The sun hung high up in the sky casting it brilliant rays down below, and at the same time the chirping of birds could be heard. An awfully familiar fragrance hung in the air, it was the smell of the cherry blossoms. At this time of the year their flowers bloomed in all their glory giving off a feeling of longevity.
A colourful scenery of pink could be observed as fallen petals covered the floor. It was the beginning of the new academic session and students hurriedly made their way into the school grounds for the first time in a long while. Teenagers in the spring of their lives could be seen talking as the walked. The new students seemed filled with a sense of awe as they stared at the school building, while for the old ones it was nostalgia. However, if both held a singular belief in their hearts it was that this was the renowned Springfield academy.
Her steps echoed faintly throughout the halls as she made her way forward before finally coming to a halt. Before her was the closed door of a classroom with a sign hanging above it that read; year three, class one.
"Calm down, you can do this."
She wore a semi formal skirt-suit and held a bunch of books tightly against her chest. Her flowing waist-length hair was a fiery red colour and her perfectly oval shaped face paired quite nicely with it. Even her voice sounded divine. After rounding up her courage she eagerly slid open the classroom door revealing the students seated inside. At once their idle chatter came to a halt as she entered. The lady herself walk gingerly, not minding their sudden change until she stood in front of the whole class. Then she set her books on the table and took a piece of chalk before proceeding to write on the board. After several strokes her movement stopped and she faced the students.
"Good morning everyone. My name is Ayame Chizaki and starting today I'm going to be your new biology teacher as well as your homeroom teacher."
She spoke in a single breath, after which she methodically adjusted her glasses portraying her as strict and domineering, or so she thought. In the next moment the response of the students caughts her by surprise leaving her lost for words.
"So cute."
"I think the word you're looking for is beautiful."
"Teacher do you mind if I ask how old you are?"
Ayame's facade immediately cracked and crumbled when faced with the students jovial attitude. She had previously mentally prepared herself expecting all sorts of delinquents and unruly characters, after all such thing weren't uncommon at their age, even Ayame herself had once been rebellious, but at the moment she couldn't be more glad.
Thank goodness, they're such nice kids.
She inwardly thought, and a second later the classroom door slid open once more. The moment the intruder stepped foot inside, the once loud class immediately turned quiet, even more so than when Ayame herself had entered. She watched with bated breaths as a student entered and could have sworn she felt the temperature of the room drop by a couple of degrees, but then even that didn't stop the beads of sweat for forming on her forehead.
Tall with a lean build, pale porcelain white skin and long black hair. Standing speechless, Ayame found this young man rather charming but quickly banished the thought, regaining her bearings as a teacher. Watching the student nonchalantly walk to their seat she was forced to address him.
"Excuse you?"
His light steps came to a halt after being called out, and he cocked his head slightly in Ayame's direction. A pair of sapphire blue eyes gazed at her, and for some reason she suddenly felt powerless, like her strength had been sapped away. It was a very unique feeling of vulnerability, subtle but perverse. She suddenly felt exposed, like she was naked in front of a man, but than a sheepish grin spread across the student's face as he retracted his gaze.
"Oh. You must be the new teacher. Sorry, I didn't notice you there. Good morning."
He spoke slowly and his speech was clear, but Ayame could no longer look at his eyes.
Suddenly the wind blew making her hair flutter, however, Ayame herself remained still. She didn't dare move as her racing heart calmed down. Why? If she were to answer in all honesty, it was because Ayame Chizaki was afraid.
Much time quickly passed and before one knew it, the sun had already begun it's descent. It's light painted the world in a warm orange hue. The school bell rang signaling the end of the day and students not in any club activities quickly headed home. Meanwhile, Ayame took a seat inside the staffroom and let out an exhausted sigh. Here she had no reservations about her fellow teachers seeing her in such a state. Beside her, Mr Junichiro, an older and more experienced teacher, kindly reached out to her.
"So, Miss Ayame, how are you finding your first day on the job? I hope the students aren't being too difficult?"
Hearing the old-timer's voice, Ayame flinched before turning in his direction.
"Of course not. They were all very nice."
Hearing that, Mr Junichiro beamed a smile of relief.
"I'm glad to hear that. Were there any students who stood out to you?"
Ayame couldn't help but think back to the incident earlier during the day. Careless with her words she muttered:
"A blue eyed boy."
"You must mean kurai Kutsuki. He's an awfully eccentric character. Speaking of which, what do you have to say about him?"
Akane though long and hard trying to find the best possible answer before finally speaking.
"Honestly, he's kind of scary."
Hearing her words, Mr Junichiro couldn't help but chuckle.
"You don't mince words, do you? I will admit, Kutsuki does seem that way but I doubt he's a bad kid. I think deep down he's just misunderstood."
Thinking about things from the old-timer's point of view, Ayame heaved a sigh. Maybe the incident for earlier was actually nothing. Maybe it was just her nerves playing a truck on her. She had just started her first day as a teacher but here she was mentally tagging a student as 'bad'. How was she going to be a great teacher that way?
That's right.
Ayame decided to give it a second shot. She needed to be more magnanimous.
"Maybe you're right."