Chapter 8: The Staff Room Is Uncomfortable


TL: Akabane


***


Everyone makes mistakes.


That's why I think my mistake was inevitable.


I was in a corner of the staff room, a kind of small resting area.


There was an expensive-looking leather sofa for three placed across a low table, surrounded by a red partition about my height.


This kept out the eyes of the people around me.


However, since it wasn't a wall, I could hear the conversations of the other teachers in the staff room in the distance, and the aroma of coffee tickled my nostrils.


The air conditioner in the room couldn't have been more effective, and I felt the disparity between students and teachers.


Well, teachers are working and paying taxes, while we students are just studying, so I guess it's not right to ask for the same thing.


"Hey, are you listening to me?"


A woman with slitted eyes sitting directly in front of me said this in a somewhat amused tone while I was thinking.


This woman was my class teacher, Miyako-sensei.


She was still in her early 30's and had a face that I would have thought was pretty if I saw her on the street.


Maybe it was her makeup.


However, contrary to her cute appearance, Miyako-sensei's tone of voice is quite severe.


Even now, she is staring at me with intimidating words and eyes.


As an "invisible man", she is a scary target for me, but het appearance and her bold personality are well received by other students, and I often see her called "Miya-chan."


"Well, Takarada, what's this all about?"


The teacher shows me the career path chart that I wrote today.


As a self-proclaimed "advanced school," we are supposed to submit our desired course of study during the first year.


However, the chart I wrote was blank.


This is the reason why the teacher was so impressed.


Why was it blank?


Let me tell you a little about my morning.


***


This morning, there were two things that were different from usual.


The first was that Chihaya, who sits next to me, talked to me as soon as I arrived at school.


Usually, he only talks to me to pass the time during lunch break, but today he talked to me as if he was excited.


He told me that he had seen Yuki walking with some guy.


I broke out in a cold sweat because I knew that the man was probably me, given the date.


But fortunately, the man's face didn't seem to be recognizable.


I was relieved, and decided to meet at the café and leave the café next time.


Well, this wasn't such a problem.


The problem is the second one.


The timeline is reversed, but it happened on the train on my way to school.


To my surprise, my former love, Tendo, sat down in the seat next to me on the train.


And not only did she sit down, she deliberately leaned against me.


I will never forget that feeling.


A fragrant female scent and a small body that seemed to be broken.


Everything about her was beautiful.


I don't know why she pretended to be asleep while doing this, but I couldn't keep my cool.


How could I stay calm when my ex-lover came close to me and hit me with her body?


However, she immediately moved away from me.


Probably because of my smell.


That fact was very painful.


Maybe it's just me, but being called "stinky" hurts me more than a normal swear word.


Smell is a part of each person's personality and identity, so being called "stinky" is a strange reality that makes me feel like I am being denied myself.


I am aware that I am a person of the lowest class, but I thought I wouldn't bother others.


However, I regretted so much that I made Tendo feel the most repulsive moment of smell.


And I repeated the reflection of that moment in my mind after entering the classroom.


As a result, I didn't realize that I had been handed a career chart, and it ended up in the teacher's hands, blank, and I was summoned to the staff room during lunch break.


I understand Miyako-sensei's feelings, because it is a lousy act not to write down anything, not even my name.


It was a day when things didn't go so well.


I got a bit of attention from the class for being called out. ......


"What is this?"


Miyako-sensei stared at me and didn't let go.


"I was in ...... daze."


I'm not used to people looking at me like this.


I gripped my pants tightly and replied gingerly.


"I see. If you were spacing out, I can't blame you."


"...... (Eh?)."


Miyako-sensei pulled out a pen from her chest pocket, seemingly more easily than expected.


Huh?　I was kind of prepared to be stuffed more, to the point of being grilled at worst.


"More importantly, do you have any career aspirations?　If not, I'll submit it as nothing in particular."


"Yes, yes. That's all for now. I'm thinking of going into the sciences, but..."


"You want to go into science, right? I get it."


Miyako-sensei quickly filled out my career chart and folded the paper.


As I thought, it was pretty simple.


Hmm?　If this was the case, there was no need to call me into the staff room, right?


I wish I could return the pounding of my heart when I entered the staff room.


"Hey, what's with that unsatisfied look on your face? Should I have been angrier?"


