022 – John Sensei And The Boy

Editor: Poor_Hero and Lazaruz22

TN: I actually planned to write 2 chapters yesterday since it’s my off day but…I got too wrapped up in Gyakuten Saiban / Ace Attorney 6 to care… It’s too addicting!

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The boy was in a single-mother family.

The boy was in a single-mother family.
His mother worked overtime everyday. The difficulties of raising a child single-handedly and doing her job was proving to be more difficult then she thought causing her spirit to wear away everyday.

The boy’s mother was beautiful.
But ………

 

That day, the boy’s mother returned home late after her overtime.

” Welcome home. ”

The boy who turned 8 years old honestly waited for his mother to come home every night.
Just so to give his mother warm food after working hard everyday for his sake.

” ….. I’m home. ”

The dinner prepared by the boy was splendid. So good that he could open a restaurant.

The boy, since young, had been trying his best with the housework.

In order to lessen his mother’s burden.
In order to get a smile from her.
In order to get praised by her.
In order to get approval from her.

But no matter how he tried his best, his mother never smiled at him. Never ever praised him. She even treated him like he was not even there.

Today was the same. His mother did not smile, did not say that the food was delicious and simply went to bed with a darkened face.

Even so, the boy never did once blame his mother.

Because the boy knew how many difficulties his mother had faced.

The boy had a thought.
Anyone could do housework. It was the boy himself who had not tried his best.

And so the boy tried harder.
His studies. Sports.
He tried hard as like in the past. He got full marks every time. Before he realized, he had already studied all the way till university level.
Without slacking at housework.
He would fold the clothes neatly, clean every nook and corner, cook delicious dinner every night, get full marks in every test.

And all he got was a ” Right. “
It was a wearisome, short reply.

A reply that did not recognize the effort the boy put in.
And even so, the boy did never once blame his mother.

 

It happened on a certain day.
The boy’s mother fainted.
She was admitted into the hospital but no cause could be found. She was already skinny and yet she got skinnier day by day.

The boy devoted his time in taking care of her.

And even so never once had his mother looked at him.

The final day came.
It was a rare day where his mother was smiling self-deprecatingly which caused the boy to involuntarily ask.

” Mum, why do you hate me? ”

The boy knew it in his heart.
Why his mother never once looked at him no matter how hard he tried.

The boy’s mother smiled a gentle self-deprecating smile.

” I hate that face of yours. ”

The boy’s mother knew in her heart that the boy was not in the wrong.
In fact she was even thankful towards him. If she ever managed to be frank to him.

In the end, anger took over her.

Every time she looked at his face she would remember her divorced husband.
And now she was looking at that person’s eyes.

” I’m sorry. ”

The hoarse mumble of the boy’s mother did not reach him. For he had left the hospital room.

The next day, it was the first time the boy was not in the hospital room.

Then, as if it was at her own choice, the boy’s mother breathed her last.
With a graceful smile that not even the boy had even seen on her face.

” So it was because of this face. ”

The boy clenched his fist.

” This face….. ”

And he decided.
To live strongly.
That even with his face there wouldn’t be a problem.

 

◆

 

” …..It’s a dream.”

He awakened by his rough breathing.
Looking outside the window, the sky was still somewhat dark, looking like it’s a little before dawn.

But it had been some time since he had that dream.

…..He thought he managed to forget about it.

Laughing self-mockingly, he got up.
Careful not to wake his parents who were sleeping on either side of him, he got out of the bed and walked down the corridor.

” Fuwaaaa ”

He let out a huge yawn as he headed towards his own room.
It must have been because of the conversation yesterday that he had that dream.

In a rare low spirited moment, Will turned the door knob.

 

◆

 

” Are you not going to ask? ”

With a happy face as he laughed, John-sensei asked. With just that sentence, I immediately understood what he was trying to ask.

When I first said that I wanted to learn more about Sensei, he had shown a troubled expression that I now understood.

To tell the truth, I was interested.

As I was thinking about it, John-sensei thought I was stunned by the question and began to speak.

” …Will would know about my family situation. You should be interested to know more. ”

John-sensei, who had always given off a fun aura, began to exude deep pressure. With his sharp stare and his serious expression, he looked straight at me.

My instinct told me not to turn away from this.

” There is no need to ask, is it? John-sensei is John-sensei. ”

Suppressing my trembling voice, I stared back.

And John-sensei exchanged his sharp stare for a self-deprecating smile.

” I can teach, but only that I cannot do. ”
[TN: I think he meant answering questions about his family.]

With just that, I understood.

No, I might have somehow predicted this.
No matter how close our age might be, or the somewhat closeness I felt, to a person he just met…
John-sensei continued.

” I am the 2nd son, which is why I cannot succeed my Father as the Duke. And Will should know this as well, my father is a foolish man. ”

With that, for a moment, John-sensei’s spinning eyes showed a familiar pain-like expression.

” When I was young, I tried too hard to attract my indifferent parent’s attention. Calligraphy, mathematics, magic, sword. ”

He laughed, his shoulders raised.

” But, no matter how I tried, Father never showed his affections. In the end, it backfired instead. ”

Giving a deep sign, Sensei, for some reason, smiled.

” …And so, as I learned, I came to understand. What a foolish, stupid family I have. To continue clinging onto such a thing, I, myself would turn into an idiot. ”

Sensei smiled, evident pain in his face.

” But, even if I wanted to change things, I could not. I am too powerless. Now, all I can do, is gain more power. ”

Power ―― Status.
So that was why he left his house and served the Royal Court.

” I realized that, to leave unsightly extravagance, to protect the citizens, the same status is needed. ”

And the self-deprecating John-sensei, was smiling brilliantly now.

” Which is why, Will, let us study strictly from now on. ”

◆

With that, he passed me a thick book.

It seemed to be a book on the connections of the Nobles in this country. Family name, territory, and who it was, were all written in detail.

…….Was I to memorize everything in it?……..

He was definitely a super ‘S’!!!!

As I cried out, I continued to advance on reading it. Having this person as my Sensei, it might be my good fortune. I gave a small smile at that.

Mother, it might be for the best that I was reincarnated.

 

◆◆◆

 

AN: The reason why Will cannot acknowledge his looks stems from here.
…It is difficult writing in 3rd person.

Thank you for reading.

TN: Hm..I should have done this yesterday. Half of it is copy and paste!