Chapter 78 Eiji and the Principal

Eiji and the Principal

After the school assembly, I was scheduled to attend the principal’s English class in an empty classroom. To be honest, I struggle with English. I find it difficult to pronounce English words, and when it comes to long sentences that I can smoothly read in Japanese, I tend to stutter in English. It’s honestly pretty stressful.

However, the principal’s English classes are genuinely enjoyable. He teaches me a lot of useful English expressions, partly because he loves to travel. During long vacations, he visits English-speaking countries like the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and Canada.

He told me an interesting story during our last class.

“I quite like American whiskey. Did you know? The home of whisky is Scotland, where it’s called Scotch whisky. But Scotch whisky and American whiskey are actually spelled differently: WHISKY and WHISKEY. This difference comes from the fact that many American whiskey makers were Irish immigrants. The Irish take great pride in being the first in the world to make whiskey, and so they use their own spelling, distinct from Scotch whisky. In Japan, we use the Scottish spelling because Japanese whisky-making was modeled after Scotch whisky. Fascinating, isn’t it? Even within the same language, words carry different meanings and histories depending on their origin. If you can understand these underlying themes, your English will improve much more quickly.”

Sensei has an exceptional grasp of English. At first, I was stubborn and refused to speak English while in Japan, but thanks to him, I’ve opened up to it. My perspective has broadened, and I’ve grown more confident.

Since then, I’ve started to genuinely enjoy learning English. It’s become a habit for me to practice listening by watching English dramas my mother subscribed to.

The principal entered the classroom.

“Aono-kun. Can I talk to you for a moment before we start the class?”

Sensei greeted me with his usual warm smile.

“Yes.”

“First, let’s talk about the incident on Saturday. Like I said before, I’m really proud of you. I’m sorry you had to go through that because we weren’t there for you. But you didn’t give up. You stood your ground and faced harsh reality head-on. That, in itself, is an incredible thing. You’re a person of character—beyond what most adults can imagine. When you saw someone in pain, you didn’t hesitate to reach out a helping hand. You acted, even while carrying your own burdens. Students like you are rare, Aono-kun. As a teacher, I couldn’t be prouder. I’m set to retire next year, and I feel truly fortunate to have met a student like you at the end of my career. Thank you.”

The principal bowed deeply.

“No, it’s not just me. I was able to act because my friends and teachers supported me. And I was able to save him because of the nurse’s quick assistance, the uncle who called the ambulance, and Ichijo-san, who managed to get the AED.”

“Really, you kids… Ichijo-san said the exact same thing to me earlier. You both highlight each other’s strengths and remain humble about your own. You two are really in sync.”

Hearing that was a little embarrassing. But… how could I not feel happy being told I’m a good match with someone I like?

When my face started to heat up, Sensei just smiled knowingly.

“I heard the firemen will be visiting the school after classes today. Let’s make sure we study hard until then.”

And with that, our fun English lesson began.