Chapter 215 - Teacher and Teacher
Becoming a teacher proved to be much easier in theory than in practice.
The degree in psychology had taught Kuro about the nature of behavior.
The training had taught him how to listen.
The experience had taught him how to keep calm when dealing with emotions.
None of this had taught him how to deal with thirty teenagers speaking simultaneously.
"Everyone, please quiet down."
No effect whatsoever.
Kuro waited.
"Everyone."
Several students went silent.
Others continued.
Kuro checked the time.
Less than ten minutes had passed since he had started his lessons.
Kuro began to reconsider his decisions concerning his future occupation.
A student in the back of the classroom threw a paper to another desk.
Kuro caught it.
The classroom suddenly went silent.
He started unfolding the paper slowly.
It contained a terrible drawing of Kuro.
The entire class was watching him.
Kuro looked at the paper.
Then – at the student.
"Interesting."
The boy froze.
"Sir?"
Kuro showed him the paper.
"I didn’t know my nose was so big."
The class burst into laughter.
Including the student who drew it.
Kuro smiled.
Then he put the paper back on the desk.
"Now that we have enjoyed an art exhibition, shall we move on to psychology?"
The students went silent.
Kuro started his lesson.
When the bell finally rang, he rushed to the staff room and collapsed into his chair.
Minami looked at him from her desk.
"Bad class?"
Kuro looked at her.
"How did you know?"
"You look like you managed to survive a natural disaster."
"I nearly did."
Minami smiled.
"First rule."
Kuro raised an eyebrow.
"Which one?"
"Never try to control every student at the same time."
Kuro leaned back.
"But then what should I do?"
"Control the room."
Kuro nodded.
"Which is exactly what I’m trying to do."
"No."
Minami pointed at him.
"You’re trying to control their behavior."
Kuro listened.
"It is different."
She continued.
"Teenagers aren’t responding well when they feel controlled. You need to set boundaries for them and give them choices within them."
Kuro thought about it.
"Choice theory."
"Exactly."
He smiled.
"You’re still teaching me."
Minami stopped.
Silence followed.
Then she burst out laughing.
"Old habits."
Kuro smiled.
"Perhaps."
She returned to her paperwork.
But something changed.
Many years ago, Minami had been the teacher standing at the front of the classroom.
Kuro had been the silent student behind the desk.
Now they sat together.
They were colleagues.
Strange feeling.
But not an unpleasant one.
---
The next day Kuro decided to follow Minami’s advice.
Instead of demanding silence, he wrote three discussion topics on the board.
"Choose one."
A student raised his hand.
"Can we work in groups?"
"Yes."
"Can we choose our groups?"
Kuro thought for a while.
"Within reasonable limits."
The class laughed.
Kuro indicated the board.
"Your task is to discuss one of these topics and explain your choice."
The classroom became noisy again.
But this time it was a good kind of noise.
Kuro moved between desks.
Students were discussing different opinions.
Some of them were taking notes.
Others were persuading their classmates.
Kuro observed them.
It was exactly what he wanted.
Not silent obedience.
Engagement.
One of the students brought Kuro to his desk.
"Sir, we disagree."
"Good."
The student blinked.
"Why?"
"If everyone agreed, there would be nothing to discuss."
The students exchanged glances.
Then they continued their discussion.
Kuro smiled.
He began to understand.
Teaching wasn’t about making students think exactly as he did.
Teaching was about teaching them to think by themselves.
When the bell rang, several students started complaining that the lesson was too short.
Kuro smiled.
Better than silence.
---
However, his problems didn’t stop with classroom noise.
There was one student coming late every day.
Another one didn’t participate at all.
Third one kept interrupting classmates.
Kuro tried different approaches.
Sometimes it helped.
Sometimes not.
Once a student even dared to challenge Kuro.
"You can’t make me speak."
Kuro looked at him.
"I know."
The student seemed surprised.
"Why do you keep asking then?"
"Because I believe you have something valuable to say."
The boy looked away.
Kuro didn’t press.
"Whenever you’re ready."
He moved on.
After class, the student stayed in the classroom.
Kuro noticed that.
But he didn’t say anything.
Eventually, the boy came to Kuro.
"Sir."
"Yes?"
"About what you asked before..."
Kuro waited.
The student answered.
Kuro listened.
That was all.
Sometimes it was the best way to teach students.
---
Minami noticed Kuro’s change.
He wasn’t the nervous newbie teacher anymore.
He still sometimes made mistakes.
Sometimes he looked exhausted after a hard class.
But now he started believing in himself.
One evening she found Kuro sitting alone in an empty classroom.
His notes were scattered around the desk.
"You know," she said, "teachers are allowed to go home."
Kuro looked at her.
"So are you."
"I’m finished with my work."
"I’m not."
"You’ve been staring at the same page for ten minutes."
Kuro looked at it.
She was right.
"I was thinking."
"About?"
"Whether I’m doing enough."
Minami entered the room.
"For what?"
"For them."
He gestured at the empty desks.
"For the students."
Minami fell silent.
Kuro continued.
