Chapter 15 “Tanaka-sensei will see you in a few minutes, Kitagawa-sensei. Would you care for some coffee or tea while you wait? Shaking his head “no," Akira thanked Dean Tanaka’s secretary and took a seat in one of the chairs against the wall. Much to his relief, he was the only one waiting to see the dean that afternoon. The rest of the chairs were empty and silent. It was best that he did this with as little fanfare as possible. While he waited to be called, Akira reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a long, sealed white envelope. He exhaled loudly, the envelope in his hands seeming much weightier than physically possible. Inside was his letter of resignation, neatly typed and signed with his signature. He had considered just leaving it with the dean‘s secretary, but Akira wanted to see Dean Tanaka himself, to ask him not to punish Ami in exchange for his resignation. That was the only way he would be able to leave with a clear conscience. He still couldn’t believe it had come to this. In the end, he had lost both his job and Ami, but no matter what, Akira was determined that Ami would not go down with him. She didn’t deserve to see her lifelong dream go down the tubes because of him. He at least owed her that much. Akira only wished Ami understood he was doing this for her, not to hurt her. He barely got a wink of sleep the night before, the miserable look on her face right before she left his apartment appearing in his mind every time he tried to close his eyes. In retrospect, he had probably not handled things as well as he could have. Akira regretted telling her his plans the way he did, though not the plans themselves. He knew he was doing the right thing by resigning from the university and taking the job in Kyoto. With him gone, the scandal would eventually become yesterday’s news and Ami would be able to get on with her life, to go on to Tokyo Medical and maybe even find a nice guy she would be proud to call her boyfriend. As for him… Well, he would be fine. Awayuki was the leading pharmaceutical company in the country, on the cutting edge when it came to research and development. When they heard about his diabetes research, they had practically begged Akira to come work for them, offering him a salary almost three times the amount he made as a professor. Professionally, things couldn’t be looking better. Maybe the scandal was just what he needed to give him the extra push in the direction of his true goals. He had always known the teaching gig wasn’t forever. So why wasn’t he excited? No more lectures, no more grading papers, no more boring department faculty meetings -- he would have all the time in the world to focus on his research. Granted, Akira would have preferred to continue his work independently, without having to deal with corporate heads who knew absolutely nothing about medicine and only cared about the almighty yen, but it was a minor price to pay for access to even more advanced labs and some of the most brilliant minds in Japan. He shook his head, already knowing the answer to that question. How could he be happy about the job offer when it was taking him away from the only woman he had ever really loved? All the money and prestige in the world couldn’t begin to compensate for a sacrifice that huge. “Oh, Ami,” he murmured, causing the secretary to look over briefly from her computer screen before she resumed her typing. Sighing, Akira ran a hand through his hair, the letter dangling over the armrest from his other hand and tapping against the side of the chair. Had he really made the right decision in deciding to quit? Or was Dr. Nakajima right when he said the damage was already done and that his resignation would probably amount to nothing except as an admission of guilt? Was he really willing to sacrifice his relationship with Ami and a job he loved without even putting up a fight to keep them? If he was, he probably didn’t even deserve them in the first place. Akira had always prided himself as being a realist, but he was starting to see there was a difference between his pessimistic realism and Ami’s more optimistic outlook on things. Ami probably knew as well as he did the most likely outcome if they were to stay together and fight the board’s decision, but, still, that didn’t kill her hope that things might turn in their favor. Was it really that bad to have a little faith? In the end, wasn’t that what love was all about? “Kitagawa-sensei, the dean will see you now,” the secretary announced, interrupting his thoughts. Standing, Akira started toward the door to Dean Tanaka’s office but couldn’t bring himself to go in. Instead, he took the envelope he was still holding and tore it neatly in half. He knew what he needed to do. “Tell Tanaka-sensei I’ll see him at the hearing,” he told the surprised secretary after throwing the two pieces of the letter into the wastebasket beside her desk. “Sorry for taking up your time.” With that, Akira left, hoping it wasn’t too late to make things right. ***** Leaving his website design class, Hideki sighed when he saw his former girlfriend waiting for him outside of the room. It was the third time that day he had run into her, and it was becoming quite obvious that Yui was stalking him. Why couldn’t she leave him alone? Without a word, he immediately pivoted on his heel and turned left, in the opposite direction of where she was standing. It meant a longer walk to his next class, which was only a few doors down the hall to the right, but Hideki was willing to take a few extra minutes if it meant avoiding Yui. However, Yui, noticing he was leaving in the wrong direction, took after him, calling out his name. “Hideki, stop!” Hideki glanced over his shoulder, glaring. “Don’t say my name so informally, Yui-san,” he ordered. “You know we don’t have that kind of relationship anymore.” “You don’t mean that,” she said, very much like a puppy who had just been kicked by its owner. “Yes, I do.” Exhaling loudly, Hideki stopped and turned back around to face the titian-haired girl. He felt a momentary pang of pity toward her, but it was soon forgotten as he remembered what she had done. A person like her didn’t deserve his pity. “I thought I made myself perfectly clear yesterday,” he continued. “We are over. I don’t want to be with you any more.” Defiant, Yui shook her head of fire gold tresses as she bridged the gap between them. “No, you were upset and angry with me, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make up,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “Don’t you want to make up?” Her voice had lowered, taking on a seductive quality, as her fingers lightly danced up his arm to rest on his shoulder, her other hand against his chest. Hideki understood exactly what she meant by “making up,” and, though he felt the beginnings of an arousal, he forced himself to resist the temptation of giving into her once again. “Sex isn’t going to make me change my mind, Yui-san,” he declared coolly, taking her wrists and bringing her hands back down to her side. “Now, just leave me alone. I need to get to my next class.” With that, Hideki continued on his way to class, hoping she had finally gotten the message. He should have known it wouldn’t have been that easy to shake her, though. Within seconds, Yui was again following him, practically jogging to keep up with his longer strides. “Hideki!” she called, earning another glare over the shoulder for her continued informality. “Fine -- Hideki-san,” she corrected. By that time, Hideki was thoroughly annoyed. Against his better judgment, he stopped and turned around again, his eyes narrowed in anger. “What do you want?” he demanded to know, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. “I don’t have time for this. We have nothing more to say to each other.” “Maybe you don’t, but I do. Can’t we at least talk?” “About what?” “About what happened.” “What else is there to say?” he asked, adjusting the shoulder strap of the bag carrying his laptop. “Plenty. Please, just talk to me.” Before he could object, Yui grabbed his arm and pulled him in the direction of an empty computer lab. “Let’s go in here for some privacy,” she suggested, practically shoving Hideki inside the room and locking the door behind them. Rubbing his shoulder, slightly