Sensei, I Love You

Prologue

Kinomoto Sakura trudged up along the long path leading to her school gates, tired from her morning part-time job at the convenient store. Things were getting much more difficult for her, especially when she has to juggle between work and school. What about social life? Sakura did not have one and she did not find a need for it. She already had her hands full with making ends meet and she did not need any distraction. What she need now was a roof over her head and that meant that she has to work to pay for her rent. Her landlord had just warned her that morning that she would be evicted out from the small pitiful rented room if she did not pay by the end of this week, which was just a few days away. That was the reason she had skipped school for several days just to work extra hours.

The number of students on the path increased as she neared the school gates. They had hurriedly rushed to the sides upon seeing her, as if they were afraid of her. Sakura was amused by the sight of students quaking at their knees when she was near. She never knew what brought about that fear in the student population and she could not be bothered about it, eager to get to her class and grab some precious minutes of sleep before lessons officially start for the day. She sighed inwardly as she reminded herself that she had to rush to work in one of the café in the neighbouring town. It would be a very long day.

It was a dream came true for Sakura! Her parents were finally bringing her to the long-awaited family trip to the famous hot spring! She could not contain her excitement upon hearing the sudden news from her parents and was harping on it during breakfast.

“Oka-san! Otou-san!” Sakura called out in the middle of the breakfast, a worried frown on her face. “Are we really going to the hot spring? Not going to break our promise again? My middle school graduation trip?”

Kinomoto Nadeshiko and Kinomoto Fujitaka turned to look at each other before bursting out into laughter. Sakura pouted cutely when her parents laughed at her and began protesting. “It has already been three months since I graduated from junior high school! Three months ago you said you were bringing me there but then it was cancelled because of bad weather. Two months ago you said you were bringing me there but cancelled it because Onii-chan was feeling a little sick. Last month, you also said that you were bringing me there but otou-san, you could not get away from work to bring me there! I have the right to query about this. At least I can be mentally prepared for it.”

Kinomoto Touya, her annoying brother who seemed to take teasing her as part of his life, reached over to pinch her cheek painfully. Sakura screeched in response and gingerly tried to rub the sting out of her cheeks, glaring at her brother. “Don’t be rude. Well, one can’t help it being a monster of the house,” he snickered and yelped in pain as Sakura stomped on his right foot beneath the table.

“Hah! Revenge!” Sakura shouted out in triumph and pumped her fists into the air energetically. Nadeshiko could not help but giggled at the scene her children were creating. As if knowing what she was thinking, her husband reached over to clasp her hand in his, squeezing it gently and giving her a warm smile that could melt her heart every time he did that.

“Geez how old are you again?” Touya asked sarcastically as he nursed his abused foot. “You act like five-year old kid for a fifteen year old monster.”

Seeing that Touya had already moved his feet away from the threat of another foot stomping exercise, Sakura retaliated by punching his biceps and had him wincing in pain and clutching his arm in an exaggerated display of pain. “I forgot you learnt karate and judo…” Touya muttered; the punch had actually hurt a little.

“Stop calling me a monster!”

“Only if you stop acting like one,” Touya glared at his sister, who just stuck out her tongue at him in response.