Chapter 41 Taisho Tachibana No. Private Academy
Da da
The sound of a gel pen clicking.

The Office of Academic Affairs of Taisho Tachibana Kita First Private High School, in the center of Inaho Ward, Otaru City.

Fujii Itsuki sat on the sofa, signed his name on the [Teacher and Staff Labor Contract] on the glass coffee table, and filled in today's date.

December 202, 12x.

He turned the recruitment contract around and handed it over to Sasaki Academic Affairs who was sitting opposite him.

Tomoko Sasaki picked up the contract, raised the heavy round old mirror frame with her right hand, examined the sharp signature of Fujii Itsuki on it, and put down the contract.

She smiled kindly at Fujii Itsuki and stood up:

"Then, on behalf of Taisho Tachibana First Private Academy, I welcome Mr. Fujii. Welcome."

At the same time, Fujii Itsuki stood up and stretched out his hand, shaking hands politely with Dean Sasaki.

"You're too polite."

The two sat down at the same time and continued to discuss work matters.

"Since Mr. Fujii is now a member of our school, I will call you Mr. Fujii from now on. Is that ok?"

"nature."

"Teacher Fujii, our school's third semester officially starts on January 1th. It's a holiday now, but considering that Teacher Fujii is not familiar with our school environment and affairs, I will lead Teacher Fujii to coordinate work matters and visit school facilities during this period. If Teacher Fujii has any questions, you can ask me, and I will do my best to solve Teacher Fujii's problems."

"no problem."

"In addition, our school attaches great importance to the atmosphere among colleagues. Teacher Akai and Teacher Fujii are classmates who applied for our school at the same time. Although she is not a formal teacher in our school like you, she is also very good. I hope that Teacher Fujii can get along well with her, and when you encounter difficulties at work, you two can also support and help each other."

Hearing this, Fujii Itsuki became curious.

He asked about the academic affairs:

"At this job fair, only Mr. Akai and I were able to successfully join the company? I remember that when I came, there were nearly 15 or 16 applicants."

"Yes," Sasaki Tomoko nodded and smiled, "You two are the only two who have met our school's standards and have been successfully employed as teachers. However, the number of people who came to apply for the position of teacher at our school at the job fair that day was not fifteen or sixteen, but sixty-two in total."

Sixty-two people applied for the job that day?

Fujii Itsuki was secretly surprised, thinking that Otaru did not have such high-quality conditions.

You should know that in Japan, those who dare to apply for a teaching position are all high-quality talents in society.

“People from Sapporo should have come over to try it.”

"Teacher Fujii is really perceptive. In fact, there are people from Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka who came here specifically for the interview."

As expected, it is Taisho Tachibana Kita.
Even though Otaru City is underdeveloped now, it can still attract so many outstanding talents in society.

He didn't know the qualities of the others, but he knew Akai Fujii Itsuki quite well.

Her grades were among the best in Futaba High School back then, otherwise she would not have been able to go to the United States to study at a music school on her own after graduating from high school that year.

After seven years of studying abroad, my spoken English is absolutely fluent, and my English level and personal qualities are absolutely first-class.

And someone like Akai can only be a temporary teacher in Tachibana Kita.

This request is truly terrifying.

At the same time, Fujii Itsuki became even more curious.

Why did Ju Bei choose only himself among these sixty-two people?
Fujii Itsuki told Academic Director Sasaki about his doubts.

After listening to this, Tomoko Sasaki lowered her eyebrows slightly and tilted her head.

The beautiful snow scene on campus outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Academic Affairs Office was reflected on her thick lenses.

"What do you think of the scenery in Tachibana Kita, Mr. Fujii?"

"It's very beautiful. It's classical yet modern. You can tell from the decoration style of this academic affairs office. It should have been renovated in recent years, right?"

Fujii Itsuki looked to the side again and saw the Apple computer on the large and heavy desk.

As he walked through the school, the computer equipment he saw were basically new models that used macOS in recent years.

A computer doesn't mean anything.

But multiple units are enough to illustrate the problem——

The school's internal system is by no means that old thing.

"At the same time, your school also has certain requirements for electronic equipment. Let's not talk about whether other schools have the funds to support the purchase of these devices. But as far as I know, many public schools and government departments will not take the initiative to replace their equipment even if they know that they are backward and inefficient."

"Mr. Fujii's observations are really meticulous."

Sasaki Tomoko turned her gaze from the snowy scene outside the French window and took over the conversation.

"The main reason why most schools are reluctant to replace equipment is that system updates and maintenance require a lot of cost, time and effort. It is extremely difficult to migrate an old system to a new one, and it may have to be processed across platforms. A large number of school files and student information may be lost or irreparable during the process. These things are important and valuable information for the school, so most schools will not take the risk to upgrade their equipment."

Fujii Itsuki: "So your school is so good."

"Does Mr. Fujii know the history of our Tachibana Kita?"

"I know about it. It was the first women's college in Hokkaido during the Taisho period."

