Kuni (Before) - It’s We Teachers Who Will Be in Trouble
Men should become fishermen or farmers, and women should become mothers.
That kind of mindset still permeates through this town.
Learning just the bare minimum is enough. Studying any more than that is a waste of time. The Kegai will destroy everything anyway.
The state of the world has caused people in the countryside to often overlook the importance of education[7].
It's all so deeply rooted in local culture that it can't be written off as mere foolishness.
The other day, I[1] scolded Sawada-kun[2] for turning in an empty quiz answer sheet, and he said he wasn't likely to live long anyway.
"And like I said... you shouldn't think like that!! Were you even listening!?"
Haha... It felt good to shout out once every now and then[8]. The windows shook, and the students were startled, but, well, no big deal. I hope that conveyed a little sense of danger to them.
If the town is to be destroyed ten times, make it so that it can be destroyed eleven times. Why does no one understand that? Who decided to teach them that education was useless?
The Kegai, the overlooking of the importance of education, and the semi-imposition of one's vocation by birth...
If these evils are not done away with, the gap between the countryside and the capital city will continue to grow. Every place will be destroyed except for Tokyo, and there will be nothing left of our history and traditions except for Tokyo. That is what I see happening in the far future.
And when it does, it's we teachers who will be in trouble. Yes. I, Kunie Enan, am in trouble. After all, I want to go back to the capital city and be responsible for smart students.
Ah, I can't stand the countryside. Now I remember that Suhisa-kun[3] also handed me an empty answer sheet. He chuckled, saying he had always wanted to do this once for the sake of reenacting a scene from an anime.
"Your honesty is appreciated!! But you should have come up with a better excuse!!"
Another shout. Nice. I could get used to that. It was the second best thing I could do to make the students recoil, right behind scratching the blackboard with my fingernails.
Well. Anyway. I, Kuni-sensei, am in trouble.
I let out a long, long sigh. The average score of the quiz from the other day was 30 points below the national average. The students scored particularly badly on the Kegai-related questions.
By some miracle, this town is free of Kegai attacks, which is perhaps why they are so negligent. Should I preach to them that they need to improve various abilities, including academics, in order to oppose the Kegai?
Or should I just be blunt and say they need to aim for a higher social standing to have it easy while living in a society? That one can get others to do their bidding as long as they have the right levels of charisma and social status?
Hmm...
The school requires more teachers. We teachers need more teaching materials. And of course, the summer vacation should be done away with[9]; the time would be better spent in the classroom. If we don't get the students to spend at least the mornings studying, their future will be severely hampered.
We must break free from this situation, both for my relocation back to the capital city and for the sake of the students' future. First, they must understand the importance of education. The sense of need for knowledge that exists in Tokyo has yet to develop here. I wonder why such a big difference even exists despite the fact that we're all in the same country and speak the same language.
...Well, complaining so much isn't going to do any good. Maybe I should get myself a pet turtle[10]. Even a cactus would die in three days under my care, but I might be able to handle a turtle...
／＊／
I finish preparing for today's classes and head out to patrol Ginza Street[5]. If I find any truants, I must set them straight. Back in the day, I used to wonder what good studying hard would do, but eventually, I got into the habit and stopped questioning it. After attending college and getting a job, I have come to believe that education is more important than anything else. If I had remained uneducated, I would have become someone who did not doubt even the most suspicious of things, exposed myself to pollution[11], and accepted my misfortunes as unavoidable. Neglecting one's studies equates to accepting one's inability to make a change -- to giving up on one's future, one possibility at a time.
Yet, my students are content with taking life as it comes...?
This is no laughing matter. For my benefit, as well as the students', I have to make them study.
I mean, the situation is already getting dangerous. The other day, some precocious little girl[4] in town came to hang out at the school and tried doing one of the older quizzes as a joke. Well, her score was much higher than what Sawada-kun and Suhisa-kun had achieved! What can I say? I felt... crestfallen.
Surely the difference is not an issue of talent, but rather motivation[12].
