Just a little headsup- this chapter and the next chapter will be quite 'talky'. Hope this doesn't cause too much frustration. So anyway, since I'm sure you're all super curious to know what Isogai et al are doing here, let's get on with the chapter!
As soon as he'd told his classmates who Megu and the others were, Tada found himself dumbstruck as he just stared at them. All he could think about was the last time he'd seen them. A few days after his mother's funeral, Isogai had turned up on the doorstep with a large bowl of casserole and a bag of pastries, apologising for not having been able to come to the funeral and offer condolences. Megu and Maehara had attended the actual funeral, if the blur of faces that whizzed by in his mind were anything to go by. Tada'd had enough of funerals for a long time. He just hoped that Megu wasn't here with more bad news.
"What are you even doing here, Tada-kun?" Megu asked, breaking the silence. "You don't even attend this school."
"I do now…" Tada said, at a loss. Uh….I don't get this, at all.
"But why?!" Maehara exploded. "You weren't supposed to be here!"
"Aunt Chika thought it was a good idea at the time. Riverside's too far away, now we live with her. " Tada shrugged, aware he still sounded shaky. "It doesn't matter now. What's done is done…right, Ikemegu?"
He remembered the old name at the last minute, and managed to smile when it made Megu smile. She held out her arms, and as he stepped into her hug, he thought about being seven again, racing Hiro across a big grassy field towards a picnic blanket underneath a tree full of pink flowers.
"The cherry blossom viewings." He murmured into her chest. "Aren't you meant to be here for those, too?"
"Sure I am. That hasn't changed, even with the particular tragedies of this year. But this is something else that I do."
"So….uh, now, is anybody actually going to say what on earth is going on?" Ruko interjected. Tada twisted himself around so he was looking at his classmates. Understandably, they all had expressions varying from confused to suspicious. Even he didn't know what was happening here, why his mother's old friends had turned up.
"Of course, of course." Isogai said amicably. "As Tada-kun already said, we're former members of Kunugigaoka Junior High's Class 3E, and that we're fully aware of what being in that class means for all of you. We know that you're probably being picked on and bullied, that your teaching is probably nowhere near as good as what goes on in the main campus, and we also know that the stigma reaches beyond the school. All in all, you're pretty much left to fend for yourselves, with no help whatsoever. And that just makes things worse.
We actually got pretty lucky in our year, because even though we had to endure all of that, we were lucky to get teachers who actually did care about us, and did everything they could to try and help us to succeed, to be less isolated. But that doesn't always happen. Our class was really more of an exception than the norm. So we try to return the favour, in a way, and put ourselves forward as a form of support for 3E students, to try and help them any way that we can. Homework, exams, someone to let off steam with, anything really. "
So this is what it's all about. Tada found himself feeling impressed, even as his mind scrambled, trying to fit in this new information with what he knew of his life.
"We try and do practical things, too." Maehara added. "Six years ago, your campus building was practically falling apart around the students, and your principal wouldn't do anything about it. He just ignored the problem, and even forbade the hiring of builders to fix it. So Yuuma over here called up one of our other 3E buddies and got him to fix it pro-bono, on the sly. All Okikura knows is that the building is still standing, and Class 3E continues."
"Fairly sure 'pro-bono' refers to when a lawyer offers his services for free." Tsukuda remarked sardonically, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. This made Isogai laugh.
"It applies here, too, in a way." He said, smiling at all of them. Fuyumi returned the smile readily, while some of the others hesitated before doing so.
"So….how does this helping work then?" Ruko asked. Tada noted her demeanour towards the three adults seemed less cold, now that they were making a case.
"Usually how it works is that we approach as many members of 3E as possible to establish contact." Megu explained. "I'm usually only in Japan for a month or so every spring, so it's Hiroto and Yuuma who run our informal mentoring scheme, but I help them at the beginning, especially with the initial contact. We try to do that within the first couple of weeks or so."
"So this is the established contact?" Ayako asked. Isogai nodded.
"Yes, it is. After we've done that though, we try and set up a more structured meeting, usually one evening after school in the Oceanfront café. That really just gets things going, and we try to get as many of the class members there as possible. Particularly the Class Reps- speaking of which, do any fo you happen to be the Class Representatives this year?"
Tada wriggled out of Megu's hug. "I am." He answered, walking back to stand next to Tsukuda. "And Hanae-Chan is too. Then there's a third- Eriko Fujisaki-Chan."
"I'm Hanae Tsukuda. Eriko's on class cleaning duty today." Tsukuda qualified.
The three adults blinked at them, clearly stunned. Maehara ran a hand through his hair absently while Isogai and Megu went bug-eyed.
"Three of you?" Isogai said, stumped. "But that isn't allowed."
"It is now. We had the first Student Council meeting today. It was total crap, according to Tada-kun and the others, but about the only good thing that came from it is that now there are three voices speaking for us, and not just two." Ayako explained.
"Hah!" Maehara did a fist pump of victory. "That is awesome! 3E-one, Kunugigaoka-zilch!"
