Chapter 7
As in previous years, Rikkai University's various clubs held their traditional challenge matches on the day of the Kaihara Festival. Today was the day of the fateful draw. Lunch break was almost over when, ten minutes ago, I heard the bad news that our club captain had drawn the baseball club's name, while the tennis club captain had drawn our club's name. And, five minutes earlier, I'd learned from Yagyu that their club's challenger would be Sanada, which was quite amusing. So, I immediately emailed my club captain to request that I stay at the dojo. This wasn't because my pitching skills were only slightly better than my sewing skills, but because I was extremely eager to pin our beloved second young master of the Sanada family to the judo mat and rub him into oblivion.
Oh no, I think I laughed out loud.
A terrifying woman.
Knowing my intentions, Yagyu, who "tipped me in the foot," commented in an email as follows.
: Disrespect, disrespect.
I quickly typed a reply.
Seeing Sanada Genichiro return to the classroom with a gloomy expression, I tried not to make my smile too impolite, but I still couldn't help but say in a slightly exaggerated tone, "Oh my god, what are we going to do? The tennis club has drawn the judo club again. This is terrible."
He frowned slightly, but didn't even look up at me.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm still the one guarding the dojo this year." After reading the message from Yagyu asking me to "bring your textbook," I put my phone in my skirt pocket and stood up. As I spoke, I looked back at Sanada and deliberately tilted my head and smiled. He looked to the side, probably not wanting to talk at all. So I took the chemistry textbook from Yagyu's drawer and left the classroom first.
During this busy period preparing for the Haiyuan Festival, I haven't felt this good in a long time.
Sometimes happiness doesn't need any special reason; just a little bit of relaxation is enough.
After I left, Sanada took a while to loosen his clenched fist. The crumpled paper that rolled out was the only one among the lottery slips with the word "challenge" written on it. This meant that while the other first-year students stayed in the tennis club to wait for the basketball club members who would come to challenge them, he alone had to overcome the judo club's obstacle, that is, to challenge their first-year ace, the unmoving champion of the women's 54kg category in the National Championships, Sanae Okada.
This wouldn't be considered a major headache for anyone. Last year, when Niou was pinned to the mat, the two were still joking around. In reality, the challenge event was just a purely entertaining and relaxing activity, simply a way for various clubs to interact and connect. There was no question of winning or losing.
Sanada felt uneasy, vaguely sensing that the faint smile on Yukimura's face during the draw was suspicious. However, Sanada Genichiro was an honest man of upright character who wouldn't suspect he'd been tricked. Unlike Yukimura, who immediately noticed something amiss in Niou's glance at Yagyu and subtly guided Sanada to draw the lot everyone hoped he would.
Watching plays is a human instinct, and the legendary son of God is no exception.
It's common knowledge at Rikkai University that Genichiro Sanada and Sanae Okada are sworn enemies, or even arch-rivals, or the most straightforward mortal foes. But if asked, I would say I definitely don't dislike Sanada, and I have no reason to dislike him—why would I dislike a serious person? He certainly doesn't dislike me either. This isn't to say I'm overly confident or arrogant, but given Genichiro Sanada's personality, assuming he truly took every competition between us, big and small, seriously in the past, he definitely wouldn't dislike me.
Furthermore, he was actually a kind-hearted person, almost to the point of being overly honest. I knew the potted plant my grandmother brought back was bought by him, and I recognized the wet handkerchief in her handbag yesterday—the same one I lent her on the first day of school. Few people probably know that Sanada is a thoughtful and gentle person, just as few would say that Yagyu is a cold and self-centered person. Everyone avoids fully revealing themselves to the world, yet has perfectly legitimate reasons to explain that this isn't deception, because the world doesn't need your honesty; it doesn't care to listen.
Liu Sheng, who came from the External Relations Department, entered the science classroom just in time. He bowed and apologized to the teacher before pulling out a chair and sitting down opposite me. I reached out and pushed his usual fountain pen over to him, then opened my book and looked up at the podium.
The chemistry teacher in charge of Grade 11 A and B groups is young and handsome. He was originally studying for a master's degree in pharmaceutical engineering at Waseda University, but in his second year, he suddenly realized that he was not suited for academia and should do something more meaningful. That's how he became a high school teacher. One popular version of his story goes like this.
However, a person's true nature is rarely what they appear to be. This can be explained in the simplest way: seeing is believing. No matter how exciting something is to hear, it's not as real as experiencing it firsthand.
When I was a disciplinary committee member in the middle school, I was assigned to inspect the rooftop of the teaching building one noon. The teacher was taking a nap on the highest platform surrounded by a protective railing. His suit vest was wrinkled, and a book with pages falling out was covering his face. Hearing my footsteps, he removed the book, opened his eyes, and looked at me, a strand of his slightly long bangs falling down.
