"Can't tell my friends 'cos they will laugh
I love a member of the staff."
"Matsukaze Tenma?"
"Here!"
Another day of school. It isn't like there is anything wrong with that. However, if given the choice, Tsurugi Kyousuke would not attend class. He is not bad in school or anything—in fact, as much as he hated to admit it, he was rather smart.
"Nishizono Shinsuke?"
"Here!"
Were he more diligent in attending classes for five days a week he would probably receive at least a 98 on his class card. At the rate he skips classes the highest score he would probably get is an 80, he supposes. His parents don't exactly need him to ace all his exams. He is still a freshman in junior high after all.
"Sorano Aoi?"
"Here!"
However, now there is something that is keeping him from skipping class. Something is making him attend classes everyday of the week. Something is finally motivating him to do well in school. Something—
"Tsurugi Kyousuke?"
—or rather, someone.
His eyes move towards the front desk as his head rests on his hand. "Here."
"That makes everyone," the teacher says with a smile. "We are all present today, and that's wonderful! Now, did everyone do their homework?"
Several of his classmates groan at the teacher's reminder. He shrugs them off and takes out the worksheet that their teacher gave them the day before from his school bag. He places the paper on his desk and waits for any further announcements.
"Those who did their homework—complete or incomplete—pass your papers forward," the teacher instructs. "I want them on my desk at the count of ten. One!"
The class starts passing papers forward rather frantically. Tsurugi chooses to remain calm as he takes the papers from behind him, places his own paper underneath the pile, and passes the pile of papers forward. By the time the countdown is over, all the papers that were passed forward are now on the teacher's desk.
"The stack is rather thin, don't you think?" she asks the class. "While I grade these papers, I would like everyone to stay quiet as you spend the first fifteen minutes of this period for studying, doodling, texting, using the bathroom, or whatever else you freshmen do to stay quiet."
The fifteen minutes start, and Tsurugi chooses to spend his free time looking at the teacher's desk. He watches as the teacher looks through the papers, writes on them with a pink pen, and writes something down on her log book. He notices her stop at a certain worksheet and he starts to wonder why that sheet of paper has a certain familiarity to it. Upon further inspection, he realizes that the paper was his! She smiles at it and writes on it with her favorite pink pen before writing on her log book right after.
His chest clenches at the thought of her reading his paper. What made him even more nervous was the fact that she smiled at it and wrote on it. Why did she smile? What did she write? Was his paper bad? After all the paper he put into writing it, were his efforts all in vain? He seriously hopes not, because this is his favorite class.
The teacher looks up from her desk and her eyes meet his. His eyes widen at the sudden contact between his eyes and hers, and he could swear his cheeks are now pink through his pale skin. He tries to look away but before he is given the chance to do so she smiles and looks down at her desk. For a moment, it looked like her cheeks turned pink as well. But how can that be?
Fifteen minutes end in the blink of an eye, and the teacher stands up from her desk. Tsurugi watches as she walks to the front of the desk and sits on the table. She crosses her legs together, and he starts to wish that she had chosen to wear a skirt instead of short pants.
"Only thirteen of you passed your papers," she says as she holds up the pile of worksheets. "I am very disappointed in the rest of you. When I call your name, claim your papers."
He waits for his name to be called as he watches boys and girls walk to her and receive their papers. When his name gets called, he stands up and approaches her desk. Once he is in front of her, he could not help but feel rather flushed. He feels his cheeks turn red, and he tries his best to will the redness away.
She smiles at him. "Nice work, Tsurugi-kun. Be sure to read what I have to say about your paper."
He nods. "Yes, Otonashi-sensei."
He returns to his desk and sets his worksheet down. He looks for her pink notes, and once he finds them, he reads them right away.
"Excellent observations, beautiful grammar, wonderful use of figures of speech. It makes me wonder who you were thinking of when you wrote this, especially number 2."
The assignment was to write short essays about certain topics. The first question involved politics, the second was about love, and the third one was about something a person was passionate about. It was rather obvious that for the third question he would write about football. However, for the second question, he tried his hardest to be as vague as possible about the girl he liked. He used a bunch of metaphors and apostrophes and allusions to make it less obvious who the girl he was writing about is supposed to be. He should, since she was the one grading them after all.
"Everyone who turned in their homework today will receive a perfect score," she announces. "However, those who did not turn in their homework will have to receive a zero. There will be no make ups for this homework, and don't even try to kiss up to me because I do not fall for flattery."
The majority of the class groans in frustration. In the midst of the groans he could hear a familiar girl's voice say "I told you that you should have done your homework with me, Tenma."
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A few hours later the Football Club gathers in the club meeting room to discuss important matters with coach Kidou. Tsurugi pays very little attention to what announcements the coach has to say. This is only because of the purple-haired woman beside the coach. It's not Tsurugi's fault that she is seated beside coach Kidou. And besides, what do they even need to talk about?
