Sensei, I Love You

Chapter 19

“Sakura-chan, there you are!” Tomoyo chimed, weaving through the crowd to get to Sakura. “I’ve been looking for you for the whole day!”

Sakura smiled apologetically at her friend. “Sorry. I was out of the classroom during lunch break.”

“What’s wrong?” The dejected look on Sakura’s face was worrying Tomoyo. Sakura was always cheerful and it was rare to see her feel so down.

“I don’t know… It just feels so weird… Why didn’t he come to school lately?”

Understanding lit up Tomoyo’s eyes. “You’re talking about Li-sensei?”

Sakura nodded and turned her grave eyes on Tomoyo. “He wasn’t feeling sick today and there’s something that he’s hiding from me.”

Tomoyo looked around nervously. “This isn’t the place to discuss this. Shall we go to my house?”

“I promised sensei I will go back straight after school.”

“A few hours won’t hurt you if he doesn’t know about it,” Tomoyo said. When Sakura remained uncertain, Tomoyo just grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the school gates, where her family car was waiting. The guards who stood at attention bowed when they spotted them and even opened the passenger door. “Thank you,” Tomoyo murmured to them and granted them a brilliant smile.

“Maybe he regretted his decision and decided to switch schools just to get away from me.” Sakura chuckled and leaned against the glass window. “Ah… I probably shouldn’t think too much.”

“You’re so silly!” Tomoyo exclaimed before digging the something from a small pile of magazine in the car. She threw one onto Sakura's lap. “I always thought Li-sensei was familiar and found my answer when I randomly flipped through this pile the other day.”

“Top CEO?” Sakura stared at the cover, not knowing what Tomoyo wanted her to see. An article? “I didn’t know you are into such magazines, Tomoyo-chan.”

“It wasn’t as if I had any choice in this.” Tomoyo snatched the magazine away. She flipped the pages rigorously until she reached a page and then pushed the magazine back into Sakura’s hands. “Here! Read this!”

“I’m not into reading business magazines,” Sakura grumbled but she looked at it as instructed. Her eyes almost popped out at the picture and the name in the magazine. She turned her incredulous gaze to Tomoyo. "Tell me this isn't true. Sensei... This CEO here..."

Tomoyo looked apologetically at Sakura and that was all the answer that she needed. Sakura would have bolted out of the car if it wasn't moving. She took in a few calming breaths before she started to read the long article on Syaoran. Her trembling hands made the process difficult, coupled with the motion of the car they were in. By the time she finished the entire article, she was nearing tears.

"Sakura-chan, don't get so worked up," Tomoyo said when she saw the expression on her friend's face. Sakura looked ready to break into tears. "I know you're thinking why he kept something so important from you. I mean... he probably isn't really a teacher but think this way—why did he come to this school to teach? Why was he so interested in knowing you and caring about you. You have to hear the truth from him and not form accusations based on what you read from the article."

"Well-known," Sakura muttered. "Widely sought after rich bachelor..."

"It's a wonder how he managed to conceal his identity," Tomoyo remarked. "And he was using his real name all these times. If my family isn't in this big industry, I would never have come across his name."

The car was turning into the street where Tomoyo's house was located. It was only a short ride from the school to Tomoyo's place. Sakura returned the magazine to Tomoyo with a smile but the crumpled pages betrayed her inner emotions. "I know that we are nearing your place, but can you drop me off at sensei's?"