Chapter Text
Suzuran, 27th Generation, Year 3
– Toaru City, Japan –
"I- I’m thinking of becoming a teacher."
His friend's declaration was beyond anything he had expected.
He couldn't help but burst out laughing on the rooftop, his first instinctive reaction.
Of course, it was only fair that, immediately after, a devastating kick from the other party came flying straight at the side of his head—a warning not to dare laugh a second time.
"Having you as a teacher would be awesome!"
That was what he had said years ago when his important friend in front of him finally decided what he wanted to do after graduation.
And he had truly meant it.
—------
"Yonezaki, wake up!!"
A loud voice rang out, followed by a heavy slam on the desk near his head. The impact jolted the figure slumped over the desk out of his daze.
The first thing he felt was confusion. Normally, at Suzuran, if a teacher saw someone sleeping in class, they would just ignore it. As long as the students showed up and met the attendance requirements, that was considered good enough. And throughout all the times he had dozed off in class, not once had any teacher woken him up like this—let alone in such an aggressive manner.
Yonezaki frowned, irritation beginning to rise as he turned to look at the teacher who dared to wake him.
However, in the next instant, his anger vanished completely.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Zetton?"
"It’s Zetton Sensei," the man standing in front of him replied with a slight frown, clearly displeased by Yonezaki’s groggy response.
It was Zetton.
But something in his head screamed that this wasn't the Zetton he knew.
Though his face, height, and build remained the same as he remembered, the white dress shirt, tie, and dark gray slacks replaced the familiar black Gakuran uniform of Suzuran. A large hand gripped a stack of papers and a textbook.
Everything about this seemed off.
What the hell is going on...?
"And you guys in the back too!! Hideyoshi!! I see you hiding a manga inside your textbook!!" Zetton’s irritation only grew as he shouted and pointed toward the back of the classroom.
Yonezaki snapped his head around at the mention of Hideyoshi, hoping it would help him make sense of the situation.
The others are here too...?
"Told you he’d notice," Masa’s muffled laughter sounded from where he casually sat on his desk, completely unbothered by the teacher’s reprimand.
"Damn it. And here I was hoping I could finish reading this today," Hideyoshi sighed before reluctantly putting his manga away.
The familiar atmosphere of a third-year Suzuran classroom unfolded before Yonezaki—the same atmosphere he remembered so well.
But that’s impossible. He had graduated years ago.
"Alright!! Enough talking! Open your books—if you still have one!"
A thud echoed through the room as Zetton placed something on the teacher’s desk. It was clear that, against all odds, he was fully prepared to begin the lesson.
"Class started, you guys!!"
—------
This must be a dream.
There was no other explanation that made sense.
Yonezaki tried to piece together his memories as best he could, trying to recall anything that might explain how he ended up back in his third-year classroom—with Zetton as a teacher, no less.
He remembered going to work at a bar in Roppongi as usual, finishing his shift, closing up, taking the train home, and then going to bed.
A completely ordinary day. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.
Well—except for that evening, when he was making his way through the Tokyo rain with his umbrella, heading to work, and his phone rang.
It was Zetton.
Over the phone, Zetton had told him about something that had happened at Tengokoku High School, where he was teaching. Apparently, one of the students—who seemed to be the ringleader of the class—had challenged him to a fight. The whole thing ended with Zetton knocking the kid out cold with a well-placed hit to the neck. The student had passed out for a bit, but when he came to, they somehow managed to settle their differences.
To an outsider, the whole thing probably sounded ridiculous. A teacher fighting a student? That couldn't be real, could it?
But knowing Zetton as well as he did, Yonezaki could picture the whole scene perfectly from the start. It was just like him—someone crazy enough to say he wanted to become a teacher just so he could go back and teach at Suzuran someday.
If he doesn’t get fired first… That was the only real concern.
Yonezaki had grumbled at him over the phone, half-scolding, half-joking. But beneath the surface, he could tell that Zetton sounded genuinely happy.
Of course, he was—he was finally doing the job he had dreamed about all this time.
"Any class that has you as a teacher…Has gotta be a fuckin blast to be in"
He had said those words before, and he still meant them.
And maybe—just maybe—that was the reason he was trapped in this strange dream in the first place.
Maybe.
—------
"86 points."
The exam paper landed in front of him, and Yonezaki was once again surprised by this dreamlike world.
It was an extremely high score by Suzuran standards—even for him, someone who never cared much about studying. And this was Japanese history, of all subjects.
The handwriting on the answer sheet was definitely his.
As unbelievable as it sounded, the subject Zetton was teaching at Suzuran was indeed history.
"Try a little harder next time," Zetton smirked with a knowing grin as he handed back the test.
Yonezaki couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that.
Still struggling to fully grasp his situation, he decided to focus on the lesson, listening carefully and gathering information bit by bit.
He never imagined there would come a day when he would sit through an entire Japanese history class paying attention from start to finish.
—------
"You're this close to a perfect score, Kome!"
Masa shouted as soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson.
Zetton hurriedly gathered his things and rushed off to teach his next class. Only then did Yonezaki shift his attention to his friend, who—unlike Zetton—hadn't changed at all.
