Midterms until midday. Students then gather for an assembly and learn that new teachers have been hired and will debut next week. The Student Council meets to discuss the situation. Then Shiryu asks Mei to take him to Chinatown due to rumors he overheard. Overwhelmed at first, Shiryu gets so excited that he goes on a shopping spree. Upon his return to the dorm, he shows bags of goods and still has allowance left. Then he decorates his dorm to make it Chinese with incense and bamboo plants.

The weather for today is sunny and cloudy.

The answer is at the bottom.

[May 11, Friday - week 2]

Today's the last day of midterm exams, and once again, Haruka delivers the test sheets. Since an assembly is pending, only a single subject will be covered. Haruka reminds the class to head for the auditorium as soon as they finish.

(midterm sample question)

In what order do Japanese people dream of New Year?

a) Hawk, Eggplant, Mt. Fuji

b) Mt. Fuji, Hawk, Eggplant

c) Eggplant, Mt. Fuji, Hawk

d) Hawk, Mt. Fuji, Eggplant

Every student, including the BBs, hands over their exam sheets and heads to the auditorium as told. Mitsuru awaits students on the stage. Dr. Haruki is also present by his side. Once all the students gather, Mitsuru approaches the podium and starts his speech. Dr. Haruki stands to his right, observing.

"Good morning! Thank you for coming. I understand this is sudden, especially after midterm exams. I also understand that midterms happened after Monday's sudden dismissal, and I failed to explain why. The reason was that one of your peers passed away."

Murmurs among students break out, except for BBs who know.

"The student took his own life. He suffered abuse from one of the teachers who was brought in as an emergency replacement for the sudden teacher walkout. Once I learned about this, I reported the problematic teacher to the police and fired the rest who knew but failed to report. That explained the lack of teachers on Tuesday when you came to school and police presence on Monday."

The worried murmurs continue.

"Substitute teachers were attempted to be brought due to the lack. However, I will bring my own group of teachers. In fact, these new teachers have been hired and will start to teach on Monday."

Everyone, including BBs, perk up.

"Please, do not worry. I have strict standards regarding teachers and will not tolerate abuse. Any problematic teacher will be reported immediately. Therefore, if any abuse occurs, report it to me or any of the staff. We cannot diminish everyone's education if we keep things hidden. I assure you the teachers I hired will be different as I handpicked each of them. Therefore, I implore you to respect the new teachers and make them feel welcome. I appreciate your cooperation.

Mitsuru bows and leaves the stage with Dr. Haruki, who tells the students to disassemble and head straight home. While some students leave the auditorium, others, like the BBs, remain.

"New teachers hired… I wonder what they're like," Seiya says.

"The best-case scenario is hope for nice teachers like Haruka-san," Hyoga says.

"Considering those three look like them, do you think the others will?" Shun asks.

"Who knows? We still have to attend regardless," Shiryu says.

Himeko, the SC president, approaches Shiryu.

"Shiryu-kun, are you available? It's about the assembly."

"Sure I do, Senpai."

"Great! I'll see you then."

Himeko turns her attention to his friends. She stands, observing each one. "So these are your friends. Hi! I'm Himeko, the Student Council president, in case you didn't know."

"Hi!" Seiya greets, waving.

"Nice to meet you." Shun also greets by bowing.

"Nice to meet you, too." Himeko bows. "I'll be going."

Himeko pivots and leaves. The boys are amazed at her looks

"Is she really a student? She looks grown up." Hyoga comments.

"I have to get going. I'll see you at the dorm."

"See you later!" Seiya says with a wave and a smile.

All members of the Student Council are gathered for the meeting Himeko requests. They sit at the assembly-arranged tables to begin their discussion.

"Alright, we're here to discuss the director's speech," Himeko says.

"The sudden arrival of new teachers might make students restless. Especially after they learned the horrible truth. So, we must be prepared to support them whenever they need us," Ryoma says.

"Senpai, do you know about this?" Shiryu asks.

"Unfortunately, we didn't," the vice president Ryoma says. "If we did, we could've reported it to the director immediately. We never expected the bruises students suffered to come from those teachers."

"What happened to that student was horrible. Now he can finally be at peace," Himeko laments.

"We have no clue who the teachers are, but we'll be ready for them."

"We'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Time will tell who they are."

"With that said, this brief meeting ends. See you on Monday."

Once everyone leaves, Shiryu approaches Mei for a favor.

"Mei-san, Can I ask you?" Shiryu asks.

"Of course, Shiryu-kun. Ask me anything," Mei says.

