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Picture Credits: Screengrab
Till Our Lives Burn Out
Chapter 2: The Quality of Mercy
(Part 2a)
Epigraph:
"Nature may not have the name of Isis; Isis may not be really looking for Osiris.
But it is true that Nature is really looking for something; Nature is always looking
for the supernatural. Something much more definite was to satisfy that need ..."
- GK Chesterton The Everlasting Man
At the appointed time, the four outer planet Senshi found themselves in a section of the city they would not normally frequent, staring at a modest, run down, octagonal, traditional building that was probably once used as living quarters for priests or monks, serving a temple that was no longer anywhere to be seen. The address was clear enough over the door. There was a nice sign that said “Juku-PK”; it was the sharpest looking thing about the establishment. The August afternoon was hot and humid. Setsuna took Hotaru to the door, while Michiru and Haruka appeared about to take a walk, when they thought better of getting too far from the convertible in such an area of town. Instead, they headed toward a rusty park bench under some nearby shade trees with a good view of the car. As Setsuna and Hotaru walked toward the front door, they heard another door open somewhere, and voices coming from around one side of the building. A pretty, fairly tall young girl with in a student’s uniform emerged followed by a much taller, casually dressed man wearing visor-like sunglasses and speaking with the same deep voice they’d heard over the phone. She was exclaiming excitedly in a kittenish voice about a scholarship she had won.
“I really couldn’t have done it without your help, sensei,” she said gratefully.
“Thank you,” said the tall rangy man, whose deep voice was even more resonant in person, “but you did all the hard work. I just helped you organize yourself a little better and to accept that some things in your life had to go if you were to achieve your goal. I’m very excited for your future.”
“Well, I still don’t think I could have done it myself. I am forever in your debt.”
“Hardly. Your family paid plenty for my services, and you put in for that scholarship, gave a first rate audition, and won it all on your own. I know I am going to hear of good things about you. Keep doing your best!”
“Yes, sensei!” said the student, bowing gratefully.
The teacher bowed also, and beamed as his pupil got into a very nice and very new sports car, a graduation present from the girl’s parents, parked in the dirt parking area that none of the Senshi had hitherto noticed.
“If you run into any trouble I am available to help,” said the tall man. “Even if you don’t, I truly want to know how you’re doing. So keep in touch. Don’t make me fly all the way to Columbia University for an update.”
“Yes, sensei!”
He waved goodbye as the student sped off, and watched the departing car for a few moments, then sighed and bowed his head in thought.
'Was he sad about something?’ wondered Hotaru.
“Nice car,” whispered Michiru to Haruka.
“Cute girl,” she whispered back. Michiru rolled her eyes.
The tall man turned and took notice of Haruka and Michiru. “Konnichi wa,” he said, smiling and bowing to them.
“Yo,” said Haruka, casually.
He had started to turn away, when he did a double take and looked at both of them again. Haruka seemed especially intriguing to him. Then nodded politely to them, and turned to look at Setsuna and Hotaru.
“I wish they meant it when they tell me they’ll keep in touch,” he said sadly. “Alas, most of them don’t.”
Having quickly taken in the classy looking pair before him, he looked at his studio, and then thought it necessary to explain something.
“I don’t suppose my ‘teaching studio’ is all that impressive to outward appearances. I rent, you see? But I can assure you the interior is quite neat and comfortable, and cool as well. It’s a hot afternoon, so please join me inside. And you two are quite welcome, too,” he said gesturing toward the girls sitting on the park bench. Haruka waved him off. She hadn’t noticed that Michiru had gotten out her mirror and taken a glance into it.
“As you wish,” the man smiled. “Though there’s not much around here worth looking at. Well, other than you two,” he added with a little bow. Michiru took a liking to him almost as quickly as Haruka’s level of dislike for any man went up a few notches.
“So then, you are my 12:15 appointment?” he asked, looking at Setsuna.
“Yes,” she said, as he ambled toward them.
“Good. I love how people are always on time in this country,” the man said. “My name is Peter Kuryakin.”
