Now that he was done confirming his financial status....
I splurged on a nice-looking business suit at a department store. I still found myself with more than enough free time, so i stopped by a hair salon nearby and got a much-needed haircut as well.
"Hmm."
I had transformed into someone completely different compared to when leaving the apartment.
'This is why having money is way better than not having any.'
And they said that good clothes would become one's wings, too
I stopped by the front of a shop's window on the street and checked out my reflection for a bit, before shrugging my shoulders.
My preparation was as perfect as it could get.
'I'm sure I won't leave behind a bad first impression.'
I adjusted his clothes for a bit, before confirming the time through his phone. It said 16:20.
'I'm supposed to get there before five, right?'
If i got going now, i should arrive on time.
"Taxi!"
I grabbed a taxi and arrived in front of Sarah's school, with enough time to spare. And as luck would have it, i spotted Sarah standing by the school's front gate.
"Sarah-!"
Discovering her older brother belatedly, she gasped out in pure shock.
"Kai??"
Sarah's eyes became extra round like a rabbit's as she asked cautiously.
"Are.... are you really Mister Kai Del'a Saint?"
"Can't you recognise your own brother?!"
Sarah swept her gaze all over me with a stunned expression still etched on her face, her voice naturally rising higher.
"It's because you've changed so much, you know!"
"What, so you wanted me to show up in my tracksuit and slippers when meeting your new homeroom teacher?"
"Wow...."
Sarahstill couldn't close her slack jaw.
"Hey, your chin might fall off at this rate. Anyways, I'm going ahead. Okay?"
Since my sister didn't show any sign of guiding the way, i simply took the lead. year ago, i'm too was a student in this very school. I already knew its layout like the back of his hand.
Now normally, if teachers wanted to speak to the parents, then the meeting place would either be the staff room or at the counselling office. But today's matter involved Sarah's future career path, so 8 should head to the counselling office.
And so, Sarah's steps quickened.
"Kai! Wait for me!"
Sarah hurriedly ran after her older brother.
"Hello there, Mrs Raundia."
"Yes? Oh, uh, hello to you too."
While on his way, i greeted several teachers i ran into. All of them stopped in their tracks without exception, and took a look behind them, at the departing back of me.
'Who was that?'
'Is he a graduate from this school? But, there's no way I'd have forgotten about such an eye-catching student like that.'
'Is he a new teacher?'
It wasn't only the teachers who were looking at me, though.
"Wow, he's good-looking, isn't he?"
"Who is he?"
"Wait, isn't that Sarah next to him?"
"He must be Sarah brother. Wow, he's pretty cool."
A well-built frame and a stylish business suit - although my facial features were on the plain side, the synergy between those two points were powerful enough to attract the attention of the female students.
Too bad, the guy in question wasn't interested at all, though. Well I'm gay tho.
'.......'
I simply let the girls' whisperings slip in one ear and slide right out the other. The one to get really psyched up was Sarah, actually.
She perked her ears up and listened to the assessment of her brother coming from the surroundings in a fit of happy giggles. She then sneaked closer to my side and lightly poked me on my waist with her elbow.
"Hiya~, my brother, you're proving to be really popular today, wouldn't you agree?"
I ignored this.
"Wait, now that I think about it, Kai, you still haven't found a girlfriend yet, right?"
He also ignored this one.
"Should I, your trusty little sister, introduce you to a cute high school girl?"
And with that, I began pinching her cheeks with an emotionless face.
"Stop being cute, okay?"
"I'm... I'm sowwy...."
I eventually released her cheeks. Sarah rubbed her reddened cheeks and pouted unhappily.
"Che. I know you also like the attention, though...."
Walking while lightly bickering amongst each other, they had arrived at the destination already. Sarah ran past me and spun around in front of the counselling office.
"Kai, we're here."
Just before entering the office, i looked at my sister. She wasn't budging from her spot.
"What about you?"
"Today's the teacher and parents only. I'm going back to my class as soon as you go inside."
"Oh."
Listening to Sarah, i remembered something similar happening back when i was still a high-school senior. Back then, no one came, though.
'It was around the time when it got harder and harder for mom to move around, right?'
My mother began to frequent the hospital right around then.
I feared that she might push herself too hard, so i didn't tell her about the teacher-parent meeting. And i got to suffer from my homeroom teacher's lectures for quite a while because of that.
When recalling those moments, i could understand the reason for Sarah being so anxious today. I smiled gently and asked her.
"You having the night class today as well?"
"Ng. You dont ...., don't wait for me and go home first."
"Okay."
I sneak attacked her and rubbed her hair all out of shape.
"Study hard, okay? I'll see you later."
"Ah! Stop it!"
"See you later at home."
I grinned and disappeared into the counselling office.
Sarah's cheeks puffed up as she smoothed her hair.
"Still treating me like a little kid...."
Of course, she didn't display any hint of disliking that.
Maybe someone saw the whole thing? Sarah quickly scanned her surroundings and confirmed that there was no one around her. She sighed in relief and trotted away to her class.
If i were to put into words the first impression i got from Sarah's homeroom teacher?
'Mm....'
She kind of looked 'generous'.
"You must be Sarah brother."