"I know, pretty great, right?" Tada laughed, finally feeling like the different sections of his brain had all been put back together.
"That is certainly heartening." Isogai agreed. "Odd, but heartening."
Tada proceeded to introduce the classmates who were present to the three of them. Once he'd managed to do that, Isogai, Maehara and Megu fielded more questions from them, and then negotiated a date for the first meeting at the Oceanfront café. When they finally came to an agreement, they decided on the day after the next. Then, Isogai gave their details to all of them , while Tada made sure the details he had for the three were up-to-date, while promising to forward said details to the students who hadn't been with them when Isogai and the others had appeared.
"And," Maehara declared. "I think that'll be all for now. Tada, you better not fall back out of touch now."
"I'm Class Rep. And you guys are basically our Class Mentors." Tada chuckled, returning the high-five Maehara offered. "I have no excuse to do that."
"Too right." Maehara laughed.
"Okay then, we won't hold you up any longer." Isogai said. "We'll be on our way, and hopefully we'll see most of you on Friday. It was good to meet you today. And Tada-kun, it was nice to run into you, as well. Say hello to Hiro-Chan for us all."
Tada nodded. "Of course. I'll definitely be there on Friday." Some of the others piped up with various goodbyes, and they all watched as the three walked away. Tada felt a peculiar sensation in his chest. This is the past colliding with the present, isn't it? But these were friends of his mother, so it couldn't be a bad thing, And even if it was, if it meant that things could get better for his friends, he'd attempt to deal with it.
"Uh….." he turned to face his friends, wondering what to say. "I guess I'll send around a group email to our school email accounts so that everyone can know about this."
"Are you sure they can be trusted, Tada-san?" Jori asked.
"Ahh, I'm sure they can. " Fuyumi soothed before Tada could say anything. " They seemed nice to me."
"That's true, they did." Ayako agreed. "And I think that maybe they'll work harder because of Tada-kun, I mean, they seemed pretty pissed that you were here, you know, Tada-kun. And you went all weird when you saw them."
"Yeah, well…." Tada shrugged, embarrassed. When did memories become so paralysing? Once he'd fully processed what had happened, he would try and explain it properly. He owed them that much.
"The best thing to do would surely to wait until Friday's meet-up, then we can get a better gauge of things." Tada decided after a moment.
"Okay then." Reno said. "I suppose that sounds good. Right, Miya-Chan?"
Reimiya nodded as she fiddled with her scarf. "We can go on Friday, right, Reno? If we asked Aunt Yuka…."
Reno ruffled her hair. "Sure, I'm sure Mum'll let us. Speaking of which, why don't we go home and ask her now?"
"Yeah!"
"I should be getting home too." Fuyumi said. This reminded Tada that he was carrying her things, and after they exchanged goodbye, they all went their separate ways, Tada walking with Jori and Fuyumi.
When he got home, neither Hiro nor Chika were home. He went upstairs, and changed into some casual clothes. Then, he tucked his mobile phone into his trouser pocket and returned downstairs, heading to the kitchen. He hunted in the cupboards for a snack, eventually settling on a chunk of cheese he found in the fridge. Once he'd found a plate for the cheese, he sat at the dining room table and began to nibble at the cheese, all while composing an email on his phone.
As he found everyone's email addresses and debated on what to type, he heard the door open. He paused to listen, and when the sounds he heard were minimal, he knew it was Hiro who'd just arrived. And sure enough, she appeared in the dining room a few moments later.
"So," she began. "You caused a bit of a stir today, I hear."
Tada went blank for a moment, before remembering the student council meeting. That had practically been eclipsed by the encounter with Isogai and the others, and now he thought of it, the controversies raised in that were still nothing in comparison to the surprise.
"I suppose I did. I like to think I shook things up." Tada grinned, and Hiro grinned back as she sat down next to Tada.
"You did. President Hasegawa was fuming, and at lunchtime he holed up with Otsuka-san. Oh, and Asami was pretty pissed off. But she didn't want to talk about it."
"Asami?" Tada queried, even as he filled in the blank space that the name had produced in his mind. Hair clips. A familiar face. That feeling of having intruded on intimacy.
"Asami Aoshima. She's Class 3A's Female Class Representative. I think her sist-"
"Oh hell! Hana Aoshima-Chan's sister!" Tada exclaimed, finally getting it. He mentally face-palmed, his brain putting together the scene from the entrance ceremony, and the bitterness of the girl who'd managed to put a stop to the debate about having three class reps. Realising that the girl was Asami, and that she had a twin at the opposite end of the scale to her, put a new light onto her emotions. What that light revealed however, he was still unsure of. How very odd.
"Yeah, thought so. So what are you doing now?"
"Well…" Tada paused. "Some of us had a rather interesting encounter today. With Yuuma-san, Megu-san and Hiroto-san."
Hiro blinked at Tada in disbelief. Tada tapped at his phone, waiting for her to respond to the names which were familiar. Which she did.
