Shinrabansho: Myriad Souls

Aoi gently dabbed at my cheeks with her Tekku kerchief until my sniffling softened. She grumbled under her breath the whole time about “crybaby princesses” and “worrying her when she found me not waiting in front of my house with my bike.” Although her words could be a little harsh, her fingers were completely gentle, despite being calloused from her club activities and training.

When the chime rang, she tossed her ponytail back and scootched her seat back where it belonged at her desk, her posture snapping into disciplined lines.

“Smile at least a little.” She winked at me. “And pay more attention. If you keep looking so spaced out, Kurosawa-sensei might drag you herself to the nurse.” She giggled.

“R-Right,” I whispered back.

She was right. I forced a smile on my face. I succeeded, although it wobbled.

The sliding door at the front of the room rattled open.

Our homeroom teacher stepped in with a neat stack of papers in her arms.

Kurosawa-sensei looked like she’d walked out of a drama. She was mid-twenties maybe, long black hair pulled into a low, loose bun with a few strands framing her face, her glasses perched lightly on her nose. Her blouse and skirt were professional without being severe, the lines of her outfit were soft enough to make her feel approachable. A thin silver necklace glinted at her collar.

She set her papers down on her desk and glanced up, smiling.

“Good morning, everyone.”

A collective shiver ran through the room as desks scooted into place as students straightened.

“Rise,” Daichi Kondo said automatically from the front row, his class rep armband perfectly adjusted.

We all stood together.

“Bow.”

“Good morning, Kurosawa-sensei,” the class chorused.

I joined in, my voice blending with the others. The familiar ritual was relaxing, even as another part of me whispered that my high school days shouldn’t be this idyllic. For a blink, I recalled a different classroom where everyone either ignored or glared at me as though I was a walking plague. Those weird feelings faded quickly.

After a moment, we took our seats.

Kurosawa-sensei adjusted her glasses. “First things first. Let’s take attendance!” She opened the ledger. “Amamine Megumi?”

“Hai!” Megumi shot her hand up, nearly knocking over her pencil case in the process. Her short hair bounced, and she grinned like a puppy.

“Kondo Daichi?”

“Hai.” Daichi sat rigidly straight.

“Mori Hinata?”

“…Hai?” Hinata blinked slowly, as if she’d just realized she was in school at all. A pink hairclip shaped like a cloud dangled lopsided from her bangs.

“Yahiro Satoshi?”

“Hai.”

“Arisugawa Yuna?”

“Hai,” Yuna said softly. She sat near the windows behind me, her hands folded neatly on her desk, her long and lovely hair in a low braid. Her blue eyes lingered on Kurosawa-sensei with calm curiosity. She was analyzing things around her.

“Tachibana Riko?”

“Hai.” Riko’s voice was low but clear. She sat near the middle of the room, her long legs crossed at the ankles, her posture naturally elegant, but sporty. Her dark eyes scarcely left Kurosawa-sensei’s face, her attention fixed as ever, like a devoted disciple listening to a sermon.

“Kurobane Aoi?”

I looked at her thoughtfully when her name was called.

“Hai.” Aoi’s answer was crisp. She didn’t look away from the front, unlike me.

“Shinohara Sumire?”

Her elbow nudged my arm lightly, a silent check-in.

“Look forward,” Aoi smiled.

“Ha—Hai.” My voice cracked, and a few heads turned. Heat rushed to my cheeks, but Kurosawa-sensei’s eyes softened.

“Shinohara-san,” she said gently, “if you’re not feeling well, please don’t hesitate to tell me, okay?”

I bobbed my head. “I-I’m fine, Sensei, thank you!”

Am I really?

Her concern made my chest ache. Why did so many people seemed to care about me?

My parents, Oba-chan, a scattering of people on my way to school that I remembered seeing most mornings, Aoi, my best friend… and now my teacher too. Why did it feel like no adult had ever worried about me like this before? There was a strange dysphoria inside me. Only Haru, my little brother, treated me as expected.

But why is THAT normal?

She took a handful of other students’ names and everyone answered with a hai with varying enthusiasm.

“Alright.” Kurosawa-sensei closed the ledger. “Everyone is present. Let’s make today a good day.”

She smiled, and the whole room seemed to brighten. Or maybe that was just Riko, who sat up much straighter, her eyes practically sparkling. Few people didn’t notice how she reacted whenever sensei was in the room.

Does she really have feelings for Kurosawa-sensei?

I rubbed my lips thoughtfully.

“Before morning announcements,” Kurosawa-sensei continued, “Someone please attend to our class pet’s needs. Has Pon-chan been fed yet?”

She turned and gestured toward the side of the classroom.