She was a middle-aged teacher with a wizened look about her. The overall impression she gave off was someone who could make other people feel better with a gentle and warm smile on her face.
She perhaps knew my story, because she wasn't surprised in the slightest to see i being here as Sarah's guardian.
"How do you do? I'm Sarah 's homeroom teacher. I didn't quite expect Sarah to be hiding someone this cool as her brother, to be honest. Ohoho."
Having received her outgoing and welcoming words, i bowed his head politely as well.
'I haven't seen her before.'
She must've started teaching after i graduated from this school.
Didn't someone say that a person's impression would be decided upon the first meeting? After sharing their greetings, i did feel a bit more relaxed.
'Well, she's using polite speech to someone who's many years her junior, too.'
It seemed that my little sister's third year in high school wouldn't be that traumatic after all, since she was lucky enough to run into a pretty nice homeroom teacher.
"Please, take a seat over here."
She showed him to a chair. I settled down on the opposite side to Sarah homeroom teacher across a large desk.
"We can rest easy about Sarah."
We conversed for a while with typical topics that a homeroom teacher and parents would normally share, the atmosphere remaining cordial and rather cheery throughout the chat.
Since Sarah was a model student, there was no reason for either i or the teacher to raise our voices at each other.
"Are you aware that Sarah has set her sights on entering a medical school?"
"Yes, I am."
The lady teacher began reading the prepared information.
"Her scores in the mock test are excellent. And her regular grades are very good as well, so she should get in without too much problem. Still, please make sure that you don't pressure her too much at home."
I silently nodded my head.
From the teacher's excited face, one could easily spy her high expectations of Sarah's future.
The thing was, the homeroom teachers tasked with looking after high school seniors were also under a tremendous level of stress as well. Since it involved the rest of these third-year students' lives, how could they not get stressed out?
'That's why I heard that most try to avoid being a senior class's homeroom teacher, though.'
I also heard that there were plenty of cases where male teachers simply dumped the responsibilities to their female counterparts. When considering that, then he could say that Sarah's homeroom teacher was full of drive and passion for her students.
As Sarah's guardian, i could only be grateful for that. Because drive and passion would mean she'd hold great 'interest' in the future of her students.
Maybe 15 minutes had passed by? The meeting was coming to a smooth end.
"Well then, if that's all...."
I studied the mood and was getting ready to leave, but then, the teacher cautiously spoke to me.
"I heard that you are a Titan."
Suddenly, the teacher became quite serious.
There was something going on here. I immediately sensed it.
"Yes, I am."
"If..... If Titan is adjudged to be an Awakened, will you let her do Titan's work as well?"
"Never."
I'd never allow her.
I decisively stated my position. There was no need to even reconsider this.
Exactly as i had suspected, there was something here and as proof, the teacher's expression became heavier still.
"As I thought...."
When i looked at her with a puzzled expression, the teacher spoke in a determined tone of voice.
"If it's not too much trouble, may I ask you for a favour?"
I nodded my head.
"As long as it's within my powers...."
I decided to hear her out first.
Well, she was my little sister's homeroom teacher, so if i refused her outright without even listening to her once, i might leave behind a bad impression here.
Worried that i might change my mind, the teacher quickly opened her mouth.
"One of my students is thinking of quitting school to become a Titan full time after she went through the Awakening process. She's not even coming to school anymore, as a matter of fact."
'Aha.'
Such things were fairly common.
There would be cases where a few newly Awakened, having never experienced what real Titan did, thought of themselves as someone special, a chosen, a cut above the rest, etc., without having the faintest idea how cruel reality could be.
....Even though there weren't that many Awakened who went on to become famous Titans and made lots of money in the world, though.
The teacher let off a long sigh.
"If she continues to miss school this way, then the management won't have any choice but to act, you see? Even if she wishes to become a Titan, wouldn't it be better if she at least graduated from a high school first?"
I nodded my head in agreement. At my positive response, the teacher's complexion brightened just a bit.
"Can you help me persuade that child so she gets to graduate safe and sound?"
The teacher did her best to smile.
I was curious about one thing here.
"That student... what was her Awakened rank?"
"From what I hear... it's the lowest rank...."
In other words, a rank E.
'....She won't get to live long, then.'
That was the rank where one had to be especially careful about entering a dungeon.
If one entered with an overly-hyped mindset and without much preparation to boot, then one would become a cripple or dead almost without an exception.
Such a thing happening to a kid around the same age as his little sister was a sad thing. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, that choice was that girl's to make. No one could say otherwise.
It was a rather lamentable thing indeed, but he didn't feel like taking time out of his busy schedule to interfere in someone's else life choices.
'Besides, I'm not confident about persuading her, too.'
Surely, most of what he would say wouldn't come across as nice things to hear, after all.
I was thinking of refusing the teacher and leaving.
However....
"Sarah would recognise the child, because her name is..."
When the girl's name came out from the teacher's mouth, i realised that he couldn't easily get up from his spot now.
I confirmed the girl's name one more time.
" What was the name of the student again?"
"It's... By any chance, you know who she is?"
"....."
Yup, New York city was indeed a tiny place.
'Huh.'
I became rather speechless.