“I am Setsuna Meioh, and this is Hotaru Tomoe.”
All three of them quickly took a better look at each other. His face was what Setsuna expected from someone with the surname of Kuryakin: Caucasian and strong featured, with a straight and prominent nose, and an affable smile. He was very tall, and wearing tan slacks with a white shirt and blue sport coat. Adequate, though not especially stylish. As Miyuki had said, he was fairly handsome – not a “pretty boy” to be sure- but upon a thorough look, he was not bad at all. He was, at most, in his late twenties. His hair was a bit wavy, black, neatly cut and kempt, and he had odd sideburns that made him seem a bit ‘wild’. For his part, the man was very cool taking in Setsuna, showing in his face no particular hints at any thoughts going on inside his head. Even when dressed casually, Setsuna exuded demure and classy deportment, but today, despite the warmth, she had gotten fully decked out in one of her better original outfits. It was an off-white, tight skirted number with matching, sandal strap heels, an ensemble that –Hotaru only now noticed- glowed a bit in the noon sun. Looking at the man, Hotaru had to crane her neck so much she was almost looking straight up. Haruka chuckled, and nudged Michiru, who was looking into her mirror, and Michiru looked up and chuckled as well. Hotaru thought his sunglasses made him seem ‘cool.’ For the moment, his eyes were firmly locked on Setsuna, so much so Hotaru wondered if he wasn’t lingering a bit too long over her. A moment later, and the thought that he certainly was had quietly nestled in the back of her mind.
“So then, this is Hotaru …”
Kuryakin knelt down to look at her, eye to eye, taking off his sunglasses as he did. He was confronted with the pale but adorable, delicate featured face of a girl somewhere between eleven and no more than thirteen years of age, set like a tapered porcelain bowl between curtains of shiny, sable hair with a tint that matched an amazing pair of violet colored eyes. Somehow, she gave the impression of being much younger, and of a frailty mixed with a strangely fearsome aura. She found herself momentarily startled by the almost unnatural chatoyancy of his blue eyes, but that was only the beginning of this unexpectedly peculiar encounter. When he looked directly into her eyes, there was an immediate shock of recognition between them. It was palpable. She had never felt anything like it. They knew, or should know, each other somehow. They ‘clicked’ immediately, and both of them knew it, and knew the other knew it. He seemed as taken aback as she. An amazed, kindly and curious look came over his face, and as it did, any fear or wariness in her heart at meeting a stranger vanished. She smiled at him, and he was instantly and utterly charmed.
“So … Hotaru,” he said, finding his voice, “which means ‘firefly’ in English.”
She nodded with a bright smile.
“Very poetic. Yes,” he said, looking thoughtful, “it suits you well.”
She nodded her agreement, and while she did, something even more strange happened. He cocked his head in puzzlement and seemed to peer very hard between her eyes for just a moment. Then he smiled, stood up, and looked at Setsuna, who seeing his eyes for the first time, almost let out a tiny gasp.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, looking puzzled.
“No, no,” she said, after a moment. He smiled very warmly at her. Unbidden though the thought was, she admitted it was a very nice smile. He reached out a hand to usher them in, and the inside of his studio was as nice as the outside wasn’t. Cool air met them as they entered, and removed their shoes. Hotaru gawked as they passed by neat, well kept rooms that seemed bigger than they ought to be. Each room was filled with very interesting looking stuff.
“Kuryakin-san,” Setsuna said, “So you are Russian, then?”
“Oh, um, … American, actually,” he said, but in strange way, almost like there was more to it than that. “Russian-American ancestry. I came to Japan about seven years ago. I started teaching English classes and ran a cram school to make my way. I liked it here, so I stayed.”
“How tall are you?” asked Hotaru eagerly.
“Hotaru,” said Setsuna, somewhat reprovingly.
“Quite all right. I get that a lot, especially in this country. My fault, really, as I usually find a way to mention that my height before peoples’ understandable curiosity overwhelms their otherwise unfailing manners. I don’t mind people who speak openly,” he winked at Hotaru. “I am 201 centimeters tall, Hotaru-chan.”
