Chapter 54: LESSONS AND VACATION PLANS

DING! DING! DING! The break bell rang, its sound echoing throughout the school corridors. Students who had been filling the cafeteria and corridors started hurrying back to their respective classes. TAP... TAP... TAP... Their footsteps echoed on the ceramic floor.

In Class IX-9, the students returned to their respective seats. Mira was still holding leftover bread in her hand, which she hid behind her desk. Rin sat firmly, her hands already ready on her book. Iris leaned back in her chair casually, the mysterious smile still adorning her face. Ella sat with her back straight, her notebook already open in front of her. Luna sat in the corner, her eyes half-closed as usual. Nora sat calmly, her arms crossed over her chest. Aria sat restlessly, her fingers gripping the edge of her uniform. Eve had already opened her laptop, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. Fay sat in the back corner, her doll still hugged tightly. Katrin, Maya, Sera, Rina, Irene, and Liliana were also already seated in their respective places.

Lydia sat at the desk beside Kai, observing everything with her sharp eyes.

Kai stood at the front of the class, holding a math textbook in his hand. HAAAH... He let out a soft sigh, then smiled. "Alright, everyone. Now we’ll continue with the second lesson. Mathematics."

Eve, sitting in the corner with her laptop, suddenly lifted her head. Her usually flat face now showed a bored expression she couldn’t hide. "Sir, math is really easy. No need to study it."

Kai blinked. "Easy?"

"Yes," Eve answered, her voice flat. "I’ve already mastered this material long ago. We should do something challenging. Like the chess you made before. That was more interesting."

Mira, hearing that, immediately responded in a loud voice. "EVE! Math is a very difficult subject! Mira has studied the same material many times, but Mira doesn’t understand at all! Eve is weird!"

Rin, sitting beside Mira, nodded in agreement. "I agree with Mira. Math is... I don’t really understand it either. Especially the ones with numbers and formulas."

Nora added in a flat voice. "I also have difficulty with math. Too many formulas to memorize."

Ella, who usually always spoke up, was silent this time. She looked down, her eyes staring at the notebook in front of her without moving. No words came out of her mouth.

Iris just stayed silent while smiling at Kai. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief she couldn’t hide. She didn’t say anything, just enjoying the small commotion in the class.

Luna, seeing Iris smiling at Kai, immediately made her face pout. She glanced toward Kai, then back at her book. But her usually calm fingers now gripped her pen a little harder.

Kai sighed, then raised his hand to calm the class. CLAP! CLAP! He clapped his hands twice. "Alright, calm down first."

He walked to the teacher’s desk and took a stack of books he had prepared under the desk. THUD! He placed the books on the teacher’s desk with a sound loud enough to attract all his students’ attention.

"Let’s start with something different," Kai said. He lifted one of the books and showed it to the whole class.

All the students stared at the book. The book looked old—its cover had yellowed in some places, and there were some folds at the corners. There was text reading "CURRICULUM 2013" at the bottom of the cover.

"This book was given directly from Mrs. Reina for this class," Kai said. "This book is a bit old because it’s from the previous curriculum. But in my opinion, no knowledge is outdated. So I asked Mrs. Reina to give all the textbooks from the previous curriculum so I could use them for this class."

Kai smiled proudly, his chest puffing out slightly. He lifted his chin with a somewhat arrogant style—but a fake arrogance, like he was joking. "Great, right? So we can learn from more complete and thicker books. More knowledge."

HAAAH... All the students stared at Kai with exaggerated annoyed expressions. Mira pouted her lips, Rin shook her head, Nora raised her eyebrows. Even Ella, who was usually calm, let out a long sigh and looked at Kai with a "seriously?" expression.

"Sir," Rin said in a sharp voice, "you’re really arrogant."

"I’m not arrogant," Kai replied, still with his proud smile. "I’m just... happy."

"Your face says otherwise," Mira said, pointing at Kai’s face. "Mira can see you’re really proud."

"Anyway," Kai said, trying to hide his smile. "From now on, you’ll learn what you didn’t know before. And you’ll learn seriously."

He paused for a moment, then looked at all his students seriously. "There’s one thing I want to say."

All the students looked at Kai with full attention.

"The most terrifying thing in life is ignorance."

HAAAH... Kai fell silent after saying that sentence. His eyes stared blankly at the wall, and for a moment, he was no longer in the classroom.

BRIEF FLASHBACK:

Fire. Screams. Blood flowing under the rain. Young Kai stood in the middle of the ruins, his rifle still smoking. He was sixteen years old then, but his eyes were already empty. In front of him, a man knelt with a wound in his stomach. The man smiled. "You don’t know anything, kid," he said in a hoarse voice. "You killed us without knowing why. You don’t know what really happened. You don’t know what will happen after this." The man laughed, then fell. Kai could only stand there, not understanding. Not knowing.

