April 6th. While the students were still enjoying the final day of spring break—or more realistically, rushing to finish their holiday homework—Hirakawa Tetsufumi's vacation had already come to an end. As a homeroom teacher, he had to arrive at school a day early to prepare for the new term.
"Good morning, Kuda-sensei."
At the entrance of Moriya Private Girls' High School, he ran into Kuda Mari, who had also arrived early.
"Hirakawa-sensei, long time no see."
She had been taking photos with her phone, but lowered it when she saw him.
"Taking pictures?"
"The cherry blossoms are beautiful."
"Yeah."
Rows of cherry trees lined the path leading into the school. During spring, it became a road where students walked beneath drifting petals, like a scene from a painting. But for Hirakawa, it was less romantic and more troublesome.
Kuda noticed the mask on his face. "Hirakawa-sensei… what's with that?"
"This? Too many cherry blossoms. I can't handle it."
Even with the mask on, he rubbed his nose. Cherry blossoms were everywhere this time of year, and with them came pollen. Unfortunately, he was one of the many sufferers, though his symptoms weren't too severe.
"Are you okay?" she asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Luckily, the blossoms only last a week."
Even so, she still looked worried. After thinking for a moment, she said seriously, "Then please stay away from the cherry blossoms."
Her concern was touching, but the tone made him feel strangely like a child being told to stay away from something dangerous. Was she treating him like a student? Or worse, like a kid? He hesitated, but in the end, he kept the thought to himself. Kuda-sensei really was suited to being a teacher—she couldn't turn it off even in daily life.
"Alright, got it. Let's go."
"Okay."
They walked together down the path, deliberately keeping to the center, as far from the cherry trees as possible.
"How was your break, Hirakawa-sensei?"
"Other than being too short, I have no complaints."
"Two weeks is already quite long… If I stay idle too long, I start to feel empty."
"That's true."
Even someone like Hirakawa, who preferred taking it easy, couldn't stand doing nothing forever.
"So what did you do?"
"I went to Hokkaido."
"Hokkaido?"
"Yeah. It was still snowing there. You could ski as much as you wanted, and soaking in an outdoor hot spring while it snowed felt amazing."
"That sounds wonderful."
"All of that happened in my dreams."
"Huh?"
Kuda blinked in confusion.
"Traveling is too tiring. Just imagining it is enough."
"That actually suits you, Hirakawa-sensei."
"But I did go back to my hometown in Akita."
"You're from Akita Prefecture?"
"Yeah."
"When I think of Akita, I can only think of Crayon Shin-chan."
"The grandpa from Akita, right?" Hirakawa laughed. "When I first found out, that's exactly what came to mind too."
"Right?"
By the time they finished chatting, they had already reached the staff room, and the conversation naturally came to an end.
What followed was a busy stretch of work. Preparing teaching materials, organizing class assignments, reviewing student records, even moving the staff room from the first floor to the second. Whenever Kuda struggled with something, he helped out as well.
By the time everything was nearly finished, it was already close to noon.
"I'm exhausted."
Hirakawa slumped into his chair.
"Yeah… thank you for your help today, Hirakawa-sensei."
As a small gesture of appreciation, Kuda handed him a glass of water. For a brief moment, it triggered an unpleasant memory, but he quickly brushed it aside.
"Thanks, Kuda-sensei."
"You're welcome. But… you still have work to do. You can't rest yet."
She handed him a stack of documents.
"As a homeroom teacher, understanding your students is part of your duty."
"Alright."
He sighed and took the files. There were things he could be lazy about, but not this. As a teacher, there were lines he wouldn't cross.
Inside were detailed student profiles—family backgrounds, grades, past records.
Some names were familiar. For example, Tsutsui Shiori. She was still in his Class A.
So in the end—studying finance in university was probably still her unavoidable future.
Was that a good thing? Or a bad thing? She didn't want it, yet it was something many others could only dream of. There was no clear answer.
He turned the page and continued reading.
Moriya Private High School was expensive, practically a school for the wealthy. The students were generally excellent, well-behaved, and problem-free.
At least, that's how it seemed.
"This is good."
Maybe this semester would be peaceful.
That thought lasted less than ten minutes.
Kuda, who had been working beside him, suddenly turned and said, "Hirakawa-sensei… there's a student you might want to pay special attention to."
"A student?"
"Her name is Amamiya You."
"Amamiya You?"
He searched through the files and found her.
"She looks normal."
Nothing stood out. Perfect records, no obvious issues.
"I don't really know either," Kuda said. "But Yamamoto-sensei—her homeroom teacher last year—asked me to tell you."
"I see."
A faint unease settled in his chest.
What kind of student required a warning like that?
He got his answer a few days later.
After being late several days in a row, he had no choice but to call her in for a talk.
She stood before him—calm, cold, and unwavering.
"Teacher."
"A warning."
"If you don't want to lose your job—don't interfere."
She turned and walked away.
Her ponytail swung sharply, brushing lightly against his chest as she passed.
Hirakawa stood there, speechless.
What was he even supposed to say to that?
Do rich girls all threaten teachers like this?
Do they not believe in reason anymore?
"This is bad."
For the first time, he truly felt it.
This new semester was going to be troublesome.