FMP Fanfiction
Hitosawagase
by Esoteria
Author's Note: This is the second "volume" of fanfiction I have written, with the first being Wo Futari De. Information regarding FMP's history and where these fanfictions lie in the timeline can be found in the introductory chapter to that volume.
All information about posting schedules, feedback, and other news can be found in my profile. Thank you for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated!
Chapter 1
----
"PRINCIPAL!" A flustered man burst loudly into the office.
"What is it, Kogure-sensei?" Jindai High School's principal responded calmly. "Since this is not the first time someone has burst into my office, I was expecting the vice-principal. I am pleased to see it is you, Kogure-san, unless we are having an incident with bread."
"Principal," Kogure panted briefly, having clearly run all the way to the office from wherever he was when he heard the news. "I'm willing to admit my actions regarding the sale of lunch bread by the student council were wrong… however! This is going too far! This time, we are allowing the students to teach their class!"
"Ahh, sensei…," the principal rotated in her chair and looked out of the window, sunlight reflecting off of her sincere eyes. "Don't you think it's wonderful that the students can be given such an opportunity?"
"But, Principal…"
"That our students could teach one another… to occasionally educate not by the paid hand of our instructors, but by the earnest efforts of the very students we mentors try to reach."
"Princ—…"
"Surely you, sensei, can understand what a privilege it is for us to be given time with this innocent group of young people, and to prepare them for a bright, vibrant future in our community… but why not allow these students the very privilege we have been given?"
"Principal…," Kogure-sensei was looking down, applying pressure to his temples. "I would not have a problem with it…," his eyebrow twitched occasionally, "if it weren't that class…."
"But it is Kagurazaka-sensei that is sick this week, so naturally we would give this wonderful opportunity to her class."
"…There are rumors, Principal, that the school is having financial troubles again…"
"Ludicrous."
"…They say we may be having difficulty funding even the most basic needs…"
"Preposterous."
"…Basic needs such as substitute teachers…."
"That has nothing to do with it."
Kogure-sensei's shoulders dropped, and he let out a giant sigh. He turned around and walked to the door.
"Sensei…" came the principal's voice. The teacher looked back at her, the door halfway open. "I can rest assured that we won't have any… troubles regarding this issue?"
The door was almost closed before Kogure-sensei's affirmative "Yeah" was heard.
----
Kagurazaka's class was in disorder, students sitting on desks, speaking loudly to one another. "Did you hear?" "...so what do you think happened?" "I told you she looked bad last week!"
WHAM! Chidori Kaname smacked her large fan against the blackboard. The discussion died down a few seconds later.
"Alright, as class rep, it's my duty to introduce our substitute, since as you all appear to know," she said the last phrase with immense sarcasm, "Kagurazaka-sensei is out sick for this entire week."
The commotion restarted immediately, as everyone's suspicions were confirmed. "So who do you think it is?" "Oh, I hope he's cute!" "Baka, it might not even be a 'he.'"
"Shut up!" Another smack to the blackboard caused the commotion to die down again. "As I was trying to say, it is normally my duty to introduce our substitute, however…"
All remaining speech from the class ceased, and all the students turned their full attention to the front.
"Thank you." Kaname let out a sigh, a small white cloud from her mouth appearing briefly. "However, I have been informed that we are not getting a substitute this week. Instead, one of us students…," She paused to let her words sink in as she scanned the classroom, "…will be responsible for teaching the lessons."
Uproar ensued briefly before another whack that probably could've been heard several classrooms down shot its way through the classroom. "Shut! Up!"
"Now, I've already prepared a drawing to see who it will be. Because I'm the class representative and I will be reporting the chosen student's progress to the higher-ups, I'm sorry to tell you all that I will be exempt from this drawing."
Dead silence. An airplane passed overhead, its full Doppler effect being heard in the quiet. A few students looked around nervously.
Chidori's eyebrow twitched angrily, until at last she received an only half-disappointed-sounding "aww…" from two or three students. When she finally reached into the small bowl of folded paper, the room's air became thick.
"Who do you think…?" whispered a student. "I don't think I could do it if it was me…" responded another.
