Chapter Text
Drawing red line after red line on the test sheet in front of him, Nanami pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, fighting the urge to plant his face down on his desk. In the corner next to him, Iori chuckled and gave a sympathetic nod as she went through her own students’ results.
They kept working in silence, the air only filled with the occasional sigh, pages being turned, or pens scratching against paper. The calm did not last long, however, and was disrupted by the bustling of someone running down the hallway toward their office.
“Someone better check whose student that is,” Iori yawned from her seat, shivering as she looked out onto the rain-soaked grounds from the second story window.
“That’s not a student,” Nanami grumbled, recognizing the loud thumps that could only come from one person.
“It’s not? Then who-”
As the door burst open to reveal a grinning Gojo standing proudly in the entrance, Iori tossed her head back and groaned loudly.
“Gojo you’re a teacher, act like it,” she snapped, glaring at their coworker.
“Nope! Besides, most kids have gone home,” Gojo sang, strutting toward them as he surveyed the room, leaning against the coffee table in the middle of the office.
“Where are the others?”
“Geto is in a meeting with a parent and Kusakabe went home as soon as he was finished with his last lesson,” Nanami murmured, silently begging for Gojo to leave them alone.
“Ah, just as cheery as always, Nanami~.”
The jolly yet taunting tune of Gojo’s voice made Nanami grip his pen harder, almost snapping the plastic in half. Dropping the pen, he spun around in his chair and stared at Gojo.
“Was there anything you wanted? If not, then please leave. I need to correct these tests before I go home.”
“Since you asked so nicely,” Gojo scoffed, “I overheard Yaga talking on the phone. We’re getting a new teacher.”
Perking up, Iori hopped out of her chair and skipped over to where Gojo was standing, eyes large and twinkling.
“Who? When?” she begged, always the first one to delve into news and gossip about the staff.
“I don’t know that much, but apparently he teaches biology and P.E.”
“Ah, so he’s going to be in your office. Boo,” Iori pouted.
Laughing, Gojo reached his arm around her and pressed them close together, speaking in a melodramatic tone as he pointed at Nanami.
“I, too, would long for new coworkers if I had an emotionless robot sitting next to me,” he fake-sniveled, ignoring Iori’s attempt at wrangling herself out of his hold, which she eventually succeeded with.
Huffing, she smoothed out her shirt and went back to her chair, grabbing a scarf and wrapping it around her shoulders.
“So, when is he getting here?” she asked.
“Yaga will probably tell us about him tomorrow during the meeting, but I think he’s coming here next week to set up his desk.”
It made Nanami a bit uneasy that another person was joining the staff. The position had seen many people come and go over the last year, slowly taking a toll on both the teachers and students.
“Hope he stays,” Nanami murmured, and Iori and Gojo nodded in agreement.
“Alright, I’m off. Got some stuff to prepare for tomorrow, ” Gojo sighed, turning to look at the table behind him. “Also, would it kill you guys to get some candy or cookies? Just the fruit bowl is kind of sad.”
“If we have sweets here, will you come by more often?” Nanami asked, eyebrows raised.
“Yes?” Gojo’s voice wavered, looking a bit surprised. “Do you want me to-“
“Then no. Goodbye Gojo.”
Nanami clicked his pen into action and pulled out a test from the uncorrected pile, paying no mind to Gojo’s huffing and puffing as he exited the office. It was a bit difficult to stay focused on what was before him, his mind wandering to whoever this new coworker could be. Please let him be decent , Nanami sent out to whatever entity was listening, both for himself and the kids. Shaking his head to reset his mind, he twirled the pen between his fingers before giving the paper in front of him his sole focus.
~~~
The new hire’s name was Yuu Haibara. Twenty-seven years old, biology and P.E. teacher, and he had just moved to the area. Of course, everyone knew that since Yaga had briefed them about it during their Wednesday meeting, but seeing the man in front of him in the teachers' lounge just mere days later, Nanami had to admit that Haibara exceeded his expectations.
‘Friendly’ and ‘charming’ was on everyone’s tongue as they whispered about him right after he had introduced himself. His large brown eyes and messy black hair gave him a youthful appearance, but despite his cheerfulness, there was an aura of authority that only came with age and experience. He knew what he was doing and he knew that he was good at it, something Nanami found assuring, calming his nerves about whether or not the man would stay or leave them dry like the others before him.
Haibara made his way around the room, going from table to table and greeting everyone with a firm handshake and excited eyes. Standing next in line, Nanami fidgeted with his watch as he waited, always feeling awkward in situations like this.
“Hello, nice to meet you! I’m Yuu Haibara, and you’re probably tired of hearing that phrase by now,” Haibara laughed, reaching forward and clasping Nanami’s hand in his.
“Not at all,” Nanami assured, giving a small smile in return. “I’m Kento Nanami, English and history teacher. Welcome.”
“Thank you, Nanami.”
As Haibara’s warm hand slipped out of Nanami’s to greet the next person, Nanami watched him for a second. Had it been anyone else, he would’ve chalked their enthusiasm up to being for show, but Haibara seemed different, genuinely happy to meet everyone in the staff.
Looking past Haibara’s shoulder, Nanami saw Gojo grinning at him, as if he knew something Nanami didn’t. Discreetly flipping Gojo off, Nanami grabbed his calendar and stepped out of the teachers’ lounge, feeling a bit more energetic than usual.