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There is a bouquet of roses on Iseya-sensei’s lectern.
That is the first thing Maki notices when she opens the door to her classroom before anyone else has arrived, ever the diligent class rep that she is. Her homeroom teacher is nowhere to be seen, so she is left there dumbfounded, wondering who had put the gorgeous flowers there for everyone to see, filling the room with their heady perfume. Was it Iseya-sensei himself, and he had just forgotten to hide it? Though she guesses she shouldn’t be surprised, since it’s Valentine’s Day after all, but she didn’t peg him as a romantic, let alone have a partner, being the serious teacher that he is…
Wait, Valentine’s Day is for women to give gifts to their boyfriend, meaning that Iseya-sensei definitely wasn’t the one who had bought the flowers. So, he has a girlfriend, or a secret admirer? she thinks with a smirk, patting herself on the back for her excellent deduction skills.
Resounding footsteps coming down the hallway cut through her thoughts, and she looks to her left to see that—speak of the devil—Iseya-sensei is approaching the classroom, his relaxed posture indicating he is yet unaware of what awaits him at his desk. This is going to be good, her secret gossip-loving side thinks, while she quickly recovers her exemplary-student persona by putting on a neutral expression and greeting him politely when he arrives.
“Good morning, Iseya-sensei.”
“Good morning, Arima-san.” His eyes flit from the open doorway to the stack of paper in her arms. “I’m surprised you’re still outside of the classroom at this time. Normally you’d be done with your duties by now… Did something happen?” He makes a move to take over the load, but Maki declines with a shake of her head and a polite smile, her mind racing to come up with an explanation.
“The stack was too heavy so I dropped it on my way to the classroom. It took some time to collect everything,” she lies easily, adjusting said stack of paper in her arms to punctuate her words. “And I heard you come down the hallway so I wanted to wait for you!” she tags on smoothly, because she would never pass up the opportunity to suck up to a teacher.
Iseya-sensei looks dubiously at her, but makes no comment, instead turning to the open doorway to enter the classroom, Maki following suit. She almost bumps into him when he suddenly stops, and she looks over his shoulder to see what’s wrong, taking a moment to turn on her acting skills.
“Oh my! Who put that there?” she exclaims, and she would’ve put a scandalized hand to her mouth if it wasn’t occupied by the stupid stack of paper, which reminds her to finally put it down somewhere.
“I… I don’t know,” he says, his fond smile belying his words. As he approaches the flowers, a blush spreads over his whole face, and Maki can’t help but feel endeared.
Who could’ve imagined Iseya-sensei had a cute side to him…
Not wanting to seem too eager for more information, though, she focuses on her duties, and by the time she’s finished, the flowers are gone and the chalkboard is filled with mathematical equations they will discuss today.
Iseya-sensei is engrossed in whatever he’s typing on his phone, a soft smile gracing his lips. Maki would’ve loved to interrogate him, but even she didn’t have the audacity for that. And more importantly, her classmates were already pouring in, so all she could do was wait for her best friend Sayuri to arrive to share this discovery with her, whispered behind cupped hands.
Sayuri is one of the last stragglers, her cheeks flushed and her lips turned up into a loopy grin. Before Maki can ask her if something good happened, Iseya-sensei claps his hands to restore a sense of order and starts taking attendance. Sayuri’s name is at the bottom of the list, so Maki reckons she could ask her right now, but Sayuri just shakes her head.
So they spend the rest of class in silence. Maki tries to focus, but her mind is too preoccupied with Iseya-sensei’s roses and Sayuri’s expression when she entered the room. When the bell signaling the end of class finally rings, she quickly takes out her stuff for the next class, then turns to Sayuri.
“So, did something happen earlier today?”
Sayuri’s eyes widen, a blush spreading over her cheeks. She scoots a little closer to Maki, who leans forward in return, and cups her hands to whisper something in her ear.
“I confessed to Uchida-kun, and he accepted. We’re dating now.” She pulls away again, her blush deepening.
Uchida… I didn’t know her crush on him was that serious, Maki thinks, but deep down she knows how serious it was. Every day, Sayuri would talk about how hot and athletic he is, and all Maki could do was smile in response, vehemently ignoring the constricting feeling in her gut.
This time too, she smiles, but there is no mirth behind it.
“C-congrats! I’m really happy for you two,” she says through gritted teeth. Before Sayuri can question her reaction though, she changes the subject to more important matters: “You know what I saw this morning?” Sayuri shakes her head as she leans forward slightly, and Maki is relieved that she seems interested in what she is about to say. “There was a bouquet of roses on Iseya-sensei’s lectern, right here in the classroom; he was surprised to see it too! Do you think he has a girlfriend?” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively and Sayuri bursts into laughter, slapping Maki’s arm playfully. The touch burns, but it feels nice, and Maki can’t help but join in her laughter, the constricted feeling in her gut loosening up at last.
