Navigating the world of teaching on a low salary and high hospital bills to pay

Make sure to smile

After getting back from the hospital, his sister-in-law was being oddly nice to him.

"Stop cleaning, you idiot!" she yelled after catching him trying to clean the fridge while on crutches.

Koro-sensei tried to finish cleaning the jam stain off the fridge door. "But it'll never come off if it sets!"

Jam stains were always a hassle to get off once they solidified, he couldn't risk it.

Kayano swiped the sponge from him. "Just go sit down already." She ushered him towards the sofa. "I'll handle the cleaning."

He'd frowned at that since she still had her studies to focus on, but he had been trying to get her to help out a little more, so it wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Koro-sensei settled himself on the sofa, propping his injured leg on a cushion while Kayano started washing dishes.

Aguri would be so proud of how responsible she's becoming.

He snapped a sneaky photo on his phone so he could show his wife how grown up the teen was.

He smiled slightly watching her help. "Say, little sister-in-law, might I please have a nice cup of tea—"

She threw a wet cloth at his face. "I'm not your maid!"

***

Turning up to the faculty meeting with his cast and crutches brought a new experience.

"Good morning, everyone!" Koro-sensei greeted brightly as he hobbled into the staff room on the main campus for the usual meeting after school. His crutches were covered in mud and there were twigs and leaves stuck in the metal. His white cast was stained with dirt at the heel, and the collar of his shirt was soaked with sweat, but luckily his blazer hid the sweat stains under his arms.

"Uh..." Mr Ono and the rest of the teachers were staring at him like he was a zombie walking out of a grave.

"Goodness!" Mrs Etsuki exclaimed. "Koro-sensei, did you walk down from the mountain?"

"Of course!" Koro-sensei was unphased as he made himself over to an available seat. "Nothing like the fresh air to heal all wounds!"

"Is this guy for real?" One of the teachers whispered.

Koro-sensei smiled more, relieved to be sat down. "Honestly I'm fine."

Etsuki and Ono exchanged a look. "Frankly we're surprised you made it." She frowned. "We heard you... fell off a cliff?"

Koro-sensei chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Yes, it's my own fault. I am extremely clumsy." He flashed a smile at Mr Ono. "I'm lucky Akabane was nearby to get help, otherwise who knows what would have happened."

Mr Ono's expression pinched like he'd swallowed a lemon. "Pfft." He crossed his arms and looked away.

"Akabane really went and got help?" Yamagato asked curiously, frowning as he sat down next to him.

"Of course." Koro-sensei's smile softened. "I know he can be a handful sometimes, but the boy has a good heart. He refused to leave the hospital until he was sure I was okay."

That caught several teachers by surprise, and Mr Ono's expression became more shrivelled.

"Huh, really?" Yamagato leaned back in his chair. "Well, you're one lucky, son of a gun!" He laughed, slapping Koro-sensei on the back.

"Ugh." Koro-sensei was knocked out of his chair and hit the floor.

"Oh, shit!" Yamagato panicked. "Sorry!"