Kiseki High's Faculty

 

"Hehe~!"

 

A voice of a woman’s giggle echoes around the corner of the teacher’s faculty.

 

I slid open the door, holding a box filled with a box of paperworks of my classmates.

 

As I look through over the box, Ms. Sakura, the English teacher of our school, skims through the paper, holding her mouth as she tries not to blurt out her laugh as she checks on the paper of probably one of her students.

 

Must have been fun looking through the mistakes of students.

 

"Ma'am, here's the rest of the English homework," I struggled as a a pile of papers from my class flew over… 

Thack!

 

Ms. Sakura casually held the paper as I immediately took the top paper flying away…

 

"Aha~! Yess, thank you so much for the paper,"

 

She smiles and looked at me as she giggles a bit louder.

 

"Umm... Why are you giggling all of a sudden?"

 

"N-Nothing, just give me the papers..."

 

She said as she guides the pile of papers to her desk.

 

This Ms. Sakura... I don't even know why all of a sudden she's giggling like a little girl.

 

Starts to really freak me out.

 

I stayed behind her and watch her as she continues to finish off her paperwork.

 

...

 

Right...

 

I don't even want to go to my classroom right now. It just gives me the ick to sit beside two actual characters… 

 

I don’t even want to think the fact that they’re as authentic as any other…

 

...

 

I'll stay here for a bit.

 

...

 

"Hehehe~!"

 

She smiles and continues to hold her laughter with a hand on her face and a small drool flowing down her chin. 

 

Ms. Sakura's acting weird too...

 

On second thought. Maybe I'll just leave-

 

Creak~!

 

"Huh?" She took a glimpse to my side.

 

"Ah~! You're still here?"

 

Oh shit...

 

"Y-yeah...I was just fixing up myself before I leave, a-anyways I’ll just go..."

 

I awkwardly try to hold the door for myself, but I can feel my face contracting by the second… 

 

It’s making my skin crawl when she starts acting insane…

 

"W-wait…! Please don’t tell anyone? I’m not acting weird, aren’t I?"

 

"Yeah, suddenly acting too jolly when no one's around in the faculty… Anyone who walks in will think an insane woman is here,"

 

"Oh no no no, I'm just having a good day today, you see?" 

 

"Huh? With that pile of homework just sitting beside you, I’m pretty sure your good day will be ruined. If you take a glimpse of it, you’ll know,"

 

"Awww...Haruto-kun is concerned to a sad teacher like me? That’s so sweet~!"

 

"Of course... That's basic human decency..."

 

"To suddenly grow a spine and actually talk like that, when you usually were quiet and just come to my faculty and just casually give out homework without saying a single word… M-Ms. Sakura… T-the English homework i-is here../ " She tried to mimic how I talked to her with a shy and quiet voice, as she suppresses her laghter

I tilt my head and tried to remember when was the last time I even talked to her.

 

She did show up from time to time in the manga, but she doesn’t interact with the entire cast.

 

If my memory serves me right, we did talk a few times, and the one she mentions. I didn’t even look her in the eye, just..

Oh what am I thinking... She's just some English teacher with a huge bust and circular glasses, a brown messy bun that totally fits her office/teacher outfit...

 

To make it worse... Among all the teachers, she's the only one who initiates the small talk to me. The rest is just her complimenting and giving for giving the papers.

 

Man... Why am I the literal homework holder of the class?

 

Shouldn't the class rep do all the work?

 

"You're quiet all of a sudden...? D-Did I hurt you?"

 

"W-What? Oh, right..."

 

...

 

I shook my head and approached her.

 

"Maybe, just a little help…?"

 

"Ehhh~? No no it's fine, I'll just work my butt off for the time-being. Besides you don't have to force yourself,"

 

"I'm pretty sure  anyone, not just a teacher, dealing with a bunch of unruly high school first years with your attitude can honestly break you,"

 

...

 

Her smile faded and she looked at me straight in the eye...

 

"Y-You're...."

 

Huh?

 

"W-Wh..."

 

She's stammering as she tried to process what I said.

 

"Where the hell did you even suddenly get that attitude of yours? You're no different to them too. First you act too shy and meek now, now only did you grow a spine, but you grew balls too? Have you been hanging out with the wrong people? Is that why you're suddenly acting like that?"

 

Woah woah woah... 

 

Where did she suddenly get all of those questions?