“… wow …”
“Without … my shoes on,” he said slyly.
He showed them into a comfortable sitting room decorated with a few very smart antiques of indeterminate origin, and then offered them refreshments: lemonade, apple juice, or water with cheese, crackers, cookies and small cakes. Hotaru indulged herself the moment she felt she had leave to do so, and Setsuna, very decorously, took a bite out of one of the cakes.
“Take something for your friends when you leave,” he said, producing a couple of plastic cups, filling them with ice and lemonade, and securing them with lids. “I really regret that they didn’t see fit to join us as they both looked very … interesting.”
“Well, they prefer to keep to themselves,” Setsuna responded, before taking a sip of some apple juice.
“I can appreciate that, Miss Meioh. But if it’s not too personal, I wonder if you could explain something to me?”
“Yes?”
“Why does that blond kitten dress like a man?”
Hotaru suppressed a giggle, not only at the question, but how he’d put it. Setsuna appeared duly impressed at such powers of observation that could tell upon a first meeting, and from a distance, that Haruka was a woman.
“Well, it is … her way.”
“Hmm,” he said rubbing his chin. Then a slightly mischievous look came over him and he asked quickly, “Those two are lovers, aren’t they?”
Setsuna appeared a bit taken aback at the question.
“I didn’t really need an answer. I just wanted you to know that I not unobservant.”
“I am duly impressed,” said Setsuna. “You are open and honest, something I prefer, though perhaps it is possible to be too honest.”
“Yes,” he said. “There is certainly much to be said for getting to know people carefully, and with reciprocal respect, and with the slow and mutually-agreed-upon revelation of … hidden matters.” He bowed to her.
“I am very glad to hear you say that,” said Setsuna.
“Speaking of which,” he continued, “Hotaru-chan, would you be interested in seeing the aquarium I have in the next room over? It’s really very nice. It’s my ‘Finding Nemo’ fish tank. You can find a lot of the fish from that movie in it. Sadly, the Regal Blue Tang is on its last fins. Until I figure out what disease it has contracted, I’ve put it in a separate tank. But there is a blowfish, a couple of clownfish, even a small school of moonfish.”
Hotaru looked very excited to see this and lit off for it at once.
“Next room over, on the right,” he called after her.
“Hotaru, be careful and do not break anything.”
“Yes, Setsuna-momma. Found it!” she said merrily. “Amazing …”
“Oh, don’t make that blowfish expand more than once or twice,” Kuryakin called to her. “That really wears them out.”
“What an adorable girl,” he said. “So, Miss Meioh, what exactly is her problem?”
“In the last few months,” Setsuna began, “she has suffered seizures while taking tests. She has not had them at any other time. So far, there have been four incidences of this.”
“In the last few months and only during testing? How strange. Perhaps tests make her focus her mind in a way that she doesn’t normally. There are all sorts of ways one can overload the mind, and everyone reacts bit differently.”
This was just the sort of insight Setsuna wanted to hear.
“Are there ways to look for such things?” she asked.
“Oh yes.” Kuryakin explained what he thought he could do for her. Then he showed her his teaching certificates, and tutoring license, along with several glowing references about his ability, professionalism and trustworthiness in all social situations. She looked through them, quietly examining the list of people willing to be contacted for further reference and fully intending to use it over the weekend, but the mere fact that there were so many people willing to testify to his effectiveness and professionalism was impressive.
When she came to a newspaper clipping, he broke in, “I’m not trying show off. That happened right after I came here. It involved one of my very first groups of students, on our very first field trip, as a matter of fact.” The article described how the newly arrived gaijin-teacher had put himself at risk to protect his young charges while they were on a field trip to a local zoo when some hooligans messing around accidentally released one of the big cats. “That article makes it sound a lot more dramatic than it was,” he said. “That tiger was old, declawed, and had just eaten, so it wasn’t all that big a danger. Still, couldn’t have something that big and wild roaming about, especially with little ones around. Seeing that article helps people realize I take my responsibility seriously. The girl in front, there? She’s 18 now. Sweet kid. Very pretty and very bright. From that day on, I was her hero. Last year, out of the blue, I actually got a love letter from her,” he chuckled amusedly. “Imagine that.”
