20 years ago...

Kanazawa High School, Northwest Japan

It was cold outside. Yurika was trying to take a nap on the desk. It was the first week of November. The history class just ended. It was extremely boring & tiring, she was yawning consistently.

"Sir! Can you pass our ball please?," Suddenly she heard a loud voice and looked outside. A tall and handsome man wearing an oversize coat was standing on the ground with a football near him. The man bent down and took the ball, some of the boys from of junior class came running to him-

"Sir, can you pass the ball?" They pleaded.

"I see you all are playing! But be careful while playing, the ball can hit others!" He gave the ball to them with a kind smile on his face.

Yurika was watching the entire scenario from the window. "Yuri!" A girl's voice came beside her desk. She flinched with the sudden call, she looked and it was Taki, her only friend in the school who has been kind to her...

"Hey! What are you watching outside?" Taki asked her. Yuri didn't answer and put her head down again.

"Hey girl! I am asking you!" Taki started nagging.

"Taki you are annoying me now," Yuri warned her in a cold voice.

"Huh, why don't you admit you were watching Hiro-Sensei, aren't you! Well, it's not your fault! He is really handsome and all the girls in our class already have a crush on him!" Taki started teasing her.

(Sensei means Teacher in Japanese)

Yuri looked up, "Who is Hiro-Sensei?", She asked curiously.

"Yeah!Yeah!How could you know when you are irregular in school. Yuri, you even don't attend his class! Hiro-Sensei is our new Psychology teacher. He just joined 5 days ago and already took three classes for us, but you didn't even attend once. In the last class, he was asking about you. Today also he has a class," Taki replied while arranging her books on the desk.

"Oh shit! I am in trouble then! Okay, I am leaving!", Yuri stood up promptly.

"Hey! You will miss his class again! Why can't you just attend his class?" Taki scolded her quite loudly.

"Ah but..."

"Sit down and attend his class today! If he scolds you just admit your mistake and say sorry!!" Taki advised her and grabbed her hand to convince her.

Yuri sat down again.

"Hey, Yuri! We will go home together today, just wait for me after school," she said.

"Sorry, Taki! I have my part-time jobs. I can't wait for you!"

"Yeah yeah, I know, you never wait for anyone Huh! I hope you get someone in life who wouldn't make you wait always!", Taki said while pouting.

"That's not going to happen Taki. I won't wait for anyone", Yurika said while looking outside.

"Hey, Yuri! Haven't you been too hard on your life? You have been working in different part-time jobs like crazy, you don't even have some time for school, if you continue to be like this you'll collapse someday!" Taki sounded a bit worried.

Yuri looked outside the window and said, "I don't have an option. Every person wants to live their life happily, but for me, it's different. I have a sick grandma, whose medical expenses are to be taken care of. I need money desperately. That's why I work without studying properly. Once I graduate, I will work hard more."

In the meantime, the bell rang. It was time for the next class. The handsome man whom Yuri was watching entered the class. While entering he straightly looked at the last desk, where Yuri was sitting nervously.

"Hey you, at the last desk! Did you come to my class by mistake today?" He asked in a deep and grumpy voice.

"Sor-sorry Sensei! I had some problems that's why I couldn't come. I am really sorry! I won't miss your class from now on." She replied nervously.

"Okay! I hope you would stick to your words! I don't want to ask you again! Since you came today I'll introduce myself to you- I am Hirotaka Onodera, assigned Psychology teacher of this class.", Yuri nodded and sat down. While sitting, she looked at Taki and smiled at her.

That was the first encounter!

Days passed by, Yuri attended every class of Hirotaka as she didn't want to get scolded again. It was the second week of November. Yuri was on her way to school, suddenly she saw an injured cat in a box.

"Damn! Who left this poor kitty here?" She was disgusted with the fact. Gently she approached the kitty and held her with extreme tenderness. The cat had lesions in its belly, Yuri pitied it. She took the box to school with the hope of getting help.

'Maybe someone can help me here!' She thought.

She looked everywhere in the yard and saw Hirotaka smoking there. "Um, excuse me Sensei!" She called him a bit nervously.

Hirotaka looked at her and asked, "Aren't you early today?". Ignoring the questions she chose to tell him about the cat.

"I found this kitty in a box on my way of coming to school. It has injuries in its belly. Can you help it?" She asked. Hirotaka came to her and looked at the cat, it was quivering in pain.

"Come with me to the staff room, I will look for basic first-aid," he said gently.

She followed him to the staff room, he was applying some ointment on the cat and preparing for a bandage. Yuri was holding the cat tightly so that it won't escape.

"Do you know it's not allowed to bring animals in the school?" Hirotaka asked her suddenly.

Yuri looked at him, he was looking more handsome than usual in her eyes, in an instant she turned her face down in shyness and said- "Well I can't leave this poor thing to die there. I thought maybe someone will help me here, luckily I found you. Thank you Sensei, for saving its life."

"Yes, you are lucky to find me!" Hirotaka replied while looking at her eyes.

Yuri suddenly blushed with his remark. 'I think he is a smooth-talker too,' she thought quietly.

"Do you like cats Yurika Nanami?" He asked her gently.

"Yeah! Wait, but how do you know my name?"

"Well, I have never seen any girl who misses my class, except you! That's why I had to learn your name," he replied with a small smile. Yuri was quietly listening to everything.

"Done! What you will do with the cat now?" He asked her.

"I don't know, maybe I will leave it again in the box", she said.

