HA3 10.2 - Transfer to Kitaro
Monday was slow day as usual, but finally the class ended. Hide immediately went to the staff office. This morning, he had submitted a request to absence from school. After receiving it, Watanabe Sensei asked him to talk the detail with him after school.
When he saw Watanabe Sensei already waited for him in the counseling cubicle, Hide immediately went over to him.
“Sensei,” Hide said as he gave Watanabe Sensei a light bow.
Watanabe lightly nod and signaled Hide to take the seat before him. “Have a sit, Hide.”
“Yes, Sensei.”
After Hide sat before him, Watanabe Sensei said, “Hide, even though in the request you have submitted, you put the official notification from company that hire you, before giving you the permission for one full week school absence, I still have to talk with your parent first.”
“Sensei,” Hide genuinely said. “I don’t think my father can spare his time to talk about my absence request with you.”
“Not even a few minutes of telephone call?” Watanabe Sensei asked solemnly.
“Unfortunately, yeah, he has no time even for a few minutes of phone call.”
“In that case, I shouldn’t give you the permission.” After a moment of silence Watanabe Sensei added, “But Isamu Sensei also receive same request from Takeo, and his father already talk about it with him.
So, I can give you the permission without talking with your father first, for this once.”
“Thank you, Sensei,” Hide genuinely said.
“One more thing,” Watanabe Sensei said as he put a letter from Ministry of Education in front of Hide. “You can read it yourself.”
“Yes, Sensei.”
Without delay Hide read the letter, and found that the Ministry of Education decided to cancel every acceleration exam for this year and next year. They would replace it with another program that currently was on the final examination before being issued. However, the letter didn’t mention the detail about the replacement program.
“Sensei,” Hide said as he turned his gaze to Watanabe Sensei. “Do you have clue about the replacement program?”
“Not a bit,” Watanabe Sensei honestly replied.
“I see,” Hide dejectedly said.
“I hope it won’t let you down,” Watanabe Sensei genuinely said. “And you will maintain your good score as usual.”
“I have no reason to lessen my study,” Hide firmly said.
“Good.” After a smile Watanabe Sensei said, “You can go.”
“Yes, and thank you Sensei.”
After giving Watanabe Sensei a light bow Hide then left the room and went straight to school backyard.
---
Hide just exited the changing room and would start the warm up and stretching, when Sayaka suddenly stopped him in his track. Hide immediately looked Sayaka straight in the eyes.
“Do you need something from me?”
“Yeah,” Sayaka casually said. “I want to ask you a few things?”
“About what?”
“Kitaro Music School.”
“Just download their brochure and talk to their PR staff,” Hide nonchalantly replied.
“My mother already talked it with Kaede Sensei yesterday,” Sayaka said. “But, she still asks me to confirm a few things with you.”
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Hide instantly took a deep breath. He still had no good impression on Sayaka, but her mother was a different case. She took her time to check Aizawa after she beat Shinji until he cried very loud.
‘I have to return the favor,’ Hide muttered before asking, “Who will go to Kitaro?”
“Shinji.”
“Your chubby little brother?”
“Yeah.”
“Why does your mother want to send him to Kitaro?”
“Right now, Shinji is an outcast in East Nichiko Elementary. He also becomes target of bullying,” Sayaka said in low voice. “My mother tries to remedy the situation, but Shinji stubbornly refuse to make a peace with other kids.”
Question mark instantly popped up in Hide’s forehead. “May I know how he becomes an outcast and target of bullying?”
“You already know about the fight between Aizawa and Shinji, right?”
Hide lightly nodded. “I do.”
“Trust me,” Sayaka genuinely said. “Shinji said that you hate Aizawa was out of good intention. He really cares about Aizawa.”
“…”
Hide said nothing and just lightly nodded a few times, and so Sayaka continued her explanation.
After the fight, Shinji tried to make a peace with Aizawa, but she refused him with everything she had. When other kids started to shun and even bullied Aizawa, he tried to defend her, but Aizawa still refused to make a peace with him.
