Loss 2: A Small Kindness
Loss 2: A Small Kindness
Loss 2: A Small Kindness
Loss 2:
A Small Kindness
F RIDAY. HOMEROOM. RESTING MY HEAD LAZILY IN my hand, I played through my confrontation with Tiara-san yesterday yet again.
“Join forces with me,” she had said. And with every passing hour, the reality of that alliance weighed heavier and heavier on my mind. This whole thing had started with Shikiya-san’s insistence that we had to play dirty and get in Tiara-san’s business. Now, I was on Tiara-san’s side, getting into Shikiya-san and Tsukinoki-senpai’s business so I could “settle things.”
“Yeah right,” I mumbled a little too loudly.
Amanatsu-sensei paused her obligatory pre-winter break speech to glare at me. “Whazzat, Nukumizu? Got somethin’ to say? Tell the whole class, why don’tcha? Don’t ‘vibe’ with your ‘cringe’ teacher telling you not to go foolin’ around with chicks? You think I don’t have a date this Christmas, do you? Do you?!”
“That’s not what I, uh…”
Amanatsu-sensei clicked her tongue and tossed her script away. Could we maybe get an adult for a teacher? “Whatever. You guys can read the rest yourselves. That’s all for announcements. So anyway, get this. I got invited to my friend’s wedding the other day.” The chill that ran through the classroom just then, you’d assume Santa had come early. Sensei beamed. “It was great, lemme tell ya. The bride’s speech was just, oh , chef’s kiss. She said she used to feel lonely coming home to an empty house every night. Can you believe that?”
She laughed. No one else did.
When she had laughed her fill, which took some time, she went quiet all of a sudden. Then she slammed the desk. “Pop quiz, class. How do you think I felt, coming home to an empty house after that? All dressed up with my wedding favor. Trick question, you don’t gotta think. You’ll learn. Give it ten years.”
She didn’t have to put that on us. But she did anyway.
A few seconds later, she faced us again, acting like the last minute or so had never happened. “All right, all right, simmer down, folks! That’s all for homeroom. I’ll have your report cards comin’ your way soon enough, so sleep while you little gremlins can this weekend!”
What a way to kick it off. I was reminded of that cat Sensei had adopted not too long ago. Wondered how they were getting on.
Once she was gone, chairs and desks started to scoot. I needed to get scooting myself instead of worrying about a grown woman’s private life. Shikiya-san had called another strategy meeting, on account of the last one being cut short. Yanami, by the looks of it, had already split.