When Sawada Shin walked into the schools auditorium half an hour after the school day was suppose to start one Monday morning, he had not yet not realized how this day would be the first of many which would change his life forever.
Standing in the doorway, with his bedhead and rumply uniform, he let his eyes take in everything which was happening inside the auditorium. Everything was typically boring as normal he thought to himself as he ignored all the eyes fixated on him.
The only exception, compared to "boring normality" was an unfamiliar female with glasses standing on the stage. With a uninteresting glare at her petite figure he assumed she had to be one of the new teachers. This school always needed new teachers. Either they resigned or they were carried out of the building by healthcare personnel. Good riddance.
Despite the fact he had just give her a quick look he noticed more about her than he normally would about teachers. The woman in question was skinny, with long dark hair and wearing a little outdated clothes. Nonetheless, just that one short second glare was enough for him to conclude she was just another boring, untrusty teacher who cared more about her reputation than a students life.
Unlike others in the past, this strange female held his distasteful look longer than anyone had done in a long time. Just the feeling of her eyes on him made Shin's spine tingle a little. As if his subconscious was trying to tell him something important. Instead of questioning his own reaction, he opted to ignore the strange sensation. It was to early in the morning to start analyzing his unusual feelings to the woman anyway.
With his fellow classmates, other ignorant students, and untrustworthy teachers eyes on him he started moving in the direction of those he considers his friends. The 3D students.
As an extra disrespect to all the grownups on the stage, and on the chairs next to it, he gave a loud yawn and moved slowly as if he had no care in the world. It was not his fault the school insisted on starting so early in the morning.
Considering today's topic was probably the same as always he would not had missed anything with his lateness anyway. The topic usually centered around the teachers, and the schools administration demanding the students to respect common courtesy and rules, and above all never disrupt anything which could damage the schools reputation. The adults themselves did not follow these golden rules, so why should the students was Shins life philosophy these days.
He did not feel one inch of regret for his lateness.
To be perfectly honest he had planned his disrupting entrance. The school had not earned his respect, and therefore he would not even try to act as if he gave it to them.
oOoOo
Fortunate Shin's first, and seemingly ignorant thoughts, about the new teacher was completely wrong.
Yamaguchi Kumiko was anything but boring.
Maybe when she was trying to teach math she was a little dull, but just looking at her facial expressions was enough for Shin to show up for class every mornings. Well, almost every morning at last.
As days went by Shin started to realize his new homeroom teacher was everything a teacher was suppose to be, but unfortunate never were.
Originally, Shin was dead set against allowing teachers to use violence against students. This new female teacher changed his perspective.
As long as the punches was delivered in the students best interest his new teacher could hit all his classmates for all he cared. Heck, imagining her hands on his body was enough for him to wish she would punch him as well.
Despite his originally thoughts on the subject, the new small female teacher, Yankumi, taught Shin that fighting could be strangely erotic. At least if she was the one hitting seemingly stronger and bigger opponents.
Shin might consider Kuma to be his closest friend, but watching him falling down in the dirty river water after one hit delivered by his new homeroom teacher was the start of many weath dreams for Shin. Up to that date in his life, watching the angry female punch Kumai was one of the best thing Shin had ever seen.
In the beginning Shin just assumed he had hit his head a little harder in the last few fights he had participated in considering his reaction. Unfortunate he had to accept his fascination with the strange female was not a result of brain damage. It was something closer to his heart.
Despite the fact Shin had rarely given girls his own age the attention they often wished he would address them with, he had always considered himself a normal healthy male. He had just assumed his taste was a lot higher in demand than normal, and therefore had so far never met anyone spiking his interest enough for him to do anything about it.
Shin was soon graduating high school, and remained unkissed. He knew with certainty that his friends would had laughed at him if they knew.
After meeting Yamaguchi Kumiko, Shin finally understood something about himself he had never realized before. His lack of interest in the opposite sex had nothing to do with high standard. The woman in question could easily defeat him in a fair fight, was older than him, and used a colorful language his parents had never allowed him to learn. Despite everything, his body yearned for her touch.
When his nightly dreams began centering around the older woman, in a red jumping suit, with a slender waist and hardly any breasts, he knew he was a lost case.
In his wildest fantasies he had never pictured himself attracted to a teacher in pigtails.
Nonetheless his heart knew what it wanted. Yamaguchi Kumiko.
