"All you fools who delight in youth…"

Hiratsuka-sensei read through the end of my essay once again, brow furrowing at the rather… passionate words that I had written last night.

"… drop dead."

I kept my gaze held firmly on the clock that hung above the doorway leading into and out of the staff room. This wasn't the first time I had been called in by Hiratsuka-sensei, and I doubted it would be my last. But, at the very least, I still refused to shy away from my true thoughts.

"Ah, well, how do I say this… it's a bit… accusatory" Hiratsuka-sensei said with a forced smile.

I nodded my head as politely as I could. For whatever reason, Hiratsuka-sensei had taken a slight liking to me from the very first Japanese Literature class. A shine to me that only grew as the months passed. That favorable bias was something worth holding onto, if possible.

Seeing how Hiratsuka-sensei was the only teacher whose bad side I wasn't on.

"When I had assigned the prompt, I imagined a more… positive reflection."

A look was shot my way, one that I ignored.

"You're almost halfway through high school, Hikigaya-kun. Surely there has to have been something worth writing about? Something nice worth writing about, that is" Hiratsuka-sensei continued.

I raised my eyebrows at the wall clock.

I had given it thought, of course. The easiest route would have been to write about something that I had enjoyed about school. Some club, or sport, or class that I found was worth the tuition my parents forked over on a yearly basis.

Turn it in, get a decent grade, and call it a day. Easy.

I already knew what Hiratsuka-sensei was looking for, but when I sat down and racked my mind searching for something, anything… I come up empty-handed. The only 'positive' part of school for me was the part where I went home. While I will agree that it is something I look forward too on every school day… I doubt writing about that certain aspect of education would have any better of a reception than what I turned in.

"Nothing stood out to me, sir."

Hiratsuka-sensei set my essay down onto his cluttered desk, the stress of the day showing clearly in his expression. He ran a hand through his hair, which had rather noticeably begun its recent transition to gray.

"Oh, none of that 'sir' stuff, please. Makes me feel as old as I really am."

I retrieved my gaze from the wall and focused it on Hiratsuka-sensei. He was a tall, sturdy looking man. Wide shoulders and strong forearms. Mid-forties, if I had to guess. The type of man that wore a suit like a simple extension of himself. That being said, his daily attire consisted of a dress shirt, black vest and dress pants, maroon tie, and a sweeping lab coat to top it all off.

Not exactly dress code, but not too far from it. In the end, he looked like he belonged in the outfit, so nobody ever called him out on it. At least to my knowledge.

A personality more akin to that of a kind grandfather than that of a middle-aged high school teacher combined with his admittedly rather dashing looks led to him being a favorite of the students. Particularly the female ones.

His fair grading and policy of being strict only when need be also put him in good graces with fellow teachers. More often referred to as 'Tsuka-sensei' by most at the school, I'd call him the best teacher I've had to date.

Although, to be fair, I don't think that award holds much weight.

Of all the teachers, he was the only one I could really bear to be around. Plus, he really did love what he taught, which was Japanese Literature. Our interactions always led to interesting conversations.

"Do I need to re-write the essay then, Hiratsuka-sensei?"

He looked at me for a moment before letting out another sign and rubbing at his temple. Picking my essay up off his desk, he handed it back to me with a small smile.

"Just… revise it a tiny bit. Cut me a bit of slack and I'll cut you some, alright?"

I smiled internally.

"Will do."

"Turn it back in tomorrow and I won't take off any points."

"Thank you, Sensei" I replied sincerely. Last year, I had to re-write every other essay for Japanese Literature just to pass. A pain in the ass, to be sure.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Hikigaya-kun" Hiratsuka-sensei said, turning away from me and paging through a pile of documents on his desk.

Stuffing the piece of paper into my schoolbag, I quickly bowed and made my way to the door. As I reached for the handle, I was surprised when it suddenly disappeared in front of me. Withdrawing my hand and looking up, I found that a familiar face had opened the sliding door from the other side.

Hiratsuka-san.

Their physical resemblance was uncanny. If she cut her hair short, she'd look more like a young Hiratsuka-sensei than Sensei himself probably did.

We looked at each other for a moment, each surprised by the presence of the other. However, that moment was gone as soon as it had come. Hiratsuka-san stepped aside and motioned for me to step out.

Giving her a brief, respectful nod, I stepped pass her and to the right. I couldn't help but notice the slight waft of cigarette smoke that assaulted my nose as I passed. Shrugging it off, I hoisted my schoolbag higher on my shoulder and made my way to towards the front entrance. Behind me, the door slid shut with an audible clack, but I didn't look back.

Why would I? After all, I hadn't ever spoken to Shizuka Hiratsuka. Not once.

