Chapter 17 Section 17

When buying a return ticket at Shinjuku Station, Heisuke found that he had no change.He saw a store and walked over to buy a magazine.Reading magazines can just pass the time of taking the tram. But there was no such magazine as he used to read, but the cover of a men's magazine caught his attention.To put it bluntly, what caught his eye was the photo of a woman in a sexy pose on the cover.The existence value of this magazine called "Happy Planet" is clear at a glance. Hirasuke had never bought this so-called sensual magazine before.He had seen magazines like this in the company locker room, but he never picked them up to read them.

He had the idea of ​​buying a book to read, but it was really difficult to get started.The salesperson in the store is a middle-aged woman in her 50s.He was afraid of being seen by her as a dishonest person. The more he hesitated, the harder it was to make up his mind to buy.Finally, he picked up a magazine that he didn't really want to read, and opened his wallet. Just then, a young man who looked like an office worker came to him.After the young man glanced at the storefront, he picked up a copy of "Happy Planet" without hesitation, and then handed over a thousand-yen bill.The saleswoman, with an expression that seemed uninterested in the business, slowly gave him change.

I see!Just buy generously. Hirasuke pretended to have just discovered the magazine, decisively picked up a copy of "Happy Planet", put it in his hand together with the magazine he just took, and handed over a 10,000 yen bill.He wished to get out of the place quickly, but the saleswoman slowly counted over the change for him before handing it over.Of course, she wouldn't be interested in what magazines he bought. On the tram back, Hirasuke read the regular magazine. "Happy Planet" was put in his bag together with the information on compensation negotiations.His current mood is like that of a primary school student who just bought the toy he wanted.

When he got off the tram at the station and was about to walk near his house, Heisuke saw Takeko Hashimoto walking directly opposite.Her long brown hair fluttered in the wind.She also noticed Heisuke immediately, opened her mouth slightly, then stopped, with a natural smile on her face. "Ah, teacher, long time no see. Where are you going?" Heisuke bowed his head to greet her. "Mr. Sugita, I went to your house just now, but there seems to be no one there, so I want to go back." "Ah, really. Then, if it's convenient, let's go together now." "Okay, then I'll sit down for a while."

Hashimoto Taeko then turned around, and the two walked side by side to Heisuke's house. "Sami Nami doesn't seem to be at home, where did she go to play?" "Well, no, I don't think so." Heisuke looked at his watch, and it was almost 5 o'clock. "I suppose she went to get something for supper." "Oh." Hashimoto Takeko nodded as if she had realized something, "Sami Nami has become as capable as her mother recently, right?" "Hehe, now she can do a lot of things by herself anyway." "It's amazing. I still eat my mother's cooking."

"Ah, does the teacher live with his parents?" "Yes. They all want to marry me off quickly." "If the teacher has that kind of thinking, there should be many candidates, right?" "That's not the case. I have been staying in school, and my life circle is very narrow." Hashimoto Takeko said, waving her hands in front of her, clearly showing a very serious expression. Then let me be your candidate! ——Heisuke came up with this joke, but didn't say it.After all, there was no psychological preparation for this before, and the most important point was that it was too unstable.

When he arrived at the door, Hirasuke rang the doorbell a few times.Naoko's voice did not come through the intercom receiver. "It seems that he hasn't come back yet. By the way, would it be better if Sami Nami is present?" Heisuke asked.In fact, he was thinking that although she was a teacher, she was still a young woman at the same time, and it might be inconvenient to go to a man's house alone. "No. It's better to talk to you alone." "Ah, yes, please come in. However, the place at home is a bit small." Hirasuke unlocked the door and let her in.Hashimoto Takeko didn't show any restraint, said "Excuse me" and entered the yard openly.When she walked by, Hirasuke smelled a faint aroma of shampoo.

Heisuke took her to a Japanese-style room on the first floor.When he opened the refrigerator and looked in, Heisuke thought that he should buy some juice in advance for this occasion.There is only beer and barley tea in the refrigerator.Naoko seldom buys fruit juice because she says it is bad for children's teeth.Now she has become a child herself, but the habit has not changed. Finally, Heisuke poured a cup of cold barley tea and served it to the female teacher. "You don't have to worry too much." Hashimoto Takeko lowered her head and said.She knelt down on the cushion directly in front of the TV.The cushion was originally used to entertain guests when he and Naoko were married, and it has not been used since.Shortly after the crash, he dug it out of the bottom of the closet again, as visitors kept coming to express their condolences.If he hadn't had this experience, he must be letting Hashimoto Takeko wait at the door now, while he himself is fighting hard to find a cushion.

