Epilogue
Years later
April always felt like a premiere, a constant renewal of doe-eyed first years. Kazuki appreciated the wild energy, the unknown faces and those he’d caught a glimpse of in older siblings and the potential of discovery that came with every year. Even
more so now that Elyna had joined the kōkō; so much had changed since her arrival in those halls. All for the better, most of them brought by Makoto’s relentless drive and Elyna’s always-innovative ideas.
Sano Kazuki stood at the front of his classroom to welcome his new class. He allowed the students to take in his warm disposition—probably sighing in relief. Unlike many teachers, he wasn’t stiff or formal, shirtsleeves rolled up just the way Elyna liked it.
Who needed stiffness when his presence alone could keep students on their toes?
He allowed the murmurs to settle, then started the long string of welcome instruction that would follow those first-time high schoolers through the next three years: teachers’ names, rules, exam, sanctions, infirmary, health class.
He often changed the order just to keep things interesting: new jokes, different quotes. Especially the Harry Potter ones.
But there was one drill that remained, no matter how many times he did it. As he started writing Elyna’s name on the blackboard, he turned to his students and pinned them with a look. THE look. “All right, listen up. I only have one absolute rule not to break.”
Silence fell instantly, faces tensing at the seriousness of his voice.
“Do not—and I really mean it—DO NOT make eyes at your English teacher.” A dangerous edge slid in his tone, a warning not to be ignored. “You’ve probably spotted her at the entrance ceremony,” he continued. A few gazes lit up with understanding: Elyna was difficult to ignore.
There it is.
He would nip it in the bud. “Yeah, she’s gorgeous. Yeah, she’s probably smarter than all of us. But…” He wrote her last name on the board.
English Teacher— 佐野 エリナ- Sano Elyna
He traced a long straight line underneath Sano, and whirled around to face his students. “ … she’s also my wife.”
There was a beat of stunned silence at the straightforward warning.
Then a ripple of disbelief as the students exchanged glances, trying to figure out if he was serious.
Better to warn them before they lost their jaw in their first English class.
Kazuki grinned. “So we’re clear: anyone giving her a hard time, or trying to flirt, will have to answer to me. ”
One of the boys near the front swallowed, while his neighbour slumped in disappointment. He caught someone in the back muttering, “There goes my motivation.”
Kazuki’s grin widened. “Glad we understand each other.”
The brass nameplate on the door read “Principal Katayū” in elegant black letters. Elyna paused in the doorway, biting back a chuckle; controlled chaos had somehow invaded the polished floor. It was no wonder, with both her kids running amok at the kōkō, the consequence of a sick babysitter.
A rare occurrence, where Emma and Yuki were hauled to work and hopelessly catered to by the staff when Kazuki and Elyna had overlapping classes. A strange leniency introduced by Katayū himself.
Strangely, those rare occurrences had somehow become a beloved tradition. Except for Haruki, whose mental health deteriorated each time three-year-old Emma sung Nyan Cat to his face.
As for today, the Principal’s office had turned into a tea party. A very peculiar one, for Kazuki lay sprawled face-down on the carpet like a defeated warrior, shirt rumpled. One arm pillowed his head, the other creating a makeshift barrier.
On his back, baby Yuki was fast asleep, tiny fists splayed upon his father’s shoulder blades. The boy had apparently run the entire high school ragged before finally crashing, taking down a sleep-deprived sports teacher in the process.
The coffee table had transformed into a dignified tea service, hosting Principal Katayū.
He sat in seiza, his posture impeccable.
In his hand, a steaming cup. Between him and her daughter lay a faded plushie dinosaur, propped carefully against a cushion—one button eye slightly askew, fabric worn soft from years of love.
“Mo'we tea?” Emma asked in English, tone pompous as if her face wasn’t streaked with chocolate.
“Just a splash, thank you,” Katayū replied gravely, already reaching out to help her stabilise the teapot. He glanced at the dinosaur. “And perhaps Hoteru-kun would like a biscuit as well?”
Emma nodded seriously, placing a cookie in front of the plushie. “He loves cookies.” When the girl set a golden biscuit into his plate, Katayū bowed his head with reverence, as if receiving the treat from the queen of England. Elyna stifled a laugh.
“Mum!” Emma finally spotted her, bounding up with the energy only children could muster. “Look! We ha’ve tea, and Dad sleeps and Yuki has his nap!”
Elyna knelt beside her daughter, sending a grateful look to Katayū in the process. “I see,” she shushed her. “How long has your Tō-san[22] been down?”
“About half an hour,” Katayū replied, setting down his teacup on the lacquered table. “He said he’d lie down for a minute while the boy settled. Then…” He gestured towards the snoring figure on the carpet with a smirk.
