DISCLAIMER!
-I do not own anything regarding this series beside my own original content, such as events and ideas. Please go and support the official works of the author in the hope of more content.

Good evening, how's it going everyone? As embarrassing as it is, some of you might have noticed that I haven't released a new chapter for a short while now... I'm sorry. My family had just lost a valuable member and we're all mourning over this. I really didn't have any time to write and to be honest, it was hard for me to just get into writing after all that's happened. It's really rough. Hope you'll forgive me for this, but things are starting to get a bit better now. Now then, enjoy. Furthermore, I have an announcement at the end of this chapter so please check it out.

"Welcome to Adulthood"

"You're leaving?" I asked bewilderedly. "What do you mean?"

Hiratsuka-sensei approached me calmly. "It means exactly as it is. Hikigaya, there's nothing between the lines here, not from me. It's the end of the road. I'm leaving Sobu High", Hiratsuka-sensei answered bluntly. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight, but it wasn't the usual beautiful and radiant purple eyes that you'd have thought a maiden would have. Those eyes had dimmed somewhat.

It was quite clear that she would not give me a reason nor did she need to. Because after all, we're just a student and a teacher. Our relationship was that of a student and teacher, built on nothing but moral and support. A students life can be painful. It's messed up, stressful and even at times despairing. Then you start asking yourself. "If this is my life now. what will happen when I grow up? If an irresponsible students life is painful, then a responsible adult's life is straight up an abyss of anguish. What can a student do, compared to an adult like her? If she hasn't found her way out, then what chances are there for me?

It was cold and bitter sweet. Her smile.

"We should probably head back soon." She said as she started to walk back.

"You know I'd just end up returning to my personal corner in that room again right? Sensei's sensei and all but... I have my whole future ahead of me in the corner. What about you? You ought to understand before it's too late", I said. It was neither provocation or nonsensical, but a simple jab. Someone as level headed as her should understand what I was getting at.

Hiratsuka-sensei stopped for a second. As soon as I thought she had actually given it some thought, she continued to walk away. Guess I really wasn't in a position to suggest anything, let alone lecturing a teacher. Perhaps I was just being superficial. After all, I didn't understand her situation.

Just as I had predicted, everyone was flocking to Hiratsuka-sensei like a herd of sheep. And then there was me. Standing in the corner like the black sheep or the ugly duckling, sipping my coffee while observing Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Hikki...", said the worried voice of Yuigahama as she and Yukinoshita reached me.

"If you're going to come here and plead me to do something about the situation then don't bother. I have no intention of getting in her way".

Yuigahama's expectant eyes changed, revealing the sadness that she tried to hide. "Why?! Are you saying that you're fine with Hiratsuka-sensei leaving like this?! Just why, can't you see that she obviously don't want to leave? How can continue to act oblivious at times like this... why-"

"He's right, Yuigahama-san. This predicament is Hiratsuka-sensei's alone, we as outsiders have no right to interfere", said Yukinoshita. Even so, she looked out of sorts as well, averting eye contact while clutching on one arm. "But even so...", Yukinoshita added. "I'm truly grateful for what she had done. Without her, she wouldn't have brought you to the service club, nor would Yuigahama-san be here with me today. That's why, it's only natural that we'd want to give her a hand, right?" Yukinoshita voiced her feelings. Her shaky voice and uncharacteristic lines seeped into my chest, and I could feel a piercing pain from it.

I looked at Yuigahama who was on the verge of tears and Yukinoshita's anxious face, their words continue to resonate in my mind.

Every time I think about it... I've crossed some kind of invisible line. The person I've become, the place where I'm at. I've come to a place I never imagined I'd have to come to. And I don't know how I got here. It's a strange place. It's a place where my harmless everyday life has become more busy, interacting and then some socialising about simple things has led me into considerations of actually having friends and leading me to crave something more... genuine. As I've said, I didn't know where I was, nor how I've gotten here. What I do know is, it's all because of Hiratsuka-sensei in the first place. That's why... even if I have to resort to sophistry, I will...

"Like I said", I scowled. "As a student and also a member of the service club, I have no intention of getting involved. First and foremost, she's a teacher. I can't help it."

"..." Both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama remained silent, suppressing their agony and sorrowful look as their spirit fell furthermore.

"That's why... I'll do this my own way. Not as part of the club's activities, but by myself. You guys would not have any problem with that, right?" I said while scratching my cheek embarrassingly and avoided looking at them.

With my last remark I saw the light returned to their face again and their spirit lifted. Their depressed and dispirited faces were replaced with smiles and satisfaction.

I couldn't bear looking at such genuine smiles any longer. As I averted my gaze away, they said in unison: "Hikki/Hikigaya-kun, thank you!"

I haven't done anything yet, you know?

As the party ended, the students took a long and heartfelt farewell with the homeroom teacher. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama looked a whole lot better compared to before, though. Yukinoshita, Yuigahama and I were the only one left in the room, responsible for the cleaning the aftermath of the party. Hiratsuka-sensei remained as well, being the only teacher who had to oversee this before locking up. We were nearly done with all the cleaning, until...

