Bonus Story for the Digital Edition
“The Girl Who Can’t Say ‘I Love You’ Catalog ② ~Mayuki Yukimura~”
Mayuki Yukimura.
She is the school nurse.
Every day, she watches over the students’ lives and supports those who come to her feeling unwell.
All the students describe her as “a reliable and mature woman,” and they trust her deeply. Sometimes, students even come to the nurse’s office to talk about their adolescent troubles when they have nowhere else to turn.
That day after school, Mayuki was, as usual, listening to the worries of a female student.
“So, I don’t have any of the charms other girls have… What should I do…?”
“I see. I understand how you feel.”
The first-year girl was talking about a boy she had met during her after-school library committee activities.
She had developed feelings for him, but since they were very different types of people, she was hesitant to approach him.
She was afraid that if she made a wrong move, it might ruin the comfortable relationship they currently had.
Looking at the cute girl with glasses, Mayuki said gently,
“Your name was Ayakoji, right?”
“Y-yes…”
Sitting comfortably in her usual chair, Mayuki crossed her legs with elegant ease.
“I completely understand how you feel.”
“R-really!?”
“Yes. Talking to someone you like takes a lot of courage. That’s the same for everyone.”
“E-even for you, Sensei…?”
Mayuki chuckled softly.
The scent of her perfume drifted through the air, making Ayakoji’s cheeks flush red. Even as a girl, she couldn’t help but feel a little dizzy from Mayuki’s mature charm.
With her long, perfectly curled eyelashes lowered, Mayuki continued,
“It’s perfectly fine to want to get closer to that boy… and also to want to protect the distance you have now. Both feelings are valid. There’s no one right answer. You should just follow your heart.”
She then squeezed the girl’s small hand tightly.
Looking straight into her eyes, Mayuki spoke with serious sincerity,
“But there’s one thing I want you to remember: I don’t want the future you to have any regrets. Please remember that, okay?”
“S-Sensei…”
The girl looked like she had been struck by lightning.
There was something strangely convincing about Mayuki’s words. Maybe Mayuki herself once had a love she regretted.
Perhaps a deep romance where, despite their love, cruel fate tore them apart…
Or a love that ended because she hesitated and never confessed her feelings.
A woman who had experienced many loves.
Whether all of them led to happiness, no one could say.
But… Mayuki’s words pierced the girl’s heart deeply.
“Y-yes! I’ll make sure to choose a path I won’t regret!”
“Good. That makes me happy. If your love comes true, make sure to tell me about it, okay?”
The girl nodded vigorously, her face bright red.
“I’m so glad I talked to you, Sensei! You really know so much about love!”
──After the girl left the nurse’s office, Mayuki remained seated, letting the calm air of after-school settle around her.
She took a sip from her warm coffee cup and exhaled.
(…Looks like autumn is ending…)
Feeling the chill of the deepening cold, she thought about the changing seasons.
She brushed her hair back as she gazed out the window with a melancholy expression.
Surely, this mature woman named Mayuki… Had an old love that she only remembered during this time of year.
──And then, with her face buried in her hands, Mayuki screamed inside:
(I don’t have ANY love experience at all～～～!!)
Mayuki Yukimura, twenty-five years old.
She had never had a boyfriend in her life!
To begin with, Mayuki was naturally reserved around the opposite sex—and having been raised in quiet, all-girls schools from elementary through college, the curiosity of modern high schoolers was way too much for her to handle.
Slumping limply against the back of her chair, Mayuki let out a heavy sigh.
During that earlier girl’s love consultation, she’d been sweating nervously the entire time.
(Haaah… Why does everyone think I’m some kind of love expert…?)
Her stunning looks, combined with that faintly shadowed gaze,
It gave off an unintentional “I’ve dumped more men than I’ve sighed” vibe—leaving the kids utterly dazzled.
Even the most basic advice sounded profound when she said it. They’d take it as, “Her words carry weight,” or “She’s been through so much love that she’s come full circle to pure, classic advice.” It was a real problem. She was basically a school nurse with an auto-translate function for romance.
Letting out another sigh, she recalled the girl’s expression—
earnest, blushing, adorable as she confessed her crush. It was obvious how much she liked that boy.
(Ayakoji-san is so lucky… I’ve never felt anything that wonderful before…)
Romance? Forget romance—she’d never even interacted properly with a guy.
Raised by strict parents, she’d spent her childhood buried in studies. Sick of it all, she’d started living alone after graduating college, but…
(…I-I want to fall in love too～～～…)
Being a school nurse might seem like an easy job,
but in reality,
it’s extremely busy nowadays.
There’s no time to go out and meet people.
And the small workplace community had almost no young men. Even when a young male teacher did appear, Mayuki’s intimidating “experienced woman aura” scared them off. They would quickly go off and marry some fluffy, cute girl instead.
Slowly but surely, Mayuki was heading down the lonely, single-lane road.
(And for some reason, there’s been an explosion of girls asking for love advice this year. Just like Ayakoji earlier… they all talk about these “perfect boys” types. Is that the trend now?)
Even now, Mayuki had love consultation appointments booked two weeks in advance. She couldn’t help but mentally retort, “What the heck is going on!?”
Just then.
There was a knock on the nurse’s office door, and a boy came in.
“Excuse me! Yukimura-sensei, can I get some band-aids?”
