Epilogue
This chapter was translated by shizuumi151, and proofread by kuririn, yuugs, and dei-hime!
It happened on a certain day near the end of my third term. When I ducked under the school gates and decided to look at the school building, I heard a loud voice from the front entrance where the teachers and guests were.
???: "Serizawa-san, please wait!"
???: "Enough! When I say move, that means you move!"
I was sure that voice belonged to Serizawa-san… Hearing the raised voices, I wondered, ‘Is he here making outlandish demands again...?’ Just as I did, Ibuki-kun arrived, right on time.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Morning, Ibuki-kun. It seems that Serizawa-san's here."
Ryuunosuke Ibuki: "Yo, morning. Yeah, I heard that he wants to demolish some worn-out dojo behind the school."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...What? Why? How come?"
Ryuunosuke Ibuki "I-I dunno! I mean, that's just what I heard… Wha― Hey, what're you doing!?"
I didn't wait to hear the rest of Ibuki-kun’s words. I ran into the school building and headed straight for the staff room. I had to let Hijikata-sensei know about this… That thought alone had spurred me into action.
Then, a little out of breath, I finally reached the staff room and knocked on the door.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Pardon me. Um, is Hijikata-sensei―"
Kamo Serizawa: "―end of discussion."
When Serizawa-san cut the others off, the place went completely still...as did my heart. One foot in the room, I froze: I couldn't move a muscle.
Isami Kondou: "......"
Toshizou Hijikata: "......"
No one said a word. Not Kondou-sensei, not Hijikata-sensei, nor any of the other teachers. Everyone was rendered speechless by Serizawa-san’s words.
Shinpachi Nagakura: "H-Hey, hold on just a moment here, Serizawa-san!"
Sanosuke Harada: "What in the world do you mean you want to 'demolish Shiei Hall'?"
Kamo Serizawa: "I said what I meant, and meant what I said. I said as much to Kondou-kun and Hijikata before. The dojo remains standing on the condition that this academy excels above all others in sports or in academics. Otherwise, the dojo could be demolished at any time. Those were my terms. Then I postponed it for several years for them. But the results remain completely unsatisfactory. The students' grades, rates of university acceptance, and their efforts in their sports clubs are moderately successful, but can hardly be called first-class."
Toshizou Hijikata: "...That's..."
Sanosuke Harada: "Hold on a moment. That's not the case. Our school's grades get higher year after year, and they exceed the national average, as well."
Kamo Serizawa: "What does the national average have to do with anything? Even if the mean is tolerable, the fact is that the projections show talent to be lacking at this school. Also, if we look at how many successful applicants were admitted into top universities this year, it amounts to a grand total of zero, does it not?"
Sanosuke Harada: "......"
Shinpachi Nagakura: "Th-Then, how about the sports department's showings? The kendo club in particular is even bound to compete in the nationals this year!"
Kamo Serizawa: "Tell me that after they've gone to nationals."
Keisuke Sannan: "...We cannot refute that, it’s true. The reality is that our current performance reports do not reach that bar."
Kamo Serizawa: "Precisely. ...And does the fact that you have no results to show for it not mean that your educational principles are misguided?" Serizawa-san's lips twisted into a sneer. Then, he turned to the wall of the staff room, where those same principles were printed and framed as a reminder to everyone. His gaze was unfeeling. He continued, "What were those teachings of Shiei Hall again? Something about being 'a proud warrior,' was it? How laughable. Do you all relish being slaves to such an outdated ideology?"
Isami Kondou: "Ngh..."
Kamo Serizawa: "The sooner all of you, and Kondou-kun in particular, give up on that tattered dojo, the better. That is what will be best for the school."
Toshizou Hijikata: "...Bastard..."
Despite the piercing glares boring into him, Serizawa-san had spoken arrogantly and without hesitation.
The one struck hardest by those criticisms was our school principal, Kondou-sensei. With a nod to himself and an air of humility, he stepped forward.
Isami Kondou: "Serizawa-san... It is true that I haven’t brought the school up to your expectations. That is why, to take responsibility for this, I would not mind leaving this school to someone else. However... I only ask that, in exchange for my resignation, you leave Shiei Hall be."