"What are you going to talk about today? Did Sami Nami cause any trouble at school?" "No, no." Taeko Hashimoto said, shaking her head and waving her hands, "It's not such a serious problem. I just want to ask for your opinion on one matter." "Oh." Hirasuke scratched his temples.He felt that Hashimoto Taeko's tone was a bit serious. "So, what's the matter?" "A while ago, your daughter came to me to discuss things." "Oh." "She said she wanted to go to a private secondary school." "Ah?" Heisuke leaned back and almost spilled barley tea because he was holding a water glass in his hand. "A private middle school, is it a school file like Azabu or Kaicheng?"

"Yes. But you are talking about boys' schools. It is this type of school. Of course, there are also slightly more ordinary schools that are relatively easy to pass." "So it's difficult to test Azabu and Kaisei—" Heisuke explained. He doesn't know anything about it. He only knew the names of Azabu Middle School and Kaisei Middle School because Naoko mentioned them. Yes, but only by name. "So there's still a girls' school?" "Of course there are, such as Sakura Yin, Bai Baitai Academy and so on." "Hehe." Heisuke moved his hand scratching his temples to the back of his head, "This... I think it is a high-level school just from the name. Am I right?"

"Yes." Taeko Hashimoto nodded, "The level of such a school is very high. If you want to enter such a school, you must at least ensure that the deviation value is above 60." "Really." Ping Jie agreed, but his heart was full of fog.In fact, Hirasuke didn't even know what the deviation value that was so popular was. After a few seconds, Heisuke opened his eyes wide again and asked, "So, Sami Nami wants to go to such a school?" "She didn't specifically say which school she wanted to go to. It sounds like she hasn't decided yet. Don't you know about going to a higher school? I thought she decided it after discussing it with you." "I don't even know." "So that's the way it is. So it's Sami Nami's decision." After speaking, Hashimoto Takeko took a sip of barley tea.Heisuke stared at the corner of her mouth, and for a moment he imagined in his mind whether the lipstick on her mouth would leave marks on the rim of the cup.However, there was no trace of lipstick on the rim of the cup she put back on the table. Heisuke looked away from the cup and crossed his arms. "This child, why did he suddenly have such an idea?" "She told me it was for the future." "what?" While recalling Naoko's face, Hirasuke appreciates the meaning of the word "future".Thinking about it, my mood became strangely gloomy.This is not a problem that can be solved without thinking about it. Since Sami Nami, who is in the sixth grade of elementary school, exists in form, then the future of Sami Nami does indeed exist.It was definitely not Naoko Sugita's, nor Heisuke's.Heisuke hadn't faced up to this problem before, not because he didn't want to think about it, but because he always wanted to push it back.Apparently Naoko didn't think so.She probably regarded this problem as her own problem, so she came up with such an idea. "So, for the sake of the future, it's better to go to a private middle school?" "That's the problem." Hashimoto Takeko said, looking straight into Heisuke's face.At this time, her eyes were those of a pure head teacher. "Thinking about it from all angles, if I put in more effort to get into a private middle school now, I will have more options in the future. ——This is the reason she said herself." "Options?..." "Yes. Sami Nami used the word option. I don't know why, Sami Nami speaks more and more like an adult recently. When you talk to her, you will forget that she is still a child." Ping Jie thought to himself, "Of course."But he had to pretend not to know. "That's just her pretending to be old." "No, I don't think so. Not only does she pretend to be an adult, but she exudes a kind of stability that only adults have in her heart. There was a class cleaning before, and when she saw the boys in the class fighting, she asked They issued a warning. Her tone was worse than mine..." Hashimoto Takeko covered her mouth at this point, "Ah, sorry, I digressed." "Ah, it's okay. Then, what's the teacher's opinion?" "I don't think there will be many options in the future after entering a private middle school. Public middle schools also have the advantages of public middle schools. Take the No. 3 Middle School in this school district as an example. The school spirit there is very good, and the learning level of the students is also very high. .Of course, if Sami Nami is determined, I will respect her thoughts. But before that, I want to hear your thoughts as a father, so I came to bother you." "But it's the first time I've heard of what you just said." "Yeah, that surprised me too." "By the way, do you need to make any special preparations if you want to go to a private middle school?" "Of course, you have to prepare in various ways. For example, you have to prepare school materials and choose the school you want to go to, and you have to do a lot of practice for the exam, and it is best to take the public mock exam. " "What, what?" Heisuke sat forward, "Examination... Do I still have to take the exam when I enter