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“I like you, Mr. Triton.”
It was the final week of the school year. The final week for one of the most memorable classes in Shinjuku Academy history. Triton knew the routine well; the congratulations, hugs and well wishes, all filled with tears and pride. He understood that his precious students had to leave the nest eventually, and he always sent them off hoping they at least left a little more humble.
What he did not expect, however, was the young student before him summoning him to his empty classroom to declare his love for him.
The teacher was not foreign to students taking a special liking to him. Gazes on his nearly naked body would linger at times, and the occasional catcall made him reel. He never entertained these notions, of course. They were his students, and he their teacher. Pursuing such relations was highly inappropriate and a hinderance to his students’ growths.
Despite all of this, Hikaru’s words made his heart race.
The meek summoner was always one of Triton’s more favored students, being so gentle and warm-hearted. He tended to wear his heart of his sleeve, and the merman couldn’t help doting on him.
After the class trip to Dream Island, however, things changed. During the trip, both he and Hikaru went missing for an hour, and with no recollection of what happened in that period after. Each time Triton thought back to it, and Hikaru specifically, his heart ached.
He surmised that his views of Hikaru changed in that forgotten time, and after hearing the summoner’s confession, he had a horrific revelation of what those views had become.
He needed to stop this before he did something he’d eternally regret.
“Hikaru...,” Triton began slowly. “I’m flattered, but... you must understand. School may be nearly over, but I’m still your teacher. I care about you very much, but it’s the same as I do for all of my students.”
Hikaru’s fierce expression shifted to shock, uncertainty, and finally settled on defeat. “I... understand. Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Triton said with his signature smile. “I’m happy you were comfortable enough to talk with me about this. Sorry for the disappointment. However! Life is prepared to throw many trials at you now that you’re graduating. Sometimes it will be overwhelming, and you may feel hopeless and lost. But what’s important is that you endure these tribulations with pride and never lose sight of your dreams. Use these experiences to grow and develop into a state that you and only you are truly happy with. Remember this, and you’ll live a wonderful life.” The merman proceeded to ruffle his student’s hair. “Consider this my final lesson to you.”
“Heh, yeah.” Hikaru fixed his hair with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He looked anywhere but at Triton. “Thanks, Mr. Triton. I... have to go now.” The summoner turned on his heel and darted for the door.
Triton instinctively reached his hand out, but the summoner was long gone. He slowly dropped his hand and clenched a fist. This is for the best, he tried to tell himself. It wasn’t very convincing.
If he had known that was the last time he would see Hikaru, he would have confessed without hesitation.
-
5 Years Later -
Triton scratched his head with an annoyed growl as he walked in the afternoon sun. He had to stay after classes to monitor detention. Again. Eita was sentenced for inappropriate passes. Again. If the pattern continued, the young man could face suspension, or worse. He’s a good kid, but he needed to understand that the world was not his to philander. If only he was more like his friend Nobuharu...
The teacher eventually made it to the front door of his home. It wasn’t too far from the school so travel was light and easy; he sometimes jogged the way back to get a good sweat in. As he was fumbling his jacket pockets for his keys, he reminisced of Kengo Takabushi, a delinquent of old who also got into all sorts of trouble. Thinking back to that class always caused Triton’s mind to wander to Hikaru. He didn’t see the summoner after he had confessed to him; not even at the graduation ceremony. He’d grieved well enough since then but a pang of sadness always pierced him whenever he thought of it. Wherever Hikaru was, Triton prayed he was alright.
“Mr. Triton?”
Triton found his house key and ventured to fit it in the lock when he heard a painfully familiar voice. It was slightly deeper than he recalled but he knew it all too well. He could feel the color drain from his face. He was so startled that he jammed the key into the wall beside the lock, and his heart had sunk to the world’s core. After a beat, he shakily turned to face the culprit of his sudden jumpy state.
Hikaru was about a half inch taller with a bit of beard stubble. His brown jacket and black slacks and gloves were dirty and tattered, as if he had worn them for a long time. That aside, he was the same young man that Triton remembered; he even wore the same smile and hollow eyes from their last encounter. Triton audibly gulped.
“What’s up, Mr. Triton? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Hikaru said. His eyes grew wide once he spotted the impaled wall. “Uhhh...”
Triton leapt between the two. “H-Hikaru? Is that really you?” He managed to say.
