Volume 1 - CH 8

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

Common Honorifics:

-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.

-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.

-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.

-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one’s older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

… It was supposed to stay like that.

Reminiscing the old days, I closed my eyes with a tinge of bitter nostalgia. Whilst these old memories played in my mind, I heard a faint voice calling out to me, “—Tatsumi!” Despite its cries, these old memories kept flowing in.

… Things were awkward with my sister, but I still had fun back then.

Back when my sister rejected me, I still had Sakurai by my side. Thanks to her company, I was able to spend my days without being at the bottom of the barrel.

“Tatsumi!” I could hear that voice getting louder and louder… Keep it down, please. You’re noisy.

… My middle school days were…

When I try to recall that period in my life, a gloomy wave washes over me, and I instantly become depressed. It was a past I wanted to forget, but couldn’t. The bullying itself wasn’t the main issue, it was the fact she backstabbed me…

I knew in my mind she didn’t mean it, and only joined in on the bullying due to her shy personality and their strong coercion, but I just couldn’t accept it in my heart. Just a glimpse of her face is enough to remind me of those dark days.

I’m gonna have to do something about it. Maybe a psychiatrist is a good idea…

But while my mind processed these feelings—

“Can you hear me, Tatsumi Aizawa?!”

The voice was suddenly so close to me, it interrupted every train of thought I had going on.

“Stop screaming! You’re right on me, so you don’t have to shout! I can hear you!”

What the hell is wrong with you? Stop shouting people’s names over and over like you’re some sort of broken record. I’m thinking here, for crying out loud! What if they all start looking at me because of you?

Still a bit dazed, I stared in the direction of the voice, seeing my homeroom teacher standing right there beside me. She wore a gray suit and had her arms folded. She was clearly angry with me.

… Hm?

After I cooled down, I took a look around. Everyone stared at me with wide eyes. Even Sakurai was surprised at what had just happened.

I glance back at the teacher. Her hair was black, short, and wavy. She also donned a firm posture and a noticeably toned body, as if she played some kind of sport for a long while. It was a shame seeing her beautiful face be tainted with anger, really.

Then, she forced her expression into a twitching smile, replying to my remarks.

“…Hoh? That was quite a brash reply. If you don’t introduce yourself, homeroom will end with everybody else not doing anything.”

“…”

“… So, can you introduce yourself?”

She smiled, but her eyes were definitely not. The fact her smile was twitching and her eyes were dull made her look even scarier. What a waste of a beautiful woman.

Though, an introduction, huh… I don’t know what to say. Maybe I’ll just say my name and I’ll call it a day. After deciding on it, I stood up and said, “My name is Tatsumi Aizawa, nice to meet you,” then took my seat again.

“… No, wait!”

“Hm?”

“Don’t ‘hm’ me! Do you really not have anything else? Hobbies? Things you like? Plans for your future? Anything?!” She asked me with an inquiring expression, hoping I’d say anything more.

… Hobbies? Why do you wanna know about what I like to do? I mean, this situation…

I then said what I was thinking:

“Are you hitting on me, teacher? Is this like one of those ‘blind date’ things, where they ask something about you?”

“… Huh?”

I felt a stir in the classroom, but I continued with no sh*ts given.

“Well, I’m sorry. I really don’t know squat about love, so I can’t return your feelings.”

“Wha—?!”

“Well teacher, you’re beautiful when you’re not angry, so I’m sure you’ll find someone great for you. Good luck!”

I gave her a nice smile, stood up, and put my hand on her shoulder.

“… Why am I being encouraged after getting dumped by my own student, for no reason mind you, as soon as I started with my new position as a teacher…?”

Her body quivered and she mumbled something, all while looking down. I couldn’t see her expression from where I stood.

Ah, I got it.

“… Teacher.”

“… Hm?”

“It’s bad for your health to hold back. If you have the urge to drain your weasel, there’s a restroom over there.”

“… Fuuu~”

She exhaled one hell of a sigh. Then, her eyes opened dramatically, and she stared at me wide-eyed.

“Come to the staff room after school, got it?”

“… Okay.”

I could only nod in response. After that whole debacle, each student finished their own introductions, but no one spoke a single word to me.

TL: Was this chapter a fever dream? I—uh, y’know what? I’m just gonna move on to the next one.