Chapter Text
"Just what the hell am I doin'?"
Behind the building of Gehenna Academy, the very embodiment of disorder that would make even a crying child fall silent, that man was listlessly smoking a cigarette in the twilight.
In the distance, he could hear gunshots, explosions, and the cries of some strange pancake-shaped creatures.
He was called "our sensei" by the students of Gehenna.
By students from other schools, he was called "Gehenna's Sensei."
It happened right after the General Student Council President disappeared and a sensei was dispatched to the Federal Investigation Club, Schale.
The missing person herself had left behind a new policy, which was then implemented.
Namely, the "One School, One Sensei" system.
Kivotos, which up until now had been an amalgamation of thousands of schools while cutting teaching staff as outdated personnel who only incurred labor costs, had now implemented a policy that ran counter to the times.
In other words, it meant, "Let's assign at least one adult sensei to each school."
And so, a large number of adults from the outside world, which has exchanges with Kivotos, came and were assigned to each school.
There were senseis who taught studies properly as teachers, and there were senseis who completely neglected studies and spent their time playing and lazing around with the students.
He, known as Gehenna's Sensei, was the latter.
This Germanic man in his late thirties looked like a delinquent soldier, completely opposite to the image of his homeland.
His functionally beautiful coat was worn out and looked like it hadn't been washed in a while.
After having skipped off the path to success onto a side road, he had somehow been ordered to be transferred to this crazy school.
Finding it utterly ridiculous, he hadn't been taking his duties seriously at all.
Gehenna Academy, which touted freedom and chaos as its school spirit, was truly a melting pot of chaos.
The students acted freely and as they pleased, with many skipping classes and spending their time playing.
That alone was bad enough, but this school was one of the so-called "Three Great Schools" of Kivotos, a super-massive school.
If he tried to confront and lecture each student individually, the work would never finish even in hundreds of years.
Due to his unserious attitude, he was neglected even by the student council, Pandemonium, and treated with scorn by the Prefect Team.
He was already treated as if he wasn't even there.
"Ah!! It's Sensei!!"
"Were you smoking again?"
"Smoking is prohibited at school, you know!!"
When he came out to the field side, noisy gyaru girls spotted him and called out to him.
"Shut the hell up.
The school rules here only forbid students from smoking."
"Ahh, excuses again!!"
"Shouldn't Sensei be working?"
"We heard Schale's Sensei is doing amazing things!!"
"Ahh, that young guy."
Periodically, the senseis from each school were supposed to have meetings in Schale's large conference room.
Effectively, with the sensei in charge of the General Student Council's Schale acting as the facilitator.
He thought of that guy as a pitiful fool, earnest, young, and shouldering burdensome hardships.
Recently, according to the Prefect Team, he had saved Abydos High School, which was on the verge of closure, together with the female sensei in charge of Abydos, who was apparently an OG (Old Girl/Alumna) of that school.
"My friend in the Prefect Team said she wished our sensei was like that too!!"
"Yeah, yeah. We also heard Trinity's Sensei became popular right after being assigned!!"
"That unpleasant old man. Well, those sheltered girls at that prestigious girls' school wouldn't know a good man from a bad one anyway."
He recalled the face of the old gentleman assigned to Trinity General School, which had long been hostile to his assigned Gehenna Academy.
"You shouldn't talk like that about that sensei, he's a grandfather!!"
"Hahaha!! I never thought you lot had the decent sentiment of respecting your elders!!"
"Ahh, he said it!!"
"More importantly, Sensei, you're free anyway, right? Wanna go to karaoke with us?"
"Oh, that's right, I forgot because of Sensei!!"
"Our service coupons are about to expire, so we gotta use them up!!"
"Hmm, killing time at karaoke today doesn't sound too bad."
Gehenna's Sensei stroked his unshaven beard and grinned.
"Then let's go, let's go!!"
"Sensei's treat!!"
"Ah, you brats, that was your plan all along!!"
He and the students left the school gate, laughing like that.
"Hey Sensei, you said it when you took the post, right? That we could come to you for advice."
Suddenly, on the way to the karaoke place, one of the students said.
"Huh? You got some worries or somethin'?"
"You should consult with us~"
"Ehh, but you guys don't think about the future at all!!"
"Well, yeah!!"
"I'm not smart either!!"
They laughed like that.
"I'm no good at studying and all, but like, about future anxieties, or rather, I don't know what I want to do, you know?"
"What's that, you got hobbies or somethin'?"
"Nope!!"
"Hmm, you're typical modern kids, you lot."
He gave a wry smile to the student who said it with a smile.
