Chapter 20
Career plans
Late. Yoshida-san was late for her daughter’s career meeting—the ultimate insult in Japan. The sky was already shifting, golden rays climbing the facade to announce nightfall.
“She said she would be here,” Elyna murmured, more to herself than to her supervisor.
Not all the parents had received her presence well, and she now understood Katayū’s grumbling about overly traditional mindsets. Pursed lips and disapproving looks had been flung her way one time too many. Yet, Elyna did not regret her choice to teach at Sakura Seishin.
“Well, then,” Sano commented, trying to hide his fatigue behind a smile. “I’ll take advantage of that delay to get coffee.”
“I’ll stay in case she pops up,” Elyna said, tracing the splint that kept her wrist secured. Ever since her fall, the underlying tension was killing her. Sometimes, she wondered if her heart could sustain the strain.
As Sano disappeared into the corridor, she called an amused "Yeah, a hot chocolate for me" in his wake to dispel her anxiety. Laughing to herself at her own silliness, Elyna tried, and failed, to loosen the anxious knot that dwelt in her chest.
The sun was dipping underneath a line of buildings, unperturbed by her turmoil. The sky turned into an impressionist’s painting of gold and crimson. Watching colours blend on the horizon, Elyna almost jumped when a cup of steaming liquid appeared before her very eyes.
“There,” Sano’s smooth voice rose in the silent room. “As the lady commanded.”
Stunned, Elyna felt her cheeks flame. It took her a few precious seconds to grab the steaming cup, bringing a frown upon Sano’s face. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Completely dazed, the young woman backpedalled. “Yes, uh… I was just joking, but…”
He smiled. She stared, dumbstruck. Sano didn’t radiate the kind of intensity that Katayū did; he was warm and approachable. So why did her heart leap when he came close?
To think he bought her hot chocolate, just because she fancied it. The knot in her chest suddenly loosened under the warmth of his gaze. Elyna deflated and bowed. “Hai. Arigatō gozaimashita, that’s very thoughtful.”
“You eat entirely too much sugar, young lady,” he chided gently, his eyes following hers on the horizon as he took a sip of his own brew.
Yuck. Coffee with probably no sugar.
Elyna shrugged. “It helps with the stress.”
A short silence ensued, laden with a thousand considerations. Until…
“I see how anxious you are,” Sano stated. The words were blunt, but the tone empathetic. “What is going on? Is it because Yoshida-san is late? We are used to piling up long hours here, but I know it’s not standard everywhere.”
“No, it’s not…”
Elyna took a draught of chocolate. Her eyes slid sideways, watching the tall silhouette of her supervisor.
Statuesque, with that cup of steaming coffee in his hands as he observed the jungle of buildings spreading on the horizon.
A few strands brushed his sharp jaw, their reddish hues revealed by the setting sun.
His silence was a blessing, an invitation that did not push.
It was exactly what she needed to turn her feelings into words.
“My… mother resisted as much as she could when I told her I wanted to be a teacher. Those career meetings are just a reminder of the fights we had back then,” Elyna said, voice quiet.
“Oh?”
Just one word, carried by a steady look—encouraging, coaxing the full story out.
Elyna took a deep breath. “She wanted to push me into science. And now that I’m here, she’s still trying to hook me up with guys from her company, hoping I’ll follow one dashing engineer around the world and change my mind. ”
She glanced up and immediately wished she hadn’t spoken. Sano had paled, coffee cup frozen halfway to his lips. The warmth had drained from his expression, replaced by something she couldn’t quite read.
“Sorry,” Elyna said quickly, heat flooding her cheeks. “Too personal?”
He seemed to shake himself. “No, I…” He set his cup down on a nearby table. “No, I’m the one who asked. I understand how external expectation can strongly clash with your inner self.”
There was something there, a regret carried underneath the smooth surface. Like a window into his psyche opening, inviting her in. The vulnerability was gone in a flash, replaced by Sano’s homeroom teacher’s persona.
“What’s your dream, Elyna-san?”
While she usually felt pressured by this line of questioning, Elyna was surprised to find herself at peace.
The soothing tone of his voice, perhaps, pushed her to take a deep plunge and fish out answers she’d never dared considering.
Here, standing beside Sano as they shared a drink, she felt safe enough to unearth her greatest wishes.
Words tumbled out of her mouth in total disarray.
