Chapter 214 - The Teacher Returns
First of all, Kuro paid attention to how small the school looked.
He stood at the entrance, holding the strap of his bag and looking at the familiar buildings.
The walls were painted again.
New windows.
New school sign.
Everything was different, but somehow everything was the same.
Kuro took a deep breath.
For many years he tried to understand people.
He got his education in psychology at university, finished his training, worked with kids and families, and understood that counseling was not the only way he could help people.
He wanted to become a teacher.
So after several years, he returned to the school where his teenage years started.
Not as a student, but as a teacher.
"Strange"
Kuro looked at his reflection in the glass at the entrance.
This man looked older.
Serious and confident.
Quiet boy who once walked through the gates of this school with a schoolbag seemed like a completely different person.
Kuro fixed his tie.
"Well...
Let’s see how this will go."
---
The first day went very fast.
The staff room was full of activity.
Teachers moved around, carrying papers, books, and coffee.
He met several teachers.
Some of them were new.
Others had been working there for years.
Kuro was given his schedule, classroom assignments, staff information and several mountains of paper, which made him feel that maybe becoming a teacher was a terrible mistake.
Then the principal smiled at him.
"This year your main subject will be psychology and student guidance. Also, you’ll help in several homerooms."
Kuro nodded.
"Understood."
"And there’s someone I think you’ll remember."
Kuro looked at him.
"Someone?"
Before the principal could explain anything, a familiar voice sounded behind him.
"Excuse me. Is this the new psychology teacher?"
Kuro froze.
This voice...
Slowly he turned around.
A woman was standing at the entrance, holding several books to her chest.
Her hair was longer than before.
Of course, she was older.
More mature.
But this expression...
It was the same.
Minami Asakura.
For several seconds nobody spoke.
Then Minami’s eyes widened.
"No way."
Kuro smiled.
"Hi, Minami-sensei."
Immediately her expression changed.
Minami looked at him from head to toe.
And back to his face.
"You’re Kuro."
"Last time I checked."
She laughed.
"I can’t believe it."
Kuro raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Why did you become a teacher?"
"Why should I surprise you because of this?"
Minami put her books on the nearest desk.
"Because you were one of the quietest students I ever taught."
"I talked."
"Sometimes."
"I participate."
"Under pressure."
Kuro sighed.
"Nothing really changes."
Minami smiled.
"Seems like."
---
Afterwards they found some place where they could talk alone.
They sat in an empty classroom during the break.
The sun shone through the windows.
Kuro looked around.
Different desks.
Different posters.
Different art works.
But this classroom gave him memories of the times he hadn’t thought about for several years.
Minami noticed how he looks around.
"Do you feel strange?"
"A bit."
"It’s been long since you’ve been here."
"Yeah."
She leant against the teacher’s desk.
"I never expected you to return here."
"I neither."
"Why did you?"
Kuro thought about this question.
"I want to teach."
Minami smiled.
"In psychology?"
"Mainly."
"Why?"
Kuro looked through the window.
"Because I think teenagers need someone who listens to them."
Minami became silent.
Kuro continued.
"When I was a student, I couldn’t say many things. I think that other students were in the same situation."
Minami looked at him closely.
"You still think about students like you."
"Maybe."
She smiled.
"Then you’ll be a good teacher."
Kuro looked at her.
"You think so?"
"I wouldn’t say if I didn’t think so."
For some reason, this simple compliment was important for Kuro.
Minami was one of those adults, who influenced him when he was younger.
And now she was sitting in front of him as a colleague.
Strange feeling.
---
First class wasn’t easy.
Kuro stood at the front of the classroom.
Thirty pairs of eyes looked at him.
He looked at them.
Silence.
Some student whispered something.
Some student laughed.
Kuro looked at the clock.
Five minutes were left until the lesson starts.
He cleared his throat.
"Good morning."
Room became quieter.
"Good morning, sir."
Kuro put his notes on the desk.
"My name is Kuro Kurogane. I’ll teach psychology this year."
Some student raised a hand.
Kuro pointed at him.
"Yes?"
"Are you a new teacher?"
"Yes."
"You’re nervous."
Some students laughed.
Kuro waited a moment and smiled.
"Very attentive."
Students laughed even harder.
Kuro felt better and began his lesson.
He didn’t begin with explanations and theories.
He asked a simple question.
"Why people behave differently when they’re alone and when they’re surrounded by other people?"
Room became interested.
Hands went up.