"I'm still far from a perfect score," he replied cautiously, unsure of his place in this strange dream world.
"Are you kidding?! This might be the highest score in Suzuran's history!"
Masa snatched the paper from Yonezaki’s desk.
"You’ve gotta be possessed by some ghost! I only got 42 points!" he exclaimed before nudging the guy sitting behind him.
"Zetton would probably cry if someone actually got 100. Bet he'd even frame the answer sheet and put it on display, don’t you think, Hideyoshi?"
Hideyoshi, who had already pulled out his manga from under the desk, barely nodded in agreement.
"And how much did you get, Hideyoshi?" Yonezaki asked, though he already had a good idea of the answer.
They had been in the same class before. He knew exactly what kind of students they were.
"61 points," Hideyoshi answered indifferently.
Even though Yonezaki expected a low score, he was still surprised—it was higher than what he remembered from his past experiences with Hideyoshi.
"Who in their right mind would get a perfect score just to challenge Zetton to a fight?"
A voice from another student interrupted.
Gunji walked up to them and grabbed an empty chair, plopping himself down.
"Challenge him to a fight?"
That sounded bizarre, especially coming from someone as level-headed as Gunji.
"I told you—it’s all part of his plan to boost student scores," Hideyoshi grumbled, clearly annoyed.
"He made a promise—anyone who gets a perfect score in his subject can ask for anything. Even challenge him to a fight. You’d have to be a lunatic to do it, though."
"Well, you did try to fight him first," Gunji pointed out, smirking.
"And you got knocked out cold by a counter kick back in our first year."
Yonezaki felt a pang of surprise even hearing it.
"You really do live up to your nickname, 'Mad Dog.' You even pick fights with teachers."
"Come on, Zetton was a Suzuran graduate," Masa added, reminiscing.
"Not to mention, he won the First-Year War in his time. Two kings can’t exist in the same den, right? Even if there's a gap of several years, a real winner has to be decided."
"Yeah, and as you can see, Zetton was stronger than you, Hideyoshi," Gunji teased, recalling the past with amusement.
"But I’ll admit—when you passed out, Zetton looked pale as a ghost. He carried you straight to the infirmary and tried to come up with an excuse, I had to help cover for him."
Gunji then turned toward Yonezaki.
"Kome, you were the one who had to calm him down when he was panicking about getting expelled."
"Me?" Yonezaki repeated in disbelief.
So there really were events in this world that didn't exist in his memories.
"Yeah, right up until Hideyoshi woke up and the school nurse asked what happened," Gunji continued casually.
"Luckily, the guy was quick-witted—he flat-out lied and said he fell down the stairs. Thanks to that, Zetton barely avoided getting fired."
So that’s how it went down.
"After that, he made a firm rule—he wouldn’t accept challenges from students anymore."
Masa sighed, shaking his head.
"Except for one condition: anyone who scores a perfect 100 in his class can ask for anything. Seriously, what kind of school makes you study hard just to fight your teacher? This place is insane."
"What did you score this time, Gunji?" Yonezaki asked, steering the conversation away.
"57," Gunji admitted, raising his hand in surrender.
"Honestly, that’s the highest score I’ve ever gotten in my life—especially in a boring subject like history."
Yonezaki nodded.
For a Suzuran student, getting even 40 points was impressive.
"Well, Kome’s the one climbing up the ranks. You’ll hit 100 soon at this rate."
Hideyoshi, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up.
"Do you really want to test your strength against Zetton that badly?"
His sharp gaze locked onto Yonezaki.
Yonezaki knew exactly what Hideyoshi was implying.
No matter if it was this world or the real world, Zetton was the strongest among the five of them—everyone knew that.
Hideyoshi had already lost to Zetton in their first year.
But in their third year, If Yonezaki was the one to earn the right to challenge him and somehow won…
It would shake the entire balance of Suzuran’s power structure.
But Yonezaki wasn't thinking that far.
He wasn't the type to recklessly challenge someone stronger just to prove himself—he knew his limits, and he was fine with them.
Now that he thought about it, he had never actually fought Zetton before.
Still, fighting a friend just to prove a point? No thanks.
Especially not in a world where Zetton was a teacher.
"I just wanna see if he’ll really keep his promise," Yonezaki shrugged.
"I don’t even know what I’d ask for if I got that score."
"How about making him treat you to some high end yakiniku? That'd probably make him cry," Masa suggested with a laugh.
"He’d probably change the deal and challenge you to a fight instead. He barely has enough money to last till the end of the month as it is."
Everyone burst into laughter, imagining the kind of face Zetton would make when he realized he had to follow through on his own ridiculous promise.
—------
Yonezaki opened the door to the rooftop. The strong autumn wind blew into the building as he stepped outside to bask in the sunlight. He sat down on the familiar sofa—his usual spot back when he was at Suzuran.
After finishing his lunch, he felt like being alone for a while to reflect on everything that had happened. Naturally, he chose the rooftop as his temporary refuge. There was nowhere else to go.
Usually, there would be someone else here with him, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed that the rooftop was empty.
