I was hoping it was about growing up and finding something you love and the person who showed you this world, in one end and in the other, be about a adult who helped a child to develop and understood his role as a mentor who this girl admire
She is pretty and he surely loves her as a student but I trough he would put "as a student" before
To me, him pursuing something with her came from a place of wanting to protect her and guilty cuz he thinks his approach of his ex student love for him was what led it to the worst end possible (even more after he meets her and she said she doesn't regret it) he failed to see that this experience was important to her and MC development, the feelings of love for a mentor you admire and share your interests with is easily confused by the feelings of loving him as a man, but is fundamentaly different, the love for this person will live on with your love for the things he teached you but this person is not just a mentor he is a human being you are loving a part of him but not him both his students don't even know him outside of the teacherxstudend dimamic
Sigh are we still mot over studentxteacher relationships ots fucking gross. I was hoping it was between two teachers omg