rooftop roundabout
By the time the last bell had rung, Mariko could feel her bun, frazzled at the edges, trying to escape its scrunchie. She pulled her hair back and redid the knot while the students--her students--filed out one by one, chatting about one thing or another. What they wanted to do for the weekend, complaining about homework. It was a nostalgic sight that brought happy, memorable feelings. Mariko envied them, to some extent: being carefree, without worries of responsibilities, just being able to have fun with friends. Being a teenager really was great.
That only served to remind Mariko how old she was exactly. She sighed and pulled her things together, barely catching a stack of papers when she saw--not heard, she didn’t hear her light footsteps--Snow White--or rather, Koyuki Himekawa--walk up to her desk with her bag. She wasn’t on cleaning duty?
That’s when she asked her if they could meet after school. This usually meant the roof, and Mariko was the only one of them who could get the key without raising suspicion. She didn’t even let her nod or say “okay” before walking off, and Mariko watched her, confused. She didn’t let it stay long and shrugged her shoulders, gathering her materials.
After soliciting the keys from the gardening club, she unlocked the roof and stepped outside. Mariko had somehow become a temporary supervisor in the short time she’d been there, most likely because she was incredibly knowledgeable about the subject, and frequently tended to the plants when nobody else could. She decided to check the petunias while she waited for Snow to show up and crouched down by the flowerbeds. Her lab coat scrunched around her ankles as she delicately fixed their supports.
Yes, work like this wasn’t so bad.