"I keep wondering if I’m helping them."
Minami leant against a desk.
"You won’t know it immediately."
"What if I’m not?"
"Then you learn."
Kuro looked at her.
"You make it sound easy."
"It isn’t."
Minami smiled.
"That’s why teachers never stop learning."
Kuro stared at her.
There was something in those words.
"You always did that."
"Did what?"
"You made it sound simple."
Minami smiled softly.
"You used to overthink everything."
Kuro frowned.
"Used to?"
"You’re still doing it."
Kuro laughed.
For a moment, the classroom seemed strange familiar.
Sunlight entering through the window.
Empty desks.
Quiet hallway.
Kuro suddenly remembered sitting at one of those desks many years ago.
Minami standing near the blackboard.
Explaining something.
Listening to her younger self.
Then a flash of memory.
A library.
Another girl.
Rainy afternoon.
Another life.
Kuro blinked.
Minami noticed that.
"Again?"
He looked at her.
"What?"
"That look."
Kuro hesitated.
"You noticed?"
"I notice you."
The words sounded naturally.
Neither of them reacted instantly.
Minami seemed to realize how it sounded.
She cleared her throat.
"I meant you’re my colleague."
Kuro smiled.
"Of course."
But the moment stayed.
---
Eventually, they left the classroom together.
Walking through the hall, Kuro understood something.
Minami always understood him.
Not perfectly.
Not magically.
Just enough.
She had understood his silence when he was young.
She had known about his tendency to overthink.
She had known when to encourage him and when to leave him alone.
And now, after so many years, she still did that.
Only their relationship had changed.
She wasn’t his teacher anymore.
He wasn’t her student.
They were just two teachers walking together after another day of work.
Kuro stopped at the entrance.
"Minami."
She turned back.
"Hm?"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For everything."
She smiled.
"You don’t have to thank me."
"I know."
"Then don’t."
Kuro laughed.
Minami walked towards the gates.
Kuro followed.
Evening sun was turning orange.
The school behind them was quiet.
Kuro looked at the building one more time.
He had entered those walls as a boy who didn’t understand himself.
Now he was leaving them as a teacher trying to help other people understand themselves.
And Minami was still beside him.
Later that day, Kuro caught up with Minami in the staff room.
She was organizing papers.
Kuro sat at his desk.
"You’ve gotten popular."
Kuro looked at her.
"Who told you?"
"My students."
"What did they say?"
"They said your classes are interesting."
Kuro seemed pleased.
"Really?"
Minami nodded.
"Stop being so proud."
"You have the right to be proud."
"Maybe."
Kuro leaned back.
"Do you remember how you were when you were a student?"
Minami didn’t hesitate.
"Quiet."
"Only quiet?"
"Quiet, observant, and stubborn."
Kuro frowned.
"Stubborn?"
"Very."
"I was not stubborn."
Minami looked at him.
Kuro quickly corrected himself.
"Just maybe a little bit."
She laughed.
"You were always thinking."
"I still do."
"Too much."
Kuro smiled.
He glanced down at his desk.
"Were you difficult?"
Minami’s smile faded slightly.
"No."
"Really?"
"You were just trying to understand."
Kuro looked at her.
Minami continued.
"You asked questions other students didn’t ask."
"Like what?"
She pondered.
"Why do people behave differently. Why do some students become aggressive. Why do some people hide their feelings."
Kuro went quiet.
These questions sounded familiar.
Too familiar.
He had been spending years researching them.
His whole career was not a coincidence.
Perhaps he had been interested in psychology even before knowing it.
Minami sat down next to him.
"You were always interested in people."
Kuro smiled.
"I guess I was."
"That’s why it’s not surprising that you’re teaching now."
Kuro looked at her.
"You aren’t surprised?"
"No."
"Despite joking about it?"
"I was surprised by your career."
Kuro raised an eyebrow.
"That’s quite contradicting."
"I was surprised by the career."
She smiled.
"Not by the person."
Kuro said nothing.
Minami returned to her papers.
But Kuro continued pondering about her words.
---
That evening, the staff room gradually emptied.
One teacher left.
Then another.
Eventually, Kuro and Minami remained alone.
Kuro was grading papers.
Minami was preparing for tomorrow’s lesson.
The silence was comfortable.
Kuro looked at the clock.
"How long have we been here?"
Minami checked.
"For almost two hours."
"Seriously?"
"You work slowly."
"I work carefully."
"That’s what slow people say."
Kuro smiled.
He returned to his papers.
A minute later, Kuro noticed Minami rubbing her eyes.
"You should go home."
She looked at him.
"You should too."
"I’m almost done."
"So am I."
Kuro sighed.
Neither of them left.
Minami smiled.
"You’re still stubborn."
"You’re still bossy."
"Someone has to organize you."
"I was doing alright before you came back."
"Was I?"
Kuro looked at the papers around him.
"...Maybe not."
Minami laughed.
Kuro joined her.
For a few moments, they were just two exhausted teachers laughing in an empty staff room.
But then Kuro stopped.
There was something strange in this moment.
It didn’t feel like a memory.