Miyako-sensei lifts a 300ml can of black coffee and puts it in her mouth.


It's the kind of canned coffee package you see all the time.


"No, not really. I'm just prepared for a lot of things when I'm called out."


"It's certainly scary to be called out by a teacher, isn't it? I used to get called out a lot when I was in school."


What a saga! It's not that cool!


I almost tsked at her, but stopped.


"I wanted to talk to you today, Takarada. The career chart is just an excuse for that."


You wanted to talk?


It's true that as a teacher you can't treat me like I'm invisible, but I'm sure there are many more students who should have a higher priority than me.


"You're always alone. I see that you talk to Chihaya's guy sometimes, but I don't think you're that close to him."


"...... Are you saying, in a roundabout way, that I should make friends?"


"No, that's not what I'm saying. It's not compulsory education. I won't be that nosy."


Miyako-sensei continued, "It's just..."


"You remind me of many things. I'm not denying your life as a student. I just wanted to let you know that I'm watching you."


I had no idea what was behind his words.


To begin with, being "watched," even in the public sense of the word, is not something that makes me happy in my quest to become "invisible."


I was sure that was the case.


Then...


"Mi-chan~? Where are you?　Oh, there you are."


Despite being in the staff room, a high school girl appeared in our break area with a voice that echoed throughout the classroom.


She was a well-faced gal with blonde hair and an overdressed uniform that suited her well.


Her name was Saki Godo.


She is in the same class as me and reigns at the top of the class, or even grade caste.


She, Yuki and Tendo are people who live in a different world from me in a different way.


Of course, I have never talked to her.


I'm sure she doesn't even recognize me.


Just like people don't notice a pebble on the side of the road.


She looked at me suspiciously for a moment and then sat down next to Miyako-sensei.


"Hey, Mi-chan. What happened to that story?"


Godo started talking about me as if I wasn't there.


This ruggedness is what I want.


But I was also a little happy because I felt like I was being treated like an "invisible man."


"Saki. I told you to call me "Miyako-sensei" at school, didn't I?"


"Eh~ that's fine~ There's no one around."


I'm here, though.


"This is the staff room. You're bothering the other teachers."


Oops, the teacher also treated me as if I were invisible.


Even though she told me earlier that she was watching me.


Well, I'm fine with that.


"So, what happened to my request?"


"Oh, you mean the freshman party?"


"Oh, yeah!"


The conversation is proceeding as if I'm completely absent.


Um?　They don't want me here, right?


I wonder if they won't notice if I disappear quietly?


I slowly move my body closer to the edge of the couch to escape.


"Fufu...but we don't have the manpower ...... to do the project."


I have a bad feeling.


Whether this hunch was correct or not is told by the look on Miyako-sensei's face, as if she had come up with a great idea.


This is probably not good.


"Oh, sorry, I'm still here."


"Takarada, can you help me organize a social event?　You're free after school, right?"


"Eh?"


"Ha?!"


Rather than my faint voice, Godo's startled voice, which sounded more like a scream, covered my ears.


"Why is this guy here?　I told you, didn't I?　I don't like him much!"


I was supposed to be invisible, but Godo recognized me.


In a bad way.


I mean, why does she hate me?


The good thing about being invisible is that no one likes me instead of no one hating me.


What did I do?


"Well, come on. We don't have enough people, right?"


But Miyako-sensei didn't mean it at all.


"If this is the kind of guy you're looking for, oh, yeah!　Look for that handsome guy!　That rumor!　He's so cool. If it was that guy..."


"Oh, the guy Saki said she fell in love with at first sight before?"


"Wait, don't say that, it's embarrassing!"


Oh, you've done a great job of catching such a big fish, Mysterious handsome man.


......Totally, it's nice to be popular.


"There's no way I could find someone like that. Don't be selfish, grow up and do what I say."


Miyako-sensei said in a slightly stronger tone and sat down on the sofa.


Even in such a position, she still managed to argue with her, "But, but!!" but she didn't seem to hear it.


Miyako-sensei looks convinced.


"Okay."


Um, aren't you forgetting something about my intentions, Sensei?


How could I possibly do something so conspicuous?


"You should participate properly, Takarada. You know what will happen to your grade if you don't participate, right?"


No way, that's a threat. ......


Isn't this teacher dangerous?



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