Author's Note: I know, I know -I already have one story I need to work on. But I needed something cute to balance out the darkness of my other fic, and this one was just nibbling away at my brain so I decided to write it.
Before anyone comes at me: THIS IS NOT A TEACHER/STUDENT RELATIONSHIP. Possible spoiler, but Hiei had ZERO feelings for Yusuke when he was his teacher. None. Zilch. And I will make this absolutely clear as the story goes on.
As usual, I have cultural/story-related notes at the bottom if you're interested.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Ch. 1: July 2021
It was another Wednesday night at Mazoku Ramen. Despite being nine o'clock on a weeknight, the line waiting for entry was out the door and around the block. At this time of night the customers were primarily college students, high school students coming home from cram school, or businessmen and women. Even though the line was so long, the expression on every face was excitement. They all knew the food would be worth the wait. A newcomer looking at the shop would ever believe it capable of creating such a crowd.
Sandwiched between two newer and more modern steel and glass buildings, the two floor red brick restaurant looked outdated and unimpressive. The only seating available inside were ten counter seats, all made of chipped and polished wood. The counter itself was in a similar state of age and disrepair, as well as covered in graffiti of all kinds. The paper on the walls was faded and, in several places, ripped, with still more scrawls covering it. Close inspection revealed the scrawls and graffiti to be messages written by customers who had been in before, praising the food and the owner. These words combined with the gentle murmuring of the customers, the warm lighting, and the mouthwatering, rich aroma of the cooking broth to create a welcoming and cozy atmosphere.
Mazoku Ramen was one of Yokohama's best-kept secrets for the locals.
Behind the counter, Yusuke Urameshi filled one more bowl with noodles, broth, and all the toppings the customer had requested before placing it before the man.
"Enjoy!" he said, cheerful despite how tired he felt.
His tanned skin was coated in a fine layer of sweat in spite of the running air conditioning unit. A green bandana rolled up and tied around his head kept his black hair out of the way, while the rolled up sleeves of his white T-shirt showed off this muscular arms. His brown eyes were warm and dancing with laughter at a joke the customer said in response. Judging by the glances and smiles being sent his way, it was safe to say people came to the shop for him as much as for the ramen.
With the shop full and every customer eating, Yusuke gently wiped his face with a cool, damp towel (well away from the food) and then slipped from behind the counter. He peered out the front door at the line, and breathed a sigh of relief as noted it hadn't grown any longer than it had been before. Experience told him it would be steady business, rather than chaos, for about two more hours. A sense of pride welled in his chest as he looked at everyone waiting to come inside. All through junior high and high school, his teachers had been so sure he would amount to nothing. He was more than happy to prove them wrong, even if he wasn't successful by their standards.
"Excuse me," he heard from inside, and he turned to see a customer waiting at the register.
"Coming!" he called out, grinning as he made his way back inside.
It was close to midnight when the line finally disappeared, and Yusuke was able to relax. There were three customers left inside now, and others would pop in and out until he finally closed. He had already sent his part-time help home for the night; there were enough clean dishes that he could handle another unexpected rush by himself. Although rare, they did happen occasionally. A chime sounded as the door opened. Yusuke looked that way, and his face lit up as he waved happily at the man who walked in.
"Hey, Kurama!" he greeted warmly. "I was wondering when you'd show up!"
He moved out from behind the counter and pulled the slightly taller male into a one-armed hug, breathing in the rose scent that always clung to his friend.
The lithe redhead gave a gentle smile in return and slipped an arm around Yusuke's waist to give him a light squeeze. He was an inch or two taller than Yusuke, with pale skin set off by the vibrant red hair and felt to his waist. His green eyes were direct, but kind and intelligent. He was dressed in beige slacks and a soft pink dress shirt.
"Good evening, Yusuke," Kurama said as Yusuke stepped away. "I had a few more papers to grade than usual before I could leave." He walked with Yusuke to the counter, seating himself down in his usual seat at the far end.