 

"No no no, sorry I didn't mean that way…! It’s just…" I paused an lowered my head, trying to find any good excuse.

 

I bowed my head in a rapid motion as if my life depended on it.

 

"Hmph... You'll really have to check these papers as punishment... Don't even attempt to leave when I'm out of your sights... Got it?"

 

I nodded...

 

Fuck.... Why did I even have to say that?

 

Man, if only I could have turned back time and not say that I would not have messed with Ms. Sakura.

 

---

 

Scribble...

 

Check!

 

Scribble...

 

Check...

 

Is this how it feels to actually check my own classmate's paper?

 

I'm not judging them, but...

 

English is really not in their priority despite being part of the Japanese Education curriculum...

 

Is this what it really looks like for Ms. Sakura to check our papers?

 

I would also be giggling in insanity too by these papers...

 

Sigh...

 

I'm going to be stuck here for the entire hour in this faculty.

 

I'll really be missing my social studies class...

 

Doesn't even matter, I don't like that old geezer too.

 

..

 

The door knob twists, opening the faculty door.

 

Ms. Sakura arrives with a few snacks in a plastic bag.

 

She freaking snuck out of school just to grab some snacks in a nearby convenience store?

 

"Ms. Sakura? Why are you-"

 

"Shh~"

 

She arrived to her desk beside me and gave a shushing gesture.

 

"This is for my favorite student," she smiles as she casually rummages to the plastic bag.

 

She gave me a classical sweet cotton cake, its light brown top layer looked like my brown bowl haircut.

 

The light brown topping is more of the mixing of brown caramel custard and the lower layers, it goes back to being a yellow sweetened milk.

 

I actually like this... 

 

To think Itachi himself has a sweet tooth to these types of cakes too...

 

"T-Thanks," I said as I received the snack.

 

She winked as she continued to get the remaining papers.

 

"Hmm... That was actually fast... Already reaching halfway in that amount of time?"

 

"There's nothing to check if there's nothing there,"

 

"Sigh... Sometimes I’m starting to lose faith in my own students, Teaching can be a hassle too…" She casually opens a container filled with custard pudding and scooped a piece of it up.

 

"I'm starting to understand why your job sucks,"

 

Bam!

 

“Ow!”

 

She hit me, though lightly with the plastic bag filled with snacks.

 

"Hee hee..."

 

"...?"

 

That weird giggle again...

 

"You know, Itachi, you've really became slightly better... When you entered school, you used to be excited, then after a month, you became quiet… T-Then… I don’t know, too quiet…"

 

"Uh-huh? It's still midterms... Well, it's still June… I have time to grow to become a man I don’t want to be in the future"

 

"You have low expectations for yourself… Is that why you’re quiet? That mindset of yours is going to stunt your growth,”

 

"That's too early for you to tell... I myself won't even know. I can’t tell if I did say I can grow,"

 

"I'll be honest with you, I can see that you're having a few friends by the way you talk. Albeit, too blunt…"

 

"Why are you suddenly asking about my friends?"

 

"O-oh nothing... Hee hee.." She's staring at me as if I'm like a little dog knowing a few tricks...

 

"I don't want to talk about that... I have a bad relationship with a lot of people,"

 

"Huh... You get a few friends and now you have bad relationships with them?"

 

"Not in that way..."

 

"Hmm... Itachi is now having relationship issues? You've really, really, reaally~~~ gone better than last time," She approached me and her hand is in a pinching motion.

 

"Oh shut up! Don't freaking act like you're my mom..."

 

I blocked her hand off... I don't want her to pinch me...

 

"Hee hee~!"

 

"You're freaking giggling weird again!"

 

"Itachi is honestly adorable... Hearing rumors about you from your classmates make me more proud~! There were some... bad ones, but the good ones... I can't stop but think you're just a better version of me~!"

 

"A better version of you?"

 

"Yeah..."

 

"Huh... What were you like back in high school?"

 

"Ohh... It's going to come out boring, you don't have to worry about that..."

 

"First you told me I'm a better version of you, then you said yours is boring... You're saying I'm as boring as you before?"

 

"N-No! It's just that it's not worth mentioning to you,"

 

"Ah...! What type of adult are you to be suddenly bringing something up interesting then shut it down and say it'll come off as boring,"

 

"Okay okay... Fine I'll tell it,"

 

"Sure, let me hear it.."

