FLIGHT 004 - A ROUGH STARTUP

"Expect film viewings and a bit of checklist modifications for this week's lesson. We will be discussing problems at takeoff, and certain plane configurations for takeoffs," Andy reminded his students.

He has just finished his lesson for the first day of the week, all that's left is to give out his last few reminders. The exams are coming up in less than a month and there's still has a few lessons to go through.

"If nothing else, then I'll see you later, Delta!"

"Thanks, and see you, Sir Andy!"

He was just about to leave the room when one of his students called him.

"Sir Andy!"

"Ohh, what's the matter, Haruno-san?"

Haruno Sayuri is 1 - D's class president. A tall and beautiful girl, with an admirable mature and kind personality.

"Can we talk outside," Haruno pointed away from the room.

The two stepped out and closed the door; curious of the girl's concern, Andy asked, "Is something the matter, Miss President?"

"Yes, there is!" Sayuri replied with a serious and stern tone.

She faced their adviser with her eyebrows curled up in disgust.

"Look, Sir, I would appreciate it if you stay away from the girls, especially after class!"

The class president's question caught him by surprise.

"What are you referring to, Miss President?"

"I mean, I want you to stop flirting with the girls. It's a very disgraceful act for a teacher to flirt with girls from his class."

"I don't think I get what you're referring to, Haruno-san? I haven't interacted with the students much."

The class president thinks that their new teacher is just playing dumb, trying to deny the ulterior motives behind his actions last week.

"Last week, Friday, I saw you in the library with Aoyama Ayaka. You were flirting with her, I have no doubt."

Andy's memory refreshed, he remembered comforting Ayaka last Friday in the library. His intention wasn't to flirt, but to console a student having an emotional crisis.

"But that wasn't -"

"Denying it won't do you any good, all boys are like that, anyway. Just because you're a teacher at an all-girls school doesn't mean you have the right to flirt with the girls. That is such a despicable act for somebody like you."

"But - I see. Well if that's how you think it is, then I'll stay away from the students from now on," Andy replied with a worried look.

The aviation teacher decided to cut his words, knowing too well that his efforts to reason will be ignored. He spun around and left for the faculty room, concerned and confused.

"Was helping somebody wrong?"

Back in the classroom, some of the girls were concerned with Sayuri's conversation with their adviser.

"Sayuri-san, what happened?"

"Well, not much but" - she gave everybody a serious look and spoke with a serious tone - "be careful with Sir Andy. Last week, I saw him flirting with one of the students."

"HUH?"

"Please be careful, but don't cause any rumors or badmouth him, it will badly impact our class. Remain vigilant."

The room filled with murmurs and mumbling, immediately their view on their new teacher drastically changed.

Sayuri's warning was announced to the entire class, everybody heard it. But little did they know that a part of Sayuri's reminder fell on deaf ears.

"Rumors, ehh. This will be fun!"

Classes continued as usual, and despite having different thoughts on their new adviser, the class kept their respect for him. During ICT time, some were giving worried looks but nevertheless, classes proceeded smoothly.

Tuesday soon came, but things were looking rough early in the morning. Crowds of students flocked the corridors with their eyes staring at the new aviation teacher.

"What's going on?" Andy wondered.

Looks of disgust ran through their faces, some avoided his path, while some murmured upon seeing him.

Aviation and ICT classes were normal at first glance, but there were unusual amounts of mumbling behind his back. The same can be said outside the classroom, the girls were looking at him and whispering to themselves.

He decided to ask his seniors if they know something about the situation at school.

"Hey, Mark-nii, is there anything going on in the campus?"

"Nope, nothing I've heard off at least."

"Michael-niisan?"

"Frankly, I have nothing as well, Andy. Sorry!"

Wednesday came, and things became even more concerning.

Unusual rumors were spreading throughout the school, from one student to another. Worse, the rumors weren't just within the students, it reached the faculty room in no time.

During break time, Mark was strolling through the corridor on his way to the cafeteria. On the way, he overheard some of the girls mention the name, Sir Andy. Unusually, it was from students who don't have Andy as their teacher.

