Hitsuji from Jamir teaches math on Wednesday mornings using sheep due to his experience in the family business. Kotaro or Koko will teach literature in the afternoons. While in class, Seiya remarks about the Gemini Temple, which leads to a fistfight with Hyoga. Shun and Shiryu get in, and they're sent to the director's office. They're let go for today, and none go to clubs. Saori shows up, too, saying talking about past fights is too dangerous as people might overhear and take it the wrong way.
The weather for today is cloudy and raining.
[May 16, Wednesday - week 3]
Another new teacher enters the classroom. This time, a young man with short gold hair wearing traditional foreign clothing. He wears a tunic with a long shawl and a string on his waist, which ties them like a belt. He also wears white straps on his arms and eyeglasses like the new teachers before him. He approaches the teacher's desk and speaks.
"Good morning. I'm Hitsuji, your math teacher. You might be wondering why I'm wearing such clothes. The truth is I'm from Jamir. It's a place located in the Himalayas, somewhere in Tibet. You may also be wondering about the two facial marks on my face. It's a long story to tell, but I was born with them. Anyway, I'll be teaching Math every Wednesday morning. Math may seem difficult, but rest assured, I'll make it so you can understand and try to apply at some point in your life."
"Something about him seems familiar. Have I seen him before?" Seiya mentally asks. He tries not to stare too much or risk getting the teacher's attention. He also notices his friends staring, too.
"Now, don't let my appearance fool you. I have experience in the family business as a shepherd. My task was to count the amount of sheep we possessed, sold, and bought. My family made money based on profit. That is the amount of sheep per demand. Therefore, the math I'll teach will use sheep as the ideal model. Here's the handout with the topics."
After class ends, the BBs head outdoors to the courtyard. They sit on a bench and eat their box lunch as they discuss this morning's class.
"You guys notice something familiar, right? " Seiya asks.
"Yeah, I get the feeling we saw someone like him before," Hyoga says.
"I've seen him too, but where?" Shun asks too.
"I get it now! We met once before. His name was Shion," Shiryu says.
"Shion..." Seiya crosses his arms. "That name does resonate."
"I've heard it too," Hyoga adds.
"And so do I," Shun says.
"Yes! He was Shion. The former pope we met in Sanctuary. He was the one who revived our Cloths using Athena's blood."
"That's right! He gave us Athena's Cloth in the form of a small statue. I get it now. He was one of the Specters who came for Athena. And he was also the former pope who passed away a decade ago," Seiya says.
"So our math teacher is based on his image. Now that counts to seven."
"Looks like another new teacher coming today will be based on another Gold Saint. We have no choice but to suck it up and attend class."
Another new teacher enters the classroom following the midday break. He has shoulder-length, lightish-brown hair, eyeglasses, a patterned sweater, a white collar shirt, and a tie underneath. He arrives at the teacher's desk and makes his introductory speech.
"Hello, everybody! I'm Kotaro, and I'll be your Literature teacher who will talk about the amazing things from the world of books. Better yet, call me Koko-sensei. The name Kotaro is too formal and stiff for us. I want us to get along as equals, not just as student and teacher. It's so nice to meet you! By the way, I'll be teaching every Wednesday afternoon."
"Wow!" Seiya stares, amazed at his appearance. But he quickly glances at Shiryu, who's shivering at the sight of the teacher. "Shiryu, are you okay?"
"Master, is that you? You came back to life!" Shiryu stands up, wobbling.
"I beg your pardon?!" Koko says, surprised.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Shiryu bows repeatedly as the BBs and students stare at his agitated and unexpected behavior.
"And your name is..."
"I'm Shiryu, master. I mean, sensei."
"Okay, Shiryu-kun. Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am. I will sit right now." Shiryu awkwardly returns to his seat.
Koko drops a sweat. "Anyway, let's preview some topics. Here's the handout so the students at the front will pass to the ones in the back."
After that awkward moment, Koko continues with the class. "A lot of topics we'll be discussing have to do with philosophy. To understand current literature, we must start with the past. It's very easy to take modern literature for granted if you don't understand the context."
"Context?" a random student asks.