 

"This Sakura Amamiya, the high schooler girl used to study in a different school before she became a teacher. She was boring, she didn't have any friends,"

 

"Can we skip to the part where there's something interesting?"

 

"A-ahh... R-right... The end.."

 

"HUH!?"

 

"Yes... That's..."

 

"Wow, you really think you're an actual boring girl in high school by yourself, huh..."

 

"I do think that I am,"

 

"Let me hear the entire thing then,"

 

"It will come off as boring, sweetie,"

 

"We still have a lot of papers here, so I have time,"

 

"Hmm... Don't leave me in faculty and call me a boring teacher, too, in class… Don’t even dare sleep in my class!"

 

"Yeah, yeah..." I casually dismissed her weird accusations

 

"I still wear eyeglasses and..."

 

"You still wear glasses now-"

 

"Do you want me to finish the story or not!?"

 

"G-Go ahead," I said as I continuously circled a few numbers in the papers.

 

"I was the quiet girl in class... I always do my best in my studies, and I really think nothing more than just wanting to graduate with top grades. Everyone around me had friends, and I would be the one usually left out in their groups. Like I have a few small interactions with them, but that's it,"

 

I nodded and continued checking the rest.

 

"Then, there's this other guy who talked to me while I was finishing up my finals. He asked me to go out with him,"

 

My ears feel like they expanded, yet intrigued by what she said.

 

"I-I decline his offer, then laughed at me. He said, ‘that's alright. If you can join me for a karaoke meet up my friends and I are there.’ Then he walked with a few of his friends and a few girls. Can you imagine that? How could I be so dumb to think I’ll sit and think to myself that I have to just study in my entire high school?"

 

"Yeah, sounds like you could've been brought in some sketchy place,"

 

"It wasn't! They got closer by the end of graduation and I only took pictures with my parents. They took pictures with each other and shared it through e-mail! They even have class reunion events with... without inviting me,"

...

…

I nodded in silence.

 

"I really thought it would be over to just go become an office lady and work for some company and come home and forget my entire life... So yeah, I picked up teaching... Hehe~!"

 

"Well here you are, becoming a teacher of Kiseki High... How does it feel checking these papers knowing that you really have no hope for your own students?"

 

...

 

She glared at me with a quite concerning expression.

 

"Hmph... To think that you think I'm the same as the other teachers here... You're right... I do wish to give up some of the students... But it's the ones that I still stand up to who can bring everyone together,"

 

She said as the sparkles in her eyes watch me as I continue doing this mundane task of hers.

 

"Uh-huh... And who are those?" I asked...

 

She leans closer to me.

 

Her sweet fragrance subtly whiffing up my nose...

 

"Who do you think?" she asked in a soft undertone.

 

I moved my head away...

 

"Ms. Sakura...! I'm a student, and you're a freaking teacher. Don't act too close to me!" 

 

Holy shit! What the fuck is that ticklish feeling I get when her face is close up to my cheek?

 

"Hmm... I won't ask twice,"

 

"You think I'm the best person to bring everyone around? You're expecting too much for a loser like me,"

 

"Really... What makes you think by yourself that you're a loser?"

 

"Oh, great... Now that you mention it, of course I know why I'm a loser... I've been quiet the entire two months since I entered school and I already feel like shit. I go home and play games, and read manga. Does that sound like a productive student that can have a future with at least talking to people around?"

 

"Hmph... With your English skills you could have at least try to talk to foreigners... right?"

 

"Why do I need it? I don't see any foreigners around,"

 

"If your redeeming quality is just being an unproductive person, why are your grades high? Surely you have some tips and tricks that make you quite good in studying,"

 

"Is it that important? I'm not sharing that information to anyone..."

 

"Have you gotten to a club lately?"

 

"Clubs? No. I always go home,"

 

"Tch... To be so proud to say that you didn't attend any clubs like that. At least Miyoshi did bring you to a tryout..."

 

"What? First, how did you know that? Second, It's not that I have any interesting hobbies. I just don't have the skills to even join one,"

 

"You don't really have to be good at something to join one,"

 

"Guh..." No... 

 

"W-What?"

 

I know how to play instruments, but I don't want to join a band until I'm good at it...

 

I play video games, but I am not the best gamer out there. 

 

Fuck, and there's no point if I'm hard-stuck diamond.

 

I played sports, but I am not the best at it... Well tennis... At least I get the gist...

