Shiro stretched his arms above his head and leaned back with a sigh. Eyes closed, he resisted the urge to rub his temples. All day he was distracted and nervous about the meeting of the clans. Since he heard the news about the Dresden Plate, he lost multiple papers, trailed off confusingly during lectures, and missed a staff meeting. It was times like this he wished he had stayed as a high school student.
Not that he didn't love being a teacher; Shiro was very fond of his students and his job. He always loved to teach people and see them learn new things. His students seemed very fond of him too. It was well known around the school that "Mr. German" was a great teacher. What Shiro didn't care for was the grading, meetings, and reports he had to write. He knew it wasn't nearly as extensive as when he was a scientist but it was harder since there wasn't the thrill of new research funding or wowing a group of skeptics. "If only the lieutenant could see me now" he thought ruefully.
Shiro always knew the Gold King wouldn't live forever, but he never imaged it would hurt this much. He forgot what it was like to lose someone. He had spent most of his life on his own until the incident with the colorless king. He wouldn't trade this life for one of solitude, but he never missed the feeling of grief. Sighing again, Shiro straightened his papers and put them into his bag. " Weismann-sensei, if you keep frowning like that your face will stick!" Shiro smiled brightly and turned around to face a cheerful Kukuri. She was standing by the doorway of the teacher's room with Kuroh and Neko, who seemed to be arguing again. He laughed slightly, " I'll have to remember that in the future then miss Yukizome." Shiro missed spending time with Kukuri as friends, her ordinary cheerfulness was always a welcome break. Unfortunately due to his new position he needed to distance himself from all his old friends excluding his clansmen.
Speaking of which, by the door it appeared that Kuroh and Neko were arguing over whether she could hug him. Between the two of them they couldn't quite get Neko to understand why it would be inappropriate for a teacher to be so physically close to a student. No doubt she'd spend the evening pouting and glaring at the blue clan. Shiro was glad that they could at least convince her to respond to her other name instead of Neko in class. "Well if you will excuse us miss Yukizome I believe I have to discuss some classwork with Yatogami-kun and miss Ameno." Kukuri excused herself while the trio went down the hallway. Shiro had reserved a lecture room on the top floor for "research purposes". He walked happily while listening to the bickering of Neko and Kuroh.
"Kuroh can you grab the markers and papers for me" Shiro asked as they entered the room. It was a similar lecture room to the one that the clansmen met in during the JUNGLE incident, recommended by Kuroh. As much as Shiro and Neko wanted to have the meeting at White Rice Party's home base, Kuroh pointed out that there wouldn't be enough room to fit everyone. The three settled around the desk kept at the front of the room for teachers. Neko was amusing herself with snacks that Kuroh brought as a distraction for her; she hated meetings and often would derail them with her boredom. " Shiro, did you have any idea why this could have happened?" Kuroh asked. He was frowning harder than usual. Shiro missed the carefree expression that's been gracing Kuroh face since things settled down. He loved to watch Kuroh enjoy himself more, although he also loved Kuroh's serious expressions too. "No" Shiro responded. "To be honest I was a bit confused when everyone still had their powers. After thinking about it for a while I assumed that perhaps they would fade away or that their wouldn't be any more kings after the current active ones pass away, excluding myself of course".
While Shiro had long accepted his immortal fate, he still didn't like to think about it. He had a family and clansmen now, people he would outlive. Sometimes he'd think about Kuroh and Neko aging like the lieutenant did. The thought always made his eyes burn and his heart heavy. "This isn't the time to get gloomy." he chastised. "I just hope that we can get through this meeting in one piece". He was nervous about leading such a meeting again. While he looked more professional this time around, he didn't think he was any wiser or more capable of playing leader when multiple other kings were involved. Munakata-san obviously had much more experience with being a leader and strategist, while Kushina-san was clearly a natural at her role and only got better as each day went by.
Shiro startled slightly when he felt a touch on his arm. Kuroh looked at him intently. " Do not worry, I know you can do this again." he said. Shiro was touched by the unwavering declaration from his clansmen. His heart raced slightly at the sight of Kuroh touching his arm. Living in close quarters with Kuroh was slowly getting to him as his feelings for Kuroh grew. Shiro longed to touch him constantly and was hyper aware of every time they brushed past each other in their tiny kitchenette or when their hands touched when Kuroh would bring him food or papers. Despite his long life on this earth, Shiro felt so inexperienced in the matters of crushes.
Shiro felt a slight twinge in the back of his mind and took a slow breath. Their guests had arrived.