Answers appeared.
Some were serious.
Some were ridiculous.
Kuro listened to all of them.
He didn’t correct every answer immediately.
Asked questions.
Why?
Why do you think so?
Is there another possibility?
At the end of the class they were still discussing this question.
When the bell rang, Kuro looked at the clock.
The period was shorter than expected.
Some student stopped at the door.
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
"Psychology is actually interesting."
Kuro smiled.
"Good."
Student left.
Kuro looked at the empty room.
For a moment, he was thinking about being on the other side of the classroom.
Being a student.
Young and uncertain.
Trying to understand himself and the world.
Now he stands here.
Older and being a teacher.
Strange feeling.
---
After school, Kuro returned to the staff room.
Minami was sitting at her desk, marking papers.
She looked at him.
"So?"
Kuro sat down on his chair.
"I’m tired."
Minami laughed.
"This is your first class?"
"Thirty teenagers."
"This is your excuse?"
"They are terrifying."
"You survived high school yourself."
"This doesn’t mean that I understand teenagers."
Minami smiled.
"Give it time."
Kuro opened his bag.
"I think it went well."
"I knew that."
She looked at him.
"You look very confident."
"I remember you."
Kuro stopped.
Minami continued marking papers.
"You always listened carefully even when you didn’t speak much."
Kuro looked at her.
"I didn’t know that."
"Teachers notice more than students think."
These words stuck in his mind.
Kuro looked around the staff room.
His desk was right beside Minami’s.
There was his name on a small plate.
Kuro Kurogane – Psychology
Kuro looked at it.
Smiled.
His student days finished.
This Chapter was over long ago.
But somehow he found himself in the same place.
Only this time he isn’t searching for answers.
He wants to help somebody find theirs.
Minami stood up and gathered her books.
"Let’s go."
"Where?"
"To the staff meeting."
Kuro’s expression fell.
"Already?"
"Welcome to teaching."
As they were leaving the room, Minami looked over her shoulder.
"By the way, Kuro."
"Hm?"
She smiled.
"I’m glad that you’ve returned here."
Kuro looked at her.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
Then he smiled.
"Me too."
They left the room and walked down the familiar hallway.
And without even noticing it, the new story begins.
This first week of teaching gave Kuro something which university never could give him.
Knowing the subject of psychology was one thing.
Trying to teach it to thirty teens was something totally different.
On Monday, Kuro spent almost an hour preparing the perfect lesson.
By Tuesday, he had already discarded half of it.
And by Wednesday, Kuro realized that there were questions teenagers asked which textbooks did not prepare him for.
"Why do people lie?" – "There are many reasons for that." – "Did you ever lie?"
Kuro hesitated.
"This is not the topic for today."
All the class burst into laughter.
Kuro sighed.
He started to understand why Minami laughed whenever he called teenagers terrifying.
After classes, Kuro went back to the staff room looking extremely exhausted.
Minami glanced at him.
"What a bad day?"
"Someone asked whether the psychologist can read thoughts."
Minami smiled.
"And what did you say?"
"I told them I cannot."
"Good."
"Then they started asking whether I could detect lies."
Minami laughed.
Kuro collapsed into a chair.
"This is more difficult than I thought."
"Teaching?"
"Teaching teenagers."
"You were one."
"I don’t remember such difficulties."
Minami looked at him.
"You were."
Kuro frowned.
"That is insulting."
"It is true."
She returned to her paperwork.
Kuro stared at her.
Then he smiled.
It felt strangely comfortable.
---
Over the next few weeks, Kuro began finding his rhythm.
He stopped striving for the perfect lesson each time.
Instead, he learned to listen.
He learned who of the students talked too much trying to get attention.
Who of the students remained silent fearing being wrong.
Who of the students always laughed when some difficult topic appeared.
Who of the students looked confident but tried to avoid personal questions.
Kuro understood them.
Not because he was some sort of perfect teacher.
But because he had been such a student once who could not find proper words.
One afternoon, a boy stayed after class.
Kuro was packing his notes when he heard a quiet voice.
"Sir?"
Kuro turned.
"Yes?"
The boy stood near the door.
"May I ask something?"
"Of course."
The boy hesitated.
"Why do people sometimes feel lonely even when they are surrounded by others?"
Kuro did not reply immediately.
He put his papers down.
"This is a complicated question."
The boy looked disappointed.
"So you don’t know?"
Kuro smiled.
"I did not say that."
He pulled out a chair.
