Super Spark of Duper Pride [OB] - Act I: Motivation

0-9: Teacher's Concern vs Student's Apathy (Teacher 1 & Spider 9)

Teacher 1:

It's after school right now, the classroom is empty except for Kudo, Wakaba, Hasebe and me, Okazami Kanami, their homeroom teacher, but everyone just calls me Miss Oka.

We just finished having our otaku meeting, which first started when I made a novel reference on how Wakaba's air of mysteriousness gives her her allure and she picked up on it.

In fact, she spoke up in complete sentences for the first time, sharing her excitement over our shared interest in novels.

I mean, she was still very much blank-faced and monotone in voice but still, there were a lot more inferred emotions than usual.

Her opening up led to Kudo doing the same and now we hang out after school semi-regularly.

I invited Hasebe too as it is no secret to the class that she is an otaku as well, she usually comes late after playing D&D with her friends.

The former two both made me and Hasebe agree to keep this side of theirs a secret from the others, which is fair.

I don't want to embarrass them, I hold these otaku meetings specifically for them so they have a chance to express themselves freely without being judged.

Especially Wakaba, she is like a completely different person when her guard is down.

Well, she still has her poker face, mannerism and voice but you can tell she's really just a silly dork at heart, and her extreme awkwardness in trying to hide that makes her rather cute actually.

Kudo on the other hand finds her uncanny while Hasebe thinks she is doing that on purpose to be funny.

But she's obviously worried that she will be made fun of if people knew this side of her, and she tries to hide behind the excuse that she only wants to talk to fellow veterans in otakudom.

So even around us, she is still not fully comfortable being honest about her insecurity.

Which is a shame, but such things take time to amend, and I will see to it that she will be confident being her true self one day.

Same with Kudo, I mean, who decided that being an otaku and being a capable class rep has to be mutually exclusive anyway?

Anyway, right now we are making a quick visit to the classroom after our otaku meeting to feed the class pet spider, which we have decided to call Kumoko.

Actually, it's more like Wakaba and I are feeding it since Kudo and Hasebe clearly don't like Kumoko and are waiting by the door.

By the way, that name was suggested by Temarikawa, an animal lover.

I bought a box of some dead worms meant for fishing and Wakaba uses a clamp to pick one up and sticks it to the cobweb.

We are about to leave when I address her.

"By the way Wakaba, about Shinohara bullying you-"

Wakaba: "Don't worry. Not bullying. Don't mind."

Wakaba replied monotonically before I even finished talking, shutting down the conversation.

Ever since Shinohara got rejected when she confessed to an upperclassman, she has been taking her anger out on Wakaba, who's Shinohara's crush's crush.

She has been insulting Wakaba, hiding or destroying her belongings and even hid a razor blade in her desk once.

Kudo and I have tried to talk Shinohara out of this, I even scolded her on occasions but nothing seems to be working.

And since Wakaba isn't standing up for herself, I worry things will escalate.

Spider 9:

Another day, another meeting of the otakus.

I am grateful to Miss Oka for holding these meetings.

We get to read / talk about manga and novels together, it's great fun.

I used to get bullied for being a weirdo chuunibyou when I was in middle school so being able to openly talk about my interests now is liberating.

Miss Oka and Rep first found out about me being an otaku when Miss Oka made a reference to a novel I like.

I couldn't help but share my excitement over the shared interest.

Then I realised I exposed myself and came up with the act that I'm not embarrassed about being a dummy dork at all the same way Moonie is.

Seriously, where does she get her confidence plus maturity from and where can I get some too, asking for a friend by the way, I totally don't need it for myself, heh.

I did ask them not to reveal this side of me but that would imply I'm embarrassed about being a closet nerd.

So I came up with the excuse that I only want to talk to cultured people to avoid wasting my breath with stupid normies.

I am not sure if they buy it, but they haven't called me out on it yet so I think I should be fine.

We are in our classroom right now to feed Kumoko, the little spider that moved in.

Specifically, at my corner of the classroom, at the window side.

Y'know, the classic anime look-out-the-window-melancholically spot?

Rep and Moonie are keeping their distance, obviously grossed out by Kumoko and what we feed her.

Admittedly, at first I was worried Kumoko would build her nest so close to me that she could touch me, thankfully she is on the ceiling and has no interest in coming back down.

Miss Oka takes out the box of dead worms and I use a clamp to stick one to the web.

There you go, enjoy your dinner, Kumoko.

We are just about to leave when Miss Oka talks to me.

Miss Oka: "By the way Wakaba, about Shinohara bullying you-"

"Don't worry. Not bullying. Don't mind."

I replied immediately before the conversation escalated.

I find myself comfortable enough with Miss Oka, Rep and Moonie to be able to kind of talk.

As for the Good Boy Trio, them not knowing who I am online makes it easier for me to chat more like a normal person as well, when communicating is needed that is.

Text chat also really helps since I don't need to use my voice and I can proofread my messages before sending them.

I am also able to kind of talk around the Arcade Gang but I feel the need to act all tough around them.

Breaking character is hard, y'know?

The irrational fear is too strong and I'm too narcissistic to ask for help, sue me.

Back to the subject, Miss Oka is already so kind to me by tolerating my overbearing chuuniness, I don't want her to get involved in more trouble for me.

I mean, I am only one out of 25 students she is looking after.

I am 100% sure there are students who need help more than I do.

And what I said is true, the bullying is so mild in comparison to what I had to deal with in my elementary and middle school days that I can't call it bullying at all.

I mean, being insulted for being a social outcast sucks.

Being reminded of how pathetic I am also sucks.

But it's not like that will ever change, and I have long since accepted that.

So really, who the heck bloody gives a sheet?

Inner Critic: Certainly not me, Hiiro!

Nai wa, that was a rhetorical question. This is just pointless filler that is not even funny.