Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 10 - Chapter Pr

  PROLOGUE

“Pardon meee.”

Going into the teacher’s office always makes me nervous. I’m especially jittery today.

I’m always getting called in.

But this time I came in on my own.

I make a beeline for my teacher’s desk but …… it’s empty.

“Ah! That’s right. I’ve got a different teacher now.”

Today’s my first day of fifth grade. I am officially in the upper grades!

A new classroom.

A new teacher.

New classmates.

There’s so much to be excited about …… But I’m really down in the dumps today. I’ve heard that more students just stop coming to school right after long vacations than at any other time of the year, and I totally get it. The regrets just keep piling up.

You know, the I wish I’d done my homework sooner kind of thing?

Regret always hits once you run out of time. Then you get called in to get a talking to. The same thing happens over and over.

I thought the cycle would keep going all the way until graduation day.

Well, no. Part of me didn’t think graduation day would ever come.

But, just like the last day of summer vacation, the end always shows up out of nowhere.

My new teacher’s desk is close to the entrance, and she notices me right away.

“Sensei. You see ……”

There’s a news program on the TV set up on the wall in the teacher’s office.

“With the new fiscal year underway, efforts to draw crowds to the Osaka Expo have begun in earnest. Young business owners in Dotonbori got a literal jump on the festivities by diving into the river from Ebisubashi Bridge, but the Osaka Police Department is trying to inform Expo goers of the dangers–––”

“Naniwa’s Snow White’s road to becoming the first ever female Shogi player starts tomorrow. Osaka native Ginko Sora 3-dan will face her final roadblock to joining the professional ranks along with many other hopefuls in the 3-dan division. Sora 3-dan arrived in Tokyo earlier today to do her own inspection of the arena for tomorrow’s matches. The Shogi Association has provided comments–––”

“Moving on, Osaka’s largest pharmaceutical company, Tanaka Pharmaceuticals’ buyout of Europe’s largest pharmaceutical company, Fable Drugs, has been approved. The companies began closed-door negotiations last year–––”

…… I’d finished saying what I needed to say around the time the news program finished up.

“Excuse me.”

Bowing from the waist exactly how I was taught, I close the door behind me.

My new teacher is young, but she’s so grown up. She listened to everything I had to say without stopping me once. I was kind of worried about talking to her, but I’m glad I did.

Now then …… There’s someone else I need to talk to today.

“Head home, send out messages to everyone, get packed for the sleepover–––.”

Counting down my to-do list on my fingers, the tip of my foot hits something.

“Hm?”

Something on the floor outside of the teacher’s office. Something I’ve seen many, many times before.

But …… Huuuh?

“………… Why? What’s this doing here?”

I pick up the trinket at my feet.

It’s––––––a keychain in the shape of a Shogi piece.