“Indeed? What … happened?” Setsuna asked, casually.
“With love letter girl? Heh, well. I … let her down easy, of course. Er, yeah,” he said ironically. “I told her she could do much better than me. So then do you have any other questions?”
The answer to that question was ‘yes,’ but strangely, Setsuna was having trouble remembering them.
“Well then,” he said, “I think we can talk about the rest of this in front of Hotaru, if need be.”
Setsuna mentioned how intelligent Hotaru was and asked if he would be able to handle any subject in which she might excel. Kuryakin asked her to pick a subject. She chose her major, physics. He asked her to follow him to a room down the hall, where he showed her a surprisingly well-equipped basic physics lab. As she explored the room, he asked her if she’d read any recent journal articles. She mentioned the title of one she’d seen, and he grabbed a journal off the shelf, flipped through it and began reading.
“You are very up to date on the subject,” she said.
“Pretty much,” he responded. Then to prove he wasn’t just reading something he did not understand, he continued, “Although I think there are some problems with the article’s thesis.” He then explained at length what he thought was ‘off’ even to the point of writing out a lengthy equation on the room’s marker board. “The point being, Miss Meioh,” he concluded, “I know the material and I know how to teach it, especially one-on-one. You can pick just about any major subject and I can show you a small but properly equipped classroom and demonstrate passing competency in it. I can handle anything Hotaru needs to learn.”
“You can teach any major field?”
“Correct.”
“To what level?”
“Post Doc in some fields. Is she that intelligent?”
“Not quite, yet” she said, but that was not why she asked. She thought it very, very strange that one person, young or otherwise, could know so much in all major fields.
“I’m also very good at understanding people,” he continued, as he guided her back to the sitting room, “once I get to know them a bit, and I think I have an excellent chance of finding out why Hotaru freezes up during tests. If you’re willing, I actually decided last night I would like to take her on.”
Setsuna was happy to hear this and had only one real worry left: the cost. She had heard him say that the family of that student who’d left a while ago had paid him plenty. Miyuki had mentioned that he took into account how much someone could afford, and may have taught some students gratis. But in sizing up Hotaru’s guardians, so observant a person might reasonably conclude they were well off, much more so than they actually were. As they sat back down, Kuryakin began writing down some things on a slip of paper, while she filled out a few forms. ‘I should have come alone, without make up, worn slacks, dressed Hotaru in a burlap sack, and brought her by bus,’ she thought, as she signed them. He slid the paper across the intervening table. She picked it up, read it and looked very surprised.
“This is …” she started to say, but then looked again to make sure she hadn’t misread it. “This is … very generous.”
“I have to eat like everybody else, but I try to take my clients circumstances into account as much as possible. You appear to be a college student. K.O. University, am I correct?”
“Yes,” she said. “What made you aware of this?”
“Well, I could go into a whole Sherlock Holmes exposition here, but I don’t really need to, do I?”
But she looked intrigued, like she really wanted to take the measure of this teacher.
“Right, you prefer honesty. Okay, in the words of a great American philosopher,” he began, “you can observe a lot by watching. So then, here are a few little things I have noticed about you: you appear to be no more than in your early twenties, at most. When I asked you to pick a subject, you immediately picked Physics, a subject that requires college training. If you wanted to test my mettle, it would have been pointless to pick a topic about which you knew little. You looked kind of impressed by my demonstration in the lab, and you were, I think, listening critically and not merely to verify. Then there’s your speech, which is not only very proper, charming and even antiquated, but also has a precision of language and syntax that suggests scientific training. Your clothes appear to be original. So, I surmised that you make them yourself. College students are usually under funded, and it could be that you do it not only for the joy of creating things, but also out of thrift; and finally, you could of course be rich, but it took you over two weeks to call me and more often than not, that kind of reluctance signaled a concern over what a private tutor might cost. It all seemed to fit.”