"You mean, as in our Ikemegu, Ikemen and Mae-san? Our ones, as in, Mama's old classmates?!" she shrieked once it had snuck in. "But we haven't seen them since….since, well, you know. What do you mean, you had an encounter?!"
Putting his phone down, Tada did his best to explain what had happened, and what it was Isogai, Megu and Maehara did.
"So, what do you make of all that?" he asked once he'd finished. Hiro frowned prettily.
"Why didn't we know about this? I mean, clearly this means the cherry blossoms aren't the only reason that Ikemegu bothers to fly back here every spring. As for Ikemen, and Mae-san…."
"Possibly because they never thought that we'd ever need to know." Tada guessed. Hiro nodded seriously, and pondered this for a moment, playing with the charms on her schoolbag. Then she came back with another question.
"So, this meeting on Friday. Could I come too?"
"But you're in Class A." the words came out unbidden, and Tada clapped his hands over his mouth, annoyed at his crassness. Hiro just nodded seriously at that.
"That's a point. But I want to help too…." She said wistfully.
"I know you do." Tada appealed, trying to undo his crassness. "But I don't know how many of the others will get that. They're already weirded out by our connection to them. And, you know, I want them to trust their informal mentoring scheme. It could help us. I'd like it to help us. "
"Hmm…."
"Oh, I know! After the meeting, when it happens, I'll tell you what happened and what we got told, for sure! Oh, and wait!" Tada picked up his phone again, and saved the email as a draft, and then went into his messages. Hiro watched him curiously.
"You now have three new messages!" he declared, once he was done. "You can talk to them yourself now, if you like. I think Ikemegu in particular will look forward to hearing from you."
This got a smile from Hiro, who stood up.
"Okay then. That's enough for me, for now. I'm going up now. Want to spar later?"
"Count me in!" Tada gave Hiro a thumbs up, which made her grin as she left. He watched her go, and then went back to the email, mind buzzing with all sorts of thoughts.
…
With all the messages and emails coming in, Seijuro's mobile phone was practically having a seizure that night, vibrating constantly to the point that it was actually travelling across the table. It was incredibly irritating, particularly as he was busy with his book. He didn't really want to be involved in what seemed to be a crusade on Tada, Tsukuda and Eriko's part. Being Class Representatives didn't give them an automatic ticket to being respected in his mind, so he didn't need to listen to them.
But…
But it was amusing, watching the furore unfold through these messages and emails, and since he liked being amused, he continued to watch. Then there was the matter of Tada. The fact that these adults had mysteriously turned up was suspicious in itself, and that was definitely something he'd want to check out. But the fact that Tada knew them, and apparently personally? That was something else utterly. He hadn't imagined for a moment that there'd be anyone else with past connections to a previous 3E. At least, not beyond the circumstances he was in, or those of the one he was looking for. It had briefly crossed his mind that perhaps then, Tada was the one he sought but no. Thirty years was too long ago.
Either way, the fact that something relating to this class had come up-something he hadn't foreseen or planned for- interested him greatly. So despite the fact he didn't want to be bothered with anyone else, he scrolled through the email chain, and found the button to make a reply. He wasn't about to get engaged in the speculations and rumours, but he was going to attend this meeting that Tada and the others had planned with the three adults. So he typed two simple words, and then pressed send.
I'm in.
…
Hana didn't contribute to the lunchtime discussion that went on around her. Instead, she just ate silently, a bite at a time, and watched as the others did so. Today, Tsukuda had invited her to sit with her for lunch, and as usual, Hana had accepted. The others were mostly nice enough, and she had no reason to say no, not really. So she sat there, with Tada, Tsukuda, Tsuwabuki, Eriko, Kaori, Ruko, Ayako, Reno and Reimiya. Yukiyama sat a little further away, but was also with them, having been coaxed there by Tada.
Naturally, they were all talking about Isogai, Maehara and Megu, the three former member of a long-gone Class 3E. Clearly, even with all the email exchanges from the night before, this was still a hot topic. Not that she blamed any of her fellow class members for that. The moment she'd read that Tada actually knew these people, that his own mother had been their classmate; the first thing she had thought of was Kei. And she'd wanted to go up to him, right there and then, and tell him about this amazing thing, about how this world was actually so small and how there were so many amazing connections to be made and discovered. But of course, she couldn't. So instead, she'd spent last night alternating between her homework and replying to messages with neutral, non-committal words, before just lying in her bed sleeplessly and speculating.
And now, this lunchtime, they were talking about Isogai and the others again. This time, it was more about the practical details, of who was going and who wasn't, as not all of them had been able to decide that the night before. But she couldn't listen, not really. Because the more Tada waxed lyrical about these strangers, all she could wonder was: Where were these people back then? Kei had never breathed a word, ever. He'd never told her anything about three adults who actually believed in them, who actually wanted to help them. He'd never said that anything like that had happened. Not at all.
Then again, during that year, he hadn't said much at all. So clearly, these people couldn't have helped.