sore from the surprisingly strong manhandling, Hideki glowered at his former girlfriend, who had taken up post right in front of the door, blocking his only way out. “If this is your idea of a seduction --” “Do you really think I’m going to try to screw you in a public computer lab where somebody could walk in on us at any time?” she asked, rolling her pale blue eyes. “Give me some credit, Hideki-san.” “Well, considering your actions as of late…” Yui waved off his concerns. “I just want to talk, that’s all,” she assured him. “Really.” Hideki still wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to hear anything she had to say, but, realizing that he really didn’t have a choice in the matter if he ever wanted to get to class, he took a seat at one of the empty computer workstations and rolled the chair around to face her. “Fine, talk,” he said, folding his arms across his chest, “but don’t take too long. I have class in ten minutes, and Hisakawa-sensei hates tardiness.” Yui nodded in acceptance of the terms, but, for a long moment, she simply stood there, her back pushed against the door and her arms wrapped around her slightly thinner waist, a product of the new diet she had started around Christmas. Ironically, she had never looked better on the outside, easily passing for pretty, if not exactly beautiful. Too bad he couldn’t say the same for the inside, which had been ruined by her all-encompassing jealousy of the blue-haired genius, Mizuno Ami. Hideki frowned at the thought, and, angered by Yui’s silence, balled his hand into a fist. “Well?” he snapped. “I don’t have all day, Yui-san. Either stop wasting my time and say your piece, or let me out of here so I can get to class.” “Okay, okay,” she answered with a sigh. “I suppose the real reason I wanted to talk to you was to ask you if you really meant what you said yesterday. Do you really intend to turn yourself in?” “Is that what this is all about?” he asked in disbelief. “You worrying about me telling the dean about your role in the Kitagawa sex scandal?” If he wasn’t so angry, Hideki might have laughed. She didn’t really want to get back together with him at all. All Yui was worried about was covering her own butt. “It’s not an unreasonable worry,” she said, her eyes narrowing into slits. “I have worked too hard to let something like this ruin all my plans for the future.” “Well, you can stop biting your nails,” Hideki replied bitterly. “Your secret is safe with me. As much as I would love to clear my conscience, I realized I couldn’t take the risk. Do you realize what we did was against the law -- breaking and entering, invasion of privacy, unlawful surveillance, illegal distribution of pornography?” With every new charge he mentioned, Hideki felt his anger rising. “If anybody found out about this, we could go to jail,” he told her. “Jail, Yui-san!” “I didn’t realize…” Ignoring her, Hideki jumped up from his chair and started pacing the room. “And who do you think is going to take most of the fall?” he asked, pounding his chest, his voice growing louder with every step. “Me, that’s who! It was my key we used to break into Kitagawa-sensei’s apartment, my camera that we hid to make the tape, and my expertise that set the whole thing up. Everybody will label *me* the bad guy, and you will just be seen as an accomplice instead of the mastermind behind this whole mess! How fair is that?” “I’m sorry, Hideki-san,” Yui apologized softly, finally moving away from the door. “If I had known, I never would have put you in this position.” In an attempt to comfort him, she started to reach for his shoulder, but Hideki swatted her hand away, disgusted. The last person he needed to receive comforting from was her. “It’s too late for apologies. I don’t want to hear it.” “Isn’t there any hope for us at all?” she asked. “No, I don’t think so,” he replied, heading to the unguarded door and slamming it behind him on his way out. ***** Exiting the elevator on the top floor of a high class apartment building, Akira reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper on which he had written Ami’s address. It was the first time he had visited Ami at her place, but, spotting Penthouse 3 right across the hall, he sucked in a deep breath and walked over, lightly knocking on the door. “Coming, coming,” a female voice he did not recognize called, opening the door a few moments later. The woman who answered was a tall, attractive brunette about Ami’s age. She held a basket of dirty clothes under one arm, which Akira assumed she was taking down to the laundry room, and it looked as if she had been cleaning recently, for her hair was covered with a ratty bandanna and she was wearing a pair of latex cleaning gloves. “May I help you, sir?” she asked, shooting him a friendly smile. Confused, Akira glanced back down at the address in his hand and wondered if he had written down the wrong number. “Perhaps. Is this Mizuno Ami-san’s apartment?” “It is.” “Oh, then you must be her roommate, Kino Makoto-san,” he replied, silently berating himself for his stupidity. Akira had completely forgotten Ami lived with one of her girlfriends. “It’s nice to finally meet you after all this time.” The girl gave him a wary look, obviously distrustful of the stranger who had somehow known who she was. “You know my name, but I’m afraid I don’t know yours,” Makoto said, some of her friendliness from before disappearing. “Who are you, and what do you want from Ami-chan?” “Oh, right. I’m being rude, aren’t I?” he said, bowing politely. “I’m Kitagawa Akira, Ami’s…uh…” Akira wasn’t exactly sure what to call himself after what had happened the day before, but it didn’t matter. As soon as he introduced himself, Makoto’s deep green eyes narrowed in recognition, and she switched her laundry basket to her other arm, effectively blocking the entrance to the apartment. “You don’t have to explain, Kitagawa-sensei. I know who you are.” “Right.” After a moment of awkward silence, he asked, “Is Ami back from her classes yet?” “She is, but I don’t think she feels up for visitors at the moment.” “I see.” Sighing, Akira ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I know I’m probably the last person Ami wants to see at the moment, but I really do need to talk to her.” “From what I understand, you said enough the last time you were together.” “Fair enough, but, Kino-san, believe me when I tell you that I do not intend to cause Ami further pain. If I could speak to her for just a few minutes --” At that moment, Ami herself walked into the living room, entering from the hallway he assumed led to her bedroom. “Mako-chan, who is at the door?” she asked, taking off her reading glasses to reveal the dark circles under her eyes. Evidently, she had gotten about the same amount of sleep he had. Makoto quickly turned around and pushed the door back, hiding Akira from Ami’s view. “Oh, just a neighbor wanting to borrow…uh…some laundry detergent,” she lied. Akira, however, refused to remain quiet. He needed to see Ami, no matter what. “Ami, it’s me. We need to talk,” he called from outside the apartment. “Akira?” Ami asked. “You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t feel up to it, Ami- chan,” Makoto said. “I can get rid of him if you want.” “No, that’s okay. Let him in.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, it’s fine.” Reluctantly, the brunette pulled the door back open and showed him inside, although Akira could tell she was none too happy doing so. In fact, Makoto appeared downright determined to stay and not leave her roommate alone with him, remaining in the room until Ami shot a look in her direction, silently asking for some privacy. “I’ll…uh…just be downstairs in the basement if you need me,” Makoto announced, slipping out of the apartment with the basket in hand. Once she was gone, Ami took a seat on the couch, and Akira nervously stepped further inside, unsure of what to say. A thousand different speeches had flown through his mind on the way to Ami’s apartment -- most ending with a lot of groveling and begging for forgiveness for being such a complete idiot the day before -- but faced with the actual moment of truth, none of them seemed quite right. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen your place, Ami,” he finally commented, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them. “It’s really quite beautiful.” “Thank you. Mako-chan did most of the decorating. She’s an expert at that type of thing,” Ami replied. “She did a terrific job,” Akira complimented as he admired a gorgeous watercolor painting of mermaid laying on a large rock at sunset which hung from the wall nearest to the door. It was one of many artwork pieces placed around the room. “These paintings are beautiful as well. Who did them?” “Some are by my good friend Kaioh Michiru-san, but most of the watercolors and sketches were done by my father,” she answered, a small smile crossing her face for the first time since Akira had arrived. “Otou-san sent me that one for my last birthday. When I was younger, he used to call me his little mermaid because I loved swimming in the ocean.” “That’s right, I remember you telling me your father was an artist. He’s very talented. I might not know much about art, but I like how the colors are blended in this one. It’s almost like a scene from a dream, isn’t it?” “Akira, I know you didn’t come here to critique my artwork,” Ami declared. “Why did you want to see me? I thought we already said everything that needed to be said yesterday at your apartment.” “I wanted to apologize for what happened,” he admitted after a brief pause. “For what?” “I shouldn’t have made such major decisions without consulting you, Ami. Gomen nasai.” “It’s okay, really,” she replied, refusing to look him in the eyes. “I understand why you need to leave. You do have it worse than I do. I only have to deal with the embarrassment and lewd glances. Your entire career is on the line, not to mention your reputation as a respected member of the community. It wasn’t fair for me to expect you to stay only for me. I was being selfish.” “Ami, no.” Sitting down on the couch beside her, Akira reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “You don’t have a selfish bone in your body. I was the one being selfish by not asking you how you felt. That’s why I’ve decided not to take the job in Kyoto.” “What?” Ami’s head shot up, alarmed. “Akira, I don’t want you to stay on account of me.” Akira shook his head. “I’m not, at least not completely,” he admitted. “The truth is, I don’t want to work at Awayuki Pharmaceuticals, or any drug company, for that matter. I want to continue teaching and doing my research at Tokyo University. The pay may not be as much as I would make at Awayuki, but the job is ultimately more rewarding. You were right; I do love teaching.” “But haven’t you already handed in your resignation?” “I couldn’t do it. I left Tanaka-sensei‘s office without giving it to him.” Instantly, Ami’s face brightened. “That means you’ll stay? You’ll fight the university’s decision?” “With every molecule in my body,” he promised, smiling at his corny joke. “Oh, Akira!” Falling into his arms, she nestled her head on his shoulder. “You don’t know how happy this makes me.” “It isn’t over yet,” he reminded her, unable to completely share in her happiness just yet. He knew they had a long road ahead of them before they could truly be together. “It’s going to take a miracle to convince the dean to reverse my suspension, and, even if he does, we might have to stop seeing each other.” Ami shook her head. “I don’t care,” she said. “As long as we’re together, everything will be alright. I know it will.” “Ami…” Pulling her closer, Akira wrapped his arms around the blue-haired beauty, hoping Ami was right. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her again. They stayed like that for a long moment before Akira reluctantly pulled away from their embrace. “I should probably go now,” he announced. “So soon?” “I know you probably have some studying to do.” “It’s nothing that can’t wait,” Ami said, leaning forward and giving him a soft, lingering kiss that rendered Akira breathless. Though unaccustomed to Ami making the first move, Akira couldn’t say he particularly minded. He felt his body automatically respond to her advances, and as she lowered herself down on the couch, pulling him with her, Akira didn’t protest, his hands traveling to undo the buttons on her shirt. “What…about…Kino-san?” he asked between feverish kisses. “She could…be back…any minute…with the laundry.” “Oh, Mako-chan… I forgot…” Grabbing his shoulders, Ami held Akira back as she paused their passion play to think. “Give me your tie,” she ordered, sitting back up in an upright position. “My tie?” Confused, Akira reached up to loosen the knot of his blue silk tie. “Why do you need it?” With an almost mischievous twinkle in her eye, Ami pulled the tie over his head and jumped up from the couch. “You’ll see,” she said, heading to the door leading out to the hall and hanging the tie on the doorknob outside. “She should get the message,” Ami declared once she had closed the door behind her. “Now, where were we?” ***** The morning of the hearing a couple of weeks later found Akira more nervous than he could ever remember being in his entire life. Not even the three cigarettes he had smoked before Ami woke up had managed to calm him. “Damn it, damn it, damn it!” he cursed as he tried to knot his tie unsuccessfully for the third time. Was the entire universe against him? Ami, already dressed in a modest gray skirt suit and navy blouse, took a seat on the bed beside him after she finished putting on a pair of pearl stud earrings and reached for his hopelessly twisted silk tie. “Here, let me try,” she offered, beginning to retie it the correct way. “Everything’s going to be okay, you know,” she said. “Even if the board decides not to reinstate you, we’ll still be together. We will get through this, somehow. I promise.” Akira forced himself to give his lover a small smile, though her words were of little comfort. As much as he had tried to convince himself that it didn’t really matter if the board gave him back his job, he would be lying if he said he didn’t care. He was very much hoping that he would be reinstated. “Thanks, Ami,” he said when she had finished, reaching up to fiddle with the knot. She had done a fairly good job, not too tight or too loose. “Hey, that’s pretty good. Where did you learn to tie a knot like that?” Ami smiled. “Another one of my secret talents.” “Obviously.“ Standing, Akira grabbed his suit jacket from the closet and slipped it on. “Well, how do I look?” he asked. “Would you reinstate me?” “In a heartbeat.” “Unfortunately, it’s not you I need to impress.” “I wish it was,” Ami sighed. “Do you think there’s any hope at all that the board will decide to end your suspension?” “It’s going to be a tough sell, Ami,” he admitted, unable to lie to her. “The school received a lot of negative publicity.” “But you’re one of the best teachers they have,” she insisted. “Surely they can’t dismiss that so easily. Thanks in part to you, females now comprise more than 30% of all students enrolled in an elective science course, and the number of students pursuing a degree in science has jumped dramatically.” “Yes, well, I don’t know if I had anything to do with the increase of science-related majors, but that statistic on increased female enrollment isn’t going to help my case at all.” “Why not?” Despite his nervousness, Akira couldn’t help but chuckle at his girlfriend’s naivety as he walked over to his dresser and pulled out his favorite pair of cufflinks. “You really are still innocent in some ways, Ami.” “What is that supposed to mean? Why does the fact that since you started teaching, more girls than ever before have enrolled--” Suddenly, the blue-haired genius realized what she was saying and blushed. “Oh, right.” “Sex appeal.” Glancing at his reflection in the mirror, Akira smirked. “Sometimes, it really is a curse to be this handsome.” Navy blue eyes rolled, but his lover didn’t disagree. “Oh, before I forget, I told my mother and my friends we would meet outside the administration building,” she announced, coming up behind him and grabbing her hairbrush. “Is that okay? Okaa-san and the rest of the girls are anxious to meet you.” Hearing that, Akira abruptly turned around, dropping one of the cufflinks he had been trying to snap on. “You’re introducing me to your mother -- today?” As if he didn’t have enough to be nervous about. “Don’t worry, she’ll