episode_0011

Chapter 11: Counseling (2)

Suddenly there was a tremendous sound, and everyone in the teacher’s office turned their gaze to the door.

“Kya?!”

Especially Teacher Mi couldn’t help but be more surprised.

That’s because as a new teacher, her seat was assigned right near the teacher’s office door.

So.

Wobble!

The door, which had fallen from the shock just now, was pouring down onto Teacher Mi’s head.

“……!”

The moment she tightly closed her eyes.

Thud.

The falling door stopped.

Then the door moved by itself and fixed itself back onto the teacher’s office door.

Creak, creak.

After making sure it opened well like that too.

“Ah, I apologize.”

Right there was the boy in question.

Han Gyeongjun was standing right in front.

“My body size has increased recently, and I’m not used to it.”

With a brief apology and a bow to everyone in the teacher’s office, he looks around.

He seems to be looking for someone.

Then, perhaps unable to find them.

“Do you know where the homeroom teacher for 1st Year Class 10 is?”

He strides towards her, who is in front of him, and asks.

Gulp.

The sound of Teacher Mi swallowing dry spit.

As she stood there frozen, the surrounding teachers gave her a look with their eyes.

“I, I’m the one…… homeroom teacher for 1st Year Class 10…….”

“Ah.”

Just then, as if he realized it too, he discovered the empty chair placed near Teacher Mi and the bag of candy placed on the desk to give to students he counseled.

Slide.

And very naturally, he sits on the empty counseling chair.

“Why did you call me?”

Not “Why did you call me?”

Or “Why?”.

“Why did you call me?”

Perfect *danakka* style.

Thinking of the time I was walking down the hallway and some male teacher yelled at a student, 『What’s with ‘yo’, ‘yo’ to the teacher! How rude!』

You could say he observed etiquette very well, but.

“Ah, ah…… Th, that…….”

That felt even more frightening to her right now.

As if he were threatening her.

But from now on, she is no longer a college of education student, but a teacher.

Clenching her fists, regaining her initial resolve, she finally opens her mouth.

“D, didn’t you hear there was counseling?”

“Counseling?”

“……”

Teacher Mi felt that this was going to be a very difficult counseling session.

***

Ding!

[Achievement Unlocked!]

[Achievement: 『Strong Heart that Breaks Teacher’s Office Doors』]

[You have acquired 1pt of Life Points as an achievement reward.]

Ah, damn it, I hit the door again.

Recently, my physical stats suddenly shot up, and after sleeping a few times.

It wasn’t just that I gained muscle, but my height and body also grew tremendously.

So my body hasn’t adapted, like how I almost broke the teacher’s office door just now.

I often bump into things in the classroom too, and the kids in my class blink in surprise.

“……”

I absolutely was not annoyed by the counseling and taking it out on the homeroom teacher.

Anyway, counseling.

“Aren’t we doing counseling?”

“Ah, uh, yeah. Then…… um…….”

Since she wasn’t starting at all, I just broke the ice first.

Well, I’m actually looking forward to this a bit.

When I was little, I found counseling like this annoying and wondered why we had to do it.

But now that I’ve just grown bigger and am about to step into social life, there’s really nothing like this.

Now, since I’m still young, I get things like this for free.

Later, you have to pay money to psychiatrists or psychological counseling centers and ask for help.

Sometimes professors say you can talk freely about anything difficult, but.

You know they all just say that, right?

“Um, when you were in elementary school…….”

The homeroom teacher flipped through the documents presumed to be the student record a few times, and then finally spoke.

“You were a kind friend who was considerate of your friends…… Our Gyeongjunie?”

“Ah, is that so? Was it written like that in the student record?”

“Y-yes, right? Well, it’s written like that for now…….”

I don’t remember well, but it was written like that.

It was so long ago I don’t even remember.

But somehow, I felt like it would be written like that.

When they didn’t have much else to write, the student records from back then were just plastered with “kind”.

“Yes, well…… I was like that back then.”

“Ahahaha, I guess so~ Our Gyeongjunie is essentially a kind chi—”

“Right. I couldn’t help but be kind. Thinking about it now, there was no bigger pushover than me back then.”

“Uh, huh?!”

My off-speed pitch without a setup startled the homeroom teacher.

“Rather, they say young children are more malicious, and it was exactly the theory that human nature is evil. Thinking about it now.”

I give a bitter smile.

Recalling elementary school memories.

Even in elementary school, just like in middle school and high school afterwards, I didn’t really have anyone I could call a friend.

Rather, recalling it, I remember in 3rd grade, as soon as the girl desk mate became my partner, she suddenly drew a line on the desk and said, 『Don’t cross here!』

Then, after crossing it a few times without knowing, 70% of the desk was her territory, and.

I was just barely spreading my book and breathing in the remaining 30% territory?

No, I know now, but.

It didn’t make sense that two people used one long desk for elementary schoolers in the first place.

It must have been cheap desks that they just crammed in thoughtlessly.

So even though the desks were all full of holes and a mess, they never replaced them.

That leftover money definitely went into the principal’s mouth.

Besides that, throwing eraser dust was also like that.

The teacher, far from helping, forced me to eat all the vegetables by piling them up during lunch because I didn’t eat them.

Wow, thinking about it now, our time was really amazing.

If something like that happened in elementary school now, it would cause a huge fuss right away.

“Well, anyway, I won’t live like that again. So I don’t particularly like the word ‘kind’. I’m not actually kind either.”

When I spoke such deep and heavy things openly to the teacher.

“Oh, I see…….”

The teacher just dripped with cold sweat.

After choosing her words carefully, my homeroom teacher with the peculiar last name could finally open her mouth.

