Chapter 1

I don't know how I managed to make through the morning, but I did. Perhaps it was the prospect of talking to him again that kept me going. The funny thing about it was that it comforted me and frightened me at the same time.

When I arrived at Gekkoukan, I quickly made my way to room 2-F. It was probably the only time I had walked that fast in my entire life. At the back of my mind, the nagging thought of people staring at me and whispering behind my back pestered me to no end. I tried to push it out of my consciousness.

I'll be okay, I told myself. So long as I don't run into…

"Are you all right, Toriumi-san?" a familiar voice called out.

Ack!

I turned around very, very slowly. Mrs. Terauchi stood there, wearing a very, very concerned look on her face.

"Oh, Terauchi-san, hello," I said quickly, forcing a smile. "Thanks for your concern. Yes, I'm all right. Why shouldn't I be?"

She didn't look convinced. "I'm a little worried about you. After what happened yesterday at the faculty office yesterday—"

"Oh, that's nothing," I promptly cut her off. "It was all a misunderstanding, coupled with ...er, too much stress. I've sorted everything out since then, so don't worry. It's ancient history."

"Are you sure?" she persisted. "Have you consulted your doctor?"

"No—I mean, yes. Nothing to worry about. She recommended that I pace myself a bit, that's all."

"If there's anything you need…"

"Yes, I'll let you know," I paused and took a deep breath. "Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Now, if you'll kindly excuse me, I have to attend to some matters with my students."

"Of course," she said. "Have a good day."

"Thank you. Have a good day, too."

I sauntered past her and headed straight to class.

Whew. That was close. Good thing she's one of the nicer teachers around here. Now I can only get into class without running into…

"Toriumi-san!" a familiar male voice barked.

Wonderful…

"What's this I hear about you having freaked out and gone home early yesterday?"

I literally froze in my tracks. Word spread quickly across the Gekko grapevine.

"I wasn't feeling well yesterday, Ekoda-san," I managed. It was partly true, anyway. "But don't worry about it. I'm feeling much better this morning."

He frowned the kind of frown that makes people feel small. "Make sure you don't slack off on the job. As teachers, we have a responsibility to our students—"

My brain tuned him out at that point. I had only one person I wanted to talk to that morning, and S.O.B.-san definitely wasn't him. As far as the old coot was concerned, could lecture himself to death.

I grit my teeth, put on my best fake smile and nodded intermittently. Eventually, the old hypocrite finished his little tirade and excused himself, and I was on my way to the classroom 2-F once more.

I was thankful, at least, that Minato-kun hadn't snitched on me. My secret was safe for the time being.

When I finally arrived, the students all looked at me as if I had a relative of mine had died. All of them, that is, except for him.

He was seated in his usual spot, chatting with his friends, Junpei-kun and Yukari-chan. There was something amiss, though. He looked about as tired as he did yesterday. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should proceed as planned.

The rest of the class greeted me, but he nodded his own silent greeting. My face suddenly felt hot.

"Are you all right, Toriumi-sensei?" one inquisitive girl asked. "We heard you weren't feeling well since yesterday."

He hasn't told anyone. That's a good thing.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern," I said idly. My mind was already rehearsing what I would say to him later on, and how I would say it.

"Toriumi-sensei, maybe you should take it easy," someone else suggested.

That snapped me back to reality. "I'd love to, but we still have some preparations to make for the big day tomorrow. Sorry, but I can't let myself or my students off the hook."

Groans reverberated across the classroom.

I took a deep breath and spoke again. "Minato-kun, may I see you in the faculty office after school hours, please?"

"Of course, Toriumi-sensei," he said. There was a hint of curiosity in his tone.

Murmurs arose from the rest of the class, who remained thankfully clueless.

Junpei-kun nudged Minato-kun. "What'd you do this time?"

"Quiet, Stupei," Yukari-chan retorted. "It's probably official school business or something."

"Will you stop calling me that!" Junpei-kun shot back. "At least I'm not afraid of ghosts like you are!"

"Hey!"

"All right, everyone, settle down," I said, psyching myself up for the rest of the session. It was going to be a long day, but maybe, just maybe, it would all work out.

To Be Continued...