"Under the circumstances at the time, how much resistance would there be to promoting a women's college?"

Fujii Itsuki: "Not only wealthy businessmen, but also some local dignitaries will reject the existence of this school due to traditional concepts."

"Yes, so from the beginning, we have been destroying the old and welcoming the new."

“Out with the old and in with the new.”

Sasaki Tomoko nodded slightly.

“The Taisho period was a time of rapid political, economic and social change in Japan, and a period of prosperity in Japanese literature, art and culture. During this period, society as a whole was undergoing a series of changes and challenges.

“In order to get rid of the old dross and embrace the advanced educational concepts of Western society at that time, we raised funds to open this Hokkaido No. 1 Women’s College in the center of Otaru.

“In that era, we tried our best to keep up with the times and follow the trend of the new era.

“In that era, our philosophy was to pursue freedom, individuality and beauty. We valued emotions and feelings, and understood people’s yearning for romance and happiness.

"In that era, we were keen to allow women who were originally bound by traditional concepts to participate in various social activities, art performances and follow fashion trends, and to allow women to enjoy the fun and happiness of life and work.

“In the new era, a hundred flowers bloom, and a hundred things need to be rebuilt.

“We are not stuck in the past, but are brave enough to admit our backwardness and embrace an advanced future.

"To acquire knowledge and practice benevolence, inherit the past and create the new.

"This is the first motto of Taisho Tachibana First College. It is also the most precious gift that Mr. Natsume Soseki gave us in the form of a letter in Tokyo in the winter of 1915 after the school opened.

"This is also the most important reason why we chose to take in Mr. Fujii.

“Thank you, Mr. Fujii, for your courageous service to your colleagues and your students at Mita High School.”

Although the academic affairs officer was merely stating a fact in a calm tone, Fujii Itsuki felt as if his heart was filled with emotion.

He almost thought that he was not applying for a teacher position, but had joined an advanced group with common ideals, pursuits and values.

Did he hear it right?

There is actually a school, a school leader, who approves of what he has done?!

This place is not a school, it's a utopia, right?
Seek knowledge and practice benevolence, inherit the past and create new things.

It turns out that this is the school motto proposed by Mr. Natsume.

Sasaki Tomoko smiled slightly, seeing the doubt and shock on Fujii Itsuki's face, "Of course, the above statement is just our school's beautiful vision for the future. In reality, we are still far from reaching this standard."

"No," Fujii Itsuki sighed, feeling such a strong sense of recognition for the first time. "Just the fact that you can have this idea and put it into action is enough for me to admire your school's teaching philosophy. But I still can't believe that such an atmosphere in your school can exist in today's society."

"It does sound a bit unrealistic, but in the following work, we will try our best to let Mr. Fujii feel the ideas and concepts in our school practice. At the same time, we also hope that Mr. Fujii can abide by the school rules and motto of our school. People are free, but freedom also has boundaries. This is the bottom line of our school."

"Fully endorses."

Sasaki Tomoko clasped her hands in front of her. "In addition, in addition to our school's admiration for Mr. Fujii, our school's top management also has selfish motives in recruiting Mr. Fujii to work in our school. Our school's wind instrument club is currently short of an instructor, and we hope that Mr. Fujii can accept this additional job."

Fujii Itsuki returned to reality from utopia.

Reality is reality. Even if a school has a utopian vision, it will make choices based on interests.

But this actually gave Fujii Itsuki a more real sense.

It made him feel that Taisho Tachibana University was not so illusory, but existed in the real world.

And those beautiful and advanced ideas that the academic affairs office had mentioned before could actually be seen as a trick used by Taisho Tachibana to deceive the teachers.

but
Fujii Itsuki is still willing to believe that Taisho Tachibana Kita does have some people who hold this teaching philosophy for their dreams, for themselves and for their students. In fact, this kind of work with dreams and goals is not called work, but to practice the few beautiful ideas in this society and to build the entire grand concept brick by brick.

This is faith!

Fujii Itsuki could even imagine the working conditions of his future colleagues. It was very likely that they would not be frowning, but would be smiling every day.

Teachers and students are harmonious, and colleagues are friendly.

Every time I solve some problems for students and lead them to achieve some goals, I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

I never thought that what I had been pursuing since childhood was hidden in this small city of Otaru? !

In the past, he had only heard of Ju Bei's excellence, but had never heard why Ju Bei was excellent.

Now he probably understood.

It's such a pity. If I had known Ju Bei back then...

That doesn't make sense. If I didn't have the three years of work experience at Tokyo High School and that operation before leaving, I would have probably been eliminated in the interview, right?
Fujii Itsuki laughed.

Unexpected, unexpected.

The outrageous operation he performed a few months ago actually became his stepping stone to enter Jubei.

He began to understand why so many applicants came from far away to apply for the job in Tachibana Kita, even though it was in the backward and old city of Otaru.

For adults, nothing is more important than finding a job that gives you a sense of belonging.

"Mr. Fujii? Are you willing to do that? I want to ask you to be the instructor of the wind instrument club."

