Author's Note:

✘ The chapter was a bit blah, but I really liked the ending somehow.

✘ The next chapter will be Woot! Woot!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gokusen or any of its characters, names, or settings. This is purely a work of fan appreciation and creativity.

Chapter 6: A boy ...girl thing!

School had been quiet and uneventful lately, with everything running smoothly for the group of six. Even Mae, who had once kept her distance, was now talking with them more. The "errand-boy" act had ended the day Ren discovered the truth about her. Although Ogata hadn't fully agreed with the change at first, he eventually relented, especially when Kazama insisted on dropping the matter. Yamato had followed suit, and soon, everything was back to normal. The one person who seemed to be running around in circles, though, was Yankumi, who had been caught up in the chaos of parent-teacher conferences. It was always a big deal for her to meet her students' parents.

Yamaguchi met with the parents of several students to discuss their futures, including Kengo's father, who owned a tofu shop. It seemed that Honjo wasn't too fond of his father's line of work, a fact he had mentioned earlier when the group had dinner at Kuma's shop. They'd all just met Kuma after a small accident outside his shop, and after explaining who they were, Kuma had insisted on treating them all to ramen. It was the first time the group of six—along with Mae—had eaten together and actually talked like normal people.

But then, everything took an unexpected turn. Honjo's father collapsed from over-fatigue, leaving Honjo confused and burdened with a financial crisis. The class feared that Honjo might have to drop out of school because of it, so they decided to raise money to help him. Mae, however, wasn't convinced. She had noticed that Kengo didn't seem all that worried about his father's condition. Instead, he was more concerned about the money he had taken from his father, and finding a way to cover it up. Mae couldn't ignore the fact that Kengo was more focused on hiding his actions than dealing with the real issue at hand, and that caused a major rift between her and the rest of the class.

"Skipping school to work... He might be in real trouble," Kazama muttered, leaning against the classroom wall, anxiety creeping up his voice.

Mae tilted her head, looking at him. "Maybe?" she responded quietly, her tone uncertain.

"Being in the hospital, his dad can't run the shop," Ichimura observed.

"And there're hospital bills, too," Kuraki added, his voice tinged with sadness.

"And the money Honjo already owes!" Mae chimed in, but her words were largely ignored.

"Plus, the shop might have to close," Kamiya said, his concern evident.

Ogata added, "If that happens, it'd be bad."

Ren, standing in the corner, said with a serious expression, "He might have to quit school, too."

"We've got to help him!" Kuraki almost shouted, clearly distressed.

Mae cut through the conversation with a sharp tone. "It doesn't matter how much you help him if Honjo can't see the value of money," she said, making her point clear and getting everyone's attention.

"What do you mean... not helping our friend?" Kamiya asked, taking a few steps toward her, his confusion evident.

"No! That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that money isn't his only problem," Mae explained, trying to keep her voice steady and focused. She looked directly at Kamiya, trying to make him understand. "But Honjo needs to realize the value of money."

Ren stayed silent against the wall, his mind processing Mae's words. He could see what she meant, but he still wanted to help his friend.

"You're saying that helping him is wrong?" Ichi asked, his annoyance creeping into his voice.

"It's not that!" Mae snapped back. "Finding money will only fix half of the problem."

Ogata, clearly frustrated, turned toward her and glared. "No one asked you to help! We'll help our friend," he muttered, his words edged with irritation.

Mae's patience snapped, her voice rising in frustration. "I wasn't going to help!" she retorted. "But someone who can't see the value of money—or understand how hard it is to earn—doesn't deserve to have everything handed to them. It doesn't matter how much money you get for them..." She gave Ren one last glance before turning and walking out of the classroom.

Ogata slammed his fist against the desk. "He pisses me off!" he yelled, clearly still upset.

Ren, watching Mae walk away, let out a frustrated sigh. "But he has a point," he muttered. "Let's figure out how we can help Honjo... the right way."

Kengo sat at home, desperately searching for a job, but every offer he found barely covered his expenses. Class 3-D, in their attempt to help, managed to scrape together only a few yen. Frustrated, they decided to come up with a new plan: they would take on different part-time jobs and save whatever they could to help Honjo. However, their efforts were swiftly thwarted when Yankumi caught wind of their plan, and it all went down the drain. Meanwhile, Honjo ran into an old senpai, Narita, who, surprisingly, offered him the money he so desperately needed.

