Chapter 13

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I’m not sure if I will post any chapters today, so I decided I would quickly do a chapter before bed. Enjoy!

Title: Satou-san and the Japanese language teacher

“Satou-san!”(Murakami)

A familiar high-pitched voice echoed through the classroom during recess.The classroom instantly goes quiet and my eyes are focused on the seat next to me. Satou-san looks blank, but she stands up a little later.

“M…Murakami-sensei.”(S)

Standing in the doorway of the classroom is Murakami-sensei, a Japanese language teacher.

Small and skinny Murakami-sensei. However she could yell louder than any teacher in the school. She would often interrupt the class when she got emotional, and I didn’t like her. That teacher appeared with her eyes lifted up in a very unhappy manner. And she’s calling out for Satou-san.

Satou-san may have been surprised. She got up from her seat but was frozen on the spot.

“Satou-san, excuse me!”(Murakami)

Murakami-sensei’s voice was sharp and she called out to her again. Satou-san hurried to the hallway. I could only see her anxious profile for a moment, and I looked away from her as she walked away. I had an inkling of what the teacher and Satou-san would be talking about.

Perhaps it was the book report due the other day. Murakami-sensei told the class to read a book at home and write down their impressions. Satou-san handed in her book report just before the deadline, but she wasn’t sure what to write about. She told me that she didn’t know what to write about, but if she could talk to me about it before submission, I would be more than happy to help. I could hear Murakami-sensei’s high-pitched voice coming from the corridor. I turned my attention away so that I wouldn’t hear it. Even if the teacher’s lecture is not addressed to me, I don’t enjoy hearing it. It would be nice if they did it somewhere else. I’ve been trying not to hear it, but the image of Satou-san’s anxious profile flashed in my mind. Maybe she must be getting lectured by the teacher without an excuse. And then later she’d be made to fix her book report while her shoulders slumped. I’d never seen her like that before, but I could see it in her eyes.

Until a while ago, I only had the impression that she was just a girl who was smiling anyway. uIt seemed like Sato-san was always smiling at me. When we were with our friends at recess or talking to me about trivial things, even when we were just doing nothing. Even when she was just sitting there doing nothing, she seemed to be smiling at me. It was a simple, happy smile, and it looked like she had nothing to worry about. But it wasn’t so. When I sat down next to her, I discovered the many expressions on her face. The look on her face when she couldn’t answer a question in class and turned red, the apologetic look on her face whens he gave me trouble, a pained face at the marathon, and an anxious face like the one I saw earlier. All of them are burned into my memory more strongly than when she was smiling.

It was odd. After seeing Satou-san’s expression that weren’t a smile, I was always trapped in a strange, bitter, unpleasant feeling of regret. I began to wish I’d done something for her before this happened. It’s hypocritical.

Five minutes later. Satou-san returned to the classroom. Her classmates’ gazes were generally sympathetic, but she came straight back to her seat with a languid look on her face. She pulled out a chair and sat down and sighed. Then she looked at me, and our eyes met, and I scowled.

“…What’s wrong, Yamaguchi-kun?”(S)

Satou-san asked suspiciously. She sounded like her usual self. However, her expression has not returned to her usual smile. It’s just that both ends of her lips have risen in an awkward smile.

“No, it’s noth…”(Y)

I hesitated at once.But when I saw my classmates’ eyes slowly drift away from me, I was tempted to ask. I was sure I was curious.

“Murakami-sensei was angry at you?”(Y)

“Yeah, a little bit.”(S)

Then she showed a bitter smile.

“The book report the other day didn’t do so well.”(S)

–I knew it. A bitter thought comes back to me and I silently tie my lips together.

“I was told to stay after school today and rewrite it and resubmit it. I’m the only one in my class who has to turn it in again.”(S)

She tilts her head back and her hair falls softly off her shoulders. That hair was so smooth to the touch. I knew that too. When you’re sitting next to her, you naturally come to know many things. Maybe that’s why I feel pity for her. This is probably why I can’t pretend not to know.

“I thought to myself, ‘Well, I’m not too confident about this.’ I couldn’t even fill up half of my manuscript.”

Satou-san laughs bitterly.

“But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to…”(S)

I couldn’t help but want to speak out.

This isn’t the first time that Satou-san has done poorly. You don’t have to scold her in front of everyone because she didn’t write a good impression report. If she is the only one left in the class, why don’t you just let only her know that you’re resubmitting the report?

But Satou-san shook her head.

“I know it was my fault, so I’m just happy I got a second chance. I’m just happy I got a second chance.”(S)

“I’m not so sure.”(Y)

“Yeah. They say when a teacher is angry at you you have potential. I don’t know if it will work, but I’ll do my best.”(S)

“I see.”(y)

I’m simmering on my cheeks. It was bitter. I was frustrated with myself for not being able to do anything. I didn’t know what to do or what I wanted to do when Sato-san was depressed right next to me.

“We have to work hard, don’t we?”(S)

What am I supposed to make of Sato-san’s muttering?

It doesn’t matter how much I feel sorry for her, she wouldn’t feel good about being pitied. I don’t know why I’m angry at Murakami-sensei, or why I think her behavior is too much. It’s just my own selfishness. Maybe I should have said, “I’ll teach you. But if I said that, it would be pity or hypocrisy.

Notes:

Alright now I can go to bed. Hopefully I post a chapter later today but I am no certain. Hope you enjoyed the chapter goodnight.

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