Fujii Itsuki has decided to stay in Tachibana Kita.

He agreed, "Of course."

The interview meeting was concluded.

Fujii Itsuki walked out of the office and closed the door behind him.

Akai Muko, dressed in daily clothes, was waiting quietly in the corridor. She stared at the snow scene outside, looking a little bored.

"The interview is over. I can't believe it."

"Can't think of anything?" Akai turned and faced him.

"As the old saying goes, 'A blessing in disguise'."

Akai Muzi smiled and said teasingly, "I never thought that the young man who was determined to practice the justice in his heart would actually get such a blessing one day in the future. It's really a blessing in disguise. I'm not as lucky as you. I can only get the status of an external teacher."

"By Tachibana's standards, it's actually pretty good to be able to stay."

"Well, we are colleagues from now on. Please give me your guidance, Mr. Fujii."

Fujii Itsuki nodded in response, "Please give me your guidance in the future, Mr. Akai."

Akai Muzi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I suddenly feel that it's so funny to talk to Fujii like this."

"I'm not joking with you, am I?"

"I know." Akagi Muzi put away her smile and asked about Fujii Itsuki's plans for today. "I don't have anything to do this afternoon. Do you want to go to your sister's house for a drink? The sushi your sister makes is really good. I want to try it."

Fujii Itsuki shook his head, "No, it's almost New Year's Day, and I have other things to do."

"what's up?"

"I'll tell you if you come and help me."

"What's the matter? I promise you."

"You don't even want to hear what I'm going to do?"

"I can't trust other classmates after not seeing them for seven years, but I can only trust you, Fujii. You are special."

"."

Fujii Itsuki was stunned for a moment because of Akai's words. If he remembered correctly, Akai Muzi said the same thing when she confessed to him.

——[Fujii, to me, in my eyes, you are the most special person.]
Akai Muzi noticed his expression and chuckled, "Are you thinking about the past?"

".Your words still have some weight in my memory. Can you tell me why you said that back then?"

"Well," Akai Muzi avoided his gaze and looked into the blue sky, "Who knows? Everyone has their own interpretation. Fujii, just explain it according to what you thought back then. You don't have to consider what I thought at the time."

She immediately changed the subject.

"So, will you let me help you?"

"Why not? He is a free laborer after all."

The two walked out of Jubei together.

Fujii Itsuki took out his phone and checked the time. "Let's gather at 2pm. I'll text you the meeting place later. See you then."

Akai didn't hesitate, waved his hand, and prepared to leave, "Okay, I'll go first. Be careful on the road, don't fall on the side of the road like you did last year, with a mouth full of snow."

"No, no, no, the shoes you bought for me are too bad. They are not non-slip."

"Stop making excuses. At that time—" Akai Muzi suddenly stopped talking at the school gate, "Forget it. It's been so many years. I'm a teacher now after all. I'm too lazy to argue with you like I did back then. I'm leaving first. See you in the afternoon."

"Okay, see you this afternoon."

Then the two of them left in their respective directions.

Fujii Itsuki hurried back to Jiuhua's house, packed up, ate a bowl of instant noodles that he had left behind, and prepared to go out again.

Jiu Huayue, who was listening to music with headphones in the living room, saw that he was in a hurry, so she took off her headphones and asked:

"Uncle, why are you in such a hurry? What are you going out for?"

"Hmm? You're curious too?"

"Also?" Jiuhuayue didn't know who had asked him, was it Qiansui?

Fujii Itsuki walked towards her and said, "Jiuka, do you have anything to do this afternoon?"

"No," Jiuhuayue answered blankly.

"Well, let's put it this way," Fujii Itsuki turned to her, "I'm quite short of help, and Chitose will be here too, do you want to come along?"

"What to do together?"

"Help me carry the things."

".You want me to work for you for free?"

Fujii Itsuki didn't mean that. "You can ask me to pay you wages, but you are a model, so you should have enough pocket money."

"I don't lack money, but..."

Jiu Huayue lowered her head and looked at a song stored in her mobile phone.

The girl looked up. "How about you play a song for me? When you come back, you can teach me and I can help you."

"Want me to play a song for you?"

Jiu Huayue hoped that he would not refuse, "How about it?"

Fujii Itsuki smiled and said, "That's fine, but if you want me to play the song well, you have to promise me to work harder and not be lazy."

Jiu Huayue puffed up her cheeks and said, "Of course I won't! You don't trust me so much?"

"I forgot about that. Jiuhua is a good friend who values ​​loyalty. This is my problem. Sorry."

".Good to know!"

Jiu Huayue was secretly happy because he said he was a good friend, but she was also curious, "So what exactly did the uncle do in the afternoon? He had to move things, so mysteriously."

"Go change your clothes, and then follow me, and you'll know."

"Still keeping me in suspense. Wait for me, I'll go change it right away."

"Okay, change into something neater, don't wear a skirt, and you'd better tie your hair up."

"understood."

(End of this chapter)