The First Break

After the History lesson, Megumi hastened to the other corner of the class, where her friends, Chiyo and Natsume, sat. She had promised Chiyo to help with her Math homework, after all. And she wished to get away from her new delinquent seatmate, Gorō Shimura. He had been sleeping during most of the lesson, so they barely interacted. But Megumi wasn’t taking any chances. It was bad enough that he addressed her by name and smiled at her! She should try to avoid him during breaks.

“Oh, thank you so much, Megumi!” Chiyo cried out after Megumi explained the solution to the problem she had struggled with. She embraced her. “You’re a true gem!”

“You’re most welcome, Chiyo!” Megumi laughed and returned a hug.

“Hey,” Natsume’s troubled voice interrupted them, “what’s going on over there?”

They all looked at the windows, where Megumi’s desk stood. The three delinquent boys from the back of the class had gathered around it and grinned derisively at the half-asleep Gorō.

“Hey, sleepy-head, we’re talking to you!” the tallest and loudest among them, a red-haired boy named Shin, shouted. “Are you deaf?”

“They’re already picking on the new one, I see.” Natsume frowned and crossed her arms. “Have those idiots nothing better to do?”

“You know them…” Chiyo shrugged. “Gotta assert authority everywhere.”

“I don’t know,” Megumi muttered, eyeing the nonchalant Gorō, who didn’t even grace Shin and his cronies with a look. “I think this time they’ve picked a dangerous opponent. That Shimura is different from the rest of them… in a creepy sort of way.”

“What do you mean?” Chiyo blinked at her.

“Well…” Megumi began, but her speech was cut.

Shin, having lost his patience with the unresponsive Gorō, grabbed a Math manual lying on the adjacent desk – Megumi’s book – and swung it at his sleepy opponent.

“I told you to answer me, bastard!” he shouted.

“Hey!” Megumi cried, horrified. She ran towards them. “Leave my book alone!”

Some girls – the coquettes who had their eyes on Shin and his handsome delinquents – cackled at Megumi’s predicament. But Natsume and Chiyo jumped up from their seats and followed her loyally.

Before they could reach the scene, Shin’s arm stopped in mid-air. Gorō’s pale hand had grabbed his wrist and was clutching it so hard that Shin winced, grimacing in pain. He dropped the book, but Gorō caught it and placed it neatly back on Megumi’s desk. Then he turned to Shin and his cronies, his eyes blazing with wrath from behind his thick hair. Shin and his friends felt shivers down their spines, and so did the rest of the class, including Megumi. A deep instinct told them, loud and clear, that Gorō was no ordinary threat.

“Haven’t your parents taught you not to touch other people’s stuff, ruddy?” Gorō snarled, gripping Shin’s wrist tighter and making him squirm. “If you won’t quit yappin’, we can take this outside, after class!”

With that, he let his arm go. Shin rubbed his aching wrist and snorted. He walked off with his two friends, mumbling words like “freak” under his breath. Gorō rolled his eyes and slumped down on his chair again.

“All bark and no spine,” he scoffed. He folded his arms and resumed his sleeping pose.

Megumi stared at him in shock. He never responded to Shin before, but now he protected her book! She felt butterflies in her stomach. But she clenched her fists.

No, I shouldn’t be impressed! She scolded herself. He’s a delinquent who scared even Shin! He has to be worse than all of them! But… She clasped her hands and bit her lip. I should still thank him.

“Wow, look at that!” Natsume chuckled. “This Shimura guy actually has some manners, unlike those three.”

“Yeah, and it was good to see Shin Kawamura put in his place for once!” Chiyo grinned. She turned to her other friend, “Right, Megumi?”

“Yeah…” Megumi muttered, still staring at the sleeping Gorō.

Some of their boy classmates ran into the class and shouted:

“Morikawa Sensei’s coming!”

The entire class panicked and fussed about the room. Mr Keisuke Morikawa was the strictest teacher they had, giving them bad grades for the smallest misconduct. So, even Shin and his friends settled themselves more orderly during his lessons.

Chiyo hastened to her desk, afraid of the Math teacher more than anyone. Natsume followed her as her seatmate. Megumi was left alone with Gorō. She took her seat and, after a second of hesitation, gently poked his arm.

“Hey,” she muttered, blushing.

Gorō stirred and raised his head, staring at her with his droopy eyelids.

“I… T-Thank you,” Megumi muttered, rubbing her knees against each other. She turned away her gaze. “F-For the book.”

Gorō stared, silent. He blinked a few times, eyeing Megumi’s flustered cheeks, her gentle, blue eyes and silky, wavy pink hair. A rosy flush painted his pale face, hidden behind his folded arm. He shut his eyes again.

“Mhm,” he grunted.

Megumi stiffened. Just “mhm”?! And he was going back to sleep… Takeda Sensei might’ve accepted it, but she knew Morikawa Sensei wouldn’t. So, she poked him again. She’d better do it now than be forced to during the class when everyone was watching, like before.

“You should stay awake and follow the class,” she advised when she saw him stir and look at her with his tired eyes. “The Math teacher is strict.”

“Oh, Ol’ Man Morikawa?” Gorō chortled. “I’ll be fine.”

Megumi widened her eyes. “Ol’ Man”?! What the hell did he mean?

Do they… know each other?! She thought.

How did the meticulous Math teacher, Mr Keisuke Morikawa, who belonged to the school’s board of directors, come to know this rowdy delinquent?

But Megumi had to stop wondering and focus on the class – the door had slammed shut behind Mr Morikawa. He glared at the students, making shivers run down many of their spines, like Chiyo’s.

“Put your homework on my desk!” he ordered unceremoniously as he walked to his table.

The most difficult lesson of the day had begun.