The school drama will continue for a while.
- Bokutotsu Zen'u
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 9, 2112
Yokohama Hisui Gakuen High School, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
A week after the entrance ceremony, the new first-year students were getting used to their new life at this high school, forming groups, et cetera, et cetera. Kanata Yadoya, a student in Class B of the first year, was one of those new students.
"I think I'm going to go with Higashizaki-san... hey, Yadoya! What do you think?"
During recess, several classmates gather at Yadoya's desk and engage in idle conversation. They were talking about who is the cutest girl in their class right now.
"I... uh..."
Yadoya was seriously worried when Izumikawa, a classmate from junior high school, asked him to talk about it. Just then, an "Ice Queen," who is secretly rumored within the school, entered the classroom. Yadoya saw her and muttered.
"I guess... Kadoma-san."
Yadoya mentioned Teru's surname. A few of the boys agreed, saying, "I see." One boy, however, who had been in the same junior high school as her, frowned at the remark.
"She's certainly a pretty girl, but... you should stay away from her. I heard rumors that she's a mistress of a yōkai."
"Yōkai?"
"A young man who always comes to pick her up. He is not human. Besides, he's an heir who drives a luxury car, you know? Maybe he's married to another person and they say Kadoma is his mistress."
The student is from the same junior high school as Teru and knows that she is an unapproachable person. However, this perception is far removed from who Teru actually is.
"...It's just a rumor, right? Could it be they are just brother and sister or something?"
"Kadoma said she is human, and I heard they have different last names, so I don't think they really have any blood ties."
"Eeehh, so she's really his mistress? I can't believe she looks so innocent."
The boys who were hanging around made disillusioned comments about Teru. Yadoya heard the conversation and felt uncomfortable, but he was at a loss to say anything because he was embarrassed to disturb them. At that moment, a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"...It's uncalled for to make judgments about people because of baseless rumors."
"T-Tsukigami-sensei."
Aoi Tsukigami, a young teacher of ethics and Japanese history at the high school, was standing in front of them before they knew it. He is tall and slender, with fair skin, a light shade of hair, reddish brown eyes, and a neutral and beautiful appearance that is hard to believe for a young man... He has a reputation as one of the most handsome teachers in the school. His eyes were as sharp as those of a beast and as fantastic as those of an angel. The students shuddered even though they were just staring at him.
"...W-we're sorry, sensei."
"Hm, be careful next time."
Tsukigami nodded and returned to the podium. At the same time, the pre-bell rang. Looking around the classroom, he saw the female students giving him enthusiastic glances. Tsukigami smiled lightly at the students.
"Now... following last week's orientation, we will begin classes in earnest. The textbook begins on page 1, Chapter 1, The Age of Myths. The content of this chapter is a controversial part of the book in terms of its consistency with historical facts, and although it will not be on the university entrance exam, it does speak to the roots of this country and, so to speak, to the identity of the Japanese people..."
In this era, history education begins with Amaterasu-Ōmikami. Tsukigami projected his presentation on the board.
"Then, starting from the first page, this world came into being as Takamagahara, the place where the gods lived..." He explained in an orderly tone.
Some of the girls admired his sheer handsomeness. One of them was smiling as if she was planning something.
'He's the teacher we've heard so much about... he certainly doesn't look bad...'
Her name is Suzumi Higashizaki, one of the new students enrolled in this class, just like Teru and Yadoya. In addition, she is also a quarter of a certain demi-human race.
'A face that is much more beautiful and cleaner than an average woman. When I see a man this good-looking, the urge to humiliate him... I must seize his weakness with the power of my song and make him mine...!'
Higashizaki was planning her twisted scheme on Tsukigami. She has had a distorted taste for using her demi-human power since junior high school to take advantage of the weakness of men in a higher position than herself, namely male teachers, and relish in forcing them to do her bidding.
. . .
After school, when all classes were over and homerooms had ended, students were pouring out of the building. Yadoya also took out his bag and was getting ready to leave. One of the boys spoke to him.
"Hey, Yadoya! Wanna go visit the basketball team?"
"Basketball?"