“I want… culture, and sociology, and history, and languages. I want to learn everything there is about poetry, and literature, and the hidden meaning in those texts, and the etymology of every single word on the planet. I want to explore so many cultures it won’t fit in my brain. ”
Instead of scoffing at the mess of ideas tangled together, Sano nodded gravely.
“What will you do with all this knowledge?”
This is the key, right? How can one find an occupation that mixes all of this? One that pays for room and board.
“I’d like to… share, because the world would be such a great place if people knew where they came from, and why society is the way it is, and… I want people to understand their civilisation, and the others as well, so that they can evolve. Roots are indispensable to grow upwards after all.”
The smile he gave her was radiant, almost awed; Elyna’s cheeks warmed as she basked in that unexpected show of pride. “That’s all very true,” he mused. “You should frame that quote somewhere. But is teaching the right job to fulfil that dream? You know the job know, what do you think?"
The concern was valid. Sometimes, she wanted to bang her head upon the desk, whether from bureaucracy or her student's lethargy.
Two months at Sakura Seishin had taught her the many ungrateful tasks that could suck out a teacher's soul.
It was a demanding job that ate away at energy and enthusiasm in equal measures.
But then the class would start a debate after someone nailed a quote, or simply remarked upon a text in a new creative way. And Elyna's heart soared because they had gotten it, and would grow from that moment.
“I’m not ready to relent," she stated proudly. "Even if my mother thinks teaching is a waste of my ‘potential.’ That I should be doing something more… I don’t know. Lucrative, I suppose. She doesn’t see the value in it the way I do.”
Sano’s shoulders tensed along with his jaw, and Elyna wondered if she’d struck a chord. Had his parents objected to him becoming a teacher? Here, in Japan, the respect due to elders could be much, much heavier than in the Occident.
An almost imperceptible smile bloomed upon his face. “Well, fortunately, we do value our job. You're in the right place, here.”
Acceptance and praise wrapped up in warmth. Spirits lifting, Elyna dove into her hot chocolate to wash away her flustering with sugar.
He held her gaze for a moment too long; the air thickened with something unspoken. Then he cleared his throat and looked away, back towards the sunset.
“What about you?”, Elyna found the courage to ask. The question was purposefully open, giving him leave to answer as he pleased.
“Nothing so dramatic,” he said, but there was something guarded in his tone. “My parents were relieved when I got my teaching licence.”
The Japanese exam was notoriously difficult to pass. Before Elyna could press further, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Yoshida-san burst through the door, breathless. Ayumi trailed behind her mother, looking utterly mortified.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry—there was an accident and—”
Oh, she’s a nurse, right?
“It’s alright,” Sano responded smoothly, already moving towards his desk. “Emergencies happen. Please, sit. We can begin now.”
He gestured them to their seats, his open manner easing the tension. Sano didn’t make them feel bad about the delay; he just acknowledged it and moved forward. It was a small thing, perhaps, but Elyna found herself admiring the grace of it.
She took her seat beside him, smiled at Ayumi, and the meeting began.
The staff room was nearly empty when they retreated.
Katayū was at his desk, red pen painting a stack of Advanced Japanese History essays.
Fujimoto was packing up, humming some AC/DC song as he shoved papers into his bag.
Sano sat across from Katayū, rolling his shoulders to shake off the weight of the day.
Elyna slipped into her corner desk, pulling out her notes from the day’s classes.
“How did it go?” Fujimoto asked.
“Good.” Sano leant back in his chair, posture relaxing now that the meetings were over. “The girl wants to study international relations but her parents wanted medicine.”
“Well, the mother is a nurse after all. She probably dreams of bashing a few doctors’ heads, and of her daughter being on top of the ladder,” Fujimoto retorted dryly.
That’s… incredibly accurate.
“Something like that.” Sano's lips quirked in a private expression he often shared with his flatmate. Sometimes though… sometimes she was the recipient of those slow, devastating smiles.
“At least she didn’t say she wanted to be a housewife," Elyna quipped, emboldened.
Fujimoto stood, heavy bag slung over his shoulders. A frown marred his face. “Being a housewife isn’t anything to laugh at,” he stated. “It’s not an easy job to keep kids in line, and a house functioning.”
Elyna froze; she’d been raised by a woman who’d carved out a career in a male-dominated field, who’d drilled into her the importance of independence and ambition. The idea of dedicating one’s life to domestic duties felt utterly wrong. A waste of one’s talents.
