The event that transpired the previous day was the source of great embarrassment for Fumiko. Her hatred toward Midori multiplied itself quickly, but she was unable to do anything toward the latter.
It became even worse when she arrived at St. Anne's Academy and met with her two good friends, who both agreed to give her the cold shoulder.
"Why are you two angry at me?" Fumiko demanded to know. "I was punished the same way you two did!"
Shiori and Himari both gave her dirty looks.
"My father has a good relationship with the Kinoshitas. Madam Kinoshita gave my father a call to tell him about my unladylike behavior. I got an earful of scolding from my father. He said that if I dared to cause further ruckus, he was going to take me out of school and make me marry the son of his most profitable business partners!" Shiori snapped at Fumiko.
"My mother and father are severely disappointed in my behavior. They said that it was unbecoming of a daughter of Amano family. I might just lose my inheritance altogether if I do not start shaping up," Himari glared at Fumiko.
"You all agreed that she was despicable," Fumiko defended herself. "Why are you now pretending to be innocent rabbits who fell into a hunter's trap?"
"Honestly, Fumiko-san, we like to poke fun at others sometimes, but it should not result in a backlash, yes?"
Shiori stabbed a finger at Fumiko's shoulder.
"You wanted to humiliate Midori-san first, so should you not check whether she had ample support to back her up? I heard from my father that Midori-san is engaged to Akiyama Kinoshita!"
"Also, Akiyama Kinoshita was so angry yesterday. No one had ever seen him flare up like that previously. I believe that Midori-san is pregnant with Akiyama-san's child."
Fumiko's jaw dropped open.
"No way!" she hissed. "Midori-san got pregnant from a one-time encounter in one of Kagemachi's brothels! How could it be Akiyama-san's child?"
Shiori and Himari exchanged confused glances.
"It is very unlikely for Akiyama Kinoshita to accept a woman of such ill circumstances unless that child hails from a particular background," Himari told the other two young women. "Fumiko-san, take it as an advice from a good friend. You should stop picking on Midori-san. She is not an easy opponent to defeat."
Fumiko gritted her teeth. She did not think so. Midori was a cunning fox who deceived everyone with either words or tears. Akiyama Kinoshita was but a young man in his twenties. According to circulating rumors, he had not been seen with any woman in company at all.
He was easy meal for Midori, who had a lot of practice in wrapping men around her little fingers.
Just then, the school bell rang, signaling for all students to enter their classrooms.
Bearing her indignation at the back of her mind, Fumiko thus followed Shiori and Himari to their English class.
The foreign language class was held in a classroom that epitomized Western elegance. One wall was graced by a trio of Palladian windows, their expansive panes framing the serene exterior vistas. The remaining walls served as a tapestry of knowledge, adorned with a grand world map, captivating paintings, and an array of English-language articles, each offering a window into the intricacies of the foreign tongue.
Sturdy wooden desks, each equipped with a comfortable chair, were arranged neatly in rows. Each desk bore the names of specific students, written in English alphabets.
At the front side of the classroom stood a podium, reserved for the teacher's use.
Behind the podium stood a vast expanse of blackboard, complete with a box of colorful chalks and board wiper at the base.
Madam Kinoshita was the only English teacher at St. Anne's Academy. Due to English teacher scarcity, she had to split her weekdays among three classes with different levels. Fumiko, Shiori, and Himari were still in the beginner class, and they only had lessons every Monday and Thursday.
All students were seated in their chairs, but Madam Kinoshita had yet to appear. When she finally did, she came with a young woman who was dressed neatly in a kimono.
Fumiko's eyes bulged in disbelief when she saw Midori entering the classroom shamelessly with Madam Kinoshita by her side. Behind her, Shiori and Himari were equally livid.
Did Midori Takigawa just smuggle herself into their English class, disregarding the fact that she was not supposed to show up there in the first place???
"Class, good morning," Madam Kinoshita beamed at all the young ladies, her gaze lingered on each student's face for a brief second before moving on to the next.
"I shall introduce to you Miss Midori Takigawa*. As you all know, our St. Anne's Academy has been lacking English teachers since forever. Miss Midori Takigawa here just happens to be an expert in the English language. She joined our academy's teaching staff starting today. I shall herewith entrust you all in Miss Midori's good hands."
Midori beamed at the class and introduced herself in English.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Midori Takigawa. Madam Kinoshita has been kind enough to entrust me with all of you on my first day. I hope to get along with you all for the rest of the year."
Fumiko was as pale as a corpse. For a moment there, she was not sure whether she was close to vomiting or fainting.
She did not pay attention to the lesson for the entire class. In her head, there was only one very big question -- how and when did Midori Takigawa learn English???
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Author's note :
*It is an English class, but Fumiko and her friends are still in beginner's class. They are unable to string together complete sentences in English yet. I will therefore use cursive style to indicate the parts spoken in English.