Mister Inokori

II: Introduction

Mister Yoshitaka smiled at his reflection as he admired himself in the mirror. Today was the first day of school and the first day of his official teaching at New Hope High. The twenty-four-year-old was as gleeful as ever to go to his old high school and to see his old English teacher, Mister Inokori.

He had dressed as dapper as he could as a man of his profession and as a college student who was still swimming in debt. A white button-up with a red cardigan over it for his top and a pair of marrón dress pants and chestnut, leather shoes for his bottom.

Sora gave his reflection a thumbs up, grabbed his leather messenger bag, and began his walk to school.

Mister Yoshitaka had moved closer to the school over the summer as soon as he got the good news. He was now renting a small apartment a few blocks from the high school.

A zephyr went through his dirty, blond hair mussing it up a bit. Sora didn't mind as he had a skip in his step and a little whistle on his lips. He watched as high schoolers walked to school around him. They were all chatting and laughing, all with a smile on their faces.

Surely that was a good omen for the upcoming school year. Sora waved at a group on the other side of the street and they politely waved back.

As he got closer to the high school's horseshoe he witnessed a lot of pictures being taken and a lot of hugs. Some students were pushing their parents away or grumbling about the pictures, but Sora just chuckled at them.

He stopped in front of the main entrance and looked up. The words 'New Hope High School' were above the overhang in all caps. They looked shiny and new as of someone had gone up the day prior to shine them themselves.

"I hope my dreams become anew."

Yoshitaka entered through one of the many glass doors. He waved at the two secretaries who waved back between helping the incoming freshmen. It was an old tradition or rumor that if you say that phrase on the first day while looking at the sign then your dreams would come true during the school year. As a student, Sora didn't believe in the rumor, but as an adult, Yoshitaka thought that it couldn't hurt to try it.

The halls of New Hope were bustling with activity. People were trying to get to their first period while others were just trying to find the classroom itself. Mister Yoshitaka's classroom was E-3 which stood for the third English classroom. Mister Inokori was the second one and a woman that Sora couldn't remember was the first one.

The English classrooms were all upstairs, but the teacher's lounge was connected to the main office and the secretary's office. He needed to get his teacher lanyard or else no one who probably take him seriously since he looked so young; it also didn't help that he was 5'5.

He turned right and down the hallway about halfway until he saw the door. It was like an other door in the high school but had a small sign labeled 'staff only' kind of like the signs you would find at a restaurant.

He pushed open the door and half excepted some of the teachers to say that he wasn't welcomed but instead he received a few stares as he didn't recognize many of the teachers and they probably don't know him. He gave them an awkward smile and he just stood in the doorway. That is until he heard someone call his name.

"Mister Yoshitaka, over here!" A woman waved him over and everyone else went back to their previous conversation. Sora sped walked to his savior and he regretted not showing up for the orientation to the other subjects.

He took a seat at the tale the female teacher was sitting at; the woman looked familiar, but he couldn't recall her name. "I'm glad that you came to the lounge. We English teachers have to stick together, right?"

Oh, now he remembered. She was the English teacher from E-1, Miss something or the other. "Of course, I came, I had to get my lanyard," Yoshitaka explained then looked around the room for the lanyard that was promised would be in the lounge.

The E-1 teacher dangled something in front of him. Sora turned to see what it was as she placed the blue and white lanyard on the table and lightly slid it over to him. "I hope that you aren't like the other English teacher, we wouldn't want another Mr. Detention on our hands." The teacher looked to the side and then rolled her eyes.

"What do you by that, Miss..."

"Phonic. My name is Saku Phonic." She held her hand out and Yoshitaka took it and politely shook it.

"I'm sorry for not remembering."

"It's fine." Miss Phonic rested her chin on the palm of her hand. Her brown eyes looked bored and displeased. "At least you made an effort in trying to know my name. He just calls me Miss Faker."

Yoshitaka slid the lanyard over his head. "Why is that?"

Miss Phonic propped her elbows on the table and shutter her shudders. "I don't know. The first time we met he took one look at me and then ran away. Ever since he called me that mean nickname."

She sighed and slightly waved one of her hands. "If he wants to call me mean nicknames then I can call him some back. Plus, his nickname is true, he gives out a bunch of detentions. Maybe he just hates himself or likes the silence because he is the one who has to oversee the detentions. If anyone else gives a dentition—which is scaring as I personally think that all of our students are great and are undeserving of detention—they serve it with him."

A bell rang and all the teacher haunted their conversations. "Well, that's the five-minute bell. We should get to our classes." Miss Phonic put on her own lanyard which was decorated with a bunch of little pins and tiny toys.