"AH! O-Oh noooo!" Yuigahama suddenly yelled out of nowhere.

"Quiet down, Yuigaham! Sheesh, my eardrums. what happened?", Hiratsuka-sensei scowled while rubbing her ears.

"I-I forgot! It was suppose to be, uhm... M-My turn to walk Sable tonight, yes that's it! I was suppo" Yuigahama said unconvincingly.

What the hell is with that lame excuse...? Yuigahama-san, you never cease to surprise people, do you? And not in a good way...

"T-That's why, I'll be taking my leave now, right Y-Yukinon?!", she nicked nervously at Yukinoshita. She was sweating all over now.

"E-Eh? Me as well?" Yukinoshita asked. It was quite clear that she had a hard time following this little charade as well. Yukinoshita gave me a panicked look before Yuigahama grabbed her hand.

"Y-Yeah, Yukinon! Sable has really taken a liking to you after you visited last time? R-Remember?!"

"Just what are you trying to pull? Yuigahama, Yukinoshita" Hiratsuka-sensei finally stated her doubts.

Busted! She's clearly doubting you guys!

"N-Nothing at all! Hikki, we'll leave the rest to you all right?!" Yuigahama panicked as she darted right out of the clubroom, dragging Yukinoshita with her at full force.

Finally, silence returned to the room following that awkward display of Yuigahama and Yukinoshita's (Mostly Yuigahama).

But it was soon broken by an annoyed Hiratsuka-sensei.

"HIKIGAYA... I WONDER WHAT. YOU. ARE. DOING? WHY ARE WE THE ONLY ONE LEFT TO CLEAN UP?", Hiratsuka glared at me intensely while cracking her fingers.

Now I was the one panicking.

S-Scary! Is this the forbidden power a woman can obtain after being alone for all these years?!

Suddenly, her mood turned even worse.

"Oh? You're pretty rude today aren't you... making jokes out of a woman's age like that" She smiled coldly, bearing her fangs and locking on to her prey... me.

Did she read my mind or something?! Wait, now's my chance. We're all alone now!

I swallowed my fear and braced myself. It was now or never.

"I want to help you!" I said to while staring determinately.

Hiratsuka-sensei stopped abruptly. Her whole body fell into depression yet again, like back then when she told me she was leaving.

After a long silence from both sides, Hiratsuka-sensei finally said something. "You want to help me, Hikigaya? It's not possible. What can you do? Besides, you're still a student. We shouldn't be having a conversation like this at all" she laughed in disbelief.

She was hugging herself, her expression was sad and her eyes vacant. She really wasn't usual kind and caring self. She was a little shaky, and perhaps even in tears. It was hard to know with her head down like that.

But I knew what I had to do. I approached her so that we were standing face to face.

"So what if I'm a student?" I countered her remarks, and it looked like my voice at least got through to her.

" I hate normal people. They're weak. And when they feel weak, they drop their heads on the shoulders of others. When things don't go their way, they seek the affection of others, the help to go through a rough patch. But... when I see you like this. When I see you trying to bear it by yourself, even if it's clear that you can't... It's not about realizing that nothing can help you, be it a student from school or anything. It's about when you realise that you don't want to bother anyone and don't need aid. I think, that's when sensei really needs a helping hand."

Hiratsuka-sensei slowly lifted her face, and I could see her purple eyes once more.

"Hikigaya..." she said my name softly while staring at me, astonished.

"So what if I can't help you because I'm a student? Then I'll just help you on the weekends when I'm not. Problem solved." I smiled coyly, trying to lure her into this play of sophistry.

"Ahahaha!", Hiratsuka-sensei laughed. It seemed like ages since I actually heard her laugh. She looked a lot more relieved as she was standing straight up, showing her tall figure, her straight long hair went all the way down her back, her form-fitting uniform that fits her like a glove and of course, her gentle and warm smile.

"Really, you and that twisted mind of yours. Playing with words like that. You think they'd work on me?" She teased.

Now I was embarrassed.

"W-Well, it was worth a try at lea-"

"So you will help me, right?" she asked while leaning towards me.

"Huh?"

"On the weekends. But I'm telling you this, though. As a man, you have to take responsibility and see it through!" She smiled wholeheartedly, and my heart even skipped a beat

"Y-Yeah..." I answered reluctantly.

I really can't win against her...

*A couple of days later, Friday*

After school had ended it was decided that I'd have to meet up with Hiratsuka-sensei later in the evening, so I went straight home and prepared myself. I've already told the two Ys about it, so I could skip the club for today. Just before I was about to head about, I got two text messages. Needless to say who it were from of course, as they said:

"Good luck, Hikki! Bring Hiratsuka-sensei back for us, you can do it! (ง'̀-'́)ง" and:

"Please don't mess this up. After all, I've chosen to trust you on this task... Good luck, Hikigaya-kun.

What's with these contrasts...

It was nearly six in the afternoon as I finally arrived at the shopping district, waiting for Hiratsuka-sensei to arrive. She still hadn't told me about her problem yet, saying that she'd do it today.

