kscans

Chapter 116 - YSG

"What do you think, Satou-san?"

"What do you mean by 'what do you think'? In terms of ability? Or mentally?"

The night after being thoroughly beaten down by the kids. I conducted my second training session at the back-world school. Nothing had happened during the Obon holiday break, probably out of consideration for the children's schedules. If they were going on family trips, it wouldn't work unless it was during a time when adults could take time off.

"Both, I suppose."

"Then let's start with ability. Ordinary."

I won't say they haven't changed since I crushed their spirits before. They've certainly grown. However, their rate of improvement is ordinary.

"When I'm instructing Rika-chan and the others, I'm careful not to let my influence affect them, but with these kids, not so much."

When facing an overwhelmingly superior opponent, the power dormant within oneself is greatly stimulated, leading to remarkable growth. An existence like me, who won't kill them but can provide significant stimulation through overwhelming power, is perfect for leveling up. However, since gaining power through such methods doesn't develop the inner substance, I completely suppress my influence when instructing Rika-chan and the others. Since they have such blessed potential, taking the long way and nurturing them carefully will ultimately be more beneficial.

But the children attending the back-world school are different. To put it bluntly, they're mediocre. Therefore, even if I put effort into nurturing them, it wouldn't be much different from forced cultivation. That's why I conduct training while letting some of my power show through. Though if they suddenly became ridiculously strong, they might get cocky, so... well, in gaming terms, it's like a 1.5x experience multiplier.

"Not a single one has shown growth beyond expectations."

"...Those who rise to the top are people who can step outside expectations, one way or another."

"That said, it doesn't mean it'll stay that way forever."

This is school, education, a systematic approach. If you asked whether it's strange for something unexpected to happen, you'd be right. The real test will be after their education ends. Depending on the path they follow from there, some might transform in incredible ways.

"As for their mental state, there aren't any real problems."

I crushed their inflated egos right from the start. Due to that harsh treatment, they've settled into a somewhat distorted state, but that's something to gradually correct over time.

"Besides, you don't need to ask me. Just listen to what the full-time instructors have to say."

"Well, it's more reliable to hear from multiple perspectives."

"I see. Is that all you wanted to discuss? I have plans to meet someone, so I'd like to head back soon."

"My apologies. Until next time then."

"Yeah."

I activated teleportation and flew to a residential area. After checking the nameplate and taking out the gift I'd bought beforehand, I rang the doorbell.

"Oh! Thank you for coming. Come in, come in."

It was Morishita-sensei. Following his invitation, I entered the house. For a single-story house belonging to a widower, it gave the impression of being remarkably well-maintained.

(Come to think of it, sensei always liked cleaning.)

I remembered how he used to clean after school without anyone asking him to, and felt nostalgic.

"This is just a small gift."

"Haha... thank you. My, this is quite embarrassing."

Sensei laughed as he received the box of sweets. I felt embarrassed too. Being able to show him how I'd grown was both proud and shameful... but... yeah, I was happy.

"So you wanted to consult with me about something?"

"Actually, starting next semester, I'll be taking care of a relative's child who lives far away."

"...That is"

"Oh no, it's not like they couldn't fit in at their local school or anything like that."

"I see. That's good to hear."

"As for the circumstances... sorry, I can't really talk about them."

"I understand. I won't pry."

"Thank you. What I wanted to ask you about is... well, um... how to interact with children, I suppose..."

As I mumbled awkwardly, sensei tilted his head with a questioning look.

"How to interact? That's your specialty, isn't it? Satou-kun, you've always understood the subtleties of people's hearts well. The Hayama-san incident was a perfect example. You brilliantly solved a family problem that we teachers were at a loss to handle, didn't you?"

Hayama... that's a nostalgic name. A girl who was in my class in second year, who always seemed overwhelmed from everyone's perspective. The cause was her parents' education. It was almost abusive, but it was a family matter. Even meddlesome teachers like Morishita-sensei, who liked to stick their noses into troublesome situations, couldn't do anything about it. If Hayama had asked for help, there would have been ways to handle it. We could have gotten child services involved. But back then, Hayama thought the problem was that she couldn't live up to her parents' expectations... a typical case of an abused child. I decided to intervene because the thought of having to look at that face for at least another year was depressing.

"It was somewhat... no, quite a gray area approach."

What needed to be addressed was the version of her parents that existed within Hayama. She was caught in a loop of putting herself down and elevating her parents, which had caused these false images to swell up inside her. So I devised a plan with my friends to humiliate Hayama's parents. The goal was to make her think, "Oh, what? I was scared, but these people aren't such a big deal after all..."

"It was calculated, at least."

"I'm sure it was. Satou-kun always had a knack for cunning schemes."

"That's not the point. I mean, with normal human relationships, well, yes... I can manage somehow, but... well..."

"What is it?"

"Ed-education? Things like that... I'm just... I don't really know what to do..."

No wait, that's not right. This alone would cause a misunderstanding.

"The relative's child... her name is Saku-chan. She's a much better kid than I ever was back in the day, much more put-together. But, you know? I'm taking care of a child. So I thought, well... it would be wrong to just leave her alone thinking she'll be fine, right?"

Sensei was unmarried. He had no children. But he was a professional at raising children. So I figured I could get some good advice by consulting with him. In response to my words, sensei...

"--...!"

"?"

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha!!"

"Hey, sensei!"

Isn't that mean?! I'm seriously consulting with you here!!

"Sorry about that. But Satou-kun, given your personality, I wouldn't expect such concerns to come from you naturally."

Someone must have pointed it out and made you start worrying about it, right? Morishita-sensei saw right through everything.

"...Yes. Actually, there are some other children I look after from time to time."

Since he'd seen through me, there was no point hiding it. I confessed what I'd been too embarrassed to mention.

"So, could you give me some advice?"

"Hmm... if there's anything I can tell you, it's this."

"Yes?"

"Why don't you just do what feels right to you?"

"Wait, sensei?!"

"Satou-kun."

When he called my name, I straightened up instinctively. It had always been like this. Even though he wasn't raising his voice particularly, I naturally fell into a listening posture.

"Children, you know, observe adults much more than we think they do."

"I, I see."

"The children criticized your hands-off approach, but the problem wasn't the hands-off approach itself."

"What do you mean?"

"Your attitude was so casual that they thought you weren't giving it much thought. They took issue with that stance."

That was...

"Of course, that's not the case. I can tell that your casual approach came from trust in your relative. And so can the children," sensei added.

"The key point is that it wasn't that child who criticized you, but the other children. In a way, they're being indulgent. They trust you enough to openly object to your educational approach. They criticized your hands-off approach because they usually see you being a proper adult, showing love to children, so they wondered about it."

Sensei laughed, saying they were kind children.

"That's exactly why the rules themselves aren't what's important. It's what leads up to them. Knowing you, you were quite shaken when they pointed it out, weren't you? Just that alone should have gotten through to the children. After all, here you are, the day after yesterday, coming to me. All so that the children might follow a slightly better path. That sight of you worrying and struggling for their sake is exactly what the children want. It's okay, your feelings will get through to them properly."

Sensei came over beside me and patted my back.

"...Thank you, Morishita-sensei."

"Think nothing of it. This much is only natural for a former teacher."

Sensei really is great...