Chapter 2:
Zako - Sensei , Love Me too ?
Kamizawa High – After School, Girls’ Dojo
SLAM.
The dojo doors flew open with all the righteous fury of a girl whose chest had just been groped — accidentally or not.
“ZAKO-SENSEI!!!”
The loud voice echoed through the wooden hall like a war cry from the Warring States era. Kendo club members turned in confusion… then widened their eyes.
“Ehh?! The homeroom teacher?!”
“Wait, is that Mitsumi dragging him?!”
“Are they... dating?!”
“No, idiot! She looks like she’s about to kill him!”
Mitsumi Kageri stormed forward, gripping Zako-sensei by the collar like a girl hauling a captured demon lord to justice.
He, meanwhile, was holding a can of iced coffee in one hand, a half-lit cigarette in the other, and had the most exasperated look in the prefecture.
“Remind me,” he mumbled, “why I’m here again?”
“To TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, that’s why!” she yelled, cheeks pink, pupils shaking. “You—you fell on me! You face-planted into my chest!”
“I remember. Soft landing, poor aim,” he replied flatly.
“DON’T RATE IT, YOU PERVERT!”
The entire kendo club watched, speechless.
---
A Few Minutes Later – Inside the Dojo
Mitsumi changed into her kendo uniform, armor snug against her petite frame, headband tied tight. Her face was still red, her breathing slightly uneven — from anger, of course.
Probably.
Zako-sensei sat lazily on the edge of the wooden floor, sipping his coffee, now dressed in the spare kendo gear one of the seniors had lent him.
He looked... surprisingly good in it.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked, voice calm. “You want to duel me over a clumsy accident?”
“This is about honor,” she snapped.
“Or you just want revenge for getting flustered.”
Mitsumi's grip tightened. “Sh-shut up and take your stance!”
A hush fell over the dojo. Students lined the walls, whispering excitedly.
> “She’s challenging a teacher...” “Isn’t Zako-sensei, like, undefeated in every club challenge?” “He beat the judo captain with one arm. He’s a monster.”
---
“Hajime!”
The moment the command rang out, Mitsumi dashed forward with textbook form — feet gliding, bamboo sword raised.
> “Men!” she shouted, aiming straight for his head.
Zako didn’t move.
Right before the strike connected, he stepped to the side with lazy grace and tapped her wrist with his shinai.
TAP.
Her weapon dropped from her hand like a fallen petal.
She froze.
He leaned in slightly and said, “Try again.”
“Wh—?! You—!! That doesn’t count!”
She picked up the sword again, face flushed.
Attack after attack, she came at him — fast, wild, determined.
And he dodged all of them with minimal effort, countering just enough to throw off her rhythm.
20 minutes later…
She was crouched in the center of the dojo, panting, drenched in sweat.
Zako stood above her, barely winded.
“You’ve got spirit, Kageri,” he said. “But you need better control.”
Her bangs stuck to her forehead, cheeks puffed, chest rising and falling rapidly.
“Of course... you’re cheating... old man…”
He smirked and offered her a hand.
“Also—” he added, tilting his head, “you’re cute when you’re angry.”
Her face exploded in red.
She slapped his hand away and turned her back with a loud “HMPH!”
The club erupted in suppressed laughter. Someone whispered, “Sensei’s got balls... and a death wish.”
---
Later – Outside the Dojo
Zako lit a cigarette and looked at the sunset bleeding through the sky.
Mitsumi stood beside him, arms crossed, face still flushed.
“...You’re not going to report this, right?” she asked.
“What, the duel or the part where you almost impaled your homeroom teacher over a misunderstanding?”
“Both,” she muttered.
He smirked. “Depends. Are you planning to sue me for assault by accidental motorboating?”
She choked. “S-Shut up!! That’s not funny!”
Zako shrugged, exhaling smoke.
“You’ve got talent, Kageri. If you stop letting your pride control your blade, you could be a national contender.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
She looked down at her hands. “...You really think so?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” he said, walking away. “Next time, bring me a cold drink instead of dragging me into battle.”
“Stupid sensei...” she muttered, watching him disappear around the corner.
---
That Night – Kageri Household
Mitsumi’s bedroom looked like a classic dojo-meets-girl’s room: bokken hanging on the wall, shinai in the corner, and a very pink blanket on the bed.
She stood in front of her mirror, still in her kendo uniform.
Face red.
Sweat beading down her collarbone.
She raised her sword.
“Takeshi Zakaki... I’ll defeat you one day... and then you’ll call me cute after I win!”
She swung the shinai—
—and tripped on her slipper, falling flat on her bed with her skirt flipping up.
“...Stupid Sensei. Damn sexy...”
She screamed into her pillow.
---
Meanwhile – Zakaki’s Apartment
A cramped studio lit only by the city lights beyond the window.
Zako sat at his desk, shirt off, smoke rising as he scribbled into a tattered notebook.
Class 2-B: Notes
> Mitsumi Kageri – Kendo club. Too stubborn for her own good.
Smart, passionate, dangerously competitive.
Also needs to stop blushing every time I talk to her.
He paused.
Then scribbled out the last line with a sigh.
---
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