Chapter 10!
The omiai episode! This was always one of my favorites.
So, an omiai (or miai) is basically a date made by a matchmaker. It's almost like a blind date, but people have one for the specific purpose of getting married. An omiai can be done through an agency, or through friends, relatives, or parents (or your boss's pushy wife). It's very traditional, and was used for arranged marriages, but has softened over time so that couples can choose whether they want to date their 'match' or not.
'Kumicho' means Boss, and is really only used in the yakuza. Normal teachers do not have it as a nickname.
So, read, enjoy, and tell me what you think!
Shin liked to think he was a rational guy. He, unlike most (if not all) of his classmates, considered the consequences before he acted. He made it a point to not waste his energy on something unless he deemed it necessary. He considered it a point of pride that he was not a slave to the hormones that made Minami and Noda act like complete morons any time a vaguely attractive girl was around (the willingness to become male cheerleaders in order to meet college girls proved the complete idiocy of the rest of 3-D as well) . He had built his entire reputation on being thoughtful, quiet, and logical, which is why when he did take action everyone around him respected it.
Which is why he found Yankumi so infuriating. She kept putting him in completely irrational positions. Like, for example, putting up, (or worse) going along with her insane ideas. He found himself interacting with her much more than anyone else simply because she needed a voice of reason to let her know when she was being a baka or giving away her yakuza origins or coming up with an absurd plan. (There may have been other reasons as well, but he firmly avoided considering them).
He realized that he had unwillingly developed a talent for being able to sense her mood and thus, predict her actions. Now, he had been able to get a read on most everyone around him fairly easily for most of his life, but comprehending Yankumi required an entirely different set of skills. One had to take into account her mobster background, her genuine cluelessness, her incredible naïveté, and her propensity for latching on to hopeless causes. It was exhausting.
Taking advantage of Yankumi's presence at the staff meeting, Shin buried himself in a book while the rest of his classmates talked amongst themselves. The relative peace was broken when Noda checked his phone and shouted his news to the room.
"Alright! We're having a party with a group of girls!" As every guy (besides Shin) leapt out of their seats and started making plans for charming these girls, Shin rolled his eyes at the lot of them. They're like a group of testosterone-fueled baboons, he thought, and muffled a smile as they continued to hoot and scream and jump around.
"Sorry, sorry, you guys," Noda apologized insincerely, halting the widespread jubilation. "There are only four girls. So! It'll be me, the organizer, Uchi, Kuma, and Shin." Groans of disappointment echoed throughout the classroom, and Shin glanced up from his book with a raised eyebrow. If Noda thought he was coming to a party with random girls, he had another think coming.
Amidst the shouts of protest, Noda muttered to himself, "It's a good thing that Minami is absent."
He obviously had a vision of what Minami would say if he heard about a new opportunity to hit on new females. Noda shuddered, then focused on the problem at hand.
"But why this group?" One of the excluded guys implored.
Noda slid over to explain his choices. "Uchi is to liven up the party."
Slicking back his hair, Uchi smiled and declared in a sleazy tone, "Let me pump it up for you."
Crouching next to Shin, Noda expounded, "Shin is for looks."
"I pass." Shin refused, still reading his book. He had no interest in going to this pointless party.
Noda pouted and shook his shoulders, obviously unconvinced. "No way! Your presence makes a big difference!"
Shin only had time to give Noda a disparaging look before another classmate demanded to know why Kuma was invited.
The bear-like boy grinned proudly until Noda stated that he was for comedic relief. Kuma looked at Noda with a mix of confusion and offense, but was interrupted from doing anything when Yankumi suddenly appeared in front of the two boys.
"Hmm, I see…" She nodded to herself and walked to the back of the classroom in a bit of a daze. "You do think through things, don't you?"
Shin peered at her from the corner of his eye. She was in her own little world, which could prove dangerous to everyone.
Noda grinned nervously and tried to make sure she knew it was a secret. "Well, yeah, but…shhhh." He whispered conspiratorially.
"I know, I know," she rejoined with a smile. "Parties are good." Holding up what looked like a cactus, she spoke dreamily. "Love begins with a meeting."
As the rest of the class gathered around in curiosity at this new side of Yankumi, Shin grew suspicious. Why the hell would she associate a cactus with love?
"Oh, Yankumi, you understand, don't you?" Kuma praised her in surprise.
Uchi took a slightly more realistic stance. "It's unusual for you to sound so good."
She swung around with her cactus, passing dangerously close to the surrounding students. "Life without love is like yakuza movies without Takakura Ken, you know." She told them wisely as they all leaned back out of danger. Her ending pose put the cactus right in front of Shin, who suddenly noticed that it had a pink bow on it.
"What are you holding?" He asked her, trying to see if there were any other clues near the prickly plant. Completely ignoring him, Yankumi marched back to the group of students, who scrambled out of the way of her living weapon.
"Alright, everyone. Let's fall in love!" And as the rest of the love-crazy class joined her in punching the air and shouting "Oh!", Shin shook his head at them all.
"Stupid." He muttered, then grinned as he imagined Yankumi as an incredibly energetic baboon, leading the rest of the monkeys cluelessly into the jungle.
The day passed with Yankumi lost in daydreams and the boys either complaining or giving advice to the 'lucky' few going to the party. Shin alternated between reading his book and wondering what that stupid cactus meant and why Yankumi was so happy about it. He was very aware that she was only ever this obliviously happy when Mr. Handsome Detective-san was involved somehow. The fact that the cactus was wrapped with a pink bow did not escape his notice either. The combination of these things put him in a rather sour mood the rest of the day.