"What's going on out here?"

He caught a glimpse of Andy walking away from the School Cafeteria. What caught his attention was the way the girls around him were acting, they moved away and tried to avoid the rumored teacher. He tried to call him, but he disappeared from his sight.

Inside the faculty, Mark was surprised to not see Andy on his area. Instead, there was mumbling everywhere, murmurs that were loud enough for him to hear someone mention his friend's name.

"What's going on, what's with all the talk about Andy?"

"Oh Mark, you're not gonna believe this!" Kaminari told him with a look of disgust and disbelief, "It turns out, that new teacher, Andy, was seen flirting with some of the students. What nerve! I'm a male teacher but I will never do such a thing with my students."

Everything made sense now, the reason he was being gossiped by students and why everyone was avoiding him.

"There's no way he'll do that. Not Andy, if anything he doesn't have the nerve to talk to a girl romantically."

Grasping the severity of the situation, Mark rushed out of the faculty to look for Andy. He scoured the corridors of the East Wing but couldn't find him. His search around the Main Building only brought Michael to him.

"Yo Mark! Have you heard - "

"Not now! Have you seen him?"

"Uhmm, no, actually -"

He ran off without listening to what his colleague has to say.

Unfortunately for Mark, it was already 9:30 AM; he couldn't find Andy, and he has classes to attend to. He decided to leave things for now and try to find him during their second break.

Inside 1 - D's classroom, the blackboard hasn't been cleaned yet. The girls were still chatting with each other when their Science Teacher, Sir Michael, entered the room.

"Take your seats, and erase -" the writings on the blackboard caught his attention, - hold on!"

The scribbles on the board were very familiar to the Science teacher, the wing sketches and barely readable penmanship reminded him of the drawings he used to see back when he was still in college.

"Did Andy draw this?" he asked while pointing at the drawing of plane taking-off on the board.

"Uhmm, HAI!" the class president replied.

Feeling nostalgic, the Science teacher smiled and chuckled, "Never gets old."

"Uhmm, Sir Michael!"

"Hmm," he looked at the girl raising her hand, "is something the matter, Sayuri-san?"

"Oh, uhmm ... nevermind!"

Curious as to what it was, he decided to ask Sayuri after his class, right before Mark comes in for Math time.

After finishing his lesson, Michael told the class president that he had something to ask her. He stepped outside and was surprised to see Mark early for his next class.

"You're early!"

"My class with 1 - C ended rather quickly," the Math teacher briefly explained.

"Did you find him?"

"Sadly, no. He wasn't in the Faculty and I doubt he'll be at Aneko's office.

The classroom door opened, Sayuri stepped out to see the two teachers talking.

"Actually, Mark, good timing. There's something I need your help with!"

"Please don't be something absurd!" he replied with a sigh.

The science teacher began interrogating 1 - D's class president.

"Sayuri-san, do you know anything about the rumors?"

"Well," she had an uncertain look in her face, her two index fingers were touching each other. She was hesitant and worried at the same time.

"If you know anything, it will be very helpful."

Earning confidence from the teacher's remark, Sayuri spoke, "Sorry, I don't really know anything."

Disappointed, the two teachers looked down, feeling downhearted.

"You may go back, Sayuri-san."

Nodding her head in reply, the class president returned inside the room.

"That was a disappointment," Mark replied with a disheartened look, "I'll try to find him during the second break, he still has classes, so he has to be at school. Go back to your classes, Michael."

"Right," was all he could say after hearing the Math teacher's annoyed tone.

While classes were ongoing, the faculty room is nearly empty. Taking advantage of this situation, Andy went back inside to have lunch. Once the teachers come back for lunch break at 12:30, he'll leave to avoid being rumored.

"Hauu, I didn't do anything! Yet this is what happened."

"I believe you!" a voice told her.

"Huh?" he looked up to see a lady with long silky hair, tied into braids, wearing round, rimless spectacles. In terms of height, she should be about 3 inches shorter than Michael.

