The Humanity Club | ✓

39. Throw a fiercer Kamehameha than Goku

CHAPTER 39

"Suzuki-sensei is?"

"No way. Really?"

"Yeah."

The whispers that consumed the classroom during study hall would usually be something I'd brush aside as background noise. But this time, it had snagged my attention. I picked up my face from my desk, sitting up properly and rubbing at my eyelids.

         "Good morning, princess." I recognized the voice as Yuji's. As I leaned back against my chair, Yuji from ahead of me had a silly smile slapped across his face. "Have you finally come to realize that you shouldn't be sleeping during class time?"

A yawn left my mouth. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"And when exactly have you ever gotten enough sleep?" Hiro inquired from the right of me. He was working on some worksheets.

"That's an extremely good question," I murmured, dropping my face onto my folded arms. "I wish I could give you an answer."

"You should be taking better care of yourself," Yuji tsked. "How about if you end up collapsing one of these days?"

"Then I'll count on one of you guys to catch me," I replied. Yuji shared a defeated look with Hiro. I bit the inside of my cheek, considering the level of noise around me. "Why's the class so rowdy today?"

"They're just celebrating," Yuji said.

He picked up his school supplies and dropped them onto my desk. I waited for him to elaborate further, knitting my eyebrows together. Even as he worked on what I saw to be a crossword puzzle, nothing else came from him.

"And?" I pressed, slapping my hands over his page. "We're in school right now. What's so celebratory?"

         "Suzuki-sensei's leaving the school."

My facial features washed blank. My eyelids fluttered as Yuji nudged aside my hand, placing a finger to his chin as he stared down at the puzzle. I tilted my head towards Hiro who was calmly working as well. I blinked once. Twice.

Then I was lurching to my feet with a fallen jaw by the time my third blink ensued.

"That old hag?" I demanded. "'Leaving' as in she's no longer coming back to Seisein? As in, I'll never have to see her again?"

The students in my class had stopped their conversations to look at me but their bafflement was the least of my concern. The gears in my mind were turning in indefinite twists and turns.

"And she didn't tell me?" I went on, a huge smile growing across my face. "I'd have thrown her a huge goodbye party if I knew! Say, when is she leaving? Today? Tomorrow? Don't tell me she's already gone! I can't believe this! Woo-hoo!"

"Well, she's taking the news pretty well." Hiro deadpanned.

"And here I was ready to cheer her up," Yuji agreed.

A laugh pooled from my mouth as I fell back into my seat. All the sleepiness in me had been completed knocked aside.

"So she's leaving for real?" I went on. "I won't see her again, huh..."

The corners of my upturned mouth began to twitch.

"I won't see her again..."

Yuji blinked, popping his head forward. "Miyuki?"