Kamo Serizawa: "What...?"
Isami Kondou: "Whatever you might say, we have been guiding our students according to the teachings of that dojo. 'No matter how many years pass, this will be your alma mater. When times are hard, we will always welcome you.' I have sent off each of my graduates as they set out into the world on their own with that message. That is why―" Kondou-sensei cut himself off, and cast his gaze outside through the window. His eyes were kind and gentle, almost like a parent’s looking at their own child.
Isami Kondou: "Changing the educational principles of this school would be changing the school itself. If our students returned to this school and found nothing as it was, despite my promises… I couldn’t show my face to our graduates building a life for themselves in society!" Straightening his shoulders and facing forward again, Kondou-sensei met Serizawa-san’s gaze levelly. His eyes were filled with a resolve so strong that even Serizawa-san retreated a step.
Isami Kondou: "...That is why I would like to resign to leave Shiei Hall intact. Even if I weren't here any longer, this school's ideals―"
Toshizou Hijikata: "You can't, Kondou-san!"
Isami Kondou: "Toshi..."
As the rest of us watched in silence, Hijikata-sensei pushed Kondou-sensei aside. He put himself in front of Serizawa-san, blocking Kondou-sensei’s way.
Toshizou Hijikata: "You have placed a large part of the responsibility of meeting his expectations on me, so I am partly responsible for failing to meet them, too. So I will offer my own resignation and quit in Kondou-san's stead. That’s a suitable alternative, isn’t it, Serizawa-san?"
Kamo Serizawa: "Hijikata... That is out of the question. Even if only you would quit, that would have no effect on me whatsoever."
Toshizou Hijikata: "...That’s not true. I've taken up stances that have opposed your agenda countless times before now. Getting rid of me would be ridding yourself of the biggest thorn in your side at this school, wouldn't it?"
Kamo Serizawa: "...Hm."
Isami Kondou: "Toshi...!"
Toshizou Hijikata: "It's okay. Right now, the students don't need a ‘demon teacher’ like me. They need your teachings, delivered by you. So, Kondou-san... Please." Holding back Kondou-sensei with one hand, Hijikata-sensei was facing Serizawa-san head-on.
Serizawa-san looked like he was enjoying the display, judging by the crooked curve of his lips. He cast a sharp glance Hijikata-sensei's way.
Kamo Serizawa: "I see. I understand your thinking better now. I can't say I don't appreciate Hijikata's point either. But, glaring at me with a puffed chest like that… Is that how you ask someone for a favor?"
Toshizou Hijikata: "...Then how do you think I should do it?"
Kamo Serizawa: "When you ask someone for a favor, you bend yourself in half and hang your head low. I'll accept the mistakes you have made right here, right now, and end your career as a teacher myself. Heheheh... Even if you quit as a teacher, it should be possible for you to take over the remnants of Hijikata Pharmaceuticals, after all, no?"
Shinpachi Nagakura: "Hey... Hey! Hold on a moment!"
Sanosuke Harada: "...Serizawa-san. Aren't you getting a little carried away?"
Everyone stood up, stirred up his ruthless words. But Hijikata-sensei only shook his head, and ignored the voices around him as he spoke:
Toshizou Hijikata: "...I'll tell you now, Serizawa-san. I have no intention of succeeding that household after quitting here. Besides... I may leave this school, but I've no intention of quitting as a teacher. No matter what school I'm at, or where I go, I plan on maintaining the course that Kondou-san and I have set our sights on. There are battles that go beyond just victory or defeat, too. ...Someday, I'll make sure to make you, too, understand that."
Kamo Serizawa: "Just have to have the last word, do you...?" Serizawa-san chuckled darkly as Hijikata-sensei prepared to kneel before him.
Chizuru Yukimura: ‘No... Don't do it... Hijikata-sensei…’ I wanted to speak up, to reach out and try and stop him. But my voice and body were paralyzed. I was in shock. I couldn't move. Why, why now, of all times......couldn't I move...? I felt like I'd fallen apart from the shame and frustration. But then―
???: "―Hold iiit!!" A sharp call resounded in the staff room, coming from right behind me. People in light blue blazers overtook me.