But even so….she thought she should be bitter towards these people she hadn't met, these people who had clearly failed Kei. But even as she recalled the sound of a broken heart muffled by a heavy door, she thought of how things had been before, of the brother Kei had been before he'd ended up the way he was now. Onii-san. Kei-Chan. She just couldn't be bitter, when she thought of the before. But she was curious, all the same.
"Aoshima-san? Is something wrong? Aoshima-san?"
Hana blinked at Eriko, and then at the others, who were also looking at her. She looked down at her hands, and realised she was playing with the button that still remained on her blazer.
"I, erm, sorry!" she let out a few laughs, and then rubbed her head sheepishly. "I was just daydreaming. What was it you wanted to ask me?"
"You've barely said anything, Aoshima-kun." Tsuwabuki explained. "I think the others were wondering what you thought of all this."
"What…I think?"
"Yeah, Do you want to come with us tomorrow? Yuuma-san already told me that it doesn't matter how many of us attend the first meet up, so all of us are going to go." Tada asked.
"Not me." Yukiyama put in.
"Not Yukiyama-kun." Tada corrected, flashing a grin at the boy, who didn't react.
"I…" Hana thought. She thought of the door she could not enter, the one which had once concealed the worst kind of distress. If I could find out, if I could find out just what made things the way they were…
"Yes please. I'd like to come." She said, trying to sound decisive. Tsukuda grinned at her, and ruffled her hair in a way she'd come to like.
"Well, that's good then. I'll add your name to the list." Tada wrote something down, then looked back up and grinned at Hana. Hana smiled back, feeling a little more assertive. Tomorrow, she was hopefully going to get some answers. Answers that would hopefully get rid of the door and let her in.
…
Friday came, and with it, an air of excitement. Even for those of them who had particular lessons that they really enjoyed, the time couldn't go fast enough, and they all fidgeted restlessly, willing the clock to tick faster. Even Ichijou noticed something amiss, but she didn't seem bothered enough to ask. Even if she had, they wouldn't have answered. Although not a single one of them had come out and said it, there was an agreement amongst them that until they'd had the meeting, they wouldn't breathe a word to Ichijou.
So when the bell rang signalling the end of the day, all of them who had agreed to attend the meeting burst out of the classroom and school building as fast as they could go without saying anything to Ichijou. Tada almost felt sorry for her, as she did look rather perplexed when it happened. But he didn't dwell on it too long.
"Ayako-Chan, hurry up!" Tada said, reaching the bottom of the hill first. Tsukuda and Hana joined him next, while Kuroba and Izzy strolled behind them.
"Yeah, hurry up!" Ruko teased, being the next one to get there. "You're with us, you can't get yourself lost!"
Ayako, who had been debating something with Haru, Eriko and Kaori, just stuck her tongue out at them, but all the same, she sped up a little, and got to the bottom at the same time as the others- Reno, Reimiya, Kinomoto and Tsuwabuki- and they all set off. Although Kuroba talked to Izzy, Ayako continued her conversation and Ruko weaved in-between all of them causing friendly havoc, they were largely silent as they walked to the Oceanfront café, where they were due to meet Isogai, Megu and Maehara at 4:30pm.
"Ah, Tada-kun, the road's this way!" Reno pointed out.
"Right, I knew that." Tada said, embarrassed that he'd almost just gone the wrong way. He should have known this, after all. Then again, the last time he'd been near the café he hadn't been paying all that much attention to his surroundings…
"Do you think they'll be there already?" Hana asked, eyes wide. Tada shrugged, checking the time. It was just approaching 4:15pm, so they were more or less early.
"Well, Yuuma-san gets quite busy in his day-job, although he does try to be early. Hiroto-san's job is more flexible, but he has…erm…other commitments. Megu-san might be there, as she's really here on holiday." Well, this time it was a cross between holidaying and funeral attending, but it would be pedantic of me to point that out. "So one of them'll be there, for sure."
"Other commitments?!" Ayako all but leaped on that particular part of Tada's answer. "What do you mean? Family, friends, lovers? Or maybe gambling or online shopping or video games….?"
"Does it actually matter?" Kaori pointed out. "They're adults with their own lives and stuff."
"Of course it matters! We're going to meet them, and it's interesting anyway. Aren't you even slightly curious?"
"You talk too much." Kuroba said mildly. Ayako gave him a bug-eyed look and shut up immediately. Tada sighed. Kuroba did have that effect on people, and it was becoming more apparent. Izzy didn't help either, the way he grinned at it all.
"Let's just go in…." Tada said as they reached the friendly looking establishment. Luckily, nobody protested, and they went in. Once actually inside, it wasn't difficult to see why the café had been named 'Oceanfront'. From the way the wall was painted, to the various framed paintings on the wall and the blue-and-green colour scheme, everything screamed 'the sea' at them all. Even the shape of the padded seats seemed to suggest waves.
"Are you 3E students?"
The waitress who appeared in front of them had a hesitant but kind look in her bright eyes, and her smile was friendly. Her name tag read 'Fumiko'.