“Well, you’re commendable, our Gyeongjunie…?”

Am I commendable?

I’m not sure.

“You went through such difficult times…… and bravely came to middle school…… and…….”

“It’s compulsory education, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes, it is, right?”

“But is it okay for you to say I’m commendable as a teacher? Rather, you should be scolding me.”

“Uh, huh?!”

“It’s a joke.”

“……”

The female teacher didn’t know what to do.

Looking at her, she seems like a newly appointed teacher who just got hired.

In middle school, people like this looked like complete adults, but now that I see her, she’s just a child who only grew bigger.

My mental age is probably similar, but.

Still, it’s quite fun to tease her like this.

Nonetheless, my homeroom teacher with the peculiar last name finally pulled herself together again.

“Well, as a middle school student, you should think brightly, like a middle school student…… You shouldn’t think such bad thoughts…….”

She gave me a teacher-like lecture.

“Yes.”

Since it was true, I immediately agreed.

“……”

“……”

And so, both were silent.

Eventually, the homeroom teacher awkwardly pretended to search through the student record, then with a deep breath.

Thump.

She finally made the big decision to cover it up on the desk.

It seems she decided to proceed with the counseling spontaneously.

“Um…… Is there anything uncomfortable while attending school?”

“Hmm, I don’t think there’s anything in particular.”

If I just said that, silence would come again.

So I somehow squeezed out something uncomfortable to think about.

“Ah. It’s okay now that it’s hardcover, but there are too many holes in the desks. I wish the desks would be replaced.”

I felt that just now while studying quantum mechanics at school.

That characteristic of desks from that era.

The desks weren’t even coated, so scribbling was a given.

Since it was just wood that tore easily, it was all full of holes from compasses or ballpoint pens.

Sometimes, some idle fellow would cover it with the silver wrapper leftover from gum, making it glitter brightly.

“Um, well, that might be outside my jurisdiction…….”

But it seemed like too difficult a request for a new teacher.

“I’ll try suggesting it once I meet the principal…….”

“It’s okay. I just mentioned it in case.”

Well, I didn’t expect anything.

Later, I can just sneak into another class and swap it with a decent one.

“Then, next…….”

Still, perhaps because she was a passionate new teacher.

Even with this kind of atmosphere, the counseling continued steadfastly.

***

Besides this, she asked various things like what my hobbies are, what my dream is, and I answered everything with sincerity, but.

“Oh, I see…… A dream of making a quantum computer faster than anyone else to压制 (yāzhì – suppress/overwhelm) the United States, destroy about 80% of China, and incidentally destroy about half of Japan too…… H-how amazing…… Our Gyeongjunie…….”

Somehow, all the reactions were lukewarm.

I definitely thought I had answered well, suitable to the national sentiment.

“……But what is a quantum computer?”

Hmm, I just finished explaining it to Han Somi, the vice president, and counseling was also delayed, is it okay?

“Shall I explain it to you? Depending on the degree, it could take a short time, about 1 hour, or a full explanation might take all night.”

“Uh, yeah. No, it’s okay. Tell me when you have time later, teacher…….”

No, why.

In times like this, a new teacher’s passion should lead them to say they’ll listen no matter how long it takes.

I was expecting it.

“……”

“……”

Silence visited us again.

Well, I guess I’ve teased enough.

“You put this candy here for the students, right? I’ll have one.”

“Huh? Uh, yeah! Eat, eat as much as you want!”

First, that nameless foreign candy placed at the teacher’s seat.

That one that’s cherry flavored with caramel inside and unexpectedly delicious, I pop it into my mouth.

“You don’t have to worry.”

At my sudden words, the homeroom teacher tilts her head.

“As long as it’s not like that pervert old-timer teacher who transferred out before you came, I won’t cause any trouble.”

“?!”

The female teacher is startled.

Hmm, I accidentally sounded a bit like a threat.

So I’ll correct it a bit.

“You don’t seem like that kind of person at all, rather, I’d even want to help you, so you don’t have to worry too much was what I meant.”

Adding one more thing.

“Usually in cases like this, they just do counseling half-heartedly and move on, so I’m grateful for the fact that you’ve been counseling me properly up until now. There will be nothing for me to cause you worry about in the future.”

I said so respectfully and bowed deeply.

I truly thought so.

If I had met this person instead of that teacher who neglected school violence even though he knew about it, who transferred out when I was in 1st year of middle school.

My first life might have been a little different.

“Ahaha, that’s…… thank you…… really…….”

As if from the heart, the homeroom teacher breathes a deep sigh of relief.

“Though if someone bothers me first, the story might change a bit.”

But what I truly liked was saying NO! right when things seemed to have ended well like this.

“Haha…… Jo, just kidding, right……?”

Then, conversely this time, it was her who was dripping with cold sweat like at the beginning.

“Two.”

“……?”

“If I can have one more candy, I’ll try to endure it once.”

It was right after that sentence ended.

“……Please, Gyeongjunie. Eat a lot.”

Pile!

Holding out a generous handful of candy, she gave me not just 2, but over ten.

Oh dear, oh dear, trying to tempt a student with food.

Approved.

“Then I’ll head back to the classroom now, teacher. Should I call the next student for counseling?”

“Yes, go and bring Arami…… Lee Aram student……?”

“Yes, I will.”

And so, heading towards the teacher’s office door.

This time, being careful not to bump into it as I tried to leave.

“Oh right, teacher.”

It would be good to tell her this one thing, right.

“……Huh?”

Studying is one thing, but.

This counseling session after a long time was also nostalgic and fun.

Adding to the kindness of her taking my teasing well even though I was rude.

“When you go home today, go through the back gate instead of the main school gate. There will definitely be something good.”