I had a plan.
It starts with walking through the corridor where my footsteps are lost in the ocean of noise. Sweet, flowery scent of all kinds stabbing in my nostril. That is to be expected since almost everyone in the building is a girl. Students passing, glancing in my direction, some raising their eyebrows, some giggling. All with their own questions. 'Who is that?' One whisper loud enough for me. 'A teacher?'—and see that I might be too young: 'A student from another school perhaps?'
Not many have seen the new tutor. I only came through here in the evening, when there are fewer people. Those few are fortunately here to satisfy the curious.
"That's the tutor of the upstairs girls, don't you know?" Someone hisses loudly to their friend who's blushing, looking at me.
"Re, really? They are so lucky."
The girls I am in charge of think otherwise. My existence in their life is the least 'lucky' thing ever to them. Not far to say, they might hate me. But that can't stay, no. That's why I intend to change that. One by one, slowly, I'd make them grateful for what I am.
After Nelly left, I decided to think about my petite red-haired gamer girl, Carrie. I wonder what she's up to. Hope she didn't get gaming overdosed—if that's a thing. I need her alive if I want to find her.
Teachers' Room B.
Says the tag planted on the sliding door. I checked my text message again with Sohee and confirmed this is the office. I try to look through the door to find her or anyone with blonde hair, but the frosted glass makes it impossible.
I go in.
The office is cold and quiet. Not small like your average office room. It feels like I have stepped through a different world in a second. This place, my footsteps speak. Not mine alone, I could hear every single one made in this room echoing. There is also the familiar sound that is always made by Shizuka: keyboards being run over. And a whisper disguised as a conversation between the teachers. Their faces look like death. A state of end that I can't relate to anymore.
I stop one guy who's trying to walk past: "Excuse me."
The guy watches me as if I'm a piece of a painting ready to be deciphered. He leans forward. "What business do you have here?" His voice is low, contradicting the big body he carries. I have a slight suspicion he's trying to tell me to talk like him.
"I am looking for a homeroom teacher for class H-one."
He doesn't reply… for a while. I guessed he was being careful, seeing that neither of us had seen each other. But then… the school bell rings, breaking the serene quietness of this place for a moment. As if in a hurry, he speaks, "Miss Xiao," he points somewhere, "that's where her seat is. Now, if you excuse me."
I let him disappear from my sight.
"Ah!"
A yelp came from the direction that I just pointed at.
A blonde-haired woman with a white dress was on the floor picking up the papers that I assumed had just fallen and scattered all around the marble floor. Her thin, elegant-looking hands were picking them up. I came over.
The sound of my arrival must have been louder than her own thoughts. Her yellow eyes find me, and I can almost see what she's thinking because it's the same reaction as the students' in the corridor. Her hand froze holding a piece of white sheet.
I guess this is where I help her. Shrugging internally, I kneel and pick up the papers.
"Let me help," I say, already with two in my hand.
She brushes strands of her silky hair back to her tiny ears, "Um, yeah, thank you…"
I glance up to find that her cheek is the color of a peach. Her hands are all shaky. My lips pressed down hard to hold down a chuckle. If you zoom out for a moment, the scene of a man and woman first meeting with each other in this circumstance looks like it's coming straight from a romance TV show. She must've imagined that too.
And she is very wrong to think that I am a man who plays in one of the romance books.
She reminds me of Sohee. Hope she's as helpful as my pink friend is.
It was a minute of silence.
By the time we're finished, both of us stand and drop the stack of papers on top of her table.
The yellow face my way, "Thank you again… Mister?" Tilting her head slightly.
Can't answer that. "Are you Miss Xiao?"
She jumps a little as if cold water sips in through her back, "Ehehe, yeah, that's me. Though, um, calling me Miss is… Are you a student by any chance? From… another school perhaps?"
"I'm sorry I should have introduced myself sooner. I am in charge of the special class."
Her eyes open wide, showing a garden of daisies.
I continue smiling. "I'm the tutor."
"Carrie's…" She then smiles back, the garden of yellow dims. "I should have seen this coming."
I wait for her to explain.
And she does, after taking a seat. "As her homeroom teacher, I apologize on her behalf."
I remember what Sohee said. "How long has she been absent?"
"Since last week," she sighs. "Couldn't even reach her. "
I saw the same kind of face this morning. The face of a distressed mother. I know exactly what to say.
"I'm worried about her."
I said what was on the edge of her lips.
And hopefully that is enough to melt her defense against me. Because I'm going to pry Carrie's personal life through her homeroom teacher. That was the plan for today.