 

"I'll think about joining a club... If I ever want to join one..."

 

"Why not join the service club, or student council...?"

 

"Two months already and you're asking me to join a club that I think are a bunch of ambitious elite students... Of course I'm not joining those."

 

Being a mob without the necessary skills to interact in social gatherings sucks, As Expected.

 

"I'm not good at dealing with people. So there's no point of joining one,"

 

"Hmm... how about music club...?"

 

"I saw their plays a few weeks... Nope, I'm not in their level at all..."

 

Zip~!

 

"W-what the hell are you doing?"

 

Cling... Cling...!

 

"It must be here..."

 

"Ms. Sakura! Why are you under me?"

 

"Ah there it is...!"

 

"Huh?"

 

"My old guitar..."

 

"You said you're not at their level... huh?"

 

...

 

"Yeah, of course not, and why the hell do you have a dusty guitar with rusty strings under your desk...!?"

 

"I picked this up in college, you see.."

 

She gave the rusty old acoustic guitar to me.

 

I can feel the dusts through my hands, and the rest are sticking to my clothes!

 

“It’s freaking dirty… How long did you even have it there?”

 

I unintentionally placed my right hand on the guitar strings, with each finger corresponding to the lowest to highest strings...

 

"Aha! So you knew the basics!"

 

"No!... Put it back!"

 

"Play the D chord,"

 

...

 

I don't want to… Unless…

 

"No, what's that?" I raise my eyebrows, tilted my head, and acted stupid...

 

To make it more convincing I slowly put my finger on the last three bars...

 

...

 

Wait! I actually did the D# chord... oh fuck.

 

 

"Now strum!"

 

Bling~!

 

The guitar tone sounds really off… It’s not the rusty, dull tone of the guitar. It’s not even tuned properly.

 

"Now the A minor chord..."

 

"Hold up... this guitar is out of tune, let me just..."

 

"Aha~! You'’ve been acting dumb after all, huh? No beginner guitarist would not know that it's out of tune even though you played the wrong note.."

 

"No wait!"

 

…

 

"Do it! You think I didn't know you're hiding your talents from me?"

 

"But I'm baaaaaad!"

 

 

---

 

I've been caught after all and now I realized Ms. Sakura was an actual college band girl before she became a teacher.

 

To think she actually said she was a boring high school girl but then became a college band girl...

 

"Oh, great... Really great! That's honestly really good... You should have joined the music band after all,"

 

"I rather not," I don't want to join one at all…

 

"Don't try to act like you're playing dumb... I have a new plan... Oh, right! Didn't we have an upcoming out of school trip coming in a week after your exams?"

 

"School trip…? Oh right...!"

 

No freaking way. I almost forgot there's an upcoming school event…

 

...

 

Oh no...!

 

Don't tell me I'll probably prepare for the worst! Actually going up front the stage and play!

 

...

 

“You don’t have to worry. I have a really really great plan. By the end of class, at Wednesday. come to my office. I’ll contact a few of my old friends for this… This is going to be great! No excuses…!”

 

“Wait… W-We’re starting right away this week?”

 

“Yes… Don’t try to leave alright? Alternating days, dismissal. Come to my office on time right after class ends,”

 

“But didn’t I have to tell you my-”

 

“Students like you are what’s unbecoming of a high school student. You’re not joining a club, so you should come with me!”

 

Tch… They’ll kick me right away when they realized how bad my timings and change of pace is.

 

"S-Shouldn't we finish up the papers?"

 

"Hmm..? O-Oh, right!"

 

I immediately gave back her guitar and she placed it back to her guitar case, then we zoomed all of the papers left before...

 

"Thank you Itachi! Sorry for taking up your time," She waved at me while I nodded.

 

I hurriedly left the hallway and went back to class...

 

I slide the door open...

 

"Huh... Haruto! You're late...! Zero marks in your attendance,"

 

"I had to-"

 

"No excuses!"

—----

 

“Ehhh? That’s weird… You’re suddenly not going home early this time,“ Hinagi thought as she walked together with me and Yoichi.

She’s usually in the middle between the three of us…

“I… I have some place to go…”

“Ahh… That’s great… I guess,”

“I thought you finally joined Aika’s club Shimizu?”

“I… I’m not talented to join the tennis club, you know? I might as well just go home, hahaha…” Yoichi sarcastically chortled.

