Teachers Determination
Takayanagi’s PoV
The principal invited me to a bar where we could play shogi.
I had been so busy with the case that I hadn’t had a chance to relax, so he couldn’t bear to see me like that and offered to buy me a drink.
“Cheers.”
The principal said, pointing a beer at me.
I nodded and slowly clinked my glass.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“You’re indeed a former amateur and a master. No matter how I go, I can’t win.”
The principal looked at his stuffed koma (shogi pawn) with a bitter smile.
“It was refreshing to play shogi for the first time in a long time.”
He must’ve been very concerned. It was true that I had been working overtime these days.
“That’s good. By the way, do you know the famous words of Kimura Yoshio, a great meijin before the war, when he lost his meijin title to Oyama Yasuharu, a great meijin after the war?”
Shogi masters are generally shogi nerds who take advantage of their memory. I’m no exception.
“Of course. ‘I have a good successor’ right?”
The principal smiles.
“That’s right. It’s a good opportunity, so I wanted to talk to Takayanagi-sensei about it. Takayanagi-sensei, you really are a wonderful teacher. I can’t even get close to your feet. I know it’s presumptuous of me to say this. But I’ve seen the work you’ve done, and I’d like to follow Kimura’s great example. I’ll be retiring in a few years, and at this point in my life, I’ve really ‘found a good successor’.”
“Oh no, I still have a long way to go. Without the help of other teachers, I wouldn’t have been able to solve this problem.”
“No, that’s modesty. Normally, we would’ve shied away from this problem. I think we’ve gotten this far because you recognized it early. Let me tell you a little old story. Actually, I was once the homeroom teacher in a class where bullying occurred.”
There is a hint of remorse on his face. That gives you an idea of what’s going on.
“…In the end, I couldn’t protect my student the way you did. She left the school. I didn’t realize it until the victim missed a lot of school. That’s my biggest regret as a teacher.”
I think it really hurt the teacher in front of me.
Being a teacher is a responsible job that affects the future of children. We know this in words, but sometimes the hustle and bustle of everyday life makes it seem so far away.
“That’s…”
I couldn’t finish the words. Because I know that if Aono-kun had been like the principal’s students, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.
“That’s why your response was so wonderful. Knowing that there is a teacher like Takayanagi-sensei in this field, I can pass the baton to you with peace of mind.”
And I think the expression on his face is that of a person who has made up his mind.
“Thank you.”
That was the limit of what I could say.
“Yeah. Anyway, young people today are amazing. Olympic athletes in their teens are a matter of course, and the same goes for shogi. There are young people of almost high school age who are at the top of the professional ranks. I’m sure that Aono-kun, whom you protected, will become one of them. Many adults are pessimistic about the future of Japan, but there are so many wonderful young people coming up… I believe that Japan has not been abandoned. That’s why…”
The principal laughs and speaks with power. He looks directly into my eyes.
“I will take all the responsibility. That’s why I want you to keep going straight. Maybe the outside world will continue to say things about you. But don’t worry about that. It’s my job to take responsibility.”
I have to answer to my boss’s determination here.
“I will do my best.”
The principal smiled calmly.
Principal’s PoV
I chatted with Takayanagi-sensei, and at the right moment, I went to the bathroom.
I suppressed my anger as I looked at the email on my cell phone, which I kept in my inside pocket.
It was a warning message sent to me a few hours earlier by a friend who works for the Ministry of Education.
[Apparently, the top is trying to intervene in your school bullying issue to resolve this political scandal quickly. There may be some pressure in the future, so be careful.]
Thanks to my kind friend, I’m even more fed up with this corrupt world.
“What kind of principal can’t protect his students and subordinates?”