Chapter 2: The Elusive Student–Teacher Meeting

Chapter 2: The Elusive Student–Teacher Meeting

Chapter 2:

The Elusive Student–Teacher Meeting

O NLY ABOUT A MONTH and change had passed since the Survival and Elimination Special Exam had ended. Although Kamuro being selected for expulsion came as a surprise to the second-year students, partly because of her position close to Sakayanagi, the shock had worn off. After all, it wasn’t as if there were really any students in the other classes who had a close relationship with Kamuro to begin with. However, that wasn’t the only reason why the surprise didn’t last long. The effects of familiarization couldn’t be ignored either. We students were becoming increasingly numb to the pain of losing our friends.

As soon as we February arrived, the date and details of the previously announced student–teacher meetings were provided to us. Meetings were to be held over a period of five days, with fifteen minutes allotted per student. To accommodate these meetings, the school made afternoon classes into self-study periods and took advantage of the periods of free time after classes. Students would be called into separate rooms as needed.

The landscape outside as seen from the classroom window was beginning to ebb significantly as the sun was setting. Today already marked the fifth and final day of meetings, and my meeting had been assigned the final time slot. As I was waiting in the classroom, I received instructions from the teacher via my phone to come to the career counseling office, so I headed over right away. There were hardly any students left in the school, and pretty much the only ones who I occasionally passed were the ones on their way back to the dorms after club activities. Arriving in front of the career counseling office, I loosely formed my hand into a fist and lightly knocked three times. As expected, I heard Chabashira-sensei’s voice in response, giving me permission to enter the room.

“Please pardon the intrusion,” I announced.

Pleasantries out of the way, I quietly opened the door and my eyes caught sight of the teacher sitting down, her fingertips gliding across a tablet.

“Ah, there you are. Please take a seat.”

After glancing at me for just a moment, she returned her focus to her tablet.

“You seem busy,” I remarked.

“As a homeroom teacher, you get busy around this time of year whether you like it or not,” said Chabashira-sensei. “That said, I do feel a little more relaxed knowing today’s the last day of the student–teacher meetings. Scheduling the two oddballs at the end was the correct choice.”

With that, I was instructed to take a seat, so I sat down in the empty chair across from the desk.

“The…two oddballs?” I asked.

“What, are you shocked to be lumped in with Kouenji?” she shot back.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t think anything of it,” I replied.

Chabashira-sensei chuckled a little and then placed her tablet on the desk.

“You think that Kouenji is more of an oddball than you?” said Chabashira-sensei. “Well, I suppose I can understand why you’d want to think so, but from my perspective, there isn’t that much of a difference between you. You’re plenty odd yourself.”

So that was what she thought of me, with her teacher’s perspective. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to deny it, but I decided to just grin and bear it—like water off a duck’s back.

“Now, then, I don’t have that many opportunities to speak one-on-one with my students. Before we get into talking about your career path, I’d like to hear about your life here at school. If there’s anything that you feel the school has room for improvement, I’d like to hear it,” said Chabashira-sensei.

“There isn’t anything in particular.” I replied. “Personally, I’m satisfied.”

“I see,” said Chabashira-sensei. “And you’re not dealing with any interpersonal troubles or anything else that you’d like to talk about?”

“Nope,” I answered.

Chabashira-sensei gave a bit of a wry smile at my lack of hesitation. “Most students have an opinion or two to share, or even if they don’t have anything to share, they at least pretend to think about it for a moment or two. Then again, you’re not exactly the type to hold back just to be polite.”

She seemed a little perplexed by my faster-than-imagined responses, but that couldn’t be helped.

“It’s because I don’t have any actual complaints, honestly,” I replied.

If I had any requests for anything, I probably would’ve just been direct about it.

“I suppose it’s fine if that’s the case, but…there’s really nothing?” she asked again.

She reiterated her concerns as a homeroom teacher again, perhaps because she’d had some of her own.