One week after the entrance ceremony, the school was in its recruiting period, and the current students were intensifying their recruiting efforts for the new students. It was in this context that this boy invited Yadoya to visit the basketball team.
"Have you decided which club you're going to join yet?"
"W-well... but..."
Yadoya nodded. At the same time, however, his expression clouded a bit.
When he was in junior high school, he was a member of the soccer club. It was not a strong school, but he was chosen regularly and played reasonably well in the qualifying tournaments, even being selected as a candidate for the national team. However, in the fall of his second year of junior high school, he damaged his meniscus in a contact during a game. After that, he quit sports altogether.
"That's why... sorry about visiting sports clubs. I can't do it anymore."
Yadoya revealed the circumstances without concealment. Hearing this, the boy looked apologetic.
"...Man, I'm so sorry. Then, see you again."
"Nah, don't worry about it."
For Yadoya, the knee injury was already in the past and he was not particularly concerned about it. The two exchanged goodbyes and the boy left the classroom. After that, the classroom became emptier and emptier. Then Yadoya, who had finished getting ready to leave, noticed that the beautiful Ice Queen, Teru Kadoma, was still in the classroom.
"........."
Yadoya couldn't resist staring at Teru's delicate face. At the same time, he remembered the words of a classmate of his who had attended the same junior high school as Teru, "the mistress of a yōkai."
"...?"
'...Crap.'
At that moment, Teru noticed a gaze fixed on her and turned around. Yadoya quickly averted his gaze, but Teru rose from her chair and approached him.
"...What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"Ah, no—nothing."
Yadoya could only give a terse reply. Teru gave a curt, "Is that so," and quickly returned to her seat. Just then, her cell phone rings. When Teru saw the caller's name, her expression changed and a big smile appeared on her face. Holding the phone to her ear, Teru spoke to the person on the other end of the line in a tone of voice distinctly different from the one she had used for Yadoya.
"Yes, this is Teru! How can I help you, Ryūjin-sama?"
'...?'
Teru temporarily left the classroom while on the phone to avoid being overheard. However, Yadoya did not miss the word "Ryūjin" she uttered.
. . .
A high-rise apartment in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
That evening, Teru and Ryuji were having dinner together as usual. The menu for the day consisted of meuniere of white fish and corn potage with salad.
In Japan during this era, automatic cookers were installed in the kitchens of every household, company, and nursing home cafeteria. In this system, pre-determined ingredients are fed into the machine, which calculates the calories and nutrients to be consumed based on the person's age, gender, weight, and nutritional status, and provides a meal adjusted to the person's dietary needs. Not only Japanese food, but also French, Chinese, Italian, and other tastes can be selected, which is why the self-catering rate among one-person households and dual-income families is estimated to be less than 10%.
On the other hand, variations and flavors tend to be limited, and there are those who insist on cooking for themselves for this reason, such as Teru, and cooking by themselves was considered a category of "hobby" or "principle." Naturally, the dishes served in high-class restaurants and hotels are the same as in the 21st century, with the chefs putting their skills to the best of their ability.
"...How's high school?"
"?"
Ryuji asked Teru, who is facing him, about her new high school life. Teru looked into his eyes with a frown.
"...What do you mean?"
"I mean... friends, clubs, that kind of stuff."
Ryuji was wondering if she had failed to get off to a good start in high school. And Teru's reply to his question hit him right in the face.
"If I do club activities, I won't have time to cook dinner for you, Ryūjin-sama. I'll have none of it."
"........."
Ryuji couldn't help but stare despondently. He regained his composure and began to speak in an admonishing tone.
"You know... Teru. I can't thank you enough for taking care of everything at home while I go to school. But, I don't want you to sacrifice your 'high school years' for me."
"...I don't intend to sacrifice it, though?"
Teru was not sure what Ryuji meant by that. To her answer, Ryuji continued.
"The high school years are only three years of your life. But the experiences and friends you gain in those three years will last a lifetime. So Teru, I want you to make friends and have a fun and happy high school life, just like any 16-year-old girl would."
Ryuji revealed his own feelings. But Teru's expression became more and more puzzled.
"...I don't know. For me, the life I have now is happy enough. I don't need anything more."
"...!"