Elyna shook her head, affection blooming in her chest. Yuki was a quiet boy, but he abhorred sleeping; there was no time to waste when the world was just out of reach.
It was no wonder Kazuki had crashed the moment his head hit the carpet, no matter how uncomfortable the position. Even now, rumpled and exhausted, she could see the elegant line of his jaw beneath the mess of hair, the soft peace of his expression.
I love that man.
“Come and sit, Mum!” Emma ordered, patting the carpet. “We run the tea shop!” Elyna laughed and settled beside the father-and-son pile. Her heart overflowed with love at the peaceful expression on her husband's features.
Sometimes, she couldn't quite believe that family was hers. How far they'd come from teacher and assistant... But the rolling of time had gifted her this wonderful man, and two children that perfectly mingled their respective characters. Qualities and faults included.
And the kōkō had evolved right beside them. “Tell me, Katayū-sensei, is this really what you imagined when you took over Sakura Seishin Kōtōgakkō?”
“Strangely enough,” Katayū deadpanned, dark eyes twinkling, “it’s the calmest meeting I’ve had all week.”
“Because I put love in the tea,” Emma declared with flourish a three-year-old shouldn’t have. Shūji’s influence, no doubt. Katayū’s hand shot out, caressing her daughter’s waves fondly; Elyna’s chest tightened at the tender gesture.
Love was everywhere, even in the small absurdities of life. A soft snore drew her gaze to Yuki; the boy had now fisted his hand in Kazuki’s hair; her husband didn’t stir an inch.
“He’ll have a crick in his neck,” Elyna murmured.
“Worth it,” Katayū said, having himself lived through years of sleep deprivation when his second born graced his household. “Besides, Shūji bet five thousand yen that he couldn’t get Yuki to nap before 4 o’clock.”
Elyna chuckled. “Speaking of Shūji, shouldn’t we open a daycare at the kōkō? His talents would be spot on.”
Katayū’s brows dipped in a thunderous frown. “Are you saying I should pay the troublemaker to play? With impressionable minds, nonetheless?”
Well, if you put it like that… But a little someone found the idea absolutely delightful. “Oh, yes! Uncle Shūji is my favou…”
A pointed look from the Principal got Emma to backpedal. Fast. “ … after you, Mako-oji-san[23]!”
“Of course,” Katayū responded, straight faced and solemn. Emma beamed at him, absolutely unfazed by his intensity. Elyna’s lips quirked with amusement.
Former samurai indeed. A man who kept a polished wooden crate in his office, precious enough to be antique, until one opened the lid to find it filled with toys.
The kōkō, and the Principal’s den in particular, was the embodiment of their beliefs; a refuge were both duty and love were celebrated with the same unshakeable faith.
When Yuki finally stirred, Kazuki’s eyes fluttered open with the instinct only a parent could muster.
His cheek was streaked with patterns from the carpet, hair deliciously tousled; Elyna couldn’t help but swoon.
Forty this year, and still as handsome as ever.
“Hello, troublemaker,” he rasped, rolling about to gather the sleepy boy in his arms. “Did you have a good nap?”
“To-san!” Emma squealed, almost costing them an eardrum. “You missed the cookies. Mako-oji-san said they are the best!”
“Didn’t Sōhma-san bake them?”
That the school nurse kept showering their kids with treats felt like veiled revenge; she probably hoped to send them into a sugar high under her usual guise of sweetness.
“But I brought them!” Emma whined, one inch away from stomping her foot on the polished floor.
Kazuki’s lips pursed as he struggled not to laugh.
“High praise indeed,” he responded with gravity, knowing full well Katayū had the worst sweet tooth.
“We’ll have to include that in her academic record, Mako-san. ”
“Of course,” Katayū nodded, keeping a straight face. Having his own children had mellowed the man, somehow. Or perhaps his grating layer of dry humour had always hidden a tender heart. Against all odds, the fearsome samurai made an excellent babysitter.
“Good. And now,” Kazuki groaned as he rose to his feet seamlessly, his body unfolding with impossible grace. “Someone owes me five thousand yen.”
Elyna’s eyebrow knitted. “Does it count if the caregiver fell asleep too?”
Her husband glared playfully, then bent over to drop a kiss to her temple.
“Of course,” he slid in her ear. “Especially since that money will pay for a delicious melon.”
The memory of sweet juice dripping at the corner of his mouth was enough to send her hormones into overdrive. Elyna could only nod, and pray that Katayū wouldn’t spot her blush. Kazuki mouthed a discreet I love you as he departed the room, leaving her absolutely too flustered.
Note for Heraclitus: Some things never change after all.