Chapter 53: Reciprocity Among Friends 

On Thursday at noon, Tanimura Toshihiro approached Mutsuki.

"Yumi-sensei, the first-year class is really unruly. They are disrupting my classes so much I can't teach properly," complained Tanimura Toshihiro.

He admitted that he had underestimated the first-year students when he previously claimed not to care.

After teaching all afternoon yesterday, he was exhausted and just wanted the school day to end quickly.

There was no first-year class for him on Thursday, but he had one on Friday morning.

To prevent a repeat of the disastrous Wednesday afternoon on Friday, Tanimura Toshihiro sought out Mutsuki in advance, hoping to leverage Mutsuki's influence among the students.

"Ah, these kids. They all promised me, but..." Mutsuki sighed, expressing sympathy for Tanimura Toshihiro's plight.

"Tanimura-sensei, rest assured. This afternoon, I will definitely talk to them and make sure they don't go against you."

Upon hearing Mutsuki's words, Tanimura Toshihiro breathed a sigh of relief but still expressed some concern:

"Yumi-sensei, could you come by during my class on Friday? I'm afraid they won't listen to me again."

If the classes with the first-year students continue to be as challenging as they were on Wednesday throughout the whole year, he wasn't sure if he could endure until bonus time.

Being denied by one or two students could be ignored, but if the whole class denied him, it would indeed be a bit unbearable.

"No problem," Mutsuki nodded, agreeing.

"With Yumi-sensei's assurance, I feel at ease," Tanimura Toshihiro expressed gratitude with a smile.

After the conversation, Tanimura Toshihiro turned and headed back to his office.

Watching Tanimura Toshihiro's departing figure, Mutsuki thought to himself that Tanimura Toshihiro had a tough three years; understanding the students' psychology was truly unpredictable.

Forcing Mutsuki to suppress the students this way would not make the students dislike Mutsuki; instead, they would resent Tanimura Toshihiro even more.

From the students' perspective, Mutsuki was helping a struggling colleague, displaying no issues and could even be considered quite generous.

On the other hand, Tanimura Toshihiro seemed unaware of his own shortcomings, lacking self-awareness, and attempting to use his role as a teacher to exert pressure on them.

Upon careful consideration, Mutsuki realized that perhaps he had misjudged Tanimura Toshihiro.

Because this was the Academy, the situation was different from his previous life. If it weren't for the excellent performance of the first-year class, Tanimura Toshihiro wouldn't have ended up in such a predicament.

Shaking his head, Mutsuki decided not to dwell on these trivial matters and headed towards his office.

Since it was Tanimura Toshihiro's request, what else could he do? Refuse and be called stingy? No, he would, of course, agree and carry out the task, after all, he was the universally acknowledged perfect colleague, Mutsuki Yumi.

Back in his office, Mutsuki resumed practicing calligraphy.

"Hey, Yumi-sensei, you changed your brush, didn't you?" Ueda Aya noticed that Mutsuki was holding a different brush than before.

"Yeah, it's a gift from the students," Mutsuki smiled and nodded.

"That's nice. I've been teaching for years and never received a gift from students," Ueda Aya said enviously.

Upon hearing Ueda Aya's words, Chitani Isamu saw an opportunity to attack and spoke up:

"Ueda, have you ever considered Yumi-sensei's teaching level? He's so popular among the students. Comparing yourself to him shows a lack of self-awareness."

Ueda Aya was momentarily speechless; lies might not hurt, but the truth was a sharp knife.

Seeing Ueda Aya's frustrated expression, Chitani Isamu felt an instant sense of satisfaction.

"Maybe it's because Ueda-sensei's students are more reserved, wanting to give gifts but too shy to do so," Mutsuki remarked.

"You sure know how to talk, Yumi-sensei," Ueda Aya smiled, acknowledging it as comforting words. After all, who doesn't like compliments?

Kimura Sugito, observing the scene, felt that Chitani Isamu being perennially single might have some logic to it.

As the time for class approached, Mutsuki left his office and arrived at the classroom.

He didn't rush to start the class but instead took care of the tasks Tanimura Toshihiro had assigned.

"Didn't I make it clear? Don't speak ill of Tanimura-sensei in front of others, and definitely don't disrupt his class," Mutsuki said with a concerned expression.

"Yumi-sensei, did Taijutsu-sensei complain to you?" Kotetsu was somewhat speechless. It was the first time he heard of a sensei complaining about students, and the details seemed exaggerated.

"We didn't disturb him during his teaching; we only asked for guidance after he stopped," Izumo felt they were being unjustly accused.

They hadn't disrupted the class. Although the teaching wasn't great, nobody criticized Tanimura Toshihiro while he was teaching. Everyone was diligently watching and learning, and they completed their training seriously.

Everyone was focused on achieving good results in the final practical assessment, and they certainly wouldn't resist training.

"Make sure not to disrupt Tanimura-sensei's class and don't speak ill of him," Mutsuki reminded, avoiding directly answering Kotetsu's question.

His intended effect was for everyone to understand that he wasn't revealing Tanimura Toshihiro's complaint, but they all knew it was because of Tanimura Toshihiro that Mutsuki was giving this lecture.

"We understand," the students nodded one after another, but how they would behave later remained uncertain.

Mutsuki nodded, smiled, and then proceeded to start the lesson.

[Lesson Completed]

[Evaluation: A]

[Reward: Earth Release·Earth Dragon Bullet]

After school, Mutsuki trained his disciples as part of his daily routine. In the evening, he returned to his home in the main city area.

This time, it wasn't Mutsuki giving a free meal; it was Mutsuki going to Minato's house for a meal.

"We've eaten at your place so many times; it's a bit embarrassing. Today, Mutsuki, just take a break and taste our cooking," Minato said and then brought Mutsuki to his home.

Minato and Kushina teamed up, each preparing two dishes.

Minato and Kushina asked Mutsuki to taste the dishes first. Initially, Mutsuki wanted to suggest they all eat together, but seeing the expectant looks from the two, he knew what to do next.

Mutsuki first tasted the grilled fish made by Minato.

Honestly, this grilled fish was not the same as the grilled fish Mutsuki remembered. It wasn't even a whole fish; it was just a palm-sized piece of fish marinated and directly grilled with a sprinkle of salt.

"Preserved the original flavor of the food very well, very delicious," Mutsuki praised.

However, Mutsuki didn't just praise; he also pointed out some shortcomings, such as not managing the grilling time well.

The next four dishes received similar evaluations from Mutsuki, but for some, he praised more, while for others, he pointed out more flaws.

"Hehe, our home-cooked dishes aren't bad, huh?" Kushina said with a happy smile.

Getting approval from a culinary expert like Mutsuki for dishes they made themselves made Kushina very pleased.

"Minato and I have been practicing making braised pork belly. You must come and taste it when it's ready, Mutsuki," Kushina said.

Mutsuki smiled and nodded, jokingly expressing that he must taste it and check the learning outcomes of these two students.

Next, they chatted while enjoying their meal.

Minato also told Mutsuki that he had heard discussions about Mutsuki from other Jonin recently, mentioning that their kids criticized them, saying their teaching wasn't as good as the school's Chunin sensei.

On this topic, Kushina affirmed Mutsuki's teaching abilities. Although she hadn't seen how Mutsuki taught at the ninja school, she had seen Mutsuki explaining how to cook.

At this point, Mutsuki didn't downplay himself excessively but instead praised Minato and Kushina, stating that if Minato became a sensei, he would surely be a popular and good sensei, and the same for Kushina...

In this pleasant atmosphere, everyone happily spent dinner time, each achieving their respective goals.

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