That’s How She Fell In Love

Today, I was going to have a chill session where I played video games and listened to music, but it was sadly ruined by my older sister, who dragged me out of the house and brought me along on her trip to the mall. We went through multiple shops and looked at multiple products, such as clothing and makeup. In the end, she bought nothing.

“Hey, my dearest younger brother, do you have anything you want to buy?”

I hadn’t planned on buying anything at the time, but then I remembered I needed some new shirts (all of my current ones were either ripped or too small for me). We went to a shop that I liked buying clothes from and looked through the collection of shirts. My sister even helped me pick some out to try.

“I think that one suits you the best.”

“You think so?”

“I agree with her.”

That voice! That angelic voice! It was unmistakably Sensei.

“Sensei? What are you doing here?”

“I’m doing some shopping myself. I bought this nice summer dress. Would you like to see it?”

Sensei in a summer dress? I wondered how it would look on her.

“No. No. It’s fine. You don’t need to pull it out and show it.”

“If you say so.”

“Sozen, who is this?”

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you. I work at Kurosawa’s school. I’m Takanashi Riho.”

“Takanashi Riho? Wait, wait, wait! This is the Takanashi Riho you’ve been texting?”

“Yes. That would be me. You must be his sister, correct?”

“Reiko’s the name.”

“Reiko.”

“Wow. You’re prettier than I imagined.”

“Onee!”

“What? I’m just being truthful. Don’t you think she’s pretty as well?”

“I do, but…” I realised what I said and instantly covered my mouth in order to stop myself from continuing.

“Creep.”

“Shut up!”

“Thank you, Kurosawa. That’s very nice of you to say.”

She actually accepted the compliment. I feared that she might find me weird, but she was actually smiling.

“Wait. You actually look kind of familiar.”

I was wondering when she would realise it.

“She was the one driving the car when I went to pick you up when you were knocked out drunk.”

“When was that?”

“Recently.” I said this in an annoyed tone since it was clear she couldn’t remember which of the many times she blacked out after drinking too much.

“Ah. I was also the medical student who helped your brother.”

“Oh my god. You are her! I thought I recognised you. I cannot thank you enough for saving my little brother.”

“There’s no need. I was only doing what anyone else would in that situation.”

“Of course. It’s a shame you had to give away your first kiss to someone like Sozen.”

First kiss? What the hell was she talking about?

“That was simply CPR. It couldn’t have been his first kiss. Besides, if it was his first kiss, it would also have been mine.”

What? My lips made contact with her lips? Sensei’s first kiss? I felt dizzy just thinking about it. But something about the way she said it and acted was surprisingly cute.

“Why are you both blushing? Is there something going on between you two?”

“No!” Sensei and I said in unison.

My sister looked at us with suspicious eyes.

“Okay, Onee-san. I think that’s enough talking for today. We’ll be going now, Sensei.”

“Oh, okay. Take care.”

I quickly rushed away with my sister, hoping to get out of that awkward situation as soon as possible.

Later that night, I gave my sister a good scolding.

The next day, I went to school dreading, the idea of facing Sensei again. My friends even noticed it.

“Sozen, you don’t look so good.”

“Maybe you should go to the nurse’s office.”

“No! Anything but that!”

Lunch arrived, and I went to buy some food from the cafeteria when I accidentally bumped into Sensei as she was leaving the office. With swift reflexes, I lunged forward and grabbed her by the waist, preventing her from tumbling to the ground. Our eyes met, which made both of us blush.

“Are you okay, Sensei?”

“Y-yes. Thank you, Kurosawa.”

“Are you in a rush?”

“No. I was just going to get another cup of coffee from the staff room. It was my fault for not looking where I was going.”

“There’s no need to apologise.”

“Say, Kurosawa, how would you like a cup of coffee and some sandwiches?”

The original plan was to buy food from the cafeteria, but I found myself sitting in Sensei’s office waiting for her to return.

When she returned, she was carrying a tray of two cups of hot coffee and a plate of sandwiches. She placed it on the desk next to me.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

I helped myself to the free food. It was definitely better than the cafeteria food. As I was eating, I noticed Sensei looking through some papers.

“What are you looking at, Sensei?”

“Ah. You see, I’m applying for a job at another school. I’m hoping to be a proper teacher rather than just the school nurse.”

“Wow. That sounds great.”

“I have an interview in a couple weeks time, but I’m preparing myself for it now. I get really nervous in interviews, you see.”

So she gets nervous under pressure, like the rest of us. Maybe she isn’t the cold, collected teacher I thought she was.

“Would you like me to help?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

Sensei handed me a stack of flash cards with interview questions on them.

“Just pick any one of them.”

“Okay. What approaches would you use to ensure effective learning in a medical education setting?”

“I believe in a student-centred approach to teaching. I would create an interactive classroom environment where students can feel comfortable collaborating with their peers and participating in discussions. I would incorporate real-life cases and scenarios to help them understand the subject better. By encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving, students would be able to develop their skills for when they graduate and enter the world of medicine.”

“Wow. That was very detailed.”

“Really? Is that a good thing? I practised that response a lot.”

“I think it was a bit too long, but I think it’s still pretty good. I’m sure they would hire you.”

“I’m not too sure about that. I’m not an approachable person.”

There can be times when you feel vulnerable, like you are not as good as people expect you to be. You doubt yourself, and your confidence begins to erode away. There’s an inner critic that whispers that you’re not enough. Even with your developed skills and achievements, you still feel like you have to strive for growth or step outside your comfort zone in order to be truly capable of praise and success. I was like her once. I still am. After my near-death experience, I felt like I had to use the second chance that was given to me. I had to prove my life was worth saving. I couldn’t give up. I believed Sensei shouldn’t give up either.

“Sensei, there is no use in dwelling on the negatives. Just because you have one fault doesn’t mean you are useless. In order to overcome your concerns, you must first accept them. Personally, I don’t think you’re unapproachable. You managed to win me over with your charming personality and your kindness. So you shouldn’t doubt yourself, Sensei. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. You can do it.”

Within the spacious nurse’s office, bathed in the bright sun’s warm glow that filtered through the slats of the blinds, I felt Sensei’s eyes fixated on me. I looked back at her. Her eyes were widened and more expressive, exhibiting a vibrant sparkle. My heart began to race quickly as the gaze continued to linger for a moment.

She smiled and said, “I’ll do my best.”

I left the room feeling somewhat warm. What was this feeling? Why did Sensei look at me like that? Before walking away, I quickly glanced through the door’s window to see Sensei with her hands on her face. I couldn’t tell if she was blushing or not, but it seemed like she was overwhelmed by something.