???: "Leave the rest to us."
With that one assurance―
Heisuke Toudou: "What're you doing, Hijikata-sensei? You say there's more to it than victory or defeat, but if you're on your knees at the end of it, you’ve lost!"
Hajime Saitou: "Shouldering the responsibility for everything on your own is a bad habit of yours."
Souji Okita: "It's unsightly, really. I never imagined our demon vice principal could wind up like this."
Hijikata-sensei's eyes went wide: this was the last thing he’d ever expected.
Toshizou Hijikata: "W-What are you all doing here...?!"
The sudden appearance of these three students seemed to dampen Serizawa-san's spirits, if only briefly.
Kamo Serizawa: "This has nothing to do with you students. Get out!"
Sanosuke Harada: "Ahh... Maybe so, Serizawa-san, but a moment, if you would?"
Shinpachi Nagakura: "We've been thinking just now, right? And I'm thinkin' ― the fact that our school's grades haven't gone up enough isn't just Hijikata-san's fault, here."
Kamo Serizawa: "...What are you getting at?"
Sanosuke Harada: "The whole staff should take responsibility for the students' grades. If Hijikata-san is taking responsibility by quitting, then we all have to quit with him, right?"
Shinpachi Nagakura: "It’s just like Sano says. It’s only right that all us teaching staff kneel and offer to resign, no?"
Keisuke Sannan: "I see... so we are all of the same mind, then."
Kamo Serizawa: "You scoundrels..."
If it weren't just Hijikata-sensei by himself, but the entire staff quitting one after the other, there was obviously no way the school could stay open. Heisuke-kun and Saitou-senpai led a barrage of questions against Serizawa-san, who was suddenly cowed.
Heisuke Toudou: "Yeah, also, what's gonna happen with the kendo club if Hijikata-sensei quits? Who's gonna train us?"
Hajime Saitou: "Hijikata-sensei has raised us to a level high enough to reach the national kendo tournament. Surely that achievement is priceless?"
Heisuke Toudou: "No doubt about it. So if you say you're gonna make him quit despite all that… We're thinking we might also jump ship and transfer to Imperial Guardian High."
Kamo Serizawa: "W-What did you just say...?!"
Hajime Saitou: "Heisuke and I have been invited to go there. We might aim for the interhigh competitions with them, as well. Besides, it seems like Hijikata-sensei is also interested in coaching the kendo club at Imperial Guardian High."
Heisuke Toudou: "Might be nice for him if we invite him to join us there."
Kamo Serizawa: "Hohohh... Are you all trying to coerce me with those conditions?"
Sanosuke Harada: "Oh, it's nothing so dire as that, what's going on here. This is simple negotiation."
Kamo Serizawa: "I'd like to see you try. I doubt you could transfer schools simply to get back at me. With my influence, I can ensure that you’ll never set foot in Imperial Guardian High! And not only Imperial Guardianー wherever you go, I'll make sure no one gives you a chance to do kendo there!"
Souji Okita: "Hmmm... You sure you're okay with that? ...Saying that much, I mean."
Kamo Serizawa: "What the― You little rat!"
Souji Okita: [sing-song] "Yoo-hoo~ Look this way! Make sure you face the camera when you're speaking, please."
Having been fiddling with his smartphone without a word while the others had made their stands, it turned out that Okita-senpai had too, in his way. His smile for Serizawa-san as he waved his smartphone was glacial.
Souji Okita: "I'm recording a video right now, so please, do say whatever you'd like. Speak out to your heart's content. ...So, what do you think, Hajime-kun? Think this is enough evidence?"
Hajime Saitou: "I do... If we show it directly to Imperial Guardian High, that is."
Heisuke Toudou: "Ahh, wouldn't it just. We'd have to give a proper explanation as to why we quit, after all."
