The first class in the afternoon wasn't Summer's.
Naturally, she wasn't in a hurry and walked leisurely through the school gate just as the bell rang.
Entering the gate, she noticed Logan outside the office, holding a hammer and heading inside.
A few students ran past her like the wind, calling out, "Good afternoon, Miss Summers!"
Summer replied, "Hello!" to their retreating figures and added, "Slow down!"
As the students hurried into the classroom, Summer walked unhurriedly to the office.
Upon entering, she didn't greet Logan but went straight to her desk.
She knew Logan was extremely irritated with her right now and would prefer not to see her, so she had to make her presence even less noticeable than air.
But as she sat down and was just about to take out a book, Logan's voice came from the side, "Miss Summers, you're quite early."
His tone was polite but dripping with sarcasm.
Summer paused and turned to look at Logan, who was flipping through a literature book. She wondered—did she annoy him again?
It didn't seem like it. Ever since he told her to stay away from him this morning, she had been very tactful, avoiding him as much as possible, not even lingering in his sight for a second.
Unable to figure out why, Summer smiled politely at Logan and said, "Not really, just five minutes early."
Both the morning and afternoon bells rang five minutes before the official start of class. This extra time allowed students who hadn't timed their arrival perfectly to still make it in time when they heard the bell.
Logan smirked at her response and didn't say anything further.
Summer didn't understand why he was smiling, but she knew Logan was always a bit odd. If he did things that made sense to normal people, he wouldn't be Logan.
With this in mind, everything seemed normal again.
Since it was normal, Summer didn't think much more about it.
She took the book from her desk and attended to her tasks.
When it was time for the official start of class, she got up to ring the bell.
Logan walked past her with his teaching materials, heading into the adjacent classroom.
After ringing the bell, the classroom echoed with a crisp child's voice, "Stand up!"
Summer put down the hammer and shook her wrists. As Logan and the students exchanged greetings, she turned back into the office to continue her work.
***
Being a teacher was much easier than working in the fields.
The workplace was either the office or the classroom. Though the buildings were old, they provided shelter from the wind and sun. The daily tasks involved just talking and writing.
Additionally, there was one day off each week.
The last class on Saturday afternoon was Summer's.
After the class ended and the bell rang, she extended the session by two minutes to tell the children, "We only have school for six days a week. Tomorrow is Sunday, so no classes. Everyone gets a day off. Don't come to school. Come back on Monday morning. Got it?"
Hearing about the day off, many children cheered and pounded their desks.
Summer let them cheer for a moment, then clapped her hands to get their attention, "The break isn't just for playing. You have homework to do, and it will be checked on Monday."
Seeing the children's excitement, Summer felt a thrill of her own.
Since arriving in the countryside, she hadn't had a break. First, she worked in the fields with everyone, and then she was busy with enrollment and teaching every day.
Tomorrow's day off meant she had a whole day to herself, and she was naturally delighted.
Summer watched the children leave the classroom with a smile, bidding them farewell in the courtyard as they lined up with their makeshift backpacks and headed home.
Once they were all gone, she felt completely relaxed.
With a smile on her face, Summer turned around and unexpectedly locked eyes with Logan.
Quickly, she pressed her lips together, hiding her smile, and turned back to the office.
Logan: "…"
He stood there for a moment before heading back to the office himself.
Summer, as usual, didn't bother Logan much.