Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
Karen Duffy, the same wonderful person who translated the first chapter
of Jeanne, has also translated and posted all 10 chapters of Seishun Shiteru
Kai! on the Web-yeah! It is at:
http://www.ncn.com/~excel/KDs/Enjoy%20Your%20Youth/Online-EnjoyYourYouth.html
Seishun
Shiteru Kai Gallery
Seishun
Shiteru Kai Omake Page
Right:
Sahara
Part 1 (November
1998): Usami Rika is a 16-year-old who just returned to Japan after graduating
from university in Australia. She has started teaching English at
Shishimaru High School to students her own age, and she is very idealistic
and outgoing, and often seems to be more naive than her students.
Her first day, she meets Sahara, who's in her class and seems to be the
model student, and Ookami, who causes trouble in her class. Ookami
is actually 17, but was held back. In the first chapter, we see Sahara
giving money to Ookami, and though Rika thinks it's for a good purpose,
it seems very suspicious. Sahara seems to have some kind of control
over Ookami and the class co-president, a girl with glasses called Watanuki.
Watanuki tries to steal(I don't know if she does or not) answers to one
of Rika's English quizzes, and Rika sees her being shouted at by Ookami.
She 'saves' her, but both Ookami and Watanuki run away when Sahara shows
up. Rika asks him if he knows anything about those two, and tells
him that she saw the money change hands earlier, at which point, Sahara
kisses her and then says: If you don't tell anyone about the money, I won't
tell about a teacher kissing a student. Sahara is also the president
of the school's nephew.
Left:
Ookami
Part 2(December
1998): The students still have a hard time treating Rika as their teacher
instead of their classmate, and Rika is distracted by worries about Sahara
& Co. While alone with Sahara once, she asks why he's doing underhanded
things like that, and does he really want to waste his youth like that?
He says it's a game, and he doesn't want to end it yet. Rika says
youth is for laughing and crying with good friends, etc. but Sahara says
he doesn't care about that stuff. He also tells her that it will
do no good to go to the principal. Unbeknownst to both, their conversation
was observed(I don't think it was heard) by the principal from his office.
He goes to see Rika in the animal cage, and tells her some interesting
things...Later, still in the animal cage, Rika meets Watanuki, who reveals
why she has to do what Sahara tells her. Okay, I think it goes like
this: A while ago, Watanuki was having problems with a test, even
though she studied hard, so once(just once!) she cheated. Sahara
found out and blackmailed her with it. After Watanuki steals test
answers, she gives them to Sahara, who then sells them to other students.
Ookami is his Enforcer(anybody watch hockey?). Ookami appears after
she's explained and tells her that they're having a meeting, and tells
her to come. After he leaves, Rika has a good idea...
In the shed, Watanuki
shows up and Sahara has announced the price for the latest test.
The students are talking about it, when Watanuki, who is really Rika-chan,
hits Sahara with an eraser(I can't remember what). Rika identifies
several of the cheating students(she memorized all the students' names
and faces before she started the job!) and says they're now in her blacklist,
but if they promise never to do it again, she won't tell. Of course,
they agree, and leave Rika and Sahara alone for a 'talk'. Sahara
is acting tough, until Rika reveals her secret weapon-her pet kangaroos!
Turns out Sahara developed a fear of kangaroos when he was a kid and one
kidnapped him for a few days. By the time Ookami gets in(Watanuki
had been guarding the door), Sahara is lying unconscious on the floor.
And so begins Rika's battle...
Right:
Jimiko
Part 3(January
1999): From now on, I'll call Watanuki Jimiko, since everyone calls her
that. In Part 3, Sahara starts another game: can Rika escape having
her hair cut off within three days by his underlings? Rika retaliates
by starting a contest between the school's female students as to who can
catch Sahara and give him a kiss within three days(Sahara is popular with
the girls, since they only see his refined, intellectual side). Rika
escapes for most of the time by wearing a decorative hat all the time,
but at the end of the chapter, she is caught in a room by Sahara et al
and her hat is forcibly removed. It's only 15 minutes until the deadline,
will Rika get a haircut?