“How did you become aware of when I had first heard of you?” she asked.
“Miyuki called me after she talked to you. She let me know that you might be calling. And since she goes to K.O., I …”
“I see,” Setsuna interrupted, “So one can learn as much by serendipity as observation.”
“Ah, my secret is out,” he smiled. “When you called it did take me a minute realize it was you she was talking about. She told me everything she knew about the situation. Please don’t be mad at her. She really urged me to help if I could. She greatly admires you, and I’m beginning to see why. ”
“What else have you observed?”
“Well,” he continued, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “just off the cuff here … you’re single, you’re obviously too young to be Hotaru’s birth mother, and I suspect a bit too young to legally adopt her. But I think you would have adopted her if you could. Much emphasis is placed on bloodlines in this country, and the concept of adoption has, sadly, had a poor reception here. However, legally, you are able to make decisions for her, so I’m guessing you have some kind of provisional guardianship. Thus, I surmise that, as a person, you must be very openhearted, you like children, and you care for Hotaru very, very much. I am very impressed by that, and that’s one more reason why I’d like to help if I can.”
“Anything else?” she asked, looking a little flattered, but also concerned. This guy was pretty sharp.
“Other things? Well, those two kittens outside are, I suspect, the people who were in the room with you and Hotaru – you had me on speakerphone, after all, I could tell this was a ‘conference call’. So I’m guessing you three make decisions together, at least where Hotaru is concerned. Caller ID said it was a unlisted private residence, so I suspect you and Hotaru probably live or at least room with them, sharing expenses and such. That nice car you came in belongs to Tomboy Kitten – yes, she was driving, but also she does not look like a back seat kind of person, except where Princess Kitten is concerned, perhaps … is something funny?”
“Why do you refer to them as kittens?” Setsuna asked.
“I’ve seen Tomboy Kitten before.”
“Oh, where?”
“One of my past students was into track and field,” Kuryakin explained. “I went to a couple of his meets for moral support. She was there, too. She’s fast. I saw two of her races. She is very fast. Fast as the boys, really. That’s why I remembered her. Oh, and later on, I happened to see her hitting on some very cute girls who apparently didn’t realize she was a girl, since she was back in her warm up suit.”
“How long ago was this?”
“That would have been over two years ago.”
Setsuna seemed a bit shocked. “You remember things in that kind of detail, that far back?”
“Don’t you? I mean, if they’re interesting enough? Anyway, I remember her calling them ‘my kittens’ as she flirted with them. Should I get a chance to talk to her, I will be interested to see if she can take it as well as she dishes it out. I also wonder how she can legally drive as she is surely not yet old enough to have a license. And I’m sure there’s a very interesting story behind how two high school girls come to live in their own house, in such a nice neighborhood,” he said, tapping the address at the top of the form she’d just filled out and signed, “drive fancy convertibles, and dress so sharply.”
“That is more than merely observant. That is almost psychic,” said Setsuna.
“Miss Meioh, reality testifies to itself quite readily if one sees what is there. Everything affects everything else. If one knows what to look for, or has trained oneself to look for, it’s not that hard.”
“Well, I am duly impressed with your abilities,” she said. ‘A little too impressed. What have we gotten into here?’
“Thank you. You have an unusual problem. I’m good at solving such problems. I really think I can help.”
“Your fee is very generous. We do appreciate it. Thank you,” she said sincerely, “very much.”
“You’re welcome,” he said warmly.
“There is one other thing I need to talk to you about.”
“Yes?”
“I am not certain how, exactly, to say this.”
“Just say it, Miss Meioh. I’m not easily provoked or offended.”
“I ask that you do not pry into our personal circumstances.”
“You mean more than that which is readily observable or necessary? Miss Meioh, you have the list of people who are willing to vouch for my professionalism. Please use it, and you will find that I am the soul of discretion.”
“So when you try to figure out what is causing Hotaru’s problem, you will be very … careful?”
