I’m My Own High School Rival: Nakamura’s Arc: Heritage

  Well, this is uncomfortable. I pushed my glasses up on the bridge of my nose as I scanned my students for cheaters. The scribbling of pencils reminded me of the shuffling of footsteps as soldiers positioned themselves for battle.

  Hino raised his hand, and I nodded in response, signaling that I was on my way. Cute kid. If I had a son, I’d want him to have Hino’s disposition. Each deliberate step struck the ground, and the class straightened as if trained to follow the sound.

  “Yes, Hino,” I said, positioning myself to keep an eye on Christina and Antwon. Rumors fly like birds with blades; their…kiss circulated exceedingly fast.

  “Do you understand the question now, Hino?”

  Not to mention the standoff with Antwon’s sister. The Kitten I know would have sunk its teeth and claws into that girl, so what defused the situation? I patrolled back to my initial position in front of the class, catching Trish pretending to be someone else; her eyes slowly lolling off into worlds unknown.

  Serves you right for not warning me about this field trip into Veil territory as a teacher evaluator. My bottom lip quivered in disappointment slightly before I could assuage myself, and catching Trish’s sleepy gaze, bringing her back to life.

  I turned and adjusted my glasses before my emotions could further betray my stoicism. Ah, my problem bunch. Antwon, Nakamura, and Christina Tetsusen—they’re working so diligently on their history test when typically watching them is like a ren’ai dorama without a clear outcome.

  What will you do now, Nakamura? Christina has solidified her move on the boy… which must happen to secure the next generation of queens. Antwon raised his hand, and my body moved on instinct.

  “Yes, Mr. Carter?” I said. Carter raised his test into the air. “Are you certain that you’re finished?” He nodded, and I collected his exam. But before I could thumb through it, he stretched himself across the desk like a failed beast. I shouldn’t pry into student affairs, but he is acting out in front of me. As an educator, tending to my students' social-emotional status is crucial. “Mr. Carter, please step into the hall.”

  He stood up slowly, looking back at Christina Tetsusen, who pierced him with her blue eyes as if to slay him again. Antwon formed an angry, yet sad frown. I ushered him toward the door and blocked her fury with my arm.

  Once he was a reasonable distance from the door, I, too, looked back. And the malicious glower Christina Tetsusen bestowed on me nearly shattered my poise; overwhelming joy surged through every sinew of my body, as I fought back my smile. I turned toward the door and adjusted my glasses, excited to have such control over both queens of the Iron Court.

  ***

  The hallway was empty, save Mr. Carter and me. His head hung low as he shuffled to the side of the doorway. “Okay, Mr. Carter, what seems to be the issue?” I asked, knowing the answer to my question. The entire school was chirping with the news about his and Tetsusen’s kiss.

  He turned to face me, but his eyes darted away. He crossed his arms and puckered up his lips, reminding me that, for all his bluster and defiance, he was still a 15-year-old boy.

  I placed my hands on my knees, bending over to make myself smaller, leaning forward to close the gap, and cooed, “Please tell me how I can help you, Mr. Carter.” I widened my eyes and presented myself in a softer visage.

  He shifted away, leaning back to create distance between us. “What…are you doing, Ms. Igarashi?”

  I held my position, unsure why my appeal didn’t work. “I’m appealing to your softer paternal nature in order to assuage your inner turmoil, Mr. Carter.”

  The empty air whispered its resignation.

  “Okay, Ms. Igarashi, I’ll play your game.” My game? He brought his arms to his chest in a defensive posture and twisted side to side. “Ms. Igarashi, that mean-old Tetsusen pressed her lips against mine without consent. On top of that, my sister wants to fight her over a nonsensical claim over my freaking life!”

  I straightened myself out and pressed a pensive finger to my chin.

  “Shall I continue?”

  “No.” I shouldn’t pry, but it’s uncommon for a boy of low or foreign economic birth to reject such a promising opportunity. May I… inquire as to why you don’t want Ms. Tetsusen's proposal?

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  Carter’s green eyes narrowed, scanning my contours. “Are you…on her side?”

  I fixed my glasses, “No, Mr. Carter. I am not taking anyone’s side. I suppose you can call it a cultural interest.” I held my arms out to my side, palms up. “In Kokiri, boys fantasise about being picked by high-status girls, let alone one of the four heiresses. However, you were selected by—”

  “Let me stop you there, Ms. Igarashi.” Carter’s voice was firm. I slowly brought my hands to my sides. “I respect your country’s culture, but I don’t want to participate in your strange norms.”

  I rubbed the side of my face. “That kiss-stealing, sister threatening jerk won’t claim me.” he turned his gaze to the empty hallway behind me. “Besides, I’m not the one she is supposed to be with,” Carter said, ending with a sigh.

  “Oh… and just who is Christina Tetsusen supposed to be with?” I said, brimming with nascent curiosity.

  Carter’s eyes raced to the floor before him. He fiddled with his fingers and sucked air through his teeth. Was he preparing to lie, or was he nervous?

  “Look,” he said, finding the courage to look me in the eyes. “I know this sounds strange, but I know we shouldn’t be together… because…” Great. Another student, another future teller.

