Lesson Learned

You need help

Then her mom finally left and closed the door.

"...I like you better drunk," Mitsuko muttered, scowling when she turned back to her homework.

***

"You're definitely an interesting case, Mitsuko," Koro-sensei said curiously as she and he sat down for a one on one session after school.

She drummed her fingers impatiently on the desk. "Why do I get the impression that's not a compliment?"

Koro-sensei chuckled, munching on some crisps. "What I mean is that the work you do for me is great." He pointed to her recent pile of homework results where there wasn't a score below 85. "Even when applying a more complicated work method, your results are still good."

Mitsuko sighed, crossing her arms. "Tell that to my Midterm results."

Koro-sensei scratched his head. "Your test anxiety is the main thing we're going to need to tackle."

She tensed, averting her gaze. "That's not...I just need to concentrate better," she replied, sitting up straighter. "I lack focus, that's my problem. My brother's trying to help me..."

Koro-sensei was quiet for a moment. "I see. Well, that's very kind of him."

Mitsuko smiled slightly, looking up. "Yeah. He's the best...literally." Her smile wavered. "He can be a jerk sometimes, but he tries."

"I can imagine it must be stressful for you both," he said gently.

She gave strained laughed. "Oh, yeah, you could say that." She looked out of the window. "I mean, you've met our father so..." Mitsuko grimaced when she looked back at him. "Oh, by the way, I'm sorry about the stunt he pulled in the teachers' lounge."

"Oh, that?" Koro-sensei blushed, chuckling nervously. "Oh, no it's fine. Just a little rivalry between colleagues!"

Mitsuko looked doubtful. "Right, sure." She sighed, resting her chin in her palm. "Still, I'm sorry. Sometimes he gets really..." She grimaced. "Obsessed over proving a point."

Koro-sensei hummed, placing his packet of crisp down. "...Yes, I realise that now after what happened at Midterms."

Mitsuko sighed. "Yeah...he definitely screwed us all over with that one," she said quietly. "I mean, a part of me was already expecting it but still..." She smiled bitterly. "Well, you can't say he's unequal in his discrimination." She sighed. "He'll stop at nothing to win."

"Yes. To win at any cost," Koro-sensei said lightly. "But at what cost? Many would argue," he continued. She looked at him curiously. "There is a level of sacrifice that cannot justify the end goal."

She frowned, becoming more alert. "But a sacrifice still has to be made, sometimes the ends justify the means."

"But at what cost?" he repeated. "With your father's educational philosophy he neglects to counter in the emotional impact his actions have on his students, and in turn, is failing to understand the long term consequences. Like, in this case, with how your test anxiety has gotten worse."

She edged her chair back, feeling her skin prickle and itch. "Sir, I..."

"I want to have an honest conversation about this with you," Koro-sensei said patiently. "So we can get to the root of the problem."

The problem is me.

"Yeah, I'm not doing that." Mitsuko stood up. "Why do you even care?" she snapped, shifting erratically. "You don't get paid to play class counsellor, okay, and frankly this is none of your business!"