In a seriously bizarre turn of events, he found himself back in the company of his dogs after what felt like ages. And, you know what? Even without so much effort as a simple glance to the direction of the girl he'd saved in the past; Teresa was absolutely certain about his true identity. Life, as he knew it, was just a series of unexpected twists, never really going according to his plan.
"Sensei," Teresa said, giving him a shy look, "As Mr. Forger mentioned, these dogs are mine, and I apologize for them trespassing here."
"I don't think Princess is wrong here, sensei; they're the ones who held back the cows," Chika chimed in, defending Teresa with a cute pout.
"I agree, Sensei," Kaguya added, backing up the statement.
Minoru closed his eyes and casually remarked, "Mr. Forger has already clarified the chronology of those kids riding these dogs, and they've been really helpful. So, no problem at all. Thank you, Teresa." He glanced at the dogs, a wry smile playing on his lips. "They're splendid dogs..."
Teresa blushed and looked at him, saying, "Ah, thank you!" But somehow, she wasn't thrilled that he referred to them as her dogs and not his.
Her aide, Alexandra, sighed at the situation. She cast a glance back at Minoru, realizing her gut feeling about him being extraordinary was spot on. Teresa's sudden attraction to a stranger out of nowhere now made sense. As her best friend, she was well aware of Teresa's troubled past, and the fact that Teresa would meet her savior again here was just another odd twist of fate.
Maki observed Teresa, wondering if she too had been saved by him, and sighed helplessly. Just how many women had this guy saved in his life? Perhaps that mysterious woman shared a similar fate as theirs.
"Sensei," Kaguya said, looking around at the chaotic scene, "Now what?"
Minoru surveyed the situation. The cows were still trembling and lying in a bind.
He knew the farm's caretaker would take care of the remaining tasks. But why let them handle the cooking? However, if he kept outshining the students, it wouldn't be good. He needed them to cook as well, and there was little time before the event. So, he scanned his surroundings for inspiration and pressed his left ear as he asked, "Shirogane Miyuki, where are you?"
[I'm up here between the students watching in front of the Auditorium,] came the reply.
"Do me a favor. Could you grab a small amplifier? I believe we put it backstage."
[Right away, Sensei.]
"Good. Bring it here to my location, and bring someone with you."
[Eh? Ah, yes.]
"Riko and the others, come here right away."
[Got it!]
After hearing this exchange, Kaguya wondered, "Sensei, what will you do with all of that?" Minoru glanced at her and said, "I have a plan to bring back all the cows." Kaguya looked dumbfounded, "Huh?—I mean… how is that possible? Um, not that I'm doubting you, Sensei. But couldn't we let the farm caretaker do the job?"
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense to drag them all with just this horse, you know—"
Yuuya shot Maki a disapproving look. "HIEEK!" Maki hid behind Minoru, making Kaguya sigh as she politely asked her to leave, "Maki-san, please go back to the auditorium. This is a student council matter now."
Maki frowned, "Wait! I'm not scared or something! And come on, Aunt Kaguya. Don't talk like you own the place."
Seeing these two, Teresa left no room to stay and felt left behind. She wanted to stay after knowing Minoru was here, but as a princess, she had to maintain her dignity. "Alec, let's go..." With that, she walked away with the red-haired girl.
"Easy, Shinomiya. This is only a moment in your lifetime, and schools won't teach you about this kind of thing." Minoru smirked a bit, "Don't worry; it'll be a good experience." He glanced at Teresa, "And you two."
"Eh—" Teresa stopped and looked back, confused. "Um, yes?"
"Could you two help us out?"
Teresa skipped a beat and smiled, "Of course, Sensei."
"Huh? What kind of help is it?" Maki asked.
"Ah! I know, I know! Sensei wants us to participate in San Fermin~" said Chika cheerfully.
Maki, Kaguya, Teresa, and Alexandra wondered what was up with this woman.
"It's not a big deal. If you're scared of dirtying your hands, you may go, Shijo." With that, Minoru left the group.
"Huh? Of course! I'll help—hey! H-how rude to leave me when I'm still talking!"
Ignoring Maki, Minoru walked to a group of people, most of them with pink hair.
"Hitori-chan! You okay, honey?"
"I-I'm okay, Mom. Just tired a bit."
"I'm glad…" Her mom sighed, "Then why did you suddenly run from the cows? Did you do something wrong? Well, the Principal already told us about that, but you didn't do something right?"
"O-Of course, why should I—Ah s-s-s-sensei!"
"Oh my…" Her mom gaped at this handsome teacher.
"Please pardon my rudeness. But it seems we need Gotoh Hitori's help here."
"My daughter's help?" Her father asked, feeling weird.
"Onee-chan, who is this ikemen? Your boyfriend?"
"Of co-course not! He's my teacher."
Minoru smiled a bit at this, "Yes. We need her to play some music to calm the cow."