"Do you understand?" coach Kidou asks.
The whole club answers "YES!" in unison before coach Kidou dismisses the meeting.
Before he could stand up from his seat, his fellow teammate and classmate Matsukaze Tenma approaches him.
"Tsurugi!" he says with pleading eyes. "I need help for the next essay!"
Tsurugi looks at Tenma with confused eyes. "We don't have homework yet. What do you need help with?"
Tenma's eyes have tears now. "I know, but you have to help me! Otonashi-sensei told me I'm failing Creative Writing because of my lack of homework, and when I do pass homework they get really low scores."
He gulps at the sound of her name. "Why me?"
"She said you wrote good papers," Tenma replied. "We're both in the Football Club, after all. That's why she suggested you."
His eyes widen at Tenma's reply. "She said that?"
Tenma was the one who was confused now. "What?"
"Nothing," he spits out as he tries to act like his usual stoic self. "I can't help you. You can work with your girlfriend. I have other important things to worry about."
Tenma's eyes widen as his face turns red. "Sh-she-she's not my g-g-girlfriend! Sure, I like her more than just as friends, but we're not dating or anything!"
A gasp is heard from the opposite side of the room. The two look in the direction of the gasp and they notice their fellow classmate and their Football Club manager, Sorano Aoi.
"Do you really think of me that way, Tenma?" she asks, her face as red as Tenma's.
Tsurugi stands up from his seat and approaches the door. "I'll leave you two alone to discuss things. I don't wanna be late for practice."
Once he exits the room he sees Otonashi-sensei standing outside the door. His eyes widen in surprise and his cheeks turn pink again, much to his dismay. Why was he born with pale skin anyway? It makes it hard to conceal any blushing.
She smiles at him. "Hello, Tsurugi-kun. Coach Kidou told me to wait here until everybody was out. Is anyone else in the room?"
He looks down as he tries to hide his reddening face. At the moment the two of them are alone in the hallway, and the thought of them being alone makes him feel nervous.
"Tenma and Aoi are still inside," he manages to say.
"I see," she replies, and it almost sounded like she was frowning as she said that. "I'll be waiting here until they come out. That's what coach instructed me to do, after all. You can go ahead."
The thing is that he does not want to. He wants to be here with Otonashi-sensei, no matter how nervous she makes him feel. If anything, he wants to pin her to the wall and kiss her. And then after that he would take her to the bathroom or anyplace where they could be alone so he could touch her in places that would get her to submit to him, where she would scream his name to the world.
But he can't. This is because he is only a freshman in junior high. What would a twenty-three-year-old woman want with a thirteen-year-old boy like him? How could he possibly give her any satisfaction if he does not even have a job? She probably just sees him as a boy, like all the other members of the Football Club. This childish crush on a teacher will not likely develop into anything more than it is—a childish crush. And that's what bothers him.
"I'll wait," he finally says. "We need the captain after all."
He is still unsure why he chose to stay. It's more of a hasty decision than something he thought long and hard about doing. The hard part about waiting here with her is all the things he can imagine doing to her while they are alone.
He stands beside her and leans his back against the wall behind him. His eyes travel to her and he observes her from the side. Her body is more curved than he normally notices, but this is most likely due to the fact that she is standing very close to him. Her waist looks smaller from the side—her jacket probably just makes her look wider from the front. He notices that her hair does not fall on her shoulders, but rather it just brushes against them. Her hair has a certain wave to them that makes it look almost messy, but somehow it suits her. And the strangest thing he notices is how little their height difference is. Either he has grown taller, or he had not stood this close to her before, because he takes note that he is only a few inches shorter than her. For a ten-year age gap, that difference is very insignificant.
"Did you see my comment on your paper?" she asks in the midst of the silence.
He is drawn back to his senses when he remembers where he is. "Yeah. Thank you, Otonashi-sensei."
It becomes quiet once again, but she breaks the silence. "Tsurugi-kun, are you in love?"
Her question throws him off a bit, and he is shocked by her words. However, he still tries his best to maintain his cool and harsh personality. "Why do you ask?"
"Your answer to the second question of the homework is just so beautifully written," she replies. "There is just no way you're not in love with somebody. Your choice of words is exquisite, and I can't get it out of my head."
He puts his hands in his pockets as he looks down at the floor. He nods slowly.
"I see," she says. Her voice sounds like it has a hint of worry and relief at the same time.
Right after her response the door opens to reveal Tenma and Aki who are both red like tomatoes.
"How'd it go?" Tsurugi asked Tenma.
Their faces flushed to an even deeper shade of red, and the two leave for the field quickly.
"What happened to those two?" Otonashi-sensei asks.
"Tenma told me he likes her as more than just a friend," he replies. "She heard us, and I made them talk about it. From the looks of it, I think it went well."
