Murai in Love (村井の恋)

What are you mad about?

You're always pissed off, aren't you? Grumpy girl.

Shut up. You can't just show up without telling me.

It's embarrassing being with you in public.

Come on, you gotta be kidding me. You're shy?

I can't stand how adorable you are.

What? I'm not shy, I'm just irritated.

You're always irritated, aren't you?

And exclusively toward me.

Is this a privilege granted only to your boyfriend?

Yeah, something like that.

I kinda like that.

Hey, you may not know this,

but couples hold hands in situations like this.

Of course I know that!

Yeah, yeah, you're so damn cute, aren't you, you little rascal?

Hey, this is no time to be fooling around.

Murai is about to be executed!

I saw that too.

What do you mean, "executed"?

He's nothing but a hero for doing that on TV.

You are a genius-level idiot, aren't you?

What should we do?

Let's do this.

What the heck are you guys doing?

Vice-Principal, please be quiet.

No, no, no.

For once, I cannot sit back and brownnose you two.

We're talking about an improper student-teacher relationship.

How can I stay quiet?

Of all students, it's Murai, an honor student with a promising future.

His grandfather is CEO of the renowned ONG Corp!

His father is the president!

He comes from a very wealthy family that's donated generously to this school.

And why Tanaka?! What kind of world do we live in?

How would you explain this to the PTA?

Getting rid of Tanaka is easy enough, but Murai is a bit more complicated...

I saw it!

I completely saw it, Principal.

That's wonderful, Chairman.

Please listen to me.

I saw Yamakado-sensei.

Listen!

So what about Yamakado? How is this about him?

Vice-Principal, don't be so hasty.

You're not young.

You shouldn't raise your blood pressure so recklessly.

With all due respect, Chairman...

Shut up!

Let's wait for them to return.

I'm sure Yamakado-sensei will take care of it.

GOOD MORNING, YAMAKADO

CALL ME BACK ABOUT THIS MATTER ASAP

Those assholes. Damn you, damn you.

The whole thing fell on him.

Welcome back, second-year students.

Good to see you all.

Now, we need to see some of you in the principal's office.

Tanaka and Murai, who involuntarily made their TV debut.

Murai from Class 2-1 and the homeroom teacher, Tanaka-sensei.

The one to blame, Kiriyama!

And the head teacher who was unreasonably entrusted with their fate, Yamakado.

Boy, what a mess.

Head teacher, Yamakado-sensei,

please come to the principal's office immediately.

Good luck.

- Yamakado-sensei. - Yes.

Please allow me to participate in the interrogation session.

Why?

Because I'm the one who caused all this.

I'm sorry for my incompetence.

I don't care what happens to me, I just want to help them.

Tanaka, when asked to explain the matter,

got down on her knees,

a gesture she had only ever made to official pics and divine manga artists.

I am solely responsible for this!

That's not true! She had no choice.

If anyone was at fault,

it was me for not being able to control my gushing emotions.

Just for five minutes, could you please shut up?

Come on, Murai! I told you to wait in the hallway!

There's nothing we can do about what has already happened,

but considering what's ahead, please tell us the facts.

Are you two actually in a relationship?

-We will be in the near future. - Dumbass!

I beg you, will you please shut your mouth?

If there was ever a time in your life to remain silent,

now is that time!

We're not asking about your aspirations. Just tell us the facts as of right now.

Tell us, Tanaka-sensei.

You two seem to be very close.

-As I was saying... - Pizza delivery!

-Pizza pizza pizza... - Yamakado. What did you say?

A student confessed to me

that the immoral act in question was part of a dare.

Is that true?

Yes, it's true.

It was the last day, and...

We got carried away during a card game.

I'm the one who told him to do it. It wasn't their fault. I'm sorry.

Kiri, what are you saying?

They got carried away on the school trip which led to something terrible,

but their motives were silly and they're sorry for what they did,

so please go easy on them.

-That's not... -Also.

I can prove here that these two are not in a relationship.

Huh?

This is for you.

SQUEEZE

I never thought I'd announce it like this.

But as a matter of fact, Tanaka and I are in a relationship,

and this is my marriage proposal to her.

So there's no way she's in a relationship with Murai, one of her students.

Does that clear things up?

Yes, we completely understand.

Given all of this,

I'd appreciate if you could give them a light penalty for this incident.

Understood.

Dismissed.

Sensei...

Sensei!

It's all my fault.

I'm really sorry, Murai. I felt like I had no choice.

Your happiness is my happiness.

Honestly, I'd risk anything for you, use any means necessary for your sake.

But before I knew it...

The vision of your happiness with Tetsuko

was becoming hazier and hazier.

If this were the Stone Age,

I would've killed him before this could happen.

But now that I'm bound by Hades, God of the Underworld,

I don't think I can compete with him.

I mean, I'm beginning to feel foolish for ever thinking

that a mere mortal could beat the God of the Underworld.

My heart is about to be shattered.

Just like your love is shattered.

Two days had passed since Murai,

petrified by the psychological shock, fell into a coma.

- -This was during a substitute holiday

after the school trip.

Everyone, stop crying.

He's just sleeping, okay?

Would you like some afternoon onigiri?

-Yes, please! -Yes, please!

Why is Murai so obsessed with Tanaka-sensei?

I know, right? Why is he, Hirai?

You know, I've never wondered about that. Why is he?

How am I supposed to know?

- Maybe Kiri knows... -I don't.

I didn't even know he had those feelings in the first place.

How can you not know? You've known him longer than me.

You should know something.

You wanna fight?

Hey, your delinquent side is showing.

But actually, other than Yayoi, you two have known him the longest, right?

You don't get it, do you?

Let me lay it all out for you. We are loyal fans of Murai!

We consider stalker-like acts such as prying into his private life heretical.

Holding on to this virtue while supporting one's fave

is the path to true fandom.

Fantasizing is on the table, though.

In other words, no one knows Murai's five Ws except "who."

How does that make for a good love story?

The five Ws...

That reminds me, a long time ago, he came home with a bass someone gave him.

I think it was when he was around ten years old.

When I asked him what happened

and who gave it to him, he turned red.

It's a secret.

I'm sure he was in love.

That's puberty, though. He wouldn't tell me anything.

But from that day on, he started growing his hair out

and practicing the bass.

He said he wanted to be like someone called TenTen.

Then he dyed his hair blonde.

Could that have something to do with his five Ws?

Sir, do you know where that bass is now?

I don't know why, but it's always by our Shinto altar.

I asked him why he does that once.

He told me, "Though there's no such thing as God in this world,

this bass is as close to a divine entity as an inorganic object can be."

AMATERASU OMIKAMI

"As close to a divine entity as an inorganic object can be."

No wonder even you didn't know.

You've been in love with Tetsuko for way too long, Murai.

Murai in Love.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT

Wow!

Congratulations, Tanaka-sensei!

When in the world did you get Yoshiki to fall for you?

Are you secretly a smooth operator?

Are you having a wedding?

Don't tell me you're pregnant?

FLEE

Good morning.

-Head Teacher. Why are you here? -Because I work here.

-Can I sit here? -

What're you freaking about?

This is how I always am.

You can give me the ring back or you can pawn it.