Author's Note:
Sneak…sneak….sneak…sneak…….
"Ou, what do you think you're doin'?"
"Oh, hi Kyo! How's it goin'?"
"Going? That's what I'd like to know! You leave for over a year and just come sneaking back in?"
"Well, I wasn't sure if the readers would forgive me for leaving them hanging for so long…"
"I don't think it's the readers you have to worry about."
"Oh, why?"
"You left that secretary on hold for a year!"
"EEP! Sorrry!"
Anyways, sorry for the wait! (I've actually written a few chapters this time, so I'll update once a week for a little while at least!)
Enjoy!
Chapter 4
The light, sweet singing of birds filled the air, blown in by the soft wind that also carried the sweet smell of the blooming sakura trees. Yamaguchi Kumiko inhaled the pleasant scent as the wind blew her long, black hair behind her. Standing on the top of this hill, she imagined she could rule the world.
At least until the sounds of yelling mothers caused her to startle and look behind her. 'Oh no!' she thought as she saw the upset parents running fast towards her.
As she turned and ran, looking for a place to hide, she thought 'Who would have thought that letting 5 year olds watch Yakuza movies would make these parents so upset? I watched Yakuza movies all the time when I was that young!'
Yamaguchi Kumiko, granddaughter of the head of the Oedo Yakuza clan, ten year veteran teacher (but never at the same school twice), had been fired from her teaching job.
Again.
The sounds of angry parents finally drifted off into the distance, and Kumiko climbed out from underneath the bridge that she had slid beneath. She sighed, discouraged from this most recent failure, and trudged home.
The sun was setting as she walked down the streets to her home. She absent-mindedly acknowledged the calls of "Welcome home, ojou!" that she assailed her from all sides by the nice shop owners and families that she had known since her childhood.
She paused in front of her home and took a deep breath to brace herself before opening the door and calling out "I'm home!" The sounds of rushing and stumbling feet reverberated through the hall as the lower members of the Oedo Clan rushed to her to welcome her back.
She sighed as she nodded to these members and went straight down the hall to her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.
"She looks sad," noted Oshima Kyotarou one of the underbosses.
"Perhaps something happened with one of her students," answered Tetsu.
"Maybe she was fired again," said Minoru, earning slaps on the head from the other two.
Kuroda, the head of the clan, overheard this conversation and became worried about his granddaughter. He knocked on his granddaughter's door lightly before letting himself in her room and closing the door behind himself.
"How was school?" he asked, noting her face-down figure on the bed, head buried in her pillow.
"Mmmhmm-mmmd" was her answer.
"Come now, Kumiko," he said as he gently patted her on the shoulder. "It couldn't have been that bad. Just tell me all about it."
She looked up pitifully from her pillow. "I got fired."
"Oh. Dear, please don't be sad. Perhaps teaching little children is just not for you. You always had great success with the older children. Especially the highschoolers. Remember, how you always were able to get them all to graduate? You have a gift, Kumiko. You can see beyond what has made every other teacher give up on them and find the potential in them."
"Even if I had to beat it out of them," she muttered.
"Yes, even then," chuckled Kuroda. "But every one in your class graduated, didn't they?"
"Yes, yes they did!" Kumiko said excitedly. "I'll go to the agency tomorrow and see if any high school positions are open."
"You do that," said Kuroda. "Meanwhile, it's time for dinner. Come, we made all your favorites."
"Yes!" exclaimed Kumiko happily, and she daydreamed on the way to the dining room about teaching high school again.