What could Hirakawa Tetsuya even do?
The assistant had already made things perfectly clear:
Her mother respected Tsutsuhara Shiori's wishes.
Of course
If those wishes didn't align with her expectations…
Then they would simply be changed until they did.
"That's one way to define 'respect.'"
Hirakawa exhaled slowly.
It seemed
Tsutsuhara's mother had her own… unique interpretation of democracy.
But no matter how unreasonable it sounded
He still had a role.
Homeroom teacher.
Subject teacher.
And…
Advisor of the wind ensemble club she belonged to.
Like it or not
This problem had landed squarely on him.
So what were his options?
Honestly
The principal had already given the answer during the meeting.
Why would a simple student counseling case be brought up at that level?
Even with her background
That wouldn't normally happen.
Unless
The principal was simply acting as an extension of her mother's will.
Which meant
The message behind "Please do your best to resolve this" was actually:
"Make sure she obeys."
"Yeah."
Hirakawa gave a dry smile.
"This is how the workplace works."
In other words—
He only had two choices:
Become her mother's tool
Lose his job
Simple.
Brutal.
Absolute.
"What a pain."
He stood in the hallway for a moment, letting out a quiet sigh.
Then
He adjusted his expression.
Smoothed out the tension.
And walked into the classroom like nothing was wrong.
Inside
He saw her.
Tsutsuhara Shiori.
Sitting upright.
Elegant.
Composed.
But his gaze only lingered for a moment.
Because
The conflict between free will and reality
Was not something you could solve in a few seconds.
For now
He had a class to teach.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
"Let's begin. Open your textbooks"
After the first class ended
He returned to the office.
Endured Kuda-sensei's very suspicious stare for an entire break
Then quickly escaped to teach another class.
By 3 PM
Classes were over.
Club activities began.
Normally
As the wind ensemble advisor
He should've gone there.
But
He didn't.
Because in truth
He was just a "name-only" advisor.
More like administrative support.
As for actual music knowledge?
He had none.
So usually
His presence wasn't necessary.
But today
That wasn't the reason he stayed.
Knock. Knock.
A soft sound.
Light.
But enough to pull him out of boredom.
He looked toward the door.
And saw
Her.
From a teacher's perspective
Commenting on a student's appearance too much would be inappropriate.
So if he had to describe her in one sentence
It would be:
"As expected of a young lady from a powerful family."
The pale winter light stretched behind her.
Early February.
Cold.
Clear.
She stood there
Perfect posture.
Calm expression.
The same black uniform as everyone else
Yet somehow
On her
It felt different.
Refined.
Untouchable.
"Come in," Hirakawa said.
She nodded slightly.
Walked in.
Stopped about a meter away.
"Hirakawa-sensei."
She greeted him politely.
"Tsutsuhara."
He returned the greeting.
Paused.
Then went straight to the point.
"You know why I called you here, right?"
"Yes."
"It's about the meeting."
"You and your mother."
She looked at him.
Then asked calmly
"So, Sensei"
"Are you here to persuade me on her behalf?"
She emphasized that word.
Persuade.
Which made one thing clear:
She didn't believe a single word about "respecting her wishes."
She understood perfectly.
That her mother would act behind the scenes.
Control things.
Manipulate outcomes.
"Smart kid."
Hirakawa thought.
But he didn't answer directly.
Instead
He asked:
"Before that"
"Can I hear your thoughts again?"
"Sensei."
"I've already made myself very clear during the meeting."
"I like music."
"I will not give it up."
"And as for my mother's expectations"
"I don't accept them."
Her tone grew colder.
Especially when mentioning her mother.
There was no hiding it.
This wasn't a small disagreement.
This was a deep conflict.
"I figured."
Hirakawa sighed inwardly.
He had seen it before.
At practice.
At competitions.
Her effort
Was real.
Her tears
When she only won bronze at nationals
Were real too.
The passion in her eyes
That pure, burning love for music
Was undeniable.
So the question was
As a teacher
Could he really tell her to give it up?
"No."
He stayed silent.
But she didn't.
"Sensei."
"Since this is a school"
"Shouldn't a student's will be respected?"
"It should."
He answered carefully.
"But a parent's wishes can't be completely ignored either"
Weak answer.
Even he knew it.
"So because of her identity…"
"You care more about her opinion, right?"
Straight to the point.
No hesitation.
He gave a helpless smile.
Some things
Didn't need to be said out loud.
But she said them anyway.
Which meant
She had already judged him.
As
Her mother's accomplice.
"Hirakawa-sensei."
"Go ahead."
"I understand that you're being forced into this situation."
She said calmly.
Then
Her expression turned completely cold.
"But"
"If you insist on interfering with my will…"
"You should start looking for your next job."
Silence.
The entire office went quiet.
Even the faint noises from other teachers—
Disappeared.
Kuda-sensei froze nearby.
Eyes wide.
Looking back and forth between them.
Hirakawa's expression settled.
Calm.
Still.
"…Yeah."
He thought.
This girl
Really was her mother's daughter.
At least in one way
They were identical.
Equally troublesome.
"So no matter what I choose"
"I'm at risk of losing my job anyway?"
"What a situation."
He let out a quiet breath.
And for the first time
A certain thought surfaced clearly in his mind:
"Maybe"
"this system"
"wasn't given to me by accident."