I followed her gesture.

A cage sat on a low table by the windows. I hadn’t noticed him. Inside it, a long, sandy-furred creature curled sleepily on a pile of fleece. A little hammock hung from the top bars. There was also an exercise wheel. A water bottle glittered on the side. A tiny drop of water fell from the metal tube coming down from it.

The ferret yawned hugely, showing his tiny teeth at everyone and then blinked at us with his beady dark eyes.

“Pon-chan’s awake!” Hinata whispered, delighted.

The ferret perked up at his name and lifted his head… and immediately scurried right up the cage bars to cling there like a tiny, elongated prisoner demanding parole.

The whole class chuckled and giggled.

Pon-chan was very good for morale, at least Kurosawa-sensei said so. She was probably right, considering how most of us smiled at his antics.

“No, Sensei!” Riko yelled clearly. “I didn’t see anyone feed him this morning.”

Come to think of it, I didn’t see any food in his bowl.

“Thank you, Tachibana-san.” Kurosawa-sensei murmured and looked at Megumi. “Amamine-san,” Kurosawa-sensei said. “You’re on feeding duty.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Megumi shot up and hurried to the cage and picked up a scoop nearby, measuring a responsible amount of pellets for him. Pon-chan’s nose twitched rapidly, following the presence of food like a guided missile to that side of his cage, gripping at the bars. While Megumi replenished the dish carefully through the bars, Pon-chan kept trying to stick his paws through to touch her fingers.

“Such a show-off,” Aoi muttered.

“Do you have something against him?” I asked, watching him.

“Pon-chan? No.” Aoi smiled. “It was probably just a knee-jerk reaction.”

I giggled as I kept watching the ferret affectionately. I particularly liked him. He was very cute. His antics were typical, performing as much as possible for the attention he received as much as for his treats.

When Megumi finished, Pon-chan dove face-first into his dish, then popped back up to scurry onto his hammock, turning in a tight, excited circle. His tail fluffed to twice its size when someone laughed loudly.

“Such a greedy creature.” I giggled.

He really likes being watched, I realized. I think that he’s… happy, even though he’s locked up like that.

“Alright.” Kurosawa-sensei clapped once, drawing our attention forward again. “It’s homeroom time! I have announcements about midterms, club recruitment, and the health committee. Arisugawa-san, I’ll be relying on you to assist the nurse well this week, as usual.”

Yuna inclined her head. “Of course, Sensei.”

Kurosawa-sensei beamed at her. “Thank you. You’re a big help.”

Yuna’s cheeks colored faintly, but her eyes shone. She loved being chosen for this task. Very few liked working with the nurse much except for the boys, who just used the opportunity to watch or hit on her.

Tachibana Riko raised her hand with perfect timing. “Sensei, if you need help carrying materials or organizing handouts, I’m happy to assist,” she said smoothly.

Several classmates rolled their eyes in unison.

Brown-noser, I could almost hear them think, because I couldn’t help thinking the same thing.

Kurosawa-sensei chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind, Tachibana-san. Thank you.”

Riko’s lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. Her gaze lingered on Kurosawa-sensei a shade longer than usual, the admiration in it strong and unambiguous… if you knew what to look for.

Aoi snorted under her breath. “She always volunteers before Sensei can assign anyone else, if she even bothers to ask.” She smirked faintly, her eyes twinkling.

I glanced at her. “She’s always like that?”

“Mm.” Aoi’s mouth twisted. “She likes strong people. People in a position of power maybe. Teachers, senpai, anyone who looks like they have things figured out. She’s serious about it each time too.” Her voice’s volume lowered as she added. “I wouldn’t underestimate her despite her cute yuri crushes.”

“What do you mean?” I was confused. Why would I underestimate her for liking someone?

Aoi flicked my forehead lightly. “Baka. Stop staring.” She giggled. “You’ll make Tachibana-san think you’re interested in her… and then I’d have to…” She trailed off with a tiny smile and a sharp expression in her eye.

Wait… why does it matter if I look at Tachibana-san or anyone else… It’s not like I’m interested in a relationship or anything.

She stared at me, expecting a response.

“I–I wasn’t looking at her… that much—! I promise!” I gasped, suppressing an urge to flail. I just wilted on the spot, feeling embarrassed.

She smirked and turned back toward the front, clearly satisfied with my response.

Homeroom flowed on. We went through the announcements and reminders. Then we got to Megumi’s overexcited club pitches, “We still need two more people for the volunteer committee, pretty please, someone step up!” She stood and bowed seriously, clapping her hands together, trying hard to appeal to us.

I was tempted to accept her offer myself, but I was almost sure that I was too busy. I wasn’t really sure about what I was doing.