“Hmm… Well… I have to go to the literature club, then…”

“A-Alright…” Hinagi waved goodbye as she head off to the other place as she holds her notebook.

 

Really…

 

She also has a classy club. Even better, literature club…

 

I stood beside Yoichi as I awkwardly look left and right trying to find any topic as we walk the hallways.

 

You know, this guy is really the definition of a plastic spoon. Plain white boring

 

…

 

Well, I might as well play video games in my house…

 

“Itachi… You still haven’t gotten a club too?”

 

“Of course I don’t… Do you?”

 

“W-Well, I’m in the going home club too… With Hana-san gone, I’ll just go read some manga…”

 

Don’t start becoming just like me when the girls are not around! 

 

As much as we have stuff in common… Well… F-fu-

“Right..! You owe me twice. Where is it?”

 

Yoichi blinked twice, paused and his head blew up. 

 

“H-Hah? O-oh… Well, you see I can’t just give it right away,”

 

“Right away? The hell you mean right away? You asked me a favor. Of course you should freaking give me something in return,”

 

“You’re so rude… I can’t just magically bring you a reward in return. I’m not a quest giver…”

 

Well, if it isn’t… What if I play it like this..?

 

“Hmm…Since you owe me twice, and you didn’t even give it to me right away… How about you write down exactly what Hinagi and Aika’s three sizes are…”

 

“W-w-whaaaa~? Don’t just suddenly say that! I.I… I can’t even ask them right away-! You shouldn’t think of their bodies like that…”

 

That’s the reaction I expected if I did go for the perverted friend route…

 

I’m an agent of chaos. Of course that outcome is not the best for me too.

 

“I’m just kidding of course. I wouldn’t think of them that way. Plus, that’s not even much for me…”

 

“Then why are you asking me about t-those weird stuff in the first place?”

 

“Nothing. Just wondering how’d they be that interested in you. You know what… Just give it when you actually have something in return… ”

 

How does his life even play out when the girls aren’t around. Majority of the manga panels is him interacting with the girls. How will I know except the part that he’s an average high school guy with no hobbies except for a fact that he likes anime, reads manga, and is fascinated by the fact that he loves them all?

 

“A-Ano… Hinagi actually asked me to give this to you,”

 

“Huh?”

 

He handed me something really quick.

 

It’s a candy wrapper.

 

“The hell?”

 

This is the candy that I gave to Hinagi last week…

 

It’s slightly opened as if something else is placed inside it.

 

I opened it candy wrapper and it shows me another candy wrapper with the same mint flavor, and a crumpled paper.

 

—--

You should’ve stayed longer… 

 

-Hinagi 

 

—-

 

 

It looks like mint candy, but it’s more like a ball of melted sugar and a hint of some suspicious-colored flavor inside it.

 

“The hell is this?”

 

“Ahh… You could’ve joined with us, Hinagi made something special for all of us after the movies,”

 

“Really…?”

 

As I placed the somehow melted sugar in my mouth.

 

…

 

It’s… 

 

Strong and minty!

 

“You really screwing with me or did she make that?”

 

 I inhaled, enhancing the extra mint spices… 

 

It didn’t even feel cool at all.. It’s spicy! 

 

What did she put to make it so cold to the point that my tongue might get frostbite?

 

“N-No it wasn’t me, I promise. She really made a homemade candy for all of us…”

 

“The hell…? This is too freaking minty for me, I might die of hypothermia,”

 

“It’s not that bad,”

 

“There’s another one! taste it yourself!”

 

Yoichi took another candy…

 

His eyes start tearing up, and his face turns red, as if he’s like a cartoon kettle heating up before he blows up.

 

!!!

 

“Why is yours spicy and not even minty!? I thought it would be as mild as the one she gave me after the movies?”

 

“I don’t fucking know?”

 

I don’t know why or how, or when, but Hinagi doing this is quite… Unusual!

 

…

 

Vroom!

 

Another car arrives, though in a fashionably small yet classic, car that straight-up came out of the 1940s.

 

It looks like more of a *olkSwagen Beetle…

 

The door opens and another girl looks at the school building…

 

Her head tilted above as the wind blows, and her blonde, twin-tailed hair flows to the opposite direction.

Must be a foreigner just looking around the place…

 

…

 

“Actually, Yoichi… Just give me a freaking game… No eroge. Just anything but that...”

 

“Hmm… Alright, sure…”