"You, believe me?"

"Of course!" she replied with a gentle yet enthusiastic tone.

"But why?"

The lady patted his head and calmly told him, "Because Mark said you wouldn't do such things."

Surprised with the lady's reply, Andy became silent, trying to calm down his inner thoughts.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a nonsense rumor that somebody started to ruin your image. Or it may just be a big misunderstanding."

The lady's comforting words made Andy smile, he's been stressed out by the rumors, and having somebody believe him made his feeling lighter.

"Thank you, uhmm?"

"Its Yui" - the lady introduced - "Midorikawa Yui, from the English department."

"Ahh, arigatou (Thank you), Yui-neechan!" Andy thanked wholeheartedly.

Yui chuckled from being called nee-chan, it was a word she hasn't heard in quite a while. She left the faculty room to attend to her next class, leaving Andy along with the few teachers in the faculty room.

Lunch break soon came, and just as Andy planned, he left the faculty and went somewhere else, not wanting to hear the rumors about him.

Inside 1 - D's classroom, the rumors were everywhere. Everyone remained vigilant and suspicious of their adviser, not wanting to be hit on.

"Jeez, the rumors are everywhere! The whole school's been shaken by it, but that's what he gets for flirting with a student, right Ayaka?"

"Huh?" immersed in reading the book he hasn't finished since last week Ayaka was surprised to hear her friend call out her name.

"What's wrong, Karen-chan?"

"Huh" Haven't you heard the rumors?"

"What rumors?"

Karen's jaw slammed to the floor, she couldn't believe that her best friend doesn't know about the rumors that have been circulating around the school.

"Wait, you don't know?" she slapped herself in the faced and sighed before telling it to Ayaka.

"It seems Sir Andy has been seen flirting with one of the students. I asked Prez who warned us about it, and she said that it happened last week, Friday, inside the library."

"But he was alone in the library!"

"Yeah - WAIT, WHAT?" surprised from Ayaka's words, Karen can't help but interrogate her.

"What do you mean he's alone. Oh wait, you were in the library last week, what happened?"

"Ohh, Sir Andy was alone last week. He wasn't with anyone while he was in the library. Although, he did approach me when he saw me crying."

"Wait, you were crying? WHY?" Karen asked in an unusually loud and swift voice voice.

"I was reading this book" - she showed the cover of the book in her hand to Karen - "I got a bit emotional so Sir Andy tried to comfort me. He even explained to me what happened in this book. I don't know anything about him flirting?"

"Ohh nooo!" Karen replied with a look of disbelief, her mind unable to comprehend her startling realization.

"There's only two ways to explain Ayaka's testimony: one, Ayaka was the girl being hit on but she didn't realize; or, Sir Andy's actions were very likely, misinterpreted."

Extremely confused with what she just thought, Karen excused herself out of the room and took a breather outside the school courtyards, reflecting on her two options.

"Sir Andy doesn't seem to be someone who will flirt with the girls, he had a friendly demeanor and pleasant attitude during class. But maybe it's just a ruse to fool us. Or maybe, Ayaka is just an airhead and she didn't realize, but that's unlikely. Arghh, which one is it."

With frustration and confusion welling up inside her, she didn't realize that she loudly blurted out the words, "WAS HE FLIRTING OR NOT!"

"So you think so too, huh?"

Karen's eyes widened with shock, surprised to see a man standing merely inches away. Immediately her mind filled with regret

"Sir Andy!"

He looked displeased, but not angry. His eyes were dead, and his face showed little emotion. It was very different from the enthusiastic and cheerful Andy during class time.

Andy walked away from the girl, he didn't say anything until she called out to him.

"Sir Andy, wait! I have a question!"

"If you have a question, please leave it for class discussion, or you could leave a piece of paper on my table in the faculty. I'll have a friend of mine give you my reply," he told the girl with a disheartened tone.

To Karen, Sir Andy's reaction made her realize a grim reality behind the rumors.

"That reaction, his behavior! It's impossible, there's just no way!"