Master, master, why did you cut me off? Did I say something wrong? Sigh~ Honestly, humans are so hard to understand. ε=(′ο｀*))) sigh
Under a streetlight, after Senba Gari cut off their communication, Silver Phantom said gloomily.
Inside Otonokizaka, Senba Gari had cut off his communication with Silver Phantom. His face was dark, veins bulging on his forehead, but he kept muttering to himself.
"Calm down, calm down. It's my first day teaching today. I can't leave a bad impression on my students. Calm down, calm down. In~ out~"
After taking another deep breath, he prepared to head to the principal's office. But then he remembered something very important.
"Where's Aunt Minami's office?!"
That's right, he'd actually gotten lost.
- The boy searches for directions
In the courtyard of Otonokizaka, Eli Ayase was walking along a path with her good friend, Nozomi Tojo. Nozomi looked at the worried expression on Eli's face and spoke up.
"Ah, Eli, are you worried about Otonokizaka being shut down, or are you worried about that mysterious upperclassman from the other day~?"
After pausing for a moment, Nozomi leaned close to Eli's ear and whispered. She even playfully breathed against it, making Eli jump.
"W-Whoa! Nozomi, what are you saying? I-I'm not worried about that pervert!"
Whether it was because Nozomi had just breathed against her ear or for some other unknown reason, Eli's cheeks were flushed pink, making her look very enticing.
Just as Eli was about to say something else, a familiar voice made her freeze. Nozomi, standing beside her, froze too.
"Um, could you tell me where the principal's office is?"
Eli came back to her senses and turned around. When she saw who it was—
"Why is it you?!" ×2
--The girls are stunned---
"Ahhh! I should've asked Aunt Minami where to find her in the first place."
Senba Gari was walking along a path toward the courtyard. When he got there, he saw two familiar figures, one golden-haired and one purple-haired. Without thinking much of it, he went up behind them and asked,
"Um, could you tell me where the principal's office is?"
Both girls in front of him were clearly stunned. Was it his imagination, or were they looking more and more familiar?
When the girl with the golden ponytail turned around, Senba Gari finally recognized her. The two of them exclaimed in surprise,
"Why is it you?!" ×2
Nozomi was surprised too, but she stepped between them and broke the awkward silence.
"Ahem. Um, upperclassman, how did you get in here? The school isn't open to the public until the holidays."
"Yeah, how did you get in?"
Hearing Nozomi, who had just come up beside them, and Eli, who was standing in front of him, ask their questions, Senba Gari replied,
"Oh, I almost forgot. Since you're students here, could you take me to the principal's office? I was allowed in by your principal."
"Really? Then come with us, senpai. We still have to thank you for saving our lives that time."
As she spoke, Nozomi took Eli's hand and led Senba Gari toward the principal's office.
"Come on, you don't have to thank me. I was just sticking my nose where it didn't belong. Also, you don't have to keep calling me 'senpai.' I'm only a year or two older than you. Just call me Senba Gari."
Senba Gari followed behind Nozomi and Eli. After hearing him introduce himself, Nozomi said,
"Really? Then I'll call you Senba-senpai. And I'm Nozomi Tojo, the student council vice president. You can call me Nozomi. This is our student council president, Eli Ayase."
As she spoke, Nozomi turned to Eli.
"Eli, aren't you going to say anything?"
"Senba Gari? So that's his name."
"Eli?"
When Eli didn't answer, Nozomi leaned close and looked at her questioningly.
"Ah, ah! Nozomi, what is it?"
Eli jumped at the sight of Nozomi's face suddenly coming so close, then asked her in confusion.
"Nothing in particular. I just noticed our Eli seemed to be lost in thought~"
Nozomi gave Eli a teasing look.
"W-What are you talking about?! I-I wasn't! Anyway, we're here! This is the principal's office."
Eli, who had been looking flustered, suddenly hurried a few steps ahead and spoke.
"Thanks, you two."