Shin went home with every intention of staying in and brooding the whole night, but when his three friends appeared on his doorstep and pushed themselves into his apartment, he cursed himself for ever letting them know where he lived.
The only reason they had gotten in was because of the temporary shock he went into when he saw their outfits. Kuma was wearing a pink polo shirt (Shin was convinced Kuma had never worn anything pink in his entire life), Noda was wearing an orange cardigan over a dress shirt, and Uchi was wearing a collared shirt over one of his usual tees, but his hair was parted, combed, and curled. The boys spent a good half hour trying to convince Shin to wear something 'cooler', but they soon gave up. Forcefully pushing Shin out the door, they then headed to a strange restaurant and requested a table for eight. As the waitress went to set up their table, Shin stared openly at his friends as they each pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on.
He started to ask what they were doing, then realized that he really didn't care. Ten minutes went by, and soon Shin found himself at a table with three ridiculous looking friends and four strange girls. Noda and Uchi leaned forward with compliments while Kuma simply ogled. When Shin sighed and looked away, Kuma broke his trance to tell him to smile, and demonstrated how to do it. Noda looked down the table and coughed significantly at them.
Turning to the gathered girls with a smile, Noda spoke with almost forced happiness. "Well then, how about introductions first?"
Shin glanced over incredulously as this caused everyone to clap and shriek "Yay!"
"What's 'yay' about it?" He muttered to himself. This was just another reason why he had no interest in high school girls. What intelligent person shouts 'yay' at introducing themselves?
Then things got even weirder.
"Eisho Gakuen 3rd year, Uchiyama Haruhiko. Call me Uchi! Nice to meet you!" Uchi smiled and adjusted his fake glasses.
Shin leaned down the table as the girls squealed and cheered some more. "What's Eisho?" He asked quizzically.
Instantly, Kuma pushed him back in his chair and shook his head frantically.
Noda spoke quietly through clenched teeth. "Calm down, Shin-chan."
Kuma added in a stage whisper, "Yeah. If we say Shirokin, no one will party with us."
Great. Now they were lying to the squeaky girls. "What's wrong with you guys?" Shin grumbled as he looked away. He spent most of the evening making mental lists. List one: Why My Friends Are Idiots. List two: Why High School Girls Are Annoying. List three: Things I Would Rather Be Doing.
He had just added 'getting my teeth cleaned' to the third list when Noda told the lamest joke he had ever heard. "…and then I said, 'What am I, a tree?' Get it? I can't 'leave' because I'm not a tree!"
Shin groaned at how awful the pun was, and then groaned again as the rest of the table burst into laughter.
"That is so funny!" One of the girls (he hadn't bothered to remember their names) said between giggles.
"I didn't know there were such fun people at Eisho!" Another girl commented as the boys soaked it up.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Noda wiggled his eyebrows as Kuma and Uchi grinned widely.
Shin then added 'they tell horrible jokes' to his first list and 'they laugh at any and everything' to his second.
"Let's go to the beach next time!" Uchi suggested. More squeals. All Shin could think was that there was no way in hell he was coming to the 'next time'. "A beach is…" Uchi started a profound statement, then froze.
Shin looked up to see what had caused this reprieve from Uchi pretending to be poetic. He smirked for the first time that evening and nudged Kuma.
There, at the entrance to the dining area, was Minami. He looked near death, wore a hospital mask, and was leaning on a classmate for support, but that didn't stop the fire blazing from his eyes.
"You guys," he coughed. "Why're you partying without me?"
Noda looked simultaneously afraid and lost. "Minami…why?"
Shin's smirk grew as the rest of 3-D came out of the woodwork. "We thought you guys might be partying here." Oishi said smugly.
The girls all looked hesitantly at his friends. "Who are these guys?" One asked with wide eyes.
Noda had just enough time to shake his head and fib, "Don't know." before Minami answered her question truthfully.
"Their classmates!" He declared maliciously. The girls slowly turned towards Minami's group, and saw them do a choreographed dance and chant, "We are from Shirokin Gakuin 3-D!"
Shrinking back from the deceivers, the girls all whispered "Shirokin?" in terrified tones. Noda, Uchi, and Kuma all hung their heads in shame while Shin enjoyed himself for the first time that night. Before the guys could make up any more lies, the girls threw down their napkins, grabbed their purses, and ran out shrieking. This caused the management to bring out the check, ensure the boys paid, then kick them out.
They all walked dejectedly towards the bus station, but apparently his friends were too gloomy to make it, and collapsed against a nearby railing. Shin rolled his eyes and went to consult the bus schedule. As he approached, he could have sworn he heard the familiar voice of his teacher. He looked around, then shook his head as no pigtails were to be seen. Now you're having visions of her? His brain poked at him in glee. You must be thinking of her a lot. I wonder why…
Before he could come up with a proper defense, he heard her voice again. He knew he wasn't making this up, because her voice was coming from the ground and saying things like, "It's not right to do this, Kumiko. But I can't help it!"
