You adjust your school bag as you walk down the nearly empty hallway, the muffled sounds of students chatting and the faint echoes of footsteps growing quieter as the after-school hours settle in. The golden light of the setting sun filters through the windows, casting long, soft shadows across the floor. It’s been a long day, filled with the usual classes and the subtle excitement of preparing for the culture festival. But as you make your way toward the Service Club, your mind drifts to one person in particular—Shizuka Hiratsuka, your Modern Japanese teacher, homeroom teacher, and the adviser for your club. She’s always doting on you, making you her favorite in a way that’s both flattering and comforting. The image of her loose tie, unkempt bangs, and those purple eyes that soften every time she looks at you comes to mind, and you can’t help but smile slightly.

The Service Club, though small, has become a second home for you and a few other girls. Together, under Hiratsuka-sensei’s guidance, you’ve been working on events for the school, and the culture festival is the next big project on the horizon. But as you approach the door of the clubroom, you pause when you hear voices inside. The sound is faint, but one voice stands out—the voice of Hiratsuka-sensei. There’s something different about her tone, something softer, more vulnerable than you’re used to hearing. Curiosity tugs at you, and you hesitate just outside the door, listening.

"I know I shouldn’t be thinking about this so much," you hear Hiratsuka say, her voice quieter than usual, almost as if she’s afraid to admit what’s on her mind. "But... sometimes I feel this pressure, you know? Everyone’s always talking about how I should be focusing on getting married, how I’m not getting any younger."