Senba Gari thanked the two girls in front of him, then opened the door and went inside. But—
"Why did you two come in too?"
Teaching at Otonokizaka (Part 2)
"Why did you two come in too?"
Senba Gari looked at the two girls behind him in confusion.
"Hmph. We just happen to have something to discuss with the principal."
Eli replied to Senba Gari. But, girl, your cheeks are still flushed.
"Really? Whatever. Aunt Minami, I'm here."
Looking at the girl in front of him, Senba Gari turned around helplessly and addressed Minami Kotori, who was sitting behind the desk.
Minami Kotori looked up and saw Senba Gari standing in front of her, with Eli Ayase behind him. Then she spoke.
"What took you so long, Little Gari?"
"It's because you never told me where to find you, Aunt Minami! I had to wander all over the school while putting up with all the girls giving me strange looks!"
"Uh, didn't I tell you?"
"No!"
Senba Gari glared resentfully at Minami Kotori, his eyes seeming to say, 'Aunt Minami, if you don't explain yourself, I'm quitting on the spot.'
Understanding his look, Minami Kotori picked up several things from the desk and handed them to Senba Gari.
"I probably forgot to tell you because I've had so much on my mind with Otonokizaka being shut down. Also, here are your teaching certificate, the list of students in the class you'll be teaching, and your teaching materials. You'll need these if you're going to work here as a teacher."
"Oh, thanks, Aunt Minami."
Senba Gari picked up the teaching certificate and the other things Minami Kotori had placed in front of him and looked them over. Then he remembered something she'd just said.
"Wait, shut down?!"
"Teaching?!" ×2
Nozomi Tojo and Eli Ayase both suddenly reacted to something Minami Kotori had said and shouted.
"Whoa! You two are so loud, you nearly scared me to death!"
Eli ignored Senba Gari's complaint and argued with Minami Kotori.
"Principal, you're not joking, are you? This guy's only a year older than us, and we don't even know if he's capable of doing the job!"
"There's no other choice. Since Otonokizaka is going to be shut down, some of the teachers have already resigned and left. And because of the closure, it's already hard to find new teachers. Besides, Little Gari, show Ms. Ayase your qualifications."
Minami Kotori turned to Senba Gari, who had been left out of the conversation and still looked a little confused.
"Oh, you want proof? Will this do?"
Senba Gari took his phone out of his pocket, tapped the screen a few times, then held it up in front of Eli Ayase.
The moment Eli saw what was on Senba Gari's phone screen, she froze. Nozomi Tojo leaned in curiously from beside her, then froze too.
After Senba Gari put his phone away, both girls came back to their senses and gave him strange looks. Then Eli spoke.
"You're an archaeologist? And a doctor, too?!"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you. It's all because of my idiot dad. He said I had to get a doctorate if I wanted to go on archaeological research trips with him. Honestly, give me a break. Anyway, Aunt Minami, what's this about the school being shut down?"
Ignoring the strange looks from Eli and Nozomi, he turned to Minami Kotori and asked.
"It's an unavoidable situation. Otonokizaka's enrollment has fallen below the required level. This year, there's only one first-year class, two second-year classes, and three third-year classes. That's why Otonokizaka is going to be shut down."
After hearing Minami Kotori's explanation, Senba Gari furrowed his brow and asked,
"Aunt Minami, are you really just going to let Otonokizaka shut down?!"
"Unless we can increase enrollment, the school's closure is inevitable. If I could, I wouldn't want it to close either. After all, this is the school your late mother, Yukine, and I loved most."
Minami Kotori's eyes dimmed. Seeing her expression, Senba Gari sighed softly, then remembered something and said,
"By the way, Aunt Minami, I still don't know which classes I'll be teaching."
"About that, I'm afraid you'll have to work a little harder. You'll teach one class in each of the three grades. There's only one first-year class, so we can skip that one. You'll teach Kotori's class in the second year, and you'll also be their homeroom teacher. As for the third years, you'll teach the class your classmate, Ms. Ayase, is in."