Shin could easily come when he was alone in his bed at night while imagining her standing in front of him inside the dirty classroom. Thinking of Kumiko with her soft voice telling him she would give him a reward if he could solve the complicated mathematical equation on the blackboard. He pictured in his head his teacher wearing her red jumpsuit as she was playing with the zipper of her jacked, showing more and more skin as she pushed it downwards, obviously not having anything under it, as he was working on the problem while standing next to her.
It was actually embarrassing how quickly he could come while moaning her name.
At least with her around his life would never get boring.
oOoOo
After accepting his attraction towards his female homeroom teacher Shin started having trouble answering even the simplest questions during class. After all, except for the presence of his fellow classmate, the setting was almost completely the same which made him moan almost every night.
A dilemma arose.
For the first time in his life he actually wanted to attend class. He wanted to see Yankumi's perfect smile as he could answer the questions she asked her students, wanted to show her support by attending her lecture, wishing he could tell her she was doing a good job. Wanting to be near her. All the time. He just wished he would stop blushing all the time.
Unfortunate a few of his friends was starting to notice his strange behavior during class. How he hardly communicated with them any longer since he was spending most of his time daydreaming about the female in front, standing next to the blackboard.
Fortunate for Shin his friends knew him well enough and therefore did not ask questions they knew he would refuse to answer. They probably assumed he was having extra trouble with his dad again anyway.
On more than one occasion Shin experienced difficulty separating his daydream from reality. Luckily he did not do anything stupid except to work a little harder on the assignments. And drool a little. His desk, and dark uniform, hid his 'hard' reaction when his thoughts flew a little to far away from reality.
Just seeing her touch the zipper at her jacket was enough for him to feel most of his blood draining from his brain and moving down south. More than once he had to fake sleep during her lecture in order to hide his lustful facial expression. Hiding his head with his hands as he let his head cool down on his desktop gave him a perfect opportunity to order his imagination over to something else. Kuma in a pink tutu for instance.
Shin was really glad Yankumi was ignorant when it came to seduction. But, at the same time she was almost killing him in her ignorance.
oOoOo
It did not take long before Shin concluded his fascination with the strange older woman was deeper than just lust.
During the first few days of having met her she did strange thing to his heart.
When she lied to the other teachers and the schools administration on Kuma's behalf in order to protect her student, Shins heart began moving in a way it had never done before.
As weeks went by, and his heart would not rest. It was always beating irregularly. First it was because he was trying to understand the complex human that was his new homeroom teacher. He wrongfully assumed it was because Yankumi was a difficult puzzle. Making it hard for him to see the whole picture.
In between his contemplating, his heart rhythm was always high because he was always running around these days. In the beginning it was to save his friends. Then to join his homeroom teacher in protecting his fellow classmates. And lastly he started running in order to protect her.
His heart was no longer beating just to keep him alive. It was thundering at full speed because of lack of air from all that running, the worry and stress he felt daily concerning her dangerous action. And of course it was beating quickly as he was imagining what he would do to her if she ever entered his bedroom.
Soon he would probably have to start using high blood pressure pills, despite being under twenty years old.
oOoOo
Parts of the elements in his actions were not even logical. If he wanted to follow his yearning for personal closeness to Yankumi he would not work so desperately for her to still be his homeroom teacher. Considering the fact that if she was no longer his teacher, there was a stronger possibility for him to make his move on her.
Instead of following his heart he opted to follow his head.
He was actively making sure daily that she would not leave his, and other students sides. Shin knew his fellow classmates needed her in their life as well, despite it making him a little envious every time she was sacrificing herself on someone else behalf.
Burning jealousy would go thru his body every time she touched some of his friends, but then her hand landed on his own head, patting him as she was giving him a bright smile. Those time he was both embarrassed and turned on. The pain he was suppose to feel drained out of him as if someone had put him on a morphine drip. He felt high.
For now he held everything inside, not telling her or anyone else about his deep feelings for Yankumi.
Seeing her work so passionate on behalf of her students showed him sides to her personality which he might not notice elsewhere. Beside, considering their age differences and social standings it might make have her ignore his approach if he had just met her on the street if they had not meet here at this school. To be perfectly honest, he would probably never had approached her on the street anyway.
Therefor he was glad he was her student. Having a legit reason to stay close to her, witnessing her perform miracles.
Depressingly, but truth full he knew that as a high school student, her student, without a bright future and few things to offer her she might not even give him an opportunity to declare his interest.
Just the thought made him cry a few silent tears when he was alone in his empty apartment at nighttime.