The summoner’s attention snapped back to the merman with a chuckle. “It’s the beard, isn’t it? My bad. I haven’t had time to shave yet.”
“How have you been?! Where have you been?! It’s been years! Your old teacher was real worried about you, you know.”
Hikaru’s smile slightly fell. “Yeah, sorry about that. A lot’s happened since then. Hey, I gotta run, but are you free tonight? If so, how does dinner sound? My treat. I can properly apologize then.”
Triton was unsure how to process the current situation. Hikaru, one of the few unfinished regrets of his life, suddenly reappeared at the mere thought like an accursed demon. He had no plans; he was to swim in his pool for a bit, eat some rice and fish, do some planning, and finally go to bed. The teacher was elated to see his dear former student again after all these years, but couldn’t help wondering if Hikaru—and he himself, he ventured—still harbored the feelings explored that fateful day. Going on this date—if he could call it that—would give him the answers he needed.
“Dinner sounds wonderful,” the merman finally said. “We have a lot of catching up to do, you and me.”
“That we do. I’ll swing by again in a few hours. And don’t worry about dressing up. I know you like to keep it casual.”
Hikaru about-faced to leave, considered for a moment, then swung back around to wrap Triton in a warm hug.
“I really missed you, Mr. Triton.”
Triton was stunned, his entire body heating up. It appeared he didn’t need to wait for dinner to find out if he had retained his feelings. He recomposed himself to return the embrace.
“Hey, I’m not your teacher anymore. Please, just call me Triton.”
Hikaru silently held on for a few seconds before releasing his former teacher with a sigh.
“I’ll see you later tonight... Triton.”
With that, Hikaru disappeared down the street as suddenly as he reappeared.
Once the summoner was out of sight, Triton released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He stared at his jammed key, trying to register what the hell had just happened. After a quick shake of the head, he vowed to ready himself as quickly as possible. He propped his foot against the wall and pulled and pulled, trying to retrieve his key from its cemented prison to no avail. He dropped his forehead onto his front door with a sigh.
It was going to be a taxing evening.
Triton’s doorbell rang four hours and twenty-six minutes later. The teacher had been waiting in his dining room table after washing up and swapping his swimsuit for a longer pair of trunks. He seemed to have dozed off, for the ringing made him rise with a start, leaving a pool of drool on the table. He quickly cleaned the spot and sped for the door.
He took a deep breath. One way or another, the night would be unforgettable.
Hikaru waited on the other side, sporting a clean shaven face, dark green sweatshirt and blue jeans. It was a far cry from the withered look he donned before. Much to the teacher’s curiosity, the black, worn gloves remained.
“Oh, guess I don’t need these anymore. You do not want to know what I needed those for,” As if reading his mind, Hikaru removed the gloves and stuffed them in his back pocket.
“Hope you’re hungry,” the summoner said cheerily.
“I haven’t had anything since work. Let’s eat!”
Triton allowed Hikaru to lead him downtown. Bustle had died down from the afternoon, but the ward was still as lively as a metropolis always is.
The merman couldn’t help stealing glances at his rekindled love as they traveled through Shinjuku. Part of his brain still refused to believe that what was happening was real; that at any moment, he would wake up with a cold sweat and a heavy heart.
Hikaru eventually caught Triton staring, but faced his front again. “Heh. Still hard to believe, I imagine? I get that.”
Triton deflated. “Sorry. It was not my intention to stare.”
“Don’t feel bad. Honestly I’d do the same if the roles were reversed.”
“...I missed you too, Hikaru.”
Hikaru said nothing. Triton did not look at him again, and could guess that he did the same. They remained silent for the remainder of the walk, and soon they entered a large red and white building.
“I went here all the time with my friends,” Hikaru explained. “I hope the food’s still good.”
“Hm. I’ve passed this place many times but never thought to enter. They serve western dishes here, correct?”
“Yeah. It’s all really good.”
“Hey there, lovelies!” An ebony woman greeted the twosome at the front counter. “Just the two of you?”
“That’s right,” the summoner confirmed.
“Right this way,” she grabbed two menus and guided them to a table in the rightmost corner of the establishment.
“Enjoy your stay!” She departed with a wink.
“Thank you,” they said in unison.
Triton flipped through his menu with an interested look. There were a manner of familiar dishes, and others literally foreign to him. He took Hikaru’s words to heart and decided to try something new for a change.