“I see. Yes, of course. You have my word, and that list of references, besides. I’m not sure what else I do to prove myself at this early stage. If I make you uncomfortable in some way, then perhaps this is not a good idea.”
“No, no,” Setsuna said. “I believe you are just what I … what we are looking for.”
He motioned for her to follow him, and they went into the room where Hotaru was staring happily at the school of moonfish.
“I am quite curious about … but never mind.”
“Please, speak freely.”
“Why does someone of your abilities spend his time tutoring ordinary people instead of …,” but Setsuna’s voice trailed off as though she had just said something insulting to him and beneath herself. There was something very disconcerting about this man, especially those eyes that strangely made her think of someone who couldn’t be more different that the man before her.
“… instead of doing bigger, grander things?” he finished the thought for her. “You ever read Cervantes’ Don Quixote, Miss Meioh?”
“Long ago, yes,” she replied. ‘Shortly after it first came out,’ she did not say.
“In the story, Quixote must learn to help ordinary people, instead of the illusory personages of romance. I have never in my life met an ordinary person. I don’t think there is such a thing. Now of course, I have preferences and such, people I prefer to be around, and people I prefer not to be around. That’s only natural. Still, I have never met an ordinary person. The people I am most proud to have helped probably would not strike you as very impressive. Their accomplishments are mediocre, but compare to what could have been? I’ve had a quite a few students through here in seven years. Early on, I did teach larger groups, geniuses included, and did it well. People were very sad to see me close the cram school, but others do that just as well, and there are only so many hours in the day. With large groups, it got harder and harder to give the kind of attention I felt honor bound to give, especially in these special cases. So I made a conscious decision that I would seek out and help the ones who need it the most to the greatest possible degree, rather than try to help many but to a far less effective degree.”
“But then, …” She wanted to ask something else but her voice trailed away. For someone demanding discretion, she certainly wasn’t reciprocating.
“… why am I quitting this? Well, I’m not, really. I will probably always be trying to help people this way. But I just have this sense that I’m needed elsewhere.”
“Where?” she asked.
He smiled.
“That is the question, Miss Meioh,” he said looking directly into her eyes. “That is indeed the question. It’s just as well, though. I wouldn’t want take on something like Hotaru’s little problem if I had other students. So Hotaru, do you like the aquarium?”
Hotaru smiled and said “I especially like …” and then named quite few of the creatures and plants in it.
‘Excellent,’ he thought. ‘The teaching part won’t be hard at all.’
“Well, Hotaru,” he said kneeling down to talk to her, “it looks like you and I are going to get to spend a lot of time together over the next few months. We’re going to figure out why you get so bothered during tests. Are you okay with me as your teacher?”
She smiled and nodded.
“Miss Meioh, I may have to try things that seem unorthodox –nothing dangerous, I assure you, but I’ll explain the methodologies to you beforehand. I’m pretty sure I can get to the bottom of it. Whether it’s fixable is another matter, but at least you’ll know what’s going on. I’d like to propose the following schedule: Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:30 to 4:30, and then Thursdays from 9:30 to 4:30, with Wednesdays and Fridays for directed self-study and homework. Will that schedule cause any problems for you?”
“No, but will you be able to further her practical knowledge in that amount of time,” Setsuna asked?
“Well, the actual studio lecture time is only about two thirds of what I do. I do expect her to show some self-disciplined, and for you to help out, if she struggles in that. As long as she follows my instructions -does her homework, fills out her review sheets, and writes out and reviews her note cards- I think she’ll learn just fine. I have my own special variation of the spiral curriculum method. I’ll know exactly what she does and doesn’t know, and to what degree, in short order. All things being equal, she should learn as much in that amount of time from me as she would in a term anywhere else, and perhaps a bit more. Also, I’d like her to eat lunch here. We’ll check for mild food allergies. Don’t worry, Hotaru,” he smiled at her, “I am a great cook, and we’ll even do some of it together. Cooking is an excellent way to learn about chemistry and physics. You can pick her up anytime between 4:30 and 5:00. Or later if need be. Now I follow the American academic calendar, so we’ll need to start within a week or so.