Kamo Serizawa: "Gnnnnnnghhhh...!" Serizawa-san's face went so red from anger, he looked like a demon from an old painting. The fan in his hand looked about to snap with the strength of his grip, and just then―
Chikage Kazama: "That's enough, all of you." Another voice rang out clearly across the room with the appearance of one more familiar face. "If Hijikata says he wants to quit, let him."
Heisuke Toudou: "Hold on, Kazama-senpai... What's the big deal, popping in outta nowhere?!"
Souji Okita: "I'd like it if the outsiders here knew when to butt out."
Chikage Kazama: "Quiet. I just came here to laugh at Hijikata...." Suddenly, Kazama-senpai scoffed, a smile spreading across his face at the sight of Hijikata-sensei ready to kneel.
Chikage Kazama: "You do look utterly pathetic. So the board chairman tells you to kneel and you just do it."
Toshizou Hijikata: "...Shut it. I'm still just...crouched. I already told Serizawa-san he might try to make an example out of me, but my convictions will never waver."
At that instant, Kazama-senpai locked eyes with me.
Chikage Kazama: "......" Then, looking down at Hijikata-sensei once more, he let out a great sigh before speaking. "Hmph... Hey, Chairman. Let Hijikata remain in school."
The sudden statement made Hijikata-sensei's eyes go wide. But the person most shocked by the demand was Serizawa-san himself.
Kamo Serizawa: "You cur! What gives you the right..!?"
Chikage Kazama: "I don't care as to whether he quits or not… But if this pathetic lot quits, there is someone who would be saddened by it. However, if you are satisfied to proceed with this course of action, then might I assume you are also satisfied with the Kazama family discontinuing all its support for this school?"
Sanosuke Harada: "Whoa, whoa. Isn't that a threat?"
Shinpachi Nagakura: "After all that before, you're saying that now?!"
Keisuke Sannan: "So, Serizawa-san. What will you do? The disadvantages to making Hijikata-sensei resign do seem to outweigh the benefits." Sannan-sensei’s tone was amicable.
Serizawa-san looked around with a face like he’d stepped in something rank. He ground his teeth even harder.
Kamo Serizawa: "...Fine. Hijikata and Kondou-kun may remain."
Isami Kondou: "A-And... Shiei Hall?"
Kamo Serizawa: "I said fine. I'll leave it be! ...However, Hijikata! In exchange, train the kendo club until they become regulars at the national championships. Obviously, raise the university admission rates, too. Those are my terms. If you're going to stay here as a teacher… You'll show me that much!"
Toshizou Hijikata: "Yeah. I don't need you to tell me that. I'll do it anyway, at any cost. Even if I have to stay the ‘demon teacher.’"
Kamo Serizawa: "Those words... You better not forget them." With a loud slam of the door, Serizawa-san left the staff room.
Keisuke Sannan: "...It seems that we managed to settle everything somehow." Sannan-sensei's murmur was the spark that set off a cacophony of cheers.
Isami Kondou: "Toshi... Toshi! Thank god, thank god...! How could you be that reckless?!"
Toshizou Hijikata: "Reckless? As if you weren't the one who started it. For God's sake..."
Heisuke Toudou: "We did it! Victory is ours!"
Souji Okita: "I'm happy for you, Kondou-san. ...Though I would've been happy with whatever Hijikata-san got stuck with doing."
Hajime Saitou: "You always take it one step too far with your words. But today's a special occasion. I'll let it slide."
Chikage Kazama: "Hmph... This was a favor from me. And a costly one."
Sanosuke Harada: "Damn, even though I'm glad we made it… I got chills."
Shinpachi Nagakura: "I went and said I'd quit without thinking, but I'd be out on the streets if I did!"
Maybe it was the evaporation of all the tension from earlier, but the sheer relief in the room washed every worry away. Everyone surrounded Hijikata-sensei and Kondou-sensei to talk. I was feeling a little jealous seeing that ring of people around them. But then, suddenly, Hijikata-sensei slipped out of that crowd and approached me.
Toshizou Hijikata: "You came as well, did you? You must've been worried."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Yes. I'd...really like you to stay here as my teacher...
