Kanase Kanon wore a pure white bob, and her features were just as pure—one look at her and "angel" came to mind. "Saint" might as well have been her nickname.
Shichen knew her fairly well; back in the day he'd even helped her look after the strays behind campus.
After two and a half years apart, the dainty girl he remembered had grown into a young woman with a serene, holy beauty. Just looking at her made his mind feel cleaner. She gave off a sacred, untouchable air.
"Shichen-sensei, do you know Kanon-chan?" Akatsuki Nagisa asked, curious.
"Of course—longer than I've known you."
"Oh, I see."
"Kanon, how have you been lately?" Shichen asked Kanase Kanon.
"I've been great, Onii-chan… ah—no, I should call you Shichen-sensei." Even when surprised, Kanon's voice was soft and gentle, like a warm spring breeze.
"It's fine—call me whatever you like. Honestly, I prefer it when you call me Onii-chan." Shichen gave her a playful wink.
"Um… is that really okay?" Kanon looked a little embarrassed.
"Of course it is. I'd like to see who has a problem with it," Shichen said, shooting a warning look at a few students who were staring over curiously.
It was middle school—early teens—the age when hormones start kicking in. People notice each other; attraction is human nature. Looks do a lot of the work.
In this cohort the two most striking women were Akatsuki Nagisa and Kanase Kanon—one lively and bright, the other gentle and kind at a glance. Exactly the kind of presence that turns heads.
From the moment Shichen started chatting easily with the two of them, a knot of male students had their eyes glued to him. No way were they not harboring feelings—and students often admire older mentors.
Shichen wasn't surprised they'd tagged him as a rival. He couldn't care less about the hostility of a bunch of hot-blooded kids; none of them were worth his attention.
Two and a half years ago, everyone at this school had known his name. These newer students might not know the details, but a teacher is a teacher—students instinctively feel that pressure. When he stared back at them, most of them looked away in a hurry; only a few kept their chins up.
"You there—go run two laps," Shichen ordered a few of them on the training field.
"Why?!"
"I'm your teacher, and the way you're acting is a bit disrespectful."
"No it isn't! You're just picking on us!"
"Yup. You guessed it," Shichen said bluntly.
"…"
That actually left them speechless.
"Make it two laps. If you argue, I'll add two more."
"On what grounds?!"
"Don't like it? Feel free to take it up with the dean's office."
"Damn it…"
They weren't dumb enough to think Shichen had no backing. After all, they'd had a different teacher last session. If someone can replace a teacher out of nowhere, he clearly has pull. So they could only trudge off to run.
"Hehe, Shichen-sensei, that was pretty childish of you," Nagisa laughed.
"Childish how?" Shichen played dumb. "Anyway, you two are super popular now. Looks like half the guys in class have a crush on you."
"No way~" Nagisa denied it, but the pleased smile on her face gave her away.
"Onii-chan, I… don't really have any feelings for anyone in class," Kanon answered softly.
"That's how it should be. You're still young—don't rush into dating, okay?" Shichen patted her shoulder, nodding with satisfaction.
"Mhm…" Kanon blinked her clear eyes and smiled up at him.
"Shichen-sensei, do you like being called Onii-chan? Want me to call you that too?" Nagisa slipped an arm around his shoulder.
"Nice try," Shichen said evenly. "Nope. That one's Kanon's exclusive."
"Eh? Then what should I call you?"
"'Sensei' is fine."
"Aw, come on! We're close, aren't we…?"
"Since when are we close?"
"Uh… Shichen-sensei, you just got back and now you're pretending you don't know me?" Nagisa pouted.
"Haha, I'm teasing you." Shichen ruffled her hair until her head tilted this way and that.
Nagisa didn't get mad; she laughed. "Shichen-sensei, you're awful—picking on me like that!"
"It's been a while, that's all~"
"Exactly! So where did you disappear to?"
"Secret~"
"Ugh, so mean!" Nagisa let go, gave him a few mock punches that had no force behind them.
Their easy closeness drew envious looks from the women and jealous glares from the men around them.
…
Training ended, and Shichen headed back to the office. Sasasaki Misaki came up to him right away.
"Shichen, how was your first day back teaching? Anything feel off? Need my help with anything?"
Sasasaki Misaki was Minamiya Natsuki's kouhai. She had dark red hair done up in twin buns, and the qipao she wore set off her curves.
"Sasasaki-sensei, it's not my first day teaching. Everything went smoothly," Shichen said with a smile.
"Yeah? Good. In that case, how about we celebrate with lunch?" Sasasaki asked, eyes smiling.
"…I promised Natsuki-nee I'd eat with her. Want to come along?"
"Ahem—maybe not."
His first day back went surprisingly smoothly. He ran into all his old acquaintances, and Shichen slid right back into the rhythm of this world.
After classes, most instructors were done for the day. Shichen and Kanase Kanon headed to the back hill to see the kittens. Minamiya Natsuki still had things to handle and couldn't leave campus yet, so Shichen would wait for her.
He and Kanon strolled toward the back hill. The young woman kept a soft smile the whole way.
"Kanon, why didn't you ask Nagisa to come?" Shichen opened with small talk.
"I—I never told her I was looking after the cats," Kanon shook her head lightly.
"Really? You two seem pretty close."
"Mhm. Nagisa's really nice—she's the only one who reached out to me."
"The only one?" Shichen looked at her, puzzled.
"Mhm. I don't know why, but the classmates in our program don't really want to get close to me."
"The guys?"
"The girls too."
"Heh. I don't think you need to worry about it."
"Why, Onii-chan?"
"Trust me." Shichen gently mussed her soft silver hair. "The girls just don't dare get too close. As for the guys… don't worry about them."
"Is Onii-chan trying to keep me away from guys?" Kanon sounded like she was smiling.
"It's just… guys are often up to no good. Spend time with them and they'll try to sweet-talk you," Shichen said shamelessly, grasping at an excuse.
Kanon was still easy to fluster; he couldn't just blurt out what he was really thinking.
"Okay. I'll listen to you, Onii-chan," Kanon nodded with a smile, as if she believed him.
"Good… By the way, how's white-chan doing?" Shichen changed the subject. White-chan was a white cat who used to stick to him; he'd missed her.
"White-chan's great—and she's grown up. She really misses you."
"Yeah? Then let's pick up the pace."
"Okay."
"Meow~"
"White-chan, long time no see~"
White-chan definitely remembered him, and was just as affectionate as ever. The moment she saw him she leapt into his arms. She had grown—bigger than before—when Shichen held her, she actually felt heavier than Megumin.
The other cats remembered him too, padding over to crowd around him; in an instant his ears were full of meows. The old cats had grown up, and there were many new kittens as well—he wasn't sure if they were all the offspring of the ones he knew.
Kanon stood by, watching Shichen surrounded by cats, her gaze soft.
They stayed for over an hour before Minamiya Natsuki finished work. Then Shichen went with her to see Kanon home. Only after Kanon turned the corner and disappeared did Shichen and Natsuki head off.
"Not going to look a little longer?" Natsuki asked suddenly.
"Hm?" Shichen glanced at her and blinked. "What, don't tell me you're jealous?"
"Jealous of what?" Natsuki's face was expressionless.
"Heh. Then why ask?"
"Can't I ask a casual question? Besides, Kanon is very pretty—sounds like your type."
"She's fine. But I think you're cuter."
"…"
"Shy, huh."
"Scram!" Natsuki glared at him, cheeks flushing.
"…Tell me—did you come back now because that 'Eternal Banquet' you mentioned is about to start?"
"Clumsy topic change… but yeah. It's almost here."