"Why can't you keep it?"

"I can't keep it Sensei. My grandma hates cats. I don't have parents, she is my only family." She replied with a sad face.

Suddenly she looked up and saw Hirotaka was staring at her, she put her face down again. "So that's the reason why you don't come to school since you need to take care of her?" He inquired.

Yuri was startled at hearing it. She felt like he was looking directly through her.

"I am a psychology teacher, by looking at your eyes I can easily tell what you are going through, and I have also overheard your conversation with your friend that you work part-time. Don't you know that part-time jobs for high-schoolers are forbidden here?" He asked her directly.

"I am sorry Sensei. I really need money to buy medicine for my Grandma!"

"What a trouble maker you are! Okay leave the cat here, I will take it with me," he gently said.

Yuri's eyes gleamed with happiness, "Really? You will take it? Do you like cats too?", She asked.

"Yeah, I like cats because they hate unnecessary attention, just like me," he replied with a smirk..

"Th-Thank you so much Sensei! I will surely pay you back someday for helping me!" She bowed down to him and left for her class.

Hirotaka held the cat in his hands, it was a small kitten, "You are cute! From today, you are my Na-ri," he replied while patting it.

Yuri entered the class with a smile on her face.

"Hey, it's so rare to see you with a smile, Yuri! Did you get the salary?" Taki asked in curiosity.

"Nope".

"Then?? Did you get a boyfriend?"

Yuri made a disgusted face, "Taki my life is already miserable, I don't have time for all this!"

"Then why are you smiling?", She was persistent.

"Well, someone took in a poor stray cat, I am happy for the cat!"

"Wow! Then the person must be really kind!" Taki said.

"Yeah!! He is really kind!", Yuri replied with a small smile.

.............

Two days later, Yurika was having bread during recess sitting on a bench in the schoolyard. Suddenly she felt something lingering near her feet.

"Meow!"

It was the cat she saved, Yurika was so happy to meet the cat, she held it on her lap and started patting it- "Oh my kitty! Did you come to see me?"

"Yes, I think she came to see you!", she heard a voice say. Yurika looked up to see Hirotaka standing near her.

"Oh Sensei! When did you come? Sorry I didn't notice!" She said gently.

"It's fine, I was searching for Na-ri, glad she was here," he replied. Hirotaka came and sat beside her on the bench..

"Um, Sensei, did you name the kitty as Na-ri?"

"Yes, she is a female cat & too cute. She hates all other people but doesn't particularly dislike you. Maybe because you saved her life.".Yuri smiled at his response and patted Na-ri.

"Hey!" Hirotaka suddenly called her.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"You.....you look good when you smile. You should smile more often," he told her gently. With such a sudden request Yuri was surprised. To avoid an awkward moment she stood up.

"Sorry, I need to go to class now! Recess time is almost over! See you later Sensei! Thank you for taking care of Na-ri," she spoke abruptly.

"Do you always eat here alone?" He asked her while patting Na-ri.

"Yes, Taki eats with other girls. I don't like them so I eat here peacefully"

"How strange! I also always eat alone on the terrace, because maybe I also dislike other people", he said with a small smile. Yuri looked at him for some time.

"Well Sensei, if you eat alone I can join you tomorrow!" She said in a nervous voice.

"Sure!" Hirotaka nodded with a wide smile.

Before returning to class, Yuri went to the washroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled a bit.

"Why did he tell me to smile often? I would look creepy if I smile always, what a weirdo he is! And why did I tell him that I will eat lunch with him from tomorrow? Damn it's going to be so awkward! I must be crazy! But he looked lonely at that time, well somehow I was lonely too.
But now...
I am happy...," She told herself.

.............

From the next day, Yurika went 10mins early before the recess period.

"Oh, you are already here?" Hirotaka smiled at her gently.

"Well yeah we had off-period, so... Sensei, I brought Soda for you. Sorry, I don't have much money, I brought you this to thank you for Na-ri.."

Hirotaka took the soda can from her, while opening suddenly he pinched his finger in the can tip and dropped the can!

"Ouch!" Hirotaka quivered in pain as blood was coming out from his finger.

"Oh no, blood!" Yuri panicked..

"That's fine, sorry I dropped the can!"

"Leave the can, is it paining too much? Do you need a First-aid? Are you okay?" Yuri asked restlessly. Hirotaka looked at her with a deep gaze, she was panicking.

"Do you care about me more than the can?" He asked with a curious voice.

"Who will care about materialistic things more than someone? Leave the can, is it hurting too much? Oh God, blood is still coming out. Let's go to take First-aid", she spoke. Hirotaka smiled at her.

"No one has ever said to me that they care about me more than other things. I am happy", he replied in a gentle and happy voice. Yuri was surprised to hear something like that from him.

Both of them remained silent for some time.

"You made me happy today. Thank you, Yurika. And you can call me Hiro-san from now on," he spoke politely while looking at her. Yuri was speechless to this, yet she nodded her head obediently.
"Let's go eat our lunch, and I love to drink Lemon Soda, next time you can bring that.", he told her with a cute smile.

While Hirotaka was going to have his lunch Yuri was staring at him from behind, he looked really happy. She couldn't understand how can someone be happy with such a small thing!
.
"He is not so bad...he is...cute....!Oh shit! Why I am finding him cute? Damn what's wrong with me! Shit!"

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[See you all in the next part❤️❤️ Don't forget to *Vote* & Comment!!]

- To be continued...