"Yes, we are." Eriko answered for them. Fumiko's smile became wider.
"Ah, thought so. Kataoka-san's already here, so if you go over there." She pointed to the back of the café, and sure enough, Megu was there. Spotting them, she waved, and Tada waved back.
"Okay. Thank you."
"No problem! I hope the rest of your year goes well. " Fumiko winked at them, and then went back behind the counter. Tada and the others walked over to the table where Megu was waiting. She was dressed in a similar way to the last time they'd met, in a blouse and suit trousers. There were cakes and other treats already on the table. Megu herself held a cup of tea.
"Hey, Ikemegu." Tada greeted, as he sat down. Tsukuda sat down next to him, while Eriko sat on his other side. The others all scrambled to find seats.
"So how are all of you today?" Megu asked.
"We're fine." Eriko answered. Tada said the same thing, and others did so too, while others remained silent.
"That's good, that's good. Yuuma and Hiroto will be here very soon."
"We're a little early anyway, so it's fine, really." Tada said. He paused for a moment, and then spoke again.
"Hey, Megu-san, was that nice waitress who pointed you out to us one of the students you helped in the past?"
"Say, can we eat those? They really look like they need to be eaten. Like, really. " Ruko asked at the same time, metaphorically drooling over some of the sweet treats splayed out on the table.
"That's your major concern right now?" Tsuwabuki said sardonically. The look Ruko gave him suggested that his words may as well have been in Swahili for all the relevance they had to her.
"To answer both your questions, yes, you may eat those. All of you can, for that matter. It's all on us. But don't expect this every time we meet during the year. As for Fumiko-Chan, yes, she was, but let's wait for Yuuma and Hiroto to get here before I tell you the story." Megu's tone was both slightly scolding and very affectionate, and Tada smiled at the familiarity.
"That sounds good to me." Tada looked at the various food items, and found a pretty iced cupcake he liked the look of.
"Tada-san, aren't you going to introduce us?" Reimiya asked in a stage whisper as she snagged two slices of strawberry cake- one for her, and one for Reno. Tada looked over at her and grinned at her cautious expression.
"That would be a good idea, wouldn't it?" Tada said. "Ah! Megu-san, this is Eriko-Chan, the third class representative."
"Ah, I thought so. Pleased to meet you, Fujisaki-san." Megu held out a hand for Eriko to shake, which she did.
"You should just call me Eriko. It's less confusing that way."
"Oh, how so?"
"My surname is also Fujisaki." Kaori explained. "I'm Kaori. Our teacher thought we were siblings. "
"But they'd never even MET until the first day!" Tsukuda added. Kaori nodded vigorously at that.
At that, Megu laughed. "Oh, I see, I see. Okay, I'll remember that. "
Tada and Eriko continued with the introductions, and mid-way, Isogai and Maehara arrived, so Haru repeated the introductions, only more concisely. Once that had finished, and they'd managed to shift around to get space for everyone, Isogai cleared his throat.
"Right then, let's begin this thing." Isogai paused, clearly searching for words.
"Yuuma, you don't need to get nervous." Maehara teased. Megu elbowed him in the solar plexus, and he winced for a moment before grinning as normal.
"So, tell us what your teacher is like. What sort of person is he or she, and how are they treating you?" Isogai asked.
"Why'd ya need to know?" munching a mouthful of pudding, Ruko didn't sound nearly as antagonistic as she'd done the last time she's spoken to the adults. She didn't look antagonistic either. It's the influence of the pudding. Tada restrained from face-palming at this observation.
"Because sometimes we involve the teachers on this thing. Sometimes, they're actually dedicated to their students, despite the circumstances of the class, so they actually want to help. So we coordinate things like specific study groups with the teacher."
"Makes sense." Ruko shrugged.
"Ichijou-sensei is….well, she's old." Ayako laced the last word with particular contempt, causing all three adults to stare at her.
"Explain?" Megu demanded levelly.
"She seems nice enough- like, she talks to us kindly and stuff, but she isn't really good at being a teacher. She's sort of forgetful, absent minded- really absent minded. She falls asleep during lessons, and sometimes just leaves us to do her own work so she can have a nap. Oh, and the P.E. lessons! Tada, explain about the P.E lessons!" Tsukuda exclaimed.
"Our first day, first P.E lesson, Ichijou-sensei just asked us what games we'd want to play. She didn't change into appropriate clothes, and seemed pretty confused. In the end, she agreed to let us treat it as another free period, and that's what we've been doing all this time."
"Which is great at times," Haru put in. "Because sometimes we've managed to get homework done at school instead of at home, and other times it's like having an extended break, which is really fun. But P.E is still a lesson, and even if it isn't an examined topic, we all want to learn!" Haru's last line was delivered passionately, and she stared at Isogai pleadingly.
"Yeah, Haru-Chan pretty much summed our feelings on the matter. When we had our first Class Reps meeting, I tried to persuade the student council president that we should get another teacher for P.E, but we were refused. Which doesn't make sense, since you guys had two teachers, but I didn't tell them that because….well, 3E, and Mum."