A giggle exits her lips. It was small and rather cute, and it makes her seem even more attractive. "We have to get to the field now. The team is waiting for us!"
The two walk side by side towards the exit of the building. He looks at her for one more time before smiling and running to the field to catch up with the rest of the team.
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"Tsurugi-kun, what are you—?"
Her words are interrupted by the contact of his lips on hers. He opens his mouth and pierces his tongue through her lips. The tip of his tongue touches hers, but she pulls away. However, as he holds her arms and legs down on the bed, he extends his tongue and wraps it firmly around hers. This time she does not resist as she moves her lips in perfect sync with his. He pulls his lips away from her as he watches her breathe deeply, her tongue sticking out, and her mouth wet from his saliva.
He leans towards her neck and licks it. This action sends shivers down her body, as she moans just the slightest. Unsatisfied by the quietness of her moans, he bites her neck. This causes her to scream. The sound of her screams caused him to smirk before he leaves a trail of kisses from her neck to her lips.
"Tsurugi-kun..." she whispers in between kisses.
Damn, her voice just sends shivers down his body. It's just so fucking sexy. Could he make her voice even sexier?
He holds her hands up with one hand while his other hand trails down in between her legs. Thank goodness she's wearing a skirt. This makes things so much easier. He looks for the sweet spot as he keeps his lips on hers.
Once he found the right spot, she screams in his mouth. He continues his actions as she starts to breathe even deeper. He parts his lips from hers and he watches as her face is red. Her breath is hot as it touches his face.
"How does that feel?" he asks in a whisper.
She breathes even harder as his hand moves even faster. "Tsurugi-kun..."
Damn it, it got sexier.
His hand finally hits the jackpot and she screams at the top of her lungs.
"Did you like that?" he asks.
She nods as she tries her best to catch her breath.
Before she could do anything, he sits her up and plants a deep kiss on her lips. His hand that was in her skirt moves to his belt buckle. He opens his belt and unbuttons and unzips his pants. He parts his lips from hers once again and he pushes her head down.
However, before her lips could come in contact with anything, a loud buzzing sounds off.
His eyes open and he realizes he is at home. He sits up and breathes deeply.
It was just a dream, he thinks to himself. Well this is disappointing.
He gets up from his bed and prepares for school. He takes a shower, brushes his teeth, and gets dressed. Once he is dressed, he heads for the kitchen and eats breakfast.
"Good morning, Kyou-chan," his mother says with a smile.
"Good morning, mom," he replies.
He hurriedly stuffs his mouth with eggs and bacon before dousing it all with a glass of orange juice—wait, this isn't orange.
He swallows the juice before washing the flavor down with water. "What is that?"
"It's carrot juice," his mother replies. "I was going to tell you, but you seemed like you were in a hurry so I didn't. Why the rush?"
He stands up and gathers his things. "Hard to explain, but I'm going now. Later, mom!"
He runs out of the kitchen, puts on his shoes, and runs out the door. Once he is out of the house, he rushes down his usual route to school. He arrives at Raimon Junior High in half the time it usually takes him to get to school.
He enters the campus and goes straight for the Football Club locker room. There he sits on the sofa and breathes heavily.
Damn it, how did an innocent crush on my teacher lead to this? How am I gonna react when I see her again? Is nothing going to change? Will everything still be normal?
He does not remember how he got a crush on her in the first place, but he remembers it being more of an attraction rather than something more. Ever since he realized that he has a crush on her, he'd been acting more and more...perverted. He was not like this before he realized it. For a while he just thought she was pretty and kind and rather motherly. Now it's like all he wants to do is stick his Death Sword inside of her.
However his dream that night throughout the morning is the first time he ever dreamed of doing anything to her. He is not sure where the ideas even sprouted from, but the thoughts need to stop. After all, he's just thirteen. These stupid perverted thoughts should be for older teenagers, like high schoolers. How did these dumb thought even get into his head?
Once he feels rested, he gets back up on his feet and exits the locker room. However, the moment he exits the locker room he sees someone passing by.
He sees her.
"Tsurugi-kun, you scared me!" she tells him. "How long have you been there?"
Something inside him suddenly flicks a switch that turns off his thinking abilities. It was like his body was moving all on its own. He pulls her in the locker room with him and pins her to a wall before locking his lips with hers.
She gasps at the sudden action and he feels her trying to push him away, but he keeps her pinned. She tries to pull her lips away, but his head follows her every move. He shoves a leg in between hers and she screams, but it is muffled by his lips. He puts a hand around her waist to bring her closer to him, and his other hand on her face to position her head properly.
He expected her to keep resisting, but reality has its own way of doing things. What happens instead is that she is the one who thrusts her tongue in his mouth. This surprises him, but at the same time it excites him. He supplements her kiss with his own tongue, and together they move in perfect harmony. Their breaths are heavy, but neither of them seemed to mind.