"Uh-huh," Yusuke snickered as he moved back behind the counter. "Let me guess, Shizuru or your mom called about the wedding plans."
"My mother," Kurama admitted with a chuckle, Yusuke grinning and making the man's favorite ramen. "She's still trying to convince me to expand the guest list."
"What, a hundred people not enough for her?"
"Apparently she's thought of a hundred more people she wishes to invite."
Yusuke cackled, picturing how well that conversation must have gone. Even though Kurama could get along with anyone, he was very particular about who he allowed around him. His close friends could be counted on one hand, and the family he enjoyed spending time with on two. He knew for a fact that the only reason Kurama and Shizuru were even having a real wedding and not just registering it was a deal with their parents: one hundred guests total, to be split evenly between the families. He wasn't surprised that Kurama's mom wasn't giving up.
"It's not too late," Yusuke stage-whispered as he placed the finished bowl in front of the other man, his brown eyes dancing with mischief. "You can still run away with me."
Kurama chuckled again, and Yusuke noted with satisfaction that some of the tension that had been lingering in his form disappeared.
"Yes, well, I'd prefer to live to see my old age. As attractive as you are, my life comes first."
"Damn, man, Shizuru's got you hook, line, and sinker." Yusuke heaved a great sigh. "I know when to give up." He winked, and Kurama shook his head in amusement before starting on his meal. Yusuke watched him, a soft, fond expression on his face while those piercing eyes weren't focused on him.
"Seriously, though," he said after a moment, when Kurama had chewed and swallowed several mouthfuls of noodles. "I'm happy for you. You and Shizuru are good together."
The warmth in Kurama's gaze was one that Yusuke treasured. But it quickly twisted into something devious, matching the smile playing at his lips.
"Let's see how happy you are at the reception, Best Man," Kurama said.
Yusuke groaned loudly, unable to stop a grin at the good-natured laughing he heard from the few customers remaining.
"You really don't have anyone else?" he all but whined.
"There's only one other person I'd trust with that responsibility, but he hates speeches even more than you do."
"Fine, but you owe me. And I will collect."
"Anything you want, Yusuke."
A customer stood up to pay and Yusuke bustled away, leaving Kurama to eat his meal in peace while Yusuke himself tried hard to soothe the small bite of jealousy on his heart. He truly was happy for Kurama; the man deserved the best, and Shizuru was definitely it.
He only wished the upcoming celebration didn't leave him feeling so lonely.
X X X
As he worked his way through the large bowl of ramen (a size no one would think the slender man could eat), Kurama carefully observed his friend. Although he'd never admit it to the other man, there had been a time during their five years of friendship when he'd been in love with Yusuke. It was hard not to fall for him. He was kind and caring, easy to be around, and a wonderfully attentive and exceptional lover, as Kurama knew from experience. However, Kurama had quickly realized Yusuke didn't feel the same way he'd felt, and had kept his feelings hidden, calling off their relationship when he thought it threatened to bring his feelings to light. Then Yusuke had introduced him to Shizuru, and he'd finally fallen for the right person.
Yet even as Kurama moved on, in the three years since their sexual relationship had ended, Yusuke had yet to find another partner. He never even went out on dates, as far as Kurama knew. He would flirt, but it never went beyond that. Kurama only noticed because even when they'd become lovers, Kurama himself had been the one to make the first move to move beyond the flirting stage.
He watched as an attractive woman (he knew Yusuke had no gender preferences) was flirting with him pretty seriously, but Yusuke treated her as lightly as he did everyone else. He kept his distance, his flirting gentle, and never gave any indication he would be interested in more.
Does he have no romantic inclinations? Kurama wondered.
It wouldn't be unheard of. He knew a few people who were more than happy to have sex, but didn't feel any romantic feelings for others. But that didn't seem to fit with what he knew about Yusuke. And it didn't match the look his eyes sometimes held when he watched a couple together. It had cropped up more than once, a flicker of loneliness that Kurama recognized from his own gaze once upon a time, only to disappear as quickly as it came.