"Excuse me? Two teachers? What?" Ayako treated Tada to another one of her bug-eyed looks.
"Hmm, two teachers huh? And this was thirty years ago?" Izzy pretended to stroke his invisible beard in a thoughtful manner. What's with him?
"Usually, 3E gets the rookie teachers, or volunteers who want to work with kids but don't have teaching experience." Isogai explained before Ayako (or anyone else for that matter) exploded. "In our case, we had a government employee with a faith crisis of sorts on a sabbatical, and a young socialite whose guardian wanted her to experience spending time with those in some sort of deprivation before she went on this luxury round-the-world trip she had planned."
"So, basically, in terms of teaching, we had two halves of one person." Maehara added. "But we got lucky, because they actually gave a shit about what we had to deal with. So they didn't teach us in the conventional way, but we learned, all the same."
"It looks like this year Principal Okikura decided to go the other way, and saddle you with a teacher on the verge of retirement, instead."
"More like the verge of senility." Ruko muttered darkly, although her eyes were mischeivious. Ayako cackled at this, while Tsuwabuki gently rebuked both girls.
"You had a government employee as a teacher?" Izzy demanded. "Thirty years ago?"
"He was on a sabbatical." Megu said hurriedly. "And it wasn't like he did anything exciting. Mostly admin stuff. Paperwork."
"Really, you're sure of that?" Izzy seemed hell-bent on something, and all their attention went to the boy. Tada felt chills for reasons he could not name. "You're absolutely sure? Even though this was the very same year that the moon blew up?"
"That was coincidence." Maehara said.
"It was all over the news, sure, but that's it really. The fact we were in that class didn't have anything to do with that event."
"One hell of a concidence, don't you think?"
"Someone's been spending time with Yamada-kun." Tsuwabuki remarked, deadpan. He was largely ignored, but Tada heard him and thought, that's probably it. And so what if Mum's class occurred at the same time as this moon incident? Surely lots of different things occurred back then. The world is full of people. So it's just a coincidence. Not even a special one.
But if that's true….why does Yuuma-san's voice sound shaky now? It's faint, but I notice it. And I think Izzy-kun does, too.
"Hey, hey, Tada-Chan, if they're not going to say anything, what about you? Don't you know anything?"
"Izzy, you're talking crap." Tsukuda stated. "Cut it out."
Izzy tilted his head at her and gave her a toothy, almost savage smile. Then he straightened up and shrugged. Kuroba gave him an odd, concerned look.
"Izzy, what was that about?"
"Ah, don't worry, Sei-Chan, I'll tell you later." Izzy drawled casually. Kuroba accepted this.
"Erm….could we get back on track, please. I don't want all this focus on what class they were in just because of my mum…"
Maehara clapped his hands once, decisively. "Tada's right! Now, about the P.E lesson, I think the best thing to do is this…"
And Maehara swiftly changed the subject by outlining a plan to deal with the P.E lessons, whereby the most athletic students, or those who had a special talent in some sort of sport, taught the rest of the class what they knew, rotating on a weekly or daily basis dependent on what suited them better. The others accepted this idea, and Eriko pulled out a piece of paper from her bag on which to write out a rough rota which they could follow. After some haggling, they decided that Eriko would teach Kendo, Tsukuda and Tada would teach self-defence/ physical combat, Koujiro would teach athletics, and Jori would deal with gymnastics, with verbal/admin help from Fuyumi. They kept this plan rough, so that they could discuss and confirm it properly with the rest of their class members when they went back into school on Monday.
Reno surprised them all by making the suggestion that once in a while they did have 'games', just for fun, or to let off steam. Reimiya added to this by wondering if hide-and-seek was a good game, because of all the running and hiding. All three adults seemed to find the idea very pleasing, Isogai going so far as to produce a rough map of the school's forest on his phone, to point out some of the best hiding places they could use.
Then, they moved on to the issue of Fuyumi's access to the school. This one was trickier for the adults to solve. As a good portion of the path could be seen by the public, any explicit changes would be noticed, and surely reported back. And as Isogai kept stressing, secrecy had a big role in what they did. They thought about it, and then Megu remembered that there had been a wheelchair bound boy in a Class 3E from around fifteen years back, and when she remembered that Isogai recalled how they'd put up temporary ramps in the school building. So they'd just have to do that again. It wouldn't solve the problem of getting her to and from school, but it would help her get around the building. Once that had been figured out, Eriko offered to be the one to pick them up and then they'd be able to put them in on Monday, and Tada quickly sent a message to Fuyumi so she wouldn't be out of the loop, especially as this particular issue was about her.