middle school?" "Yes, of course there is an exam!" Hashimoto Takeko replied with wide-eyed eyes.That expression seemed to say: Don't you even know this? "But, isn't this kind of test like an intelligence test? It's like a brain teaser..." "No, no." The female teacher shook her head again and again. "There are also schools that only test composition, but that's only a very small part. Most schools also take national language and mathematics, and usually also take composition. Some schools also take science and speaking." "Isn't that different from the high school entrance examination?" "That's right. So in a sense, the Junior Entrance Exam is an early experience of the competition that should have been experienced during the senior high school entrance examination. Among the options Zazami said, there is also the option of not having to take the high school entrance examination in the future." "Is that so?" When did Naoko start thinking about such things?Hirasuke thought about it, but couldn't find the answer for a while.It must have been when his mind was preoccupied with work. "However, I don't agree with children starting to get involved in the competition for exams at such a young age, so I also told Sami Nami that we should think about it again." "I see. I'll talk to her again." "Then I'm counting on you. To be honest, I don't want Sami Nami to leave the class. So far she has been a very good class leader. Once she decides to take the exam, she probably won't be able to play with everyone Oh, that would be such a pity!" Hashimoto Takeko said with a smile on her face. Just when Hashimoto Takeko got up to say goodbye, the corridor door rang, followed by Naoko's voice: "I'm back!" "Ah." Kishita Keiko looked at Heisuke.Then came Naoko's voice again: "Hey, why did these shoes get out?" Then she said loudly, "You know, I bought something rare at the supermarket today. Taro stems, remember? That's 1O The one I ate at that aunt's house in Osaka years ago. I didn't expect to meet it in Tokyo..." When Naoko, who was walking while talking, came to the door of the room, her feet and mouth stopped at the same time, like a toy with the battery removed. "Ah, teacher, how could you..." She alternately looked at the face of class teacher Heisuke. "Ah, I have something to discuss with your father." After speaking, Hashimoto Takeko turned her gaze to the Qushi shopping bag in Naoko's hand.A red stalk about two centimeters in diameter is exposed. "Is that a taro stem?" "Yes, it is the stem of the taro." "Oh." Hashimoto Takeko showed a comprehended expression. "Ah, it was a year ago. This is what I ate at a relative's house in Osaka a year ago." Heisuke hurriedly smoothed things over, "Sami Nami, you idiot, you just said 1 year as 10 years." "Ah, is it? Sorry. It was a year, a year ago." "Ah, that was last year. Hey, how do you eat this thing? Is it a salad?" "No, cook it. The key is to get rid of the earthy smell. But it's not too difficult." "Sami Nami can do it by herself? That's amazing!" "10 years... Ah no, I helped my relative a year ago when she was doing it. I took notes at that time, and I should still be able to find them now." "It's amazing. Next time you teach me how to do it!" "You are welcome at any time. Young people nowadays... including me too, people rarely do this kind of thing these days." Since the topic of cooking was about cooking, Naoko's tone didn't look like a child at all, and Heisuke who was on the side really saw it in his eyes and was anxious in his heart. "Sami Nami, the teacher is going home soon, it's not good for you to pester the teacher like this." "Ah, that's right." Naoko returned to the corridor entrance with her things in hand. "By the way, what did you just say? Did you mean the shoes?" Hashimoto Takeko asked Naoko after putting on the shoes. "Ah, ah, these shoes are the same as my mother's. I thought it was my mother's shoes that got out," Naoko replied. "These shoes? Really? Oh, and that." "Is there?" Hirasuke asked. Naoko nodded, "It's a pair of shoes that my mother likes very much. However, it seems that it is more suitable to wear on the teacher's feet. Mom's dress is a bit too fancy. To wear this kind of shoes, you have to have thin and long legs like the teacher. Row." "I hate it, you are not allowed to stare at other people's legs like this." Hashimoto Takeko took a step back and bowed her head to Heisuke, "Then I will take my leave." "Ah, you go slowly." After Hashimoto Taeko left, Heisuke locked the door.Naoko was no longer there when she returned to the corridor.Hirasuke returned to the house and found her in the kitchen, taking vegetables out of the supermarket shopping bag. "Why don't you discuss things like going to a private middle school with me?" He asked her back. "I was going to discuss it with you." Naoko stood with her back against the sink. "What's the matter, why such a decision was made in silence," "I haven't decided yet, and I'm planning to discuss it with you." "Then tell me your reason, why did you come up with such an idea?" "First of all, I've been thinking about such things dimly for a long time." "A long time ago?" "It was before I became like this." Naoko spread her hands and said, "When Sami Nami was still alive, I