Bonus Short Stories
Elemental - Teacher, Professor Celia! (Happy New Year Edition!)
Somewhere on Earth...
Celia Claire was a foreign teacher that had relocated to work as a substitute teacher in a Japanese high school.
However, it was January 1st — New Year’s Day. High schools in Japan were all on break, so Celia decided to go and gain some cross-cultural experience by way of the Japanese New Year.
At present, she was waiting at a dry riverbed for two of her high school students to show up.
“Hey, Suzune. Are you sure I don’t look weird?” she asked Endo Suzune, the primary school girl standing beside her. Suzune was also waiting for the two high school students who had yet to arrive.
“You’re fine. Even my mom was talking about how good it looks on you!” Suzune gave her stamp of approval with wide, beaming grin.
“If you’re sure, then...” Celia checked her outfit restlessly. She was currently wearing what would be considered the pride of Japan’s traditional clothing — a long-sleeved kimono. On top of that, she held a hagoita with a cute design in her hand. Next to her, Suzune was also wearing a kimono and holding a hagoita of different designs.
The hagoita were wooden paddles to be used in a game of hanetsuki — similar to badminton — and they were about to meet up with the other two people to play it. Suzune’s mother had highly recommended wearing kimono for hanetsuki, so they had spent a long time rummaging through the wardrobe before reaching this point.
“Ah! Haruto onii-chan, Miharu onee-chan!” When Suzune noticed the arrival of the two people they were waiting for, she ran over to them energetically.
“Happy new year, Suzune. Be careful not to run in such pretty clothes,” Amakawa Haruto warned her with a faint smile. Beside him stood another high school student, Ayase Miharu, who was smiling pleasantly at Suzune.
“H-heh! H-Happy New Year!” Suzune blushed as she bowed her head at Haruto. At that point, Celia had caught up to them.
“Happy New Year, Professor Celia. The kimono looks very pretty on you,” Haruto said in greeting.
“O-Oh, yeah. T-Thank you. And happy new year... You too, Miharu.” Celia’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment.
“Happy New Year to you, Professor Celia, Suzune,” Miharu returned the greeting with a graceful bow.
Incidentally, Haruto was in his casual clothes while Miharu was dressed in a long-sleeved kimono, hagoita at the ready.
“You’re so beautiful, Miharu... This must be what they call a Yamato Nadeshiko,” Celia said, completely captivated by Miharu’s beauty. In reality, her glossy black hair and delicate aura made the perfect pair to the Japanese clothes.
“N-No, not at all. If anything, your white hair suits your kimono so well, you look like a beautiful illusion, Professor Celia,” Miharu said in a high-pitched voice, blushed shyly.
“Ahaha, thank you. I’d like to believe that... and Suzune, you can snap out of it already!” Celia thanked her with a faint smile before she noticed Suzune acting strangely beside her.
“Ehe, ehehe, Haruto onii-chan called me pretty...” She was extremely pleased about being complimented by her beloved Haruto.
Celia sighed tiredly. “Geez...” But the corners of her mouth were twitching up in a smile.
Miharu laughed in amusement. “Ahaha, shall we begin soon?”
“Yes, but I don’t know the rules of hanetsuki very well...”
“The rules are that there are basically no rules. You hit the shuttlecock towards another person and continue doing that until you stop. Do you want to try it with me first?”
“Yes, please.”
Thus, it was decided that Miharu and Celia would play first against each other.
“Okay. Suzune, how about we stand a little further back and observe them?”
Haruto took Suzune by the hand and urged her to move a short distance away.
“Fweh?! O-Okay!”
With a bright red face, Suzune agreed. And watching the two of them —
“Hmph...”
— were Miharu and Celia, both looking a little envious.
I’ll show you the maturity of an adult!
This is a story that occurred just after Rio and Aishia took Celia away from the capital of Beltrum.
“Shall we go, Aishia?”
“Yeah.”
Rio picked Celia up in a princess carry and rose into the air, gently, with his wind spirit arts.
“Ah...”
Celia felt the faint floating sensation and tightened her grip around Rio reflexively.
Seeing Rio all grown up, reliable and warmhearted, filled her with relief. Feeling it first-hand made Celia so happy, she squeezed her arms even more.
“Fufu,” Celia let out a giggle without realizing.
“Are you scared, Professor?” Rio asked, looking down at Celia’s face; he had noticed how Celia’s grip around him had strengthened. Their eyes met at a nose-to-nose distance away from each other.
Celia couldn’t help the flush that crept over her face. “...N-Nope, I’m not scared. Aishia carried me through the air earlier, so I’m used to the floaty feeling now,” she replied, averting her gaze shyly.
Belatedly, she realized that being in a princess carry had put her at a much closer distance to Rio than she thought.
Very belatedly.
“That’s good, then. If you’re scared, just give me a heads up. I’ll adjust my speed for you,” Rio offered, tilting his head a little curiously.
“O-Okay.” Celia nodded awkwardly.
I-I felt so elated when we were departing, I asked Rio to carry me for the flight... Would it have been more natural to ask Aishia instead? No, but Rio agreed so casually... I-It was natural, right? she thought to herself.
Her heart thudded louder and louder in her chest. When she peered up at Rio’s face in wonder, she saw that he didn’t seem to be as nervous — or rather, nervous at all — compared to her.
Maybe I’m thinking too much about it? Yes, this much is n-normal. Normal. That’s right, I have to be carried all the way to the kingdom of Galarc, so this is necessary. There’s nothing strange about it.
Celia pondered to herself as she watched Rio’s expression carefully. That’s right — since Aishia was the one to carry her out of the capital, now it was Rio’s turn to do the carrying. That was the natural flow of things, wasn’t it?
That’s right. I’m clinging to him because it’s necessary, so it would be weird if I acted really nervous about it. I’m Rio’s teacher, so I must show him the maturity of an adult woman. I’ll show him he’s not the only one that’s grown up!
Right. The reason why she was being held in a princess carry was because it was easier to move with. There was nothing weird about it. Celia’s thoughts spiralled in a clearly childish way.
“...Professor, you seem a little restless. Are you scared after all?” Rio asked as he checked on Celia’s expression.
“N-Not at all. I’m fine, I’m mature, I can handle this much. You can even go faster if you want!” Celia feigned composure as she replied. She made to loosen her hold around Rio too.
“Really? Then...” Rio said with amusement, raising his speed in a sudden burst of intensity.
“Hyahn!” The sound had escaped from Celia unconsciously. She threw her arms tightly around Rio in a panic.
“See, it’s dangerous. Make sure you hold on properly,” Rio chuckled, adjusting his hold on her.
As a result, they were even closer together than they were before. Celia buried her face into Rio’s neck and, after a pause, blushed bright red.
Celia scolded Rio in shock. “Y-You’re a bully, Rio! I’ll have you know that was a sound of surprise just now, not fear. Got it?!”
“Ahaha, sorry,” Rio apologized with a laugh.
Aishia nodded with satisfaction as she flew next to them. “Cute.”
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