“I think I’ll have the Slinkyburger and fries.”
“Oh, that’s real good,” Hikaru commented. “I think I’ll have a light salad. Not really hungry.”
“Heh heh, well look who’s all grown up! Back when you were my student, you’d eat all the greasy goodies you could.”
“Hey, I’m not a kid anymore!”
The two shared a hearty laugh. It was uplifting and lighthearted. Triton nearly forgot the tension in the booth until he noticed Hikaru wearing a dark expression.
“Far from it,” the summoner continued. “I had to grow up very quickly.”
Before Triton could press further, a bear therian in a red and white uniform approached the table.
“Welcome to Slinky’s. I’m- ‘ikaru?!” He interjected.
“Barguest?! Oh my gosh, it’s been so long!” the summoner mood completely reverted to its previously bubbly nature.
“That it has,” Barguest smiled, but somehow kept a morbid air around him. “When I helped with that blimey with- oh, sorry ‘bout that. Cheers. I’m Barguest.” He extended his hand to Triton, who took it in kind.
“Triton. You helped Hikaru in the past?”
“Yea. Right when- cripes you don’t know?” He looked to Hikaru, who once again reverted to his moody expression like a light switch. “Ah, gotcha. I think you’re better off hearin’ it from ‘im.”
“Ah, I understand. Thank you for looking out for him.”
“No worries. ‘elped me out a bunch, he has. Now let me get outta your ‘air. Ready to order, or just drinks?”
“Caesar salad, everything on it,” Hikaru quickly requested. “And lemonade.”
“Aye,” Barguest confirmed, jotting the order on a notepad. “And you?”
“Slinkyburger and fries. And water,” Triton ordered.
“Alright. Comin’ right up.” The therian made a swift retreat, as if reading the tense air like a children’s book.
Triton turned to his companion with a frown. “Hikaru...”
“I missed graduation, right? Sorry about that. For now, let’s say that... things happened. And because of said things, I got caught up in a few other worlds. I only just came back the other day. I saw Mr. Mononobe, and he directed me to you.”
Triton was floored. Other worlds? Was that what Hikaru had been up to the past few years? The merman could hardly believe his ears. He needed to know the full story.
“It was tough, but I persevered. I kept recalling what you told me that day, when I confessed to you.”
Triton tensed up.
“You remember? ‘Endure these tribulations with pride and never lose sight of your dreams.’”
“Of course I remember.” How could he ever forget the day gnawing at his heart for years, no matter how hard he tried to move on?
“I really held on to that. Saved my life a few times. I wanted to come home and... see you again. So to make a long story short, I didn’t stop until I did just that. And well, here we are.”
That did it. Triton excused all formalities. He needed to know now. “Hikaru, do you still possess the feelings you confessed that day?”
The summoner paused, closing his eyes. At that moment, Barguest reappeared with their food and drinks.
“‘ere we are,” he placed the glasses and plates on the table in a neat fashion. He looked between his silent patrons and cleared his throat.
“Um, ahem. Enjoy,” he departed, skimming to the other end of the restaurant.
Hikaru stared at his salad before looking Triton in the eye. “Yes, I do. You were right about the teacher and student thing. I just wanted to apologize for storming out like that and vanishing for literal years. Your forgiveness is all that I ask for.”
“Hikaru, you have nothing to apologize for. I’m glad I got to see what a wonderful man you’ve become.”
The summoner beamed. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, let’s-“
“I denied your feelings because I was your teacher. That is no longer the case, so you now deserve an honest answer.”
Hikaru’s eyes bore into Triton’s. He was still, as if this moment was an illusion, and moving would break it.
“I don’t fully understand, but ever since our field trip to Dream Island, my impression towards you changed. It took your confession that day for me to realize just how grand that change was. My mind forgot, but the feelings in my heart remained all this time, and I’m glad the same went for you. On my honor as a teacher, I will give you a fair confession: I like you. No, I love you, Hikaru!”
Hikaru was speechless. He turned towards the window and his eyes welled. Triton readied to comfort him, but the young man turned to him and reached his hand out with damp eyes and a goofy grin. His eyes looked whole again.
“What say you we finish this food and go back to your place?” He offered. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Triton felt free, as if a crushing weight lifted off of him after five long years. He looked at the offered hand, smiled, and clasped it with both of his.
“I would like that.”