“Oh, we should get back to our seats soon, the bell’s about to ring.”
“It seems so. Let’s go back.”
Kent, having finished his preparations, had left his seat and was chatting with Bobby. It was only a short time before homeroom began, but they talked about the content of the remedial lessons he was asked about, and the results of the box he received at yesterday’s event. Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time for the homeroom bell. The two stopped their conversation and decided to return to their respective seats.
“Welcome home. Kent.”
“I’m home. Patty.”
As Kent sat down at his seat, Patty, who was next to him, spoke to him. Unlike Bobby, they were next to each other, so he could talk to her until the very last moment before the bell rang.
“You seemed to be having a lively conversation with Bobby. Were you talking about yesterday’s event?”
“Yeah. We were talking about each other’s results.”
“Bobby is also a famous person who runs a large trading company, even though he looks like that, so I’m sure he received many things from people.”
“It seems so. But, the heart-shaped one was only from Prim, and the rest were square boxes.”
When Kent asked Bobby about his results from yesterday, it seemed he received more boxes than Kent. However, only one of them was heart-shaped, and the others were given to him by daughters of families related to his business partners.
“I see. Perhaps it was just as a greeting.”
“Maybe.”
While chatting with Patty, the bell announcing the start of homeroom rang.
“Teacher Tia, you didn’t come at the usual time today either.”
“Two days in a row is unusual, isn’t it?”
Normally, Tia would enter the classroom as soon as the bell rang, but like yesterday, she did not appear at the same time as the bell.
“Everyone’s talking.”
Since Tia hadn’t appeared when she was supposed to, the whispering in the classroom gradually increased, making it noisy. Some conversations were about worrying about Tia, while others were just unrelated small talk.
*Click*
Silence.
The sound of the door opening was heard, and at that moment, the classroom fell into a sudden silence.
“Everyone, it’s been a while!”
“Kyaa!”
The door opened, and it wasn’t Tia who entered, but Arnet. Previously, she had come to the academy for her teaching practice, and Tia had been her mentor. She had left the academy after her practice period ended, but she was dressed in her characteristic black Gothic lolita costume, with silver twin-tails and a flat chest that gave her a youthful appearance, but inside she was a proper adult. Due to her strong individuality, no one in the class had forgotten her. Her reappearance after so long caused her classmates to exclaim in surprise.
“…”
Kent and Patty were surprised to see her. Needless to say, inside she was Elnet, whom they both knew well.
“You two sitting in the very front, it makes me sad when you look at me like I’m a roly-poly bug.”
“N-no, that’s not it.”
“That’s right. We were just wondering why El… Teacher Arnet came to this classroom.”
Kent and Patty’s seats were the closest to the teacher’s desk, and Arnet, sensing their gazes, questioned them as if to say, “If you have something to say, say it clearly.” Patty and Kent were overwhelmed by her intensity.
“Everyone, I have an announcement. Teacher Tia will be taking a few days off due to various circumstances. The academy is short of teachers, and there is no one to take charge of this class, so I was asked to take over. It will be a short time, but please take care of me again.”
“Everyone’s talking.”
Everyone was surprised by what Arnet suddenly announced. While they were worried about Tia’s absence, many seemed to have positive feelings about another beautiful teacher with a different demeanor returning to the podium.
“I should have told you, but there were various circumstances on my end as well. I’m sorry, Kent, Patty.”
Arnet replied to Kent and Patty in a small voice, but in her usual tone, during the commotion.
“Yes, yes. Well then, let’s start homeroom.”
Arnet had experience teaching this class for a short period during her teaching practice, so she began homeroom with a familiar air.
“That’s all for the reports. Now, let’s take a break. I will be in charge of the next class.”
After homeroom, Arnet did not leave the classroom and sat in the teacher’s seat located in the back of the classroom. The next class was originally supposed to be taught by Tia, but since she was absent, Arnet would be teaching it instead. It seemed troublesome to go back to the staff room and then to the classroom again, so Arnet intended to spend her break time there.
“Teacher Arnet, what have you been doing since your teaching practice ended?”
“I’m happy to see you again, teacher.”
“Does Teacher Arnet have a boyfriend?”
Noticing that Arnet wasn’t moving, Kent’s classmates gathered around her and bombarded her with questions.
“Yes, yes, I’ll answer one by one. After teaching practice, I worked incredibly hard. What did I work hard on? That’s a secret.”
“I’m happy to see you again too.”
“Yes, I have a boyfriend.”
Arnet carefully answered each question that was fired at her by the students.
“Amazing. Even though they were asking questions all at once, she answered each person accurately. I couldn’t do that.”
“In sword combat, even a small sound can be fatal if you miss it. It might be a secret art that can only be mastered by those who have achieved perfection in that path.”
Patty and Kent, watching from their seats, were amazed by Arnet’s incredible abilities.
“Kent, you say some eloquent things. My older sister can understand and respond to about ten people talking at the same time.”
“Ah, Josette.”
As Kent and Patty were talking about Arnet, Josette joined them.
“Ten people at once, that’s amazing.”
“She’s like the person who was on the portrait of high-value banknotes a long time ago.”
“I don’t understand the comparison to high-value banknotes, but she truly is an amazing older sister. If it weren’t for that incident, she probably would be now… No, it’s not something to talk about now.”
Patty was honestly surprised by the astonishing fact that Josette revealed, while Kent compared her to a great person with a similar episode.
“Teacher, do you have a boyfriend? What kind of person is he? Exciting!”
“Teacher has a boyfriend…”
“I… I like the teacher…”
Upon learning that Arnet had a boyfriend, the female students became excited with high-pitched screams, while the male students expressed their disappointment.
“She usually seems unreliable, but she’s very reliable when it counts.”
“Kyaa, kyaa!”
Arnet, blushing, spoke about her boyfriend. The girls who heard her seemed excited.
“That’s right. Kent, you are very reliable when it counts.”
“I agree with that.”
“You two, you won’t get anything by flattering me so much.”
Kent blushed at what Patty and Josette said.
“That’s not true. If you flatter Kent’s important parts, my beloved white nectar will spurt out.”
“J-Josette, that…!”
Patty’s face turned red at Josette’s elegant dirty joke, and she seemed to be at a loss for how to respond.
*Ring, Ring*
“That’s enough talk for now. It’s time, so let’s start the lesson.”
As Kent and the others were having such conversations, the short break time ended, and with Arnet’s call, the first lesson of the day began.