thought that maybe it would be better for this child to go to a private middle school, and it would be the kind that can go straight to the middle school. Middle school for university. I don’t want her to suffer too much for the high school and college entrance exams.” "That means Naoko chooses an easy way now so that she doesn't have to suffer in the future, right?" Heisuke said in a sarcastic tone. "Listen to me. Yes, the reason why I immediately think of private high school when I think about going to middle school next year is because I have thought about it that way before. However, I have other ideas that are completely different from this. After all, I have to go to private high school. The middle school guy is actually me who wants to go to a private high school anyway, and I have other reasons." "Other reasons?" "To put it simply," Naoko leaned against the sink and crossed her feet, "I want to learn." "What?" Heisuke's eyes widened.He never expected Naoko to answer like that.After being surprised, he began to find it interesting, so he laughed and sat cross-legged on the floor while laughing. "Hey, are you kidding me? You can't get into the University of Tokyo just by doing elementary school students' questions." The muscles on Naoko's lids did not move at all, and her entire face was expressionless. "I was serious." Her voice is calm.These words came from a mouth that looked like a child, giving off an extraordinarily cold feeling.The smile on Hirasuke's face disappeared in an instant. "It's been three months since I've been like this. Do you know how I feel? Do you wish I was still worried and living with a sigh of 'why is this happening'?" "No." He shook his head. "Although I sometimes feel sad and feel that I am a poor person, I feel that I have done my best to live my life. I hope to continue the life of Sami Nami as much as possible. Although the thing I want to do most is to return to the You and Sami Nami lived together, but we can never go back, there is no way. Since I can't go back, I can only think about how to live my second life well. So I thought, what should I do? I kept thinking about it every day. In the end, I only thought of one answer, which is to stop letting myself have the same regrets as before.” "Regret? What regret?" "Oh, don't you often say things like that? It would be nice to learn more when you were young. I have the same idea." "yes?" "This is the so-called pinning hope on children. I don't know what you think, but I have great hopes for Sami Nami. I don't want her to become a pianist or a flight attendant. I just want I hope she will be self-reliant, not only ideologically, but also economically. I hope she can become an independent woman who can live without relying on men, and it is of course best to be a heroine." Naoko said bluntly. "Naoko, you..." Heisuke licked his lips and continued, "Aren't you satisfied with being my wife? Do you regret it?" "There is no such thing. I am very satisfied to be your wife, and I think it is very good. I never said that I want to leave my role as a housewife and go out to work happily." "But, you don't want Sami Nami to choose the same lifestyle as you, do you?" "That's not what I mean. How should I put it, I think self-reliant women can become housewives. What I reject is the situation where a housewife becomes a housewife because she cannot be self-reliant. Even if you hate your husband—don't Misunderstood, I’m just giving you an example—there are many women who dare not leave because they are worried about the instability of their lives, right? I don’t want Sami Nami to become that kind of woman. Don’t you think it’s tragic for a woman who can only live by a man Is it? I was lucky enough to meet you. But what should I do if instead of you, I meet a very bad man? After all, my happiness is entirely in your hands! " "So, you also have the idea that you are miserable?" Hirasuke asked tentatively. Naoko took a deep breath and looked directly into her husband's face. "There's no use going around in circles with you, so I'll just say it. I've had that thought, and more than once." "Really." Hiroshi sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you sad. It's not that you are bad, it's me. In fact, I have always been happy with you, and I will never have such thoughts from now on." "Naoko's life is actually very ordinary, I think it is very ordinary." "I've never felt that I was more miserable than other people. You're right, I live a normal life. Whether you feel miserable or not varies from person to person." Heisuke flicked the top of the low-legged table with his fingers, not knowing what to say. "Therefore," Naoko continued, "I decided to replace Sami as a self-reliant woman. I thought that no one else would have a second chance at life except me. I didn't want to waste this miracle." Looking at Naoko expressing his thoughts passionately, Heisuke recalled that there was a girl like her before, who was his classmate in the first grade of junior high school.In the first semester of the third year of junior high school, she became the president of the student union. "Well, I understand your mood very well." Heisuke said.He was very upset that he couldn't find a word that could express his