The women left with one last disappointed glance at Yusuke, who didn't notice as he cleaned up the dishes left behind. Kurama realized the shop was now empty but for the two of them, and took the opportunity.
"She seemed nice," he commented.
"Oh, Riko? Yeah, she's been coming here for a few weeks now. She's an OL at one of the offices in the area."
"She's definitely taken a liking to you," Kurama teased, but Yusuke only waved him off with a laugh.
"Nah, it's just close and she doesn't feel like cooking."
"She spent most of her time flirting with you," Kurama stated dryly. "She obviously came for more than the ramen."
Yusuke flushed, but he only shrugged in reply. Kurama continued to watch him, observing. His friend was still blushing a bit, but more than that his movements were stiff, lacking the chaotic grace of earlier, and the corners of his mouth were turned down just slightly.
"Yusuke, I don't want to pry, but I've been curious about this for a while now…is there a particular reason you don't date?"
The broad shoulders stiffened even more, and brown eyes looked at Kurama through their lashes even as Yusuke continued to busy himself with the cleaning.
Kurama pushed on. "When we met, you told me you'd only dated in junior high school. And unless your stealth skills have improved, you haven't dated anyone since our relationship ended, either."
"This your way of telling me I need a date for your wedding?" Yusuke asked. His tone was light and teasing, but the look in his eyes was much more serious.
"Not at all." Kurama met that gaze, his heart aching at what he saw there, but he carefully tucked that ache away. Yusuke wouldn't appreciate them right now. "I just worry about you."
"Not everyone wants, or needs, a romantic partner."
"Are you one of those people?"
Yusuke twitched, but remained silent, and Kurama nodded.
"I thought not."
"Man," Yusuke sighed, coming around and dropping into a chair beside Kurama, "you sure don't pull any punches. I almost feel sorry for your students." He turned so his back was to the counter, using his elbows to lean back on it and tilted his head to look at the ceiling. The stiffness in his form was gone, and he simply looked…tired.
"You don't have to talk about it if you truly don't wish to," Kurama told him quietly, feeling a little guilty for causing the man to look like that.
"Yeah, but if I don't, you'll worry yourself to death, and then I'll be the one dealing with your mother and Shizuru." He glanced at Kurama from the corner of his eye. "But if you ever tell anyone about this, I'll ruin your wedding myself, your scary fiancé and mother be damned."
Kurama mimed zipping his mouth, hiding a smile that threatened to grow larger when he saw how pink Yusuke's cheeks were turning. He continued to eat his ramen, knowing that Yusuke wouldn't like to have attention on him when he spoke.
"I met someone once, my first year in high school. I didn't like him right away, but I fell for him pretty fucking hard by the time I left. I've been trying for years to get over it, but every time I try being with someone else romantically, I end up comparing them to him. And they always fall short." Yusuke gave an embarrassed shrug. "So I gave up."
Kurama did look at him then, pushing his now empty bowl to the side.
"Why did it not work out with him?"
"He, uh…" Yusuke cleared his throat, and very purposefully avoided meeting Kurama's eyes. "He never knew how I felt."
"He never…?"
"Yeah, I never told him," Yusuke said sheepishly, his cheeks now a blazing red.
Kurama didn't know whether to be amused or frustrated. Whatever he'd been expecting, this certainly hadn't been it.
"Why in the world not?" he demanded, his desire for the truth increasing as Yusuke's ears actually turned red. He knew from experience that the color was probably all the way to his chest, and now he really wanted to know what was so bad that Yusuke would react like this.
"He was my teacher," Yusuke muttered after a moment.
Kurama blinked. Once, twice. Then, when the words and their meanings finally sunk in, he turned away so Yusuke wouldn't see him. It was too bad his shaking shoulders gave him away.
"Oh shut up," Yusuke growled, straightening, and giving Kurama a gentle shove. "It's not that funny!"
