kscans

Chapter 162 - Eccentric Behavior

"Well, that's about it for today. Are there any questions?"

I asked the students who were busy copying what I had written on the whiteboard. Hmm, it seemed there were no questions.

"In that case, let's end today's class. Oh, there's no need to rush."

They still had to pack up. I told my students to take their time with the board notes and started cleaning up myself. This was a cooking class, not a regular school class. There was no student on day duty, nor did we all end the day with a formal farewell.

The students in the evening class have gotten quite good.

When Satou-kun first came to class, he was apparently a nervous wreck, wondering if a guy like him would be laughed at for joining a cooking class. But that wasn't the case at all. In terms of ratios, women were certainly the majority, but there were a fair number of men too. This was especially true for the evening classes. We often get office workers coming in for a lesson after their day at the office.

They want to cook for themselves to save money. They're worried about their health from eating out all the time. They're single and want to learn how to cook. Everyone has their reasons for learning, but they all take the classes seriously. I suppose that's only natural, since they're paying their own money to be here. Well, mostly.

"Hey, sensei. If you're free after this, how about we get a bite to eat?"

Some students aren't just here to polish their skills. They have other intentions hidden away. It may be immodest to say, but I'm what you would call good looking. After being a woman for nearly twenty years, you eventually notice these things. It was bewildering at first, but now I think I've been a woman long enough to coolly deflect these kinds of invitations.

"I'm happy you asked, but I already have plans."

I smiled, looking troubled yet a little embarrassed. The student who asked me out seemed a bit shocked and backed down, saying, "Oh, I see." With a reaction like that, he would surely misunderstand and think I have a boyfriend.

"Mio-sensei, do you have a boyfriend!?" one of the female students asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"No, it's not like that."

I said this while putting on an expression that suggested I didn't mind the assumption. It was true I was meeting a man, and it was also true that I felt affection for him as a woman. But he wasn't exactly my boyfriend. Satou-kun is hopeless in that department.

The cause is probably Saionji-san.

Even from my and Takahashi-kun's perspective, the two of them looked good together back then. I was sure they would get together once the fighting was over, so I was surprised when we met again. Of all things, he completely misunderstood my invitation as that kind of invitation and showed up at our meeting spot looking giddy with excitement.

But thinking about it now, perhaps it was only natural that their relationship fizzled out.

When you become an adult and look back, you start to see things you couldn't see as a child. Satou-kun's strength is exceptionally bizarre. It is terrifying. It's because she was close to him, because she liked him, that she didn't want to admit she was afraid of that part of him. I think Saionji-san distanced herself from him as if to escape her own guilt, because she never tried to accept him, flaws and all.

That said, it would be wrong to say it was solely Saionji-san's problem.

I remembered what happened at his housewarming party over the summer.

"But you know. When you look at the results, maybe we were just dead weight," Takahashi-kun had said, sounding sulky.

Satou-kun told him he wouldn't say strength has no value, but what's important is what you do with that strength. Being with us is what makes him happiest. I was genuinely happy to hear that. But for someone who possesses such an extreme level of power, that way of thinking is, I have to say, strange. He's always been far too indifferent to his own abnormality, both then and now. That's probably why he was genuinely shocked and his usual dexterity disappeared when it came to romance. And yet, when it comes to unserious, casual relationships, the man has an absurd amount of experience. Satou-kun is really something else.

But I like that part of him too.

I'm so crazy about Satou-kun that I find even his faults endearing, thinking there's nothing to be done about them. I mean, I had feelings for him that went beyond friendship even when I was a man. It wasn't that I wanted to be his lover back then, but in terms of weight, I think it was heavier than any shallow affection. At that time, I would have had not even the slightest regret if Satou-kun had killed me. I've never felt that strongly even for my own blood relatives. If my parents had been the ones to kill me, I'm sure I would have spat out words of resentment.

Since I feel that strongly about him, you know?

It's a natural conclusion that love would be added to the mix once I became a woman. And I'm not the only one. I'm sure Takahashi-kun feels the same way. Takahashi-kun is, well, what is he? He's my best friend, but perhaps because we had the grounds for developing completely opposing ideologies, he is also a rival. It's a feeling somewhat similar to having a twin brother. I suspect he sees me in a similar light.

And the person in question is the only one who hasn't noticed.

He's aware of Saionji-san's feelings, but he probably never imagined we felt the same way about him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so forward with physical contact. He keeps a certain distance with Saionji-san, but with us, that man shows no restraint at all. It's a source of both happiness and frustration. By the way, regarding Saionji-san, whatever Takahashi-kun thinks, I am not holding back. I feel sorry for my past actions, but that's that, and this is this.

It would be one thing if they had gotten together back then, but she let her fish get away, so things are different now, right?

The opportunity should be equal for all of us. Although, being taken by him all three at once wouldn't be so bad either. Still, even in that case, I would have to be number one. Hm?!

"What's wrong, sensei? You suddenly have a scary look on your face."

The student who had been trying to get information out of me tilted her head curiously. And for good reason. I had been evasively brushing off her questions, and then my expression suddenly turned grim.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just this knife, you see?"

"? It looks like a beautiful knife to me."

"That's not quite the case."

I thought I'd been diligent about its upkeep, but this is a problem. I usually do the maintenance myself and have a professional look at it periodically, but it seems I should move that schedule up.

"I can't really tell since I'm an amateur, but should I be more particular about taking care of my cooking tools?"

"It's true that you should take care of them, but there's no need to be obsessive."

Do what maintenance you can on your own, and when a tool is worn out, buy a new one. For home cooking, that casual approach is more than enough. The reason I'm so meticulous is partly due to my attachment, but more to maintain my own awareness as a professional.

"More importantly, are you done with the notes? Everyone else is mostly finished copying and has started packing up."

"Wawa! I'll get right on it!"

After that, I stayed until the last student left the classroom, checking for any issues or forgotten items. Once I confirmed everything was in order, I left the classroom, locked the door, and headed to my meeting place with Satou-kun.

He's probably been waiting.

As expected, Satou-kun was already at the meeting spot, but for some reason, he had a perception-blocking barrier up and was doing a strange dance.

What was that again?

A long, long time ago, it was popular for a while. It was even featured on TV. Yes, it was wotagei. My understanding is that it's like a more intense version of the call-and-response chants you do along with an idol's song. Is that right? I wonder if people still do things like that. Wait, that's not the point.

Why is he doing wotagei?