Wiping away a tear, Sayuri says, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. He’s hot after all. And I guess nice too if you care about that sort of thing.” She shrugs her shoulders, and Maki rolls her eyes.
“Of course the only thing you care about is his ‘hotness’,” she mutters under her breath.
Sayuri gasps dramatically, a hand on her open mouth to really up the theatrics.
“At least I have taste! Can’t say the same for you,” she teases, but before Maki can rebut, their history teacher walks in and announces that class is starting. Contrary to her carefree personality, Sayuri is a diligent student, so she turns to face the board, and that’s the end of that conversation.
*
Maki is sitting on the ground next to Sayuri, stretching her legs before gym class, when their friend Yui approaches from behind, gently tapping her on the back with the toe of her shoe. Maki leans back to look up at her, her ponytail falling over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised in question.
“What were you two whispering about after math class?”
Their other friends who have been standing at a distance until now are also turning to where Maki is sitting, and she can feel her excitement bubbling up to the surface. The gossip beast is finally about to be unleashed.
She beckons them closer, looking around the group conspiratorially before she tells them what she saw that morning.
“Do you think he has a girlfriend?” Rie asks when Maki is done explaining, a twinkle in her eyes.
“That’s what I was gonna ask you guys,” Maki responds. The others shrug their shoulders, except for Yui, who stands up a little straighter, her eyes lighting up with what must be a horrible idea; Maki is already dreading it.
“Maybe Ueshima-sensei knows! Let’s ask him!” she exclaims. Maki and Sayuri jump up to stop her by each grabbing one of her arms, but she’s already calling him over, wrenching herself out of Maki’s grasp to cup her hand around her mouth to make her voice louder. If Maki could dig a hole into the linoleum to jump in and never come out again, she would, but it’s already too late because Ueshima-sensei is already standing next to their group.
“You called?”
Sayuri releases Yui’s arm, speaking up first, that traitor.
“Yeah! We had a question for you.” She looks around the group, suddenly seeming unsure, so Yui takes over with the same excitement she called him over with.
“Do you know if Iseya-sensei has a girlfriend?” Always so direct.
For a second Ueshima-sensei gives no reaction whatsoever as he just looks at them one by one. Then he bursts out laughing, his loud voice projecting through the whole gymnasium, causing some heads to turn their way. When the others don’t join in, his laugh slowly fades out, his shoulders drooping with it.
“You aren’t joking?” he asks, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“No, we’re dead serious!” Maki says, because she might as well join the conversation she started in the first place.
“What even makes you think he does?” Maki could swear there is a nervous edge to his voice, but she’s confused as to why. Does he know something?
“Maki found a bouquet of roses on his lectern in our classroom this morning!” Yui says, unaware of the change in Ueshima-sensei’s demeanor. His eyes widen, eyebrows rising until they’re one with his hairline, his mouth forming an ‘O’ shape.
Maki looks over at Sayuri, who is already looking at her, eyes slightly narrowed. There is something strange about Ueshima-sensei’s reaction.
“So you don’t know anything?” Yui asks, ever oblivious. She sounds disappointed, and Maki would be too if she wasn’t so preoccupied with trying to understand Ueshima-sensei’s reaction. It feels like she has somehow gone down a few places on the student leaderboard only she obsessively thinks about, and it leaves her with an uncomfortable feeling in her gut.
But there is no time to wallow, as Ueshima-sensei suddenly turns to the rest of the gymnasium and blows his whistle to signal the start of class.
He doesn’t look Maki’s way again for the rest of class.
*
The stars are already out by the time Maki is finally done with her class rep and newspaper club duties. She inhales deeply as she steps outside, the late-Winter air chilling her lungs, and saunters over to the bike racks, the day’s events weighing on her mind. Sayuri’s blush as she talked about Uchida, Ueshima-sensei’s behavior at gym class; it all left her feeling confused and lost, and she hated being out of control. If only she–
“Thanks again for the flowers.”
Her eyes widen; she recognizes that voice. Iseya-sensei? What’s he doing here? she thinks, confused. As quickly and silently as possible, she hides behind a wall and peeks around the corner, making sure she has a full view of what’s happening at the bike racks without being seen.
Iseya-sensei is standing so that Maki can make out his face from her hiding place, the flowers held in gentle hands, the same fond smile from this morning softening his features. Next to him stands a person with one hand on the seat of a bike, the rest of their body obscured by the shadow of the wall behind them. It’s hard to make out what they’re saying, but it must’ve been funny because Iseya-sensei chuckles lightly. His laugh is cut off by the snap of a bike unlocking, replaced by the barely-audible ticking of the wheels’ spokes as the bike is rolled out of its rack. With this, the face of the mystery person becomes visible, and Maki’s breath catches in her throat.
Ueshima-sensei?! Is that why he was so nervous when we asked about Iseya-sensei…
Well, that’s one mystery solved. But before she can mull over this discovery further, they come too close for comfort to her hiding spot, so she quickly sneaks behind another wall, hand on her mouth to dampen the sound of her harsh breath.