"On the contrary," Kurama replied, struggling to speak without his voice shaking from amusement, "it's hilarious. Of all people to reveal a story of romantic interest right out of a shoujo manga…" He cut himself off and his laughter finally escaped. It only got worse as Yusuke pouted.
"Fine," he snapped. "See if I ever tell you anything personal again."
The words created a guilt that pierced the amusement enough for Kurama to stop laughing. He placed a hand on Yusuke's shoulder, and gave a relieved smile when the man covered it with his own.
"I'm sorry," Kurama murmured, giving a gentle squeeze. "That was rude of me."
"Damn right." Yusuke gave him a final glare, but it melted a little and his lips quirked up. "But I get it. It's a little funny, and if it were any other delinquent I'd probably be laughing my ass off too."
They fell into a comfortable silence. Kurama wondered what Yusuke was thinking of; was he remembering the man he'd been speaking about? If Yusuke had met him in high school, then he'd had to have been in love with him for thirteen years, at most. What kind of man could inspire that kind of devotion?
"I understand not telling him while you were at school," Kurama said after a moment, "but why didn't you tell him after you graduated?"
Yusuke sighed. "I thought about it, but…I was pretty sure he didn't feel that way about me, and I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. Plus, what could I offer him? I had no job, no money, no plans for the future at all…not really the best state to date anyone, let alone an older man with a career."
He has a point, Kurama admitted. Out loud he asked, "How much older was he?"
"About seven years, I think? He was a first year-teacher when I started high school." Yusuke gave Kurama a considering look. "I think he'd be about your age now, actually; about thirty-two."
"What kind of person was he?"
"Scary as hell," Yusuke said with a laugh. "It was the worst high school in the city, and they shoved all us delinquents into the same class and put him in charge of it. It only took two weeks for us to learn not to mess with him, after some idiots learned their lesson the hard way. After that, no one so much as skipped his class." He snickered again. "What's funny is that he scared the worst bullies shitless, but he was shorter than them. It was hilarious to watch him chewing them out when they towered over him."
"And yet you fell for him? I never pegged you for a masochist." Kurama smirked, even as something tugged at the back of his mind, trying to crawl to the forefront.
"Hey, he was hot when he was pissed. But he also really helped me out, you know? All the other teachers, they took one look at my records and my grades and wrote me off without even meeting me. He didn't. He stood up for me when a few teachers tried to get me expelled. Hell, he even managed to convince me I could really do something with my life, if I tried hard enough. I wouldn't have Mazoku today if it weren't for him."
The pure affection in his tone made Kurama look more closely at his friend, and he was taken aback by what he saw. He'd never seen a look that tender on Yusuke's face before. It made his heart ache because it mirrored what he felt whenever he looked at Shizuru. No matter how impossible it seemed given the circumstances, Yusuke was still deeply in love with this man.
"Yusuke…"
The other man laughed nervously, and the look disappeared. "I know it's stupid to still be in love with someone I haven't seen in like ten years, but…I've just never met anyone who could compare to him." He threw a wicked smirk Kurama's way. "No offense."
"Pay for my ramen, and there will be none taken."
"Tricky bastard," Yusuke grumbled good-naturedly as he stood up and took Kurama's bowl.
Maybe he just needs some closure, Kurama thought watching Yusuke as he cleaned up. He never got to express his feelings, and he hasn't seen this man in so long…Maybe if he could meet him again, talk to him, then…
It was a foolish thought, he knew, but Kurama wanted Yusuke to be happy. And while the other man certainly appeared to be so, Kurama had seen enough of those lonely looks to not be fooled. Some people wanted to be alone, but he knew now with absolute certainly that Yusuke wasn't one of them. And Kurama wasn't the kind of person to let his friends be miserable if there was even a possibility he could do something.
"What was his name?" he asked casually, taking a sip of water. "Or did you get it in your old age?"
"Not likely," Yusuke replied, rolling his eyes. "It was Hiei. Hiei Jaganshi."
