I cherished the students like my own children. That’s why I’d never forgive anyone who would lay a hand on the students in our school. Absolutely not.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Teacher!”
“Oh, good morning, Minegishi. You’re full of energy today too.”
“Good morning.”
“Ah, good morning.”
On this pleasant morning, feeling the arrival of spring, I watched the many students passing through the school gate. It seemed like everyone was coming to school without any problems today.
As I looked at the girls arriving at school every morning, I couldn’t help but feel that a new day was beginning once again.
It has been 15 years since I came to this school. I had a hard time finding a job, but thanks to a relative’s introduction, I ended up working at a prestigious all-girls high school in the city. As expected of a “prestigious all-girls high school,” it’s relatively peaceful compared to other schools around here.
There were, unfortunately, some problems like bullying, though not to the extent of becoming a major issue. Perhaps it couldn’t be helped, as they were children, or rather, human beings.
However, thanks to early detection and intervention before problems escalate, parents feel reassured about sending their children to our school. It may not be possible to completely eliminate bullying in the future, but we can strive to make it close to zero.
Before I knew it, I was in my forties and still single. Of course, I had no plans for marriage. It’s not an excuse, but my job was so busy that I had no time for romance. Yet I found fulfillment in my work.
All the students were good kids. Despite the challenges unique to an all-girls school, it was enjoyable to witness the growth of the students. Graduation day was always a tearful event, embarrassing as it may sound.
When I first started working at an all-girls school, I had thought that maybe some of the students would develop feelings for me… It was a fleeting thought that couldn’t be denied. However, that idea quickly vanished. It was gone in an instant.
From my perspective, the students are like my own children. Even though I would never say it out loud for fear of being seen as creepy, I interact with them as if I were their father. That’s why I am determined to do everything in my power to protect the students in case anything happens.
“…So that’s why, everyone, please avoid looking at your smartphones while walking, regardless of the time or place. And be cautious about your surroundings when you’re out at night. That’s all from me,” I said, finishing my speech from the stage of the gymnasium.
“Thank you, Mr. Miyata,” replied the announcer from the broadcast club. “Next up is the next program…”
As I listened to the announcements, I descended from the stage of the gymnasium. It was a school-wide assembly, and as the head of student guidance, I had decided to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted walking due to smartphone use. There had been a spate of accidents involving pedestrians using smartphones in the vicinity of the school recently.
Fortunately, none of our students had been affected yet. However, I believed it was better to be proactive and take preventive measures before any incidents occurred. It’s always best to be prepared.
The patrol man.
It was an urban legend that was circulating among some of the students. It was said that if you were walking at night while looking at your smartphone, you would be suddenly pushed from behind. Although the story hadn’t spread widely, the students who told me about it seemed to believe it.
There must be someone using this urban legend as a cover for doing something nefarious. It was infuriating. Urban legend? It must be a made-up story. I had to catch the culprit and protect the safety of the students, even if it meant apprehending them.
Two weeks later, a report came in that one of our students had been involved in an accident.
Yuri Minegishi, a third-year student, had been in an accident on her way home from her part-time job. She was hit by a truck at a pedestrian crossing, exactly halfway between her workplace at the karaoke shop and her home.
It seems that Minegishi had entered the crosswalk against a red signal. She lost consciousness momentarily but regained consciousness the day after being admitted to the hospital. However, she still seemed to be in a panic, and I couldn’t get any information from her about what happened.
The driver of the truck that collided with Minegishi seemed to have been distracted at the moment of the accident. He didn’t have a dashcam, so it’s unclear what happened during the collision.
However, there was one strange thing. A witness who saw the accident from a distance gave a peculiar testimony.
According to this witness, when the accident occurred, there was no one behind Minegishi.
Nevertheless, it seemed as if Minegishi was pushed from behind towards the roadway by someone.
Minegishi was a good kid. She always greets me properly in the morning and never arrives late. She also takes my physical education class seriously. Yet, Minegishi was involved in an accident.
I couldn’t believe that she would ever throw herself towards a truck. Her parents also said it was unthinkable. So, I believed that there must have been a culprit who pushed her.
Though there were no witnesses to the accident, claiming that nobody saw it, it must have been a mistake. It’s absurd to think that an urban legend could become reality. I am determined to catch the culprit with my own hands.
The school decided to implement a measure where five teachers would patrol every day for a month. Male teachers would take turns on a daily basis to prevent any accidents. As the student counselor, I planned to participate in the patrols every day.
“Mr. Miyata.”
“Y-Yes.”
I was contemplating about the patrols at my desk in the staff room when the Vice Headmaster approached me. The Vice Headmaster, who used to be a PE teacher, was more than 10 years older than me, but still had a sturdy physique. With his chiseled and dignified face, I couldn’t help but feel nervous when our eyes met.