Where is she though? We were supposed to meet a quarter of an hour ago! It's not like her to not be punctual when it comes to times and meetings like this. Maybe I should give her a call.

As I took out my phone, the crowd around me were starting to make quite a ruckus.

A group of friends where blushing: "Woah man, look at her! Who is she?"

"Look at her hair, it's so long and shiny, I'm so jealous..." said a fixated girl to her friends

"Is she a model or something? How pretty~"

How noisy... Just what is everyone talking about?

I turned around to have a look. That was when I found her. She was wearing a white sheath dress the colour served as a contrast, a complement to her long black hair. The dress fitted her figure perfectly, revealing her tall, slim and yet perfectly proportioned body, with her hips and busty chest being the main standing out, attracting every single men's gaze in the area. In addition to her dress, she held a dark blazer in her hand and wore high heels, which made her look even taller, like a model. She was sparkling and projected a warm and elegant aura. As she walked, I followed the movement of her hand it slid down her slender neck. I would have loved to have my hand just touch her, just to see if her skin was as smooth as it really looked. She was walking quickly, however it offered me a view of the thickness of her thighs. I stared at the dress she wore, who's only function was to cover a perfect adult woman's form. And last of all, she was Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Sorry I'm late, Hikigaya! It took longer than I thought to finally leave school and then took a shower and get dressed. How do I look?"

As she smiled at me, my heart was struck and I almost gave into the craving desire of saying "Marry me!" in front of the crowd.

"Hikigaya?" she asked yet again, staring at me. I realized that I was still entranced captivated by this side of Hiratsuka-sensei that I didn't know before.

"U-Uhm, well... I suppose you look good, I guess?" I said while rubbing my neck and avoiding her face.

"R-Really?! Thanks, I did put a lot of effort into it after all, ahahaha..." Hiratsuka-sensei thanked rather embarrassingly as she blushed. "You don't look so bad either, with the white beneath your sweater, you looked like a fully functional working adult!"

"Please don't even joke about that...", I stressed at the thought.

I tried to calm down and changed the subject. "Anyways, do you mind finally telling me about your problem and why we're here today?"

Hiratsuka-sensei turned straight red again, as she panicked to try and come up with a good way of telling me.

"You see, the reason why I planned on leaving was... You know how I've always been the sort of woman who cared more about her carrier than finding a man, right?"

Don't say a thing! I'll die if I say anything!

Hiratsuka-sensei stared at me, looking annoyed before she continued "Well, either way. I've come to the point where being a single woman is not an option anymore. Even with how much I try... Anyways, as a result, my parents at home were pestering me about "When are you going to give us a grandchild" and things like that. They probably want me to hurry and marry someone and settle down soon. That's why they even went as far as arranging a marriage interview back at home".

Now I understood her position completely. "So that's why you said you'd be leaving, so that you can meet with this potential marriage candidate and settle down?"

"Yeah. I was against it at first. I want to find a good man on my own, one that I like and fall in love with, but I also pity my parents. They meant well and cared for me. They said that the only way to stop the interview was if I already had a boyfriend and had to introduce him to them. So I had no choice but was going to attend. Until, you showed up of course, Hikigaya", Hiratsuka-sensei smiled coyly again.

As soon as she said that, I felt a chill down my very spine. "Don't tell me..."

"Yes... I need you to be my (fake) boyfriend...", Hiratsuka-sensei said while covering her bewildered face with her hands. It took her everything she had to break down the moral barrier by saying that. A student and teacher pretending to be lovers...

Yet again, I was at loss. "L-Let's slow things down a bit, won't we? I mean, I don't really think we can fool your parents like that. I'm just a student", I tried to squeeze my way out of the situation.

"Don't you there back out now! It took everything I had to just explain that to you! Besides, I've already told them about you. Just so you know, I cut out on my smoking today because I didn't want to ruin my dress. So you had better not making me angry, Hikigaya. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" She looked at me with pure cold bloodlust.

I had no choice, seeing that it took a lot of effort from her to do all this.

"Haa... I did promise you didn't I", I sighed. "So, what will we do? Practise before calling your parents or something?"

At this moment, Hiratsuka-sensei noticed something from behind me and it was Hiratsuka now her turn to avert her eyes.

"Actually..." she sighed in defeat as she pointed at something behind me.

"Huh?"

I turned around. She pointed to a fancy western-looking restaurant a couple of metres away. At the entrance, I could see two figures, an elderly man and woman, waving at us.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

"Oooooi! Shizuka!" Called the man.

THEY'RE ALREADY HERE?!

END CHAPTER 7

ANNOUNCEMENT:

That's the end for this time, hope you all enjoyed it. Be sure to write me a review of what you think! A couple of days ago I noticed that we've reached over 100 followers! It makes me so happy to see that people are enjoying my works and I'm pleased with the reception I've received. This just makes me want to keep on writing for the readers, so thank you very much! Now, as we've crossed the 100 followers border, I've created a poll, which will be to find out who your favourite Oregairu character is, and if you'd like to see more of him/her in the story. That's it, sounds pretty easy right? Well I look forward to see the results! Thanks a lot for the support.