3:10 PM
In a coffee shop near the station called Parfait Famille Coffee.
Kazuo sat in the non-smoking section, having ordered a Uji Matcha Iced Coffee, quietly waiting for Teacher Yamaji, who he had invited.
Sitting there, the soothing music in the shop couldn't help but make him relax. However, once he calmed down, all he could think about was everything that had happened that morning.
Before leaving, Kazuo stood in front of the shop counter.
"Um… Yuriko-san, before I leave, I have an impolite request… I wonder if I could buy a portion of this herbal tea from your shop?"
Yuriko was startled at first, then smiled and nodded in agreement. She actually had a good impression of this young man who was willing to help her and her daughter.
"If Teacher Asama likes it, I can give you a can."
"No, that's not necessary. The money still needs to be paid. However, I'm not buying it for myself. I'd like to ask Yuriko-san to help me send these to Seto."
Looking at Yuriko's worried expression for Daijin, Kazuo couldn't help but think of his family far away in Kitakyushu.
Even with a thousand thoughts, he had to keep moving forward at this moment—
"Yuriko-san, actually, my family's situation is similar to yours, so I can deeply empathize… I believe Daijin, like me, doesn't want to cause you, as parents, any worry. So, regarding this matter, please pretend not to know anything for now. This will lighten Daijin's psychological burden considerably."
"Also," Kazuo said very solemnly, "Daijin is an excellent child. Please be proud to have such a girl."
Yuriko slowly bowed, "Thank you… And, I entrust Daijin to you!"
This was the trust given by a mother, and Kazuo had to formally respond to this responsibility.
"Leave it to me!"
.
Just as he was thinking, the coffee shop door was pushed open, and the wind chime above made a pleasant sound.
Kazuo saw a travel-worn middle-aged man walk in. Balding slightly, he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. After entering the shop, he spoke to a staff member, and only after the staff member pointed towards Kazuo did he walk over, half-skeptical.
"Excuse me… are you Teacher Asama?"
The man asked with some uncertainty. This was understandable; even wearing a suit, Kazuo looked too young.
Kazuo quickly stood up and introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you. I am Asama Kazutomi, the one who called you yesterday."
"I am Yamaji Hidekawa."
Once seated, Kazuo didn't intend to beat around the bush. He went straight to the point:
"Teacher Yamaji, about the matter I entrusted to you yesterday…"
"Yes, I've brought it." The man took out his briefcase and pulled out a bulging kraft paper envelope.
He handed the items directly to Kazuo.
"This contains all the videos of Daijin participating in local competitions with the school team. Additionally, I brought some of her previous news reports."
"Thank you so much!" To be honest, this was an unexpected bonus. Kazuo hadn't expected all these things to be preserved so perfectly. "With these items, we'll have new evaluation criteria for Daijin's strength and for planning strategies."
"As long as it can help Daijin, that's all that matters."
Although he looked a bit tired from the journey, Teacher Yamaji's tense nerves relaxed considerably after he had successfully handed over all the items to Kazuo.
"You've gone to so much trouble!"
For both of them, they were now on the same side, and Teacher Yamaji's help might be the key to turning everything around.
"And then, the other reason I sought you out today was to understand Daijin's situation during her Middle School years."
As he spoke, Kazuo took out his notebook, and Yamaji also sat up straight, nodding to show he understood.
"I'd like to ask, in your eyes, how did Daijin come across during Middle School? And what was her relationship with her classmates like?"
"Well… Daijin, at that time, was quite small for her age in class, so her personality was also quite introverted. Plus, she usually sat in the corner of the classroom, and after class, she would disappear somewhere by herself, usually only returning to class before it started. She generally wouldn't respond if others initiated a conversation. In fact, her presence in class was quite low… However, some boys also reported that she was actually the kind of person no one dared to provoke."
Hmm… I can almost imagine Daijin back then, always looking displeased and glaring at others… "However, Daijin's academic performance was indeed excellent. Not only in class, but she was also among the top students in her grade. And in the second semester of her first year of Middle School, I heard she signed up for the school's Uma Musume team. At the time, even the teachers thought she was too small for such races, but what was unexpected was that in her first team training race, she ran the best time the school had ever seen."
"It was from that moment on that I saw a smile on her face for the first time."
As if reminiscing, the man's face showed a smile for the first time. "Although Daijin was very small, she was truly hardworking. She seemed to want to prove herself to everyone, always working diligently, so when I saw her efforts bear fruit, I was genuinely happy."
"When she won first place representing the school in the local competition, the students no longer dared to look down on her. They seemed to not believe that the small Daijin could win the race. And it was under such unfavorable circumstances that she retaliated against everyone with excellent results. I still remember, some even called her 'Ghost Leg Daijin'... Isn't that interesting? Although it might not be appropriate for me to say it, even I think that nickname is really fitting…"
Ghost Leg Daijin, huh… "However, I actually always advocated for her to develop in local competitions. It's a very difficult process for a person to step out of their comfort zone. Because there are too many uncertain factors; indeed, there will be more opportunities, but it also comes with risks. Choosing to go to Tresen Academy, the competition is much fiercer than in local areas. After all, this is a Central higher education institution that gathers excellent students from all over the country and even the world… However, when I saw that even after knowing all this, she still wanted to enter your esteemed school, I no longer tried to stop her excessively…"
At this point, his expression darkened slightly.
"To be honest, I'm still questioning whether I made the right decision back then… whether I truly fulfilled my responsibility as a teacher…"
"Please don't say that."
Kazuo looked earnestly at the middle-aged man in front of him: "If it weren't for you, Daijin wouldn't be here. And if you weren't a conscientious teacher, you wouldn't be here handing these things over to me. You did nothing wrong, and you fulfilled your duties as a teacher. If possible, I hope you can stay in Tokyo for a few more days, because I still have something to ask of you."
He scrutinized the very young teacher in front of him, and after confirming the determination in his eyes, he also adjusted his mood and nodded solemnly.
"Please allow me to help you, Teacher Asama!"
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
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