His hand on her face moves down her back and down to her bottom. He pulls her even closer towards him to close any possible gap in between them.
She puts her hands behind his head to further deepen their kiss. Before he knows it, his tongue had explored every inch of her mouth and has touched every bit of her tongue. He wants more, and he knows it.
He parts their mouths and he looks at her. She is breathing heavily, as was he, and just like in the dream her tongue is out and her mouth is wet from their kiss. He then puts his lips on her neck, and her back arches towards him. One of her hands pushes his head down while the other clings to his back. He could hear her breaths from beside him, and he feels unusually satisfied.
Her lower half moves up his leg, which causes his crotch to come in contact with hers. This causes him to push her upper body even harder against the wall as he lifts one of her legs up to close any more gaps. Her breaths are even heavier now, and for a moment he thought he heard a moan, but he is not so sure. He grinds his crotch against hers, and this time he hears a moan. It was faint, but it is definitely there. The harder he grinds, the louder she moans. However, as she moans, he hears her whisper.
"They...will...hear..."
With this he puts his lips back to hers and instantly inserts his tongue in her mouth. They tilt their heads from side to side until their tongues have rediscovered every inch of each other's mouths. As this was happening, he grinds against her even harder, which causes her to moan even louder. Thankfully the moans are muffled by his lips so nobody would be able to hear them. As he grinds against her, he could feel her lower body move with his. This excited him even more, which causes him to pin her down the floor.
However, before things move any further, his cellphone rings.
His mind switches back on, and he realizes what he is doing. He quickly gets off of his teacher and digs through his bag to find his phone. Once he gets out his phone, he picks it up.
"Hello?" he says, his voice hoarse.
"Whoa, Tsurugi, you sound like you have a cold!" Tenma says on the other line. "I was about to ask you where you were, but I think I understand why you're not here."
"Is that all?" Tsurugi asks. Out of nowhere a pair of hands slither around his torso and a chin is perched on his shoulder.
"I was also going to tell you that Otonashi-sensei isn't here, so if you were coming to school you could skip first period. I wonder why she's not around? She was fine yesterday."
The hands are near his crotch now, which causes him to feel nervous. "I see. Later."
He hangs up the phone and he throws it back in his bag. He turns around to face his teacher and he sees that her eyes are dark with an unfamiliar look to them. Is this what bedroom eyes look like?
"Otonashi-sensei," he says. "Snap out of it."
However, she places her lips back on his as her hands travel down to his pants. He grabs her by the wrists and pins her to the floor.
"Otonashi-sensei, that is enough!" he tells her, almost yelling.
She closes her eyes and opens them again, and she looks straight into his eyes. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I guess I spaced out for a moment there. What am I even doing? I'm making out with a teenager. I'm too old for this..."
He shakes his head. "It's not completely your fault. I'm to blame, too. I acted without thinking. I kissed you without your consent. And I'm your student, which makes it worse."
"What if people find out about this incident?" she asks. "I'm going to be fired, and you will have to transfer schools."
He sits up and looks down at the floor. "We have to pretend this never happened."
As much as it pained him to say it, they have to. If this keeps up, she might lose her job and he might be expelled. And since he is a minor, she might even be imprisoned for having this kind of relationship with a student.
"You're right," she says with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Nothing happened. I'm not in the locker room right now. In fact, I'm in my office preparing my lesson for today."
She stands up and leaves the locker room, leaving him by himself. Once the doors closed, tears started to stream down his face.
It's all his fault. Maybe if he hadn't kissed her, he would not have had this feeling of utter sadness. Is this what heartbreak feels like?
Once he has feels like he has cried enough, he stands up and gathers his things before leaving the locker room. Much to his dismay, she is not there. He ends up going to class, where Tenma, Shinsuke, Kariya, Kageyama, and Aoi crowd him and ask him what was wrong.
He ended up skipping practice that day. When asked by Tenma, he replied by saying:
"I just need to be alone. Personal stuff. Don't think much of it."
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He skipped classes the next day. He did not even bother showing up practice that day, either. In fact, he barely left his room at all. The only times he left his room were to use the bathroom and to eat. Other than that, he was asleep or beating his pillow.
Another day passes, and it's Friday. He chooses to skip school and practice this day as well. However, as much as he would rather stay in his room all day wallowing in sadness and anger, there is a knock on his door.
"What?" he yells.
"I'm coming in," says a familiar voice.
He sits up from his bed and he sees his fellow freshmen at his door. "Tsurugi!"
"What the hell are you guys doing here?" he asks. "It's eight in the evening."
Shinsuke steps up first. "You weren't at school or at practice yesterday, and you didn't come today either."
"So?" he says angrily.
Tenma steps up next. "We're a team. Your problems shouldn't be dealt alone."
Kageyama steps up this time. "Yeah, we're all in this together."
