CM Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – His Smile

Chapter 1, Part 1.2

Novel Title: ひとりじめ (Completely Mine)

Author：椎崎 夕 (Shiizaki You)

Illustrator：小山田 あみ (Oyamada Ami)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 細川 湊 (Hosokawa Minato -MC) & 荻原 浩志 (Ogiwara Koushi -ML)

*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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When Ogiwara smiled at him, Minato was momentarily stunned. That face could smile like this?  

The composed, handsome features, when softened with a smile, revealed a youthful charm—perhaps due to the glimpse of a slightly crooked tooth behind his lips.  

Caught off guard by the sight, Minato returned his gaze forward, only to feel the weight of countless stares.  

“Sensei, am I making you uncomfortable? Is it inconvenient for us to walk together?”  

“No, not at all. I just thought it might be better for you to stick with your club friends—”  

“That doesn’t matter. I usually walk alone anyway.”  

If that’s the case, why not keep it that way now? Minato thought, but he didn’t say it aloud.  

Though Ogiwara kept the conversation going, sparing Minato from any awkward silence, the curious glances from their peers were overwhelming. Minato realized, for the first time, how physical and oppressive stares could feel.  

“Sensei, do you always take that train in the morning?”  

Just before they entered the school gates, Ogiwara asked the question as if he’d just remembered. Without thinking, Minato nodded, prompting Ogiwara to smile dazzlingly.  

“Then we’ll see each other tomorrow morning too. I take that train every day. Well, I’m off to morning practice.”  

With that, Ogiwara headed right, opposite the direction of the school buildings. Minato could only stare at his retreating figure, feeling dumbfounded.  

***

It felt as if the sun had risen not from the east, but from the south.  

“Hosokawa-kun, I’m heading to my class first.”  

There were three practicum teachers at this high school, including Minato. One of them, a female teacher, excused herself and left. Minato returned to reviewing his lesson plan.  

The practicum teachers were assigned a room on the third floor of the third building, somewhat distant from the staff rooms and classrooms. A glance at the clock on the wall showed he still had plenty of time.  

Minato had received a brief evaluation of all the students in Class 2-6 from their homeroom teacher on the first day of his internship. Regarding Ogiwara, the feedback was: “His only problem is that he doesn’t have any. It’s like he’s always indifferent.”  

From what Minato had observed during class, Ogiwara was attentive but seemed bored. While he appeared to have many friends, he often spent his time alone.  

He was a standout student, but not someone Minato had any reason to approach—until yesterday, when he took that photo without permission.  

Why had things turned out this way?  

“Well, maybe exchanging greetings after seeing each other on the train counts as progress.”  

Finding an explanation he could accept, Minato shifted his focus back to preparing for his first class. His lesson plan was polished, and his supervising teacher had approved it. He reassured himself that this wasn’t much different from his previous experience as a cram school tutor.  

As he went over the plan again, the door opened with a loud creak, and a deep voice called out.  

“Morning… Oh, Hosokawa, you’re here. Hey, are you close with Ogiwara? I heard you were talking during practice yesterday and you two came to school together this morning.”  

Yumoto, another practicum teacher from Minato’s university, entered. Being athletic, he had been helping the track team under the supervision of his mentor. Sweat glistened on his forehead, likely from morning practice.  

“No, not at all. He’s in my class, but yesterday was the first time we spoke. By the way, didn’t Ogiwara get scolded yesterday? It was entirely my fault.”  

“Not scolded—more like cautioned. What did you do?”  

“I took a photo of him without permission. I plan to apologize to the coach today.”  

“No point. The track team has a strict rule about not leaving the field during practice, no matter the reason. But seriously, why were you coming to school together? I heard he hates stuff like that, even with girls.”  

Minato was at a loss for words.  

“I’m not sure. He approached me this morning and even asked me to print the photo.”  

“What kind of photo did you take? Anyway, we better go—it’s almost time for homeroom.”  

As Yumoto glanced at the clock, Minato hurried to pack up and head out.  