He was a friendly, good-looking boy.
Something about his slightly playful vibe made Mayuki’s instincts tingle.
(Oh, I know this boy. He’s Izumi-kun, a first-year.)
Girls occasionally gossiped about him.
Apparently, he was a mood maker who shamelessly flirted with girls left and right—and got shot down every time.
Not very comfortable around boys, Mayuki answered carefully,
“Band-aids? Are you hurt?”
“Oh, no, it’s not for me. One of my friends in the sewing club is doing some crafts, so I thought I’d grab some just in case.”
“I see. Would two or three be enough?”
“Yes, thank you!”
Taking the band-aids, Izumi smiled brightly and left.
…That interaction felt completely different from what she had heard, and Mayuki was caught off-guard.
After that, Izumi came by about once a week to get more band-aids.
Usually right after Mayuki finished helping another girl with her love troubles. He would show up like some kind of after-school fairy, chat for a bit, and leave with a smile.
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After a week, they had grown somewhat friendly, and Mayuki found herself casually starting conversations too.
“How’s your sewing club friend doing?”
“Ah, pretty good, thanks to you. Though it seems like finishing is still a long way off.”
Izumi chuckled wryly.
“Yukimura-sensei, you must have it tough.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Mayuki tilted her head, confused.
“The girls are saying it’s become a trend to go to you for love advice.”
“Ah, that…”
Apparently, the rumor had spread wider than she thought.
Embarrassed, Mayuki sighed, trying to brush it off.
“I understand they want someone to talk to… but honestly, I’m not the right person.”
“Really?”
For just a moment, Mayuki let her guard down.
She’d finished her daytime duties, and until just now, had been listening to a female student’s troubles – the kind with no easy answers. This time was especially hard, since the girl had gotten emotional, making it difficult to calm her down.
Even teachers are only human.
When they get tired… they simply get tired.
Even though Izumi seemed like a typical flirty boy, there was something calming about talking to him.
Of course, he gave the impression of being that typical flirtatious boy you often hear about… but that alone couldn’t explain the inexplicable maturity about him. Despite clearly being a high school student, talking to him sometimes felt like speaking with an understanding older man.
For Mayuki, who had always played the part of a composed adult woman, this was like a sweet poison slowly eating away at her without her realizing it.
And so, at the intersection of these two factors—Mayuki crossed the line as a teacher.
“But I’ve never dated before. What meaningful advice could someone like me possibly give?”
The truth slipped out before she could stop it.
……Even as she gasped and hurriedly covered her mouth, it was too late.
Spilled water doesn’t return to the tray.
Words once spoken can’t be taken back.
(Wh-what have I done, saying that to a student!?)
Her mind reeled in panic at her own blunder.
Revealing her lack of romantic experience to a student was completely unacceptable for a teacher.
At the same time, the carefully constructed image of herself as a mature woman came crashing down around her.
……Starting tomorrow, would students point fingers behind her back when they realized her love advice had all been theory?
This worst-case scenario played out in her mind.
But—Izumi’s next words took her completely by surprise.
“Yukimura-sensei, you’re truly admirable.”
“Eh?”
Izumi was looking straight at her.
His gentle gaze held not a trace of deceit.
The sincerity left Mayuki momentarily speechless.
“Wh-why…?”
As she barely managed to squeeze out the question, Izumi smiled softly.
“As a teacher, you’re doing your absolute best to support the girls, aren’t you? Most would have given up by now…… I didn’t have the strength to maintain that kind of responsibility.”
“…………”
His profile, smiling sadly, seemed to burn itself into the back of her eyelids.
“I don’t know how you see yourself, Yukimura-sensei, but I respect you.”
Just as he said this, the school bell rang signaling the end of classes.
With a quick “Oh, I should get going then,” Izumi left the nurse’s office.
……Leaving Mayuki sitting stunned in her chair.
Izumi’s words knowing her secret.
His attitude—almost as if he’d exposed his own weakness to comfort her now that her secret was out.
And most of all, the truth behind that mature profile.
In the wake of these consecutive shocking events—Mayuki understood what lay in Izumi’s heart.
(That boy… he definitely has feelings for me…!)
——Her third-year school nurse instincts were razor sharp!
It was precisely because she’d counseled so many lovestruck students that she recognized the truth.
Izumi must be in love with her (※Misunderstanding).
His daily visits for band-aids under the pretense of helping friends were surely just excuses to see her (※Misunderstanding).
Yet as teacher and student… he must have held back from confessing directly, leading to that roundabout way of speaking (※Misunderstanding).
Mayuki became lost in the racing heartbeat and happiness unlike anything she’d experienced before, losing track of time.
(But… I’m sorry. No one would approve of us in our current positions.)
Clutching at her last shred of teacherly dignity—to protect the hollow idol Izumi claimed to respect—Mayuki resolved to lock away her feelings.
(But in three years… when you graduate, then—!)
Teacher and student.
The curtain had risen on a forbidden romance.
Yukimura Mayuki.
Unrequited love history: [Half a year].
If one were to describe Mayuki’s situation using the title of some entertainment media, it might go something like:
[The Healing Goddess of the Nurse’s Office and Her Forbidden Sweet School Life]
……Truthfully, it wouldn’t take three years—the reality would become apparent within six months. But for now, let’s leave her to her delusions.
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