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Sakuta Azusagawa was standing before the gates of Minegahara High, wearing a suit.

It was Monday, May 13. A sunny day.

The time was 7:50AM.

This early, there was no one else around.

The gates would fill with Minegahara students in the half hour before morning homeroom began.

Feeling like he had the place to himself, Sakuta stepped on through.

As he went up the path to the school, memories came flooding back.

He’d graduated three whole years ago.

This was the fourth spring since he’d started college.

As he got close to the building, he could hear yelling on the basketball court in the gym—balls being dribbled, basketball shoes squeaking.

He pressed on, heading in the faculty entrance. He took off his leather shoes, which he still wasn’t used to, and put on some slippers before climbing the nearby stairs to reach the second floor.

He relied on his memories to locate the faculty office.

The hall itself was empty, but he soon found himself below a door with the sign he’d been looking for.

Sakuta took a deep breath, then opened the door.

“Good morning. Sakuta Azusagawa. I’ll be a student teacher here starting today.”

He bowed, making sure his voice reached the back of the room.

Teachers at every desk turned to look.

Most returned to their work.

A man near the back waved to him.

“This way, Azusagawa.”

It was an English teacher who’d been Sakuta’s homeroom teacher for both his second and third years. Sakuta walked over to him.

“I’m teaching math…and you’re still an English teacher?”

“Atsugi’s on math but doesn’t have a homeroom. We’ll be putting you in mine instead: Class 3-1.”

That made sense.

“Gotcha.”

“But for you to come back as a student teacher, Azusagawa…”

The man looked up at him, impressed.

“Surprising?”

“No, I had a hunch,” he said, looking smug. “You got any requests?”

“If possible, I’d like to try being a club adviser.”

“Any in particular?”

“If it’s still around, the Animal Club.”

“That it is. We’ll look into that later.”

With that, he tossed Sakuta a roll call sheet.

“Right,” Sakuta said, and he began looking over the Class 3-1 roster.

Homeroom kicked off with Sakuta being introduced as the new student teacher. Which meant he had to introduce himself.

“Sakuta Azusagawa. I’ll be teaching math, so I’ll be with yourclass for homeroom only. I’m a graduate of Minegahara High myself. Looking forward to being here again.”

As he stood before the chalkboard, talking, he could sense the excitement. When he finished, they clapped.

Thirty-five students.

Most looking curious—a few feigning disinterest.

He knew a girl in the front row.

Shouko—now a third-year.

She was grinning from ear to ear, excited that he was here to teach her.

“Azusagawa-sensei! Question!”

A hand shot up at the back.

The smirk on the boy’s face suggested he was the class clown.

Sakuta glanced at the teacher in charge.

He shrugged and let it happen.

“Yes?”

He was well aware what this boy was about to ask. Every student at this school already knew who Sakuta was dating.

“Is it true you’re going out with Mai Sakurajima?”

Exactly as predicted. He couldn’t help but grin.

Sakuta looked around the room.

Impish eyes, still filled with childlike glee.

At the front, Shouko was rolling her eyes.

“It’s true,” he said, after a dramatic pause.

The class erupted.

“Whoa!” “No way!” The boys were excited, but the girls were just squealing.

His student teaching career was off to a strong start.

“Settle down!” the real teacher said, but Class 3-1 was in no hurry to do so.

The same old bell signaled the end of morning homeroom.

The students were still buzzing, but Sakuta left with the teacher, heading to his first-period class. He heard footsteps following them.

“Sakuta,” someone called.

Only Shouko would call him that here.

“Oh, I guess I should saySakuta-sensei?”

She stuck out her tongue, like she’d goofed up.

“I’d start withAzusagawa-sensei,” he said, but she just laughed that off.

Clearly, she had no intention of ever calling him that.

“What, do you two know each other?” the teacher asked, puzzled.

“Intimately.” Her phrasing was just begging to be misunderstood.

The teacher frowned for a moment, then said, “So he knows about your history?” obviously remembering what really mattered here.

“I do,” Sakuta said.

“That simplifies things. Makinohara’s president of the Animal Club, so that links to our earlier discussion.”

“What discussion?” Shouko asked, turning to Sakuta.

“I was hoping to try advising the Animal Club.”

“Oh, I was about to ask if you could!”

“I didn’t expect you to be running the show,” he admitted.

Shouko grinned like her prank had succeeded.

“That’s why I never told you!”