Teacher Annie

After lunch,

the first class of the afternoon was social studies with Chabashira-sensei.

Chabashira-sensei was in a good mood. The goal she'd thought she could never achieve suddenly seemed within reach. For once, she planned to take the lesson seriously and see if there was anyone worth nurturing. At the very least, she couldn't let anyone hold You En back.

But as soon as she entered, she ran into an idiot. His name was Yamauchi Shunju, or something like that. He came right up to her to complain, saying You En had hit him.

Chabashira Sae really wanted to tell him that even if You En beat him to death, she wouldn't do a thing about it. She might even help dispose of the body.

But the school's rules hadn't been fully laid out yet, so she couldn't be that blunt.

Chabashira got rid of the idiot with a look, not bothering to speak with him.

She walked up to the lectern and looked out at the classroom full of idiots and dead weight. The drive You En had inspired in her vanished in an instant.

Still, there were a few students who could manage a passing grade. Those were the ones she'd come to teach.

After class,

Chabashira Sae gestured for You En to come outside with her.

Yamauchi was ecstatic. He turned to the people beside him and said,

"Chabashira-sensei's going to stand up for me. Heh. If he comes crawling over to apologize later, I'm going to make him squirm. He really made me look like an idiot."

Ken Sudō frowned. Honestly, he didn't want to talk to this guy anymore. Truth be told, he'd put up with him plenty of times already, but had let it slide because they were friends.

Yamauchi kept slandering people and spreading rumors. Now, with his interest piqued, he started making up salacious gossip about You En and Horikita.

Ken Sudō slammed his hand on the desk and glared at him, his brow furrowed. The guy really was insufferable.

"Go away. Don't talk to me."

Outside the classroom,

Chabashira Sae spoke first. "You had every right to hit him. There'll be no punishment. That's how this school works: everything is decided by strength. There are no other rules.

"The only people who might have a problem with it are the Student Council, but you don't need to worry. As a provisional member of the Kyudo Club, someone there will take care of things for you."

You En nodded. He thought Chabashira-sensei was telling him he could beat people up as much as he wanted. After all, he had connections, so as long as he could win a fight, he had nothing to fear.

Chabashira Sae realized You En had misunderstood, but didn't correct him. She couldn't be too explicit. What was a little violence in this school? Even harsher methods—even the most extreme ones—were fair game.

The students who'd come from the peaceful outside world hadn't realized this yet. Even You En, sharp as he was, hadn't noticed. Or maybe he'd deliberately avoided thinking about it.

Watching You En's retreating back, Chabashira Sae couldn't help sighing.

"You can't afford to hold back in this school."

When the "real test" began, he'd understand what kind of place this was.

Gasps rang out from the classroom.

Horikita Suzune came out and looked at You En.

"I finally understand why you wanted to hit him. Someone can be so..."

"Obnoxious?"

Horikita nodded. "Exactly."

"I'm heading to my elective. Want to come take a look?"

Horikita Suzune nodded. She didn't mention that she'd just pulled Yamauchi's desk out of the way.

"Sure. I'll walk you there. We can look around, and there's still plenty of time."

She hadn't realized she'd already taken a walk with You En over lunch, less than two hours ago. She was simply enjoying the way the two of them felt together.

The lessons for aspiring sailors weren't held in a classroom.

They were held at one of the school's harbors.

That's right. The school had its own harbor.

You En and Horikita spent a while there without seeing anyone else. All they saw was a large ship moored nearby.

Horikita Suzune looked up at it.

"Don't tell me your class is on that ship?"

"Probably. Maybe I'll even get a chance to sail it."

You En rubbed his hands together, looking forward to it.

His cousin's husband had studied marine engineering in his previous life... but in the end, he'd gone to work with his uncle as a dentist. He'd only ever told You En that the industry wasn't great, and life at sea was far more monotonous than life on land.

Even now, You En was still fascinated by ships. Maybe it was because he'd spent too long on land. Either way, he'd always felt drawn to the ocean.

"Well, which one of you is the rookie sailor I'm taking on today?"

A fit, strong-looking woman approached them.

She had wavy red hair and healthy, tanned skin. Most striking of all, a long scar ran across her handsome face, starting at her left eye and reaching all the way to her chin.

She came over, leaned close to You En, and gave him a hearty grin as she patted him on the shoulder.

"Kid, I knew at a glance you were the one."

"How'd you know, teacher?"

"Don't call me teacher. Call me Captain Annie."

"Understood, Captain."

Annie nodded in satisfaction. "Those sailors foolhardy enough to risk their lives all have the same look in their eyes as you. They're dreaming of treasure and adventure on the open sea."

"What treasure?"

Horikita Suzune hadn't left. It wasn't class time yet, and no one had asked her to go.

"Little lady, the ocean is full of treasure. If you have the heart to seek it, you'll find something that belongs to you in the end."

Captain Annie laughed heartily. "There's still some time before class. Want me to take you two lovebirds for a spin?"