Part 4 (February
1999): Just in time, Jimiko appears with all the bunnies and both kangaroos
from the animal cage, and just as Rika-chan and Sahara are squaring off,
the PA comes on with a message from the principal announcing Sahara's location
to all the school's girls(who are frantically searching for him).
Several groups of girls burst in, but then start fighting about who gets
to kiss Sahara. Just before the 5 o'clock bell rings(the dealine)
Rika-chan picks up Girl-ko(her kangaroo)and Girl-ko "kisses" Sahara.
Then, during the mass confusion after, Rika-chan picks up the comatose
Sahara and runs outside.
Sahara is dreaming of
when he was a child and the other kids used to make him do everything because
he was a 'good' kid. Once they were going to cut his hair all funny,
and when he asked a teacher for help he was ignored. Since then,
he never trusted teachers. Sahara wakes up to find his head on Rika-chan's
lap, and jumps up, embarrassed and angry. Rika-chan says, I wonder
what I should do to you since I won the bet? Then she says I want to be
friends with you, but Sahara just says get real and stomps off, flustered.
Tmi and Jimiko pop up and Rika thanks them both for their help, saying
to Ookami that he didn't make a move when he had the chance. Ookami
says he just doesn't like bullying girls, and is of course all embarrassed
and cute :p
Rika-chan thinks she's glad because now
she understands Jimiko and Ookami better, and she wants to understand Sahara
as well.
After school, Rika-chan
has just bought some books on understanding teenagers(she doesn't understand
them because she's so mature^_^) she sees Sahara with some tough
looking friends. They go into a bar, and Rika-chan thinks she'd better
follow just in case. Sahara is inside with a blonde woman trying
to pick him up(and apparently not for the first time) Sahara resists
her, and she leaves. Rika-chan is thinking that her drink is very
tasty(I bet it is^_^)Sahara keeps thinking of Rika-chan's offer of friendship,
and is annoyed because he thought he would win the game and make her cry,
and he can't understand her. A fight breaks out, and Sahara tells
the people they should take it outside. Then they start harrassing
him, until Rika sets off the fire alarm. Sahara is stunned to see
her there, but Rika just tells him to get out before the police get there.
Sahara leaves, and the police come, but Rika is strangely unconcerned as
they grab and demand her name...
Part 5 (March
1999): The police don't believe that Rika is a teacher, and the vice principal
has to come and get her. Rika is very grateful, but she tells her
to be ready to ber fired. The next day, there is a staff meeting
and all the teachers seem to want Rika's dismissal, but the principal says
what's one false alarm? and lets her stay on. She is suspended from
duty for a while though, and she's sitting in her room in the teacher's
quarters a bit depressed, when she looks out the window and sees Sahara.
She runs down to talk to him, and says she's glad he was okay. He
says she shouldn't be so happy since she got in trouble, and asks why she
didn't tell the teachers the truth, especially after all that's happened.
Rika says because she's a teacher so of course she didn't. She says
anytime he's in trouble, to come and ask her for help. She actually
makes him smile, and is very happy at getting one step closer to her ideal
class and a 'bravo' campus life.
The next day at school, Rika unknowingly
saves two female students fr om trouble because of their 'unsuitable' appearance-one
has earrings and the other has a perm. The teacher that was bothering
them is a flashy looking teacher, wearing a mini skirt, open jacket showing
her bustier, makeup and paint ed nails. She was one of the teachers
who wanted to fire Rika, and swears that Rika will be crying when she's
done with her.
In class, Rika is in
a good mood, and when Ookami comes in late for the tenth time, she cheerily
sets him up in the hall with two buckets and a sign saying Late Gang Leader.
The other students are surprised at how easily Rika handles him, and one
says maybe he's not as scary as he looks.
