After each of them ordered a bowl of ramen, they continued chatting while waiting for the food.
Taking a sip of lemon water, Hiratsuka Shizuka began venting to the three of them. "Sigh, students these days are getting harder and harder to teach. Every one of them has too much personality, and there are fewer high-achieving students than there were a few years ago. Not only that—there are even fewer incoming students overall."
"Declining birth rates?" Yukino asked softly as she held her cup. "I've read some related reports. That problem really is getting worse every year."
"Compared to others, Our school is actually doing pretty well," Ichin said, spreading his hands. "At least it's still one of the top schools in Tokyo in terms of faculty and overall resources. Even if there's some impact from declining enrollment, it's nowhere near critical. On the other hand, all-girls schools have it much worse—like Nene and Aoba's high school alma mater, and even the university Nene attends."
Indeed, compared to ordinary co-ed schools, long-established girls' schools or boys' schools had been finding it increasingly difficult to stay afloat in recent years.
Declining birth rates were one factor, but the times themselves played a role as well. After all, it was already the 21st century, and attracting enough high-quality students year after year was becoming more and more difficult for such schools.
Taking another sip of water, Ichin continued, "I'm guessing that in the next few years, a lot of those boys' and girls' schools will have no choice but to change direction—turning into co-ed schools, or even merging with other schools. Of course, I don't really understand school management; this is just speculation based on what I know. But all that doesn't really have much to do with you, Hiratsuka-sensei, right? You're not part of the administration. You just need to focus on being a teacher."
"That may be true," Hiratsuka Shizuka said, sighing again, "but I really don't want to see the day when there aren't even thirty students in my class."
She paused for a moment, then added, "Being a teacher was the career path I decided on from the very beginning. Of course I want to keep doing it."
"And then have students everywhere?" Utaha teased, noticing Hiratsuka Shizuka's low spirits and trying to lighten the mood. "You've been a teacher for almost ten years now, haven't you, Hiratsuka-sensei? By that logic, you should've taught quite a lot of students already. But come to think of it, I don't really hear you talk about your former students."
"Well, you did say 'former students,'" Hiratsuka Shizuka replied. "I wasn't a homeroom teacher back then. I only became one starting the year you entered high school. Strictly speaking, I'm only just starting my third batch of students as a homeroom teacher. At first, I was just a Japanese literature teacher, teaching four classes at once. Just preparing lessons took up all my time—there was no way I had the energy to properly guide students in every aspect. Still, it worked out well enough. After all, you few are all excellent students."
Looking at Ichin and the other two, Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled.
Although Ichin and Utaha were usually pretty carefree at school—rarely paying attention in class and mostly studying on their own or handling their own business—they were still fairly obedient toward her as a teacher, and their academic results were more than satisfactory.
As for Yukino, there was no need to say much—she was a top student as well. Her only weakness was interpersonal skills, but over the past few years, even that had improved a lot.
She didn't need "students spread all over the world." Having just a few outstanding students like these was already more than enough.
At that moment, the server brought over the finished ramen.
"A large bowl of tonkotsu ramen with extra roast pork—please enjoy!"
Compared to the others, Hiratsuka Shizuka's bowl was noticeably larger, with even more toppings added on.
Breaking apart her chopsticks, Hiratsuka Shizuka said eagerly, "Alright, alright, enough talking—let's eat! After that, we're going shopping!"
The other three also picked up their chopsticks and started eating. The ramen shop Hiratsuka Shizuka had chosen was indeed excellent—the aroma alone was enough to whet their appetites.
After finishing their meal, the four of them stayed seated for another ten minutes. Once they'd rested enough, they headed toward the mall where the cinema was located.
As for Hiratsuka Shizuka's movie ticket, Ichin had picked it out as soon as he learned she was coming. They were lucky—there was still one seat left at the very edge of their row, so he grabbed it immediately. Since it was an IMAX theater, even sitting all in one row wouldn't affect the viewing experience much.
They arrived at the mall right at 1:30 p.m., perfectly on time. The others had arrived a few minutes earlier, making Ichin's group of four the rare last ones to show up.
When she saw them, Sakura Nene laughed and said, "You're the last ones here—milk tea's on you later!"
Even though she said "you," the one who would actually be paying was obviously Ichin.
Ichin didn't mind at all and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, I'll treat. But not right now—we just finished lunch. Let's walk around for a bit first."
"Let's go! I want to check out that new accessories shop over there!" Aoba said excitedly, then turned to the person beside her. "Hifumi-senpai, where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere is fine," Hifumi replied.
After carefully dressing up, Hifumi was especially eye-catching today. But because of her shy personality, the moment they were out and about, she stuck close to Aoba for a sense of security, which dulled some of the natural charm she otherwise had.
Still, as someone whose looks ranked near the top, Hifumi's outfit today was a success. Even Ichin couldn't help but glance at her a couple more times and offer a bit of praise for her fashion sense.
Utaha was also impressed by Hifumi's look. Standing close to Yukino, she lightly bumped Yukino's shoulder and whispered, "See? Good looks are one thing, but this kind of stuff still needs practice, you know."
Yukino nodded thoughtfully, realizing her own shortcomings.
It seemed that, aside from academics, she still had a lot to learn when it came to clothing and style.
After everyone regrouped, they entered the mall together and began shopping.
The mall they'd chosen was in Shibuya, a place well-suited for shopping and entertainment, with a wide variety of stores.
And when girls got together, their favorite thing to do was naturally browse clothing stores.
Reaching the floor with all the fashion brands, the group quickly decided on a plan—to go through the shops one by one.
As for Ichin, he didn't have much say at this point. All he could do was follow along as they shopped.
Still, since it was already late February and new spring collections were gradually being put on display, following them from store to store wasn't too boring. At the very least, he could enjoy watching everyone try on their spring outfits.
Holding a black lightweight sweater up against herself, Utaha looked at Ichin. "What do you think of this one, Ichin?"
Ichin had been sticking close to Utaha the whole time. After taking a look, he nodded. "I think you should try it on—it looks pretty good. Maybe pair it with a skirt too."
Just as he finished speaking, Hifumi handed over a knee-length skirt from the side.
"This should go well with it."
Utaha's eyes lit up. Taking the skirt from Hifumi, she thanked her. "This really is great—thanks, Hifumi! I'll go try it on!"
With that, she headed straight for the fitting room.
Hifumi herself had already picked out her clothes earlier, and happily followed Utaha to try them on as well.
And with that, Ichin made his way over to where Yukino and Hiratsuka Shizuka were.
---
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +70 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for the support! 🙌