  I adjusted my glasses. “So, Carter. You can see the future, too?” He rolled his eyes. “I’m curious now. Do stressful situations give all my students premonitions?”

  His eyes widened in response. “W-what did they tell you?” Why is he so invested in a joke?

  I clasped my hands together and held them close to my chest. “Sadness, relationship issues, and danger. Typical high school stuff.”

  “Tsk. Okay, you’ve had your fun, Ms. Igarashi. Send me back to the fire.”

  I don’t get it. Maybe I’m not supposed to. But Christina has her eyes locked on him. I fought the urge to cross my arms and held them at my sides. “Once I’m certain that you have reestablished emotional stability, we'll go back in.”

  “Yes, Ms. Igarashi,”

  “Good,” I nodded. “Please go back inside the classroom. “By the way, if not you, who is Ms. Tetsusen supposed to marry?” This should give me something to talk about with Trish.

  He crossed by me, and I opened the door. “I don’t know,” he said with a solemn face. “Some loser named Tsukikage.”

  I’ve never heard of him.

  ***

  There are a few minutes before the bell rings, and Hoshikawa asked me to dismiss Antwon early. This will probably piss Christina off, but… “Mr. Carter,” I said with my hands behind my back. “Per request, you may leave early.”

  The scraping of a chair against tile and hands slamming against wood distorted the room’s peace. “Why are you letting him out early!?” Christina’s voice was like a crack of lightning as she hovered over her desk, glaring at Carter and me.

  Before I could speak, her eyes looked past me, and she returned to her seat, silently. I had almost forgotten that the true queen of the Iron Court was in the room. “Well, Mr. Carter.” He stood up and quickly packed his bag.

  ***

  The bell rang, yet students waited for my word. “Dismissed.” Row by row, they quietly filed out of my room until it was empty, and the door was closed.

  “Aw, Igarashi. You look so cute when you teach.” Trish’s words were honeyed, and I could feel their intent crawling up my legs.

  “No, Trish,” I said, fixing my glasses. I made my way back to my desk, where she sat.

  “No, what?” she said, unbuttoning her white blouse. I salivated, riddled with excitement. Her red, luscious lips parted, and her eyes sent earth-shattering tremors into my heart as her eyes undressed me.

  I leaned across my desk, and her fragrance surrounded me. As she opened her blouse, revealing the breathtaking lingerie she wore for me, I closed her blouse and buttoned her shirt back up. “We are not doing that here, Trish. For the sake of our ancestors, it’s a school.”

  She pouted something cute. “You’re no fun.”

  “Whatever, your grace. Did you get enough information on the boy? That is why you came here?” I fixed my glasses and soothed myself. I sat on my desk and turned to Trish Tetsusen.

  “Well, I have not arrived yet,” she said, licking her lips, “but, yes.” She leaned back in my chair and brought her hands to the sides of her face. “She is so into him. Why, you should have seen how she kept checking the door, awaiting his return.” She pushed herself away from the desk and spun in circles. “If I weren’t here, she would have marched into the hallway and dragged him back in.”

  “If you wanted to see a pissed kitten, you could have just told her about us.”

  “Nonsense.” She stopped spinning. “I wanted to see him, and I did. I watched him defuse the tension between our Kitten and another girl by telling them to kiss. I watched him trick the girl by threatening to leave and hiding in the bathroom.” She leaned forward. “And I saw the spark of life in his eyes.”

  “Well, they’ve got softness training next. Don’t you—"

  “No.” Trish stood up and circled my desk. “I’ll wait until she brings him home. If everything goes well, I’ll call the Tsukikage household and call off Christina’s marriage arrangement.”

  My eyes must have bulged out of my head, because Trish grabbed my shoulders. “It’s not as bad as it sounds, because we didn’t have anything in writing. Okay? No internal clan fighting.”

  I lowered Trish’s arms. There was no way Carter guessed by chance. “Who… else did you tell? Did you tell Christina?”

  “Ha!” She laughed, bringing her right shoulder closer to her chin. “She would lose her shit if she found out I arranged her relationship. She would be like, “This isn’t the Crimson Veil, Mom.” My shock didn’t change, but her expression started to match mine.

  Nakamura’s words: A dragon is nothing without its heart, played in my mind over and over again. “Say, Trish. What would you do if I… was killed?”

  Suddenly, I found my back pressed against my desk, and Trish’s lips pressed against mine, like two praying monks sharing an oath. Her warm hands, calloused from years of fighting, caressed my face. We parted and found ourselves staring into each other's eyes.

  “Don’t you ever say that; you’re out, you’re safe," she said, tracing my lips with her thumbs.

  I die looking for the killer, huh?

  Thank you for reading Chapter Twenty-Three! This chapter dropped a lot of reveals from Igarashi’s perspective—Christina’s reaction, Antwon’s confession, Trish’s… enthusiasm—and of course, the final line.

  I’m curious: What moment hit you the hardest? Was it Christina’s glare? Antwon admitting he isn’t “the one”? Trish’s arrival? The arranged marriage? Or Igarashi’s last question? Let me know your theories in the comments! Your feedback helps shape how I pace the next chapters.

  This song is associated with the Chapter: