Chapter 49 - Current Events
7.4.1206 - Tuesday (Day Before Exams)
Rean was making his way around the branch campus helping students prepare for their upcoming exams, when he noticed that the door to Class IX's homeroom had been left open.
"I should probably close that for Towa." Rean thought to himself as he approached the classroom.
Once Rean placed his hand on the door handle, he sensed that there were three people inside. After taking a quick peak, he saw that it was Towa, Sandy, and Maya.
"Oh hi instructor Rean!" Sandy greeted from inside the classroom.
"Rean? Oh, good afternoon Rean!" Towa greeted as she welcomed Rean into her classroom.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Are you helping these two study, Towa?" Rean greeted as he made his way towards Towa.
"Oh great, looks like we'll be stuck with these two for a while." Maya whispered to Sandy as they saw Rean put one of his hands on one of Towa's shoulders.
"Yup, sure am! These two were both a little worried about questions on politics." Towa answered before turning to look at Rean.
"Not to mention all the recent changes in the political landscape." Maya commented.
"The dissolution of the House of Representatives and House of Peers, the establishment of the Imperial Diet, and the Eight Metropolis Plan. It all sounds like some foreign language." Sandy added on.
"Haha. I feel your pain." Rean replied.
"If you have time, would you mind helping us out, Rean? There's only so much I can cover on my own." Towa asked.
"Yeah, sure thing." Rean answered before grabbing a chair so he could sit next to Towa.
"What did I tell you?" Maya whispered to Sandy before they started eyeing their instructors.
Soon Rean and Towa began to give their students advice on Political Ethics together.
Towa couldn't help but start to feel nostalgic about helping Rean study for his Political Economics exam during his first year at Thors.
"Teehee, Rean really has gone a long way since then huh?" Towa thought to herself as she watched Rean helping Maya and Sandy.
Towa remembered how shy Rean was when he asked her for help, and how he shouldn't have been considering how easily he grasped the material after she and Angelica helped him.
"Wait Instructor Towa, is it true!?" Sandy yelled, snapping Towa back to the present.
"Excuse me?" Towa questioned.
"Instructor Rean told us about how you graduated from Thors with the highest score in your History class." Maya answered.
"Yup! There's a plaque with my name on it back at the main campus." Towa replied.
"I told you that we were in good hands asking Instructor Towa for help." Sandy commented.
"Instructor Rean has also been quite helpful." Maya added on.
"H-Hey now, I don't hold a candle compared to Towa." Rean replied.
"Don't sell yourself short, Rean. You did tell them about how you also have a plaque at the main campus next to mine, right?" Towa responded.
"Wait Instructor Rean, you broke Instructor Towa's record?" Sandy asked.
"I didn't break it, I just happened to get the exact same score." Rean replied.
"You two got the same score?" Maya questioned.
"We sure did." Towa responded.
Rean and Towa quickly sensed their students eyeing them.
"I-I think it's the perfect time for a short break! R-Rean, there's something private I wanted to talk with you about." Towa announced before making her way to the door.
"F-Feel free to relax for a few minutes." Rean advised Sandy and Maya before he joined Towa in the hallway.
"They totally got the same score because they're dating." Maya commented.
"I think that's very sweet. How long before you think they go public about their relationship?" Sandy replied.
"Wait, they haven't gone public?" Maya questioned.
"According to Juna she heard from Kurt that Instructor Towa and Instructor Rean have been secretly dating since before they started working here." Sandy explained.
"In my opinion then, they've been doing a comically bad job of keeping it a secret. Pretty sure everyone in Leeves knows that they're together." Maya responded.
"What is it that you want to talk about?" Rean asked Towa after closing the door.
"It's about my family. They want us to visit Herschel's Shop while we're in Heimdallr for our Field Exercise later this month. They want to talk to us about something." Towa revealed.
"Did they tell you what they wanted to talk to us about?" Rean questioned.
"My aunt told me that they want to keep a surprise." Towa replied.
"I see. You don't mind if I take Class VII with us?" Rean asked.
"Of course I don't! My aunt and uncle probably just want to check up on us. The kids can help Kai run the shop while the four of us talk upstairs." Towa suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. By the way, since we're making plans for Heimdallr, there is something I wanted to ask you about." Rean replied.
"Hmm? What is it?" Towa asked.
"I was wondering if you wanted to walk around Heimdallr together again. Since our Field Exercise will be at the same time as the Summer Festival, I figure that it would be a good way to see everything the city has to offer." Rean nervously explained.
"Teehee, I'd love to." Towa responded before grasping Rean's hands.
"Sounds like a date!" Rean replied.
"Shh! Someone might overhear you!" Towa scolded.
"Haha, sorry. I got a bit too excited." Rean apologized.
"So am I, but let's try to hide that excitement while at work." Towa advised.
"You're right. We should head back into your classroom. Sandy and Maya probably still have more questions for us." Rean responded.
"Yeah, let's go." Towa replied.
Maya and Sandy could help but listen in on Rean and Towa's conversation by leaning on the door. They couldn't hear the entire conversation, but they did their best to fill in the blanks.