Kaname slowly reached into the bowl, dramatically removing one slip. "So, our substitute student teacher for the week will be…."
She unfolded it, and looked.
Kaname's shoulders dropped and her entire stature shortened slightly.
The whole class followed suit before she said anything.
One of the students sullenly wailed "Don't tell me…." A few glares were directed towards the back of the room.
Chidori took a very deep breath and said, "Sagara… Sousuke."
The entire class let out a defeated sound as they sank into their chairs. Some of them collapsed on top of their desks and didn't move. Somewhere in the front of the room, a female student managed "Why—? Why is it always him?" Several pathetic-sounding whimpers followed from around the classroom.
WHACK. "Alright, class, that's enough whining," Kaname made a concerted effort to straighten her posture and continue. "Now that we have named our teacher, we need to decide on the lesson for the week."
She was answered by a few incoherent moans.
"I was given a list of possible subjects, and decided the fairest way to see which we'll be studying would be by another drawing."
More grumbling.
Kaname produced, from behind the front desk, another bowl with paper. Without hesitation she reached in and chose one of the slips. Most of the class managed to look up half-heartedly to see what their punishment would be.
Chidori unfolded slowly, and looked down.
…She blinked for several seconds in silence.
"Just tell us," said someone on the front row finally. Kaname grunted at them.
"Kana-chan, fight!" Kyouko's cheer snapped Chidori out of her trance.
"Well then…" she said quietly. "The subject for this week will be…"
"…will be?"
"Will be… the first World War."
The entire classroom made a huge crashing sound. Several students had actually fallen out of their chairs and now lay lifeless or twitching on the floor.
Sousuke Sagara sat stiffly in the back of the room with his arms crossed in front of him. "Hmm. How fortunate that the subject lies in my area of expertise."
"Why—!" came the same female voice, muffled this time.
----
At lunchtime, Sagara sat outside, chewing on some form of dehydrated meat. The sliver of open land was contained by classrooms on all sides but one, where some particularly devoted athletes were practicing on the field. The noises of students nearby didn't bother Sousuke, who was carefully considering his new assignment while seated on a bench near the covered way.
"Sousuke."
"Hmm?" Sagara looked up after hearing the nearby door close. "Ah, Chidori. I was hoping to talk to you."
Kaname stood over him with a few papers in her hand. "Yeah, well, here are the guidelines for your lessons this week. Try to have an introductory lesson for the afternoon class."
"Thank you. That should not be a problem."
She began to walk towards the opposing door when Sousuke stopped her. "Wait, Chidori…"
"What is it?"
"I have some concerns regarding how the class reacted to my selection this morning."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, but I believe I understand why I earned such a response."
She turned around and looked at him curiously. "You do?" she asked while taking a seat next to him.
"Yes. I think that my colleagues believe I will be harsh with assignments, both in how much work I assign and how strictly I grade them."
Chidori sulked momentarily. Well, I suppose he's kind of on the right track... "I don't think that's quite it, Sousuke…."
"Really? Well, I do not think there should be any concerns in that regard. I will make an effort to teach according to the uneducated nature of the civilian when it comes to war."
"…Yeah."
"…Chidori."
"Hmm?"
"…You do not believe I will perform acceptably."
"Oh, no, Sousuke, that's not it—"
"It is apparent."
She looked down. "…Sorry."
He saw right through me, she thought. It's not really fair for me to criticize him when he's working so hard already, is it?
"You know, Sousuke…"
"Hmm?"
"I… I know you'd work hard at it, but you don't have to do this…."
"…"
"The principal and your teachers know a little bit about your situation, right? You're already busy with Mithril stuff. We could go to them and ask them to assign a different student…."
Something about the word "we" in that sentence made Sousuke feel a little more at ease. "That won't be necessary."
"But…"
"Your concern is appreciated, Chidori. However, it would be worse if someone unknowledgeable in military tactics were assigned this curriculum."
Kaname's shoulders dropped. "Isn't that a little big-headed of you?" she mumbled under her breath.
"Did you say something?"
"Nope!"
"I see."
"Well then, good luck with it." Kaname stood up quickly and started walking away.