“Where did you even get them so early in the morning?”
“I have my secret connections,” Ueshima-sensei says, his wink clearly visible now that they are both in the light.
There is no immediate response. Only after what seems like a minute of silence, punctured by the turning of the bike’s wheels, does Iseya-sensei respond, deadpan, with: “It was Miyako, wasn’t it.”
Ueshima-sensei sighs. “You’re too smart for your own good,” he whines as he lightly pinches Iseya-sensei’s cheek—and isn’t that something?
Before today, Maki could’ve never imagined any of her teachers acting like- like this. Like love-struck fools, meeting up at the bike racks after school, holding such a simple yet intimate conversation like it’s the most natural thing in the world. A foreign feeling settles in her chest, and, inexplicably, Sayuri’s face flashes before her eyes. She shakes her head to clear away the image, instead focusing on her teachers again, who have already reached the exit gates and are now standing still, facing each other.
Ueshima-sensei looks around to see if the coast is clear, and then plants a kiss on Iseya-sensei’s cheek, who squawks and whisper-yells something Maki can’t make out. The only response he gets is another kiss, now on his forehead, followed by Ueshima-sensei’s raucous laughter as he jumps on his bike, his feet landing on the pedals with practiced ease. Yelling a final “See you at home!” over his shoulder, he disappears around the corner, leaving Iseya-sensei there shaking his head and chuckling fondly, one hand on his cheek.
For the first time in her life, Maki feels guilty for being such a busybody. Because what if they’d seen her? They would never be able to feel comfortable around her or the school again. Or worse, what if her big mouth spoke before she could think like it always did, and their secret got out, ruining their li—
“You can come out already.”
She freezes, hoping that her guilt is just making her hear things. But Iseya-sensei is looking straight at her hiding place, his face and body eerily still, no evidence left of the happiness he was displaying just moments ago. So, her heart hammering in her chest, she steps into the light, eyes downcast as she walks a few paces forward. An apology is already on her tongue, waiting to pass her lips, but Iseya-sensei beats her to the punch.
“I am very disappointed in you, Arima-san.” He’s standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest, the bouquet of roses awkwardly squished in the crook of his elbow. His eyes are fixed on Maki’s. “I’d never expected an exemplary student like yourself to do something like this.”
Tears well up in her eyes, her worst fears coming true. Because more than anything else, she’s afraid of tarnishing the perfect image she’s painstakingly maintained her whole life. Maybe the guilt she’s feeling is just a byproduct of that as well; maybe it’s just a way for her to excuse her behavior and keep her image clean. She has always been selfish like that, and for the first time she can see the way it affects others.
She has to set this straight.
“I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!” she says, bowing deeply. “I didn’t mean to spy on you… I was just on my way to get my bike when I saw you, I swear!” She scrunches her eyes shut, already feeling embarrassed for what she is about to say next. “Th-though I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in finding out who gave you the flowers...” As she says this, she slowly straightens up but keeps her eyes lowered, too afraid to see the anger that’s surely written on his face.
Iseya-sensei doesn’t respond immediately, so they stand there in silence for a while. After what feels like an eternity, he just sighs, all emotion leaving his body, and in a softer voice, he says, “I… appreciate your honesty. And I guess we’re also to blame; we’re still in a public sp—”
“No!” Maki interjects, instantly mortified by her insolence. Heat climbs up her neck, and before she can regret her outburst, she quickly tags on, “You did nothing wrong! Why shouldn’t you be able to talk to your l-lover in public.” Her blush deepens at her stutter, but she soldiers on, finally raising her eyes to meet his. “If others can, so should you.” She aimed to sound resolute, but her voice just comes out feeble. Well, at least the darkness is hiding her blush. Hopefully.
Iseya-sensei huffs out a laugh and his shoulders relax, the flowers falling to his side as he uncrosses his arms. He seems to mull something over before he finally says, “Just… don’t tell anyone else, please. Not even Yamazaki-san.”
“Sayuri? What does she have to do with this?” she asks, but she can already guess what he’s thinking.
“Well, you two are joined at the hip, so am I wrong for assuming you’d tell her?” He raises a playful eyebrow, but his eyes are trained on the bouquet as he fiddles with one of the rose buds.
A blush rises to Maki’s cheeks (why does that keep happening?), and it makes her inexplicably happy to know that her and Sayuri’s closeness is noticed by others; she stores away the feeling to examine later. For now, she just coughs awkwardly, promises she won’t tell a soul, and takes out her bike keys to indicate it is time for her to go home.
He gets the message, says “Good luck, Arima-san. Get home safe.” and turns around, his empty hand raised in goodbye as he walks away. Before she can ask what she needs luck for, he’s already disappeared around the corner, and she’s left alone with her thoughts, heat still in her cheeks.
She’ll need to get that checked out sometime.