The campus principal
comes on the PA system, and says there hasn't been any events lately, so
he's announcing a mixed volleyball tournament to take place the next week.
He says there'll be a wonderful prize, which int erests the students.
Rika thinks that this is just what she wanted, and declares that her class
will take on the challenge.
In the principal's office,
Miketani asks the principal if he made the event volleyball on purpose
to cause a commotion in Rika's class. The principal doesn't answer
yes or no...
Rika is already training
her class. Ookami tries to sneak away but Rika aims a volleyball
at him. He instinctively smashes it right back, and Rika is delighted
to find such a good player. She says he's on the team, and Sahara
looks inscrutable(?maybe he's jealous of the attention?) She thinks
that they're a shoe-in for the championship now, when Jakkou(the rather
slutty looking teacher from before) says don't celebrate yet. She
says it looks like Ookami's arm is still good(I think) and says that she'll
pay him back for something that happened last year-I'm not exactly sure
what.
Part
6(April 1999):
Rika is trying to get Ookami to join her
volleyball team for the school tournament. He tries to refuse, and Rika
says she knows why he was kicked off the team when he was in first year.
The volleyball sempais were abusing their position, and though he went
to Jakou Sensei about it, she wouldn’t do anything(there’s a really cute
picture of him with short hair here ^_^). She told him that he wasn’t an
important member of the team(or something like that). Then the sempais
were going to rough him up even worse, and there was a big fight and he
sent all the sempais to the hospital. Rika romanticises it and tells the
rest of the class, embarrassing Ookami. The class is impressed and a bit
scared knowing that he beat up all those upperclassmen at the same time,
but Rika tells them it’s okay, because he never picks on the weak and is
a “Gang Leader of Justice”. She pulls the corners of his mouth up in a
smile, embarrassing him again. Rika says the whole class will s h ow Jakou
the error of her ways together. She then leads the whole class in a cheer
while Sahara looks on and comments that like a good teacher, she takes
care of her students.
Later, at a staff meeting, Rika thinks that
with Ookami on the team, they have a chance at the championship. She asks
what the prize is, but it’s a secret. Rika’s pen falls under a desk, and
when she reaches down to pick it up, she notices a small device taped to
the underside of the desk. She remembers seeing things like it in movies
and stuff and picks it up, hiding it from the other teachers. She runs
out
with it quickly, thinking there’s only one
person she knows who would know how to do something like this, and yells
as loud as she can right into the device. Sahara appears from around the
corner with earplugs looking a bit pained. She demands to know why he’s
doing this, and he tells her not to worry. It was more habit than anything,
and he won’t steal test answers or anything like that anymore. Rika takes
anyways. Rika asks him if he’s bored with school again, and Sahara, after
pausing a second, says there hasn’t been time for boredom lately with all
the practices and other bothersome things going on. Rika says she’s really
looking forward to it, because it’s the first time she’s done something
with Sahara helping, which seems to surprise Sahara a little. She says
that’s why she really wants to win, and goes off a bit about yesterday’s
enemy being today’s ally, yada yada, to which Sahara reluctantly agrees.
Rika runs off to practice, and Jakou appears in front of Sahara, asking
to talk to him for a bit. At practice, Rika has gotten her class shirts,
and is happy, thinking that if they really do win the championship, she
and Sahara(or maybe the whole class, it’s not clear) will become even better
friends.
Jakou is showing some photos to Sahara,
saying that she got a boy from her class to take them. They’re all pictures
showing Sahara selling test answers! Jakou knew the whole time but didn’t
say anything until now. She says if he helps her during the tournament,
she won’t show the pictures to anyone, and his ‘perfect student’ reputation
will be safe. He asks calmly if she’s threatening him, and she says not
to worry, she only wants to win this tournament. Sahara thinks that he’s
thought about this happening before, but (I think) he didn’t expect it
to come from a teacher. He thinks that if he’s going to be used by a teacher,
he’d rather drop out of school, and wonders how his parents will react.