"E-EH!? Sensei wants me t-to-to-to p-play music?" Hitori paused for a moment, playing the guitar in front of this many eyes… "N-N-N-N-No!" she said while shaking her head like forever.
"Hitori-chan! This is your chance to show your talent! Dad will be proud of you if you do that!"
"I-Impossible!"
"That's right, Hitori-chan. Mom also agreed with your dad. Maybe you could make a friend with this…"
At her parents' words, Hitori turned into melting ice.
Minoru smiled helplessly, "Ah, it seems I put too much pressure on her. If she doesn't want to, it's alright." Minoru looked again at Hitori, "But, can I at least borrow your guitar?"
Hitori pondered his words deeply. Isn't this a good chance to show people that she's working hard? To become the ultimate extrovert Gotoh Hitori, isn't that what she wanted? To gain friends, and fans, and maybe even start her own band?
As she looked at the ground, her eyes sharpened, and she firmed herself, slowly standing up.
"Oooooh…" her family said this word as they watched her heroine moment.
"I…" She paused, clenched her fist, "I'll d-d-d-d-do it…" She said, unable to look Minoru in the eyes.
"Um... well," Minoru nodded. "That's good. Then let's not waste any more time. Excuse me, sir, ma'am, and the little sister."
"Ah, don't mind us~" the mother giggled at this sight. "Please take care of her well, Sensei. And I mean it..."
"Yes, we should be the ones who should thank you, sensei! Ah, my daughter will be performing… is this a dream?"
"But Onee-chan seems to want to burst from her anxiety?"
Minoru nodded to them as he walked back to the team with the new member.
---
When he came back, he saw that the students were waiting for him.
"Everyone is here... good," Minoru clapped a few times. "Then let's get this straight. Your task is very simple." He pointed his finger at the cows. "Just untie the ropes, and that's it."
There was a moment of silence before they shouted, "HUH!?"
"Wait, wait! Isn't that too dangerous!?" Rika looked at the cows as she paled. "And they look gross and... smelly. Eww…"
As Riko finished expressing her honest feelings about the task, the others looked at the cows as they witnessed the cows 'relieving' themselves after being taken down by the silver man with the horse and the pack of scary-looking dog-like wolves.
Minoru facepalmed mentally. "I know… but as I once said to Shinomiya before; it's a good experience. Let's be honest, shall we? You brats have been pampered too much with modern convenience. Tsk, tsk. Kids these days..."
Their faces twitched at Minoru's sarcasm, and he seemed to enjoy this moment. And isn't he too young to be calling us kids? The age gap isn't even big considering how young he is. Minoru continued.
"At least you should know where the meat you could easily buy in the stores comes from. Anyway, I guarantee that they won't do anything dangerous as you untie the ties."
There was still silence.
"Sigh… it's just untying the bond. Nothing unusual here. I'll do that, Sensei..." The one who said that was Kaguya, and her cold words worked like dominoes.
"R-Right," Miyuki said nervously.
"Of course~ It's an easy task, right everyone?" Teresa said as she encouraged them.
"AH! Count me in then…" Riko followed as she blushed at Minoru's little smirk.
In the end, they all agreed on this.
"Alright... When you all finished, I'll pull the horse that Gotoh Hitori will ride…" He gestured to Hitori at his side. "As she plays a guitar for the cows."
Another silence at his idea. "HUUUUH!?"
Kaguya clears her throat, "How does that even work, Sensei? Do you mean that the cows will naturally follow... the music? If we use violence, isn't that more efficient since they are just animals?" It was Kaguya who asked.
"Wait, everyone!" Chika jumped to the front as she touched her cowboy hat. "This method is none other than... hehe~ the herding calls!" She said with a face that seemed to know it all.
"Herding calls?" They all said together.
Chika smirked at their reaction. "Yeees~~ Let me explain first. When the cows hear the mu—"
"Oh… Ishigami, you're the one that Shirogane brings, huh? Thanks for coming here."
Minoru ignored Chika, as he didn't expect him to be here.
"Ah, it's nothing. The President asked me for help, and I'm chill with it."
Looking at this sight, the boys just continued to talk as they ignored Chika.
"Ah, moee! Don't ignore me!!!"
"Alright, alright. Thankfully, we have boys here. If you're struggling, just ask them for help." Minoru said that made Chika pout hard at him, but Minoru continued since time was ticking. "You all could start now."
"Yes!!!!"
---
Meanwhile, Hitori also fought her anxiety.
"Eh!? I'll play on this h-h-h-horse's back?" Hitori peeked at Yuuya. "N-N-N-No! That's impossible!" She waved her hand fast, refusing the idea.
"Well, there's no other choice. Unless you want to play it while you're running from the cows again..."
Hitori averted her gaze awkwardly as she asked, "T-Then what about you, Sensei?"