It was clear that Ogiwara was paying close attention during the class, but thanks to Minato’s experience as a tutor at a cram school, he quickly stopped being distracted by it after a few minutes. With an almost unnatural calmness, he smoothly carried on with the lesson.  

When he ended the class with, “That’s it for today,” he felt a wave of relief wash over him. As he gathered the materials and textbook spread out on the podium, someone suddenly appeared in front of him.  

“Excuse me, can I ask you a question?”  

“Sure…?”  

Answering, Minato froze for a moment. Standing on the other side of the podium was Ogiwara, placing what seemed to be a worksheet on the freshly cleared space.  

“It’s not directly related to the lesson, but I’m stuck on this and don’t know how to solve it.”  

“Ah, this is…”  

The moment he glanced at the printed problem and the handwritten equations, Minato’s mind switched gears. The calculation was incomplete, stopping halfway, but the method itself wasn’t wrong.  

He pointed out the relevant part and gave a brief explanation. Ogiwara grasped the issue immediately. Without needing further prompts, he began writing the correct equation at an impressive speed.  

“If you continue like that, you’ll be fine. It’s a tricky part, so be careful if you encounter similar problems in the future.”  

“Thank you. Would it be okay to ask you questions again?”  

“Huh? Oh, of course.”  

When he reflexively looked up at the last words, he was met with Ogiwara’s smile, reminding him once again who he was talking to.  

After thanking him again, Ogiwara returned to his seat. Minato, watching him go as if waking from a dream, was called back to reality by a voice from the side.  

“Sensei!”  

Startled, Minato turned to see a male student, whom he’d spoken to a few times before, standing there clutching his textbook.  

“Can I ask you something too? I think I’m starting to understand.”  

“Sure. What is it?”  

Momentarily setting aside thoughts of Ogiwara, Minato focused on the student’s words.  

The student, who sat in the back row near where Minato usually stood during observation periods, had once mentioned that he disliked math. After the midterm exam at the end of last month, he’d shown Minato his test sheet, almost in despair, where there were more crosses than circles. Minato had noticed a common pattern in the mistakes and pointed it out, occasionally giving him advice since then.  

After answering his question and adding a few pointers, the student nodded solemnly. “I think I get it now. I’ll give it a try.”  

“By the way, teacher, when did you and Ogiwara get so close? That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him smile like that.”  

“…I wouldn’t say we’re particularly close, though.”  

“But there’s a rumor that you came to school together this morning—from the train all the way to the school gate. It’s unheard of for Ogiwara to walk with anyone, let alone a teacher. He’s known as a lone wolf.”  

Impressed by how quickly rumors spread, Minato returned to the teacher’s lounge to find Yumoto eating his lunch alone. Yumoto explained that the female practicuum teacher was eating in the classroom with the students.  

After finishing his lunch quickly, Minato reviewed the teaching plan for his sixth-period class. It wasn’t with Class 6 but with Class 3, a group he’d only observed twice. However, thinking of it as similar to his tutoring at the cram school helped ease his nerves.  

“…Wait a minute.”  

As he looked at the equations in his teaching plan, something struck him. The problem Ogiwara had shown earlier wasn’t from the second-year curriculum. It was for third-year students, specifically for a math-focused advanced class. In other words, it wasn’t something Ogiwara had learned yet.  

“What’s wrong, Hosokawa?”  

“Ah, it’s nothing. By the way, isn’t your fifth period your first class? Good luck with it.”  

“You say that so easily just because you’re done already.”  

Laughing at his friend’s grumbling, Minato dismissed it as a problem Ogiwara had encountered at a cram school or elsewhere. He must have prepared it to ask a teacher and happened to find Minato at the podium.  

Even as he convinced himself of this and returned to the teaching plan, a certain remark lingered in the back of his mind.  

―――That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him smile like that.  

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*Translator’s Note: In Japan, we circle for right answers instead of ticking them. -K

Next update: 2026.07.31

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