He thinks that he doesn’t care about school. But when he goes to the class
practice, and Rika calls to him cheerfully, he looks very sad, and she
doesn’t understand. Then he puts his glasses on and recovers at least outwardly,
insulting the class uniform and teasing Rika. The rest of the class watches
and comments that it’s strange for Sahara to joke around, but when he does
he seems like an ordinary student. Ookami listens quietly. At the tournament,
Jakou tries to keep Rika from playing on her team but the princiapl says
it’s okay, and Ookami tells Jakou to be quiet. Rika says if she has a problem
they can settle it on the court, and Jakou looks very annoyed. Rika’s class
plays against a 2nd year class and wins. Looking on, the principal and
vice principal say that this year it looks like the final might be Jakou’s
class against Rika’s class, and the principal says he’s done all he can(mysterious,
ne?)and it’s up to Rika’s class now to resolve the problem from last year.
Walking past Sahara, Jakou tells him it’s time. She thinks that she’ll
show Rika for disrespecting her as a coach and advisor. Rika’s class has
already beat the girl’s team, and Jakou thinks that she won’t let those
stupid kids beat her twice.
Rika is celebrating, and the rest of the
class are talking to each other. One boy is actually having a conversation
with Ookami, which makes Rika happy. She goes into rapture mode, and some
of her students watch with resignation. Then Ookami calls her, saying Sahara
said they should go get another ball. They go out to the old shed where
the test incident happened. They can’t find any balls, though Sahara said
there should be one there, and suddenly the door slams shut! Jakou has
closed and locked the door from the outside, and tells them to wait quietly
until the tournament is over. They protest, and Rika says she’ll tell the
principal. Jakou tells her to shut up, saying that they can if they want,
but her partner in crime is Sahara. Rika calls out to him apprehensively,
and he pauses before apologizing, and says that he’ll come
back and let them out as soon as it’s over.
He walks away, and Rika shouts at him to open the door, and asks why silently...
Part 7(May 1999): On the volleyball court, Rika’s class is wondering
where she and Ookami are. Jakou looks smug and Sahara looks guilty.
In the shed, Rika tries to kick the door down, with no success. Ookami
tells her they should just wait until after the match and Sahara comes
to pick them up. Rika says he has to be there for the rest of the
game, and wonders why Sahara was helping Jakou. Ookami says there’s
no way Sahara would be ordered around by a teacher ordinarily, and says
Jakou must have something on him. Rika remembers when Jakou said
the shed was the place from before, and realizes that Jakou must know about
the test thing.
In the gym, Sahara
has earphones on when a classmate calls him to the court, saying they had
to make some substitutions. They’ve chosen Girl-ko and Kantarou,
the two kangaroos! Jakou protests, but the principal says it’s okay.
Jakou thinks that without Ookami and ‘the moodmaker’(Rika), Class 1-B is
no match for her team. However, with Jimiko’s excellent receiving,
Kantarou’s setting, and Girl-ko’s spikes, the class does pretty well.
In the shed,
Ookami is saying that after he was thrown off the volleyball team a year
ago, he got depressed. He got into another fight with guys from another
school, and thought he would be kicked out of school. But Sahara
stood up for him, telling the principal that the other guys started it.
Ookami says no one would have taken his word for it, and if it hadn’t been
for Sahara, he would have been expelled for sure. Then Ookami wonders
aloud why he’s telling Rika this, and is a bit embarrassed. Rika
tells him to go on, but he’s done. She thinks that Sahara is always
careful, so she thought that he must have placed ‘that’ somewhere so he
could check on them, but she can’t find it. Rika says that that must
be why Ookami acted as Sahara’s right-hand man(actually, she uses the words
‘faithful dog’^_^) and Ookami replies that actually, he just didn’t want
to have Sahara as an enemy. Rika says he does believe in Sahara though,
thinking of how he said he would never go along with Jakou, and continues
that it’s a wonderful friendship between them. Ookami is embarrassed,
and says he feels grateful to Sahara as well, but he thinks that the one
who’s making school kind of fun lately is Rika(he’s blushing now).