Thinking too much wouldn’t change anything. Yonezaki took out a cigarette, held it between his fingers, and lit it up, hoping the nicotine would help clear his mind, even if just a little.
His gaze lingered on the empty rooftop.
Has he always been alone in this world?
"I told you not to smoke at school!!"
A loud voice suddenly echoed from the top of the rooftop exit, making him jolt in surprise. He hadn’t expected anyone else to be here.
And that voice—
Thud!!
The sound of something heavy landing on the ground was followed by the appearance of a tall figure—one he had secretly hoped to see, if this were truly the real world.
The person in front of him furrowed his brows and glared at him before reaching out, snatching his cigarette, and stomping it out on the ground.
If this were the Zetton he knew, their friend—he had never cared whether anyone smoked or not.
"You’ve got some nerve, smoking here even after I warned you so many times!!" Zetton was now in full teacher mode, completely serious.
Yonezaki silently argued in his mind that Zetton himself smoked sometimes, so he shouldn’t be lecturing anyone about it.
"Sorry, I just had a lot on my mind." he raised his hands in surrender, not wanting to argue and instead opting for honesty.
Zetton raised an eyebrow, his expression softening slightly.
"What’s bothering you, Yonezaki?"
Hearing his friend call him by his last name instead of "Kome"—his usual nickname—only reinforced the feeling that this Zetton was not the same friend he once knew.
He never thought he would feel this distant from him.
"It’s nothing. Just some stupid stuff. Don’t worry about it," he cut the conversation short. No one would believe him even if he told them the truth.
"Zetton… So, what brings you up to the rooftop? Were you taking a nap?"
Zetton’s face immediately turned red, confirming that Yonezaki had hit the nail on the head.
"Shut up, you brat!! Who would take a nap on the rooftop in this freezing weather?!"
The more Zetton tried to deny it, the more obvious it became. Back when they were students, Zetton used to nap here all the time. He probably didn’t lie down on the sofa this time because he felt the weight of being a teacher.
So, instead of using the sofa, he climbed up the ladder to nap on the elevated platform near the rooftop exit, where no one would see him. It was such a Zetton way of solving the problem.
"Next time, just use the sofa. That way, your back won’t hurt. You’ll get back pain before your time otherwise," Yonezaki said with a small smile, ignoring Zetton’s weak excuses.
—------
For third-year Suzuran students, autumn was the most peaceful time of their school lives.
Even for lifelong delinquents, there came a point when they had to face adulthood, to think about jobs, the future, and life beyond school.
Yonezaki already had his path figured out—working at a bar in Tokyo's Roppongi district, just like in his real world. Unlike some of his peers, he didn’t have to scramble to find a job.
Gunji would take over his family's painting business.
Hideyoshi and Masa planned to find jobs in Tokyo, not much different from the future he had already lived through.
And Zetton…
Zetton would still be teaching at Suzuran in Toaru City.
Yonezaki vividly remembered the day Zetton first said he wanted to be a teacher.
It had seemed like a fun idea at the time—a guy like Zetton teaching at Suzuran.
Until they found out that his academic skills were so bad that he couldn’t even do long division—his math level was about that of a fourth grader.
But even then, Zetton never gave up.
After failing his university entrance exams for two or three years, he finally got accepted into Tohoku University, passed his teaching certification exams, and became a full-fledged teacher.
Now, he was living the dream he had always pursued.
Yonezaki had known all along—Zetton would make a great teacher.
—------
Zetton was crying his eyes out.
And he really was about to frame the first-ever perfect history exam score in Suzuran’s history.
The exam belonged to Yonezaki himself.
With nothing better to do before graduation, he had decided to actually study for once—just to see if he could get a perfect score on his final test.
And he did.
After all, Suzuran’s exams weren’t exactly known for being difficult.
Masa looked disgusted at Yonezaki’s completely un-yankee-like behavior.
Gunji was genuinely shocked that someone actually achieved a perfect score.
Hideyoshi, as always, just smirked.
But, of course, the most dramatic reaction came from Zetton himself.
"I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY IN SUZURAN!!"
The sight of a blonde delinquent awkwardly patting his crying teacher on the back was almost comical, yet this was reality—or at least, the reality of this world.
"Calm down, Zetton, it’s not that big a deal," Yonezaki said instinctively as he rubbed his back, only realizing a moment too late—this wasn’t his friend Zetton anymore.
But it was too late to take it back.
They were alone in the teacher’s office after school, Zetton having called him in to talk about the exam.
Not like anyone would scold him for it, anyway.
"You don’t understand—I’ve taught hundreds of these guys, and this is the first time I’ve seen a score this high!!"
Zetton sniffled.
"Not just in history—I’m pretty sure this is the first perfect score in any subject Suzuran has ever had!!"
At that, Yonezaki did start regretting studying so seriously.
He hadn’t expected this much of a reaction.
"Alright!! As promised, you can ask for anything!!"
Zetton wiped his tears and spun around to face him.
"Tell me, Suzuran’s first-ever honor student—what do you want?!"
The guy in front of him was grinning from the bottom of his heart.
Yonezaki smiled back.
"Then I want…"
—------
End