Reaching Normality

Professor Nagisa

It was a warm summer afternoon, and the children of Seishuun were having their last period of class for the day. In Class 2-5, everyone was focusing all their attention on their young, girl looking boy teacher. Well, almost everyone was.

"Mitsui-kun, Kurahara-kun, I believe that your discussion can wait until after class."

Two fifteen year old children straightened in their seats, faces paling with fear at the deceptively gentle voice. Peering up guiltily at their smiling English teacher, both children immediately chorused apologies for disrupting lesson.

Shiota Nagisa mock slapped the two with his lesson plan, but his reassuring smile washed away any sting that might have been caused by the punishment.

"I understand that Sugino Tomohito is a wonderful baseball player even among professionals -in fact, he was one of my best friends when I was at my junior high -however, this is unrelated to the lesson at hand. Please refrain from going off topic everyone, especially now when it's so close to your midterm exams." An uncharacteristically sly tilt entered Nagisa's smile. "But, if all of you improve at least three points in the exam, I will take you all to meet Sugino Tomohito personally. So everybody, try your best!"

Cheers erupted withing the classroom.

"Wow, Shiota-sensei! You're the best!"

"Were you really classmates with the Sugino Tomohito? The one who won three Koshien championship row?"

"Sensei! Sensei! Does Sugino-senshuu look as cool in real life as he does in photographs?"

"No fair~~ Shiota-sensei, why did you just have to make a deal that we cannot refuse? Now we have to study for the exam!"

"Kyaa~~! I can't wait to meet Tomohito-sama!"

Nagisa felt his heart warmed as he watched his students become enthused and motivated for the upcoming midterms, a stark contrast to the way they were when he first took over the class. Class 2-5 was the class for laggers in Seishuun, a second rate Elementary School. While the hierarchy system were nowhere near as extreme it was in Kunugigaoka, the difference between levels was still large for the students to feel increased pressure. Nagisa was an apprentice teacher here, temporarily taking over English classes for Class 2-5 as the previous teacher was away on maternity leave. Using the skills he developed back in the last year of junior high, the young man quickly became popular with his students.

"Alright class! Let's get back to the lesson!"

Nagisa clapped his hands. At once the entire class became quiet, all attention trained on the slender teacher before the blackboard.

The rest of the lesson carried on without any undue interruptions. Nagisa tried his best to be both fun and educational; it seemed that he was successful. Time passed quickly and the bell signalling that it was the end of class.

"Complete page 48 and 49 on your exercise books for today's homework and prepare for the mock exam we'll be having next week. Goodbye children and have a good evening."

Nagisa smiled gently at his students as he gathered up his papers.

"Goodbye Shiota-sensei!"

"Shiota-sensei!"

A soft voice called out to him. Looking down, Nagisa saw a shy girl with sesame plaits, Kujou Mai, walks up with her text book.

"Sensei I do not understand the part of the passage we studied today..."

Patiently taking the textbook into his hands, Nagisa started to explain the differences in sentence structure.

"Hey, Kurahara, Mitsui, you guys were pretty brave not paying attention to Shiota-sensei's lessons!"