"In your room, you just watch videos or somethin' all the time, right?"
"Whoa, Sensei's a psychic?"
"See, just as I thought. Hey, what do you think the difference is between adults and kids?"
He posed that question to the children.
"......Sensei, you said it, right? That it's okay for kids to fail."
"That's right. You remembered well.
An adult's mistake can be irreparable. But a kid's failure can be laughed off. Even if it goes poorly, I can bow my head together with you.
So, go ahead and try whatever interests you. Then, if something clicks, set your sights on it as a future job and try studying for it."
He said that to the children who were looking up at him earnestly.
"It's okay to lack talent and hit a wall.
Setback is growth. Work you find enjoyable isn't necessarily what you're good at.
The video streamers you like probably look like they're having fun, but in that industry too, those retiring young are endless. There's no easy job."
"Then, what should we do if we hit a wall that seems impossible?"
"You don't have to confront it head-on. Work within a line where you won't break yourself, know your limits, and gradually step up.
Don't aim for the top from the start. First, take care of your body and mind."
"Somehow, that sounds kind of vague..."
"Of course it is!! Once you find a more concrete goal, come consult me again!!"
Laughing, the sensei said this to the young people who didn't seem to quite understand.
"First, try anything. Even if you mess up, I'll go easy on you, as long as it's not drugs.
Even if you get a boyfriend, just make sure to use contraception, okay?"
"Ugh, Sensei, you're so pervy!!"
"You bet! Men are wolves. Never let your guard down!!"
And so, chatting and laughing, they emerged into one of Gehenna's few relatively safe urban areas.
And today too, students were energetically engaging in a gunfight.
"Ah, Sensei, it's dangerous."
"I told you, it's bad if you get hit by a stray bullet."
The student accompanying him raised the shield she carried, holding it in front.
The other two students also flanked him, as if to protect him, hands going to the guns they carried on their backs.
"Ooh, my bad.
...Are those students from our school that the Prefect Team is fighting?"
"Nah—, probably delinquents who've recently come over here."
"Thanks to Sensei's inauguration speech, our students have been quiet lately."
"...That's considered quiet?"
He muttered to himself, recalling that there had been a shootout in the cafeteria today.
"Whoa, a tank's come out.
Do delinquents these days have stuff like that? Are they starting a war or something?"
"Ever since the General Student Council President disappeared, things have been kinda like that, you know—"
Even Gehenna students, who have no interest in politics, seemed to know about that incident.
Taking the binoculars offered from a student's bag, he checked the situation and chuckled through his nose.
"Prefect Team has good training, but their methods of operation are textbook and boring.
The delinquents too, they'd be better off studying or doing part-time jobs before driving tanks or shooting guns."
'Maybe they're too stupid to get it,' he muttered, lowering the binoculars.
"Ah, looks like it's over."
"So it seems. Well then, well then, shall we go mess with them a bit?"
Grinning, he approached Prefect Team members handling the post-battle cleanup.
"Hey, the frontline commander is Iori, huh."
"...Hello, Sensei."
Iori had been giving orders to her subordinates, but her attitude stiffened abruptly when he entered her field of view.
"Do you have some business here?"
"No, I'm heading to karaoke with these kids now.
You guys coming too? It'll be fun."
"I still have work to do, so if you'll excuse me."
Saying that, Iori turned her back to head off and assist with the withdrawal.
"Iori, I think you'd be better off adopting tactics that make more use of your breakthrough power.
It's good to focus solely on command, but you'd probably utilize your abilities to the fullest if employed as infantry. Also, maintaining your focus is an issue."
"Huh, Sensei. You can actually give proper advice."
"That's why I told you guys, if you don't set more concrete goals, I can't give advice either."
The group walked away, talking noisily among themselves.
Iori glared at his back as he left.
§§§
A certain location in D.U.
He had found his way to an oden stall set up in a corner of the bustling downtown area.
"Phew, nothing beats a drink after work!!
Boss!! Another cup!!"
"Coming right up."
The dog-like shopkeeper served him another cup of hot sake.
As he drank his sake, picking at the oden, a new customer lifted the noren curtain and entered.
"Ah, Gehenna's Sensei. Good work today."
"Ohh, Schale's Sensei. Planning to have a few drinks too?"
"Yes. If you don't mind, let's drink together."
Schale's Sensei ordered a draft beer for now.
A well-chilled beer was promptly served.
"Chilled beer, huh. I learned that drinking beer chilled makes it crisper after coming here."
"I see. Let's definitely have a toast then."
The two clinked their cups together in a toast.
"I heard. Seems like you're doing great work."