"Yes, context. For example, you face two paths in life. One leads to reality and the other leads to pleasure. If that sounds familiar, that's because many books throughout history talk about such, both fiction and non-fiction. To head one path means giving up the other. However, that isn't always the case. Just because one path leads to the exit doesn't mean easy. Likewise, the same is for the opposite path."
Students take notes based on his writings on the blackboard.
"That sounds very familiar," Shun mutters.
"Ah! It's the Gemini Temple!" Seiya exclaims.
"Seiya, what the heck?!" Hyoga calls out.
"What did I do?!" Seiya's eyes widen.
"You're blurting the 12 Houses so casually!"
"Ha! We made it out because it was so easy."
"Hey! I helped!" Shiryu blurts but promptly covers his mouth.
"What did you say? You got out because it was easy? How?"
Seiya hastily stands, pointing. "That's none of your business!"
Hyoga stands, too, pointing. "Damn right, it is! I bet you managed to get out because Shiryu was there. If not, you could've been stuck."
"Okay. If you're that smart, how come you didn't exit right away? Why did you end up all the way in the Libra Temple? I guess you're not that smart after all." Seiya shrugs with raised shoulders and open palms.
"Okay, Seiya, you piss me off!"
"Bring it on!"
Both boys engage in serious fistfighting while everyone in class stares with awe and shock. Shiryu and Shun interfere to pull their friends away. Shiryu tries to pull Seiya while Shun does the same with Hyoga. Before long, the boys are sent to the director's office. They sit in front of Mitsuru, who shows nothing but disappointment. Shiryu and Shun sit between Seiya and Hyoga so that the two keep their distance. They sit without exchanging words until they see Saori's sudden arrival at the office.
"Thank you for coming," Mitsuru says. "I apologize for having you come so suddenly when you're particularly busy."
"Not at all, especially when it comes to them. I get the gist of the situation. They argued something they shouldn't and got into a fistfight. That is very disappointing." Saori turns to the boys. "Do you have any idea the implications of blurting the 12 Temples that casually? The last thing we want is media surveillance. You will have no privacy whatsoever."
"Boys, for your sake, I will have to let you go for the day. Do not attend clubs. Just head straight to the dorm."
"So we're suspended again?" Seiya asks.
"Yeah, but only for today. Don't do this ever again."
"We will talk about this over the weekend. Be more mindful. You're given a second chance. You will not get another if you're expelled."
After Saori leaves, the boys do so too, and return to the dorm without saying a single word. Seiya and Hyoga lock themselves in their rooms while Shiryu, Shun, and Ikki eat dinner at the dining table. Shiryu notices that Shun is barely eating his meal and raises his concern.
"Are you still worried about them, Shun?" Shiryu asks. "Don't worry. They'll be okay by tomorrow. They can't be upset with each other for long."
"Hm? What happened?" Ikki asks, confused.
"Well..." Shiryu explains the situation.
"I see, we ought to be careful when talking about past battles," Ikki says.
"Right. We don't want to unintentionally upset one another."
"But why did this happen?"
"I suspect it has to do with the stress of meeting new teachers who are Gold Saint-look alikes. The number we've met adds up to eight."
"I bet you haven't met them, brother," Shun says. "You must be lucky."
"About that... I have their photos when I got their handouts by mail."
Cue a small flashback about Ikki opening mail and pulling out a random syllabus with a picture of a teacher attached along with his bio. In this case, he opened Shaka-sensei's mail and saw his photo. Ikki shrugged with a sweat. He doesn't tell them about meeting Shaka-sensei once in person, though, simply because it was a random event that happened.
"This includes the homeroom teacher's photo. I also have the photos of the director and school counselor with their bios attached."
"We must apologize to the class tomorrow morning," Shun says.
"I agree. We must talk this through before we depart. Even if we arrive a bit late to class, it's better to plan ahead," Shiryu says.
"Yes, you should," Ikki agrees, nodding.
"But we can't simply apologize and leave it at that," Shun utters.
"True. We need to set clear boundaries. We must keep each other in check. However, we need to set time aside for this."
To be continued...