"I've overheard some students talking about a place called China-Town. Is that true?"

"Chinatown is one word, Shiryu-kun. It's a real place located in Yokohama."

"Yokohama?" Shiryu asks, confused.

"It's a well-known city not far from here."

"Can we go there now?" Shiryu gasps expectantly.

"Midterms are over, and I can use a break, so let's go."

The pair board the train to Yokohama, where Chinatown is. Once they exit the station, Shiryu looks around and is disappointed because he fails to see anything Chinese-related.

"So here we are," Mei says.

"Okay, but is that it?" Shiryu asks.

"Sure it is."

"I don't see anything like it. It's just buildings all over."

"We just have to cross the street." Mei shivers a sweat.

"If you say so… Is that a gate I'm seeing?"

"I told you. We're already here."

"It's a Chinese gate without a doubt… in Japan! How did this happen?"

"It happened a long time ago when Chinese immigrants came here."

"And those same people built it, right?" Shiryu asks, amazed.

"Uh, yes," Mei responds, staring.

"I see… It's okay to go through here, right? It's not going to harm. Right?"

"It's just a regular gate, Shiryu-kun." Mei shrugs with a sweat again.

"That's good to know. Let's go in!"

Once they pass the entrance gate, they find themselves surrounded by crowds of people and shopping stalls on both sides, left and right. It's a neighborhood, but it more resembles a festival.

"It's so crowded, like the market I used to go to."

"Shiryu-kun, do you come from China by any chance?"

"I'm not a native, but I lived in China."

"I see. No wonder you were persistent in coming. Chinatown is basically one big market." Mei notices his excited, overjoyed look. "Hm? Are you okay? You're shivering for some reason."

"I'm okay…" Shiryu says, shaking. "It's just so many familiar things that come to mind."

"You're making me worry…"

Shiryu separates from Mei and turns his attention to various shops. He bounces from one to another while Mei observes with awe and nervousness. Shiryu shivers excitedly and loudly voices his opinion on the shops he drops by. His behavior is like that of a child at an amusement park for the first time.

"Is that a little statue? That's from the Five Ancient Peaks! What's it doing here? And what? They're cheap? I'll buy twenty. Wait! I have to save my money. Oh, wait! There's another one from the Ancient Peaks! Oh! I've seen this before. It's from that store I went to with Master… and what? Another one? There are so many to choose from, and they're so cheap… Wait! They have food, too! Are those steam buns? Oh, these are my favorites! Incense sticks! Incense sticks! I'll buy that entire set. Chinese bamboo plants… I'll definitely get them! And, oh my gosh! Rows of clothing! The more I buy, the bigger the discount! Yes, sell them to me! I demand them all! Oh my gosh! Is that a Chinese temple? Definitely a Chinese temple! I wonder if we can go in, but I have all these bags, so I'll save them for another time. And Chinese New Year? They must celebrate! They have to celebrate!"

Shiryu gets self-conscious of his sudden behavior and readjusts. He holds several shopping bags in hand.

"Forgive my sudden behavior, Mei-san. It's just I was overwhelmed…" His excitement increases. "And so overjoyed! I never expected to find China here in Japan, of all places!"

"I'm so happy for you," Mei says, surprised.

"We'll come back, right? You will not say no!"

"Shiryu-kun, this place will always be here. It's not going to shut down. We'll come back."

"You mean it?" Shiryu hugs her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Shiryu returns to the dorm as his friends greet him.

"Hey, Shiryu! Welcome back!" Seiya greets.

"You took forever. What happened?" Hyoga asks.

"Well, I went on a little trip today to another city not far from here, and it has this amazing place that I never thought existed," Shiryu says coyly with a light blush.

Really? What kind of place?" Seiya asks.

"I never expected the likes of Rozan here in Japan. That place has a ton of goods to buy."

"You blew all your allowance, is what you're saying," Hyoga says.

"On the contrary." Shiryu proudly displays bags on both arms. "I still have allowance left!"

"Whoa! Are those shopping bags?" Seiya asks, surprised.

"Yes, they are. If you'll excuse me, I'll go to my room."

Shiryu dashes away, heading upstairs as his friends watch.

"Is Shiryu okay? I don't remember him acting like that," Shun says.

"His new look doesn't help either," Ikki adds.

Shiryu then decorates his dorm with bamboo plants and incense sticks. Now he has (mostly purple) Chinese clothing in addition to regular ones. He's so happy to have his special place outside of Rozan.

To be continued...

Answer: b