On their way back, the group of five, along with Yankumi, finally met up with Kengo. Yankumi explained how much his classmates were worried about him and how they had been trying to work their hardest to gather money for his sake. Honjo, however, reassured them that he wasn't going to quit school or close his father's shop. He then confessed how he had spent his father's money and tried to find a part-time job, but the work was too difficult, and the pay too little. Thankfully, his senpai had stepped in and helped him out with the money he needed.

Still, Yankumi was furious with him. She couldn't hold back her anger. "Don't joke around!" she scolded. "You spent your father's hard-earned money like it was nothing. Do you understand how hard he worked for that?" Honjo, somewhat guilty, tried to explain himself, saying that he was trying to pay the money back. But Yankumi wasn't having it. She insisted that the real issue wasn't the money itself, but the fact that Honjo had tried to hide the truth. He hadn't confessed to his father that he had taken the money and hadn't apologized. That was the real problem.

The group of five listened intently to Yankumi's words, but they couldn't help but think of Mae. Her words from earlier that morning seemed to echo Yankumi's, though they hadn't fully understood them at the time. They argued that Honjo had learned his lesson and that money was just money. What was the big deal?

Yankumi was even more frustrated. She tried once more to explain. "There's a huge difference between the money you've earned and the money you've borrowed," she said, her voice stern. "Do you know how many times your father had to bow his head, humbling himself for just 100 or 200 yen, so that he could save enough money to take care of you? He worked so hard for that. You can't just waste it like it's nothing."

Yamaguchi's words suddenly hit home for the group. It was strange, but it was almost like they were hearing Mae's voice again. They hadn't understood her earlier, but now it was clear—Mae had said something very similar.

The night was long for everyone. As they lay in bed, they found themselves replaying Yankumi and Mae's words over and over again. The next morning, the group met up with Honjo. They had all decided that they would go confront his senpai and sort things out. But as usual, things didn't go according to plan. Narita had his own intentions, and the situation quickly turned tense. Just as things were about to escalate, Yankumi appeared out of nowhere and once again saved the day.

With Narita dealt with, the group made their way back to school. Yamaguchi had just received word that Honjo's father had been discharged from the hospital and was already back at his tofu shop. The class quickly decided to visit him and offer help if needed. When they arrived at the shop, they were surprised to see Honjo's father hard at work. But the biggest shock was seeing Mae there, helping him out.

Honjo, worried, rushed to his father's side. "Dad, what are you doing here?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice.

His father smiled warmly at them both. "Oh, Kengo! Oh, Sensei!" he greeted them cheerfully.

Yankumi, always the protective one, mumbled under her breath, "You shouldn't have sneaked out of the hospital like that. And Mae, why are you here?"

Mae didn't answer and simply walked outside, only to come face to face with Kazama and Ogata.

Ren greeted her with a low wave, "Yo."

Mae waved back, glaring at a visibly frustrated Ogata before turning away.

Honjo's father explained that he had to come back to work because the shop had been closed for so long, and there was too much work to be done. Honjo, still worried, urged his father to go back to the hospital. "You shouldn't be here! Get back to the hospital!" he insisted.

But his father only shrugged. "The shop had been closed for too long. I had to open it!"

Just then, the rest of the 3-D class showed up, ready to help. Honjo, with tears in his eyes, entered the shop and began working alongside his father. Yamaguchi, beaming with pride, called out, "Should we help?" And everyone, including Mae, chimed in with a hearty, "Yeah!"

Everyone pitched in, helping as much as they could. But just as they were all getting into the swing of things, Yankumi suddenly disappeared. "I'll leave the rest to you!" she called out, before rushing off when Goro-chan appeared, leaving the rest of them to continue their work.

Later that night, only the team of six and Mae remained at the shop. Honjo's dad had gone back to the hospital for a few days, and Honjo was left with the responsibility of cleaning up and closing the shop. The rest of the group was getting ready to head home.

"Mae, thank you!" Honjo said, his voice filled with gratitude. "My dad told me... when he came back, you were already here. You were so upset with him, telling him to go back to the hospital and not mess with his health like that."

Mae simply nodded. "I didn't really do anything. I just spoke my mind, like I always do."

Ren poked her gently. "You were kind of right the other day," he mumbled, trying to apologize.

"Yeah, we're sorry," Kuraki, Ichi, and Kamiya chimed in, all of them offering their apologies.

"It's fine," Mae murmured, trying to brush it off. She didn't know how to react to their apologies. It felt strange to be thanked and apologized to so honestly. Her old classmates had never been like this.