A new customer prevented him from witnessing the usually calm and elegant Kurama almost choke on his water, as well as the devious smile that flitted across his features moments later.
X X X
Hiei felt his eye twitch as he neared the small space between the PE storage shed and the school wall. The unmistakable scent of cigarette smoke drifted through the still air, without even a wind to help it disperse more quickly.
Of all the things I wanted to do on my one break, he thought irritably, hunting down missing students was nowhere on the list.
Unfortunately, he had to do it. They had been reported missing from fifth period, and as their homeroom teacher, it was his job to find them. He'd noticed these particular students being a bit restless during homeroom that morning, but he'd still hoped they would go to class on their own. No such luck. So now here he was, wasting valuable time hunting them down because Iwamoto-sensei, asshole that he was, refused to overlook it.
When he reached the hidden space, he saw two boys squatting there, chatting quietly and each smoking a cigarette. Hiei felt a headache just looking at them. Both of them were third years, and driving him slowly insane. Rando was a well-known bully, just a few inches shorter than Hiei but with more obvious muscle. He was always dying his hair red despite warnings from the school, and was brought to Hiei for fighting nearly every single day. His companion, Shorin, was smaller and weaker looking, but he was clever and devious and utterly devoted to Rando and his schemes. The two of them together were a match made in hell.
Hiei quietly crept up on them, making no sound on the packed dirt, and, before they realized he was there, snatched the cigarettes away from both of them.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Rando demanded, before his eyes travelled down to land on Hiei. He twitched, hate filling his expression, but he didn't say anything else. Shorin remained silent.
"Your teacher," Hiei replied in a bored drawl, hiding his own anger. "Who just had his valuable break time wasted because of your stupidity." He tossed the cigarettes to the ground and stepped on them, twisting his foot to make sure they were put out, then crossed his arms over his chest. Rando took a step forward, a soft growl escaping him, but Shorin carefully put a hand on his shoulder to restrain him.
Rando had been a thorn in Hiei's side since his first year, and he'd only gotten worse with time. Since school started this past April, he'd been particularly unmanageable. Still, he knew better than to pick a fight with Hiei. He'd tried it once that first year, and had never attempted it again. No one had ever figured out how he'd come back to school covered in bruises.
"A word of advice," Hiei stated coldly. "If you want to skip so badly, just don't come to school in the first place."
"Like that would work," Shorin muttered, speaking for the first time, only to flinch behind Rando as Hiei cut his eyes to him.
Shorin was one of the bigger disappointments in his class. He was smart, but he didn't put in the effort to do the work. He wanted to skate through life, and relied on blackmail and coercion to get what he wanted. Hiei didn't mind the delinquents he taught; he preferred them, because at least they were open with their opinions. But Shorin was manipulative, and whenever something went down involving him, he somehow managed to weasel his way out of it. Hiei was determined to make something stick this year, to teach him a lesson the kid desperately needed to learn before he was thrust out into the real world.
"If you two want to ruin your lives with this bullshit, that's your problem," he continued, ignoring Shorin's interruption. "But I won't let you drag my day down with you. So get to class, now, before I get angry."
"You know what, 'sensei'?" Rando said, stepping away from Shorin again. "I'm getting really tired of you. What if we don't want to go back to class?"
"Unfortunately for you, what you want right now doesn't matter." Hiei reached up and grabbed the collar of Rando's uniform, pulling him down so their faces were level. "I'd start walking. Before your friend has to drag your ass back to class."
"Rando, let's go," Shorin said softly, clearly nervous. He reached out again and gripped Rando's arm lightly, pressing so close to the taller teen it confirmed some of Hiei's suspicions.
Rando growled again, but he took a step back and wrapped an arm around Shorin's waist. "You better watch your back, sensei," Rando spit out as he let Shorin lead him away. "'Cause I'm going to enjoy showing you your place."
Hiei watched them leave, only relaxing when they were out of sight. Suddenly he felt older than his thirty-five years, and the weight of exhaustion brought by it threatened to make him collapse right there.
