episode_0268

***

A girl wearing relatively light clothes walked down the hallway.

Every time she took a step, the wood creaked.

The sound the tree made clearly showed that the house was old, but the girl did not feel uncomfortable or shabby.

On the contrary, I found peace in this old house.

The time was night, and a faintly burning candle illuminated her path.

I walked down the hallway, sweeping the wall with my free hand.

The feeling of the smooth wall was conveyed to the girl through her fingers.

She patrolled the house, passing the candle here and there.

And stood in front of the room.

– Squeeze

She opened the door carefully, fearing it would wake up the person sleeping inside.

I enter the room quietly and tiptoeing.

A girl younger than her was sleeping in bed, breathing softly.

The girl, who had been watching the blanket rising and falling regularly for a while, lifted the blanket that had fallen to her chest up to her neck.

The season stopped in the middle of summer, but the nights were still cold.

After confirming that the child was sleeping well, the girl smiled and left the room.

And then I walked down the hallway again. There was a creaking sound in the tree again.

The girl stood in front of the room at the end of the hallway, the room with the biggest door in the house.

When I knocked lightly on the door, there was a cheerful knocking sound.

But there was no particular reaction in the room.

The girl knocked on the door again, but when there was no response, she opened the door carefully, as if she was used to it.

The room was entirely dark.

The image of an adult sitting in front of a desk appeared in the girl’s eyes.

“Teacher, aren’t you sleeping yet? It’s late.”

As the girl closed the door and came in, the person sitting in front of the desk slowly raised his head.

“Ah, it’s already time…”

The person called ‘Teacher’ looked at the girl with blank eyes for a moment, then shook his head as if he had woken up.

The girl looked at the teacher’s desk. He was far from the teacher with a neat personality.

The girl said, gathering the scattered papers and organizing them neatly.

“Now that I think about it, the reply to the written interview was due tomorrow. I know the period was quite long, but you don’t seem like a teacher.”

“That’s right, I can’t move my hand.”

The teacher touched the dirty fountain pen with his thumb for no reason.

“Are there any rude questions again?”

The girl snorted, remembering the reporters harassing her teacher.

It seemed like he was going to go to the newspaper office and threaten them at any moment.

“That’s not the case this time.”

The teacher leaned against the backrest and stretched.

I must have been sitting for a long time, so all my muscles felt like they were screaming.

The girl picked up the questionnaire.

It hasn’t been long since I learned to read, but was it because I was smarter than my peers? It was read without interruption.

“These are surprisingly normal questions.”

Unlike the previous day’s magazine, which only asked about the teacher’s personal details, this time the questions were quite specialized and sharp.

“It’s just that there are a lot of questions that remind me of old times.”

The teacher brought the questionnaire back from the girl.

The teacher picked up the cooled tea cup, stood up, and turned toward the window.

The girl looked at the teacher’s back.

It has already been three years since we lived in this mansion together.

For three years, she and her younger brother could be confident that they had lived a life without any shortcomings.

Warm bread and stew and clean clothes.

The teacher picked up the scruffy children, washed them, clothed them, and even taught them.

Perhaps the affection I received from my teacher was more than that from my parents, whom I no longer remember.

However, although she received many things from her teacher, there were also things that the girl had never received.

It was the teacher’s laugh.

On very rare occasions, the corners of the mouth drew a slightly curved line,

The teacher’s eyes never curved like crescent moons or he smiled so that his teeth showed.

The girl always thought that the teacher was lonely.

Although his face was gentle, the teacher did not smile.

“The night was deep. Now go in and sleep.”

The teacher said, still not taking his eyes off the scenery outside the window.

It was probably a euphemism for wanting to be alone, and the clever girl did not know what it meant.

“Yes. Teacher, don’t stay up late either.”

The girl greeted politely and grabbed the doorknob.

“Teacher, please close the window when you sleep. Even though it is summer, you may catch a cold because of the cold wind at night.”

The girl who opened the door halfway turned around and said, looking annoyed.

“Thank you for your concern. Go to sleep quickly.”

“Yes.”

When the door closed, the teacher was alone in the study.

The teacher’s eyes were still looking out the window.

Drunkards who were very drunk were staggering around the village.

There were a few houses that still had their lights on.

“It’s summer….”

The teacher opened his mouth as he looked at the vivid summer night scenery.

The teacher overlaid his memories on the scenery outside the window.

A precious memory of the now distant past, of tying up a coat and leaving footprints on a snowy street.

Plaza.

Campfire.

flame.

dance.

The precious memories that I had kept in the drawer called Memories unfolded before my eyes as if it had happened yesterday.

Suddenly, a single tear flowed down her cheek.

“It’s still winter for me.”

The teacher sobbed on the spot, filled with deep longing and sadness.