Cinderella-sensei
(CLEAR LIKE CRYSTAL - AZU)
Based on a true story
December 18th
"Hey, girls! It's time for Hot Radio Times with Rei-chan! I'm your humble host, Kotobuki Reiji-nii-san, and pleased to be in your care for the next half hour! Today is Monday, December 18th, exactly one week until Christmas Day - the season of lovers - and I expect there to be lots of love floating around!" He gave a kiss and wink at the window and caused all his spectating fans to swoon.
"Let's start with our usual fan mail for today's broadcast," he pulled out a stack of papers given by the staff and cooed. "It's one week before Christmas and this stack is about twice the usual amount. My girls make 'boku-chin' absolutely happy.
"So, let's start with this one from… Mika-chan - thank you very much - and she asked, 'Our high school is about to put on a Nutcracker show tomorrow as tradition. We always do it every year, and it's become the clearest memory of Christmas to me. What does kind of stories does Christmas remind you of?' The Nutcracker, I see? You see, I never knew the story until our cute little 'imouto-chan' took us to a show. Mika-chan, break a leg tomorrow and remember that Kotobuki-nii-san will be cheering you on!
"Let's see, Christmas to me? Usually, it's splitting my time between work and visiting my family back in Saitama. Nevertheless, I'm always more than happy to spend holidays with my girls." Another cue for swooning fans followed. "But this reminds me of an interesting story that happened not too long ago. So here's the gist of what happened."
December 17th 3:00 pm
Reiji adjusted his fedora to cover his eyes, especially with the unusual number of children in the bakery-cafe who could recognize him. He happened to have a couple hours in between his schedule and decided to spend his downtime at the local cafe (that was far too humble for Camus' cup of tea).
The children were accompanied by two adults who were more focused on finding empty tables.
"Excuse me," said a gentle voice with a nearly-authentic Japanese accent. Reiji looked up to meet her apologetic but sincere brown eyes. "I'm sorry, but may I use this chair? There are not enough at the tables."
"Of course, by all means," he gestured his hand and gave a wink. "You seem very busy on a Sunday."
"Yes, it is our last day with the children at the tutoring centre before we send them home for the holidays. If anything, I am more than happy to spend more time with them."
"Sounds very heart-warming to me. I hope you enjoy your Sunday with them," he tipped his hat and gave a charming smile.
With a faint blush, she gave her thanks and carried the chair back to the children. He watched her slide it in for the last boy to sit, and her dark locks swaying as she moved around.
Finished his drink, later on, he went up to the barista counter with the empty mug for a refill but spotted a troubled cashier and an equally troubled customer. 'Ah, it was that woman,' he thought but it seemed like she didn't have enough money to buy treats and hot chocolate for the children. "Can I pay with a credit card?"
"I apologize, but we do not accept credit cards here."
"What should I do," she muttered to herself, "Kato-sensei doesn't usually carry cash."
Reaching into his pocket for his keys and wallet, he approached her side with an extra 1000 yen bill that halted her frantic search for more coins. She eyed the bill hesitantly, unsure of whether to take it or not. "Think of it as a treat to the youngsters from a friendly face."
It seemed that at any mention of the kids, her mind must be set - to always put others first before herself. "Then, without holding back, thank you for your generosity," she expressed her gratitude and gingerly accepted the 1000 yen bill for the cashier.
Once the dozen kid-size drinks arrived at the counter, she was already quick to beat him by taking the tray back to the group. "At least, let me take them with your kindness in mind. I am sure that way, the warm drinks will be sweeter. Thank you," she said and went her way. Sometimes, chivalry could backfire on himself, but it left a pleasant aftertaste in his lips…despite the bitterness of the coffee.
The merry laughter and chatter was music to his ears, even after that long gruelling recording session that morning; however, an excerpt of the chatter caught his attention and he began to eavesdrop.
"Sensei, how did you get your hair to change colour? Did you paint it? Did you use Crayons?" the idol overheard one of the four-year-olds ask the teacher nearby. She had a slightly nervous expression on her face, but it quickly changed to a cheeky smile.
"I'm like Rapunzel - they cut my hair and it turned brown."
"Eeh? Abby-sensei is Cinderella-sensei," exclaimed another student, along with the rest of the small crowd chirping a variety of Disney Princess titles and touching her hair. With a wide grin to himself, he continued to observe the cityscape through the window.
About one hour later, the two teachers rushed the children back outside to send them home before the snow started to flurry. When he was about to leave the shop himself, he spotted a sleek smartphone in a viridian wallet case sitting on the now-vacant table. The woman was long gone when he found it. After asking the owner whether they knew the mysterious and elegant Cinderella-sensei, he tucked it away in his pocket before hopping into his beloved car.
He lit up the lost phone and saw a selfie of herself and the teacher who accompanied her, only with longer gold-coloured hair. 'It must be recent,' he finally understood.
Before he turned on the ignition, the phone vibrated in his hand. 'She's a quick-thinker,' he mused before answering it while eying at a poster taped to a streetlight beside the door. After hearing Cinderella-sensei's relieved sigh, he couldn't help but feel relieved as well - happy that her phone was no longer lost, but also their relationship wouldn't be simply about that 1000 yen bill.
December 18th…
"Of course, the ending to this story is a secret. I find it very cute, but too much to give away. So I'll leave it up to your imagination." The fans coyly whined and lightly protested for him to finish the story, but he continued to answer the rest of his stack of fan mail.
Little did they know, the phone was still in his bag in the green room, and he had already planned to meet with Cinderella-sensei after the broadcast.
He even had a bouquet of poinsettia and a pair of tickets to the Christmas market he invited her to (in that phone call) … as long as he returned her back home at midnight.
By Lazarus Kingsman (aka. utaprikotori or iamkisaki) for saltytaledaze.
Happy Christmas and Happy New Year.