The next afternoon, I was introduced to the Sojutsu club and their captain, a young lady by the name of Torako Saotome. I'd blinked at the surname but decided to ignore the joke that bubbled in my brain about swarms of fiances and cursed water. I quickly bowed at the smaller young woman, and thanked her for being willing to give me a few pointers.
Torako was somewhat cold when she replied; "I'm sorry to say, Sensei, that it's likely only going to be a few pointers. Our club is preparing for a big tournament and I need to give them my full attention if we're going to do well."
"I understand, just a quick rundown of how not to stab myself in the foot would be a great help by itself." I replied. Well, it was not what I was hoping for but I'd take what Icould get, and besides, whatever spear work they used likely wouldn't correlate with what I was going to be using it for besides the very basics. But like I'd told her, I'd take what I could get.
"So, could I see what your spear looks like? It'd help with what I need to start with your training." Torako asked.
"Ah, right here." I grabbed the cloth-wrapped bundle that had been leaning on the wall behind me. I handed it over to her, allowing the young woman to unwrap the cloth. The long Germanic Spearhead flashed under the light of the flourescent lights of the Sojutsu Club's dojo. The blade alone was a good ten inches in length with the sheathing that fit over the shaft adding about ten more inches to the thing, then there was the solid ash spear shaft. All told the thing was over seven feet in length and utterly deadly.
Torako hefted the thing, seeming to find the balancing point for it and grunting in satisfaction at what she found. Then she handed it back to me. "Not bad, Brody-Sensei, whoever made the spearhead and shaft was a true master of the craft. I hope you will treat such a fine weapon with the outmost respect it deserves."
"Of course I will, Miss Saotome." I answered, slight satisfaction that one experienced in the art I was trying to learn seemed to approve of my gear.
We were interrupted when the door to the Dojo slammed open and in dashed a pretty young girl, younger than Saotome. Her eyes were a chestnut brown with two antennae-like strands rising from her hairline. Ah, so this is Rei Miyamoto, I think I have a class with the young woman though I couldn't recall exactly.
Miyamoto seemed to be breathing heavily like she'd been running to the Dojo. "Miyamoto-san, so glad you could show up." Saotome answered dryly.
"I'm sorry, Senpai, I was talking with Shido-Sensei about a misunderstanding about my grades." The young woman apologized with a bow. Then she noticed me standing there. "Brody-Sensei? What brings you here?"
I smiled and bowed. "Good afternoon, Miss Miyamoto. I inherited a spear from a friend of mine and Miss Saotome happened to be nice enough to help me get started on learning how to use it." A concerned look spread across my face. "Is something the matter with Shido-Sensei?"
Rei grimaced and shook her head. "Nothing really, Sensei, there was just something funny going on with my grades in his class and I wanted to talk to him about it is all. Nothing to worry about."
I frowned for a moment. So the son of a bitch was already starting his revenge run on a young girl over what her father was doing to his father? Well, I'd do something about that if I could.
**********
"Ah Koichi-San, I've been looking for you." A few days later I finally managed to track down the skinny bastard in one of the many hallways that made up the school here.
The bespectacled man turned around, his eyes not showing his thoughts as he pasted a smile on his face. "Good afternoon Brody-San. What can I do for you?"
"It's actually about a student of ours, Rei Miyamoto? I've heard she's been having trouble in your class?" I answered, keeping my voice even and polite.
"Yes, I know who you're talking about. What about her?" He answered his tone also flat but I had the feeling he was wondering where I was going with this.
"Well I just don't understand why she's having a hard time in your class. I'm the Assistant Teacher in her English class and she's doing really well. Not only that but when I asked around she doing great in her other classes too, yours is the only one she's struggling in at the moment. Why is that?" I looked him dead in the eyes with that last sentence demanding a good answer.
A condescending smirk spread across his face and he closed his eyes and turned his head slightly, "What can I say Brody-San? Every student has their problem subject. Can I help it if my class just so happens to be…"
With a snarl I grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and slammed him against the wall, actually lifting him a few inches off the ground. Then in a clipped tone I ground out, "Listen you SMUG Sonovabitch! I don't know what that poor girl's done to you but either you put her grades back to normal or so help me…."
"You'll what? Report me to the principle?" For a man threatened by someone at least fifty pounds heavier than him, he was amazingly calm about it. He glared at me with those snake like eyes of his. "He won't fire me. My father and brother have made sure of that.
Glaring at him I said, "What about your father's current problems with Officer Miyamoto's investigation on him for corruption charges? I'm sure people might notice if his son was going after an upstanding officer's daughter as retaliation."
