Chapter 12: Work

A day had passed.

While the twins were at school, Minoru, Ai, Ichigo, and Miyako sat in the living room.

Minoru handed papers containing the lyrics he had written the previous night to them.

"This is good, no, it's amazing! B-Komachi will rise to the top and make history with 'Cupid'!!!"

Ichigo couldn't help but get excited as he read the lyrics.

"Yanagi-san, are you sure you're not a songwriter?"

Miyako's question made him shake his head.

After all, he had plagiarized others' work in his previous life, and he didn't feel proud about it.

All he wanted was for his kids to call him Dad, he also wanted to help Ai, and somehow, he wanted her group to sing this song.

"I'm not. Are you sure this song will work in the market?"

Minoru still had his doubts, but he'd already done a quick check that English song lyrics were holding up just as well as the domestic ones. That meant people wouldn't find it odd to hear an idol song based on English lyrics, especially since in this world, Japanese spoke English as their first or second language.

"Of course, it will work just fine. As Ichigo said, B-Komachi will make history with this."

Miyako assured him, though she couldn't understand why Minoru seemed so unfazed.

He didn't appear happy or excited about his achievement.

Turning to Ai, Minoru asked for her opinion as she focused on reading the lyrics.

Ai was taken aback when Minoru revealed that he had written a song for her idol group, giving them a chance to rise and perform at Tokyo Dome. As an idol, Ai loved singing, both domestic trending music and foreign songs, so she didn't have a problem with it.

"Um~ it's amazing," Ai said sincerely, "Maybe because it's so relatable? I think a lot of people will love it just by hearing this song."

Miyako cleared her throat to regain Minoru's attention.

"So, Yanagi-san, there's a problem, though."

Minoru fell quiet, signaling her to keep talking.

"With our resources, we can't give you anything to—"

"Ah, you don't have to. From the start, I just wanted to give this song to Ai," Minoru interrupted, surprising both of them.

"W-What? You wrote this song for... me?"

Ai's mouth hung open in shock as Minoru patted her head somewhat roughly.

"You could say it's my apology for neglecting you," Minoru replied with a smirk.

Ai felt her heart skip a beat as Minoru was putting a lot of trust in her.

With the warmest smile she could muster, Ai vowed not to disappoint him.

"Hehe~! Leave this to me!"

As the two enjoyed their moment, Miyako's face seemed to want to cry, wishing they would stop flirting in front of her face.

"So... Yanagi-san, how about joining us in the song's production?"

Ichigo seemed to overestimate Minoru's skills, considering he had merely written a song that surpassed B-Komachi's needs, and it fits them perfectly.

Minoru shook his head, acknowledging that music was not his expertise. He had merely dabbled in it as a hobby to help his mind stay sane, much like how he smoked and drank alcohol.

"Unfortunately, music is not my expertise..."

"Um... ehh?"

Ai found this odd, while Ichigo and Miyako had no idea what exactly happened last night.

"Ah, please credit Ai's name as the songwriter if you wish to credit someone," Minoru said, shocking them all.

"Wa-Wait... Minoru-kun, why are you doing this?" Ai asked, tugging lightly at his shirt, while Miyako stared at him as if he were crazy.

"That's right, Yanagi-san. It's hard to believe you wouldn't want your name on it. Is there a reason?" Miyako inquired.

"Yes, there is a reason."

He had no craving for the spotlight or fame wasn't what he was after. He simply didn't have the desire to recreate something from his past life and gain fame from it.

Becoming famous felt like activating his GPS on his enemies' maps, a surefire way to ruin his life entirely. In summary, fame was poison for someone like him.

However, revealing his true circumstances was out of the question.

"It's simple. If, by some fluke, this song becomes a hit, I don't want to become some big shot. Plus, we shouldn't take the chance of someone linking me to Ai."

They were taken aback, barely realizing the gravity of his words.

People had dirty minds, they enjoyed gossiping about others' lives and passing a BS judgment.

"I'm sorry," Ai mumbled, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"Cheer up, don't worry about it," Minoru said, patting her head and turning to Ichigo and Miyako, "Can you do that?"

They nodded reluctantly, realizing they had no other choice.

"Thank you. I'll trust your words, and we can formalize it legally later. I'll be blunt—I want to become a major investor in this project."

Minoru knew that Ai was a top idol, and with this project, B-Komachi would soar to great heights, attracting greedy bastards.

He was well aware of the dark side of the idol industry and wanted to protect and support Ai.

This way, he could also oversee production to ensure the quality matched the original and prevent useless debates from other shareholders.

After all, he's loaded.

Miyako couldn't help but be amazed at Minoru's unwavering support for Ai, while Ichigo eagerly shook Minoru's hand, willing to do anything to assist him.

Ichigo rushes at Minoru, shaking his hand.

"HAHAHA! Welcome, welcome! Strawberry Productions wholeheartedly welcomes you, Yanagi-sama!"

If Minoru told him to lick his shoes, he'd do it without hesitation.

Ai and Miyako couldn't help but think he was shameless, considering he had previously questioned Minoru's ability to take care of Ai and the twins.

"I expected nothing less, Ichigo-san."

Minoru didn't find it strange, for people like Ichigo were solely focused on survival, just like him.

---

A week had passed since then. Ai was back to work after her break and was busy working on a new song for B-Komachi. Meanwhile, Minoru was also occupied with his role as a new teacher at the most prestigious private school in Japan.