“I heard that you’ll be in charge of the patrols every day. Are you really okay with it?” The Vice Headmaster looked concerned.
“Yes, I’m willing to do anything for the students’ sake,” I replied.
“That’s a commendable attitude. However, please don’t push yourself too hard. Just like how the students are important to us, the teachers are also crucial to the school.”
The Vice Headmaster said with a genuine smile, and I could tell that he meant it from the bottom of his heart just by looking into his eyes.
“Thank you very much. I will be careful, of course.”
The Vice Headmaster nodded in satisfaction upon hearing my response and said, “Well then, I’ll leave it to you. Thank you.” He then left the staff room. I aspired to become a teacher like him someday.
After that, the rest of the day’s classes ended without any particular incidents. Even the club activities finished peacefully.
As it approached 5 minutes before the designated time for students to leave school, I headed towards the main gate to close it.
“Goodbye!”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
“Teacher, I’m tired.”
“Go home early and get some rest. And remember, no walking while using your phone.”
“Yes, goodbye!”
I bid farewell to the students as they left for home, making sure they all went safely and hoping to see their cheerful faces again tomorrow. Watching their backs disappearing into the dusk, I sincerely wished for their well-being.
As the designated time for students to leave school passed, I decided to close the gate. Just as I was slowly pulling the heavy gate to close it, something happened.
โMr. Miyata is a teacher who cares about his students.โ
I was suddenly approached from behind.
As I turned around in surprise, I saw a man in a black suit standing there. I had made sure to check my surroundings and thought there was no one left to pass through the gate.
The man, who appeared to be in his late 60s with white hair and a tall stature, smiled kindly at me.
“I’m sorry about that. I almost closed the gate without noticing you.”
I scratched my head and spoke, and the man shook his head with a gentle smile.
“Don’t worry about it. I just came out a moment ago. But I must say, you’re a teacher who truly cares for your students. I was touched when I saw you seeing off the students from the school building. You are a reflection of a true teacher.”
I was taken aback and a little bewildered by the sudden praise.
“Oh no, not at all. I’m not that great,” I said, feeling embarrassed.
“Is that so? I don’t think that way,” the man said, furrowing his brow and tilting his head slightly. However, it was only momentary, as he soon began speaking again with a kind smile.
“Nevertheless, it’s wonderful to see the growth of children. Despite the fact that humans can continue to grow at any age, we can’t match the speed of children’s growth. It’s always surprising to see.”
I wondered if this man was also involved in education. He could be a teacher from some school. I thought so as I watched him speak with enthusiasm.
“You’re absolutely right. I enjoy seeing them grow every day,” I replied.
“Hehe, I thought so. You’re definitely a great teacher. Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting you while you’re at work.”
“No, no problem,” I replied.
“Please do your best at work. Well then, I’ll take my leave,” the man said with a nod, and swiftly walked away.
He was a very pleasant man. A gentleman who was enjoyable to talk to. However, for some reason, there was a slight discomfort.
He always spoke with a gentle smile. However, it seemed like his eyes never smiled. It could just be my imagination. But I couldn’t tell if he was speaking from his heart or not.
In addition, despite being our first meeting, that man knew my name. My name tag, which was hanging on my chest, shouldn’t have been visible from behind. Maybe he overheard the students talking, but that also bothered me.
“Teacher Miyata, shall we go soon?”
As I gazed in the direction the suited man had walked, I was called from behind. It was another PE teacher, Mr. Suzuki. He was eight years younger than me. He was handsome and popular among the students, which made me a little envious. Well, to be honest, I was really envious.
“Sorry, I’m curious about someone who just left.”
“Did anyone go home just now?”
“Yeah, a man in a black suit just left.”
“Did you see anyone like that? I went to call out to you, teacher Miyata, who was trying to close the gate near the school building, but I didn’t see anyone like that.”
Mr. Suzuki looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Huh? No, no, he was definitely there. Look, over there… huh?”
I pointed in the direction where the man in the suit had walked, but there was no one there anymore.
“Please be careful. You volunteered to do daily patrols, so what will you do if you’re getting confused like this? Are you tired maybe?”
“No, it’s not like that… but there was definitely a man, an elderly man with white hair, wearing a suit.”
“Really? Maybe it was my mistake… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. It must have been too dark to see. Let’s go.”
I ended the conversation a bit forcefully.
It wasn’t really that dark yet, and there were lights around the school building and the gate. It was unlikely that I would mistake something in the darkness.
But there was no point in dwelling on it now. I decided not to worry too much about the man in the suit.
We headed towards the staff room to prepare for our patrol.
Leave a Reply