That seemed to get to him as his eyes widened in shock for a moment, it didn't last long to my confusion. "I don't know how you learned about that but if you're resorting to blackmail than two can play at that."
Confused I let him back down to the ground. After straightening his jacket he turned back to me. "When I learned you became a teacher here I got curious about you. So I had someone I knew in the government track you down. There isn't much about you Brody-San, you appear in town not long before you got the Janitorial position here at the school.
"All your paper-work was in order but it seemed not many people remembered processing those papers; and when they tried to learn when you arrived in Japan there was nothing. You just appeared out of the blue with all official documents. Very suspicious Brody-san, very suspicious indeed. I'm sure there are plenty of people in government that would love to learn who you really are Brody-san, and I'm sure my family could assist in pushing that through." He finished with a grin.
That son of a bitch, my face reddened and I started to clench my fists so hard they began to tremble. "You...Son of A…."
"Yes, yes you've already insulted my mother once Brody-san, no need to repeat it." He cut me off with an incredible nonchalance.
Then he continued, "Now this is what is going to happen. We are going to forget we ever had this conversation and you stop looking into how I run my classes nor are you going to mention anything to anyone. Otherwise you will either; be deported, or be locked away in a small, dark room for a very long time are we clear Brody-san?"
I didn't say anything, it took everything not to just leap out at that bastard right then and there. Seeing I hadn't responded, he stepped closer and had his face a few inches from mine. "Perhaps you didn't hear me, Are We Clear Brody-San?"
"Crystal." I finally ground out.
"Excellent, I'm glad we could have this conversation. Well unless you have something else to say, have a nice day Brody-san" He then turned to leave but stopped at the last minute. "Oh, one more thing…"
He then backhanded me across my face, it wasn't a very strong blow but it did leave a red mark on my cheek, "That was for insulting my mother." He then walked off down the hallway. Leaving me with my impotent rage.
That evening I demolished a tree in one of the more secluded parts of the park. People interviewed on the news the next day said it looked like a deranged pack of lumberjacks had gone after the tree.
**********
That Sunday I was still in something a foul mood but thankfully I had managed to hide it for the most part from Shizuka when we went on our date. The movie was something for a forgettable rom-com. Something about a man from the modern age who'd fallen through time to the Hiei-era and used his photographic memory of Shakespeare to woo some servant of a court noble woman. Unfortunately he sent his message to the wrong person and had half of the court ladies losing their damn minds over the beauty of his poems.
It made me chuckle a few times but was a bit forgettable otherwise. Shizuka enjoyed it though and I would be the first to admit it was nice how she grabbed my hand during some of the sappier moments of the film.
When I took her home (a really nice place to be honest, apparently being in the police paid well). She said her friend Rika forked the bill for most of it with Shizuka promising to make up for it once she became a proper doctor. She stopped at the doorway and smiled, "I had fun today Tom, I'd like to keep doing this."
Swallowing I said, "So would I Shizuka." Yes I didn't stutter that time. PROGRESS!!!
Then Shizuka surprised me when she turned around and kissed me on the cheek. "We'll have to do something else next Sunday Tom. I'll see you at the school tomorrow. Good-night."
"Y-yeah..goodnight." I squeaked out.
My feet didn't touch the ground the whole way home.
**********
Several weeks later I was training with Kohta when he surprised me by speaking up during weight lifting. "Sensei. Could I ask you a favor?"
Pulling my earbuds out so I could pay attention to him. "In the weight room it's either Tom or Brody, but yes Kohta?"
"Well I was talking with some of the guys in the manga club and they noticed how I wasn't being bothered anymore and how I've gotten more fit lately, and they wanted to know how I did it. So I told them that you've been helping me with strength training and conditioning. It seems that they're curious about joining us and I told them that I'd have to speak with you first so…"
"If they want to join us I have no problem, so long as it doesn't interrupt anything important. We don't start until after club activities are over anyway. Just make sure they know what they're getting into. I'm not going to be cruel but even gentle is going to be hard in the beginning." A thought then began forming in my mind. It had been bothering me how I knew that a vast majority of the men, women, boys and girls at this school were likely going to die in less than a year.
But that didn't haven't to be that way. I'd been growing in leaps and bounds with my ax and spear work, maybe I could starting showing others a few pointers soon...so maybe...well I'd have to get the funds for it first.
"How many might be joining us?" I finally asked.
"Maybe five or six guys." He said, a slightly relieved look on his face. That's a start.
"Sounds fine to me. Tell them to come in tomorrow." I said.