He peered around a barrier and saw her crouched down by a pillar, looking very distressed. He watched her stand up decisively and headed towards the station, then stop suddenly. Shin followed her gaze and saw Mr. Handsome Detective-san himself, walking along without any idea that he was being stalked by a crazy teacher armed with a cactus. Suddenly, he turned and greeted a woman (presumably just off a bus), who smiled and took his arm. They both strolled off looking very happy, unaware that their meeting had the opposite effect of the woman behind them.
Staring with wide eyes, Yankumi whispered to herself in shock, "Is she, by chance, his… girlfriend?" The last word sounded a bit strangled.
Shin had no idea if Mr. Handsome Detective-san and Ms. Tall Pretty Woman were dating, but the way she clung to him certainly implied they were close. Trying to modulate his voice so as not to sound incredibly relieved or happy, (his internal voice had a field day with those instinctual reactions), Shin glanced at the couple and judged, "Probably."
"Eh?" She continued in a desperate tone, then gaped in shock when she saw Shin was standing next to her. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. For being able to sneak up on everyone, she really didn't have much spatial awareness at all.
"H- Hey, what are you doing here?" She managed to get out, but Shin ignored her.
"Hmm…" He thought aloud, reminding himself firmly not to grin, since he didn't want Yankumi to think that he was enjoying her misfortune. Even if he was. "Detectives are pretty popular, aren't they?" He observed with a bit of dry humor.
Successfully distracted from wondering why Shin was out near a bus station (he didn't feel like telling her about the horrendous failed group date), Yankumi looked back at her departing crush. "You – you think that's really his girlfriend?" She asked in a wavering voice.
Shin stifled another grin and was about to answer when he noticed she was clutching her cactus tightly.
"Still holding that?" He asked curiously.
Yankumi looked at her prickly plant and pouted. "Was he possibly talking about a wedding with that woman?" She asked it softly, making Shin (and his annoying internal voice) immeasurably gleeful. Coming to an affirmative answer, she dramatically threw herself towards the railing where the rest of his heartbroken friends were wallowing in depression.
"It's a significant change, alright," She accused her cactus sarcastically.
Uchi joined her despondently, "Things don't always go the way you want."
The rest of the melancholy crew moped in agreement. "So true."
In contrast to the gloomy group, Shin felt like skipping down the street, was working overtime to contain his smile. He got himself under control, then gently herded the listless assembly onto their respective buses. As he ushered Yankumi towards her bus, her doleful comments to her spiny plant amused him immensely.
"Never should have believed that damn horoscope. Superb love life, my ass! The only progress was backward! Curse you, Kumiko, for giving me false hope! Never again!" Shin simultaneously realized her happy mood earlier must have come from a horoscope (people believed those?) predicting luck in love, and wondered why she had named the cactus after herself.
The next day arrived, and Shin took a perverse pleasure in how moody his friends still were. While Noda and Minami were arguing about whose fault it was for causing the girls to run off, the class got an interesting piece of news from the teacher's lounge. Secrets at Shirokin were about as well kept as sand in a sieve, and any interesting information immediately got passed on to the rest of the school.
"Yankumi has an omiai!" The student who stood guard outside the lounge (there was an informal rotation) poked his head in during lunch and shouted the news before running off to tell the others.
This resulted in a moment of silence, followed by uproarious laughter and a variety of comments. An omiai was so old-fashioned! Poor Yankumi couldn't get a guy any other way! Maybe she'll finally find someone as dorky as she was! This must be her biological clock ticking!
The rest of the students prepared to congratulate their teacher by decorating the blackboard with hearts and dorky glasses, and pulling out streamers from one of the lockers. Throughout the commotion, Shin sat very still in the back, good mood suddenly gone. Was she that desperate to find someone? Did this have something to do with the yakuza? They seemed like they would still do omiais. Maybe someone else set it up for her and pressured her into it. That sounded much more likely than the rest of the reasons he came up with. Right?
By the time Yankumi walked in the door, everyone was armed with horns, streamers, poppers, and confetti, and used them to their full potential. Yankumi took refuge from the attack behind the door at first, then cautiously poked her head out.
"What?" She asked nervously, then saw the blackboard declaring "Congrats on your omiai Yankumi! Yeah! Love!". Shin watched her reactions closely, trying to find out which of his guesses were right.
"Hey, how do you guys know about that?" She asked, and Shin detected a bit of embarrassment as the boys told her that basically everyone knew.
"You know, Yankumi is pretty amazing." Kuma thought out loud.
"Yeah, right." Noda smiled as he answered. "A talk of omiai the day after she lost in love."
Yankumi flung herself at the blackboard in shame, which brought back a little of Shin's amusement. She probably got forced into it after mentioning her disastrous night. That seemed way more like Yankumi than setting up an omiai for herself at 23. Yup. That was probably it.
Minami coughed, and spoke in a wise voice, "Well, it takes a man to heal a wound inflicted by a man, they say."
Shin couldn't help a bit of a grin. "In her case, it might the opposite effect."
"If she's rejected, she'd be so deeply wounded," Uchi joined in the teasing.
Shouts of "Poor Yankumi!" and "So sad!" echoed around the classroom as the guys imagined Yankumi getting dumped.
"Damn it, you guys too?" She shouted at them, hinting that they were not the first to think she'd be rejected.
Uh oh, Shin thought as he saw her fist clench and heard the yakuza creep into her voice.
"I gotta prove myself as a woman!" She told the blackboard strongly, then turned to face the class. "Alright," she challenged them, "If that's the case, why don't I go to the omiai and reject him instead?" And just to prove her point, she stuck out her tongue at them.