love you.” “Oh, yeah, because every mother dreams of the day she’ll finally meet the man her daughter was caught having sex with on video,” he said sarcastically, bending down to retrieve the lost cufflink. “It’s lucky your father isn’t coming too. He’d probably shoot me on sight.” “Trust me, nothing like that will happen,” she assured him. “Yes, I admit okaa-san wasn’t thrilled when she heard about the video, but she only wants what’s best for me, and what’s best for me is you, Akira.” “Really? You mean that?” “With all my heart.” Grabbing the lapels of his jacket, Ami rose on her tiptoes and lightly brushed her lips against his in a teasing kiss that was all too brief. “So, are you about ready to go? We need to leave soon, or we‘re going to be late.” Akira groaned, the thought of going to the hearing even more unappealing after the kiss. “Do we have to?” he asked, his fingers moving to unbutton her blazer as he traced soft butterfly kisses down her jaw line and neck. “Wouldn’t you rather stay here and make love the entire afternoon?” “Akira…stop it… Your entire career’s on the line.” “The hell with my career.” “Akira…” “Fine.” Reluctantly, he pulled away and sighed as Ami straightened her clothes and grabbed her purse off the bed. “Come on, let’s go get this over with.” ***** When they arrived at the administration building where Akira’s hearing was to be held, they found the front lawn littered with reporters, photographers, and cameramen, all waiting for their arrival. Ami barely had time to comprehend what was happening before she and Akira were surrounded and a dozen microphones were pushed in front of their faces. “Mizuno-san, what are your feelings about today’s hearing?” one of the reporters asked. “Are you nervous?” “Uh, yes, of course we’re both very apprehensive, but we feel--” Another reporter -- a woman Ami recognized from the ten o‘clock news broadcast she liked to watch before bed -- grabbed her arm before Ami could finish answering. “Is it true that you will be testifying today, Mizuno-san?” Ami nodded. “Yes, I do plan to testify on Akira‘s behalf.” “Akira?” the woman reporter repeated. “Your relationship is that intimate that you feel free to refer to your professor so casually?” “Akira is more than my professor. We’re--” Again, she was interrupted. “Mizuno-san, who initiated the relationship between you and Kitagawa-sensei?” an eager young journalist who appeared to work for the school paper asked. “Is it true you offered to give him your body in exchange for high marks on tests?” “No, of course not! I would never--” “Then did Kitagawa-sensei blackmail you to sleep with him?” “No! He did no such thing!” Ami denied vehemently, feeling herself beginning to lose control of her emotions. Why couldn’t they just leave them alone and let them go inside? “It wasn’t like that at all.” “What about reports that there are plans to market the sex video of you and the professor commercially?” yet another reporter asked. The press pass hung around his neck indicated that he was from a well-known men’s magazine, the “Playboy” of the East. “Should we expect to see ’The Professor and the Schoolgirl’ on the video rental shelves any time in the near future?” “No!” Ami was almost shouting, yet she doubted anybody actually heard her over the new round of questions being thrown at her about the video. She attempted to reach for Akira’s hand beside her, wanting nothing more than to get away from the nosy reporters and go inside, but she caught nothing but air. Her boyfriend had his own problems with the media; he was trying to cover the lens of a nearby video camera with one hand while shielding his eyes with the other from the blinding flashes of the photographers, and yelling “No comment!” at the top of his lungs. Just when Ami thought she was about to go insane, somebody pushed their way through the mass of journalists and grabbed her arm. “There will be no further comments!” the familiar female voice declared in a loud, firm voice. “Mizuno-san and Kitagawa-sensei need to prepare for today’s hearing. Please respect their privacy.” With that, the Amazon pulled them both away from the crowd and led them up the stairs of the administration building, where two other girls and a young man stood waiting for them at the top. “Ami-chan, are you alright?” Makoto asked when they joined Rei, Minako, and Asanuma. Ami noticed that Makoto didn’t bother to ask Akira if he was okay, but she tried not to let it upset her too much. Makoto still hadn’t quite forgiven him for their brief break-up. “We’re fine, Mako-chan,” Ami answered, speaking for both of them. “Arigatou. I was beginning to think we would never get out of there.” “Man, I can’t believe how many stations and newspapers are covering this event,” Asanuma marveled, letting out a low whistle. “You’d think this was a murder trial or something, not a school hearing.” “Well, everybody knows sex sells in the media. Of course people are going to be interested in how this case turns out,” Minako said. She was looking at her reflection in the glass, straightening the ever- present red bow she wore in her hair. “Hey, I wonder if we’ll be on TV…” Beside the blonde, Rei rolled her eyes. “Minako-chan, this is hardly the time to be thinking about getting television coverage,” she scolded. “We’re here to support Ami-chan and Kitagawa-sensei.” “Oh, right. Sorry.” Sheepishly, Minako turned back around. “Old habits live hard, I guess.” Everybody present groaned as Ami corrected the misused quote. “That’s ‘old habits die hard,’ Minako-chan.” “Well, you know what I meant.” “Minako-chan does bring up a good point, though,” Makoto said, a small frown crossing her lips. “Is the hearing going to be televised, Ami-chan? Is that why there are so many reporters and cameramen here?” “No, thank goodness,” Ami answered. She had been beyond relieved when Akira told her that she wouldn’t have to give her testimony on camera. It was going to be hard enough telling her side of the story to the members of the board and whatever spectators came to witness the hearing. Just thinking about her testimony made her stomach twist up in knots. “It’s a closed hearing. No media allowed inside.” “That’s good.” A brief silence fell over them, broken by Akira clearing his throat. “So, Ami, are you ever going to introduce me to your friends?” he asked. “Oh!” Ami felt herself blush, having completely forgotten about the introductions. “Akira, I’d like you to meet Hino Rei-chan, Aino Minako-chan, and Asanuma Itto-kun. Of course you‘ve already met Mako- chan.” Akira nodded in acknowledgement of Makoto, but the brunette only pursed her lips together in a thin line and crossed her arms over her chest. Probably sensing she was none too happy with him at the moment, he turned to the others. “It’s great to finally meet you all,” he said. “Ami’s told me so much about you, I feel as if I know you already.” Amethyst eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I’m afraid we can’t exactly say the same about you,” Rei accused, evidently taking her cues from Makoto. Minako, on the other hand, poked Rei in her side with her elbow before shooting Akira a brilliant smile. “Oh, don’t mind her, Kitagawa- sensei. Rei-chan has issues with men.” The blonde, as friendly as ever, came forward and offered her hand, Western-style. “It’s really nice to finally meet the man who won our little Ami-chan’s heart. I must say that Ami-chan never told us her guy was so hot! I approve.” “Uh…thanks, I think.” “So, where’s Usagi-chan, Mamoru-kun, and my mother?” Ami asked, changing the subject. They were noticeably absent. “Mizuno-sensei ran into an old professor of hers, so they decided to head inside to catch up,” Rei informed her. “As for Usagi-chan, she probably overslept and is frantically getting dressed at this very minute while Mamoru-kun is waiting downstairs, glaring at his watch.” Everybody but Akira sighed, accustomed to Usagi’s perpetual tardiness. However, at that moment, Ami spotted the bun-headed princess and her prince walking up to the building, Usagi’s cerulean eyes wide as she looked around at all the reporters milling around. One of them, the woman from the evening news, attempted to ask her a question, but Mamoru wrapped an arm around Usagi’s shoulders and guided her back toward the stairs. “Hey, we’re not late, are we?” Usagi asked when they had made it to the top. Rei, who had looked down at her watch, shook her head. “No, but you cut it close. The hearing is scheduled to begin in about five minutes.” “Five minutes?” Makoto repeated. “We better go find our seats then.” Reaching for Ami’s hand, she gave it a comforting squeeze. “Ami- chan, are you going to be okay?” Ami nodded, hoping she looked much braver than she felt. Butterflies were beginning to flutter in her stomach. Akira’s lawyer said she would be called third to give her testimony, so it wouldn’t be too much longer. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for coming, everyone. We really appreciate your support.” “Everything’s going to be okay, Ami-chan,” Usagi declared, giving Ami a hug and Akira a bright smile. “In the end, true love always wins. Good luck, Kitagawa-sensei. We’ll be rooting for you.” After the others had expressed their own well wishes -- even Makoto managed a somewhat sincere-sounding “good luck” -- Asanuma opened the door and everybody except for Ami and Akira filed in. “I can see why you love them so much,” Akira said once the door had closed behind Makoto and Asanuma, the last to go in. “They don’t even know me, yet here they all are, showing their support for our relationship -- even Kino-san, though I know I‘m not her most favorite person in the world at the moment.” Ami sighed, leaning up against the wall beside the door. She had hoped he would be too preoccupied with the hearing to detect Makoto‘s coldness. “So you noticed.” “Well, it wasn’t exactly hard to figure out. Hino-san didn‘t seem to care for me much, either.” At that, Ami had to smirk. “You’ll have to forgive Rei-chan. She really does have issues with men. She’s not the most trusting person at first, but I’m sure once she and Mako-chan get the chance to know you a little better, they’ll warm up to you. They just want me to be happy.” “I know, and I admit I haven‘t exactly made a good first impression. I can‘t say I really blame them for being a little wary of me, considering what I‘ve put you through...” “Akira.” Despite the fact that there were about a dozen video cameras focused on them, Ami risked coming forward to take Akira’s hands in her own, ignoring the bright flashes of light that began anew to capture her public display of affection. “You have to stop blaming yourself for everything that has happened. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.” “Yes, but I still feel guilty about having to put you through this, Ami. If you want, you can leave right now, and I‘ll completely understand. You don’t need to testify on my behalf. I’m sure with mine and Nakajima-sensei’s testimonies--” “I have to testify,” Ami interrupted before he could finish the thought. “You know without me, you don’t have much of a case. It’ll be your word against the dean’s unfounded, yet very plausible, accusations.” “You do realize some of the questions might be rather…intimate, don’t you?” he asked. “After the video… Well, I just wouldn’t blame you if you decided you would rather go back to the apartment. You’ve already faced too much embarrassment because of me.” “Akira, I want to testify. It’s the only way for everyone to understand our side of the story.” “Are you sure?” Taking a deep breath, Ami nodded. If there was some way for Akira to win without her having to give her testimony, she would gladly take it, but Ami knew that unless she backed up his story, his chances of being reinstated were less than zero. She had to do it or she would never forgive herself. “I’m sure.” ***** Yui arrived at the hearing early, wanting to make sure she got a good seat at her rival‘s judgment. Thanks to the notoriety of the scandal, the hearing would be packed, and, indeed, when she arrived at the administration building, the room was almost filled to capacity. Finding one of the few remaining empty seats, Yui sat down near the back, mildly surprised when she saw Hideki sitting only a couple of rows in front of her. The two of them had not seen or spoken to each other since their argument in the computer lab a few of days after the scandal hit. He had come by her dorm room once to drop off some stuff she had left at his apartment, but, whether by coincidence or intention, Yui had been in class at the time, so he had left her things with Yoko. Seeing Hideki again, however, Yui couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang in her heart, some of the emotion she had tried so hard to ignore since their break-up finally coming through. She truly thought that if she gave him some time to himself, Hideki would finally realize that she never meant to hurt him when she instigated what some tabloids were calling “Teachergate“ in a nod to some American political scandal, but the fact that he couldn’t even manage a friendly wave in her direction, despite seeing him glance back at her at least once, proved that things were really over between them. Well, at least Miss Mizuno and Professor Kitagawa were finally getting their just desserts. Yui took comfort in the fact that even if she had lost Hideki, her final revenge on her long-time rival would be carried out that afternoon. True, Professor Kitagawa was the one the school decided to investigate instead of Miss Mizuno, a slight deviation from her original plan, but if he was fired for unfair grading practices -- a foregone conclusion, in Yui’s mind -- it only followed that Miss Mizuno would be expelled as well. As the old saying went, “it takes two to tango.” About twenty minutes after Yui arrived, the fallen teacher and his slut of a student finally made their appearance among a murmur of excited activity by the spectators. A somber-looking Professor Kitagawa took a seat by his attorney at the defendant’s table while Miss Mizuno sat down in the row behind him with a group of girls Yui assumed were her friends. After their arrival, it didn’t take long for the full school board to take their places at the two tables provided at the front of the room, and Dean Tanaka, who would be presiding over the proceedings, called the hearing to order. The first witness called was a genetics professor Yui did not know by the name of Dr. Nakajima Ryu. Apparently, he was the first person to learn of the affair between Professor Kitagawa and his number one student, and Yui noticed the rather portly man seemed a bit nervous giving his testimony, probably fearful he might be fired as well for keeping their relationship a secret from the board. Nevertheless, Yui felt little pity toward him, especially when he continued to insist that there had been no wrong-doing involved and that their relationship was purely romantic. After Dr. Nakajima’s testimony came the board’s main investigator into the scandal. Much to Yui’s infuriation, he had little to add in the way of actual, tangible proof of the alleged bribery. Even using advanced technology to heighten the poor audio clarity of the video she and Hideki made -- a portion which he played for the board without the visual -- revealed very little except some innocent whispered pillow talk, though Yui did have to smile when she saw an embarrassed Miss Mizuno bury her face in the shoulder of the odango-haired blonde sitting next to her. It was Miss Mizuno herself who was called after the investigator gave his testimony, and it seemed the room had gone deathly silent, all eyes -- including Yui’s -- on the blue-haired seductress as she pulled herself from her friend’s embrace and rose to take the stand. Yui licked her lips in anticipation, anxious to hear what Little Miss Perfect had to say for herself. Would she tell the truth about seducing the professor for high marks, or would she keep up the illusion that their relationship was some kind of miracle romance? Soon, they would all find out. ***** Ami’s hands shook as she sat down on the witness stand, and she tightly gripped the arms of the chair provided, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves as the board prepared their questions. She could feel everybody’s questioning, accusing eyes on her, wanting to know what she planned to say in the face of the allegations against her, yet the only person she saw was Akira, sitting beside his lawyer. He mouthed what looked