Teru could not understand Ryuji's feelings. In frustration, Ryuji resorted to the last resort.
"...Then, I'll give you an order. You don't have to continue for three years. But you must join one of the clubs during the club recruitment period."
"Eh—"
As an order, Ryuji told her to join some kind of club activity. Upon receiving this order, Teru looked devastated, as if it were the end of the world. Ryuji saw her expression and felt as if a knife had been stabbed into his heart.
"...This is for your sake. Do it, please."
Ryuji pushed down his painful feelings and bowed to Teru. Teru finally gave up after being bowed down by Ryuji, whom she adored as her benefactor.
"I understand..."
When the person to whom you owe allegiance bows to you and says it is for your own good, you have no choice but to relent. Teru, although disappointed, accepted Ryuji's order.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 14
Yokohama Hisui Gakuen High School
Four days after the row between Teru and Ryuji, the deadline for the club activity recruitment period had come and gone, and the upperclassmen were even more aggressive in soliciting first-year students for club activities. Yadoya, who had focused on the cultural clubs, had his eye drawn to one of the club activities listed on the school's website. He went to the staff room after school to ask about that club activity. The head of the school year, Sanuki, looked at the page and winced.
"...Sorry, Yadoya, but the information on this site has not been updated to the current year's version. There is no Astronomy Club anymore."
"What...?"
Yadoya wanted to join the Astronomy Club and asked Sanuki about the whereabouts of the advisor. Then he told Yadoya that the Astronomy Club has been discontinued. The last members of the club, last year's third-year students, had graduated and the advisor was retiring, so the club had been discontinued as of March of last school year.
"...What do you do now? There are still many other cultural clubs."
"...No, let me think about it a little more."
Yadoya, who had been recommended to other cultural clubs, decided to wait for a while for a conclusion. After leaving the staff room, he had a plan in mind.
'...I want to do what I want to do anyway. Maybe I can start my own new club.'
As a child, Yadoya frequently observed celestial bodies with his friends in the local children's club. Therefore, he has a deep knowledge of astronomy and thought of creating a new astronomy club from scratch. To start a new club, he needs three things: a club member, a club room, and an advisor. The first thing to do would be to gather club members with an interest in astronomy.
'...But how would I proceed?'
At least, there are no like-minded people around him. Yadoya returned to the classroom, pondering how he should gather his friends.
Meanwhile, in the classroom of Class 1B, Teru, who had been ordered to join some club activity, was searching for the club she should join. She sighed as she stared at the club activity recruitment booklet.
"........."
However, she has no intention of taking up sports now, nor she is interested in theater or board games. She is proud to say that she is good at cooking, and once considered joining the home economics club, but she rejected this too, saying that it would be a waste of time to cut down on her cooking time at home for the sake of cooking.
'...Even in the cultural clubs, every quirky club has meetings at least four times a week.'
She did not want to lose time doing housework. Therefore, she wanted to join a cultural club with as few active days as possible, but it was difficult to find a club with the kind of activity cycle she wanted. At that time, she heard a voice talking to her.
"...Are you looking for a club?"
"?"
Teru looked up toward the voice and saw Yadoya standing in front of her desk.
"...Yes. But it's hard to find a club where I can combine housework with club activities."
"I-I see."
Teru closed the booklet and spoke plainly. Yadoya was surprised that she was having trouble balancing her household chores, but he made up his mind and approached her with a proposal.
"...I'm actually thinking of starting up an astronomy club. Our activities are planned for weekend evenings. I don't know how much housework you will have to do at home, Kadoma-san, but I'll make sure it won't affect you that much..."
"........."
For Yadoya, he thought it might be a doomed request. He was expecting a rejection in all probability. However, the answer that came out of her mouth betrayed his fears.
"...If that's the case, can I think about it positively?"
"...Eh."
Yadoya blurted. He was stunned, but Teru continued to speak plainly.
"Yadoya-san... right? Please let me know when you have an advisor and a club room lined up."
"Y-yes. I understand..."
"...Goodbye, then."
"Ah, see you around."
Teru slung her bag on her right shoulder, bowed to Yadoya, and left the classroom. Later, in the empty classroom, Yadoya quietly fist-pumped.