Rather it was like déjà vu.
He had been sitting somewhere like this once.
With someone.
After a hard day.
There was laughter.
Silent room.
Feeling of belonging.
But he couldn’t remember anything clearly.
Kuro looked at Minami.
She became silent too.
"Did you feel it?"
Her question was so quiet that Kuro was afraid he imagined it.
"Feel what?"
"This."
She glanced around.
"This moment."
Kuro’s heart skipped a beat.
"Have you felt it before?"
Minami slowly nodded.
"Sometimes."
"Where?"
"I don’t know."
She looked towards the window.
"That’s the strange part."
Kuro stared at her.
Minami continued.
"Sometimes I see something in my dreams. Something I’ve never seen before. Someplace I’ve never been. Someone I’ve never met."
Kuro’s face changed.
"Does this person look like me?"
Minami looked at him.
"No."
Kuro relaxed.
Then she added,
"Sometimes."
He froze.
Minami smiled faintly.
"I was just joking."
Kuro didn’t believe her.
---
They eventually left the school.
Lights in the hallway went out behind them.
Kuro locked the classroom.
Minami stood waiting nearby.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
They headed towards the gate.
On their way, Kuro stopped halfway.
Minami turned.
"What?"
He stared at one of the classrooms.
The door was open.
Moonlight was shining on the desks inside.
For a few moments, he saw himself.
Not as an adult.
But as a teenager.
Sitting alone at one of these desks.
Kuro blinked.
The vision disappeared.
Minami walked towards him.
"Kuro?"
"I’m fine."
"You don’t look fine."
"I’m just tired."
Minami studied him.
Then she reached out and touched his shoulder.
Kuro froze.
This gesture felt strangely familiar.
Not because she touched him before.
But because a new memory flashed in his mind.
Hand of a woman.
Older Kuro.
A house.
A child calling him from another room.
Another memory followed.
Fireworks.
A confession.
A wedding.
Family dinner.
The visions came faster.
Different women.
Different lives.
Different futures.
Kuro stumbled backward.
Minami caught his arm.
"Kuro!"
He closed his eyes.
The visions stopped.
When he opened them again, Minami was still holding him.
"What’s happening?"
"I don’t know."
"Did you hit your head?"
"No."
"Then what?"
Kuro looked at the classroom.
"I remembered something."
"From when?"
He hesitated.
"I don’t know."
Minami’s face became serious.
Kuro slowly pulled himself upright.
"I saw myself."
"As a student?"
"Yes."
"Here?"
He nodded.
Minami remained silent.
Then she said something that chilled Kuro to the bone.
"I saw it too."
Kuro looked at her.
"What?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Not just you."
Her eyes went distant.
"Other people."
Kuro stared at her.
"Who?"
Minami shook her head.
"I don’t know their names."
Kuro’s heartbeat quickened.
"What did you see?"
"Different versions of you."
Silence.
Kuro could not say anything.
Minami continued.
"Sometimes you were married."
Kuro’s eyes widened.
"Sometimes you had children."
His breath became shallow.
"Sometimes you were older."
Minami looked straight at him.
"And sometimes..."
She stopped.
"Sometimes what?"
"You weren’t with me."
Kuro stared at her.
These words shouldn’t hurt.
They were impossible.
Just dreams.
Yet something inside him reacted to this revelation as if she just shared something personal with him.
Kuro looked away.
"Maybe we’re just tired."
Minami said nothing.
Kuro continued.
"Maybe we’ve been working too hard."
"Maybe."
Neither of them believed it.
---
That night, Kuro returned home.
He didn’t turn any lights on.
He stood at the window.
The city lay beneath him.
He thought about his students.
His classroom.
Minami.
Strange memories.
Impossible lives.
He closed his eyes.
Immediately, he saw a library.
Girl sitting opposite him.
A notebook.
Another girl laughing under fireworks.
Woman holding his hand.
Child sleeping on his shoulder.
Family having a dinner at the table.
Kuro opened his eyes.
His heart was racing.
"Who are you?"
He didn’t know if he was addressing the memories...
Or himself.
The next morning, Kuro returned to the school.
Minami was standing near the entrance.
They looked at each other.
Neither of them mentioned last night.
Finally, Minami said,
"Good morning."
Kuro smiled.
"Good morning."
They entered the building together.
The school bell rang.
Students rushed through the hallways.
Teachers were calling after them.
Everything seemed normal.
But Kuro did not believe in simplicity anymore.
He had been spending years studying human mind.
Now his own mind became mystery he could not solve.
And somewhere in these memories was a story.
Story about Minami.
About people he barely could remember.
About lives that shouldn’t exist.
Kuro looked at the classroom.
Then at Minami.
"Ready?"
She nodded.
"Always."
They entered together.
Neither of them noticed faint reflection in the classroom window.
For less than a second, the reflection showed two teenagers sitting in this room.
Kuro and Minami.
Younger.
Smiling.
Then the image disappeared.
The class started.
And Kuro started teaching.
But inside him there appeared a question.
If these memories were just dreams, why do they feel like memories of the life he lived before?