"If one is down, the others have to bring him back up," Aoi adds as she steps forward.
"That's why we're here," Tenma finishes. "We're here to help bring you back up."
He feels his chest grow tight and his eyes grow teary. He tries his hardest to hold back the tears but to no avail. His tears end up falling on their own. "You guys..."
The four other freshmen move to his bed and envelop him in a group hug. In their embrace, his tears continue to flow as he cries away his pent up emotions.
"This is a little touchy-feely for me so I'm gonna wait in the living room..." the familiar voice of Kariya says.
"Come on, Kariya," Kageyama tells him. "I know you have feelings, too. You know we would do this for you if ever you get upset."
Kariya groans. "Fine, only because someone manly like me needs comforting."
Once Kariya joins in on the group hug, Tsurugi feels a lot lighter. It is as if all his sadness had been washed away from the hug. It could be from all the endorphins released when someone is embraced, but it could be from something more.
The five release themselves from the embrace as Tsurugi wipes away his tears. "Thanks, guys. I guess I needed that."
"We even brought sweets!" Shinsuke announces as he places a bag on Tsurugi's bed. He opens it to reveal a bunch of chocolate snacks and some cake slices.
Tsurugi picks up a box of Pucca chocolate-filled snacks, opens it, and pops one in his mouth. The chocolate instantly lightens his mood, and it could be because of the serotonin in the chemical makeup of the chocolate, but it could be from something else. He then eats another one, and another one. After eating a few more, he smiles. "Thank you. I feel a lot better now."
"But you won't really feel better until you tell us what's wrong," Tenma tells him.
"Yeah," Kageyama adds on. "Why were you so upset the past few days?"
He looks down at the Pucca snacks and frowns. He stays silent for a moment, but he speaks. "I guess you can say I was heartbroken."
"Heartbroken?" Aoi repeats. "What happened?"
Tsurugi pops another Pucca snack in his mouth before speaking. "I did stuff to this girl I liked, but we were afraid that if we got caught we would be in serious trouble. I suggested that we pretended that nothing happened, so that we won't have any problems, but when she agreed and left, I got depressed."
"What kind of stuff?" Kariya asks.
"I kissed her," Tsurugi replies. "And a whole lot more. If I didn't have any self control, I would probably have gone all the way with her."
Everyone but Kariya looks confused at his words. "All the way?"
"Sex," Kariya explains. "He could have had sex with her."
The other four gasp. "What?"
"But you're only thirteen!" Tenma yells.
"Do you even know what that is?" Shinsuke asks.
"Think of all the consequences that come with doing it at a young age!" Aoi scolds.
"Did you even have proper education for that?" Kageyama asks. "You need to take all these precautions, and even those aren't guaranteed to succeed."
Tsurugi nods. "I know. I was in the heat of the moment. She seemed like she was enjoying it, too, but something brought me back to reality and I realized that we had to stop."
"But why can't you see her again?" Aoi asks. "Surely that incident shouldn't keep you two from seeing each other ever."
"Do we know who she is?" Tenma asks.
Tsurugi nods. "Yeah, you do. Have you noticed anyone but me acting strange the past few days?"
The five of them think, but they give up after a while.
"None that I'm aware of," Tenma says.
"I only noticed Otonashi-sensei act differently, but other than that nobody really seemed different," Kariya adds.
Shinsuke nods at Kariya. "That's true. Otonashi-sensei didn't attend practice today and yesterday."
"But how can it be Otonashi-sensei?" Aoi asks. "She's ten years older than us."
"He did ask who else was acting strange," Kageyama replies to Aoi. "She was the only other person acting strange. I think she even asked about him the other day."
Tsurugi looks up at Kageyama. "She asked about me? What did she say?"
Kageyama nods but stares at him wide-eyed in confusion. "Yeah, she did. All she did was ask if you were around, and I said 'no'. She frowned at my reply, but that was it. Why do you ask?"
Kariya sighs. "You idiots! That's because she's the girl!"
The other four gasp. "What?"
"Before you say anything more," Tsurugi starts. "Let me just say that I have a crush on her. This crush led me to think unspeakable things, and eventually I ended up doing some of these unspeakable things to her. And now I don't know what she thinks of me."
Aoi frowns. "I'm so sorry, Tsurugi-kun. I'm not sure how to help you with this."
"Yeah," Kariya agrees. "None of us can say we've dealt with things like this before."
Shinsuke frowns. "This is not exactly our specialty."
"But we can still try to impart some wisdom," Tenma says. "I don't have any yet, but I can try."
Tsurugi sighs. "It's okay, guys. Just the fact that you came here to cheer me up makes me feel a lot better. I don't need any words of wisdom or proverb or some type of advice."
"Advice?" Kageyama asks. "Just tell her how you feel. It might not do much, but I think that would be best."
