"No buts, I do not want to hear it." Mrs Hasegawa said, cutting Sakiko short. Sakiko had a dejected and shocked look on her face but she quickly hid it as soon as it came.
Sasuke noticed her changed expression and held her hand, intertwining their fingers. He pressed her hand to give her an a.s.surance that he was with her.
"Are you done, Mari?"
"Yes ma."
"Good!"
As soon as she said that, even Ayumi felt bad.
"Why would she agree to what Kimura said without listening to Sakiko"s side of the story? Ayumi thought.
"I never knew Mrs Hasegawa to be bias. Why would she side with Mari?" Sakiko muttered.
"This wasn"t going well, at this rate Sakiko would be punished." Sasuke furrowed his brows as he weighed the situation.
As if understanding what went through their minds, Mrs Hasegawa continued. "Now Sakiko, let me hear your side of the story." She turned her gaze to Sakiko as she spoke.
Mari felt like her hope was crumbling down. Just now she was happy that Mrs Hasegawa had picked her side, but now she wanted to ask for Sakiko"s side. She may well ask for Ayumi"s input as it was and if it came down to it, she would be to blame.
Sakiko who wasn"t expecting for Mrs Hasegawa to ask her, became speechless.
"Huh Sakiko, I am waiting for you."
"Oh yes! Sorry Mrs Hasegawa. Well, I was in cla.s.s during the break when Mari walked in and approached me. First, she thanked me for telling on her, then she started sprouting nonsense about Sasuke and I. Later she began insulting me, that was when I slapped her."
"So you hit her first!" Mrs Hasegawa stated.
"Yes ma, I did right after she called me a birch and other names."
"Still that was no excuse for you to raise your hands and hurt someone."
"I"m sorry Mrs Hasegawa."
"Save it, that apology shouldn"t be for me," she said with her palm up, then turned her head tp face Mari. "And you, Kimura! You just hot out from your punishment with the disciplinary committee and still had the guts yo cause trouble for her. Have you learnt nothing?"
"But ma, you have got to believe me. I am saying the truth."
"How can you still lie after everything that has happened? Mrs Hasegawa you can come to cla.s.s and ask everyone. We saw it all, Mari started it. Sakiko was just tired of all her troubles and reacted."
Ayumi didn"t know when she had blurted out so much. All she wanted to say was for Mari to stop lying, but now... She quickly covered her mouth with her hands when she realized she had spoke out of turn to their Homeroom teacher.
"Ayumi!"
"I"m sorry ma"am."
"It is true Mrs Hasegawa," Sasuke began speaking, "although I wasn"t there when it all started, but when I came Mari was causing trouble. I know Sakiko did wrong by hitting her first but please ma, Mari needs to stop all these."
"Hmm," Mrs Hasegawa thought for a few minutes, "Very well. I would pa.s.s my judgment. Sakiko, irrespective of how she offended you, you were wrong to have hit her and same goes for you Mari. You shouldn"t cause trouble and initiate a fight, so you both would be punished."
"What?!!"
"Yes ma"am."
Both girls look at each other. Mari was simply unreasonable. She should be glad that Mrs Hasegawa wouldn"t take it to the student council or disciplinary committee, yet she is screaming what.
"You got a problem?"
"Ma... "
"Kimura Mari, that"s enough!" Mrs Hasegawa yelled at her.
Luckily for them, few teachers were in the staff room as at then, they turned her heads to look at the situation. She quickly got up, waved and apologized.
"I"m sorry," then she sat down and turned her gaze back to her students. "I should punish you severely for lying to me and fighting Kimura, but I would just let this slide and let you two clean the pool."
"Hmm... "
"Alright Mrs Hasegawa," Sakiko said calmly.
"Not so fast you two, first apolo... "
"Mrs Hasegawa!" A voice called out.
She turned to look at who called her. It was a male teacher.
"Yes?" She answered the man questioningly.
"The Disciplinary Committee Chairman wants you in his office immediately," Mr Ito informed her.
"Okay, right away, thanks." She averted her gaze back to her students and said, "Get to your cleaning duties and better settle things between yourselves while you"re at it. You may go now."
"I"m coming, Mr Ito ""
"Hmm, hurry up then," he replied back.
Sasuke and the others made their way out. "Wait up!" Mrs Hasegawa called out.
They all turned their heads and looked at her. ""Mrs Hasegawa?"
"Ma"am!"
"Yes?"