Side story 37: Class visit. (Second half.)

After entering the classroom, Yui made a slight bow as greeting to the parents who had arrived earlier, and then stands next to the nearest person to her.

The parents are standing on the opposite side of the blackboard. Behind them are small lockers, containing the children’s clean backpacks. The colors are red and black, as well as blue and yellow, there’s even dark brown one. And if you look more closely, you can also see that some of them even has the personal alarm or small children’s phone with GPS tracking in it sticking to the back’s side.

Just as Yui realized that she has completely forgot to give Yui a personal alarm, someone called her out.

“Mama!”

It’s Yui’s voice.

She’s waving her hand from her seat in the third row from the left, second seat from the front facing the blackboard. Yui smiled and lightly wave back, the girl sitting next to Yui then called Yui.

“Un! That’s my mama over there!”

Yui smiled bitterly when she hears her cheerful voice. Even though she couldn’t hear the girl sitting next to her’s voice at all, but she could clearly hears Yui’s voice.

Suddenly Yui felt like someone is looking at her so she turned her eyes away from Yui, and there her eyes met with Misaki-chan’s. Yui lightly waves at her just like how she waved at Yui, and then she nodded back with her usual expression. Surely that’s just her style of greeting.

For some reason or another, Yui decided to take custody of Misaki on the spur of the moment. Resulting in her spending time with Misaki for half a year together, but she still doesn’t really know her that well yet.

She looks like she’s always thinking about something, but when you called her she’ll still respond, and if something happens she respond to it in a manner befitting her age. And her uniqueness of speaking only few words and her peculiar choice of words make it hard for her to draw her inner thoughts out through conversations. Which means that she’ll have to look at the colors to make decisions, but she also often have trouble doing so. With that said, that’s why Yui couldn’t quite figure Misaki’s personality up until the now.

……Really, just what’s up with these two, both the parent and the child.

“Okayー, everyone, we’ll begin our class nowー”

After a very loud voice echoed through the noisy classroom, Yui lightly shakes her head to shake off any unncessary thoughts.

When she look in front of her again, a teacher is already standing in front of the blackboard before she even notices it.

……Wonderful, she’s a person with pretty colors.

Yui sighed of relief in her mind. And that’s when she noticed that her nervousness in the beginning is already fading away. This way, she’ll be able to watch Yui taking her class in a calm manner.

“Please wait for a second alright～”

While letting out a voice saying One-two.’, Okamoto put the large ‘Hiragana Table’ that she has prepared on the blackboard.

This class is Japanese literature class. In the spring of the first grade, there might be some students that can’t read yet, so first of all we’ll have to start with having them remembering the letters.

While Okamoto is setting up things, the children quietly sit in their place and waited. The classroom is so quiet that you wouldn’t think it is a first grader’s class, which make things very easy for Okamoto.

“Thanks for waitingー. Then, is there anyone who can read this letter!?”

With very elementary-school-teacher-like speech, Okamoto encouraged the children to raise their hand. It’s a phrase that if you’re a true Japanese you definitely have heard of it at least once, but in actuality, for this modern world it’s one of the worst ways to make them raise their hand. Perhaps it’s because in their younger years the entire classroom will answer with “Yes!” in a big chorus and shakes the whole room, but most of them will not be chosen even though they’ve raised their hand already so that might give a negative impact on them.

～It’s not fair at all～!

Did the teacher hate me?

Which is why, many used the method of selecting a student by randomly choosing a number.

“Well then for today…… Ah, we’ll begin from this alright. Amagiri Hayato-kun. Can you read this please.”

“Yes!”

Ohー, what a solid replyー

“That is pronounced ‘Nu’.”

Ohー, what a clever boyー

As expected of the heir in line of the family.

“Alright, thank you. Then next, Itou Shizuru-san.”

“Yes!”

Ohー, what a cheerful replyー.

Well let’s seeー

“That one is “Ne” in the word onee-san!”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Kyaaaー! Shizu-chan great jobー!

Oh my, is that your child Otaku-san?

“……Ummm, let’s get to the next one.”

Mothers in the back, please be quiet. Okamoto continued the class while thinking so.

　

With that the class is over, and the interview time with the parents starts. In some places they called this “Individual interview”, but basically this is the time where parents who are worried about their child asks question to the teacher.

Since the time is slightly off from normal schedule, the parents can either drop their children back home then come back to the school again, or let their children play at the playground or somewhere else. During the month of April, all of the first grader classes finishes in the morning, so the interview begins after the lunch break, from one o’clock in the afternoon until six o’clock is the time for interview.

Yui‘s interview is scheduled to start at 2:40, so Yui decided to wait at the library together with the two. Yui had been focusing only on the work last year, but ever since that puppet show incident she has prioritized her daughter over work. Although that caused her schedule to be quite overwhelming, but that’s a different story for another time.

Time passes, the interview begins.

“Thank you for the wait. So umm, You’re Tosaki-san yes?”

“Yes, I’m Tosaki.”

After entering the classroom, Yui walks to the desk Okamoto’s waiting, then sits on the opposite side.

Since the children’s desks are too small for adults, in front of the blackboard are two set of tables for highschoolers.

“Well then…… Yui-chan and, Misaki-chan right. They’re very good kids so I don’t have anything particular to say about them, is there anything you’d like to ask?”

“Yes. Is there anyone Yui is together with usually?”

“Well let’s see. There’s Misaki-chan, then there’s also Rumi-chan, those three are usually together.”

Rumi-chan. Yui has mentioned her before, is she an idol or something?

“She’s the girl who sits next to Yui, with her hair parted in two right?”