No one, including their teacher, paid attention during math class. Yankumi kept muttering things like, "Dull? Plain? I'm awesome! I'll show them!" up at her desk, and the boys discussed the likelihood of her success.
"Heh, the guy might run away as soon as he sees her." Noda guessed, and Minami nodded.
"I wonder if she'll wear a kimono?" Everyone looked at Uchi with raised eyebrows. "What?" He asked defensively. "It's traditional for an omiai. Everyone knows that."
Shin wanted to keep an eye on this omiai, just in case, but knew if he suggested going, all his friends would know something was up. Not that there was anything to be up to. But still.
So, he implanted the idea and waited for someone else to bring it to fruition. "I bet she'll look really funny." He mentioned casually.
Kuma chortled in agreement. "Yeah. She'll probably wear like, way too much make up."
"Or maybe try to walk in a dress and high heels," Uchi added.
"The guy she's meeting with probably be really geeky." Minami grinned.
Five, four, three, two…
"Hey! We should go spy on her!" Noda suggested suddenly. The boys all jumped on the idea with enthusiasm, then turned to Shin.
"Shin, you gonna come?" Uchi asked.
Heaving a loud sigh, Shin shrugged. "I guess. Might as well."
They scouted out where the omiai was being held, and made plans to get there early and pick a good hiding spot behind a convenient screen. The omiai was planned for 5 pm at a large dining and shopping center downtown. The boys took the time to buy some newspapers (apparently they were spies from the seventies, Shin thought, and got a magazine instead), and Kuma (of course) targeted the ice cream shop.
When Shin saw the Vice Principal and a woman who henpecked him like a wife, he felt much better. Knowing Head Teacher and Yankumi, and from what he could tell about Head Teacher's wife, Yankumi had definitely been pressured into this.
Yankumi's 'date' arrived, and Shin scrutinized him carefully. He was short, dorky, and probably rich. He looked… boring. Yankumi was full of life and energy no matter what she did, so he had a feeling that this was not going to go well. Plus, his hair was floppy and his eyes were wide apart and…
"Sorry for being late!" A voice rang out across the center.
Before he could find any more flaws (he was sure there were many), Shin looked towards the entrance and felt his mouth drop open. There, rushing toward the table, was Yankumi wearing the most formal kimono he had ever seen. And it was black. Normal kimonos were pink and blue with birds or butterflies or something girly like that. Shin had never seen a yakuza kimono, but he was willing to bet that's what she was wearing. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, with a carefully arranged amount peeking out the side. She was wearing just the right amount of make-up and she looked…
Weird. Shin told himself. She looks weird.
Head Teacher apparently agreed, because he got up and quickly pulled her aside with some angry sounding whispers. He was interrupted from scolding her further when his wife coughed pointedly at them.
"Yamaguchi-sensei, this is Mr. Ijuin Toshihiko, a Japanese language teacher at Eisho High School," Mrs. Head Teacher introduced the dorky man in a calm, ladylike manner. He stood up and bowed, and Shin reluctantly took back his 'short' comment. He's still geeky, he rejoined, but it didn't help that much.
"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Yamaguchi Kumiko." Yankumi said with a smile.
"Ah! You two look great together!" Mrs. Head Teacher spoke like a true matchmaker.
Before either of the "great couple" could reply, an incredibly loud "Delicious!" came from Shin's left. The boys glared at Kuma, then quickly ducked behind their newspapers as Yankumi looked around suspiciously.
"Why don't we sit down?" Mrs. Head Teacher suggested, and Yankumi scanned the area once more before joining them. "Mr. Ijuin is the director of placement, even at this young age…" The matchmaker continued without missing a beat.
The 3-D students slowly lowered their newspapers and magazine, and Uchi whacked Kuma upside the head without looking.
"You moron! Don't yell out like that." Uchi chastised the larger boy.
"Sorry. This sundae is just so good." Kuma apologized, then went back to his dessert.
Noda, who was still keeping his eye on the omiai, commented thoughtfully, "But that guy… he's pretty good-looking."
"Yeah," Uchi nodded his agreement, looking over at the group. "He's too good-looking for Yankumi."
Shin didn't agree. He's not good-looking. I mean, I suppose he's alright to look at, but he doesn't fit Yankumi at all. Not because he's more attractive than her, or something ridiculous like that, but because he's not… just because.
His eyes narrowed as he glared at this strange man who shouldn't even be here, but then his gaze fell on Yankumi. Unconsciously, his eyes softened, and he felt the corners of his mouth twitch up, just a little. She would come to an omiai dressed in a yakuza battle kimono. He breathed a small chuckle. It suited her.
"Yamaguchi-sensei's students call her 'Yankumi'." Mrs. Head Teacher told the dorky guy with a smile. "She's very popular!"
Mr. Head Teacher inserted some disparaging comment and got a swift kick in the shin from his wife.
"What a cute nickname." Her 'date' said with no emotion at all. "Have you had it for a long time?"
Yankumi smiled and replied without thinking, "No, the students gave it to me. The only other nickname I had was Kumicho."
"Kumicho?" The others at the table repeated in confusion. Shin sat up in concern. Revealing her secret in front of the Vice Principal and his wife would be more than disastrous.
Realizing this herself, Yankumi sped to come up with a reasonable explanation. "No, um… Kumi… chan! It was Kumi-chan." She grinned nervously as no one looked like they bought her story.