"Please sit down."
The boy sat.
Kuro sat across from him.
"Sometimes being surrounded by others does not mean feeling understood."
The student listened.
"Sometimes being lonely does not happen due to loneliness. It happens due to the fact that we believe that nobody will understand us if we say what we think."
The boy looked down.
Kuro did not rush.
After a moment, the student whispered,
"How do you deal with it?"
Kuro thought about his younger self.
"I don’t think there is any solution."
"Then what should I do?"
"Start with one person."
The student looked up.
"One?"
"One person you trust enough to say the truth to."
The boy was silent.
Then he nodded.
"Okay."
When he left, Kuro was sitting there alone for a while.
Minami appeared in the doorway.
"You stayed late."
Kuro looked at her.
"So did you."
She held up a stack of papers.
"I had to work."
Kuro smiled.
"Of course."
Minami entered.
"What happened?"
"The student needed to talk."
She nodded.
She did not ask for details.
Kuro appreciated that.
Minami put her papers on the table beside his.
"You dealt with it well."
Kuro looked at her.
"How do you know?"
"I know you."
The sentence sounded simple.
But Kuro felt something strange.
He had heard similar words before.
From people he loved.
From people he lost in dreams.
For a moment, Kuro felt an unfamiliar memory flashing through his mind.
It was a kitchen.
Woman laughing.
Child’s voice.
Different house.
Kuro blinked.
The image disappeared.
Minami noticed his expression.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"You looked like you saw a ghost."
Kuro laughed awkwardly.
"Just tired."
Minami watched him for another moment.
Then she nodded.
"Go home."
"I still have some papers."
"They will be there tomorrow."
Kuro looked at her.
"That’s terrible advice for a teacher."
"Retirement has taught me wisdom."
"You are not retired."
"I know."
He laughed.
Minami smiled.
---
That evening, Kuro was walking home alone.
The streets were familiar.
The way was not.
He had gone through them hundreds of times as a teenager.
And yet everything seemed slightly different now.
He walked past the convenience store that did not exist when he was a student.
There was a restaurant in the place of an old bookstore.
The city has changed.
And so had he.
Kuro stopped at a pedestrian crossing.
Some feeling flashed through him.
He remembered walking along this same street.
Except he remembered walking along it not alone.
Beside him was a girl.
He could not see her face.
But he heard her laugh.
Kuro turned his head.
Nobody was there.
The traffic light changed.
He kept walking.
That night Kuro could not sleep.
He closed his eyes.
And started to dream.
He was younger.
In high school.
Standing in a classroom.
Beside him someone was sitting.
A voice whispered his name.
Kuro turned.
Before he could see the person’s face, he woke.
His heart was racing.
He sat up.
"What was that?"
The room was dark.
Kuro looked at the clock.
It was three in the morning.
He rubbed his face.
It was a dream.
Nothing more.
At least that is what he believed.
---
The next morning, Minami immediately noticed.
"You look terrible."
Kuro stared at her.
"Good morning to you too."
"Did you sleep?"
"Not much."
"Nightmares?"
Kuro hesitated.
"Just a strange dream."
Minami’s expression changed.
"What kind?"
Kuro looked at her.
And somehow something about her reaction felt familiar.
"Nothing important."
Minami was silent.
Then she quietly said,
"Sometimes dreams remember things we don’t."
Kuro froze.
She walked away before he could ask what she meant.
Kuro stood there.
The sentence echoed inside his mind.
Sometimes dreams remember things we don’t.
He looked toward the hallway.
For the first time since returning to the school, Kuro wondered whether his memories were really as simple as he thought.
Perhaps it was not an accident that he came back here.
There was something about this place that Kuro forgot.
And somewhere deep inside him a strange feeling appeared.
A feeling that he was here before.
Not just as a student.
Not just once.
But somehow...
Again and again.
Kuro looked toward the classroom where his first lesson took place.
The door was open.
Sunlight flooded the room.
For a moment, Kuro thought he saw the shadow of a teenage boy sitting at one of the desks.
He blinked.
The classroom was empty.
Kuro slowly exhaled.
Then he heard Minami calling from down the hall.
"Kuro! Your class starts in five minutes!"
He smiled despite himself.
"Coming!"
He walked toward the classroom.
He did not know it yet.
But the life which Kuro thought he left behind was beginning to return.
And soon Kuro would have to make a choice.
Should he believe that those strange memories are mere dreams...
Or memories of lives he has already lived?