[KARMAGISA] Not Your Average Teacher's Love Story

Chapter 24 - Sweet Pudding

The first person Nagisa thinks of when mentioning the colour green was Kaede.

She was a sweet girl who loved pudding, and hated to admit how she would forever be flat. Kaede was an actor with superb skills and was a great asset in assassinating Koro-Sensei. Nagisa always looked up to her. He could still remember the day he first met her. She wore her disguised green hair, tying it up to two small ponytails.

Nagisa was always afraid to flaunt his hair. Perhaps, Kaede saw that and reached out to help. She tied his hair up, and allowed him to regain his confidence.

And so, Nagisa continued to teach out a lesson.

He wrote the words 'standing up' on the chalkboard. Slowly, he placed the chalk down and turned to his students. "What do you think the words 'standing up' mean?"

Akio raised up a hand. Nagisa picked on him, and the teenage boy gladly answered.

"This is just a guess, but does it mean to... it's like standing up for someone else?" His eyebrows scrunched up funnily, and his forehead wrinkled. Nagisa smiled gently. "You're close, Akio-san. It's hard to precisely describe what 'standing up' means. It's similar to protecting or just being by someone based on your thoughts on what's right and what's wrong."

Nagisa began a closer inspection. He circled the word 'standing up' on the chalkboard, then adding another few words. 'Impact' he wrote on the side. "When standing up for someone else, it creates a certain impact. For example, you saw someone getting bullied. Instead of being a bystander, you shield the victim from the bully. That can impact the views of a bystander and move them to act instead of standing by."

"Shiota-Sensei!" Rikka extended out a hand. "Have you ever stood up for anyone?"

Nagisa laughed. "Yes, I have. Did you forget already, Rikka? In fact, I've stood up for you before, based on what I think is right and wrong." Hearing that, Rikka went red at the embarrassment. "Oh... my bad!"

Seeing the outcome, Yoshiki blurted out, "Shiota-Sensei stood up for me too!"

Junko happily yelled out, "Fumiko-san stood up for me once!"

Nagisa nodded. "Yes, that is an example of standing up."

"But..." Emi, the flower girl had mumbled, "has anyone ever stood up for Shiota-Sensei before?"

Suddenly, the class went quiet. The students seemed to mull over several thoughts, and they seemed quite distressed while thinking. Nagisa gently smiled, "Yes, someone has stood up for me before." Hearing his answer, the students had instantly brightened up. Akio hollered, "from now on, I'll stand up for Shiota-Sensei!"

"Count us in as well!" Tomomi and Tomohiro yelled.

Seeing his class in great spirits, Nagisa wore a soft smile. He was dazed and rather... dazzled at the outcome. It turned out that his class was very pure and warming. Nagisa felt his heart go soft. Then, he laughed. "Then, let's all stand up for each other."

*****

"What are you eating for lunch?" Karma asked.

It was lunchtime, and the students had all ran out into the courtyard to play. Nagisa sat obediently behind his desk, shuffling a pile of papers orderly. "I'm thinking of buying a few snacks at the vending machine from across the street."

"You'll be leaving school property?" Karma asked worriedly. He held one of Nagisa's hands, and the latter stiffened. Blush spread rapidly on Nagisa's face.