like, “Relax, Ami,” and she nodded, already feeling some of her tension fade away. I have to do this, Ami told herself for what felt like the thousandth time that morning. No matter how embarrassing or insulting the board’s questions were, all she had to do was answer them honestly, and everything would be fine. They had nothing to hide. She felt a little better once the questioning started. The first few questions concerned her employment as Akira’s lab assistant, which she answered to the best of her abilities. There was little of interest in her replies, and Ami noticed more than a few spectators’ attention waning, though it returned full force when one of the board members asked her to recount the night she and Akira first had sex. Ami felt her cheeks burning, but she did as she was told. “It happened about five months ago,” she began, looking down at her hands, which she had folded primly in her lap. “The Friday before, Aki-- I mean, Kitagawa-sensei and I had made a huge discovery in the lab, and, in the heat of the moment, we kissed. Neither of us quite knew what to do in the situation, so the following Monday, Kitagawa-sensei left me a note at the front desk, informing me that he had decided to cancel our lab session that night in favor of grading papers at home.” “So Kitagawa-sensei was avoiding you?” the same board member asked. Ami nodded. “He was not the one to pursue this relationship,” she said, wanting to make that perfectly clear to the board. “It was my decision, and my decision alone, to go to his apartment that evening, and he did not force me to do anything I didn‘t want to do.” “Why did you go to Kitagawa-sensei’s apartment, Mizuno-san?” “I wanted to talk about what happened at the labs. I was confused by the kiss, and I thought it best that we clear the air between us.” “Was that your only objective, Mizuno-san?” another board member, whose name Ami believed was Dr. Takeuchi, asked. “Hai.” “So you did not see the kiss between you as an opportunity to offer yourself to Kitagawa-sensei in exchange for a high grade on an assignment?” Insulted though she was by the accusation that she would use her body as a bargaining chip for good grades when she was more than capable of earning them on her own, Ami remembered to keep her cool. The more angry and upset she appeared, the more the board might think she had something to hide. “No, I did not,” she said. “I would never do such a thing.” “In the same vein, at any time during the night in question, did Kitagawa-sensei pressure or lure you into bed with him by either threatening to fail you or promising high marks in exchange for sexual favors?” “No, of course not.” “Then the both of you consented of your absolute own free will?” “Hai.” Inwardly, Ami sighed in relief when the board changed the direction of their questioning, going back to less intimate inquiries. Though she couldn’t be certain, the small nod Akira gave her indicated that he and his lawyer thought she had handled things well. Ami was glad that part was over, but she knew the worst was yet to come and braced herself. Indeed, after several more questions relating to the nature of the non-sexual side of their relationship, Dean Tanaka finally broached the subject Ami had been dreading since she took the stand: the infamous video. “Mizuno-san, a video of you and Kitagawa-sensei having sexual intercourse was posted on the Internet, the address which was then mass emailed to every student and faculty member at this school,” he said. “Do you know who was behind the posting?” Ami shook her head, her stomach twisted up in knots as she relived in her mind the horrible day when she opened that email and clicked on the link to the website that hosted the video. “No, I have no idea who would have done such a thing,” she honestly replied. “Isn’t it true, though, that you received one of the aforementioned mass emails and that email was sent from Kitagawa-sensei’s official school account?” “Yes, but he did not send those emails. Somebody must have stolen his password, or else spoofed his email address.” “Do you have any proof of that?” “No, but--” Before she could finish, the dean held up a hand and interrupted her. “A yes or no will be quite sufficient, Mizuno-san. Now, how did you feel when you first learned the video had been posted on the Internet?” Trying not to look too angry at the dean for cutting her off, Ami took a deep breath to calm herself before answering his question. “I felt hurt, violated,” she said. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. We had tried so hard to keep our relationship a secret, yet it was obvious that somebody besides Nakajima-sensei had discovered it and set out to completely ruin our reputations.” “Wait a minute, Mizuno-san,” Dr. Watase, another member of the board said. “Just a few minutes ago, you told the board you had no idea who had posted the video on the website. If that is true, then how do you know Nakajima-sensei was not the one behind it? It has already been confirmed by the professor himself that he learned of your relationship in early December, and as far as you knew at the time, Nakajima-sensei was the only one to know your secret before the video’s release.” “Nakajima-sensei never would have betrayed our trust like that,” Ami insisted. “He’s a dear friend of Akira’s -- I mean, Kitagawa-sensei -- and, though he thought we were taking a huge risk in continuing to see each other, he was always supportive of us. He even loaned us his car when we went to Nagano for the holidays. He couldn’t have done such a thing.” “What about Kitagawa-sensei, then? Didn’t you first suspect him?” “Yes, but--” “Let’s talk about the video itself,” Dean Tanaka interrupted yet again before Ami could fully answer the question. “Before the video’s release, were you aware of its existence?” “No.” “So, you did not consent to making the video?” “Of course not,” Ami answered, blushing. “Somebody taped us without our permission.” “You are one hundred percent positive that it was some unknown intruder and not Kitagawa-sensei himself who taped you, even though you just admitted that you did suspect him at first?” “Yes. When I confronted him about the video, he was just as surprised as I was. Besides, I know him; he never would have done something like that without my permission.” “In other words, you have no tangible proof of your claim.” Ami, though she prided herself on her ability to remain calm in almost every situation, felt her temper flare. The dean was completely turning her words around to put Akira in a bad light! “We found a camera in his room,” Ami said, her voice even as she balled her hands into fists to hold back her anger. “Somebody broke into his apartment and planted the camera in the fire alarm. Akira had no idea it was there.” “If that is true, where is the camera now?” “He broke it.” “You didn’t think to call the police to check for fingerprints?” the dean asked. “We were upset, Tanaka-sensei! He only did it because I asked him to get rid of it. I wasn‘t thinking clearly at the time, and neither was he, but I swear that camera existed!” Ami’s blushed deepened, embarrassed by her impassioned words, and she could hear a soft murmur arising from the spectators. Luckily, that was the last question the board had for her. The dean allowed Akira’s lawyer to ask a few questions of his own, and then she was dismissed, free to go back to her seat between Makoto and Usagi. ***** From the back of the room, Hideki watched Miss Mizuno’s testimony with a knotted stomach, aware that if only he had the guts to confess what he had done, he could confirm her story of the break-in and finding the camera in the fire alarm. Despite his overwhelming guilt, however, he kept silent, a coward to the very end. A part of him hoped that his confession would not be needed, that Yui would have a change of heart and confess everything herself. He knew she had come to the hearing, but every time he looked back at his former girlfriend, her face was free of any trace of guilt or self-loathing. In fact, the last time he looked back, he actually caught her smirking. Smirking! What kind of person took so much pleasure in the pain of another, even if that person was a rival? Certainly not the Yui he once knew. She may have been overly