Ogata, who had been leaning against the door, watched Mae in silence. As everyone else gathered their things to leave, Ren turned to Ogata and teasingly said, "Shouldn't you apologize too?"

Ogata blinked at him, shrugging. "He still pisses me off, even if he was right. Tak!"

The group started to make their way home, leaving Honjo behind to close the shop. Kuraki, Ichi, and Kamiya headed down a different path, while Ren, Mae, and Yamato walked together, with Ren and Yamato in front and Mae a few steps behind.

Ren, with a lazy step, turned to face Mae and Yamato as they walked. "Hitori wasn't going to help, huh?" he teased.

Mae, who had been zoning out, looked at him with a blank expression. "Huh?" she mumbled, still not fully focused. "Oh, me… I didn't really plan to help, Ren."

"But I'm glad Hitori did help!" Ren said with a smile.

Ogata, who had been quietly trailing behind, was surprised by the casual way Ren and Mae were speaking to each other. "Has something happened between you two?" he asked, before realizing he had spoken without thinking.

Ren laughed, shaking his head. "No, nothing really, Yamato. Why?"

Mae, not wanting to engage, stayed quiet, choosing not to argue.

Ogata pressed on, his curiosity piqued. "It's just, you both address each other differently now, after what happened with your sister," he explained, still trying to piece things together.

Kazama, ever the voice of reason, spoke up. "I think we're all friends now, or at least classmates. That kind of changes the way we talk to each other."

Ogata nodded, but it wasn't really what he meant. There was something more going on between Ren and Mae, something he couldn't quite figure out. He briefly zoned out, his mind wandering as he thought about Mae being a girl. But his thoughts were interrupted when Mae spoke up.

"Good night! I live over there," Mae said, pointing to a building a few alleys away.

Ren, suddenly serious, turned to her. "Are you sure you can make it home on your own?"

Mae smiled faintly. "Yes! It's not that late yet. Don't worry. Good night!" And with that, she quickly walked off.

Ogata, who had been listening, raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't he be able to make it home, Ren?" he asked, genuinely curious. "Is he going to get attacked by a group of hungry teen girls or something?"

Ren grinned mischievously and made a funny face at Ogata, but didn't respond. Instead, he waved and said, "Oyasumi! I'm going home too. Hope you won't get attacked by those hungry teen girls!" With that, he ran off, leaving Ogata behind.

Ogata looked after him, confused by his sudden departure. He was still puzzled about how Ren and Mae had gotten so close. "They must be hiding something," he thought, before his attention shifted to a group of students coming out of the alley Mae had just gone down.

One of the girls, looking worried, asked, "Was it an accident?"

"I think so," another student replied.

"I heard the car hit both the father and the son," a younger boy added.

"Thank goodness they didn't die. The ambulance was quick," the first girl continued.

"It was such a mess, so much blood everywhere. It really scared me," she added as the group walked past Ogata.

Ogata's eyes widened as the words "blood" and "ambulance" registered in his mind. "Shit!" he muttered under his breath, and without another thought, he ran as fast as he could toward the alley. He knew how Mae reacted to blood, and if there was a lot of it, she would freak out. He hoped desperately that she hadn't seen anything. When he reached the scene, he saw the police still talking to the driver of the car, but the father and son had already been taken away in the ambulance. The scene was chaotic and horrifying, but Mae was nowhere in sight. He let out a breath of relief.

He crossed to the next alley and paused when he saw someone lying on the ground. "Mae?" he called out, rushing over to her. He knelt beside her, shaking her gently, relieved to find she was breathing. It was clear she had fainted, likely from the sight of the blood. Ogata sighed, knowing he couldn't take her home—his parents would panic. But he didn't know where she lived. He searched her bag and, thankfully, found her student ID with an address on it.

"Sorry, Mae," he muttered as he lifted her up and carried her in a piggyback. "You're making me do this again," he grumbled under his breath as he finally reached her apartment building. He rang the bell, but no one answered. After a few moments, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. The apartment was basic but large, with a stunning view from the 10th floor. "Must be expensive to live here," he murmured, looking around. "Your place is almost empty, though."

Ogata moved closer to Mae, who was still unconscious on the couch. He gazed at her, thoughts swirling in his head. She was a girl. It was clear now, and Ogata couldn't help but wonder why she had been posing as a boy. He stood there for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before deciding to cover her with a blanket. "Good night," he whispered softly as he ran his finger gently over her forehead. He turned off the lights, locked the door, and left the apartment.

As he walked away, his mind was full of questions, but one thing was certain: he would never ask her.

((Coming up chapter 7))