"M-Maya, d-did you hear that!?" Sandy asked as she took a step away from the door.
"Something about people wanting to meet with them in Heimdallr." Maya replied before taking a step away from the door.
"Not just anyone, Instructor Towa's family wants to meet with Rean." Sandy replied.
"Looks like things are getting serious between them. What do you think Instructor Towa's family thinks of Rean?" Maya noted.
Maya and Sandy quickly thought up two completely different scenarios that awaited Rean and Towa when they arrived in Heimdallr.
Martha, Fred, and Kai were running Herschel's Shop like they always did. With the Summer Festival going on, many customers had stopped by to buy snacks while out exploring the city.
"We're here!" Towa announced as she and Rean walked into Herschel's Shop while holding hands.
"Welcome home you two!" Martha greeted while organizing some shelves.
"Towa, Rean how've you been?" Fred asked from the counter.
"Big sis, big bro you made it!" Kai yelled before running up to the pair.
"What brings you two to our neck of the woods?" Martha questioned.
"Well auntie, Rean and I have some great news!" Towa explained before showing off an engagement ring on her left hand.
Rean clearly spared no expense on Towa's gold engagement ring, topped with a large diamond. It looked as if it held the cosmos inside to symbolize their boundless love.
"Only the best for my fiance." Rean commented before bending down to kiss Towa.
"Congratulations you two." Martha and Fred said together.
"Actually, there's something else we have to announce…" Towa continued.
Marth and Fred watched as Towa placed her hands on her stomach.
"Haha…" Rean and Towa nervously chucked together.
"What do you think they'll name their baby? If it's a boy they might go with Rean Jr., or Towa Jr. if it's a girl." Sandy continued after sharing her theory.
"Don't jump to conclusions! Instructor Towa and Instructor Rean seem way too busy to have a kid right now. I'm sure that they're occupied with Altina right now." Maya responded.
"Well if that's not what they're going to meet with Instructor Towa's family with, then what do you think it is?" Sandy asked.
Rean and Towa nervously stood outside Herschel's Shop.
"I-I can't can't go in there. I just can't." Rean said before trying to walk away, only to get immediately stopped by Towa.
"Dear, we need to do this. No matter what the price is." Towa commented.
"I-I know my love, but what would the others think?" Rean replied before grasping Towa's hands.
"Rean, we can't run away from this. I don't care if both of our families disown us for this decision. We shouldn't let our families being from different social statuses deter us from pursuing each other." Towa responded while looking deep into Rean's eyes.
"You're right." Rean replied.
After sharing a passionate kiss, the two separated to catch their breaths.
"In case things go south, we're still going with our back up plan right?" Towa asked before looking over to where Rean had parked his orbal bike.
"Yup. All of our important paperwork is in the glove box. Our families won't have a say in the matter, if we just run away together." Rean answered.
With that, the pair entered Herschel's Shop to see if they'd be allowed to marry each other.
"A romantic tale that is as old as time." Maya concluded.
"Are you kidding me? I doubt either of their families care about their different social classes." Maya noted.
"You know how some nobles can be. They're probably talking behind Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa's backs and accusing her of only being interested in him for his status, or even some commoners accusing Rean of buying Towa and her affection." Maya commented.
"I'm sure Instructor Rean and Instructor Towa have faced some hardships as a result of their different statuses, but I think they'll pull through in the end." Sandy noted.
"Do you think if they get married during the school year we'll all have a few days off?" Maya asked.
"I hope so. Maybe they'll invite all of us from the branch campus to attend their ceremony." Sandy answered.
"I can already picture Altina being their ring bearer." Maya joked.
Maya and Sandy quickly heard the door opening and rushed back to their desks to make it look like they were looking at their notes.
"Sorry if we took too long." Towa greeted as she made her way back to her seat.
"There was something we needed to take care of quickly." Rean added on before sitting next to Towa.
"N-Not at all!" Sandy yelled.
"Y-Yeah, let's get back to work!" Maya yelled in agreement.
Rean and Towa continued helping Maya and Sandy for a few more minutes, answering any questions that they were asked.
"I think I should go look for more students to help. Is that alright with you?" Rean asked Towa as he got up from his seat.
"Don't worry, I have everything here under control." Towa answered.
"Is that okay with you two?" Rean asked before turning to Sandy and Maya.
"Don't worry about us. Thank you so much for your help." Sandy replied.
"Yeah, we'll ask Instructor Towa about any remaining questions we have." Maya added on.
"Umm, Rean? Did you see this week's Imperial Chronicle?" Towa asked.
"No, not yet. Something interesting in there?" Rean replied.
"Yeah. They wrote about the main campus' Field Exercises." Towa answered.
"I see, I'll have to take a look." Rean noted.
"More than anything, we should be focusing on exams. They start tomorrow after all! Rean, make sure you answer any questions your students might have." Towa continued.
"What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't?" Rean commented.
With that, Towa, Sandy, and Maya watched as Rean left the room to go help more students around the branch campus.
Author's Note
I hope you all liked this chapter!
It was fun writing those fantasy segments for Maya and sandy.
Thank you all for the kind reviews.