competitive at times, and she never had much in the way of sensitivity when it came to other people’s feelings, especially his, but he never had known her to be downright cruel and sadistic. Shaking his head, Hideki turned his attention back to the front of the room, where Professor Kitagawa was finally taking the stand. Miss Mizuno had finished giving her testimony and was sitting back down with her friends, allowing the brunette beside her to wrap an arm around her shoulders. The professor’s testimony correlated almost perfectly with his student lover’s. If they were lying, which Hideki doubted having watched the lovers throughout the hearing, then they must have worked relentlessly to keep their stories straight. Again, the board questioned Professor Kitagawa about the infamous video, and again, the theory of the mystery intruder arose, though Hideki still couldn’t bring himself to confess. As the professor was dismissed from the stand, Hideki took one last look at Yui and sighed when he saw she had no intention of confessing. Maybe if she had, he might have been able to forgive her for what she had done, but, as of that moment, Hideki decided he was through with Yokoyama Yui, once and for all. ***** As soon as Dean Tanaka called a recess and the board adjourned to make their final decision in the other room, Ami took a seat in the chair vacated by Akira’s lawyer and discreetly took his hand underneath the table. After giving his testimony, the gesture helped comfort him somewhat, reminding Akira of the reason why he was there, but it didn’t do much to soothe his nervousness. “How are you holding up?” Ami asked. “To be honest, I’m a nervous wreck,” he admitted. “I feel like I’m on trial for murder and waiting to be sentenced to life in prison.” “It’ll be over soon.” “Yeah.” Sighing, Akira glanced down at his watch. The board had only been gone for little more than five minutes, but it already seemed like an eternity. He almost wished they would come back out and fire him already, instead of making him wait and letting him build up hope that they might allow him to keep his job. “It’s good that they’re not back yet, Akira,” Ami declared, almost as if she had read his mind. “It means that they are seriously considering reinstating you as a professor.” “Maybe,” he replied doubtfully. “Or they could just be stalling to make it seem like this was a fair hearing.” “Everything’s going to be fine. You have to believe that.” “I wish I had your confidence.” Ami suddenly stood up, pushing the chair back underneath the table. “Come on,” she said, causing Akira to glance up at his girlfriend. Though he had no idea what was going on, Akira followed orders. “Where are we going?” he asked. “I told you my mother wanted to meet you,” she reminded him as she led him to the back of the room through the crowd. Though the hearing was in recess, few of the spectators had actually left the room, obviously assuming that it wouldn’t take long for the board to reach a decision. “What better time than now?” “Ami, I don’t thi--” “It’ll keep your mind off of things, at least for a few minutes.” She was right about that, though probably not in the way Ami had intended. The anxiety Akira felt over the impending decision disappeared, replaced instead by the apprehension of meeting his girlfriend’s mother for the first time. This was certainly not how Akira envisioned he would be introduced to the famed Dr. Mizuno Saeko. Why couldn’t Ami wait until after the hearing was over and they could meet over a proper dinner or something? At least then he would have had time to prepare himself. Nevertheless, he continued following Ami until she stopped at the end of the third to last row, where they found Dr. Nakajima chatting quite intimately with an attractive woman. At first, Akira was confused, wondering why they had stopped to talk to his mentor, until Ami touched the woman’s shoulder and said, “Okaa-san?” Stopping in the middle of her sentence, Dr. Nakajima’s companion stood to face them, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Turned around, Akira noticed the similarities between mother and daughter immediately, from their matching blue hair to their heart-shaped faces. “Oh, Ami!” she said, giving her daughter a hug. “There you are. I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk before the hearing began, but I ran into Ry-- I mean, Nakajima- sensei, on the way inside and we got caught up in reminiscing about old times.” “You two…know each other?” Ami asked as Dr. Nakajima stood as well. “Your mother was a former student of mine, Mizuno-san,” he explained, “one of the brightest I ever had. Didn’t Akira-kun tell you? I could have sworn I mentioned it to him once or twice.” Akira shrugged as his girlfriend looked over at him. He vaguely remembered Dr. Nakajima telling him that he had once taught Ami’s mother, but he never thought it important enough to tell her about it. “I thought you already knew,” he said in his defense, hoping Ami didn’t think he purposely kept the fact from her. “Ah, you must be Kitagawa Akira-sensei,” Ami’s mother said, smiling. It could have been his imagination, but Akira sensed that the smile was not entirely sincere. “How nice to finally meet you. I’m Dr. Mizuno Saeko.” “The pleasure is mine, Mizuno-sensei.” Akira bowed politely, trying to keep his cool. “Ami has told me so much about you.” “I’m afraid my daughter hasn’t been quite as forthcoming about you.” “Yes…well…” “Ry-- I mean, Nakajima-sensei seems to think very highly of you, though,” she continued. “He’s been telling me about the diabetes research you two have been working on for the last few years. I must say it’s quite remarkable how far you have gotten. At the rate you‘re going, I wouldn‘t be surprised if an insulin pill was in clinical trials within the next five years.” “I don’t know about that, Mizuno-sensei, but my sister’s certainly hopeful,” Akira said, some of his nervousness disappearing as the conversation turned to his work. At least Ami’s mother seemed to respect him as a researcher, if not yet as a boyfriend for her only daughter; that was a start. “Junko’s a diabetic and she absolutely hates having to give herself injections of insulin everyday. There may not be a cure yet, but if I can help make living with the disease even a little more tolerable for her and the millions of other sufferers, my work will be worthwhile.” “That’s an admirable goal, Kitagawa-sensei. I can see why my daughter thinks so highly of you in that regard.” “Well, the admiration’s mutual, ma’am. Ami’s been a huge asset to our research team. I don‘t know how I would have gotten so far without her.” Beside him, Akira noticed Ami turning a little pink at the compliment. “Oh, I’m sure you would have managed just fine without me,” Ami said modestly. “No, no, Akira-kun’s quite right, Mizuno-san,” Dr. Nakajima insisted, grinning. “Don’t downplay your importance to our success. You may be only a lab assistant, but you still are a great help to us. Saeko -chan, you should be very proud of your daughter.” “Oh, I am. So very proud,” the doctor replied, reaching for Ami’s hand and giving it a light squeeze. The four of them chatted for a few more minutes, sticking to relatively safe subjects like science and the weather, but when another former professor of Ami’s mother came over to say hello, Akira and Ami took the opportunity to excuse themselves and made their way back to the front of the room. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Ami said once they were out of earshot. “I have to admit, I thought it would be a lot worse,” he confessed, relieved that it was finally over, “but Mizuno-sensei seems willing to give me a chance, thanks to Nakajima-sensei. I have a feeling he helped smooth things out a little before you introduced us.” Akira made a mental note reminding himself to thank his mentor after the hearing was over. He didn’t know how Dr. Nakajima did it, but he was grateful for whatever he had told Dr. Mizuno. Ami, however, frowned at the mention of Dr. Nakajima‘s name. “Speaking of Nakajima-sensei, why didn’t you tell me my mother was a former student of his?” she asked again, that time with words. “In all the time we’ve been dating, you never thought to mention it to me?” “Like I said before, I honestly thought you already knew,” he replied. “Besides, I pretty much forgot about it until now when I saw them together. He only mentioned her in passing when I told him I had hired you to be my new assistant.” Suddenly remembering something, Akira looked back over his shoulder to see that the professor who had interrupted them had already left and Dr. Nakajima and Dr. Mizuno had resumed their conversation, Ami’s mother laughing at something he must have said. “It’s strange though,” he murmured. “What’s strange?” “Did you notice that every time your mother said Nakajima- sensei’s name, it sounded as if she was about to call him Ryu?” “Now that you mention it, I did, but that’s nothing too unusual,” Ami said with a shrug. “He called her Saeko-chan, so maybe they used to be really good friends. It’s not unheard of for friendships to blossom between professors and students. You and Nakajima-sensei are friends.” “Yes, but I’ve never called him Ryu,” Akira pointed out. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody call him by his given name except for Naegino-sensei, but they‘ve known each other since their college days.” “What are you saying, Akira? Are you suggesting that their relationship might have been more than platonic?” Ami laughed, but Akira couldn’t bring himself to join in, flashing back to the conversation in the coffeehouse when Dr. Nakajima confessed he had once had an affair with one of his students. The idea that Dr. Mizuno Saeko could have been that student was too coincidental to be true, but Akira had to admit she fit the vague profile the genetics professor had given him. She was about the right age, and Dr. Nakajima had mentioned that the girl was now a divorced doctor with a daughter… “Akira, you don’t seriously think my mother and Dr. Nakajima once had the kind of relationship we have, do you?” Ami repeated, her laughter fading when she noticed he hadn’t joined her. “That’s ridiculous. What are the chances that okaa-san and I both had affairs with our professors -- professors who happen to be best friends, to boot?” “You told me yourself that you thought Mizuno-sensei seemed to understand what had happened between us when she found out about the video,” Akira reminded her. “Maybe the reason why she wasn’t as upset as you thought she would be was because she didn’t want to be seen as a hypocrite in case you ever found out about her own indiscretion.” “Yes, that’s true, and she did give me a rather cryptic warning when I told her you had given me the job, but I just can‘t see my mother doing something like that. It would be so out-of-character for her.” “And it was so in-character for you?” Akira teased, causing Ami to blush. “Well…no, but… Akira?” Upon spotting his lawyer coming back in, along with Dean Tanaka and the rest of the school board, Akira immediately lost all interest in speculating about his mentor‘s past love life. It looked as if they had finally reached a decision. He felt his stomach perform a few somersaults, but, taking a deep breath to calm himself, Akira placed a hand on the small of Ami’s back and guided her forward. “Come on, Ami, we better get back to our seats.” It took a couple of minutes for everybody to find their seats again, but, once they had, the room fell into absolute silence, all eyes on Dean Tanaka, who remained the only one standing. Akira was almost certain that everybody could hear the thunderous pounding of his heart against his rib cage as he awaited the verdict. “We have reached our decision,” Dean Tanaka announced. “Kitagawa Akira-sensei?” Akira stood up from his chair, prepared to face the music. “Hai?” “After an extensive investigation into your grading practices and hearing today’s testimonies, the board has decided to overturn your suspension. You may resume your teaching duties next semester.” As the room around him erupted into cheers and boos from his various supporters and detractors, Akira could only stare up at the dean in utter disbelief of the words that had just come out of his mouth. They had won? He had his job back? But…how? “Please, ladies and gentlemen!” Tanaka shouted over the noise, banging his gravel against the table. “I’m not quite finished yet.” The room quieted once more. “Thank you.” Turning his attention back to Akira, the dean’s eyes narrowed. “Though we found no definite proof your relationship with Mizuno Ami-san resulted in any wrong-doing, Kitagawa-sensei, it is the opinion of this committee that Mizuno-san be removed from your class, effective immediately. She will take an incomplete in the current course, which she may retake at a later date under another professor with no permanent penalty. Mizuno-san will also be barred from enrolling in any future classes you may teach, and in addition, Kitagawa-sensei, you will be sentenced to a three year probationary period. Any questions?” Akira shook his head, hardly believing his good luck. “No, Tanaka-sensei. Thank you.” “Then this hearing is hereby adjourned,” the dean declared, bringing down his gavel for the final time. The room once again burst into conversation, but, to Akira, it sounded as if everybody was off in the distance, like it really wasn’t happening. It wasn’t until he felt Ami throw her arms around his neck, exclaiming “You won, Akira! You won!” that he finally convinced himself that it was real, that he wasn’t in the middle of some wonderful dream that he would wake up from any minute. “Yeah, I guess we did, didn’t we?” he said with a happy laugh, embracing his lover tightly. “You were right, Ami. You said everything would be alright, and it is!” “Well, I have to admit I had my doubts at times,” she confessed, “but I’m so glad I was right. The board members would have been fools to let a great teacher like you go.” “I’m sorry you have to take the course again, though, especially since the semester is almost over,” Akira apologized. He didn’t mind his probation, but, even though the board’s decision was understandable considering the circumstances, he didn’t think it was very fair to Ami to have to retake the class. “You didn’t do anything wrong. They shouldn‘t have punished you.” Ami shook her head. “It’s fine. As long as we can be together, I don’t care,” she said, smiling. “Besides, it won’t be that bad. Thanks to everything I’ve learned from you, I’m sure it will be a breeze. Retaking the course is a small price to pay as long as you get to keep your job.” “Come on, let’s get out of here and celebrate.” ***** Outside the administration building, where she had snuck out of the hearing right after the verdict to hide behind one of the large pillars in front, Yui glared as the blue-haired slut and her professor boyfriend walked out the front doors, followed by Miss Mizuno’s friends and an older woman who Yui could only assume was the famous Dr. Mizuno Saeko from the woman’s dark blue hair. The whole group was smiling at their ill-deserved victory, and, much to Yui’s annoyance, Miss Mizuno proudly took the professor’s hand as they climbed down the steps, acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It made Yui positively sick watching the disgusting display of affection. Miss Mizuno really had them fooled, didn’t she? Even poor Professor Kitagawa seemed under the impression that she was actually in love with him, but Yui knew the truth. No matter what the board had decided, Yui knew that Miss Mizuno had somehow used her sexual relationship with their professor to ensure she made the top grades in the class. Maybe the favoritism hadn’t been intentional on his part, as Yui had first thought, but it *was* there, and if the university wasn’t going to do anything about it other than switching Miss Mizuno to another class, where she would just seduce another teacher after the inevitable breakup with the now-useless Professor Kitagawa, then it was time to take matters into her own hands. “You might think you’ve won this round, Mizuno Ami,” Yui threatened, her hand clenching into a fist, “but this isn’t over yet. You are going to pay for everything you’ve done to me.” DISCLAIMER: "Sailor Moon" is the property of Takeuchi Naoko. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Comments and criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. Special thanks to my editors, Starsea and I Abibde/Samuraiter.