He says even if they can’t win the championship today, he’s satisfied.
Rika suddenly notices something past Ookami, and abruptly leans past him
to get it. She smiles, and whispers that he shouldn’t give up hope
yet!
In the gym, there’s
a time out with the score at 14-14. Jimiko, Girl-ko, and Kantarou
are all dead from doing everything, and boy from Rika’s class says without
Rika and Ookami they can’t pull away in points. Sahara is still thinking
about Rika when she said she was happy to be working on this together with
Sahara, when the principal comes up and asks the class what’s wrong, where’s
Rika and Ookami? The class says they haven’t come back yet, and the
principal asks if they’re together. Sahara reluctantly agrees, and
the principal smirks, commenting on how suspicious it is. The rest
of the class start talking excitedly about a forbidden love between a teacher
and her student, and someone mentions that their ages are perfect as well.
Sahara is upset, but the principal says everyone is perking up. Sahara
glances at his bag, and thinks that though Ookami isn’t the type, they
are all alone together in that small, dark place(with Rika wearing bloomers
as well!), so he picks up his headphones, which are connected to his listening
device. This is what he hears:
Rika: Wha...What
are you doing, Ookami-kun?!
Ookami: Come on,
while we still can, don’t struggle!
Rika: Stop-Someone-(Bang)
NOOOOOOOOO!!!(Bang Bang)
Sahara drops
everything and races out of the gym, watched curiously by his classmates.
He speeds over to the shed and slams the door open, yelling at Ookami.
Before his eyes, Ookami and Rika are sitting on the floor, Rika smiling
and holding the bug. She says she knew he must be checking on them, and
says her plan worked perfectly. Sahara is totally flustered, and
Rika and Ookami go past him while he collapses to the floor. Rika
calls for him to come with him, saying they have to go beat Jakou.
Sahara sheepishly smiles and they get back to the gym just in time.
Jakou is angry, and Sahara wonders what she’ll do after the game.
After Rika thanks Jimiko and the kangaroos for holding the class up during
her absence, she takes to the court. Jakou also decides to play,
and the real battle begins! The other students cheer, and if you
look, you’ll see that Fujita Maguro-sensei has drawn the crowd, and in
it are several of her characters-Rupika, Aoi, asd, and Fujita-sensei herself.
Back to the game-Jakou plays rough, and deliberately smashes one of Rika’s
students in the face, knocking him down. Jakou stands and gloats,
but the ball is still active, and Sahara tips it over to get a point.
The students cheer, and Jakou winds up for a maximum killer strike aimed
right at Rika. Rika readies herself for it but it’s too fast, and
she’s about to get hit when Sahara steps in front and takes the hit for
her! His glasses are knocked off and he’s bleeding, but Sahara tells
Rika to get the point(the ball is still active). Rika and Ookami,
both really mad, team up to spike it at Jakou, and she stares at the oncoming
bullet. She falls back to avoid it and it grinds into the floor,
giving Class 1-B the game and the championship. Rika stands before
her, and as Jakou stares up at her, Rika says she’ll forgive her this time,
but next time she messes with one of her students she’ll have her to answer
to-she’ll stake her name as a teacher on it. She then takes Sahara
to the nurse’s office, asking that someone receive the prize for the class.
The principal comes up to Ookami, saying he did well today. Ookami
thanks him, wondering what’s going on, and the principal says that school’s
not so bad after all. He tells him not to keep sulking about being
held back, because in a lifetime on or two years doesn’t make too much
difference. He walks away, Ookami looking after him, wondering if
he knows what really happened as well.