"Yeah. Thanks…." Sagara looked down at his curriculum seriously while Chidori disappeared into the building.
Sousuke leafed through the several sheets of paper defining what the daily life of Ms. Kagurazaka, or any other teacher, would have been like. He was surprised that there were very few guidelines in regard to what methods he used to teach. This might be chalked up to the increasing autonomy in Japanese schools like Jindai.
"SAGARA!" A loud yell was heard from the direction of the field.
Sousuke didn't look up. "Ahh, Tsubaki. What is it?"
Tsubaki Issei ran up and skidded to a stop in front of Sagara, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You…! YOU…!"
"Me?"
"I can't believe this is happening! Some war idiot like you teaching… teaching… my Kaname!"
"Kaname?" Sousuke was irritated that he had used her first name.
"This is unforgivable, Sagara! For the sake of all the students in your class, for the sake of Chidori Kaname, and for my sake…!" The dust around Tsubaki and on the bench on which Sousuke was sitting began to blow away. A large whirlwind appeared around him as his hair blew upward. Issei took out his thick glasses and put them on while the cyclone grew in intensity.
Sousuke sat silent, still reading over his notes.
"Burn, my life…," Tsubaki clenched his fists at his side. The air surrounding him turned to blue energy, making a crackling noise as it left his body. Sousuke turned the page and continued reading.
The nearby door to the building opened. "Sousuke! Lunch period is almost—what the?"
The crackling noise fizzled out and steam rose from Tsubaki's skin. The wind in the area died down quickly, and the dust settled to the ground again. He looked towards the door, dumbfounded, with his mouth partly open. "Chidori?"
Sousuke closed the notebook without haste, and opened his bag. After putting the notebook inside, he produced a pump-action shotgun. Taking a single shell from his belt, he loaded the weapon and pointed it at Tsubaki. Blam! A practice round ricocheted off Issei's head. The martial artist went flying several yards before landing with a thud and producing a cloud of dust. Sagara put the weapon back in his bag and stood up. He collected the now empty shell from the ground and tossed it into the nearby trash can.
Walking towards the door, Sousuke said, "Forgive me, Chidori. Tsubaki was—"
"Never mind, Sousuke. I can guess." The two walked into the building, the door closing behind them.
Tsubaki Issei lay face up on the ground, two small rivers of tears rolling down either side of his face. "Why him?"
----
The commotion in the classroom was of a different type when the class met in the afternoon. Kaname was surprised to hear the noise die down to a dull roar when she and Sousuke entered the room. Students slowly took their seats as the bell rang.
Sagara collected his belongings from his desk and moved to the front of the room. He set his things down and whirled around, taking a parade rest position with his hands behind his back. He began speaking immediately.
"Class. It is my privilege to be allowed to instruct you this week. However, before I begin my assignment, I would like to give you all the opportunity to speak to me as your classmate, and not your instructor. Any advice or criticism is acceptable, and will be noted."
The class was silent as they stared at him. Sagara was looking straight forward, over the heads of the class, waiting for any motion. Kaname stirred in her seat, feeling she should say something but unsure what could be said.
Sousuke waited several moments. "Again, comments are allowable at this time. Is there anyone…?"
From an indistinct location in the back of the room a male voice spoke. "Yeah, I've got one…. Drop dead."
Chuckles came from several of the boys, and a few gasps of surprise came from some of the girls. "That's so mean!" One of them whispered.
Sousuke cleared his throat and the class's attention returned to him. "Thank you for your remark, Takahashi. It has been noted. I am, however, unable to comply with that order. Is there anyone else?"
The class remained silent for several moments.
"Very well." Sagara straightened his posture and moved behind the desk. "Well then." He put his hands stiffly at his side. "Platoo—er… Class, let's do our best." He bowed deeply and held the position, his eyes pointed at the desk.
Chidori moved slightly, thrown off guard by his uncharacteristic actions. She got up abruptly. "Stand!" The class stood. "Bow!" The class bowed, some students looking around to see if anyone did not.
"Thank you," said Sousuke, who turned around to pick up a piece of chalk.
(to be continued…)