Shin sighed and turned away. "I can't watch this," he muttered, rolling his eyes. Yankumi had a hard enough time keeping her secret when interacting with incredibly dense high schoolers. She was failing even more than usual in front of two strangers and the Vice Principal. It was like she was trying to give him a heart attack.
He looked back to see a small boy slip and fall while shooting a toy gun. Yankumi immediately rushed over and brushed the kid off.
"Are you alright, little boy? Let's be quiet in a place like this, okay?" She told him in her pretending-to-be-normal voice.
The kid stood up and shot a couple of pellets at her. "Shut up, old hag!"
Oh shit, was all Shin had time to think.
"Old hag! What a spoiled rotten damn brat!" She shouted in return, yakuza written all over her features.
Everyone in the entire shopping center stopped and stared at this crazy lady in a scary kimono. The boys nearly jumped out of their seats, and Shin had a sudden vision of Yankumi pulling a katana out of her kimono and challenging the kid to a duel.
Yankumi finally caught on to the fact that she was the center of everyone's flabbergasted attention. She laughed weakly and patted the boy on the head.
"What a nice cute boy you are!" She tried to repair the damage she had done, but the little boy took off running and shouting for his mother.
Turning hesitantly back to the table, she saw that the rest of the omiai group was gaping at her as well. Yankumi smiled uncertainly, then made her way back to her seat.
"I'm sorry about my language," she apologized. "An influence from my men-only family."
"Men-only family? I thought you were living alone?" Head Teacher asked suspiciously.
"Oh yes. That was it." Yankumi nodded unhelpfully.
Head Teacher furrowed his brow. "What do you mean 'that was it'?"
"I mean… yes, that's right."
Shin sighed and shifted in his seat in agitation. She was trying to give him a heart attack. After a few minutes, Mr. and Mrs. Head Teacher left to "give the young people some time alone". Shin snorted. That guy wasn't young. He must be in his thirties or something. Aha! He's too old for Yankumi! Another flaw!
He looked up just in time to see her try and explain the tv show, "The Wife of the Yakuza" as something else that sounded normal. As the guy looked confused, Yankumi winced at how awful her excuse sounded and glanced to the side. It was then that she saw the group of boys. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock while Uchi, Kuma, and Noda gave her signs of encouragement. Shin shifted a little, then watched her reaction, trying to see what she felt by seeing hi-, them, there. When all he picked up was the normal clueless Yankumi anger, he suppressed a twinge of disappointment. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to get from her, but it was more than just irritation and embarrassment.
Her omiai only went downhill from there. She distractedly asked and answered questions in between glaring at her unwanted audience, who only grinned back to annoy her further. Finally, they said their goodbyes, and the boys fled before she decided to come kill them. When she headed out the door, Shin stopped and gave her one last appraising look. She seemed exhausted and annoyed, with no sign that she took this dorky teacher guy seriously. Feeling much better, Shin decided to not give Mr. Weird Omiai Guy another thought.
His decision lasted until the next day at school. He was trying to finish his book when the two students on eavesdropping duty ran into 3-D.
"There's been a development!" One shouted.
"Yankumi's omiai succeeds!" The other finished.
Shin immediately looked up as a seed of panic started to grow. She had agreed to date that pretentious bore of a human being? Why?
The rest of 3-D was also analyzing this new information.
"Seriously?"
"No way! He's just a guy with eccentric tastes, isn't he?" Noda asked the rest of the class and received a loud chorus of laughter. Shin glanced over and noticed Kuma looking thoughtful and dejected. Noda noticed as well and commented, "What's wrong, Kuma? What's the glum face for?"
When Kuma didn't answer, Uchi ran over and started poking and teasing him. "Chubby, are you by any chance in love with…?"
"No! That's not it." Kuma shoved them off roughly and moved over to the window. "I just thought… if she gets married, she might quit school."
The entire class went silent as Kuma's words hit them. Shin felt a sudden camaraderie as Kuma and the rest struggled with the same question he had months ago when he first found out about Yankumi's family. Noda, who disliked serious silence, tried to lighten the mood.
"Quitting work when you're married isn't the style nowadays." He assured the class (and himself). Everyone quickly jumped on this idea and agreed loudly.
"But you know…" Kuma interrupted them forcefully, then continued in a subdued tone. "…she has a one-track way of thinking sometimes."
Shin felt the ghost of a grin as he heartily agreed with Kuma's assessment. As silence once more fell over the classroom, Shin realized how much Yankumi meant to all of them. For Kuma to consider the future, to know how she thought about things, for Noda to come up with reasons for her to keep teaching, for the whole class to worry about her leaving them, Yankumi must mean a hell of a lot to everyone.
They were all pensive as they walked home, though Shin was more focused on why she had accepted stupid Mr. Omiai's offer to date rather than if she would leave them if she got married. He wanted to make sure it never got that far, for reasons he was unwilling to discuss at that time.
"It won't matter to us if Yankumi quits, will it?" Uchi asked them as they walked by a video game store. Minami and Noda agreed, then asked Shin what he thought. He shrugged to give himself time to come up with an answer, and was about to reply when a student wearing a vaguely familiar uniform rushed past them. Before Minami could ask what his problem was, they heard shouting from behind them. They turned and saw a man grabbing Uchi's arm and trying to drag him away. Shin came closer and asked what had happened.