In the nurse’s room, Rika is taking
care of Sahara’s injury. He asks if she’s mad, and Rika says she
knows that Jakou was blackmailing him. If tha t had been revealed,
she, Ookami, and Jimiko would be in trouble as well, so she understood
why he did it. She goes on, saying that she said that if anyone tries
to harm Sahara, she would be on his side. Sahara catches her hand
and pulls her towards him, but before anything happens, the door opens
with the Vice Principal carrying Masaru(the student who was smashed in
the face by Jakou). Rika falls off her stool, and Sahara looks expressionless.
Rika wonders what Sahara was doing, thinking it couldn’t be...? The
PA comes on, with the Principal congratulating Class 1-B on the championship.
He will now announce the grand prize-a class trip to Australia!
Part 8 (June
1999): Rika and her class are on the plane on the way to Australia.
Rika gives many instructions to the class, telling them to listen to the
class president, not to spend too much on snacks, etc., but after a while
no one listens. The vice-principal(maybe she's the nurse) says that
for a first trip, they could have gone somewhere in Japan just as well.
Rika thinks that this might be a bit complicated, but since it's her first
field trip with her class, they should have fun. There's a couple
pictures of students snorkelling and a koala on Ookami, and Sahara makes
an announcement, saying that tomorrow they're going to the beach at 8am,
and until then it's breakfast. Watching him, Rika thinks that he's
acting the same as usual. Turning around, she thinks that the time
in the nurse's room must have been an overactive imagination after all.
Sahara looks at her...
On her rounds that night,
Rika finds one room of girls still up and playing cards. She tells
them that it's time to turn the lights out because tomorrow's an early
day. Far from doing that, the girls invite her to join them and chat for
a bit. Rika asks hopefully if they're going to have a pillow fight, but
the girls say no, not that. They ask her if she's going to see any
friends or family on this trip, but Rika says no, both her family and her
school were in Sydney(I guess they're not going there). By the map
shown it looks like they're in Brisbane. Then the girls ask her if
she likes anyone, and Rika blushes, surprised. She says no, and tells
them she doesn't have a boyfriend in Australia either. The girls
say is there anyone at Shishimaru(the school) that she thinks is cute,
for example Ookami? Rika asks why they said Ookami, and the girls
say rumours are going around about them from the volleyball tournament
and stuff. Rika can't tell them what really happened, so she says
they're wrong, and anyways, (going into idealistic mode) all the students
are her beloved. The girls decide to sleep, exasperated.
The next day at the beach,
a game of beach volleyball starts up, with Rika and Ookami on one team.
Rika says they're the Golden Pair, and on the sidelines, a boy comments
to Sahara that they're really good friends, and asks if they're going out.
Rika, climbing up a tree to get a ball, loses her balance(I think because
she heard this) and starts to fall. Sahara starts to go but is forestalled
by Ookami, who catches Rika. The other boys make comments and Ookami
tells them to be quiet. Rika coolly thanks Ookami, and suggests that
they continue. Sahara tells Rika that she's too calm about stuff
like this, and asks if it's because she doesn't see the students as boys(or
men). Rika doesn't know what to make of this, and wonders if Sahara
feels sick or something.
Talking with the principal,
he says something about how Australia is different from Japan in its views
or something, and says since they only have two more days left, tomorrow
night they should have a campfire, after the kangaroo ranch, which makes
Sahara look a bit sick. Then he asks out of the blue if Rika and
Ookami are getting it on! Both Ookami and Rika spit out their drinks
in surprise and Sahara doesn't look too happy either. Ookami angrily(blushing
as well) says of course not, and Rika laughingly scolds him for thinking
like the students. The principal mischievously asks Sahara if it's
true, and he says it has nothing to do with him, which makes the principal
chuckle. He says actually, there's a special prize for the winning
homeroom teacher, and kisses Rika on the cheek! Sahara loses it and
throws the contents of the water pitcher in the principal's face, saying
he's taking his bad jokes too far. He also calls him uncle, which
means he's not as in control as usual.