"Tell her how I feel?" Tsurugi repeats. "This is just a childish crush, you guys. A crush with lust, yes, but that's all there is to it."
"If it's just a crush, then why are you so upset about it?" Tenma asks.
Tsurugi stays silent and looks down at his empty box of snacks. He reaches for a chocolate bar and opens the packaging before breaking off a piece. "I don't know."
"I think you love her," Aoi tells him.
"What?" Tsurugi asks in confusion. "I don't love her. I barely even know her. And besides, she's twenty-three and I'm just thirteen. There's no way she would even love me back."
Kariya smirks. "He's got it bad, guys. He's in love with her."
"Just take my advice," Kageyama tells him. "If you tell her how you feel, she'll understand."
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A few days pass and it's Monday. Tsurugi finally attends class once again, and he watches as Otonashi-sensei walks through the door. His eyes meet hers, and just like those movies and TV series, it's as if time had stopped, and it was just the two of them in the room. The two of them look into each other's eyes at the moment, but they are drawn back to reality when the bell rings.
She walks to her desk ask she fumbles to get her stuff in check. "Good morning, class. Are we ready for another week of learning?"
Nobody answers, and this leaves Tsurugi a little upset. However, a voice speaks up in the silence.
"I am!" says the familiar voice of Tenma.
"Me too!" Shinsuke says.
"Yay, learning!" Kageyama adds.
"We're ready to learn," Aoi says. "Right, Tsurugi-kun?"
Tsurugi looks at Aoi, then at Otonashi-sensei. "Yes, Otonashi-sensei. We're ready." Ready to learn, and ready to admit to her how he feels. As much as it scares him, he has to tell her how he feels or else he would have this ditch in his chest forever. After all, you can only have one first—
"Okay class," she says with a smile. "Let's have attendance."
—love.
He had thought about this long and hard, after his classmates left his house that Friday night. He thought about his crush on Otonashi-sensei, and about how he really felt. Underneath all the lust and perverted thoughts, he realized that the reason why he was so upset was because he loved her. When she agreed that they should pretend that nothing happened, he was angry because he had felt that he had been rejected. He was rejected by the girl he liked, basically, and this upset him. And he got all angry and depressed about it because there was actually something more to his feelings than he thought.
Today is the day he is going to tell her. He just hopes that she is willing to listen to him.
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"Coach Kidou, where's Otonashi-sensei?"
"I think she's still in the school faculty room," coach Kidou replies. "Why do you ask?"
"There's something I have to ask her," Tsurugi replies before bowing. "Thank you, coach."
He runs inside the main school building. The sun is starting to set, so he tries to hurry. He goes up a floor and sees her walk out the faculty room.
She, with papers in hand, stops in her tracks when she sees him looking at her. She steps back before running in the opposite direction from where he stood.
He follows her in hopes that he could catch up to her. Each turn she made, he followed, and each room she entered, he entered. He follows her until they reach a flight of stairs.
She runs down the stairs, but she misses a step, causing her to lose balance and fall.
"Otonashi-sensei!" Tsurugi yells before holding on to one of the railings and grabbing her by the waist.
Papers fly around them, but the two remain in their position.
"Otonashi-sensei, there's something I'd like to say," he tells her.
"Let me go!" she yells.
"Just hear me out," he tells her.
She does not stir, so he takes this as his cue to tell her exactly how he felt.
"The past few days I haven't been myself," he starts off. "But before that, I wasn't myself either."
She remains silent, clearly living up to her last name.
"I was a delinquent," he continues. "I didn't like school, and I didn't care about anything. I didn't care about my grades, and I didn't care whether I got perfect marks or not, so long as I passed. But all this changed a few months ago."
She stiffens slightly. "What happened a few months ago?"
"I had a crush," he replies. "It was because of her that I got motivated to go to school. It was because of her that I added some effort in my work. It was because of her that I wrote that second essay. I guess it's safe to say that she's what I go to school for."
"What does that have to do with me?" she asks, clearly still rather upset.
He takes a gulp and a breath. Here it goes. "Because she is you. You're what I go to school for."
She stays silent and still for a moment, but when she shifts her position she loses her balance. This causes him to let go of the railing and the two fall down the stairs. The two hit the bottom of the flight of stairs, halfway through the first and second floors, with him wrapped around her and her body facing away from him.
"If you liked me," she finally says while his arms clutched her head and waist. "Why did you tell me to pretend that nothing happened?"
"Because if I didn't, we would continue like it shouldn't matter," he replies in a whisper. "But it does. Your job is on the line, and so is my education and my career in football. I cared about you, and I didn't want you to lose your job because of me. And when you agreed that we should just pretend that nothing happened, I got upset. At first I didn't know why, but after thinking long and hard the past few days, I have come to a realization."
"And what is that?" she asks.