"I haven't done anything. It's just the students working hard."
"Encouraging that hard work is your role."
And so, the two continued drinking.
"...I heard. About your inauguration speech."
"Probably doesn't align with your educational philosophy, right?"
"I believe we, as senseis, should be responsible for the students' futures."
Upon arriving at Gehenna Academy, Gehenna's Sensei investigated what kind of school it was and filmed a certain video to make his presence known to the students.
Its content was like this:
"To all students of Gehenna. I am the one who has been assigned as sensei to this school starting today.
You might be thinking that with a new faculty member arriving, something might change, but rest assured!!
I will not meddle in your way of living!!
In return, I will bear absolutely no responsibility for your futures!!"
In the video, he used gestures, and the production value involved a dimly lit room with only a candle flame illuminating him.
"Whether you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes behind my back, I won't scold you. Though I don't know about the Prefect Team.
Gehenna Academy's school spirit is said to be freedom and chaos, but have you ever thought about the responsibility that is the price of that freedom?"
He posed this question to his students watching the video.
"Ah, I don't mean to lecture. But as your sensei, I must teach you the facts. Consider this a little lesson.
You students are children. Most things can be undone. That's the difference between you and adults.
So, let's talk about mistakes that can't be undone."
This was his first and last lecture.
"You're at that age too. You might get boyfriends, go on dates, get handsy, go to love hotels, and end up doing it without condoms, without thinking of the consequences.
At such times, you might end up making a kid.
Suppose you come crying to me then. 'Please, do something about it.'
But, to me, in that situation, you are not the children. The kid inside your belly is the child. You become parents, and at that point, you are no longer children."
He slowly took out a cigarette, lit it, and began smoking.
"Of course, I'll deal with it appropriately even then.
But I won't allow you to cry and wail like children. Because making a kid brings responsibility. That's the price of freedom.
Kukuku, sorry for the graphic talk.
But rest assured, Gehenna Academy students are all delinquents, right?"
He said this with a mischievous expression.
"Guys like me and other proper men, society won't bother with idiots like you.
Your future is clear: standing in back alleys with random men to earn quick cash, wasting your youth like that, then past thirty complaining about being used up or whatever, holding a grudge against society, growing old and decrepit, and being ignored by everyone. That's your obvious future."
He smiled brightly.
"Therefore, students of Gehenna Academy!!
Go ahead and revel in your freedom while you can!!
Because Gehenna Academy is a wonderful school that does NOT guarantee your future!!
That's all for my first and last lesson!!
If you dislike that kind of end, and if I'm acceptable, I'll hear you out. Other schools' senseis, or even adults close to you, are fine too.
Look at yourselves, think carefully, and act. That's all from me."
This few-minute-long video garnered millions of views in a short period.
"Schale's Sensei, since when did you become their parent?"
Gehenna's Sensei lit a cigarette and exhaled white smoke.
"I get that the students are cute, but mixing work and personal feelings isn't good.
Of course, if they ask for help, you lend a hand. That's a sensei's role.
But if you waste time on fools who squander their own value, and then a student who's seriously studying is in trouble, what will you do? You only have one body. Which will you prioritize?"
"I treat all students equally."
"I see. First come, first served. Or rather, it's about luck, huh."
"......"
"Sorry. I don't mean to be mean.
You should play to your strengths. Anything else unimportant, just throw it to us."
"Somehow, I'm being treated like the leader among the other senseis, but is that really okay..."
"...Well, can't be helped, right?"
The Federal Investigation Club, Schale, possesses several extrajudicial authorities.
Its position was clearly different from that of other schools' senseis.
"Well, if it comes to it, the senseis from Trinity or Millennium will lend a hand too.
For now, let's forget the unpleasant parts of work and drink."
"...Yes, you're right."
"Got any complaints? Spit them out. Oh, right, which student's your type? Tell me!!"
"P-please, spare me that!!"
And so, on this day too, the uneventful night of the senseis deepened.
This is a story of Kivotos, advancing along the rails of such a peculiar forked path.
: Gehenna-Sensei
A laid-back free spirit embodying Gehenna's school spirit.
A frivolous idler during the day, but takes serious earnestness towards students seeking help.
Has a Germanic appearance based on Gehenna's origins, wears a military coat, an outlaw-type active-duty soldier. Has combat and command abilities, but they rarely surface as the students themselves are generally capable.
I tried writing a school-personification-type sensei idea like this. Kind of like that manga where they personify countries?
I just wrote it on a whim, so it's more of a spur-of-the-moment, disposable piece.
If there's demand, I might write more, but please don't get your hopes up.