He would therefore patiently stand in the shadows, working for the first time in his life in what he considered a full-time job. As a student, smarter than most of his teachers, he had never had to work hard in order to understand what was being taught. Now he was working almost twenty for seven making sure Yankumi was close by.
Securing the position for someone working as a teacher. A line of work he had despised in the past.
In order to secure her job his friends and classmates even went as far as to put their own graduation on hold just so that Yankumi could still stay on as a teacher. Demanding the school to rehire her or they would embarrass the schools reputation by not showing up for the ceremony.
In retrospect this action must be the most selfless thing anyone of them had ever done. Yankumi would after that day no longer be their homeroom teacher either way. Despite all of this, his friends, himself included, knew with certainty there existed other students which was in dire need for a teacher such as her. For once they were thinking of their underclassmen as something else than an annoyance, they could also change if they met someone as enchanting as Yankumi. She could teach them that the world was not such a dark place as they all imagine. Give them hope.
Shin strongly believed Yankumi could stop wars with her speeches and teaching if given the opportunity.
In the end they all participated in the graduation ceremony. Yet again, having been over-won by Yankumi's powerful speech about why they should attend. Not wanting to hinder her dream Shin agreed with a breaking heart.
As he stood on stage, giving the speech as the Valerian, he had forgotten all the words he was suppose to say. Instead Shin spoke right from his heart. His words was honest, declaring he did not trust any teacher, except for one. That he had made lifelong friends even if they after today would no longer share the same classroom. With a almost angry voice he declared those facts to have no impact on his life, he would still contact them (her). Spend time with them (her), they (her) were his friends.
He even declared he would miss her scolding voice. Oh, how he would miss it. "There would be no more…" feeling her strong, ruff, but at the same gentle touch of her hands on his body. Luckily he managed to hold back the last few words. Instead he held that last personal thought inside, instead declared he would be sad since his time at this school would end after today's ceremony.
Nonetheless he would not just focus on today's loss. Shin told those listening on his speech that he would probably meet a lot of various people outside of this school, which could probably learn him new things. Just as Yankumi had helped her students understand that despite that they thought they knew everything, the young men still had a lot more to learn about being an adult.
Shin needed to personally learn how to stand in front of her as a man, no longer a student. So much to learn.
As if they could silently hear how he wished to show his respect Shin gave his fellow classmates a look and they all stood up, facing the single most important grown up in this school. With a few small guiding hands from her fellow teachers Yankumi shyly stood up.
In front of everyone Shin addressed her in a way which other teachers might find disrespectful, but he knew hearing her students calling her Yankumi made her happy and therefore he did so. Shin managed to push out a "Thank you" as he gave her the strongest, but nonetheless broken smile, he managed. One by one his friends and classmates followed up with their own "Thank you" as they bowed down in respect for the first time to a teacher.
Even from the stage Shin could see the tears falling down her eyes. But despite everything he did not think she completely comprehended how deep their gratitude were. She had mended their bonds with each other, and their families. Given them hopes for a future they had hardly managed to see before, and making them wishing to work hard in order to achieve that dream.
Shin was also personally thanking her for making him realize it was possible for him to love someone in the romantic way. For he was in love, of this he was certain.
Facing everyone else again in the auditorium, Shin stood straight as he declared into the microphone in a strong voice "We hereby promise (Yankumi), with a memory of people meeting here (her), with knowledge we have learned here (from her), with a pride of being Graduates of Shirokin High School (because we met her here), with all our (mine) might and desires (hopefully soon), we look and live straight on this day forward (for her). For these three years (months), we thank you (Yankumi) very much."
Shin took a small step away from the microphone and gave a bow of respect. Not because they in front of him deserved it so much, but because it would show everyone how one small female teacher had changed them all. The applause directed at himself and his bowing fellow classmates told him they they understood. Everyone now knew the important impact Yankumi had on students everyone beforehand categorized as garbage.
As he was bowing his tears was luckily hidden from everyone else by his hair.
Today was the last day. The last
time he would see her daily.
Shin ordered himself to dry his tears so no one would see them. Today might be the last day, but it would hopefully be the first day of a new future.
oOoOo
An: I needed to look up the last episode for some part of this fandom. Instead of finding my own copy I turned to youtube and took the lines from an episode I watched there.
Since I had started watching some parts I was dragged into the story again and watched until the end.
I did not know this series had two endings!
In the one I watched right now Yankumi asked out the cop for a movie date, and he accepted. In the one I watched in the past Shin confessed his interest for his former homeroom teacher to the two cops and Teru. I think the one where he shows his interest is the best one.