Here it is, his true feelings. Holding her even tighter, he leans closer to her ear and whispers in his softest possible voice. "I'm in love with you, Otonashi-sensei."
After a moment of silence he hears a sob coming from her.
"What's the matter, Otonashi-sensei?" he asks in concern.
"It probably sounds so cliche," she starts off. "And I bet it sounds ridiculous, but I've been noticing you for a while now, too. As much as I had to go to school, I didn't want to. The only reason I go is because it is required of me all because I was a member of the staff. But since you transferred to Raimon and exhibited that you were really good in class, I was pleasantly surprised. You became my favorite student, but I had to keep that hidden. However, your diligent efforts in class made me pay even closer attention to you. I read all your essays intently and I just have to say that I really loved them. That was when I started to grow feelings towards you. And when I read your second answer in your last essay, I could have sworn it was for me. But of course, I had to stay quiet about that, too. In fact, if not for the fact that I accidentally recommended you to Tenma for his papers, I would have succeeded in keeping my feelings hidden. But that tiny slip made me think that how I felt towards you was more than just admiration for your work."
His grip around her tightens. "How did you feel about me?"
"Between your essays and your amazing plays in football, plus the fact that you are rather attractive, I grew attracted to you," she replies. "You were the best of all worlds that mattered. The only thing I needed to find out was whether or not you felt the same way. And when you kissed me a few days ago, that was when I realized that you felt the same way. I was ecstatic when you did all those things to me. That was because I knew at that point that I loved you, and that you loved me back."
His eyes widen at her words. "Do you really feel that way?"
She nods. "I guess you can say that you are what I go to school for."
"I'm what you go to school for?" he asks as his arms shift to her waist.
She nods once again. "Isn't it kind of gross? That one of your teachers is attracted to you?"
He accidentally tightens his grip at her words. "No! In fact, it's rather flattering. Well, it's better you than Takai-sensei."
"The math teacher?" she asks. "She's forty!"
"Exactly," he replies. "Ten years isn't such a big thing. By the time I reach high school, the age gap won't be such a big deal."
She giggles. "If you say that, are you willing to wait a few more years before you can start going out with me? Because I can't go out with you while I'm teaching here and while you're studying here."
"What if I transfer schools?" he asks.
"And play against Raimon in competitions?" she asks in reply. "No way! We need you. We need a striker, and you're the best one we've had. And if I don't see you everyday, who am I going to fawn over?"
He grins. "Maybe the third years?"
"They're not as attractive as you, Tsurugi-kun," she replies.
His grin softens into a smile. "Kyousuke."
She looks behind him. "What?"
"When it's just the two of us, call me Kyousuke," he says.
"Okay," she says. "Kyousuke."
The sound of his name coming out of the mouth of the girl he loves sounds a lot better than when anyone else would say it. He feels like he could listen to her say it over and over again and not get tired of it. He nuzzles his nose behind her neck as he inhales her scent. He isn't sure if it's her perfume or her fabric conditioner, but she smells like how one would imagine a field of soft flowers to smell like.
"Haruna," she says.
He rests his chin on her shoulder. "Is that your name?"
"No, my first name is Sensei," she replies sarcastically.
He chuckles. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry...Haruna."
The way her name feels in his mouth is a little strange, but in a good way. Her name tastes as good as how she actually tastes, and to him that tastes delicious.
She turns her head around to face him. Their eyes meet again and it is as if time had stopped. One of her hands moves towards his face and cups his cheek. The other hand crawls to one of his hands that held her waist.
With his free hand, he brushes off a clump of hair that covered her face. He smiles at her and she smiles back at him. Feeling no need to say anything, he brings his head towards her ever so slowly before closing his eyes as his lips touch hers. This kiss is different from their first one—their first kiss was hungry and lustful, but this one is soft and sweet. He feels no need to open his mouth or kiss her anywhere else. This feels good, and this feels right.
The kiss lasts for a while, and by the time their lips part they realize how much they needed this. They kiss again, but this time in several shorter bursts before his lips trail down to her neck. However, this causes her to moan.
"Sorry," he says. "I got carried away."
"It's okay," she replies. "It's not your fault."
He rests his chin on her shoulder while she keeps her hand on his cheek. The two stay in their position for a while longer before they realize how much the sun had set.
"It's getting dark," he tells her. "We should be heading out now."
They get up and continue their walk down the flight of stairs. Before they reach the bottom of the stairs, he holds her by the shoulder and pulls her in for another kiss. She kisses him back before she pulls away. They reach the bottom of the stairs and head towards a hallway that he is unfamiliar with. In this hallway, he pins her to the wall and plants another kiss on her lips. This one is a little more on the passionate side compared to the one at the stairs. Instead of pushing him away she pulls him closer, thus closing any gap in between them. They pull away after a while before they exit the building. Once they reach the employee exit, they head for the Football field. By the time they arrive, practice had just ended.