Toshizou Hijikata: "Yeah, thanks. Thanks to you and everyone here... I can keep on teaching here. That's why, like I said, I won't be going easy on you. I'll be just as... No, even more strict than I was before. Got it?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "...Got it!" Yes, I decided I would follow after Hijikata-sensei. With the way I was now, I couldn't possibly deserve to stand at his side… But no matter how many years it would take, I wanted to be in the same place, and stand as his equal...
I swore to myself that, someday, I would reach him…
That was two years before I graduated from Hakuo Academy. I'd thought about what would be best, and how to do it best...
Then, when I'd found my destination, I chose it without hesitation. After that, I advanced onto university, and I studied for three years to achieve a certain goal.
Yes, before I even knew it, five years had passed. To me, those five years went by in the blink of an eye. In that time, there was a gaping hole in my heart. I’d left something behind for the sake of something precious to me. Today, I would go back and recover that thing. I would fill that emptiness…
When I stepped into the garden behind the school, the scent of cherry blossoms tickled my nose. There wasn't a soul in sight. Only a carpet of fallen cherry blossoms, spread out as if in welcome. Before long, just like Kondou-sensei had said moments earlier...
He arrived.
Toshizou Hijikata: "He said ‘a visitor’ was coming, but there’s nobody here. Did they wander off somewhere? Or did I arrive early? ...I'll try waiting for a bit."
Hijikata-sensei let out a distracted sigh, and looked leisurely up at the cherry blossoms. Since the academy's founding, that cherry blossom tree had witnessed so many meetings and partings... Hijikata-sensei gazed upon it with a quiet, fond smile.
Toshizou Hijikata: "...Hasn't changed a lick, this tree. We're still spring chicks compared to it. I was dubious when Kondou-san suggested building a school where he’d seen this magnificent cherry tree… But to think it actually turned into reality..."
Just like him, I looked up at the cherry blossom tree once more. Whether it was time to see off a graduation or to usher in new students, this tree was always in bloom.
Toshizou Hijikata: "...As long as Hakuo Academy is here, I’m sure this tree will watch over even more new students and graduates..."
Chizuru Yukimura: "...I think so, too."
At that moment, he quickly forgot the falling cherry blossom petals and turned my way.
Chizuru Yukimura: "This tree was in bloom when I first entered Hakuo Academy, and when I went out into the world as a graduate, too."
Hijikata-sensei's gaze snapped to me; he was in shock.
I stepped closer to him and picked a fallen cherry blossom petal off of his suit.
Chizuru Yukimura: "―Long time no see, Hijikata-sensei."
...After so, so long, the person I’d missed so badly was in front of my very eyes. I’d thought through what I wanted to tell him, and even prepared what to say and everything… But the moment I saw Hijikata-sensei in front of me, all of it vanished.
Chizuru Yukimura: "......" So many emotions flooded my heart. I couldn't say a word. But I was sure that it was the same for Hijikata-sensei.
Toshizou Hijikata: "...Yukimura...?"
My heart swelled and I was almost overcome with emotion just from the sound of his voice. Creeping unease. Ticklish embarrassment. But above it all, a gentle warmth. I wondered what these feelings were, but I knew it meant I'd gotten closer to becoming an adult.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Um, here...are my official documents for the academy."
Toshizou Hijikata: "Huh...? What the― An... application for... a student teacher!?"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes. If I pass the review without issue, I'll be able to assist in Hakuo Academy as a student teacher for about six months."
Toshizou Hijikata: "...I've been had. Kondou-san didn’t breathe a word to me."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Did I surprise you?"
Toshizou Hijikata: "...No. I think I expected as much, somewhere in my heart. That you would choose the same path as I did. ...That's the feeling I got from you."
Chizuru Yukimura: "That’s right. You were the one who left the biggest impact on me when I was a student here, Hijikata-sensei. You do have your strict side, but no one thinks as much about the students or guides them as much as you do. I wanted to show you I could stand on equal footing with a teacher like yourself. When I worked so hard in high school, even when I took on the role of student valedictorian… Everything I did was so that I wouldn't embarrass you, Hijikata-sensei. That was why I put so much work in. I didn't just admire you. I wanted to catch up with you."