The dripping principal
says there's nothing to stand in the way of him and Rika being together-they're
both teachers at least, and Rika's 16. In the background, the nurse
says there's lots of other problems though-Lolita complexes, etc.
Then the principal says that his motto is free love, and Sahara, the 'perfect
student', has nothing to say about it. Sahara looks upset and leaves.
The nurse comes with
a towel to dry off the Principal and scolds him, saying he really did take
the joke too far. The principal laughs and says seeing Sahara so
cool all the time makes him want to bother him. Left alone, Rika
holds her cheek and wonders what was going on, and what the principal was
trying to do.
The next day at the kangaroo
farm, Sahara tells everyone it's free time until 5:00. Rika is trying
to stop her pets from bothering the other animals, Girl-ko from fighting
with them, and Kanta from jumping into female pouches and sleeping.
The principal suggests that Sahara join the others in the pens, but Sahara
declines. Rika catches up with him and asks if he's feeling okay.
He says yes, and Rika tells him not to worry about last night, because
the principal was a bit drunk. Sahara says he's not worrying, and
Rika thinks he must be feeling bad. She says even if he doesn't want
to touch the kangaroos, why doesn't he go and take pictures with the others?
Sahara gets angry and tells Rika not to bother trying to help him, if she
wants to be a 'nice teacher' there's lots of other students to do it with.
Rika pauses for a moment, and as Sahara walks away, runs after and jump-kicks
him in the back, knocking him over. He looks up at her in surprise,
and she asks why he has to be so difficult, and tells him he can just sulk
by himself then. Sticking out her tongue at him, she angrily enters
a kangaroo pen. She thinks that she thought they had become friends
at least a little, and she doesn't understand him. One of the ranch
workers shouts out not to open that pen, and all the kangaroos suddenly
come bounding out. The worker says those ones aren't used to humans
yet, and they have to catch them all. Rika has a baby one, but the
very rough-looking mother faces her and starts to attack her. It's
driven back by Sahara, who appears in front of Rika with his kangaroo repellent,
but the kangaroo knocks it out of his hand. Sahara is still standing
in front of Rika, and it looks bad, but the principal gets the kangaroo
with a tranquilizer shot out of a pea-shooter. He's proud of himself,
and the students are all wondering why he has a pea-shooter.
Sahara sinks to the ground(he controlled his fear pretty well up to now)
and Rika asks if he's alright, apologizing for getting him into that.
Sahara looks up smiling, and comments that she's a really troublesome teacher,
and Rika stares at him in silence, blushing and wondering why it's always
Sahara who makes her angry, who worries her, and who can make tears come
to her eyes just by smiling(Gee, I wonder too^_^).
That night at the campfire,
Rika and Sahara are talking. She says a long time ago, she
hated school. When her parents were transferred to Australia and
she changed schools, she couldn't communicate with the other students so
she couldn't make friends. But when she was alone one day in the
corner, a Japanese teacher came and brought her to the other students,
asking them to play with her. Rika says even though she didn't say
anything, that teacher heard her heart crying out for help, and thanks
to that one teacher, school became fun for her and she loved it.
She tells Sahara that she'd like to be that kind of teacher for him.
Sahara pauses and says he doesn't want that kind of teacher. He leans
in, and asks if a teacher is totally forbidden. Rika thinks that
she can't see his face well in the dark, and asks what he means.
Sahara touches her cheek, and then...kisses Rika! The
principal announces that it's time to return, and Sahara says to Rika that
that's what he means. Rika, blushing, starts to shake, and says that
even being told that way, it's not that easy, and shouts because she's
a teacher! and runs off. The others look, attracted by Rika's
yell, and Sahara looks a cool as ever. Rika, running, thinks this
can't be true, and asks herself what to do...
Part 9 (July
1999):
After the trip, Rika has a lot of trouble
concentrating on her teaching, and can't treat Sahara normally anymore.