After Aizawa went to Kitaro, Shinji still defended her when other kids bad-mouthed her. He kept doing it, and before he realized it other kids started to shun and even bullied him. In the end, my mother decided to transfer Shinji to other school, but Shinji stubbornly refused.
Until two days ago, on their way home from St. Marry, Shinji said to his mother he wanted to go to Kitaro Music School.
“Children can go too far when bullying other kid,” Sayaka closed his explanation in low voice. “That’s why my mother considers the option to transfer Shinji to Kitaro, but a few things bother her.”
“I see,” Hide casually said. “What do you want to know?”
Sayaka immediately said, “Kaede Sensei tells my mother that Kitaro introduce exam and grading system starting from the 1st grade. She gives a very good impression about it, but as you know, it is not common approach for our education culture.
What do you say about it?”
“So,” Hide calmly said. “Your mother worries Shinji won’t get the fundamental teaching that we receive from 1st to 3rd grade?”
“Yes,” Sayaka firmly replied.
With ease Hide felt Sayaka’s mother’s worries. He also felt the same thing when he wanted to transfer Aizawa out of East Nichiko Elementary School. The reason was, public elementary school in Nikko adopted a rather unique approach. Their students wouldn’t take any exam until they reached 4th grade.
There was a strong belief that in first three years of their education life there were far more important lesson to impart to the children than those found in tests and grades. In these years, through their daily school life the school would put the children to learn about proper behavior, respect for all people regardless of financial status, how to become independence while simultaneously building the ability to work in a team, and understanding the importance of valuing and conserving the environment.
While on the other hand, Kitaro Music School introduced grading and exam system starting from 1st grade. It was natural that Sayaka’s mother worried Shinji would lose a very valuable lesson he should receive if he went to Kitaro. Fortunately, her worry was unnecessary.
“Your mother doesn’t need to worry about it,” Hide firmly said. “Shinji will still receive the exact teaching that the kids below 4th grade in public school receive.”
“Are you sure about it?” Sayaka asked as he looked at Hide straight in the eyes.
“I’m,” Hide firmly said before explaining.
Kitaro didn’t have janitor like public school, so the kids would have to work together to maintain the hygiene and cleanness in their class and area around it. The kids also have to plant sweet potato and took care of it until the harvesting time. Other than that, each class also had to maintain specific area in orange and pear orchard in the backyard.
If there was a difference with public school, it was that in Kitaro the kids didn’t eat their lunch in class with their teacher. All students, administration staff, and teacher ate lunch together in mess hall. After the lunch, some of students, administration staff, and teacher would also take turn to help the kitchen staff to clean the mess hall and doing the dish.
Overall, there was lots of activity where the kids had to work together. Most of all, other than study, they play music a lot. They also read manga a lot as Kitaro hired semi-pro manga creator to make short manga about important moral and life value the kids had to learn. Hide had read some of those short manga and they were pretty good.
“Actually, a huge portion of Aizawa’s homework is reading manga and write summary about it,” Hide closed his explanation.
“But I hear the kids have to learn math from the 1st grade?” Sayaka curiously asked. “Is that okay to introduce math to first grader?”
“They can’t help it,” Hide casually said. “There is a saying, music is another form of math that you enjoy through your ear. If they want to study music, they have to be acquainted with math as early as possible.”
“I see.” After taking a deep breath Sayaka said, “And thank you. I will tell my mother everything you said about Kitaro.”
“Yeah.”
“And one more thing,” Sayaka said as concern flashed in her eyes. “Shinji is very strong and when Aizawa beat him, he accidentally hit Aizawa in the stomach because of panic.
My mother and I tried to bring Aizawa to doctor, but she refused. So, please make sure she is alright?”
“Aizawa is fully alright,” Hide firmly replied.
“Are you sure?”
“I took her to get general check-up in Kibou once,” Hide said. “The result is pretty good. She is healthy and kicking like a goat.”
“I see. Glad to hear she is fine.”
“Yeah.”
Hide and Sayaka then separated their way and continued with their training routine.
*****