HAAAH... Kai returned to the present, his eyes blinking rapidly. He saw his students staring at him with confusion. He smiled, but his smile felt a little bitter.

Ignorance is something that must be overcome, Kai thought to himself. It’s something I must overcome.

"Alright," Kai said, starting the lesson. "Let’s start from the beginning."

Kai started his lesson casually but not boringly. He explained the material patiently, occasionally making small jokes that made his students smile. He wrote on the blackboard with quick and neat movements, his handwriting no longer as stiff as before.

"This is the basic formula," Kai said, pointing to the blackboard. "If you understand this formula, you can solve all problems about this."

Mira raised her hand. "Sir, Mira doesn’t understand."

Kai approached Mira’s desk. "Which part don’t you understand?"

"Everything," Mira answered honestly, her big eyes looking at Kai innocently.

Kai smiled. "Alright. Let’s start from the most basic."

Lydia also occasionally helped students who seemed to be struggling. She walked between the desks, occasionally stopping to explain something. But her way of teaching was different from Kai’s. She read more from the book, following what was written page by page.

"So, this is the formula to find the value of x," Lydia said, pointing to the book. "According to this book, the first step is..."

Kai, hearing that, didn’t criticize. He just observed, a little confused. He thought Lydia would be better at teaching, considering her elegant and confident appearance. But apparently not.

Aria raised her hand trembling. "M-Ms. Lydia, I don’t understand."

Lydia approached Aria, then started explaining patiently. But her explanation was exactly like what was in the book—no variation, no simplification.

Kai decided not to interfere. He busied himself with his other students.

Eve, sitting in the corner, suddenly raised her hand. "Sir, why is this formula different from what I know?"

Kai approached Eve. "What do you think the formula is?"

Eve explained quickly, using terms that confused the other students. Kai smiled, he knew that Eve was indeed a child who didn’t like to lose. He explained patiently, comparing the formula in the book with the formula Eve knew.

"So, both formulas are correct," Kai said. "Depending on the situation. You need to be able to choose which one is more effective."

Eve nodded, her eyes sparkling. "I understand."

Luna raised her hand, her voice soft. "Sir, I also don’t understand."

Kai approached Luna. "Which part?"

"This," Luna pointed to the problem in her book. "I don’t understand how to solve it."

Kai explained patiently, this time in a simpler style. Luna listened carefully, her half-closed eyes now wide open.

Fay was still sitting in the corner, hugging her doll. But this time, she occasionally glanced at the book in front of her, although she didn’t open it.

Nora raised her hand. "Sir, what if the problem is like this?"

Kai approached Nora, then explained calmly. Nora nodded, noting in her book.

Iris, sitting casually, suddenly raised her hand. "Sir, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"If I don’t understand, can I keep asking until I understand?"

Kai smiled. "Of course. That’s my job as a teacher."

Iris smiled mysteriously. "Alright. I’ll keep asking."

Rin, sitting beside Mira, worked on the problems in her book without much talking. But when she found a difficult problem, she immediately raised her hand. "Sir, how about this?"

Kai approached her, then explained briefly. Rin nodded, then returned to working.

Mira, who still didn’t understand, kept asking with simple questions. Kai answered patiently, never showing annoyance.

Ella, who usually became class president and helped her friends, was just sitting quietly this time. She worked on the problems in her book calmly, occasionally glancing toward Kai. There was something in her eyes—something that couldn’t be read.

Sera, Rina, Irene, and Liliana were also busy with their respective problems. Irene occasionally complained that the problems were difficult, but she kept trying. Sera worked firmly, Rina meticulously, and Liliana calmly.

Maya, sitting beside Katrin, occasionally asked in a soft voice. Katrin helped as best she could, although sometimes she was also confused.

Kai saw the various expressions of his students as they faced new challenges. The most striking was Eve—the girl didn’t hesitate to ask, and from her expression, Kai knew she was a child who didn’t like to lose.

Without realizing it, the home bell rang. DING! DING! DING! The sound echoed throughout the school.

Kai looked at the wall clock. HAAAH... He sighed. He had never seen his students so enthusiastic about learning. He actually didn’t want to disturb their concentration, but what could he do—it was time to go home.

CLAP! CLAP! Kai clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone. Class ended ten minutes ago."

HAAAH! All the students lifted their heads. Mira immediately cheered. "YEAH! HOME!"

"But wait," Kai said, raising his hand. "There’s an announcement."

All the students looked at Kai with curiosity.

"For the next five days, school will be closed," Kai said. "Considering the school just held the sports festival, the holiday will be used for rest time."

