Chapter 70
"Utaha, you're so cruel! You actually intend to beat your own teacher until he's hospitalized! Your thoughts are dangerous—how could I possibly dare to meet you in person?"
"Will Mineo-sensei really meet me in person? If you dare to come, not only will I not hit you, but I'll even give you a little surprise!"
"Of course, if Mineo-sensei feels the journey is too far, I can just hop on a plane to China to meet you. As long as you have the guts to give me your address, I'll book a flight right now!"
"....."
Seeing Utaha's message, Mineo's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't a fool; he could feel the hidden emotions laced within her words.
After a moment of silence, Mineo sent a reply:
"Utaha.... do you really want to meet me?"
"Yes! Does Mineo-sensei still remember the small regret I mentioned earlier?"
"I remember. So, what exactly is this small regret of yours?"
"Today is my birthday!"
"Today is your birthday???"
"Yes! I bought a cake for myself earlier and made a wish. I really wanted, on this special day, to see Mineo-sensei in person—the one who has guided and encouraged me to keep moving forward for the past few years! Unfortunately... since I said the wish out loud, it seems the wish I made today will remain difficult to fulfill!"
At that moment, Utaha pulled her knees to her chest and curled up. She looked up at the cake on the table with its flickering candle, then glanced around the silent, empty room.
A sense of loneliness radiated from her eyes. She looked down and continued typing on her phone.
"I don't have many relatives. The only person I can truly talk to is Mineo-sensei! Mineo-sensei, do you think I'm too fragile and overly sentimental....."
Utaha took a deep breath, then let out a short sigh.
"Actually, Mineo-sensei doesn't need to comfort me. I'm already used to days like this. Usually, I'm so busy writing that I don't have time to be sentimental. It's just that on this special day, for some reason, the conversation with Mineo-sensei led to this topic. Please don't mind me..."
"Utaha, are you at home right now!?"
"Yes, I'm home. Why?"
"Go put on some makeup and change your clothes right now!"
"Huh? Makeup? Change my clothes?"
"That's right. I'm taking you out to eat!"
"You're treating me to a meal? When!?"
"Now!"
"Now?"
Seeing Mineo's message, Utaha was stunned. She couldn't understand what he meant. However, Mineo sent another message immediately.
"We'll talk about the details when we meet!"
"Utaha, you have thirty minutes to get ready! In thirty minutes, I will appear before you. Of course, if you don't want to do your makeup, that's fine too... we're close enough that we don't need to be formal."
Mineo didn't realize that his message wasn't read to the end. Having only read halfway, Utaha—who had been curled up on the bed—instantly threw her phone aside.
She scrambled off the bed without wasting a single second. she rushed into the bathroom and began cleaning herself at the fastest speed she had ever achieved in her life.
Even though Mineo often joked around, Utaha could vaguely sense that he was being incredibly serious this time. Regardless of whether Mineo could actually appear before her in thirty minutes, she chose to trust him completely.
Mineo-sensei, if you can really appear before me today... then I... I will definitely...
After a lightning-fast shower, Utaha flung open her wardrobe and scanned her collection of clothes. Now, she felt a twinge of regret for not buying more beautiful, trendy outfits lately. She was usually so buried in her writing that the clothes in her closet felt like things she had already worn a thousand times.
The thirty-minute window was shrinking rapidly. Utaha glanced at the wall clock, then quickly snatched a tight black bodycon dress from the hanger. It was a dress she had bought for a banquet previously but had never actually worn. In her entire wardrobe, this was the only piece that looked somewhat formal and luxurious, so she chose it without hesitation.
After changing and preparing to step into her high heels, Utaha suddenly remembered Mineo's earlier words. She bit her lower lip softly, then reached into a drawer to pull out a pair of brand-new black stockings and slid them on.
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