The man looked even angrier and accused, "So, you had accomplices?" When the boys looked at each other in confusion, the guy's eyes widened. "Ah, you're Shirokin students, aren't you? No wonder!"
At this, the atmosphere changed from puzzlement to anger, and Shin could see fists clenching and jaws tightening.
"Come on!" The guy demanded and pulled at Uchi again.
"It was lying here!" Uchi protested, and Shin noticed he held a video game in his hand.
Kuma chimed in. "A guy bumped into me and dropped it."
Shin looked down the way where the kid had gone. "The guy that ran away was an Eisho student," Shin said, remembering what the uniform was.
"That guy, yeah. Catch him." Noda told the manager, pointing down the road.
"Doesn't matter. You guys, come with me." The man said, and started yanking Uchi away roughly. Uchi jerked out of his grasp, and Shin saw him tense up a moment too late.
"Uchi don't!" He shouted, but Uchi's fist had already made impact. As the manager fell to the ground, Shin swore silently. He started swearing out loud when they heard sirens, then bit his tongue when he saw Shinohara-san and his partner step out of the car. They took the manager's statement, then talked to the boys. Finally, they called the Vice Principal and drove the boys back to the school.
Head Teacher was both angry and delighted to learn that 3-D students were in trouble, and called Yankumi to let her know that her students had been caught shop-lifting. Kuma started to protest, but Shin stopped him. No point in saying anything until Yankumi got here.
She arrived in record time, and asked what in the world had happened.
Head Teacher informed her that 3-D had done it again, (although he was vague on what 'it' was), and Shinohara-san, as annoyingly perfect as usual, told her that it was unclear whether the boys were involved in the shop-lifting or not. Kashiwagi-san added that the manager wasn't pressing charges.
"We're lucky the manager was so understanding. He's dropping the shop-lifting and Uchiyama's assault." Head Teacher continued in a patronizing tone.
"What? You make it sound like we're responsible!" Kuma shouted in anger.
"Uchiyama," Yankumi asked, ignoring Kuma's outrage, "did you hit the manager?"
Uchi muttered a soft "Yeah."
"Why did you do it?"
"Because he assumed that we were the culprits when we were innocent." Uchi told the ceiling quietly.
Shin watched as Yankumi took a breath and tried to come up with the right words to say. "Did your hitting help convince him of your innocence? Hitting doesn't help the matter, does it?" She told them loudly, then got herself under control. "You guys didn't shoplift, did you?"
Uchi met her gaze. "Are you doubting us?"
"Yes or no!" She demanded.
"No, we didn't!" Uchi told her.
"We were just passing by the store." Noda added quickly.
Shin spoke softly and took a few steps towards her. "The stolen video game, the guy that bumped into Kuma dropped it. Uchi just picked it up." He kept his eyes firmly on the far wall, not trusting himself to look at her since she had a new stupid boyfriend now.
The Head Teacher and his minion accused them of lying (no surprise there), and when Kuma shouted again, Noda held him back and Uchi interrupted him.
"Kuma, that's enough. I'm tired of denying it. If they don't believe us, fine."
"I believe them," Yankumi's voice was small, but strong. Everyone turned to look at her, the boys with hope, the men with confusion. Shin glanced at her and saw how different she was from the nervous woman trying to hide who she was yesterday. She looked certain, determined, decided.
"There you go again! 'I believe them, I believe them'," Head Teacher mocked her.
"They aren't the type to lie." Yankumi marched up and told him firmly while her students watched.
"Oh what grounds? Nothing, right?"
"The ground… the ground is in the time I've spent with them the past three months." She spoke passionately, and even Shin turned to look at her. She met his eyes directly, and despite how he felt about anything else, he saw in her eyes the resolute purpose she had whenever she defended her students. The strength of will. The vow that she would never abandon them. He quickly looked away, not willing to forgive her quite yet. Finally, after more discussion, the boys were allowed to go home.
He slept uneasily that night, with dreams of Head Teacher accusing him, and then arguing with Yankumi when she appeared and claimed to believe him.
"I believe them, I believe them," the Head Teacher mimicked her voice sarcastically. "Why? What have they ever done for you? Nothing! They only cause you trouble! And look at him! He can't even tell you how –"
Shin awoke with a start, breathing heavily, then shook his head to clear the remnants of the dream away. He sat up and took some time to consider the events of the past few days and the past few months. A noticeable pattern emerged. Every time they had done something wrong, she had taken the first steps in fixing it. She had led the way for them, taught them how to act, how to carry themselves. Shin looked up with a firm decision. It was time for them to take the initiative, to step up, and settle their own business.
He called the rest of the guys and had them meet him by his apartment.
"What's up?" Minami asked curiously.
Shin took a breath. "We're heading to Eisho."
"Sweet! Let's go teach that brat a lesson!" Kuma declared.
"No." Shin told him firmly. "We are not going to hit or touch anyone while we're there." He glanced around at the gathered group. "Got that?"
Unaccustomed to the authority in his voice, the boys nodded in surprise.
"Then why are we going?" Noda inquired with a touch of confusion.
"Because Yankumi's going to go." Everyone turned to Minami, who was looking at Shin with a hint of a smile. "Right?"
Shin nodded, wondering if Minami wasn't as dense as he seemed. "She'll barge in alone and cause problems again if we don't get there first. And the way Head Teacher is…" He pushed the memory of his dream away and shrugged. "We can't let her get fired because of us."