Today marked his third day as a teacher at Suchi'in High School, and he was engrossed in preparing his teaching materials.

"Uwa! I broke the keyboard again! Yanagi-san! Wh-what should I do?"

To Minoru's right sat a new PE teacher who had been hired on the same day as him. Yor gasped as she held her pitiful keyboard.

'That's her third...'

Minoru adjusted his glasses as he inspected her keyboard and wondered why she had opted for a school computer over a laptop.

"Just ask the staff for a replacement," he suggested.

Yor appeared on the verge of tears, feeling helpless in her strength.

'Is it because she's a national-level athlete?'

Minoru suspected that Yor might share a similar secret to his, judging by her aura alone. However, despite his efforts to dig deeper and uncover her true identity, he found no information.

There were only two possibilities: she was either a normal person or as enigmatic as he was in the underworld, where no one could discern his true identity just by looking at his face.

All he could do was guess that she was here for the same reasons or that she simply needed a job that suited her expertise.

Despite her clumsiness, Minoru doubted Yor posed any danger, considering how openly she displayed her immense strength in front of others.

"T-Thank you! I'm sorry for the trouble," Yor stammered as she received her new keyboard.

In this shared teacher workspace at Suchi'in High School, all the teachers except the principal worked together, a common practice in Japanese schools. Desks were distributed based on age and seniority.

Five of the youngest teachers had desks clustered close together, forming a small group within the teacher's room.

"Sigh... Briar-san, please be careful not to break it."

"I'm sorry, Senpai! I'll try my best not to break anything."

"Ahaha, I'm just joking, though! Don't worry, our school is well-off."

Said Hiratsuka Shizuka, whose desk faced Yor's.

She seemed in need of rest, her eyes tired from overtime work or perhaps indicating a need to improve her stamina.

Since he started working here, whenever she had a spare moment, she stole glances at Minoru, who pretended not to notice her, but he did.

"Ahaha... It's expected from an Olympic athlete."

Commented Yuzaki Nasa, a 22-year-old science teacher.

He stood at 5'5" with a slim build, short dark green hair, and eyes. Nasa held the record as the youngest teacher in Suchi'in, having been accepted at 18, while Minoru was 19 and 10 months old.

Notably, Nasa had married officially at 18.

"Please, Yuzaki-senpai, I'm embarrassed..." Yor responded.

"Hm, that's quite an accomplishment though. Anyway, which homeroom class were you assigned to?"

Shizuka inquired, though her question seemed directed at more than just Yor.

"Um... I was assigned to 2-D."

"Ah! I see... hahaha. My homeroom class is 2-B," Shizuka said with a smirk.

Yor smiled in response, and then Nasa chimed in.

"Henderson-sensei assigned me to class 2-E," Nasa added.

Shizuka and Yor nodded, and all three of them turned their attention to Minoru, who was engrossed in his laptop screen.

Sensing their gaze, he paused.

"The principal hasn't assigned me a class yet."

"Ehhh, is that so? Then what about you, Chabashira?"

Shizuka asked, addressing the teacher whose desk was placed vertically, facing all four tables.

"I'm in a similar situation," came a cold, sharp voice from Minoru's left.

She held the highest position among the youngest teachers, as she was the vice principal of the high school.

She had long brown hair tied in a ponytail with bangs swept to the left, brown eyes, a voluptuous body, and a mostly serious expression on her face. Her outfit consisted of a black blazer with a white shirt underneath, the top three buttons unfastened, a short black skirt, stockings, and a pair of black heels.

As he finished preparing lesson materials for second-year mathematics, he sent them to the teacher responsible for the second year, a strict-looking woman.

"Chabashira-san, I've completed my lesson plan," Minoru announced.

His words surprised the four of them.

"Whaa? Ahem! Good work," Chabashira replied, receiving his email.

Her surprise was evident as he was the fastest one to finish in just three days. She glanced at Minoru with narrowed eyes, appearing irritated and skeptical. However, she eventually opened the email and began to check it, as it was her job.

Minoru had finished his assignment well ahead of the five-day deadline, but inwardly, he couldn't help but think.

'What the fuck is this... hell?'

Minoru knew that Chabashira Sae, the person who taught History, was an ambitious woman who didn't like competitors like him, perceiving him in that way.

However, Minoru didn't care about it.

He just hoped that this woman wouldn't be a bother, though she was already bothering him as his gaze unintentionally met her melons every time he glanced at her. Minoru wished that she would stop showing her assets, as he found it distracting.

Despite maintaining his poker face and outward calm demeanor, he was struggling like crazy on the inside.

This was a tough situation because he was surrounded by some of the most beautiful teachers in the school. Yes, there were these attractive female teachers who had the power to easily distract many male students.

And let's be real about him, even though he is a man of sheer fucking will, he was just a simple man.

'I'm a dad, I'm a dad, I'm a dad...'

He kept chanting this word to convince himself, like it was some sort of magical incantation to ward off the temptation of all the beautiful teachers around him.

"Yanagi-sensei, the principal is waiting for you in his office."

'Just when I needed it! Let's escape to the rooftop and have a smoke after meeting the principal.'

The principal's secretary appeared like an angel with wings on her back, and he was finally freed from this torture.

---

Minoru won't become an actor or musician, he just enjoys playing the piano and singing with his kids, and that's it.