She makes several mistakes like writing Swahili on the board instead of
Japanese(or English), and hitting the wrong student with chalk. Sahara
watches but has the same expression as always. After class, some of the
girls invite Rika out with them to go karaokeing. They're meeting
some guys from Koumori High, and one of the girls couldn't make it.
Rika agrees, and the girls ask her not to say she's a teacher. Rika doesn't
really understand but says okay.
Leo is called to the
principal's office, and is annoyed when his uncle just wanted to show him
photos from the recent trip. He asks mischievously if Leo wants one
of Rika in a bathingsuit, and Leo shouts at him not to call him out of
class for no reason(but he does grab it^_^). The principal asks Leo,
as the class president, how Rika is doing, and Leo says she's got problems
but is getting along well with her students. Leo asks if something
happened, and the principal evades, saying not really, and turning the
subject by asking if something happened between him and Rika in Australia.
Since then the two of them have been strange. Leo gets red and denies
this, storming out saying he'll never go to Australia again. Snickering,
the principal observes to the nurse that since Rika came, Leo has become
cute, and the nurse says he's stopped hiding his emotions so much.
She says it would be nice if that was assessed as well. The principal
asks her what she thinks about tomorrow, because 'they' are coming, and
comments that if Rika can keep out of trouble she'll be okay.
At karaoke, Rika is having
a great time singing stuff noone can understand, and one of the guys says
she's interesting. The girl who invited Rika whispers to her friend
that these guys that she got picked up by seem a bit wild(something like
that I think!). The other girl says it's okay.
Rika watches them and
thinks that this is what a normal high school student's life is like.
She wonders how she would have answered Leo if she wasn't a teacher, and
then cuts herself off blushing. One of the guys asks her if she's
drinking juice, which she is, and says he likes interesting girls.
His friend laughingly says he's already started sweet-talking, and Rika's
student says they should be going now. The guys don't want to let
them go, suggesting that they all walk to their friend's store. They're
outside discussing it when Leo, walking home, sees them. The guy's
leader(the one who liked Rika) points out a pulling up car and says they
can go in that. He calls them naive for thinking they could get away
with nothing after being treated, and things are looking bad when
Rika and her pair of battle kangaroos(well, Girl-ko makes up for Kantarou)
attack. Rika, readying some chalk and erasers, declares that she
won't stand by and watch while a 1-B student gets taken advantage of.
She attacks and yells to the two girls to escape, which they do, but the
guy recovers and grabs Rika. Suddenly, a trash can is dumped on his
head and Rika is pulled away by Leo. She starts to ask why he's there,
when Leo says they should hide and pulls her into an alley, holding her
close to conceal her. The guys run by while Rika and Leo keep silent,
both blushing. Leo lets Rika go once they're gone, and Rika starts
to thank him but then stops and asks him what he's doing in a place like
this at this hour. Leo responds with the same question, and Rika
self-consciously starts to walk away, saying this time they're both to
blame but next time she'll tell the principal. Leo catches her hand
and reminds her that she never really answered his question in Australia-
What comes after 'Because I'm a teacher'?
Rika turns around and exclaims that even if she's made to see Leo romantically,
she doesn't know what to do now. They pause, and Leo says he understands,
and they should just forget what happened in Australia. He tells
Rika that starting tomorrow he'll be the star student again, so she can
rest easy. Leo leaves, and Rika finds herself unable to stop crying.
She wonders why, when it was her that stopped Leo. Close by, Youji
says though Rika got away, he won't let it go yet.
The next day, the two
girls apologize to Rika, who plays it down, adding that she won't tell
the other teachers. The girls are still a little worried about the
guys seeking retribution, but Rika assures them she's there as well as
Ookami. The girls say lately Ookami has been acting just like another
good person...Leo calls Rika, presenting her with her copies(or some other
gofer thing). Rika thanks him distractedly, reflecting how strange
it was, she was so happy the first time she was called Sensei, and now...
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