feelings better. "Thank you for your understanding. So I continued to think in this direction, and finally came to the conclusion that if you really want to study hard, you should put yourself in a certain environment." "Is the environment you mentioned a private middle school?" "That's what I think at the moment. But I don't want to just pick a private middle school. It must be a school with a certain standard. Even if it is a high school or a high school attached to a university, I will not be satisfied with direct internal education. At that time, I will go to the best school I can get into according to my strength." "Ha, you're still in a good mood! It seems that you won't have time to talk to me in the future." Although Heisuke pretended to be joking and said this sentence, it was actually his sincere words.He himself has realized this. "How can I do it if I don't show some energy, the examination room is like a battlefield." Naoko nodded as if she understood what she said. "But, is it necessary to start from junior high school? Isn't it a way to go to a local public school and work harder when you take the college entrance examination? I heard from Mr. Hashimoto that the third middle school is also good." Hearing what Heisuke said, Naoko shook her head vigorously: "No! She is still too young to understand." "No matter how young you are, you have been a teacher for several years." "If I say no, I won't. Although she is a nice person, she can't get rid of the state of the eldest lady. Her vision of seeing things is too shallow." Although he appears to be a primary school student, he is actually a 36-year-old adult who criticizes the young female teacher mercilessly. "Don't talk about him like that. He came here because he was worried about you." "Oh, I didn't see it, you're still protecting her." Naoko tilted her face slightly and looked at Heisuke and said. "What are you talking about?" Ping Jie pouted. "Ah, it's okay." Naoko turned her head away first, then turned back, and looked at Heisuke again, "Anyway, I've finished what I want to say, I just hope you can support me to enter a private middle school. The tuition fee of private middle schools is higher than that of public ones. If you want to be tall, you can’t do it without your father’s support and understanding.” Just now I kept calling myself "you", but now I suddenly changed to "Dad".Ping Jie thought to himself, it would be wise to see the timing when you call Dad.But he didn't dare to say that, but said "as long as you like it."He couldn't think of any other way to answer. "Thank you." Naoko immediately beamed, "Don't worry, I will study hard. Then I'm going to cook the taro stems." After speaking, she turned to the sink and picked up the cutting board. In addition to the boiled taro stalks for dinner, there was grilled trevally and a cold dish mixed with young peas, and everything was very delicious.In particular, the taro stems soaked in seafood soup are simply the best in the world.Heisuke once again admired Naoko's skill in successfully recreating the dishes he ate 10 years ago.He couldn't help thinking, if he can cook such a good dish, why do he have to study hard to get into a good school? After dinner, Naoko immediately started washing the dishes.Heisuke, who was watching the evening live show, was very concerned about the sound she made when she washed the dishes. "Why is washing so loud? Can you be a little quieter?" "That would be a waste of time!" she replied, holding her hands. As for why it would be a waste of time, Hirasuke didn't understand until after she finished washing the dishes.She dried her hands and didn't plan to sit down at all, but went upstairs directly. "Where are you going?" Hiroshi asked. "Go back to the room," she replied, "I have decided to study for at least two hours every night from today on." "Start today?" "As the saying goes, 'tomorrow after tomorrow, there are so many tomorrows'." After saying this sentence, which did not match her 11-year-old appearance, Naoko choked and went upstairs. No way, Hirasuke had no choice but to turn his gaze back to the TV screen.The Giants are fighting fiercely against their opponents, but Heisuke can no longer concentrate on the game. He set his sights on the bag in the corner of the house.He picked up the bag, opened it, and took out the "Happy Planet" from it. Open the cover, a pair of female breasts come into view.They were beautifully shaped breasts with pale pink nipples.The female Hengte has a thin waist and slender legs. She is less than 20 years old. There are 6 pictures of the female model.She poses enough to turn men on in every photo.Her ecstatic expression is easily reminiscent of the climax of a sexual act. Immediately, Hirasuke's lower part erected. It's been a long time, he thought, and the last time he had sex with Naoko was the night before the accident.At that time, Naoko voluntarily leaned on him while saying things like "Don't change your mind when she's not around". He got up with the magazine and slipped into the bathroom while being careful not to make any walking noises. While looking at the hot figure of the model, he began to masturbate, and at the same time, the face of Hashimoto Takeko appeared in front of him.