But she was still navigating the cultural landmines of this country, and Fujimoto sounded more traditional than she expected. She could feel Sano’s gaze on her, steady and waiting. Assessing.
She couldn't place that look; the staff room suddenly felt stifling. Did Sano fear she would shatter the peace? After all those disapproving looks and pursed lips from the parents, Elyna didn't want to antagonise Fujimoto.
It was strange; an hour ago, they were sharing a heartfelt conversation. She had bared her fears and her dreams without restraint while the sunset bled gold across the room, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Sano had been different, then. More open.
But in the staff room, and in front of colleagues, the distance had increased tenfold. A supervisor, managing his subordinate to avoid blunders.
"Well…" she started, acutely aware of Sano's scrutiny. "My father was often at home when we travelled, and it was nice to return to someone. I understand why some people dedicate their lives to their family."
It wasn’t really a lie. Just… not the whole truth. One quick glance at Sano told her it would suffice.
“I quite agree with her there,” Fujimoto said, seeming satisfied with her diplomatic answer.
Katayū glanced up from his marking, one eyebrow raised in that way that always made students squirm. “You know, Kanae-chan surprised me. If anyone, she’s the one I would have expected to say that. But she wants to be a paediatric nurse.”
Kanae Satsuki, the princess who squirms underneath Katayū’s stare, but stands up to Shūji.
Katayū glanced at Fujimoto with something that might have been amusement. “Hey, speaking of housewife, when are you getting yours?”
The physics teacher froze by the door, bag slung over his shoulder.
“Stalling is good enough for us.” He shrugged in resignation.
“She says she’ll drop her job after marriage…
Her choice, not mine”, he added, catching Elyna’s frown.
“So let’s enjoy celibate life while we can. ” He offered a mock salute and left.
Sano shook his head fondly. “That bet of yours is going to bite you in the ass.”
Katayū slid a glance around; the staff room was almost empty. “He’s the one who agreed to it,” he retorted, free to vent. Then his gaze caught Elyna, and she wondered… “Whoever marries first pays for a trip to Okinawa to the other.”
Incredulous, Elyna huffed a laugh. That's one hell of a strange bet.
“By the way, since we're deep in the subject of home economics”, the Vice Principal rumbled without looking up. “You’ll be assisting with cooking class as of next week.”
Aghast, she whirled around in her seat. “But…”
“Not negotiable,” he said firmly. “And don’t think it’s because you’re a woman. When I get to kick the board’s collective ass, we’ll have boys in there too.”
Sano’s quiet chuckle felt like a blessing and a curse wrapped in a tangle of feelings she couldn't make sense of.
“Just don’t burn down the home economics room,” Katayū said dryly, though the corner of his mouth twitched as he returned to his essays. “The insurance paperwork would be tedious.”
Elyna deflated with relief. “Right.”
Sano leant forward, resting his forearms on his desk. He had rolled his sleeves, formality discarded now. “Mako-san has a point, you know. Basic life skills aren’t gendered. They’re just… necessary.”
She couldn’t help but pout; his eyes grew intense, lingering on her lips a second too long before he looked away. “Consider it a cultural exchange. Not just the mechanics, but also the respect for the process. Rice isn’t just food in Japan; it’s culture.”
Katayū made a noise of agreement, his pen flying across an essay. She was starting to understand why he didn’t use his office in the evenings. “That’s what home economics should teach”, he said. “How to respect what sustains you.
“That’s… almost philosophical,” Elyna mused.
“Besides,” Sano added, and there was something almost tender in the way he looked at her, “you can’t fully understand a culture if you don’t know what it tastes like.
The perfect balance of good mochi. The umami in proper dashi.
The way tea ceremony isn’t about the tea, but about the silence between movements. ”
His words painted images in her mind, each one vivid. She could almost taste the flavours he described. Her shoulders relaxed, the atmosphere pushing her into a bolder mood, one where conventions and barriers crumbled in the face of real friendship.
“Is this going to become a crusade now?” Elyna teased. “The Great Campaign to turn Elyna into marriageable material?”
It was meant to be a joke, but the moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere shifted. Sano went still, spine straightening as he shuffled papers on his desk. She tried to catch his eye to share a smile, but his expression had gone distant.
Shit, I’ve done it again.
Elyna: watcha doing, dolt?
Aksel: Making my favourite marmite toasts
Elyna: Yuck!
Aksel: ??