Just so people know this is an Au with no assassination classroom. Please review. Some dark themes but most are implied, not explicit so I'm keeping the rating at T
Isogai sat at the large kitchen table, he could hear the sound of his heart-beat pounding in his ears as terror ran through him. Despite the smile plastered on his face, he was scared. Any moment now, Asano Gakuhou, the Chairman, would arrive home from work.
"What's wrong, Isogai?" Gakushu asked, with a skeptical expression that made him seem older than his seven years. Isogai's fake smile widened.
"N- Nothing, Gakushu," The dark haired boy said, but in reality he wanted to run far away from this soulless house and the monster who owned it.
"Your hands are shaking." The child pointed out, confusion in his voice. Suddenly, there was the sound of a car pulling up outside. The Chairman was home. Isogai's golden eyes widened. He was sure he could feel his heart freezing in his chest for a moment.
He wanted to escape but he couldn't. The Chairman was pulling all the strings.
Isogai's father died three years ago when he was fourteen. Since then, life had been a struggle. His family finances plummeted, his mother tried to work the best she could to take care of her children, but it wasn't easy when she was became sick so easily. It's hard to keep a job when you get a fever every month.
So of course, Isogai took the burden of providing for the family himself, but it's not easy when your still a kid. So many people wouldn't hire you, or underpaid you.
He had to work long hours for very little money, but it was all worth it just to see his little brother and sister get to enjoy the same things he did when he was little. He didn't want them to miss out on school trips or new clothes just because he was poor.
Things were hard but he was happy.
But then one day, something happened; Isogai came home from school one day in a cheerful mood after another crazy day in class. He walked through the front door of their tiny apartment. It was completely silent inside.
"Ma?" He called out- no reply. She had been feeling unwell again this morning, maybe she was sleeping? He walked slowly to her room, and saw her lying peacefully on her futon. He smiled for a moment.
Then he saw the blood;
Dried blood run from his mother's mouth down her chin. Isogai ran over to her- He was ice cold. no! Tears filling his eyes he quickly dialed for an ambulance.
Please be alive, Please! Please!
"She has lung cancer. It's in the early stages, so if we start treatment soon, I'd say the chances of survival are excellent." The Doctor explained to Isogai, as he sat outside his mother's hospital room, holding hands with his two sobbing siblings.
"So Mama will be okay?" His sister Yukira asked. She was only ten years old but had already been through so much hardships.
"Hopefully." The Doctor said. "Now, let's discuss expenses- "
Isogai stared at the hospital bills in despair; Even if he quit school and worked full time at his restaurant, and they sold everything they own, he still wouldn't be able to afford his mother's treatment, not on the salary's he was used to getting.
His younger siblings stared over his shoulder at the offending piece of paper in his hand. They were back in their tiny apartment, it was late but nobody could sleep knowing Mama was all alone and in pain in the hospital.
"That's a lot of zeros." His brother, Toranosuke said, fear creeping into his voice.
"Will we be able to pay?" Yukira asked fearfully. Hearing the hope mixed with fear in their voices gave Isogai the motivation to carry on.
"Of course we will. We'll just have to sell a few things, and big brother will have to leave school for a while to find a new job!" The dark haired boy said, with a new found spirit. No matter what he had to do, somehow, he'd find a way to save his mother.
After that, Isogai spent hours scouring vacancy ads, looking for a job with a decent pay. But most high-paying jobs required at least a college degree, but Isogai hadn't even finished high school yet. One Ad caught his eye though;
Child-minder; Must be able to work any hours, Be professional and follow the parent's rules.
Then Isogai saw the hourly pay, his eyes widened. That must be a misprint! Would he really be paid so much just for childminding? These parents must be rich or something! Isogai applied right away.
Isogai didn't expect to get a reply so quickly, let alone be invited to interview at the weekend. This would be his last week in school, he decided. He loved school- he got to see his best friend Hiroto Maehara everyday, and Kataoka, and Okana, and Nagisa, and Karma, and Kayano and Terasaka.
Just thinking about all the friends he would leave behind broke his heart. Maehara was the only one who knew the real reason he was quitting school. He wasn't happy about it, but the blond playboy knew there was no other way, his family wasn't exactly rich either, so it wasn't like he could offer to pay.
Isogai arrived at the interview address; It was a huge house on the opposite side of town, with a garden that seemed almost too neat, a house that looked too clean. Spotless windows loomed down on him as he walked towards the door, knocking nervously. He felt so out of place in somewhere as posh as this.
An old graying man in a suit opened the door. The way he looked at Isogai made him feel even more out of place.