"I see. I really will have my hands full. Well, Aunt Minami, I'll go take a look at my classes first."
As he spoke, Senba Gari prepared to leave. Eli Ayase turned to Minami Kotori and said,
"Then, Principal, we'll be going too."
As she spoke, she and Nozomi Tojo followed Senba Gari out.
"Hmm? Didn't you two have something to discuss with Aunt Minami? Why did you come out with me?"
Senba Gari looked at the two girls beside him in confusion. Nozomi spoke before Eli could.
"Well, what we wanted to discuss with the principal was the school closure. But after hearing your conversation with her, Senba 'sensei,' we figured we probably couldn't convince her, so there was no point staying. Don't you agree, Eli?"
As she spoke, Nozomi looked at Eli, who could only nod dejectedly. But Senba Gari's next words caught their attention.
"Well, I'm not used to being called 'sensei' yet. But actually, there is a way to keep Otonokizaka from shutting down."
"Really?! Then tell us, Senba-sensei!"
After hearing what Senba Gari said, Nozomi asked him curiously. Eli, beside her, also looked at him with interest.
Seeing both girls looking at him curiously, Senba Gari continued.
"I'm sure you know I used to be an archaeologist. I often traveled all over the world with my dad, so I've seen quite a lot. Otonokizaka will be shut down sooner or later; it's only a matter of time. That's because there's nothing about this school that leaves a strong impression, and it's also an all-girls' school. Otonokizaka is a traditional girls' school, but there are plenty of other girls' schools around here too—not to mention co-ed schools. There's UTX nearby, for example. So, if you want to avoid closure, the school has to change. One way would be to change its tradition and turn it from a girls' school into a co-ed school. I imagine Aunt Minami has thought of that, but I don't think she wants to do it. So there's only one other option: make another kind of change. Become famous—famous enough to leave a strong impression. When I mention Akihabara, for example, some people immediately think of the figures sold there. So the only option that wouldn't destroy the school's tradition as a girls' school is to do something like that. As for what, you'll have to figure that out yourselves. I only just came back, so I don't know much about the place yet."
After finishing, Senba Gari looked at the two girls in front of him, who were deep in thought. But a girl's scream from nearby interrupted them.
"Sh-Sh-Shut down!!!"
Teaching at Otonokizaka (Part 3)
Shut down.
Those two stark, cruel words had been posted on the notice board in the hallway.
"This can't be real...?" Honoka Kosaka's eyes widened as she stared at the notice, unable to believe it.
"Closing down?" Minami Kotori frowned and spoke in a faint voice.
"So the school is going to disappear?" Umi Sonoda stared sternly at the notice board.
"Ah..." Honoka was like a deflated balloon, falling backward. Fortunately, Umi Sonoda and Minami Kotori were right behind her and caught her by both shoulders in time.
"Honoka!"
"Honoka, what's wrong?!"
They both shouted at once, but Honoka seemed not to hear them. She stared blankly at the ceiling, tears welling at the corners of her eyes.
"My, my... wonderful high school life is going to..." After saying that, Honoka lost consciousness.
--Scene change--
In the distance, Senba Gari watched as Umi Sonoda and Minami Kotori hurriedly carried Honoka Kosaka to the infirmary. A dark line appeared over his head, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He turned toward Eli Ayase and Nozomi Tojo, who wore matching looks, and said with some exasperation,
"I know some of the students here might not be able to accept the news that Otonokizaka is closing, but isn't this a bit too much?!"
"Ha, haha."
After hearing Senba Gari, Eli Ayase and Nozomi Tojo could only laugh awkwardly. Then Senba Gari said,
"Sigh~ Looks like teaching isn't going to be easy. All right, I'll head to the second-years first. As for solving the school closure problem, I've told you what I can. What you do next is up to you."
"No, Senba-sensei, what you've told us has already given us a great deal of hope. We should be the ones thanking you, Sensei."
Before you continue