Aware that this was one of the longest speeches Shin had made, Uchi grinned and said, "Alright. Let's beat Yankumi there."
Decided, the boys headed towards Eisho High School. The school day was about to start and students were milling around the expensive-looking courtyard. When they saw the five scary-looking teenagers coming down the stairs, a few of the kids ran immediately to tell their teachers. Within minutes, ten adults had rushed out like their school was under attack. Shin rolled his eyes. Apparently five boys with colored hair were considered a major threat.
Shin's eyes narrowed. There, in the middle of the threatening teachers, was Mr. Dorky Omiai Date himself. He bit his tongue to stop himself from listing all the reasons why this boring looking teacher (he looked boring even when he was angry) was all wrong for Yankumi.
"You kids, leave now! You're trespassing on private property and we will call the authorities." He barked at them.
"We're here to talk to one of the students that shop-lifted last night and blamed it on us." Uchi told him as calmly as he could manage.
The teachers looked at each other incredulously. Shin knew that none of them believed such a scary-looking group, but that had never stopped Yankumi from trying.
"He stole a video game last night from a store downtown. He had a black satchel and brown hair, and we have someone who can identify him on sight." Shin explained, trying not to glare too hard at his teacher's totally unsuitable 'match'.
Then the jerk laughed at him. "You think we're going to let near any of our students? Get out of here."
Shin grit his teeth and stood his ground. When none of the boys moved, the jerk shouted again, "You boys, go back! Do you think this is acceptable? Our student shop-lifted and is blaming it on you? That's impossible! Now leave!"
Reminding himself not to punch anyone (even if they were worthless human beings), Shin stepped forward. "Until the shop-lifted shows himself, we won't go back."
"That's right," Kuma agreed, then bellowed to the crowd of onlooking students. "Hey! Guy that bumped into me! Come out here!"
Mr. Jerk Teacher glared angrily at them. "If you don't back off, we'll call the police," he threatened.
Uchi's eyes flared. "You son of a…" Shin held him back before he did anything rash.
"You guys! What are you doing?" Came a welcome voice from behind them. Shin fought off a grin as he turned and saw his homeroom teacher running towards them. Just as he had predicted.
"Yamaguchi-sensei," her 'date' spoke in a shocked tone. "Are these your students?" His anger returned as he stared at the boys behind her. "What they're saying is all nonsense."
"What?" Uchi growled, and took a few steps forward.
"Stop it, Uchiyama." Yankumi commanded, and Shin was pleased to notice that the jerk had a flash of fear when Uchi started towards him and relief when Yankumi called him off.
"Yamaguchi-sensei. Hurry up and take them away please." He spoke as if the students were pieces of trash left on his spotless floor, then caught Uchi's glare and looked appropriately nervous.
Stepping in front of Uchi and the rest of them, Yankumi met the teacher's gaze calmly. "Please bring the boy here that framed my student." She requested politely, but firmly. From the look on the man's face, Shin could tell that was the last thing he expected Yankumi to say.
He blinked a few times, then attempted a laugh. "What are you saying, Yamaguchi-sensei? It's your students who are trying to falsely accuse mine."
Yankumi looked at the ground and nodded. "I understand." Shin glanced at her sharply. "Let me meet all of your students." She spoke as if this was a completely reasonable request. The other teacher, however, stared at her as if she had asked him to jump to the moon.
"My students are being wrongly accused of something they didn't do. I will not put up with that." There was no mistaking the iron will in her voice.
"Yamaguchi-sensei, you're too naïve. Blindly believing such students." He scoffed at them, barely hiding a sneer.
"Is the reason you're suspicious of them because they're Shirokin students who are scary looking, who don't know how to talk nicely, and don't do well academically?" Yankumi kept her voice even as she stared down the man across from her. "You say your students don't shop-lift. Is that because they're 'elites' who excel academically?"
Sensing he was being accused of something, Mr. Eisho Teacher answered somewhat defensively, "So what if that's the case?"
"It's not that you believe your students. What you believe is the prestige of the school and your pride." Yankumi's voice rose with contempt and she almost added a sneer of her own. "You only get to see the inside of people when you drop all your pretense and just hang out with them." Shin could see her reverting back to her yakuza roots as she lectured the other teachers. "The outside and the inside aren't the same, are they? What do you know about a person from looks or title alone? You can't see what's inside."
She ignored the man's growing outrage and started proving her point. "Do you know just by looking, that this guy would endure anything for his sister?" She motioned at Shin, who gazed at her oddly, touched at her description.
Yankumi looked at Uchi, and embarrassed him by saying, "Can you tell that this guy takes really good care of his mother?"
She glanced at all of them, then stated resolutely, "Can you tell that all these guys have kind hearts and compassion for others?" The guys stared at her. No one had ever called them kind or compassionate before. Especially not a teacher.
Turning to look at them, she mustered a thoughtful smile. "At first, I didn't know that myself. But after spending a lot of time with them, I began to see that my students are kind-hearted people who understand duty and compassion." She spoke with such affection, such pride, that even these complete strangers couldn't doubt her. And Shin realized that she didn't judge people by their looks or wealth, but how they related to others. How he loved his sister, and how Uchi took care of his mother, and how they all looked after one another. She gave them chances that no one else did.
He had carefully stared at a far pillar, knowing that his brain would probably react weirdly if he watched her for too long, but she moved into his eyeline with such confidence and surety that he couldn't help but look at her.