Just as they got to the end of that particular discussion, Fumiko came over to chat, and she told them a little about herself, and how she'd been in the Class 3E of thirteen years before, and how meeting with Maehara and Isogai every week over the school year had boosted her confidence enough to apply for a high school that specialised in hospitality and catering. She'd managed to get in, and now she was here, working in a café she'd opened with her two best friends and the man who was now her fiancé. Hearing the story, Tada changed his mind about the café's name. It wasn't pretentious, not at all. How could it be, when it was the manifestation of a dream, and one sent with friends to boot? After she'd managed to extract herself from Ayako's eager questioning about the creation of Oceanfront, they talked about a few other less major things that had come up while making short work of the sweets still on the table. Isogai, Maehara and Megu offered solutions readily, but also gently nudged them all into coming up with some of ideas for themselves, which everyone seemed to respect them for.
And then Kuroba asked a question which made them all fall into silence.
"If you're so passionate about all of this, why the covertness? Why not directly challenge the principal?"
Seijuro leaned back and looked arrogantly confident, as if accusing the three adults of something while waiting to see how they'd defend themselves from this silent accusation. Isogai blinked, Maehara gritted his teeth, and Megu went pale as she muttered something about atonement. Tada was surprised at the change.
"Hey, Ikemegu…Yuuma-san, Hiroto-san…." Tada exchanged looks with his friends. Kuroba looked mildly bemused, Izzy looked confused, and the others had various degrees of curiosity and worry in their expressions. But the moment didn't last very long, with Maehara the first to snap out of it.
"I suppose that would be the legacy of being under Principal Asano's rule." He said, laughing awkwardly.
"That's true. Both Tomoya Okikura and Gakuho Asano are essentially men who enjoy preying on the weak, and will do their best to cling onto those opportunities. The difference between them is that that is all there is to Okikura, whereas in Asano's case it was born from a severe obsession with education. And Asano was a seriously smart, manipulative and fearsome man." Isogai added.
Megu nodded at this. "Encountering him was always like a game of wits, but a dark one. He really did give off this aura of threat….and he could follow through on that threat easily. Sure, we won a little respect because of how we handled out year, but not enough to be seen as an equal to him. So even as we grew up, he still had a hold over us. That's why, when we started to help the later 3E students, we kept it secret. As long as Asano was around, we could never be open in our intentions. Never. Otherwise we'd all be under threat, and where would any of the ones we helped be now?"
"Was?" Kinomoto queried.
"He suffered from early-onset dementia, and died about seven years ago. Otherwise he'd still be principal now."
"But his rule remains." Tsukuda stated, flatly. "Why? Couldn't it have been abolished?"
"We're not sure," Megu said. "But we think he passed Kunugigaoka onto Okikura in his will, while he still had some of his mental faculties. And as Yuuma said, Okikura also preys on the weak. Sure, he doesn't have Asano's intelligence, but I think Asano would prefer things the way they are now, to having 3E abolished."
"Like Yuuma said," Maehara pointed out. "This is Asano's legacy. It's a difficult one to escape. More so for us, I guess. Why else would we return to the class, year after year?" Maehara laughed self-depreciatingly, but it was clear that the late principal was something all three adults not only detested, but truly feared too.
"So nothing really changed then." Ruko bluntly stated.
"No." Megu's single word was laced with regret, one that clearly went deep. It was enough that nobody responded to it. Even Seijuro seemed less smug about things.
"The fact that the old principal had dementia is really quite sad." Haru commented eventually, stopping the silence from being awkward. "I mean, he sounds like an awful person, but that really is a tragic way to go."
"Any death is sad." Hana remarked, her sing-song voice lilting more than normal. Tada gave her a closer look, noting the way she'd been studying the three adults and recalling how she had barely said anything.
"Well, it is only a year, for us. And you're all trying your best given the situation." Kinomoto said agreeably, distracting Tada.
"That's optimistic of you." Megu said. "And probably that's a good thing to keep in mind."
"Yes, that's right!" Isogai agreed, smiling at them all. "Whatever you do over the year, keep on the bright side, and don't give up on hope. Sure, that's kind of cheesy, but it is true."
"We'll remember that!" Tada said. Maehara winked at him.
"So…." Isogai said. "I think we've pretty much covered most of what we needed to, so maybe we should wrap this thing up. Are there any more questions?"
"And NOT about our class." Maehara flippantly put in, giving Izzy a meaningful look. Izzy just shrugged as if to say 'who, me?'. And then Hana put her hand up slightly, as if they were in class.
"Ah, Aoshima-san, was it?" Isogai beamed warmly. "You can just ask, it's fine. What did you want to know?"
"I…erm…Kei Aoshima. Three years ago." Hana's voice trembled. "Do you remember him?"
Kei Aoshima? Hana-Chan's sister is Asami, so that can't be who she's talking about….another sibling?
"I, yes, sure we do, a little?" Maehara looked at Isogai for confirmation. Isogai nodded.
"Sure." Isogai was about to say something else, but he stopped midway. "Oh. Right. Hana Aoshima. You're one of Aoshima-kun's little sisters."
Hana nodded at that. She opened her mouth and looked at them beseechingly as if she was going to ask them something else, but words seemed to fail her. Tsukuda put a hand on her shoulder, looking at the smaller girl with concern.
