Chapter Text
"Ookubo Ran was a wonderful woman.
She was the principal of the great Kingyoku, adored by staff and students alike. Everyday, she aimed to prioritize the needs of the students and while she may have made some mistakes, she grew stronger from them.
She was high-spirited. In any event where she encountered her rival, Matsuno Suu, she would bring out an aggressiveness no one would expect from such a small frame. Her vice principal would often say that duality made her interesting.
Yes, Ookubo Ran was a great woman.
And she will be missed."
Mai bit down on her bottom lip, holding back tears, as the former vice principal spoke his eulogy. She sat at the front of the church, the lone remaining family of her grandmother.
As people came to shake her hand and offer condolences, she silently accepted them, not sure what else to do. She refused to look at the coffin, even when asked if she had anything to say.
No, she didn't.
She follows the crowd to the cemetery, choosing to walk instead of taking her car. The walk allows her to clear her head enough to catch unto the situation.
And so when she arrives, all she could do was hold unto on her former classmate, Mejiro Shizune, as all her tears came, cries for her grandmother ripping out of her throat. But it was all useless, for the old woman could no longer respond.
Her grandmother was gone.
-Scene Break-
The next day, as she struggled to grasp her new reality, Shizune comes over to visit her.
"I know that you are in pain right now, but I must ask," He says, a strange tone in his voice. "Now that the principal is gone, what will become of Kingyoku?"
Mai musters the strength to shrug, looking into her cup of tea. "Is it that you want to take over her position?" She asks.
He shakes his head. "No, I am satisfied with my position as vice-principal."
Not long after graduating from college, Shizune returned to Kingyoku to become the new vice-principal. Mai hadn't been surprised, considering his overenthusiasm in their past rivalry with Ougyoku.
Mai raises an eyebrow at him. "So we should look elsewhere?"
Though she had long graduated, Mai didn't think she could handle some stranger running her grandmother's school.
"No," Shizune shakes his head again "I wanted to ask you to take over."
Beyond shocked, the young woman straightens in her chair.
"Y-you want me to be the new principal?" She questions, not sure if she heard right.
He nods once. "The ideals that the late principal held were what kept Kingyoku as number one for over ten years. Having been with her all this time, I can't think of anyone else but you to inherit that."
Mai looks down, taking in his words.
"You think I can do it?"
His hand comes up to rest on hers and she holds back a gasp to look at him. Shizune smiles reassuringly, his youth coming through in a way it rarely does.
"I will assist you in anyway you need." He says.
Unable to help herself, her cheeks grow warm and she smiles back. "I can't promise that I'll be any good but I'll do my best."