That would be good. Yours too, I’m sure they’ll be suuuuuuuper happy, you know? The person that accepts it. I’m looking forward to it’s completion.”

As I nodded, in a place that couldn’t be seen, we touched the backs our hands together. Half embarrassed, half happy, it was a cute smile.

As expected, my girlfriend is the best.

TL Note:

二人羽織: “Helping Hands” comedy performance; performance in which one person wears a haori on their shoulders, while another person behind them puts their arms through the sleeves of the haori and feeds the person in front