Or perhaps... Perhaps this town and its children have really resigned to the fact that the Kegai will eventually destroy them anyway...
If so, it is depressing. In terms of my evaluations, that is. Very depressing.
Something must be done...
／＊／
Back at the school, I write a petition[6] on behalf of my students... actually, no, it's for me. Part of it is to keep Japan from being just Tokyo, and to preserve the history and traditions of all of Japan. For about 70% of it, though, it's to get myself relocated back to the capital city. I must spare no effort.
These days, even the people in Tokyo have begun evacuating elsewhere due to the increased frequency of Kegai attacks. The first wave of evacuations of this nature in 39 years, or so I was told.
I will suggest this town, Ashihara Nakatsu, as one of their potential destinations.
The rough idea is to bring in some high-achieving students to serve as role models for others. Teachers telling them to study hard won't have much of an effect, but perhaps a classmate will have a better chance of persuading them.
Alright. Let's go with that. I'll think about the turtle later.
Somehow, this town has never been attacked by the Kegai, so there may be some good students who will consider evacuating here. I've already discussed the idea with the mayor and the town council.
The effort is worth it for the students' benefit... actually, no, it's for my benefit.
===
Chapter 6 Character Profiles
↩[1] Kuni (Kunie Enan)
Japanese language teacher.
Known as a "problem teacher" behind the scenes.
Despite her motivation, she lacks effective teaching skills. Unfortunately, those like her aren't uncommon in this era.
First-person pronoun used: Watashi
↩[2] Saru (Kunihiko Sawada)
Member of the baseball club. Quite good at looking after others.
When he was in elementary school, he was called "Saru" or "Saruta" because of his tree-climbing skills. Sometimes he is still called by those nicknames.
He is not keen on studying because he wants to find a job to ease the burdens of his widowed mother.
↩[3] Nanachi (Nanachi Suhisa)
Descended from a wealthy long-standing family of farmers, so he was raised well, and in turn, he takes good care of the community. He's also what people nowadays would call a passionate otaku.
The modern definition of the word "otaku" has not yet been established at this time, so it will not be used to describe him in this novel's main text.
In the game, however, the word "otaku" will be used for the sake of conciseness. Apologies in advance.
↩[4] Takako (Takako Wakakuni)
Self-proclaimed "everyone's little sister." A prodigy with an IQ of over 180.
Unfortunately, in this time period, Japan does not have a system for educating gifted individuals like her. As a result, she is considered an outcast by her peers at school and is unable to make the most of her potential capabilities.
The country's policy at this time is to improve the average grades rather than the grades of a few prodigies.
Additional notes: Considering how smart she is, it's no surprise that she scored high on the quiz.
===
Chapter 6 Footnotes
↩[5] Ginza Street
Named after Tokyo's Ginza district. Many streets all over the country have been renamed "Ginza" to capitalize on its popularity.
Originally, it was simply called "Main Street."
↩[6] Petition
A formal written request to the authorities. Not stipulated by law.
Surprisingly enough, they do get read by the politicians.
↩[7] "Overlook the importance of education"
Was actually a thing in the countryside back in the day.
This might still be the case in some regions.
↩[8] "It felt good to shout out once every now and then"
Actually not good for one's health.
Still, Kuni's spirit has already taken quite a few hard hits by this point.
She's had to work 200 hours of overtime in a month on occasion.
↩[9] "Summer vacation should be done away with"
It will be August in the game, but there will still be classes.
Kuni is actually the cause of this. It's no surprise that the students dislike her.
↩[10] "Maybe I should get myself a pet turtle"
It's not that she likes turtles; she just thinks they're low-maintenance enough for her to handle.
Not a good mindset to have.
↩[11] "Exposed myself to pollution"
Kuni's hometown is particularly infamous for its high pollution level.
↩[12] "Not an issue of talent, but rather motivation"
Back in the day (and perhaps even now), many believed everything could be achieved with enough motivation.
===
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