CHEERS! All the students cheered with joy.

"HOLIDAY! HOLIDAY!" Mira exclaimed, hopping in place.

"Yay!" Irene added.

"Five days off," Rin said, smiling. "I can rest."

"Sleep all day," Luna murmured.

"Can read books," Rina said.

"Can help mom at home," Aria said softly.

"Can practice," Nora said.

Kai smiled seeing their reactions. "But there’s one more thing."

All the students looked at Kai again.

"I want to go camping at the nearest mountain," Kai said. "Mount Gede. Who wants to come?"

HAAAH! All the students were surprised.

"I want to!" Mira exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Me too!" Rin added.

"Camping? Fun!" Irene said.

"I’m in," Nora said.

"Me too," Sera said.

"Camping," Luna murmured softly, but her eyes sparkled.

"I’m in, Sir," Rina said.

"Me too," Liliana said.

"I-I’m in too," Aria said, although her voice trembled slightly.

"I’m in," Katrin said.

"Me too," Maya added.

Eve nodded. "Camping can be a means to collect data. I’m in."

Iris smiled mysteriously. "Of course I’m in."

Fay didn’t speak, but she nodded slightly—a sign that she was in too.

Kai smiled. "Good. You’re all coming."

He turned to Lydia, who was still sitting at her desk. "Ms. Lydia, do you want to come too?"

Lydia blinked, slightly surprised. "Me?"

"Yes," Kai said. "You’re also part of this class now. Besides, camping will be more fun with more people."

Lydia was silent for a moment, seeming hesitant. She looked down, thinking about the offer.

Mira, seeing Lydia’s hesitation, immediately stood up. "Ms. Lydia, you have to come! The more people, the more fun! Come on, Ma’am!"

"Yes, Ma’am," Rin added. "You have to come."

Lydia looked at the students’ faces staring at her with full hope. Finally, she smiled. "Alright. I’ll come."

CHEERS! The students cheered again.

Kai raised his hand. "Alright, listen. Our meeting point is in front of this school, at 7:30 AM. Don’t be late. And remember, bring enough supplies. We’ll only be camping for two days and one night."

"Yes, Sir!" they exclaimed in unison.

Outside the School Gate

The afternoon sun was starting to tilt westward when the students of Class IX-9 started pouring out of the school gate. They walked in small groups, some still talking about the upcoming camping trip.

"What should we bring?" Mira asked.

"Tent, sleeping bag, food," Rin answered.

"I’ll bring a camera," Iris said.

"I’ll bring books," Rina said.

"I’ll bring medicines," Aria said.

They kept chatting while walking away from the school. Not long after, the school gate started to empty.

Kai stood in front of the gate, watching his students leave. HAAAH... He let out a soft sigh, feeling relieved that today had gone well.

Suddenly, footsteps approached. TAP... TAP... TAP...

Kai turned. Lydia stood beside him, a faint smile on her face.

"Mr. Kai," Lydia said.

"Ms. Lydia," Kai replied. "What’s up?"

Lydia stood beside Kai, her eyes looking toward the street where the students had disappeared. "I just wanted to comment on your teaching method."

Kai raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing wrong," Lydia said. "Quite the opposite. I noticed how you interact with your students. You’re very close to them. They also respect you very much."

Kai smiled slightly. "They’re good students."

"But that’s not what impressed me," Lydia continued. "The way you teach—I’ve never seen a teacher who could make math so... interesting. You explain in a way that’s easy to understand. Not like the book."

Kai laughed softly. "That’s because I learned from my mistakes. I couldn’t teach before either. I learned from my students."

Lydia smiled. "You’re humble."

"Not really," Kai said. "I’m just doing my best."

The two of them walked out of the school gate. Along the way, they chatted about various things—about the students, about teaching methods, about their respective experiences.

Suddenly, Lydia stopped and stared at a small restaurant on the side of the road. The restaurant looked simple—with wooden tables in front and yellow lights starting to turn on. The aroma of food from inside the restaurant wafted out, appetizing.

"Mr. Kai," Lydia said, looking at the restaurant. "How about we eat there? I want to talk more with you. About the school. About the students. I still want to know many things."

Kai blinked, slightly surprised by the invitation. He stared at the restaurant for a moment, then looked at Lydia. The girl smiled, waiting for an answer.

HAAAH... Kai let out a soft sigh. He was silent for a moment, thinking about the invitation. There was something in Lydia’s eyes—something he couldn’t read. But he chose not to think about it too deeply.

"Alright," Kai finally said. "Let’s go."

Lydia smiled wider, then stepped toward the restaurant. Kai followed behind her, his eyes still staring at Lydia’s back with mixed feelings.