“Yabai, I’m late already,” he said while looked at his wristwatch. “Minna, I wanna go first, I have to pick my brother from kindergarten,” he said to them and out of the room.
“He picks his brother? I wonder where Mai-chan is,” Jun said while reading his magazine. Aiba just shakes his head while looking at Ohno, who is already sleeping and Nino, who is busy playing his PSP.
“Hana-sensei, could you please take care of those kids? I have to pick my sisters from school,” said Natsuki-sensei.
“Ah, hai. Sayonara, Natsuki-sensei,” she said. Then, Natsuki-sensei just left the room while she goes to Shu-kun and Masamune-kun, who are waiting for someone to pick them.
“Masamune-kun, late again?” she asked while sitting beside two of them.
“Hai, Hana-sensei,” he said and a moment later, he runs to his mother, “Okaa-san!” he said and hugs his mother.
“Arigatou, Hana-sensei. Gomen, I’m late again,” his mother said.
“Daijoubu, Kazama-san. It’s my duty,” she said while bowing. Kazama-san bows back.
“Sayonara, Hana-sensei,” Masamune-kun said while waving his hand.
“Sayonara, Masamune-kun. Ja matta ashita ne,” she waves her hand back. And then, she sits beside Shu-kun.
“Shu-kun, why you didn’t go home yet? Where’s Mai nee-chan?” she said.
“Hana-sensei, Mai nee-chan is hospitalized. She meets accident,” Shu-kun said.
“Hontou desu ka?” she said with a shock expression. “Who’s gonna pick you, Shu-kun?” she asked.
“Today, Okaa-san said, Sho nii-chan will pick me up. Demo, until now, he’s not here yet,” Shu-kun said while a long-face.
“Sho nii-chan? Ah, Arashi no Sakurai Sho,” she said and looks at her wristwatch. “He’s a bit late, huh?” she said. Shu-kun just silent.
A half an hour later, a car stops in front of the kindergarten gate.
“Shu, gomen, gomen,” Sho go and want to get his brother.
“Sayonara, Hana-sensei,” said Shu-kun and he just enter the car. Leaving his brother with Hana-sensei.
“Gomen, anou…,” he paused for a moment… This girl is cute…
“Ah, Hana desu,” she introduced herself.
“Ah, Hana-sen… Hana-san, hajimemashite. I’m late,” he said to her. He doesn’t know what to call her because she looks too young to him to become a teacher.
“Daijoubu, Sakurai-san. Demo, Shu-kun, I think he’s sulking. I think it’s better for you to console him,” she said to him while pointing to Shu-kun, who is already in the car.
“Arigatou, Hana-san,” he said and bows to her. Then, she bows back. He goes to the car and goes home with Shu-kun.
“Nee-chan!” Shu shouted her name when he saw her get off the car.
“Shu, don’t shout like that. I’m okay,” Mai said and place her hand on Shu’s hair.
“Okaa-san, tomorrow nee-chan gonna pick me?” he asked his mother.
“Iie, she’s no recover yet,” his mother said. He just goes to his room upstairs.
“Eh, nande?” his mother said.
“He mad at me, I’m late picking him up,” Sho said.
“Nii-chan, I wanna go to his room. Help me,” Mai said to Sho. Sho immediately help her.
They arrive at his room. Mai get in. Sho just stand by the door. Obviously, to hear them.
“Shu, why are you mad at nii-chan?” Mai asked him.
“He’s late,” he said. “Hana-sensei and I have to wait about an hour,” he pouted.
“Ah, so, Hana-sensei accompanies you?” she asked. He nodded. “So, it’s a good thing, right?” she said while smiling. Shu just give her a weird look. “Shu, don’t you like Hana-sensei very much?” she asked again. He nodded. “So, if nii-chan late again, you could stay with Hana-sensei again and you can have a conversation with her. So, you can know her and become close to her,” she said.
“Sou desu ka?” Shu asked. Mai nodded.