"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered, shaking his head.
Although only thirty-two, ten years of teaching at South High School made him feel like he'd aged rapidly. The school was infamous for being a last-resort school for students; as long as a kid could write their name and do basic math, they got in. It meant it was a magnet for the troubled students who weren't "hardcore" enough to ignore their parents and skip high school. Each year, maybe one student in each graduating class made it to college. The rest, supposedly, went straight into the workforce.
Hiei didn't usually mind working there. He'd just had a very long week listening to Iwamoto-sensei (the math teacher) and Akashi-sensei (the science teacher) talk trash about his students, who were admittedly the worst academically in the school. All he wanted to do right now was go home and pour himself a very strong drink. Instead, he was stuck here until at least seven to teach, grade, and contact parents.
With a sigh, he buried the cigarettes by digging up the dirty with his foot, shoving them into the hole, and then covering them again. They'd be found eventually, but hopefully not anytime soon.
Why am I even covering for those two? He wondered as he walked across the field back to the teacher's room. It's not like they want me to.
A memory of Rando taking a punch from an older man Hiei recognized as his father pushed forward, to be followed by one of Shorin desperately trying to get away when Iwamoto-sensei had touched his bare arm pushed forward. He knew why he was doing it; because as tough as the two of them tried to be, they were also fighting for their lives, in their own way. Just like every other student that passed through Hiei's door. He was covering for them for the same reasons he had been doing it for the last ten years. It was just that in all that time, he hadn't been able to definitively decide if he was a fool for trying to help or not.
The skin on the back of his neck prickled as he walked into the teacher's room, and it didn't take him long to find out why. Akashi-sensi was glaring at him from his desk across the room.
"Can I help you Akashi-sensei?" Hiei asked with cold politeness.
"Did you find them?" the man demanded, looking more rat-like than ever with the way his eyes were narrowed.
"Yes, they were in the bathroom," he lied easily.
"Really? You're sure you didn't find them somewhere else?"
"If you're so concerned about them, Akashi-sensi, then why don't you look for them yourself next time?"
"As if I'd do your job for you, Jaganshi-sensei."
The other teachers present continued their work, but they all kept one eye on the two men. Their dislike of each other was well-known. Akashi had been against Hiei from day one, and had yet to change his opinion. To him, Hiei was a "worthless upstart" who "encouraged delinquent behavior." The whole school knew Akashi was really angry because ever since Hiei's placement at the school, Akashi and Iwamoto had been unable to continue their plan of expelling all the students they considered unworthy. Hiei was good at championing for his students and getting them out of tight places. He should be, after being given the "problem" class every year for ten years running. At this point, though, Hiei ran the interference more because he enjoyed seeing the two most hated teachers in the school fail, rather than because he wanted to help his students.
"Worry about your own class," Hiei said at last as the vice-principal came back into the room and sat at his desk. "I'll worry about mine."
Akashi continued shooting him glares and grumbling, but even he wouldn't dare say anything in front of the vice principal without proof. Hiei simply ignored him, something he'd gotten very good at over the years.
He cast his own glare at the pile of notebooks on his desk. How he wished he could throw them into the trash, or better yet a very large fire. However, that would be frowned on. So, with a sight, he picked up the top one and began checking his students' work. He'd worked his way through five of them when he heard his phone vibrate in the desk drawer. Wondering who it was (and more than willing to procrastinate after dreadful work in the last five notebooks), he took the phone out and unlocked the screen. His severe expression softened minutely as he read Kurama's name on the notification. He quickly opened LINE and read the message.
Kurama: I know it's last minute, but do you want to get dinner tonight?
Kurama: I need a break from wedding planning.
Kurama: And I'll pay.