Do I belong to any kind of a club?

Daichi’s attempts to rein Riko in were met with laughter and groans.

By the time the first period arrived, the weird feeling of dysphoria in my chest had settled a little.

This is my class. These are my classmates. This is a normal day at school.

But I wonder… Why does it still feel so good being here, even though it’s just a totally normal day at school?

As I thought about it, I decided that I was somehow extremely happy as those weird feelings faded. Many students would be upset at having to go to school, having to learn things, and having to cope with living up to the expectations of their family…

But I was really happy about even the last of those.

It was a beautiful and touching thing for people to have expectations for you.

The morning passed in fragments.

Kurosawa-sensei transformed into mathematics Haruka, calmly walking us through equations with quick, neat handwriting. After that, another teacher came in for English, and we chorused our greetings to the sensei once again.

During the break, Megumi tried to recruit me directly, since I hadn’t reacted as negatively as some of the others.

“Shinohara-san!” Megumi called as she approached my desk.

Aoi immediately looked at her with suspicion.

“Yes?” I asked.

Megumi grinned. “Could I ask you for a favor?”

“What?” I smiled back, already uneasy.

“Do you have any interest in writing?” she asked quickly.

I resisted the urge to wince. I knew exactly where this was going. Oh no…

“Even if you’re completely new to it, I’m willing to teach you everything you need to know,” Megumi added, winking.

“Um…” I blushed.

“It’s not that hard. It’s really easy to get into.” She extended an index finger with a grin.

“But I’m not really the artistic type… I mean…” I hesitated. “I don’t think I could write anything that—”

“It’s fine!” she cut in brightly. “I can teach you how to think creatively. Once it starts flowing, you turn into a prose machine.”

“P-prose machine?” I echoed, fumbling over the words.

“Yeah! It’ll be so simple that you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner!”

I stared at her blankly, licking my lips nervously as I searched for a way out.

“Shinohara-san…” Megumi continued, leaning in slightly. “I’ve noticed you didn’t choose a club this year. If you’re not looking at any other—”

Aoi shot to her feet and slapped both hands down on her desk.

Megumi froze just long enough for Aoi to grab my bag and drag me away to safety.

“Whew, thanks…” I sighed in relief once we were clear.

“You need to be firmer with her, Susu,” Aoi said firmly. “You’ll die of overcommitment if you say yes to her even once. Trust me.”

“I know,” I muttered.

Yuna approached me once in the hallway between classes, her expression shy but earnest.

“Um… Shinohara-san.”

I turned. “Y-Yes?”

She stepped closer, tilting her head slightly. “Have you changed your shampoo this morning?”

“Eh?” I blushed intensely. Why was she talking about how I smelled?

She inhaled very gently, stepping close to me. Her facial expression was clinical as though she was the nurse and I was in her office. “You smell a little different today. The bouquet is lighter.” Her eyes warmed. “The change suits you.”

My heart fluttered. “Th-Thanks?”

“Pop quiz, Arisugawa-san.” Her eyes twinkled. “What do you think Shinohara-san’s blood type is?” Megumi asked suddenly, appearing from nowhere.

“A, definitely,” Yuna answered without missing a beat. “But if it isn’t A, I don’t have a better guess. Her personality is very type A, for how anxious she usually is.” She giggled behind her hand.

“What? You can tell based on someone’s personality?” I asked faintly. I didn’t know what my blood type was… or did I?

Yuna smiled, dreamy. “Anyway, as the nurse tells me when I’m helping her, everyone’s blood has stories.” She raised her left index finger. “Some just take a little longer to tell.”

“Is this like divining based on blood types?” I asked, genuinely curious, but then the chime went off, pulling us all back to class.

By the time lunch came, my brain felt pleasantly fried by all of our lessons. Most probably wouldn’t put it that way. Aoi tapped my desk with her knuckles.

“Roof,” she said. “Let’s go.” She winked.

“Eh? Okay.” I said, slightly confused.

She shot me a flat look, looking at my expression. “What’s wrong? We’ve been eating up there every day together since first year, ditz.”

Memories rushed in to fill the gap for me, like water surging into a void.

I brightened and nodded. “Wah… I’m sorry! I’m just feeling a little off today.” I blushed. 

We would always go to the roof, especially whenever the weather was good outside.

I grabbed my bento and followed her eagerly.

Something told me that this tended to be the highlight of my school day. I wondered how that could be, when I was already so happy. So many conflicting emotions filled me, but for the first time in a long time I felt almost carefree.

Rescued!

(Please don’t mind things like the abnormally enormous doorway!)

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There’s yuri in the air!