Toshizou Hijikata: "And the result was this path you've chosen."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Yes. I still have some ways to go as an educator-to-be, and I'm halfway through the teacher-training program. But I finally made it this far. I made it here."
...Thinking about it, ever since I'd entered Hakuo Academy, I had always admired Hijikata-sensei. But it wasn't just admiration. I wanted to catch up to him. Ever since the Valentine's Day of that first year. From now on, I also wanted to reach out to students who hoped to better themselves, as their teacher...
―The same way that Hijikata-sensei had done for me.
Toshizou Hijikata: ".........It feels funny, you still calling me ‘sensei.’"
Chizuru Yukimura: "Eh?"
Toshizou Hijikata: "It would, right? You'll be a teacher, at this rate. You'll be in the same position as me in no time at all. So... call me something else."
Chizuru Yukimura: "......"
I didn't know how many years it would be, when I would say the words I’d most wanted to, all this time. The words I couldn't say back then, back when I could do nothing but try and catch up to him. Back when I couldn’t reach out to him, and couldn’t give him what I wanted.
Chizuru Yukimura: "Hijikata...san"
(CG get!°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°)
The pendant I'd received on a Christmas Eve some years ago swayed on its chain as if to nod in happy approval.
Chizuru Yukimura: "I brought with me the feelings in the words I couldn't say, and the chocolates I couldn't give you back then."
Hijikata caught me up firmly in his arms. Feeling his warmth and his heartbeat, I gazed deeply into his eyes.
Chizuru Yukimura: "How do you feel about me now, Hijikata-san...?"
Toshizou Hijikata: "...Looking back, I might've realized pretty early on how I really felt...But, in the beginning, I thought I was just getting worked up over you out of worry, as your teacher. But, you know... learning that you harbored affection for me, I realized I was contradicting myself."
Chizuru Yukimura: "Contradicting...?"
Toshizou Hijikata: "I told you when you enrolled that I wouldn't be giving you any preferential treatment. And in truth, I didn't give you any, as a student. I didn't give you any in terms of your grades, and if you had done something to warrant punishment, I intended on only giving you what the other students would get. So you didn't get any special treatment that way. But..."
Chizuru Yukimura: "But you gave me that present for Christmas. And you invited me out for New Year's as well. So what did that mean? I want to know…no matter what, I have to know."
―The reply I got didn't come in words. The tender kiss that brushed my cheek was light and gentle as a falling petal. The sudden kiss surprised me, but it was a shock that I was more than happy to receive...
Toshizou Hijikata: "It means that even while I was your teacher, and while you were my student, I loved you romantically. Back then, I was a conflicted man who couldn't tolerate the two co-existing. Even now, I haven't changed my mind about that, but..."
Chizuru Yukimura: "But I'm no longer your student. And...it's exactly because you're like that that I fell for you."
My every word was filled with so much love I couldn’t hope to convey it all. My cheeks were bright crimson from sheer embarrassment as I gripped his arms tight...
It was almost like he heard my thoughts, and he gently pulled away from me.
Toshizou Hijikata: "...I've made you wait for a pretty long time, haven't I?"
Chizuru Yukimura:: "No... I understand now that you had your reasons for not answering me. But… there are things that I won't know if you don't put them into words."
I smiled along with my joke, and Hijikata smiled back at me, too… before whispering in my ear the words I'd been waiting to hear for so long:
Toshizou Hijikata: "Chizuru. Be my lover, please. I don't want to be apart from you."
I'd enrolled in this school, and had graduated from it. Now, I'd be here once again on my way to becoming a teacher.
...Of course, the future wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but held plenty of thorns as well. I knew that working as a teacher wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. I had half-imagined the future I wanted for myself… but I honestly couldn't hardly imagine just how my relationship with Hijikata would change from now on at all.
...However it turned out, I might even dare myself to try to call him something else next time...
Something like ‘Toshizou-san.’
The End