“Yes, they get along very well.”

“Is that so…… I’m glad to hear that.”

Although she only had a glance before the class started, but seeing Yui talked to her happily like that, it seems like she’s someone Yui can trust her daughter with. She’s glad to see that she has really made a friend, unlike when she’s in the nursery school. But well, since Yui seems to be very happy talking about her school a lot, so for Yui this is just her confirming things for herself.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask. How does she behave at home?” (Okamoto)

“She’s always talking about school so happily, so much so that it makes me feels happy as well.”

“I see, I’m glad to hear that. By the way Misaki-chan is really quiet at school, is she also like that at home?”

Yui‘s words stuck in her throat after hearing that question. It’s not because she can’t think of something to say back, but it’s because it reminded her of something.

Oh, what a coincidence. (Ryuusei)

……Fuu, can you please listen to this. Actually you know what, Misaki always talk a lot about her school and so happily you know!

She’s so cute talking like that, oh man, I really want you to see that side of her too you know, hahaha.

I mean, me and Misaki are getting along super well as parent and child don’t you think so? That’s absolutely the case right!

More than this and it’s going to be dangerous, crap, this is not good…… Ughhhh, I’m so frickin’ happy!

It reminded her of a tall acquaintance with a woman-like face that always say something like this everytime she met him. She’s a bit uncomfortable to call him a friend of her. She once thought that maybe if he’s a little bit more decent than this then, but apparently that’ll not be the case.

That aside, tried her best to smile and say.

“Yes, Misaki’s also quiet at home too.”

“I see. How do I say this, that’s quite a big difference for sisters.”

“Yes, even though I raised them in the same way……”

Yui smiled softly as Okamoto did the same.

The thing Yui said just now isn’t a lie, because the two’s circumstances are really alike.

“Yes, then it seems like there’s no any particular problem. Ah, I just remembered…… Ummm, I’ve told all of the children that they should talk with their parent everyday. And also that they should also properly listen others as well, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about in Tosaki-san’s case.”

Okamoto’s mouth slipped, making an expression as if she just realized she had done something wrong.

“Well, now that we’re talking about this I’ll continue. For children, it’s very important that they talk to their parents everyday. In fact, there’s a research that says people who have language problem, many of them are because in their younger days they didn’t have many conversations with their parents…… So, just to let you know.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

It’s something she’s very familiar with. In fact, in the first year Yui was also a quiet kid as well. Thinking about it, She wondesr if Misaki-chan is going to speaks more over the time or not, due to her parent’s influence and all…… But well, that’s a little too…

“In any case, they’re very close sisters aren’t they. They always make me smile whenver I see them.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Oh right, during the physical education class last time――”

After that, they chatted for a few more minutes and the interview is concluded.

Yui is completely satisfied to know how Yui’s like at the school. She headed to the library in a good mood, and there she saw Yui sleeping on the table, next to her is Misaki-chan reading a book.

“Did Yui fall asleep?”

“……Un.”

Misaki looked up from the book, nodded at her as usual.

Seeing her, it reminded Yui of the interview just now.

“What kind of book are you reading?”

“What kind?”

“What kind of thing is it talking about?”

“Love?”

Yui‘s eyes rounded up in surprise at the unexpected answer. She’s curious about it so she takes a peek, but it’s just a monthly magazine for young girls. So library has these kind of books too she thought before speaking.

“Is it fun?”

“……Unー?”

“Ahaha, I see.”

Misaki closed her eyes while making a straight face. Seems like it’s not very fun.

“Well, looks like Yui is not going to wake up soon.”

“Un, always.”

It took than less than ten minutes for Yui to fall asleep from the time she arrived at the library. Which isn’t really surprising, since at the nursery school there’s a nap time in the afternoon, so she can’t get rid of that habit yet.

“It’s not good to wake her up too…… That can’t be helped then, I’ll have to carry her back.”

“Carry?”

“Like this.”

Yui slowly lift Yui up as to not wake her up.

“Misaki-chan, although you have a big sister that acts like this, but please get along with her alright.”

“……Un.”

After that, while hearing her sleep talking munya munya, Yui walks with Misaki matching with her tiny stride. After walking to her apartment, Misaki-chan gave her a quick bow as gratitude then went inside the room. While seeing her off, Yui thought.

Yui and Misaki-chan’s circumstances are really alike.

However, compared to very childlike Yui, Misaki-chan’s mental age is about one or two more years than her. That difference, it’s probably during the time before she met her new parent…… Now that I think about it, I’m kind of curious about her life before she met that man. I can guess it for the most parts, but a guess is still just a guess, a combination of known information. That puppet show incident made Yui realized this keenly.

“……Eh? Where?”

“Good morning.”

“……Mama? How?”

Yui with sleepy voice.

Yui softly smiled, quickly changing her mind.

“Yui gas fallen asleep, so I carried you back.”

“……Is that so.”

“Do you want to walk on your own?”

“No, like this is fineー”

Yui lightly pressed her head against Yui.

“Good grief, can’t helped it then.”

Hearing her said so, Yui raised her head up while making a fufun noise with her nose. After that, she glues herself to Yui. Geez, Yui sighed and walks back home.

“What do you want to eat tonight?”

“Watermelonー”

“Watermelon isn’t something for a dinner.”

“Water-, water-, watermelon’s specialty farmー♪” 1

“Why are you suddenly singing?”

“……Supiー” (Sleeping sfx.)

Yui stopped in her tracks unconsciously.

She moved her hand and poke Yui’s cheek.

“……So you’re sleeping.”

Children are really something, to be able to sleep in such position. That’s the thought Yui had.