Sensei, I Love You

Chapter 21

The principal, Kaidou Takumi, was a short little man with gray hair and receding hairline. He seemed to be around late fifties from the fine wrinkles on his forehead and at the corner of his eyes. Sakura shrank further in her seat as his eyes narrowed on her, his lips pressed into a stern line.

Yukito was in the chair beside her, but he was staring ahead at the Kaidou with a serious face. Sakura gulped at the tenseness in the room. If she knew it would come down to this confrontation, she wouldn’t have openly defied Syaoran in the classroom. She’s doomed to be expelled from school.

“What’s going on?” Kaidou asked, his voice booming in the quiet room.

Sakura fidgeted in her seat, not knowing how to answer his question. She looked to Yukito for help but didn’t manage to catch his attention. “Kaidou-kouchou,” Yukito said. “I believe you have gone through Kinomoto-san’s files over the past years. You should be able to understand what she’s currently going through.”

Kaidou sighed and leaned back against his chair wearily. “It’s not that I don’t understand her plight, Tsukishiro-sensei. Our school places emphasis on our moral values and inculcate respect in each and every student here. Kinomoto-san clearly broke one of the unwritten rules today with her behavior in Li-sensei’s class.”

Yukito narrowed his eyes. “So you are basically saying that it was all her fault?”

“I already talked to Li-sensei earlier but I need to hear from both parties on what exactly happened that led to the ugly scene in class. Some parents have already been alerted about the incident and have been calling the school with questions on Li-sensei’s qualifications.”

“Kaidou-kouchou, it wasn’t really Li-sensei’s fault,” Sakura said and regretted it immediately when both guys turned their attention to her. She squirmed under their intense gaze. “It’s because… Li-sensei caught me working overtime and was really worried about my health and safety… And um… I didn’t pick up his call when he checked up on me to make sure I’m back home safely.”

Kaidou nodded his head absentmindedly while Yukito merely frowned. Cold sweat poured down her face. Did her lie work? Her heart jumped in her chest when Yukito suddenly folded his arms and stared at her. Sakura could only pray that they believed her because that was the only way out for her—and Syaoran.

“That’s what Li-sensei said too,” Kaidou said with another sigh. “Settling this issue is tricky when parents are involved.”

Parents… Sakura had none and that thought alone was like being brutally splashed by cold water. “I’m really sorry this happened.”

“Kaidou-kouchou, I understand that students are not permitted to work while being a student here,” Yukito said. “But Kinomoto-san needs to work to be able to afford her rent and her meals.”

“I understand that. That’s why we didn’t stop her from working.”

Sakura blinked. The school knew?

“You don’t think the school is oblivious to the ongoing activities of our students?” Kaidou asked with a wry smile. “We sent a team to investigate during the long period of your absence in school and found out everything about you.”

“You sent a team of whatever to spy on me?” Sakura asked, feeling more incredulous than angry at her invasion of privacy.

“Well, we only did it once to find out where you were,” Kaidou replied. “When we found that you were still staying in your former house—though you are actually renting a room from the new residents—we stopped.”

Sakura felt the weight lifted from her heavy shoulders. So they didn’t find out that she was actually living with Syaoran after she was evicted from her rented room. Their secret was still safe.