All I knew about her was that she was Hiratsuka-sensei's daughter, she was in my class, and she, apparently, liked to smoke.

I gently placed my revised essay on the desk, on one of the few areas not already cluttered with stack of paper. I was only here for a drop-off today, and didn't want to disturb Hiratsuka-sensei, who looked hyper-focused on reading a document.

But I was unsuccessful. The moment my essay touched his desk, he tore his eyes away from whatever he had been peering down at. Recognizing that it was me, his face took on an expression of cheerfulness.

"As promised, a revised essay. Slack cut, and everything" I announced evenly.

"Ah, thank you, Hikigaya-kun! I'll get this graded and back to you by tomorrow."

I blinked at him. He seemed busy enough as is, and I really wouldn't care when he returned the essay. So long as he didn't fail me, that is.

"You don't have to rush or anything, Hiratsuka-sensei. I see that you, uh, already have a lot going on" I told him, motioned towards the copious paper stacks on his desk.

To that, Hiratsuka-sensei leaned back into his chair fully, his constant 'nice sensei' expression drooping down a bit.

"Ugh, tell me about it" he complained "But don't worry. All this junk" he poked at a particularly large stack "is just boring busy work. I'd be happy to have a break from it all and read whatever you've brought me."

That… surprised me.

"You enjoy reading your students' work, sensei?" I asked. I was genuinely curious. Hiratsuka-sensei always read through my essays fully, filling in all the blank space with helpful comments. I always wondered how he managed to be so thorough.

To my question, Sensei let out a hearty laugh, one full of mirth. I took a step back, surprised by the volume, but was soon waved back.

As other teachers returned to their work, no longer curious about the loud noise, Hiratsuka-sensei grabbed onto my blazer sleeve pulled me down a bit.

"No way" he whispered, almost conspiratorially "I hate most of the cookie-cutter rubbish that gets turned in, and especially hate the fact that I have to give those… works… a good grade."

I felt my confusion unwillingly form into an expression, one which Hiratsuka-sensei most definitely noticed. I had always thought of Hiratsuka-sensei as more of a 'loves every student' kind of teacher.

"Then…?"

"You're one of the select few, Hikigaya-kun. Not only are you a good writer, but the topics you write about never fail to amuse me."

Feeling Hiratsuka-sensei let go of my sleeve, I straightened myself, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed for whatever reason.

"Err, thanks? I think?"

Hiratsuka-sensei's trademark, cheerful grin returned.

"No, thank you. I'll make sure to read this—" he held up my revised essay "—after I read Tobe-kun's essay."

I quirked my head at him.

"A palate cleanser, you see. To restore this old man's faith in his students."

Ah…

Against my will, I felt my cheeks burn a bit. I was never good with compliments.

"Should you really be telling this to a student? I'm sure you know just how brutal Soubu's rumor mill is" I deflected.

To my question, Hiratsuka-sensei just let out another hearty laugh, this one quieter than the last.

"As if you'd ever get involved with any of that. Remember the second assignment of the year? You wrote me an essay, double the suggested word count, may I add, entirely on the 'Propriety and Ethics of Rumors.' What a riot!"

Oh, yeah… Almost forgot about that one, although it is one of my prouder works.

"Fair enough" I commented, shrugging my shoulders.

Realizing that a smile had crept onto my features at some point in our conversation, I quickly wiped it off my face and turned to leave.

"I'll be going, then, Hiratsu—" I started, but was interrupted by a strong hand on my shoulder.

"Hold up for a moment. I have a favor to ask of you" came Sensei's voice, low and serious.

To that, I froze. Hiratsuka-sensei asking something from me? Something, I presume, non-schoolwork related?

My interest piqued, I turned back and met Hiratsuka-sensei gaze. It was certain, unwavering as he stared down at me. He scanned me from head-to-toe, mouth quirking up into a small smile once his eyes returned to meet mine.

When had he stood from his chair? I had no idea. But now that he had, I couldn't help but notice that he towered over me. And I'm tall enough to look over most heads in a crowd. To students like me, who only saw him teaching at the front of the class or sitting down in his office chair, being up close to him was a startling experience.

I waited patiently, my grip tightening unconsciously on the handles of my schoolbag.

"Hikigaya-kun?"

"Yes?" I responded cautiously.

"Will you… will you look after my daughter for me?"

I blinked at him.

Huh?

Huh!?

A/N: Shizuka Hiratsuka has always held a special place in Oregairu for me. Did not particularly like what I found for her in the archives, so...

Anyways, I've been sitting on this idea for awhile. Needed to force myself past my writer's burnout somehow, and a new story might just be the thing. Don't yell me at, I'm not abandoning Listless.