Chapter 9

(Note: This picks up immediately from where Chapter 8 left off.)

Cringe-kun rushed down the hallway as the second period bells rang throughout. "Crap! Crap! Crap!", he yells, "Where is he?". I am in PE, warming up when the gym teacher comes over. She asks me whether or not I noticed a blue haired girl hiding behind the bleachers some time ago. I lie to her "No.", to save face and protect him. (That'll come back to bite me in the ass.), I thought, feeling dishonored by lying. "Oh, that's too bad, because she asked me about you sometime after you left. I wonder what it was about.", she responds. (It just now came back and bit me, as expected...), I think again. She starts to walk away. "W-wait, sensei! I may know something~", I call after her.

The gym doors burst open, interrupting me. It's Cringe-kun. "Motonoya. May I ask what the hell you are doing, barging in here like that?", the gym teacher asks. He pays her no heed, and proceeds to point at me. "You. Council room. Now.", he says. "B-b-but I need to change back into my uniform~",I start. "NOW.", he says. Grabbing me by the arm and pulling me away, I look back to the teacher, and apologized. She sighs frustratedly and says "Whatever it's about, it must be important. Just remember to keep doing your daily exercises and eat healthy.". "Hai!", I respond, as the door to the gym closes behind me.

I walk, and Cringe-kun says nothing. This is incredibly uncharacteristic of the usually upbeat guy, and the only time he gets like this is with Deadpan-kun. "Did...d-did Isayama-kun just enroll in this school, or something?", I nervously say, trying to break the tension. He walks onward, still silent, still with that serious look on his face. (He probably did. That's the only way that Cringe-kun could be this upset.), I think. He finally opens up his mouth, saying "I was looking for you since Homeroom, you know.",without even looking at me once. No jokes. No puns. I profusely apologize to him. He doesn't respond. To be honest, this side of him is frightening.

As we walk inside the Council Room, we see Prez-kun sitting at the main table. He says "The Alchemy teacher may retire soon.". We both collectively gasp, as this was also Cringe-kun's first time hearing this too, apparently. "No...he is our best teacher.", Cringe-kun replies. Prez-kun continues, "It may only be but a mere rumor as of this moment. However, we will not take this lightly.". "Of course! There's no way I would miss the old man's retirement party for the world.", Cringe-kun says. "Count me in. Even if this party is years in advance, it's still the thought that counts", I say, adding to Cringe-kun's sentiment.

"Indeed. You took copious amounts of time, Motonya-san. We'll discuss your punishment later.", Prez-kun says. Cringe-kun gulps in fear, expecting yet another hit on the head for the billionth time. I ask Prez-kun, "Do I need to change back to my school uniform?". He replies, "There is no time for that. You and Motonoya-san already know what to do. Dismissed!". We both stand at attention, bow, and exit the room to plan for a certain teacher's going away party. However, it may be a little sooner than even he expected.