“Yes, Miyuki Mayamura mentioned that.”
“Did she explain why?”
“Yes, but I doubt Hotaru is even thinking of college, and I doubt she will ever go to college anywhere but in Japan.”
“That isn’t only reason I do that. In her case, should she have any unexpected difficulties, that extra time will be our margin of error. So then, we’ll try to follow the standard four month term with tests, midterms, and finals. We have some flexibility in when we schedule those. Oh, we’ll also be doing a few field trips. The first one will be to get a new Blue Tang for the fish tank. On those days, …”
“Kuryakin-san?” Hotaru interrupted.
“Yes, Hotaru-chan?”
“Please forgive the interruption, but the Blue Tang seems to be okay.”
“Oh?”
Kuryakin walked over to the tank where he’d put the dying fish and looked quite surprised. With perfect body position, it was zipping around the small tank like a race car around the track. It was completely normal.
“Huh, that’s funny,” he said, looking back at Hotaru, “just this morning it was almost belly up.”
He got very close to the fish tank and peered into it for a moment, as Setsuna clapped a firm hand on Hotaru’s shoulder.
“Hmm, strange. To continue, Miss Meioh, when we have field trips, I can pick her up and drop her off, and we can juggle that to fit with times you might have trouble getting her here, if you prefer. Will the Kittens be dropping her off then, or will you?”
“They will. I do not have a car. Do not worry too much about that. They have very flexible schedules.”
“Do they? How … interesting. Okay, I’ll work on that over the next week and send a tentative schedule home on her first day. Now it’s important that she not miss any days -except for illness of course. If she does get sick, Friday can be a make up day. And if getting her here or back home is ever a problem, give me sufficient warning and I will be happy to take care of it.”
Hotaru really liked what she was hearing: her own personal teacher, and lunch, and snacks and field trips? This didn’t sound like school at all.
“Now then, Hotaru-chan?”
“Yes, Kuryakin-sensei!”
“Let’s go … wait a second. What’s with the starry eyed look?” he said, puzzled. Then he got an evil look in his eye. “Ah okay. Listen, don’t you think for a minute that you’re not going to work hard here. My lectures are very information intense, and you will have a lot of homework. Miss Meioh says you’re very advanced in a number of subjects. I’m going to fill in any gaps, and then take you even further. If all goes well, you will soon be Hotaru Tomoe, Renaissance Girl. In-Training, at the very least. It’s going to be more like college. Now, the colleges I trained in? They don’t let people fail. Neither do I. Once I’ve made up my mind to take something on, I never lose. Understood?”
Hotaru smiled and said, “Understood.”
“So then, let’s go pick a room.”
“A room?”
“Yes, your personal study and instruction room,” he said. “I’m still finishing up with some other students, so a couple of the rooms are taken. But if you like one of those we’ll move you into it as soon as the current student is done. I’m thinking the blue room for you. And here it is.”
He opened a door, and Hotaru looked in. She saw a room that reminded her a little bit of her old bedroom in her father’s house.
“What do you think?” he asked, watching her very carefully.
At first, she felt a bit sad, but it was more nostalgia than genuine sorrow. Then, a feeling of comfort like she hadn’t known in sometime spread over her and she smiled a little.
“Will this work for you?”
She looked up at him and nodded.
“Okay, then,” he said to Setsuna, handing her a few papers. “If you’ll get those supplies for her by next week we’ll be all set.”
He led them both to the door after stopping to pick up the drinks he’d packaged for Haruka and Michiru. He handed them to Setsuna. “So then I’ll see you at 10:00 sharp next Monday.”
Kuryakin continued to watch as they walked away, waved as they took off, and went back inside only after the car was well out of view. Once back inside, he leaned his back into the door to close it, and stood there, perfectly still and silent, for the next forty minutes, as though in some kind of shock. Finally, he uttered one word:
“… wow …”
“Hotaru,” said Setsuna as they were driving home, “you should not have done that.”
“But it looked so pathetic.”
… (word limit reached)
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