"I'll walk by your side while leading the horse," He said, showing her the horse's lead rope.
Hitori looked at the big crowd that seemed to be looking at her, she began to feel the big pressure on her shoulders. And she began to doubt if she could do the job well.
"Talk to me, Gotoh."
Hitori was dazed for a moment. "Sensei… the truth is I-I'm scared of people…"
"Well… me too," Minoru tied the amplifier to the saddle. "What's important is how we deal with that anxiety and move forward. Just as you mentioned in the forest… you honed your skill because of that reason, right?"
"That's right... w-wa-wait! P-P-P-Please forget what I said back then!" Hitori seemed ready to die because of the things she said back then.
"That seems impossible, but I'll try not to think about it. Anyway…" When he was done tying, he looked at her and then smiled. "Wanna hear my secret about killing your anxiety?"
Hitori widened her eyes as she was curious about it; then she nodded slowly.
Minoru tapped her shoulder. "Don't think, just do. Just forget everything and focus on your own thing."
"Don't think?" Hitori tilted her head. "Just do?"
He nodded. "Yeah... With your skill alone, you can do this with your eyes shut."
What he said were simple words, but they caused a big push for her. Maybe he's really a fan of her, right?
"Ehehehehehehehehe… my fan, mwehehehe..."
This girl is really interesting, "Anyway… what kind of music are you going to play?"
---
"Karen, we're live now!"
Shuchi'in TV had faced a ban due to concerns about Minoru's activities 'violating' youtube's policy on animals. But now, they were back, covering an event unfolding before them.
"We're still figuring out their intentions, but it looks like the student council, with help from other students, is freeing all the cows. And what's the deal with freshman Gotoh Hitori and her guitar? Is she about to play some music? We're about to find out..."
The live stream had just started, but the viewer count already hit one million. Viewers were eager to see what happened after the previous cliffhanger that led to YouTube's ban.
"Sensei! We're done!"
The camera captured a pink-haired girl with bowties on her forehead. Another pink-haired girl in a running jacket sat on a horse, while a silver-haired man stood next to the horse, holding its lead rope.
A violin melody emerged, amplified and tied to the horse's saddle. Recognizable as the intro of a famous piece, the audience collectively wondered, "Canon Rock?"
The girl with long pink hair began playing her guitar. The first chords triggered excitement through the meadows. Melody, with fingers dancing on the strings, turned the meadows into a music stage. The cows stopped trembling as the music reached their ears.
"Look at that! The cows are awake!"
"They're approaching the guitarist!"
Drawn by the music, the cows circled Hitori, creating a scene akin to people gathering at a street concert.
"Uwaa!" Hitori was momentarily scared, but Minoru reassured her, "Easy… you're doing a good job. They're here because of the music. Let's go, Yuuya!"
Minoru signaled for the horse to start walking, and to everyone's surprise, the cows followed the guitarist playing Canon Rock on the horse's back.
"OHHHH! The cows are following them!"
"I think she reminds me of Guitar Hero."
"Ah! Yes, yes! I remember now! That guitar and that pink jacket! She's the one!"
"That channel… Guitar Hero?"
"Banzai! Guitar Hero! Banzai!"
"Good job, guitarist! You're so cool!"
The students cheered, parents smiled, and the internet buzzed again. The crowd applauded the students and teachers who had worked hard to resolve the situation.
Henry, witnessing this, was amazed and at a loss for words.
'E-Ele... E-Elegant! What incredibly elegant leadership! Yanagi-sensei stopped the problem but saw it through to completion and worked collaboratively with the students.'
Minoru, fulfilling his role as an educator, involved students from diverse backgrounds. He even enlisted the help of the Princess of Luxemburg, Shinomiya, and Shijo to untie the cows. Anyhow... together, they succeeded in returning the cows to their rightful place.
---
On the way back, riding the horse at a moderate pace, Hitori held her guitar between her and Minoru.
"Haaaaah…" Hitori sighed, having had enough socializing for the day. Today was unexpected; she only wanted to get back to her room.
Suddenly, the blinding sun entered her vision, and she widened her eyes at the noise ahead. The crowd cheered as they approached.
"Well… I guess they're waiting for you," said Minoru, slowing down the horse as people formed a line on both sides.
"Eh?" Hitori was surprised. "They're waiting for me?" Minoru didn't answer and let the crowd speak for him.
"You're so cool, Guitar Hero!"
"Let's be friends!"
"Join our club, please!"
"Look here!"
"UWAAAKKK!" Hitori gasped, not knowing what to do. "S-Se-Sensei! W-W-What should I do!?"
"Just put on a smile and wave Gotoh..." Said Minoru, waving as the horse walked proudly through the crowd. "Smile and wave..."
"A-Ah! Y-Yes..." Hitori managed an awkward smile for them.
And despite her fatigue, she smiled at Minoru, grateful for meeting someone who encouraged her to move forward again.