Tai... Dazai Osamu?
The author's name was barely visible on the tattered spine of the book. I frowned in confusion, but quickly realized my rudeness and adjusted my expression. This didn't seem to match the rumored handsome senior chemistry teacher at all.
Seeing that I was wearing a blue tie from the middle school and holding the disciplinary committee's record book, he stretched and sat up, his eyes glazed over. He spoke slowly and deliberately, using polite language: "I'm very sorry, is it not allowed to come up here?"
I thought for half a second and replied, "The school rules are written in the student handbook, so... I don't really know if they have any binding force on teachers."
He closed the book, its spine now torn apart: "Ah, I forgot, I'm a teacher now," he said, using one hand to support himself as he stepped over, climbing even higher. "There weren't any railings here before, at least not when I first stood here."
"Teacher, are you a graduate of Rikkai University?" I stood by the railing, thinking that I didn't have any obvious flaws, except that I was a little more curious than the average person. If I had a story to tell, would anyone not listen? Especially someone who was famous in both the secondary and higher education departments. I'm just an ordinary person, so of course I was very interested.
"Are you in your third year of junior high? When I was about your age, I transferred to Rikkai University." He spread his arms to maintain his balance, tiptoed a few steps along the edge of the rooftop, and then turned back. "Principal Yoshizawa still had hair on his head back then."
Actually, I was quite worried that he might fall, but I also felt that he seemed to know exactly what he was doing, so I simply kept an eye on his steps while listening to what he was saying, so that if he slipped, I could react in time and grab him.
"I won't jump," he said, probably sensing my unusual tension. He turned and leaned against the railing. "If I'm going to die, I'll choose a less pleasant day. At least I won't ruin your good time."
I was momentarily at a loss for words, but in the end, I honestly followed my heart and said, "Is it inappropriate to say these things to a student I've just met?"
"Actually, everyone could be someone else's straw, I'm just eliminating the possibility of you becoming mine," he said, his face remaining expressionless, and I couldn't tell where he was looking. "Okada-kun, what if you hadn't stopped me? Have you thought about what would happen afterward?"
My mind raced with questions, but I remained calm and said, "Teacher, would you like to come over here and we can talk again?"
He turned over and stood on the inside. After a few seconds of eye contact, I was even more at a loss. What was this guy trying to do?
"God killed me once, and then woke me up and made me a different person than I was yesterday." [1] He read aloud, looking up.
"The setting sun?" I blurted out the source almost as fast as a guessing game, but in reality, I hadn't read Dazai's novella. No, I should say I've basically never read any of his works, since I spend my free time dealing with Sudoku and social mystery novels.
"It's a very boring story," he patted the book cover. "So bland that you always forget he's telling a story, and in the end you just feel like you're listening to him pour out his heart."
My first reaction was to reply, "Then why are you still watching?", but in the end I didn't say anything and continued listening to the teacher. I was able to guess the answer only because I had enough clues to slowly deduce it.
"But no matter how much others talk about life and death, it has nothing to do with me. It's not like it's happening to me. For example, if I say I want to die now, you can only try to persuade me not to die based on your morals." He straightened his clothes and stood up straight. Only then did I realize how tall he was, even taller than Sanada, the tallest person I knew.
"I won't try to persuade you," I said. "No, I should say I'll pull you back. It's my instinct as a human being. But I don't know you, teacher. Any advice I can give you will be useless. But if you really want to jump, I will still pull you back."
He laughed several times after hearing my reply, then picked up his book and left the rooftop. As he opened the door, he turned to me and said, "Thank you for listening to me."
What a strange teacher. I shook my head. Or is it that all people are so contradictory? He wanted to die but didn't want to die, I wanted to save him but didn't want to save him. I didn't hear the story. Perhaps I only glimpsed a moment when a person was standing at the point of contradiction.
It was as if I had witnessed God kill the teacher and then awaken him. Although I would still unconsciously glance at the rooftop afterward, the teacher probably never came back.
Strangely enough, I felt a sense of relief.
Across from me, Yagyu waved his hand in front of my face and whispered, "What are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about straws," I replied abruptly, glancing to the side and feeling Sanada's gaze from the other table. "And there's a young master."
"Please be gentle with him tomorrow, Ms. Okada," Yagyu smiled.
"I'm very gentle. There's no one gentler than me in all of Kanagawa," I blinked. "Mr. Yagyu."
What do other people's lives have to do with me? Countless stories happen every day. The interesting Umihara Festival is coming soon. I stood barefoot in the dojo with my hands on my hips, staring at the gate that was about to be opened, feeling happy.
Note:
1. From Osamu Dazai's "The Setting Sun", translated by Zhu Jiarong from Shanghai Translation Publishing House. The original text is, "神さまが自をいちどおkillしになって、それから yesterdayまでのprivate and violative.うprivate and private.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