Shu get down of his bed and run downstairs. Mai out of Shu’s room.
“Mai, how you do it?” Sho asked while looking at her without blinking.
“Simple, because I know him, so I can use his weakness. That’s what Yuri-sensei told me. Using a kids’ weakness to console them,” Mai said while try to walk to her room.
“What’s with this Hana-sensei? You know, when I met her this evening, I don’t think she’s a teacher. She looks too young,” Sho said while helping Mai walk to her room.
“Actually, Hana-sensei is not a real teacher. She just helps her Okaa-san, who is the principal of Himawari Kindergarten. If you said she looks young, then she is young. She just 18, like you, nii-chan,” Mai said.
“Ah,” he nodded his head.
“Get out, I wanna sleep,” Mai said. Sho just out of the room.
“Late again, Shu-kun?” Hana-sensei asked Shu-kun. Including today, it’s almost a month that Sho always late picking Shu.
“Hai, Hana-sensei,” he said. “Anou, Hana-sensei, if my nii-chan asked you out to eat with us, can you say ‘yes’?” he asked.
“Eh?” she shocked.
“Anou, Hana-sensei, would you mind to join us to eat?” Sho said behind her back.
“Ah, Sakurai-san. Don’t surprise me like that,” she said.
“So, would you?” Sho asked again.
“Hana-sensei, let’s go. Onegai,” Shu pleaded.
“Hai, hai,” she said and smile.
“Anou, Hana-sensei, Shu said he likes you so much,” Sho said.
“Hontou desu ka?” she blushed.
“Hai, because Hana-sensei wa hontou ni kawaii,” Shu said and makes Hana choke and cough.
“Hana-sensei, daijoubu desu ka?” Sho said while giving her a tissue.
“Daijoubu, daijoubu. Arigatou, Sakurai-san,” she said and cough once again.
A month later…
Sho goes out and check their letter box. He found out that one of those letters is his. So, he opens it to check.
Dear Sakurai Sho,
Congratulation! We are gladly inform here that you application to enter KEIO UNIVERSITY in ECONOMY FACULTY is ACCEPTED. So, please come to the campus for registration.
“Okaa-san! Okaa-san! I’m accepted!” he shouted and run to the house immediately.
“Sho, congratulation! Sho, where’s Shu?” his mother asked him.
“Oh my God, I forgot to pick him. I’ll go now,” he runs to his car and go to Shirayuri Kindergarten.
Shu cried when Sho picks him.
“Why you’re crying, Shu?” Sho asked him.
“Hana-sensei, she… she, don’t work here anymore, nii-chan,” Shu said and hugs him while crying.
A week later…
Sho is in his way for registration on his first day on the campus. Suddenly, he feels like he saw Hana.
“I must be too missing her,” Sho said to himself.
After he registers, he got his student ID, he wants to go to the library.
Suddenly, he bumps to a girl and make the girl’s book fall to the floor.
“Gomenasai, I didn’t do it on purpose. Daijoubu desu ka?” Sho asked her while helping her lifting her books.
“Daijoubu, daijoubu,” she said while lifting her head up. “Are? Sakurai-san?” she said.
“Hana-sensei?” he asked her back. What a stupid question.
“Anou, Sakurai-san, here, I’m the student, not the teacher. Stop calling me Hana-sensei,” she said while getting up by the help of Sho.
“Ah, sou. Hana-san? Iie, iie. Hana-chan? That’s sounds better,” Sho said to himself.
“Hana-chan will be okay, Sakurai-san,” she said.
“HANA-SENSEI!!!” he shouted. Loud enough for everyone to hear and stare at them.
“Yamero, Sakurai-san,” she said while looking around her.
“Hana-chan, I’ll only stop calling you Hana-sensei if you call me Sho-kun,” Sho said with a big grin on his face.
“Hai, hai. Sho-kun, okay,” she said with smile and they burst into laughing.
And because of that, Sho likes her. After all, she stills a Kawaii Sensei.
