As Wakana steps outside, having failed in her mission to learn anything more about "The Girl Who Cannot Breathe", Sensei praises himself for withstanding the pressure to reveal his past. He pats himself on the back for being better at pressuring people than her, something he admits might simply be something he thinks because he naturally pressures everyone around him by being himself. Being on the receiving end of this scares him, and he hopes he won't have to experience it again.
As both of them walk back home, Wakana apologizes for her earlier prying, admitting she went too far in trying to corner him. She tells him she'll drop the topic for now and continue trying to learn more on her own, but does have one final thing to tell him about it. Sensei tells her he has something to say too, asking once again for her to drop the search entirely, claiming it could merely be a coincidence. Wakana disagrees, pointing out his strong reactions to this topic, yet he feels she would be happier off not interfering in his family's affairs and focusing on her own. She points out how, as teachers, meddling in other people's lives is part of their responsibility to their students – Additionally, it's her responsibility as his friend to try and meddle with his life, especially when he's content sulking in his own misery.
Sensei insists that this topic is merely something he's deeply uncomfortable dealing with, and that he doesn't want to deal with it anytime soon for fear of reverting to something horrible. Wakana asks if he's really content not leaning on someone who obviously cares about him, but he snaps back at her, pointing out how little she seems to actually care about him when she purposefully presses him about something he's uncomfortable with for her own curiosity. Wakana falls silent for a moment, before asking if he knows why she'd been so insistent about him joining the school's poetry contest. When he gives a flippant reply, she explains that she merely wanted him to finally express his feelings rather than keep them bottled up so tightly – Even if he doesn't want to share his feelings with anyone, putting pen to paper would help him process them in a way where it wouldn't hurt anyone he cares about. She gives him one final push before dropping the topic, with Sensei noncommittally agreeing to think about it some more.
Wakana apologizes for being bad at expressing her feelings and admits to him that, while she does hate everyone in her life, she's very glad to have him in hers. It's this appreciation that makes her act so hard on him, as she truly believes he can be better and simply refuses to be. Sensei admits he's trying, but it's taking a long time, though he will keep writing as a way to speed it up in mind. He also affirms that he's mad at her, something Wakana teases him about before offering him an "apology" in the form of being allowed to carry her around. Sensei doesn't want this "apology" but her insisting makes him realize there's more to this, something Wakana confesses is actually a plea from her as she's in intense pain and her legs are starting to give out as a result. After confirming that there's no other way, he allows her to ride his back on the condition that she buys him dinner.
Now carrying her around, Sensei admits how hard it is to stay mad at her while being so incredibly uncomfortable. He notes that, while he's beginning to believe she enjoys his company, he probably won't ever fully let down his guard around her, even if he sometimes slips and wants her to see how broken he truly is. Nevertheless, the walk continues, and Sensei asks Wakana why she needs to be carried around like this. She explains that she was born prematurely, which left her with a slew of health problems, such as a malformed spine. While she could get corrective surgery due to her family's wealth, a medical mistake left her with a sufficiently weakened constitution, rendering her useless in physical activities. Sensei wonders how she's able to do kyudo with her condition, and she explains that she knows her limits and is always satisfied with what little she could and can do, including teaching students. He tries to ask about other health issues she has, but she sees no need to tell him when they don't matter right now, and while he says that she could've told him sooner, she points out the hypocrisy in him wanting her to be more open.
The two continue their walk, with Sensei wondering aloud how Osako would feel seeing him carry Wakana around. She tells him to stop.
Wakana Affection