He walks ahead of her and heads over to the rest of the freshmen. "Hey guys."
"How did it go?" Tenma asks.
He looks back at Haruna who smiles back at him. "From the looks of things, I would have to say it went well."
"And?" Kageyama asks.
"And apparently she likes me back," he adds.
Aoi frowns. "That's going to be a problem."
"I know," Tsurugi replies. "But I will find a way to make it work."
Haruna mouths the words "I love you" to him, which causes him to smile. He mouths it back, which causes her to blush.
"You're a little obvious," Kariya tells him. "Try to make it more subtle."
Tsurugi nods. "We'll find a way to make it as subtle as possible. Pretty soon you won't even believe that I have feelings towards this woman."
Shinsuke hops up and perches his arms and chin on Tenma's head. "Well, as long as you're happy, we're happy! We're glad we could help out!"
"Thanks, guys," he tells them. "I couldn't have done it without your help. Because of you guys, there could be an 'us'."
"I can see those telltale signs
Telling me that I was in your mind
I can tell that you wanted more
When you told me that I'm what you go to school for
What you go to school for."
OWAOWAO OWAOWAO OWAOWAO OWAOWAO OWAOWAO OWAOWAO OWAOWAO OWAOWAO
Author's Note: First Inazuma Fanfic in forever! I know, strange ship is strange. Like with shipping Gouenji/Haruna, I was inspired with fan art on Pixiv. Pixiv is a goldmine for experimental ships, which I can personally attest to, hence this fic. This ended up longer than I intended, and writing this was a lot harder than I thought because I didn't want to make it M (since I don't write smut) but it's hard when you imagine the characters going one way or another. More like all the way, but you get the gist. I am trying to keep things as T as possible, though, making sure I don't make anything too graphic. They scenes here a borderline T, very close to M, but I feel like I should still consider it T.
The reason why I chose to write for this ship is because I like the idea of a student/teacher relationship. And since I ship all the young girls (except Akane but I don't see her as someone to be shipped with anyone especially an older guy) with young boys, I chose the only girl who was a staff member and the best Go! ship with her. I didn't like the idea of her being with Tenma (who I ship with Aoi), Shinsuke, Hikaru, or Kariya, much less the higher years, and since Minamisawa is no longer a student in Raimon (not that it matters because I don't ship them anyway), I chose Tsurugi. Seriously, if you look at fan art of them, you'll be surprised. In fact, the scene at the stairs is based on fan art. I just decided to draw the fic around it. Hopefully you will agree with me about this ship. As if I haven't shipped Haruna with enough guys already... Lately though I've been digging the idea of shipping her with Endou, but there aren't any good art in my opinion, and looking for fanfic of that is gonna be a pain since nobody else ships EnHaru.
I'm getting out of topic. Anyway, Happy New Year to each and every one of you guys. Whether you've known me since "Yume" (Kidou/Haruna, yes in a shippy sense, not a recommend), "Amber" (Tsunami/OC, not a recommend), "For the Tiger and For the Hawk" (ToraHaru which people don't really ship +plus I'm pretty sure I made this ship up, and Tobitaka/OC, still not a recommend but you can read the chapters labeled Toramaru and Haruna since I'm proud of those), "Accidentally In Love" (GouHaru, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND READING THIS BECAUSE IT IS MY FAVORITE ONE SHOT OF ALL TIME), "The Noisy Sleeping Beauty" (GouHaru, incomplete, and not really a recommend unless you want to), this fic, or any fic that came in between, I wish you a prosperous new year! Let 2016 be not as sucky as 2015! It will still probably suck, but hopefully it will suck less.
If anyone still reads Inazuma fanfic out there, I applaud you. I'm surprised I'm still even writing for this fandom, considering I started to lose interest since Chrono Stone (not gonna lie though, Galaxy was good until they exited the Galaxy). The first series is still the better series, but Go! is still pretty good. If you're reading this right now, leave a review! Whether you're a member or a guest, leave a review! Tell me who you ship with Haruna (let me guess: Tachimukai, Fubuki, Sakuma, Fudou, Kidou a.k.a. the usual suspects) and tell me a scene where their canonicity is shown. Personally my OTP with Haruna is Gouenji and they have more than one scene together in season 1. As for Go!, my OTP with Haruna is Endou. Just watch episode 7 to 15 or so, whatever, and you will see how canon they are. Plus, I kind of like the co-workers dating kind of thing.
If you don't wanna talk about Haruna, what about fave international team excluding Japan? Overall as a team I like Australia because a majority of the members are beautiful. I also like France because they are also beautiful, if not for the fact that they BARELY APPEAR IN THE ANIME. But based on the number of members I actually like, I think it's Orpheus. How can you not fall in love with Fideo, Marco, Gianluca, Angelo, Raffaelle, and Giorgo?