Hiei smirked as he read the message. He still found it hard to believe that Kurama, of all people, was getting married. In college, the man had been known as a studious gentleman by day, and a player by night. He never managed to stay with any one person for very long. He was only exclusive with Hiei for just over a year before they both decided friendship was best. Kurama had continued creating a long string of lovers, only stopping again for someone he'd met about five years ago. Whoever it was had last longer than Hiei, but hadn't been the one for Kurama. What clued him in to how serious that relationship must have been was that instead of playing the field again once he was free, Kurama had taken a break for several months and then jumped into a serious relationship that was now ending in marriage.
Stranger things have happened, he mused. I just can't think of any.
Meeting Kurama did sound appealing, though. He hadn't seen his friend in weeks because of their schedules, and Kurama had always had a way of making him feel less stressed, even when they'd stopped their sexual relationship. He typed a reply and hit send.
Hiei: Sure.
Hiei: I need someone to keep me from committing murder.
Hiei: But it'll have to be late. Will 10 be okay?
He didn't have to wait long for a reply.
Kurama: That's fine, I have some things I need to attend to as well.
Kurama: Meet me at Sakuragicho Station. I have a restaurant in mind.
Kurama: I think you'll be surprised.
Hiei confirmed, and then put his phone away, feeling a little less irritable than before. Maybe his weekend would get off to a good start, after all.
He'd just gotten into the groove of grading again and was steadily working his way through the stack when raised voices were heard and Iwamoto-sensei stormed in, hauling on of Hiei's students with him, both of them yelling louder than was necessary.
Or maybe not.
If you enjoyed, please leave a review~
Notes:
-Yokohama is the second most populated city in Japan, located south of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture. It's a port city, and was one of the first areas of Japan to be open to ships from the West. I decided to set the story here because I recently moved to Yokohama and I've fallen in love with it; therefore, some of the major sights will definitely make their way in here.
-I wanted to work in a little whimsical aspect, so I channeled Ghibli a bit when making Yusuke's shop. Although you CAN see small buildings like that, usually in the city centers it's larger 4 story or higher buildings. Ramen shops are often just one part of a larger building.
-I didn't exaggerate when I described the line outside of Yusuke's shop. I've witnessed this craziness before. Here, people will willingly wait a looong time to get into a new or good restaurant. It's insane.
-OL stands for "office lady," and yes, they actually use that term here to describe that job.
-For everyone else I've chosen to ignore honorifics, however I've chosen to keep "-sensei" for the teachers because it's legitimately how they talk to each other at work, and using "Mr." or "Mrs." doesn't quite give the same ring. In Japan, "-sensei" holds a lot of weight to it from the respect traditionally given to that title.
-Sakuragicho Station is one of the most popular stations in Yokohama, as it's close to Minato Mirai -a shopping/entertainment district close to the port.
-Schools in Japan are run a little differently than in Western countries. Although a teacher might have a desk in their classroom, the room is typically considered the students' domain because the students remain in that one classroom all day (except for a select few classes), while the teachers will often rotate in and out of the room (for JHS and HS). Instead, teachers have their real desk in the teacher's room, which is also where the head teacher and the vice principal stay. The principal has his own office. Japan's schools are severely underfunded, so it's common for teachers to work until super late hours (sometimes as late as 9PM), and they rarely get breaks. I think the teachers may get ONE period during the day when they don't have to be with a class, and that's a huge maybe. Each grade is separated into different classes, using either numbers or letters. Also, because the schools haven't been updated in decades, watch any anime from the 90s or before, and that's pretty much the school. Public schools here all look very similar. Also, typically, if a teacher gets a first year class, they're probably going to remain that class's homeroom teacher until the kids graduate. So Hiei will have the same group of kids for three years, since in Japan you have 6 years of elementary school (1st-6th), 3 years of JHS (7th-9th), and 3 years of HS (10th-12th). However, HS isn't compulsory, so students don't have to go to HS if they don't want to -although most end up going.
-A bit of a fun fact, but some bits of this story are inspired by/based on pieces of the dramas "Hajikoi" (A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love) and "Gokusen." I highly recommend both!
