Once the soccer match was over, it was time for everybody to get a start on their homework. The classroom had a carpeted floor; some students sat at desks, while others gathered around long tables. Though, there wasn’t enough room for everybody, so the kids took turns in shifts.
Last time I was with a group of boys, but this time I drew in a crowd of first-, second-, and third-grade girls. Evidently they were curious about this mysterious older girl.
“Nagase-sensei, will you teach me?”
“Sure, let’s see... Oh, a system of linear equations. Alrighty then... Penne with eggplant, mozzarella, and tomato sauce for 900 yen, bacon-spinach carbonara for 1000 yen... Uh, wow. Very specific. Someone was hungry when they made this worksheet.”
“What about mine?”
“Sure, what’re you working on? There is a sphere located within a three-dimensional object. If its radius is... blah blah blah... then what is the length of the... Wait a minute, this is HARD! Was I ever taught this?!”
Dang, kids are smart these days!
“Will you help me write my ABCs?”
“All you have to do is trace over the outline, so you don’t really need my—”
“Can you write my book report for me?”
“The whole thing?!”
“Play with me!”
“We’ll have playtime later... Hey, don’t climb up my body!”
I was now completely surrounded by grade-schoolers... with no escape...
“C’mon, ladies, don’t bully the nice older girl. Let’s all get back to our homework.”
“Boooo! You’re a meanie, Kazama-sensei!”
“Yep, I’m the biggest meanie ever. Now let’s see you knock out that homework.”
Kazama, the college-age instructor, turned the kids back to their work and even put their pencils in their hands. Reluctantly, they all conceded.
“Th-Thank you,” I said to him as we stood a short distance away, watching over the little ones.
“Any half-decent senpai would’ve done the same, Sensei,” he replied.
Judging from his carefully styled hair, he looked like a flashy, superficial guy, but I could tell he was actually pretty considerate of others.
“Interested in being a teacher, are you? Can’t imagine you’d volunteer for this otherwise.”
Everyone was allowed to talk during homework time, which meant I was free to chat for a bit, too.
“Yes, sir. I’m planning to major in education. What about you, Kazama-san?”
“Call me ‘Kazama-sensei’ when we’re with the kids. But to answer your question, yeah. Otherwise I’d find a job that actually pays what it’s worth.”
“So the pay isn’t great, I take it.”
“Absolutely not. And it doesn’t get better for full-time teachers, either. Considering the long hours and all the responsibilities, only someone who’s passionate about the field would choose this... Actually, I shouldn’t be telling you this. Don’t wanna crush your dreams.” He chuckled to himself. “You’re in your last year of high school, right? You sure you wanna be spending your time here instead of studying for entrance exams? I could tutor you, if you want.”
“Oh, I already got into my dream college. Letter of recommendation.”
“Ah, I see now. So you’ve got some free time on your hands. Well, why don’t we hang out sometime? I’ll invite my friends, you can invite your friends...”
“Uhh... The number you have dialed is not in service at this time.”
“Hahaha! You’re hilarious.”
Yep, he seemed like a pretty vapid guy. I never imagined someone like him would want to be a teacher, too.
“Kazama-sa— I mean, Kazama-sensei,what made you want to be a teacher?”
“Well, this way I’ll never have to worry about office politics. And as long as I do a decent job, I’ll never get sacked.”
“What?”
“Just kidding. I used to be a delinquent, but then my class advisor reached out to me and turned my life around.”
“Oh...”
“Just kidding. What kind of answer were you looking for, Nagase-sensei?”
“Nothing specific. I just sincerely wanted to know, that’s all.”
“Well, if we ever hang out, I guess maybe I’ll tell you. Anyway, I’ll look after things over here, so you go watch the kids playing.”
Apparently he didn’t feel like just giving the answer away. What a meanie. But as I watched him from behind, I could tell that there was some deeper meaning to it, and... he really did seem like a teacher. Almost like he was rubbing my own immaturity in my face. It was frustrating, to say the least.
“Sensei, let’s play!” one of the girls called. She and four other girls were sitting in a circle, setting up some kind of board game, and there was room for one more player.
So I set my conflicted feelings aside, rolled up my sleeves, and joined in.
“Sure thing! I don’t know if I can stay for the whole game, though. Is it okay if I drop out partway through?”
I hadn’t played board games with a huge group in a really long time, and I was excited — but at the same time, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a little girl in pigtail braids, sitting cross-legged against the wall. For a second I thought she was just zoning out, but then I caught her glancing in our direction. As for the other girls, however, they didn’t seem to notice. Instead, they continued to set up the game.
Using my keen powers of observation, I determined that they didn’t especially dislike her. Thus I rose to my feet, taking care not to make it too obvious what I was up to.
What could I do for these kids in the three measly days I would get to spend with them? What could I leave behind? What were my limits? Was this the right move?
I walked over to the loner girl and crouched down to her eye level.
“Wanna play with us?”