"Are you here for the interview?" He asked, looking at Isogai with distaste. Th dark haired boy gave him a disarming smile.
"Yes, I am at the right place, aren't I?" He said, with his usual brightness. The man scoffed and stepped aside.
"Follow me. Please wait with the other candidates." The old man said, leading Isogai inside. The house looked soulless somehow, there were no decorations of pictures, anybody could live here.
The teen was lead into a hallway, leading to a large wooden door, outside, on expensive-looking chairs qued the other candidates. Isogai was shocked by how many there were- At least twenty! And they all looked so.. sophisticated.
They weren't young people like him, they were severe looking men and women in suits, the type of people you expect to see as professors and lecturers, not childminders. They all looked at Isogai like he was the one out of place. He sat down at the back of the que.
"And what is somebody like you doing here?" A Dark haired man with a thick bushy mustache said to Isogai, scrutinizing him from behind his glasses. "Your a child who looks as if they're hardly out of highschool."
"Actually, I haven't finished highschool yet, and I'm planning on dropping out." Isogai replied with his usual genuine honestly. There was an array of scoffs and murmurs from the other candidates.
"Listen, boy, there's clearly been some miscommunication; This isn't your typical everyday childminding job, you would be working for Gakuho Asano, the modern-day father of education who revolutionized the teaching model!" The black haired man hissed. Isogai recognized the name; Chairman Asano ran one of the fancy prep schools in the area. The man continued. "The one you would be childminding is his son, Gakushu Asano, a child prodigy, the ultimate product of his education. This is a rare opportunity! A way to make connections!"
Isogai frowned. He didn't like the idea of a child being referred to as a 'product' but he kept his mouth shut and just nodded. Part of him wanted to run away from this stifling atmosphere, but for his mother's sake, he had to at least try.
It wasn't for another half an hour that he was called for interview. The teenager walked through the big wooden doors like so many candidates before him..
The room was dark, and the man sat at the desk- Gakuhou Asano, no doubt - was shrouded in shadow.
"Come in, sit down." He said in a deep voice, with a sinister smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yuuma Isogai, correct?"
The boy nodded, and sat on the chair opposite the desk, giving Asano one of his disarming smiles. "Yes- Thank you for taking the time to interview me, sir, it really means a lot."
The Chairman didn't reply. He stayed silent for a long time, his almost red eyes raking up and down Isogai, scrutinizing his appearance, taking in his dark silky hair that stuck up at the top, bright golden eyes, cheap supermarket clothes. The atmosphere was thick with tension.
"So- " Gakuhou said, after what felt like a lifetime of silence. "What makes you think you are qualified enough to have any responsibility for my son?"
"Well," Isogai started. "I Mightn't have all the qualifications that some of the other candidates have, but I have two younger siblings of my own, so I know all about looking after children; Making sure they eat healthy and do their homework, and I also know a ton of fun games, and how to cheer them up when they're crying and- "
"My son does not indulge in 'fun games' or 'crying'." The Chairman said, cutting Isogai off. He was still smiling but he looked displeased. "Your role would be to make sure he attends all his extra classes. I will provide tests for him that you will mark and ensure he completes. You will be the one to carry out his punishment if he doesn't reach my standards. I'm not looking for somebody to mollycoddle him."
"Um.. Yes." Isogai said lamely, unable to formulate a proper response. This man seemed crazy, was he raising a child or a robot? As always, the dark haired boy looked for a silver lining. Well, it's good that he cares so much about his son's academic achievements!
"Isogai, what is your view on education?" Gakuho asked, lacing his hands together and resting his chin on them, his eyes seemed to pierce Isogai's soul.
"Education is- Very important!" Isogai started, saying what he thought the Chairman wanted to hear. The boy always did well in school, he'd probably do better if he didn't have so much of a burden on him. "What you learn from school gives you the tools in adult life, and not just the academic stuff, either! Things like memories with friends, and having new experiences are all important parts of learning. ah- "
He cut himself off realizing that probably wasn't what the Chairman wanted to hear. The man was still looking at him intently.
"I've heard enough. You may go." The Chairman said, and Isogai looked crushed, he hopped out the chair and shuffled out the door with a quiet.
"Sorry for wasting your time."
Once he left the Chairman allowed his grin to widen, revealing a sharp row of wolfish teeth. Yuuma Isogai. What an interesting boy. He was like a bright light that had entered the room for a brief moment. The Chairman wanted him. He would have him.
Poor isogai i put isogai through so much shit in this story, please review!