"How about you ask us what you need afterwards, when the others are gone?" Megu suggested kindly, leaning in so that Hana would look up and meet her eyes. Hana hesitated, and then nodded.
"In that case." Tada said. "I think we can consider ourselves finished, Yuuma-san. Thanks for this."
"Yes, thank you!" Haru said effusively, reaching over to shake their hands. "I somehow feel better about being in 3E now."
"Not a problem. And remember, this isn't the only meeting you'll have with us. We'll meet a lot over the school year- just let us know when you need us and we'll arrange something." Isogai said.
"In my case, you'll be limited to phoning and the internet, but I'm still available to help." Megu pointed out. "It was good to meet you all."
Everyone, save from Hana, got up and began to leave. Tsukuda hung back briefly to ask Hana if she was sure she'd be fine, and Tada paused to witness this. Most of them stopped at the counter to say goodbye to Fumiko, who affectionately grabbed each of them into hugs before letting them go on their way.
Once outside, they all exchanged goodbyes and headed in the directions of their own homes. Tada decided to do the same, and then paused and changed his mind. He was near the hospital, so he could use the time to visit Karasuma. So that is what he did.
When he reached the hospital room, Hiro was already there, in the clothes she used for dance, with her school shirt thrown over as a jacket. She was reading to Karasuma from a book she had, and looked up when Tada entered.
"Oh my, are our twin powers at work again?" she teased. Tada chuckled. This isn't like the last time we both sat with Karasuma-sensei.
"Sure seems like it." He said, dragging a chair to sit down on, since Hiro had taken the chair he usually took. "How was club?"
"Same old, same old." She said, folding the page she was on and closing the book. Then she tilted her head at Tada. "How was the meet?"
"Ah, now that was pretty interesting. " Tada said.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Are you going to tell me about it then?" Hiro asked, looking a little sceptical. Tada didn't like that she looked sceptical, so he pouted to diffuse the feeling.
"Of course. Actually, I'm going to tell Karasuma-sensei about it." He decided.
"You're fine with that, right?" he asked Karasuma's sleeping form. "I mean, I have no idea if you even knew that Megu-san does this with Yuuma-san and Hiroto-san all the time….I'm sure you must have, because you talked to everyone from Mum's class….anyway, I'll just get on with it, shall I?"
Without waiting for a confirmation that he should indeed get on with it, he dove straight into retelling the events of the meeting at the Oceanfront café, putting it together as though it was a bedtime story. And as he did so, he thought of all the different feelings that had surfaced in that meeting. Sadness, hope, reluctance, frustration. And fear. Most of all fear. Some of it understandable for the simple reason that surely these fears were shared by all those who had to deal with being part of 3E. Others, less so.
Isogai blinked, Maehara gritted his teeth, and Megu went pale as she muttered something about atonement. Tada was surprised at the change.
"Hey, Ikemegu…Yuuma-san, Hiroto-san…." Tada exchanged looks with his friends. Seijuro looked mildly bemused, Izzy looked confused, and the others had various degrees of curiosity and worry in their expressions. But the moment didn't last very long, with Maehara the first to snap out of it.
"I suppose that would be the legacy of being under Principal Asano's rule." He said, laughing awkwardly.
He may have never met Principal Asano, but the stories he'd heard were enough for him to feel the same feelings his mother and her friends must have felt back then. And being explicitly told about the way Asano worked, and the feelings he instilled in people also had an impact.
Yet….
Tada couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, Kuroba had a point when he'd asked his painful questions. Perhaps he should have had more sympathy, but his position was still valid.
"If you're so passionate about all of this, why the covertness? Why not directly challenge the principal?"
"Tada?"
Tada blinked, and realised that not only had he stopped talking, he couldn't remember where he had been when he'd started thinking of the monster he'd never met.
"Say, Karasuma-sensei, Hiro, I was wondering something."
"You were?" Hiro tilted her head again, curiously this time. "What is it?"
"Well, it is only a year, for us. And you're all trying your best given the situation." Kinomoto said agreeably, distracting Tada.
"Well…." Tada started, before pausing for a moment. Sure, Class 3E only exists because of Principal Asano, but we're not as impacted by him as others would have been. And sure, we only need to deal with this for the rest of third year, but what of the future? How long do arbitrarily picked bunches of fourteen and fifteen year olds need to suffer for, just because of some dead monster's legacy? By now, is it not time to fight back? I think it is.
"What if, instead of just changing our circumstances, we changed the circumstances of any other 3E that may happen? What would you both think if I said I wished to do that? What would you say if I decided to eradicate 3E once and for all? Because that's what I'm going to do. What we're going to do. We're going to end the End Class for the final time."
So, what do you think about all of that? I brought up a whole lot of different issues and subplots, and I'm guessing that some of you'll be rather confused. I do intend to develop these things further as the story goes on, but if you do have any questions you can still ask me and I'll answer as much as I can without spoiling anything. But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please do leave feedback, as usual. And don't forget the Tumblr tag! I'm still tracking ' Ending the End Class' and I really would like to see everybody's fanart for this fic!