Horikita Suzune gazed at the large ship. She'd missed the way Annie had referred to them, and looked tempted.

"Can we really?"

"Of course. Hey, this kid's the first one to sign up for my class this early."

Annie grinned and gave You En's back another hard slap.

You En coughed from the blow. The woman was absurdly strong.

"Come with me."

Annie turned and strode off without hesitation.

You En asked, "Aren't we taking that big ship?"

"Of course not. A trainee sailor doesn't get to touch a ship like that. First, you'll learn to handle a little boat, swim in the sea, and pick up some basic nautical knowledge."

Annie thought for a moment. "As for the formal theory, there are dedicated e-books online. Remember to study them yourself."

At the words "study them yourself,"

You En felt as if he'd returned to college. Ninety-nine percent of it had been self-study; the other one percent was the teacher setting an exam. Then again, maybe they'd just cobbled together a test from past exams, changed a few numbers, or had a graduate student put one together.

This high school elective was starting to feel familiar.

Still, Annie's words reminded You En that he could study a skill on his own in addition to taking classes. He hadn't taken school seriously in this life, and he'd nearly forgotten that he'd once been a grad-school grunt who could teach himself the contents of several hefty textbooks in a week.

Annie led them to another corner of the harbor. Unlike the modern facilities on the other side, this part looked as if it belonged to a few centuries ago. A small wooden boat sat there, so old it seemed ready for a museum.

Annie jerked her chin toward it.

"Look, this is our boat for today. Come on, climb aboard."

You En and Suzune had both used small boats before, but most of the ones around nowadays were motorized, pedal boats for recreation, or kayaks made of modern materials. Neither had ever tried a wooden boat this old-fashioned.

They followed Annie aboard and each got an oar.

Then they stared at her.

Annie paused, belatedly catching on.

"What? You want me to teach you?"

She waved a hand.

"Just try it. You'll get the hang of it as you go. But you can follow along with me, too."

You En and Suzune exchanged a glance. They both knew what the other was thinking.

Their teacher wasn't exactly reliable.

You En missed Ed. By comparison, Ed had been much more attentive.

Annie untied the mooring rope and hopped aboard. She stretched, then leaned to the side and put her whole body into rowing, applying her strength smoothly and evenly—not too fast, not too slow.

You En tried to imitate her.

"You're standing in the wrong spot. With your strength, move a little farther back,"

Annie called out.

You En stepped back and took a stroke. It still felt wrong, so he moved back half a step. In the end, he decided this was probably about right. Annie didn't offer any further guidance. The two of them simply rowed on their own.

Suzune tried it too.

Annie smiled and offered her a couple of pointers, but it was clear she wouldn't pick it up that quickly.

The worse she was at it, the more impatient Suzune became. Why had You En gotten the hang of it so quickly?

You En met Horikita Suzune's gaze and tried to put his vague impressions into words as clearly as possible.

"Lean forward and to the side, straighten your arms, and put the oar in the water. Pull both oars back, using your whole body. As for the boat's center of gravity, you'll have to figure that part out yourself."

After practicing for a while, they were making decent progress overall.

But Horikita Suzune still felt she wasn't as good as the other two. She was also getting tired; her arms were aching. And she exercised regularly. If she were some other girl, she'd probably have been worn out already.

"Oh, right,"

You En added, "I might not be completely right. Using your whole body doesn't mean straining yourself. It just means using your strength more effectively. Stay relaxed and keep your composure."

Horikita Suzune nodded. Listening to him and watching the two of them, she started to understand. She shouldn't treat everything like a competition with You En. She should try to imitate Annie, another woman.

They rowed aimlessly for about ten minutes. You En could tell Annie wanted to chat, but for some reason she didn't say much to them. They simply rowed in silence around in a circle and back to shore.

"All right, class is about to start, little Suzune," Annie said. She'd learned Horikita's name by then. "Say goodbye to your boyfriend first. You can meet up again tonight."

Horikita Suzune shook her head.

"We're not like that."

"You're not dating?"

Annie looked back and forth between them in surprise.

"Then are you siblings? You don't really look like it, either."

You En added, "We're just friends."

For some reason, Horikita Suzune shot him a glare, then climbed out of the boat and left with a hint of annoyance.

"Ha ha! I thought you'd known each other for at least seven or eight years. You're not siblings or a couple, so how have you known each other for so long? Don't tell me you're married."

Annie laughed heartily, without the slightest trace of pretension or airs.

"Looks like I'm not very good at reading people after all. I've always been like that."

You En tried to comfort her.

"You might be right about one thing, Captain Annie."

Annie looked up.

"Which thing?"

You En meant the part about them knowing each other for seven or eight years. He was the only one who'd known the other for that long, though. Back then, he'd even called Suzune his wife.

"I'm not telling you."

Annie pretended to be annoyed.

"You little brat! How dare you hide things from your captain? Just wait. I'll put you through the wringer!"

You En couldn't imagine what she might do. Could it be worse than snakes and bugs?

He looked completely unafraid.

"Bring it on."