"I believe in these guys… my students." And the way she claimed them made the boys proud of that title.
"You won't make it as a teacher being so idealistic, thinking that you should spend so much time with each student." Mr. Jerk Teacher sounded almost offended. Luckily, Shinohara-san and Kashiwagi-san drove up at that moment and helped Shin successfully resist the temptation of punching him in the mouth.
"What good timing!" The jerk remarked as the detectives walked up. "Could you take these trespassers away?"
Shinohara interrupted him with a hint of smugness. "When we checked the surveillance tape yesterday, we identified a high school student from this school." Kashiwagi pulled out a picture of the student and everyone gathered around it.
By Mr. Pretentious Teacher's face, the kid was indeed an Eisho student. Kuma vehemently declared that that was the guy who ran into him. The surrounding crowd all turned to look at the now-silent teacher.
"This is your student, isn't it?" Shinohara asked with a raised eyebrow. The man, who had apparently lost the power of speech, managed a tiny nod. "I'd like to talk to him." The detective requested authoritatively, and followed him toward the guilty student.
As they watched the onlookers melt away, Shin heard Yankumi sigh irritably, then mutter, "You guys went off by yourself, didn't you?"
Uchi explained matter-of-factly, "We didn't come here to hit anyone. We came to settle the matter."
"If so, why didn't you say something to me?" She sounded slightly put out at not being invited.
"You also came on your own, didn't you?" Shin interrupted her scolding.
Surprised at this, she tried to think of a reasonable excuse. "What? No. I came as a teacher…"
"Just as Shin predicted." Minami said with a broad grin, wiggling his eyebrows. Shin shot him a look.
"Eh?" Yankumi asked, confused.
"You might barge in alone and cause a problem again, he said." Kuma informed her cheekily.
Noda jumped on the 'let's tell Yankumi what Shin said about her' train. "We can't let her get fired on our account. Right, Shin?" He too had a mischievous smile.
As Yankumi turned to look at him in surprise, Shin made sure he was carefully examining the architecture of the school and not meeting her gaze and having bizarre thoughts.
She blinked and said in a touched voice, "Sawada…"
It was now his turn to think of a reasonable excuse. "We should settle our business by ourselves, right?" He murmured softly, keeping his eyes strictly on the school fence. See Yankumi? We've learned from you. You're helping.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her blinking rapidly and biting her lip. "You guys… you, you, rugrat you!" And having no other deep thoughts to convey, she ruffled his hair vigorously. As she attacked his hair with a beaming smile, he found himself grinning in response.
"Alright you guys. Let's go back." She declared, and led the way. Shin tried to straighten his hair half-heartedly (he found he didn't really mind when Yankumi mussed it), then stopped when Yankumi suddenly changed direction.
"Oh, I forgot," She said to herself, then walked back towards the school.
"Mr. Ijuin!" She called. Shin tensed, uncertain of what she was going to say. The shamed teacher turned around, along with the detectives alongside him. "Earlier, you said that with my method I won't make it as a teacher. But I will stay with my students til the end. So, I can say with pride that I am a Shirokin teacher. The teacher of these students."
And the students she spoke of couldn't help but smile with pride and admiration for their teacher. Especially since she had clearly chosen them over him.
The walk back to school was triumphant and jubilant. Uchi literally bounced with happiness, and kept bumping into Shin for fun. Shin finally gave in and shoved Uchi back, starting an impromptu game of tag. As Uchi raced ahead, Shin saw Minami lean in to talk to Yankumi.
"Shin sure knows you, well." Minami remarked with a poorly hidden smirk.
Trying to ignore his classmate, but wanting to hear Yankumi's response, Shin gave Uchi a ten second head start.
"I suppose he does," Yankumi agreed thoughtfully, and suddenly Shin felt like he could race Uchi to the moon and back. Today is a good day.
The following morning, the boys met up with their classmates before school to explain what had happened and what Yankumi had done. As they walked towards school, Shin looked up and saw Yankumi talking to Shinohara, looking mournful. He realized she was probably still depressed from the night when he had met that beautiful woman. He also remembered Yankumi muttering something about weddings.
Before he could enjoy the fact that Shinohara was out of the picture, he heard Yankumi shout, "Sister? That was your sister?" and then look incredibly happy.
Damn it. So close.
The rest of the boys were now watching as well. Yankumi marched in front of the detective and declared, "Shinohara-san, I am a happy woman!"
Unable to resist such a glowing opportunity, the students of 3-D teased their teacher with whistles and cat calls, and Kuma shouted loudly, "Yankumi, don't make me jealous!" (Shin ignored the jab Minami gave him). As she turned around slowly, Shin looked at her with a sigh of resignation. She was back to crushing on Mr. Handsome Detective-san. Things were back to normal, for better or worse.
"You guys, what are you looking at?" She demanded weakly, trying not to look embarrassed. Fujiyama-sensei and the nurse walked up as well and asked what was going on. The next thing Shin knew, she told Shinohara-san she was looking forward to dinner (damn him), and then ran towards her students at full speed.
"You guys! Run towards happiness with me!" Shin neatly sidestepped so she wouldn't crash into him, then watched as his class of teenage boys joined their crazy teacher in running for no reason. Laughing a little, Shin thought fondly, She's crazy – but she's our kind of crazy, and rushed to catch up with the smiling, crazy, exuberant group.