"Always the Students!

The bell rang to signal the start of class and most of the other teachers had already entered their rooms. Just outside the door for Room 2-C, Arakaki Shuji lingered while taking a few deep breaths. He had to put on his face and it was taking longer than usual today. Come on. It's Friday. You can do this! Let's go! Two minutes passed before he finally slid the door open. The class representative quickly stood up and went through the regular announcements. After an exchange of bows, they began. It was a dreadfully dull lesson that day. Algebra was boring for Arakaki but he was forced to teach it every year. His patience in this class was always paper thin. The students never asked questions, had to be forced to answer them, and would often talk during instruction. It was his least favorite class.

In fact, there weren't any classes he liked this year. Calculus was full of arrogant math inclined nerds who fashioned themselves as savants. Geometry used a modeling software to complete the assignments but most students used the computers to create whatever models they wanted rather than what was required of them. Statistics, a class you'd think would filled with only the best and brightest, was full of kids that had no business being there but whose parents basically bribed the registrar to get them in. Finally, after going through several hours of mind numbing desk work, Arakaki is forced to be the sponsor for the Quiz Bowl team that meets in the last hour of school. He used to enjoy that time of the day until the team started winning meets. Now, they're increasingly competitive and almost hostile to new and prospective members. He's had to put out fires and field parent calls almost every week because of the club's toxicity. Almost every problem he deals with at work can find its root in one singular place; his students.

Today was no different from any other. His bland and monotone delivery of the lesson was interspersed with terse demands for the students to stop talking. Rarely did he turn from writing on the board. When the bell rang, Arakaki announced the nightly homework assignment and began packing his bag. It was lunch time and he looked forward to one of the few actual breaks he gets each day. As he walked through the halls of the school, it was if the students didn't even know he was there. No one addressed him. No one talked to him. No one even looked him in the eyes. He was basically invisible and he liked it that way. As far as he was concerned, there was no need to look at anyone and risk being drawn into an unwelcome conversation. The students would talk about the most embarrassing things as he walked by. Gossip upon gossip upon gossip. He didn't listen to most of it. Partly because he didn't want to eavesdrop but also partly because he knew any teenaged conversations would be vapid and uninspiring. He'd occasionally nod and say a brief greeting to a co-worker but that was out of professional duty not a genuine desire to connect. Whether with students or faculty, he tried his best to avoid talking in the halls. At least, he did that with most of the others at school. There was one significant exception.

As Arakaki made his way to the teacher workroom, he met one of his colleagues along the way. Urushima Keiko was a few years his junior and taught Biology and Chemistry. She was the one bright spot in this entire place and the subject of his affections. They would talk during the school day whenever the chance arose and they got along very well but Arakaki was never brave enough to ask her out for dinner or coffee. Today, he felt uncharacteristically daring. The conversation while they ate was shallow and lacked any real substance, at least at first. The usual pleasantries and water cooler talk soon gave way to talk of the summer which would soon be upon them.

"Do you have any plans for the summer?" Urushima asked before taking a large drink of her green tea.

"No, not yet. I was thinking of using some vacation time to visit family in Osaka but..."

"Osaka?! Is that where you're from? You never talk much about your family or upbringing do you, Arakaki-sensei? What are they like? Do you have any siblings? What are your parents like? Do you have any nieces or nephews yet?" She interrupted with speed and joy. Her eyes lit up with an excitement that made Arakaki's heart leap.

Other teachers began trickling into the room after fulfilling their various lunchtime commitments. He did his best to think of interesting answers but eventually settled on telling the plain truth.

"I'm actually an only child. My parents split up when I was in high school and my mother passed away when I was in college. My father and two uncles live near Osaka now but we don't speak much. Sorry for not talking about my family more. It's not something I normally discuss with others."

Urushima's demeanor changed when she heard about Arakaki's situation and she blurted out, "I'm sorry. I didn't know...I wouldn't have asked..."

Arakaki help up his hand and smiled, "No apology needed. Really. I'm just glad that we're talking. Hey, this weekend are you avai..."

Before he could go on Horimoto-sensei called his name from the doorway. "Arakaki-sensei? It's Hishohara. She needs to ask you something." Urushima nodded and smiled as Arakaki excused himself, stood, and made his way to the door. I was so close to actually asking her out for a date! This had better be good you little brat!

When he stepped out into the hall, one of his algebra students was shyly holding her notebook and looking down.

He stood there for a beat before asking, "Well? What is it, Hishohara? It's my lunch break right now. So, please hurry."

The student managed to mumble, "Um...Ar...Arakaki-se...sensei...I'm having...some..."

Arakaki gave a loud sigh. Get it out already! "Listen, if you need help with the homework then can you wait until class to ask me? Like I said, this is my lunch break." Before she could respond, he slipped back into the teacher workroom and slid the door closed.

"What did she want?" Horimoto asked. Arakaki mumbled a half-hearted answer as he passed by. When he returned to his desk, Urushima had already finished eating and had left the teacher room. Thanks brat. I was finally brave enough to ask her out and you interrupted me! Always the students! Always!

The rest of the day Arakaki's mood was foul. Every interruption was met with stern rebukes and a firm response. Word spread that he was not in a good mood and some students became quieter than normal and some tried to antagonize him further. His statistics class refused to be quiet and the geometry class locked him out of his computer as a prank. By the time he was with the Quiz Bowl team, he had checked out mentally and was grateful it was a Friday. Still, anger seethed under the surface.

The team's captain, Hayabusa Shindo, was an anomaly. He was unusually smart, well groomed, handsome, easily one of the most athletic boys in his year, and had the highest social capital on the team by a mile. His popularity resulted in constant poaching attempts by the other clubs, both cultural and athletic. Yet, each time he refused and stayed loyal to Quiz Bowl. He definitely was the glue that held the club together and everyone knew it. This was the day he was needed the most. Unfortunately for Arakaki, he was absent that day.

It started out innocent enough. The team was doing speed drills and going over the year's social studies category of geography. Arakaki was on his phone in the back, as usual, until one of the newer members got a question wrong. He was a first year and had been coming back week after week for the last two months. He became interested in Quiz Bowl sometime after the team won their first meet against the largest school in the prefecture. Getting the question wrong immediately garnered the team's antagonism.

"How could you get that wrong? If this was a meet, we'd be out 10 points!" one student exclaimed.

"That was in the study packet! Are you even reading it?" another crowed.

"Come on, man. We can't be making simple mistakes like that. You need to pull it together." a third year said from a desk near Arakaki. This got his attention and he looked up.

The student who got the question wrong was nearly in tears as his fellow teammates berated him. The insults got meaner and deeper as time passed. Eventually, Arakaki knew he had to step in. He stood up and walked toward the front of the room where they were congregated.

"Okay, okay. You've made your points. Lay off him. On with it.” He said in his usual monotone voice. You brats! It's one wrong answer. I've seen your tests! You aren't any better than him!

The boy was named Moto Tetsuo. He was a generally happy kid but could easily get caught up in his feelings. He began to silently cry and quickly walked by Arakaki as he grabbed his book bag and left.

"Good riddance. Maybe we can actually get some work done now." The third year muttered.

Arakaki felt his teeth clench. Brats.

After work he called up his friend, Shou. Arakaki needed a drink.